God to receive the sentence of their eternall doome when they are to enter upon eternity how many then blesse God that ever he put it into their hearts to go another way not according to the common course of the world Though humour and conceitednesse may please and give content for a while yet it can never bring such peace and joy in sicknesse and death and when the soule sees it hath to deale with such an infinite holy God such a dreadfull Majesty none apprehend the glory and Majesty of God so as the godly doe none understand what eternity means so as they doe the sight of these things would shake men out of an humour it is not humour that can stand before God and the eternall misery or happinesse of the creature rightly apprehended it is time now to lay aside humours and conceits and yet then when these things are most clearely most powerfully apprehended by Gods servants even then they are most for the wayes of God in which they differed from the world than ever they were before it is now their greatest griefe that they have no more differed from them than they have and if they were to begin againe they would differ farre more than ever they did Sixtly Surely it is not humourous conceited singularity because most men who have enlightned consciences when they are most serious in their best moods are of this mind If you will needs go by multitudes we dare venture upon this yea we dare challenge upon this argument onely with these two Cautions 1 That the men you bring in be men of inlightned consciences for what have we to doe with others who are blind and ignorant though there were never so many thousands of them they can adde nothing at all to the cause 2 Let the judgements of men be taken when they are most serious when they are best able to judge doe not take them when they are in passion when their lusts are up but when their spirits are calmed and in the best temper when conscience hath the most liberty to speake indeed what it thinkes and of such men in such times we shall have the most on our side and therefore surely it is not a humour of singularity that acts the in the way of godlinesse Seventhly It is not singularity for we have the Prophets Apostles Martyrs Saints of God before us cloudes of witnesses thousand thousands of them and every one of them worth ten thousands of others as S. Chrysostome hath an expression in one of his Sermons to the people of Antioch It is better to have one pretious stone than to have many halfpenies so one godly man is better than multitudes of others And S. Cyprian hath the like expression in one of his Epistles Doe not attend to the number of them sayes he for one that feares God is better than a thousand wicked It is safe to follow the way of good men according to that in the Proverbs 2. 20. Walke thou in the wayes of good men and keep the wayes of the righteous Now then let neither the wayes of godlinesse or godly men ever be blamed for their singularity other spirits must needs lead into other wayes It was laid to Luthers charge that he was an Apostate he confesses himselfe to be one but a blessed and a holy Apostate one that had fallen off from the devill So wee confesse this is singularitie but a blessed and a holy singularity which differences Gods servants from this vile wicked world in which they live whereby they live as men of another world as indeed they are CAP. VIII Blesse God for making this difference betweene your spirit and the vile spirits of the men of the world SEeing this other spirit is so excellent and blessed then doe you to whom God hath given other spirits learne to blesse GOD for them the mercies of GOD to mens spirits are the greatest mercies though your conditions be meaner than others in other respects yet if your spirits be raised to an higher excellency than others you have infinite cause to blesse the Lord as S. Paul Ephes 1. 3. Blessed be the Lord which hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly things in Christ What though God hath not abounded to you in outward honours estates delights yet if he hath abounded to you in wisdome holinesse faith humility c. you have no cause to complaine Where God gives his Spirit in the gifts and graces of it there hee gives all good things hence whereas S. Matthew sayes Chap. 7. 11. How much more shall your Father in heaven give good things to them that aske him S. Luke 11. 13. bringing in Christ speaking upon the same occasion sayes How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Ghost to them that aske him as if all one to give his Spirit and to give all good things Spirituall blessings make all outward crosses light and easie as Prov. 18. 14. The spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmities Spirituall blessings have this excellency in them they cause a man to feele no need of many outward things which others know not how to want and it is as good to bee in such an estate to have no need of a thing as to enjoy it when we want it And further it is the excellency of spirituall blessings to keep downe the body and to carry the spirit above the body It was the excellencie and glory of the Martyrs that their spirits were so satisfied with mercies they had that they so little regarded their bodies when they suffered grievous torments as if they had not been their own Thus Zozomen reports of them Spirituall blessings are such as inable men to improve all other blessings they enjoy without these the greatest of other blessings would prove to bee the greatest curses to us and yet further These blessings upon our spirits cost God infinitely more than other blessings doe Other blessings God can give at a lower rate but these cost the dearest heart blood of his owne Sonne and therefore above all let God have the praise of these Outward bodily mercies we are unworthy of but when we consider of these let us say as David Psal 66. 14. Come and hearken all ye that feare God I will tell you what he hath done to my soule There God hath magnified his mercies toward me indeed You may remember how base your spirits once were how blinde foolish drossie sensuall and it may bee malicious This S. Paul cals to minde to stirre up himselfe and others to praise God for that blessed change he had wrought in his and in their spirits Tit. 3. 3. For we our selves also were in times past saith hee unwise disobedient deceived serving divers lusts living in maliciousnesse and envie hatefull and hating one another but when the bountifulnesse and love of God our Saviour appeared c. But if your spirits have not beene so vile as
other succeeding Ages CAP. IV. The Reason why the men of the world and the Godly can never agree HEnce wee see the Reason why the men of the world and the godly can never agree they are men of another spirit Where there is difference of spirits there can be no agreement Water and oile cannot mingle no agreement betweene light and darknesse they looke at them as men whose lives are after another fashion That Apocryphall Authour in that book of Wisdome hath an excellent expression to this purpose Chap. 2. 12. he brings in wicked men saying of the godly He is cleane contrary to our doings he is grievous unto us to behold his life is not like other mens his wayes are of another fashion wee are esteemed of him as counterfeits he abstaineth from our wayes as from filthinesse he commendeth greatly the latter end of the just Verse 19. Let us examine him with rebukes and torments c. Let the relation and the ingagements be what they will yet so long as of different spirits they cannot close What a differeÌ„t spirit was there betweene Iacob and Esau who lay in the same wombe at the same time 〈◊〉 There may be outward peace fo 〈…〉 while betweene Gods people and some wicked men but inward closing of spirit there can never bee The spirit that is in you the world cannot receive sayes our Saviour Iohn 14. 17. Antipathies are irreconcileable no arguments no meanes ever used can cause an accord except there be a change in nature Nothing in the world puts mens spirits in such a distance as Grace when that comes and therefore where the most eminent grace there the greatest disagreement betweene them and wicked men How many wicked men cannot but be convinced of some godly who live with them that they are better than themselves that they are conscientious men whose Principles are truly godly and that they walke close to them they are not able to charge them with any ill carriage towards them they seeke to doe them all the good they can and yet their spirits cannot close but as they were wont to say in former times Caius Seius was a good man but hee was a Christian so now such are good men but they are too strict this enough to keepe a perpetuall breach betweene them CAP. V. Learne to have a right esteeme of such pretious spirited men IF the godly be of such excellent spirits learne wee then hence to have a right esteeme of them they surely are worthy of pretious account of most honorable esteem who are men of such excellent spirits Let them bee what they will in regard of their outward condition though never so meane and poore No matter what the Ring bee if the Pearle in it be pretious Many most pretious spirits have very mean outsides The Tabernacle was beaten Gold within but the out side covered with Badgers skines If the treasure be rich what though the vessell be earthen Surely these are the excellency of the earth the very light and beauty of the world the glory of Gods Creation they give a lustre to the places where they live to the families in which they are especially if they walke close and faithfully with God indeed manifesting the excellency of their spirits in their wayes so that when they are taken away the very places where they lived are darkened This other spirit of the godly makes a Iob scraping his soares on the dung-hill and a Ieremy sticking in the myrie dungeon more glorious than Kings and Princes sitting crowned upon their Thrones these are glorious within God is a Spirit and he looks on men to see what they are in their spirits and he esteems accordingly of them and so should we What doth brave cloathing what doth money what doe titles of honour raise the dignity what are these to the excellency of mans nature No certainly the excellency of man must bee that which mustmake the most excellent and noble part truly excellent which is the spirit of a man If a man would know the excellency of any thing as of a sword or of any other instrument he judges it not by the Hilt or the inferour part but by what excellency the principle part hath There is a spirit in man and the inspiration is from the Almighty a spirit inspired by the Almighty and beautified with his heavenly graces this innobles a man indeed it is the ornament of the hidden man of the heart the glorious cloathing of that which makes truely beautifull and glorious How did many of the Heathen highly prize those in whom they saw any naturall excellency of spirit differing from other men Those amongst the Romanes who were called the Curii and â—abritii they lived very poorly and meanly yet being perceived to have more excellent spirits than other men they were taken from their dinner of Turnips and Watercresses to lead the Romane Armie How much more should we honour men in whom we may see Divine spirits the lustre of heavenly graces shining in them But to shew more particularly that godly men are to be highly prized in regard of this other spirit as they have received a spirit differing from other men so they are to have esteem and honour differing from other men not to bee looked at as common men for First this difference of their spirits from other men is a certaine signe of the eternall love of God unto them it comes from the treasure of Gods everlasting love of that choyce speciall love of God from the bowels of Gods deepest mercies it is a most infallible argument that God hath set his heart upon them for good as for other favours a man may have them more than other men yet they are no such but may stand with Gods hatred and with his eternall wrath and this is a great difference betweene spirituall mercies and outward mercies which sets an exceeding high prize upon spirituall mercies aboue all others these are the distinguishing mercies which others are not But Secondly the spirit receiving these spirituall excellencies from Gods choyce everlasting love receives likewise all other mercies from the same fountaine though in their owne nature they bee common mercies yet where this other spirit is there they are received from another Fountaine than other men receive them which addes much sweetnesse and excellencie to the mercies we have they come as fruits of the common bounty and generall goodnesse of God to ordinary men but to men thus differenced from others they come out the spring of the rich treasures of Gods grace tending to the furtherance of eternall mercies Thirdly The Lord hath an especiall eye upon and delight to dwell with these who are of choice and excellent spirits Hee will dwell with the contrite heart to revive the spirit of the humble Esay 57-15 Hee hath a speciall care of these spirits that they doe not faile before him hee puts under his hand to support comfort revive
some inclinations stirrings of affections good resolutions you begin to have good thoughts of Gods wayes you are almost perswaded Oh that the work were throughly done it is pity but that these beginnings should be improved When Christ saw the good inclinations of the young man when he came unto him the Text saith He looked upon him and loved him those beginnings are lovely but how lovely then would the full worke be if these beginnings were brought to perfection In this Vse we shall shew first the Motives which may draw our hearts to the following of the Lord fully 2 What it is that hinders the soule in this worke that it may bee prevented 3 What it is that would bring off the heart fully indeed For the first there is infinite reason that our hearts should bee fully after the Lord for 1 There is a fulnesse of all good in God hee is worthy Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory honour and power Revel 4. 11. Thou art worthy to receive the highest honour that any of thy creatures can by any meanes give unto thee The Heathen gods were honoured as those who were onely Authors of some particular good things and therefore there were such a multiplicity of them one was honoured as the Author of one good thing and another as the author of another and therefore particular honour was sufficient for them There was no reason that that any of them should have the whole soule working in the fulnesse of the operations of it after them but our God is not so he is an universall good in whom there is all good and from whom all good flowes and by whom all good is preserved in the being it hath and therfore it is a most absolute universall honor and service that is due to him if wee had thousands of soules and if they were all of ten thousand times larger extent than they are yet infinite reason there would bee that they should all in the full latitude extent strength of them work after this our God to honour and magnifie and worship this God for ever As that blessed Martyr once said What have I but one life to lay downe for Christ If I had as many lives as there are haires upon my head they should all goe for Jesus Christ He saw Christ worthy of all hee had yea of more than he had This was Gods own Argument to Abraham Walk before me and be upright bee perfect for I am God al-sufficient I have all perfection in me and therefore be thou perfect before me Secondly consider God might have had full glory in your destruction let him not bee a loser in his shewing mercy to you How much better is it for you that hee should have the fulnesse of his glory in his mercy to you than the fulnesse of it in his judgements upon you This he might have had long agoe yea and the fulnesse of his glory hee will have if you give it not to him hee will force it from you Thirdly Christ hath fully gone thorow the great work of Redemption he would never leave it till he had fully accomplished all and said It is finished This was a mighty work for the accomplishment whereof he passed thorow more difficulties than ever thou art like to do in the fullest measure of following the Lord that possibly can be Fourthly yea Gods mercies for the present are very full towards you his pardoning mercies and his supplying mercies with all things needfull when hee receives thee to mercy he fully pardons all thy sins hee leaves nothing upon the score he remits all thy punishments This was Davids Argument Psal 103. 1 2 3 Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within mee blesse his Holy Name and blesse the Lord O my soule again as if he should say O let God be fully blessed by me why what was that that raised and inlarged Davids heart It followes Who forgiveth all thine iniquities and heales all thy diseases and vers 4. He crownes thee with loving kindnesses and vers 5. He satisfies thy mouth with good things God gives his servants a fulnesse in all they doe enjoy his grace exceedingly abounds towards them in every thing That place in 2 Corinth 9. 8. is very remarkable for the setting out of the abounding of Gods grace towards his people And God is able saith the Text to make all grace abound towards you that ye alwayes having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work What ever God is able to doe for us by faith wee make it as if it were done And this power of God is set forth to the Corinthians as a Motive to perswade them to full obedience that they might abound to every good work which if they did they should have this power of God active fully working for them according to these large expressions wee have of it in this Scripture And observe the severall expressions 1 It is grace 2 Then all grace 3 Then all grace abounding 4 A sufficiency 5 An all-sufficiency 6 An all-sufficiency in all things And 7. alwayes an all-sufficiency in all things And is not here an Argument full enough to cause them and us and all Gods people for ever to abound in every good worke How often doth God fill our cup with mercy and make it even runne over as Psal 23. 5 If there shall be an All-sufficiency in all things then there will be an all-sufficiency in our greatest straits in our greatest afflictions in our greatest seares As it is said of the wicked Iob 20. 22. in the fulnesse of his sufficiency hee shall bee in straits the contrary is true concerning Gods people in the fulnesse of their straits they shall be in all-sufficiency God causeth all his Attributes and all the wayes of his Providence and all his creatures to work for the good of his people All that is in God all that God doth and all that belongs to God is for them therefore infinite reason there is that all they are that all they doe that all they have should worke for his honour First all there is in God 1 is for them Ierem. 32 41. I will rejoyce over them to doe them good and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soule God cals for no more from thee than he is willing to give unto thee hee would have thy whole heart thy whole soule for his honour and hee promiseth to give thee his whole heart and his whole soule for thy good Againe all that God doth is for thee Psal 25. 10. All the pathes of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keepe his Covenant and his testimonies The pathes of the Lord are the wayes of God in the passages of his Providence not onely some particular acts but the track of God in his wayes his pathes Now all these pathes of God that is
all the workings of God in the waies of his Providence they are mercy unto such they work mercifully for their good And further observe they are not onely mercy but mercy in truth God hath ingaged his truth that they should thus worke for them God hath tyed this mercy to them by his truth See here the difference between Gods mercy to his people and his mercy to other men First some of Gods pathes may be mercy to other men but not all or some particular acts of God rather than his pathes God doth not ordinarily goe on in a track and course of his mercies with them as hee doth with his people As their obedience is onely in some particular acts and no continued course so Gods mercy to them which comes from his generall bounty is manifested onely in some particular acts of his and not in any constant course But it is otherwise in his dealings towards his people they goe on in a constant course of obediēce they make Gods Commandements their pathes and therefore God goes on in a constant course of loving kindnesse towards them hee makes his mercy to them the ordinary pathes wherein hee walkes As Psalm 36. 10. O continue thy loving kindnesse to them that know thee and thy righteousnesse to the upright in heart The word in the Originall is Draw out thy loving kindnesse Gods mercies to his owne are a continued Series they are drawne out from a constant Spring they come forth from a never-failing Fountaine there is a connexion betweene one mercy and another but as for others God now and then onely casts his favours on them And observe a second difference all Gods paths are mercy to his people not some few there are none of Gods dealings but ayme at good towards them if God should cause one favour to follow another towards some wicked man out of the fulnesse of his bounty yet it cannot be said of any wicked man in the world that all the pathes of God are mercy towards him God hath his pathes of wrath and judgement wherein he is comming towards him though hee bee little aware of it But this blessing of all the pathes of God being mercy is a peculiar blessing to such as follow the Lord fully in the uprightnesse of their hearts in all the pathes of service and obedience And thirdly observe yet a greater difference than the former All the pathes of God are not onely mercy but mercy and truth to his people though God may shew mercy to others yet he hath not tyed his mercy to them by his truth they cannot challenge mercy from him by vertue of his truth if they have mercy it is more than they could have expected they cannot be sure of the continuance of it one houre they have nothing to shew for their mercy they doe not hold their mercy upon that Tenor of Gods truth which his people doe Nay when God comes to make good his truth to give his truth the glory of it then there is an end put to their mercy it is cut off from them but there is a blessed connexion between Mercy Truth in the good which Gods people doe enjoy according to the like expression in the forenamed 36. Psa 10. the loving kindnesse and the righteousnesse of God are put both together as the portion of an upright heart And hence the mercies they have are no other than such as they may expect as they may build upon before they come such as are made over to them by the truth of God and when they are come they may bee sure to hold them because they hold them upon such a blessed Tenure as GODS owne truth And hence the Scripture calls them sure mercies See how confident David was of holding Gods mercies Psalm 23. 6. Surely goodnesse and mercy shall follow mee all the dayes of my life And further all that God hath is for their good the heavens and earth and all Creatures are theirs and worke continually for them Hosea 2. 21. 22. I will heare the heavens and they shall heare the earth and the earth shall heare the Corne and the Wine and the Oyle and they shall heare Iezreel 1 Cor. 3. 22 23 The world life death things present things to come all are yours and yee are Christs and Christ is Gods Rom. 8. 28. And we know that all things worke together for good to them that love God This is a mysterie that the world is not acquainted with but we know it saith the Apostle The world may thinke that things worke against us yea all things in the world seeme to work against us but we know that all things doe work for good they work together for good though some particular things considered apart may worke for good to other men yet take all together and they worke their ruine but altogether workes for good to us although the good doth not seeme yet to come forth yet it is a working for us stay but till the worke bee done and it will appeare Good it will bee though it may bee not the same good that wee thinke of yet a good that will bee better for us a greater good than we imagined or desired Now then if all that is Gods bee for thee and workes thus fully for thee is there not reason then that all that is thine should be for God and worke as fully for him Thine did I say the truth is there is nothing thine for all is Gods God hath a greater propriety in and right to whatsoever thou art and hast than thy selfe but God is pleased to let it bee called thine that thou maist freely give it to him and if it bee his owne why should hee not have it fully If he thus inlargeth himselfe towards thee how unequall is it that thou shouldest be scant in thy service to him and in thine honouring of him Fifthly wicked men doe fully follow after that which is evill an infinite shame confusion then would it be to us an infinite dishonour likewise unto God if wee should not as fully follow the Lord in that which is good Ecclesiastes 9. 3. The heart of the sonnes of men is full of evill and Chap. 8. 11. The heart of the sonnes of men is fully set in them to doe evill The Seventy translate this The heart of man hath a Plerophorie to evill it is set upon it without any doubt or suspition there is a plerophorie of boldnesse to sinne in them why should there not bee a plerophorie that is a full perswasion of faith in Gods servants to that which is good Micah 7. 3. the Scripture saith that wicked men doe evill with both hands earnestly Esay 57. 5. Idolaters there are said to inflame themselves with their Idols and Ieremy Chap. 8. 2. they are said 1. To love their Idols 2. To serve them 3. To walke after them 4 To seek them 5. To worship them all these 5. expressions together in one
not that I regard the presence of Iehosaphat the King of Iudah I would not looke towards thee nor see thee Hee had a fulnesse of Gods Spirit in him that could speake thus to one of the gods on earth When a mans heart is filled with divine influence he feares not the enemies of goodnes neither is ashamed of ought accompanies godlinesse 2 Tim. 1. 7 8. God hath given us the spirit of power of love and of a sound mind be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony c. When the power of God is in a mans spirit he will not bee ashamed of the Crosse nor refuse to share in the afflictions of the Gospel It is the honour of Religion to have such Disciples as will own her and stand for her at all times and that with an undaunted courage Acts 4. 8 9 10 11 12. Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost and said Bee it knowne unto you all and all the people of Israel that by the Name of Iesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified whom God raised from the dead even by him doth this man here stand before you whole this is the stone which was set at nought of you builders c. And after when he and Iohn were commanded silence what said they Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than God judge yee for we cannot but speake the things we have seene and heard It is a brand upon Nicodemus that he came to Christ by night and so of the chiefe Rulers that beleeved on him but because of the Pharisees did not confesse him lest they should be put out of the Synagogues but it was Nicodemus praise for that he had got boldnesse to speak for Christ when vilified though himselfe suffered reproach for it this shewed some excellency and growth in his spirit that he could both speake and suffer for Christ So Ioseph of Arimathea was timerous at Ioh. 19. 38. but being filled with grace He went in boldly to Pilate and craved the body of Iesus Mark 15. 43. With what holy boldnesse did those men march through reproaches afflictions and persecutions for the truths sake Reader swallow thou this Booke as Ezekiel did his rowle and thou shalt be inabled to doe as much Principle and fill thy spirit with the pretious truths contained in this little Treatise and thou shalt find thy drooping spirit to receive a heavenly warmth to come upon thee and a holy boldnesse thrusting thee forward for God and godlinesse Wickednesse is too bold and godlinesse too shamefast it hath lost and suffered much through mens cowardlinesse Reade meditate and feast thy spirit with what thou herein findest and thou mayst walke bold as a Lion through the midst of a crooked and perverse generation thou shalt daunt wickednesse it selfe and make Religion truely beautifull and honourable If thou shouldest say This book might have been kept in there are too many already I answer thee There be many but few to purpose The Sea is full of water yet God addes daily to it by rivers and showers Many would read little if new bookes were not set forth daily Bookes do quicken up a drowsie age to the best purpose New bookes are like new fashions taken up at first with affection Notwithstanding all the Munition of the Kingdome there is new made daily Books are more needfull than Armes the one defends the body the other the soule If thy spirit be choice and right thou wilt acknowledge this worke solid spirituall and such as hitherto thou hast not met with many like it If trees be knowne by their fruit what other sentence may bee passed upon the Composer of it but that hee hath profited in the Schoole of Christ above thousands hath had a large operation of Gods Spirit in his own soule attained to a choicenesse and excellency of spirit himselfe that he hath clearly differenced betweene pretious and base spirits I shall appeale to thy selfe Christian Reader when thou hast perused this Booke whether thou wouldest have had it buried in the dark If he deserves a curse that withholds corne Prov. 11. 26. thou wilt blesse God for this corne the Authour hath sent to market God made him a fountaine not to bee sealed up but to slow for common good Veritatem celare est aurum sepelire In a fountaine sealed and treasures hid the Authour knew was little profit Hee hath let out himselfe to advantage thee taken this off from his owne spirit to put upon thine Doe thine endeavour to better thy selfe by it and if thou gettest any good give unto God glory if none suspect thy spirit and spare thy censures The Authours spirit is above them and counts it a very small thing to bee judged of mans judgement My prayers are that thou mayest profit much attaine true excellency of spirit and follow God fully all thy dayes that so thy end may bee comfortable and glorious Thy Christian friend W. Gr. A GRACIOVS SPIRIT A CHOYCE and a pretious SPIRIT Numb 14. 24. But my servant Caleb because he had an other spirit with him and hath followed me fully him will I bring into the land wherein he went and his seed shall possesse it CAP. I. What that other spirit is which a godly man hath differing from the world IN these words we have Gods approbation of Caleb accepting his faithfull service in the testimony hee gave of the good Land encouraging the hearts of his people to goe into it As for the other that were sent God determines against them they shall never see that good Land But my servant Caleb c. First Gods commendation of Caleb Secondly his blessing upon him For the first hee sayes three things of him 1 He is my servant 2 He hath another spirit 3 He hath followed me fully He is my servant It is a great honor to bee the servant of the blessed God and to bee acknowledged so by God himselfe We should not looke at our services to God only as duties injoyned but as high priviledges as dignities put upon us wee should glory in his service It was a great part of that glorious reward of those who came out of great tribulation who washed their Robes and made them white in the bloud of the Lambe that they should bee before the Lord and serve him night and day Apoc. 7. 14 15. My servant He hath shewed himselfe to bee my servant indeed I will for ever owne him what ever others did hee continued faithfull with me To bee a servant unto the Lord is an honour but to bee acknowledged faithfull that higher I have obtained mercy to be faithfull saith Saint Paul To be faithfull in service is not only a meanes of obtaining mercy but it is a great obtained mercy My servant Caleb Caleb is only mentioned here and so in the former Chap. verse 31. Why is not Ioshua mentioned likewise for surely hee followed the Lord fully
is not forced and haled to them doth not take them up as tiresome burdens Gods Commandements are not grievous they are not as fetters of iron but as chaines of gold for beauty and ornament there is a readinesse of spirit to what ever is good they are vessels of honour ready prepared to every good worke 2. Tim. 2. 21. It is written in the volume of thy booke I should doe thy will and â—o I come psalm 40. 7 8. There is a sutablenesse betweene the law and the spirit the law is written in it never so in it's element as when it is in the wayes of obedience there is not that straitnesse of spirit as in others but here the heart sweetly enlarges it selfe as the flowre that opens it selfe to the shining of the Sunne Thirdly a sublime spirit raised high by spirituall heavenly influences not swelling by pride a spirit that hath all earthly things under feet as the Holy Ghost sets out the Church Revel 12. 1. Things received with admiration by other spirits it looks on with contempt as things infinitely inferiour to it a godly mans feet are where other mens heads their heads that is the pitch and height of all their aimes is upon things that are on the earth but the Saints have these things under their feet When Valence sent to offer Basil great preferments to tell him what a great man he might be Basil answers Offer these things to children not to Christians When some bade stoppe Luthers mouth with preferment one of his adversaries answered It is in vaine he cares not for gold his spirit was too noble and high to bee tempted with gold base low spirits would have beene taken with such things such a spirit as Demas who forsooke Paul to imbrace this present world but a spirit raised by God is above them How was S. Pauls spirit above mony when he speaks of lucre he cals it silthy lucre 1 Tim. 3. 3. A godly mans spirit is sutable to the high dignities put upon it and priviledges it hath Saul when made a King had another spirit put upon him contemning former things highly esteemed of a man raised on high lookes on things below and they appeare small things to him so here Reason may raise the spirits of men above the common sort a rationall man lookes at many sinnes as too mean and base for him scornes to staine his excellency with them as the sinnes of sensuality and filthy lusts Tully thinkes him not worthy the name of a man that spends a whole day in the pleasures of the flesh and Socrates had such a vile esteeme of sinne as he thinkes it shall be one of the greatest torments of men in another life to be tied and bound to the sinnes they most delighted in here Seneca hath a notable expression to this purpose I am too great and borne to greater things theÌ„ that I should be a slave to my body But if Reason raises the spirit so high how high then doth Grace raise it This spirit cannot be satisfied with small low things as it is reported of Luther when great gifts were sent to him hee refused them with this most brave and excellent speech I did earnestly protest that God should not put mee off with these things meaning that hee would not be satisfied with anything that was here below All the things in the world are farre from being able to satisfie this spirit it accounts all yea if they were a thousand times more than they are but a poore pittance for the portion of an immortal soule If God should make more worlds for it yet if he give not himselfe to it it would not be satisfied nothing but a God an infinite universall eternall Good can fill up the desires of this spirit Thou hast made us O Lord for thy selfe saies Saint Austin and our hearts are unquiet till they come unto thee It is the worke of a base drossy spirit to thinke If I had but so much or so much yearely I should have enough how base the spirit of that rich man blessing himselfe in his goods Soule take thine ease thou hast goods laid up for many yeares what were all those to his soule to the happinesse of his soule These are spirits that have higher designes theÌ„ so their designes no lesse than a Kingdome yea than God himselfe Rom. 2. 7. They seeke for glory honour immortality eternall life Though they can bee content with little of the world for their use yet they cannot bee content without that Good Happinesse that is infinitely higher and better than all the world for their portion As Abraham said concerning his child when God promised him a great reward Gen. 15. 2. Lord what will thou give me so long as I goe childlesse Lord what is all the reward I can have except I have this mercy except I have a child because the Messias was to come out of his Ioines So the soule here if God should promise it never such great things yet Lord what are all these things to me if I have not thy selfe All the gifts that God can give to this spirit will not satisfie it except he gives himself to it As God is not pleased with what wee tender to him except we give our selves to him So a godly heart is not contented with all that God gives to it except hee gives himselfe to it Thus Bernard exceeding sweetly As what I have if offered to thee pleaseth not thee O Lord without my selfe so thy good things we have from thee though they may refresh us yet they satisfie us not without thy selfe Yea further the enjoyment of God is not enough except they may have a full enjoyment of him they are not satisfied except they bee filled with the fulnesse yea with all the fulnesse of God Ephes 3. 19. See a notable example of this in Moses Exod 33. 12. and so on The Lord had done great things for Moses many wayes but besides all hee had done for him hee told him that hee knew him by name and that he had sound favour in his sight one would have thought this might have satisfied him No Moses must have more Verse 13. I pray thee if I have found grace in thy sight shew me thy way that 〈◊〉 know thee and that I may finde grace in thy sight God grants him this and rels him Verse 14. that his presence shall goe with him and hee will give him rest surely this will satisfie him No Verse 16 Moses must have yet more hee must have such a presence as the world may know that God doth goe with him and that hee and his people are a separated people from all the people that are upon the face of the earth and Verse 17. The Lord saith to him I will give thee this thing also that thou hast spoken Surely this will satisfie him No Moses is not satisfied yet Verse 18. I beseech thee
every one that hath any truth Wherefore for answer let us know there is this perfection or else there is no truth at all onely remember I doe not speake now of the perfection of degrees in this cōsists the right straightnes of a mans heart A straight line wil touch with another straight line in every point but a crooked line wil not it toucheth but only here there in some so straight hearts will joyne with Gods law in every part but crooked and perverse hearts onely in some onely so farre as may serve their owne turnes In this consists the true plainnesse of a mans spirit you know plaine things will joyne likewise in every point one with another but round and rugged things will not so proud sowlne hearts and rugged spirits will not close fully with Gods truths but where there is plainnesse of spirit there is a full closing a thorow union There is a great dangerous mistake about this point which yet is a generall mistake multitudes of people miscarry everlastingly upon this mistake they think because we cannot in this life attain to the perfection of holinesse in the degrees therefore there is no perfection at all necessary but that they may be saved without it they think therfore that if they do some good things if they obey some Commandements it is sufficient though they take liberty to themselves in other things they finde they can yeeld in something yet other things of Gods will are exceedingly unsutable unto thē Be convinced of your mistake herein a godly man indeed is weak and cannot attain to the performance of every part of Gods will but the frame of his heart is to every part every part is sutable to his spirit He esteemes all the Precepts of God concerning all things to be right and he hates every false way He findes the Law of God in the latitude of it written in his heart there is no command of God that is not dearer to him than all the world Marke that place in Iob Chap. 8. verse 20. God will not cast away the perfect man neither will he helpe the evill doers The perfect man is opposed to the evill doers who shall be cast away If you be not perfect in this sense that hath been spoken of then you are an evill doer who must be cast away how glorious soever many of your actions may seeme to be That place in Ezechiel Chap. 18. verse 21. that is usually taken for the place of the greatest mercy in all the Scripture by many is exceedingly abused yet see what that requires of men in their repentance the words are usually taken up thus At what time soever a sinner repents him of his sin I will blot out all his iniquities saith the Lord. There are not those very words in any place of Scripture but there are to the like effect which are in this place of Ezechiel And in no other place is Gods mercy to a sinner more fully revealed There is no Text in Scripture comes nearer to that which men ordinarily take up than that verse and the 27. 28. verses in the same Chapter and see what of Gods mind wee have made knowne there the words of the Scripture are thus If the wicked will turne from all his sinnes that he hath committed and keepe all mystatutes and doe that which is lawfull and right he shall surely live and againe Verse 28. Because he considereth and turnes from all his transgressions Thus you see that God in the largest promises of his mercy to those who have the least measure of grace he requires the turning from all sinnes and the keeping of all his Statutes and this God brings to shew the infinite equity of his wayes towards sinners As if he should say Except this be no mans conscience in the world but must acknowledge it to bee infinitely just and equall that he should perish everlastingly if there bee any way of wickednesse reserved if any statute of mine bee neglected if he thinks to have mercy without an universall turning from his sin without an universall obedience his conscience will tell him that it is an unequall and unreasonable thing that hee should ever expect it And yet further because you think that this universalitie of obedience should be expected only from some who are eminent in grace who have attained to a great measure of godlinesse consider what is required of poore widdowes 1 Tim. 5. 10. They must diligently follow every good work First they must not onely have good desires but good works Secondly they must follow good works Thirdly they must diligently follow them Fourthly they must diligently follow every good work And fifthly they must so follow as they must be well reported of for it Yea sixthly they must doe all this or els they must not be received into the Church Surely then it is a shame for any man especially of parts and abilities to plead weaknesse when so much is required of poore women certainly it is not weaknes but falsenesse of heart that is contrary to universalitie of obedience to the following of the Lord fully in this respect The Vessell of honour is distinguished from the vessel of dishonour 2 Tim. 2. 21. by this Character that it is one that is sanctified and prepared for every good worke You know what S. Iames saith Chap. 1. verse 26. If any man seeme to be religious and bridle not his tongue but deceives his owne heart this mans religion is in vaine It is an heavie censure that all a mans religion is in vain for one fault and that but for a fault in the tongue and yet this is the censure of the Holy Ghost No question such men who were guilty herein would reason thus with themselves We cannot be perfect in this life we doe performe many duties of religion therefore we hope though we faile in this one thing that yet we shall doe well enough God will accept of us No saith S. Iames hee deceives his owne heart such a one shall never be accepted To the like effect is that of our Saviour Iohn 5. 44. How can you beleeve on me which receive honour one of another This was enough to keep thē off for ever from Christ and yet this was but an inward sin no outward grosse crying sin in the esteem of the world Let a man be never so glorious in never so many duties of Religion yet certainly the giving liberty to himselfe in any one lust is enough to keepe him off for ever from God from partaking of good in him As if a wife be never so officious to her husband yeelding to him in never so many things seeking to give him content in his desires never so many wayes yet if she entertaines any other lover besides himselfe it is enough to alienate his spirit from her for ever That which God sayes to Salomon 1 King 9. 4. is very observable to our purpose After Salomon had finished
if David should have said I am resolved to walke before thee in a perfect way and yet I have not thy gracious presence with mee oh when wilt thou come unto mee but still whatsoever becomes of mee I am determined to continue walking within my house with a perfect heart The like place we have Psal 119. 8. I will keepe thy statutes oh forsake me not utterly As if he should have said O Lord thou hast in some degree forsaken mee thou seemest as if thou wouldest forsake mee yet Lord I am determined that I will keep thy Statutes Thus the upright heart resolves Though I should perish everlastingly yet I will perish following the Lord and if I cannot follow him I will cry after him and if I cannot cry after him I will look towards him yea though he appears to bee angry yet will I follow him as â—ob Though hee kils me yet will I trust in him Though there be much guiltinesse upon the spirit so that the devill and an unbeleeving sullen heart would much discourage from following after the Lord yet still it will not leave off but it labours to encourage it selfe as Samuel did the people 1 Sam. 12. 20 21. Samuel said unto the people Feare not ye have done all this wickednesse yet turne not aside from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your heart and turne you not aside for then should you goe after vaine things which cannot prosit nor deliver for they are vain Thus the soule that followes the Lord reasons with it selfe Though it is true I have sinned mine iniquities are great God may justly be provoked and for ever reject me yet I will not turne aside from following him I know there is no good to be got els-where though I be unworthy of mercy yet God is worthy of honour and therefore what ever I can doe I will that God may have honour though I perish yea this soule though it receives many a repulse yet still it will follow As the woman of Canaan though Christ called her Dogge yet she leaves not off she acknowledgeth her selfe to be a Dog yet still she seekes Yea though God seems to go crosse wayes quite contrary to that the soule expected yet still this soul will follow him even in those wayes As when the Lord called Abraham to follow him into a Land that should flow with milke and honey Gen. 12. 1. Abraham was content to leave his owne countrey his fathers house his kindred and all his friends and notwithstanding as soone as he came into that Land he found there was a famine in the land Verse 10. so that he was forced to get into Egypt and that with the perill of his life or else he must have starved Flesh and blood would have murmured much at this and have said What is this that Land that God said hee would shew me is this that fruitfull Land for which I must leave my Country and all my friends and now as soone as I come into it I am ready to starve in it and yet Abraham followed God still in all the wayes he was pleased to lead him in Againe when God promised to multiply his Seed as the Starres of heaven yet for twenty yeares after this Sarah was barren God seemed to neglect his promise and after when he had a childe in whom all the Nations of the earth were to be blessed yet this Child Abraham must kill And here God seemes to goe crosse to his Promise yet Abraham followes God still One who followes God fully indeed lookes up to the goodnesse of God in himselfe and in his Promise not to it as it appeares to sense hee sees more good in the Promise then in all the things in the world though hee sees nothing though hee seeles nothing in himselfe nor in any creature for the present and what worke hee followes the Lord in hee will not leave imperfect he will not give over till hee sees something come of it if he followes God for a broken heart he will pray and meditate and pray and meditate again and again if it were a thousand times and a thousand times over again till the worke comes to some effect And so for power over a corruption and strength in any grace where there is truth of grace there will bee working like fire that never leaves working till it breakes forth and gets the victory Hence that place of our Saviour Matth. 12. 20. where hee sayes hee will not quench the smoaking flaxe nor breake the bruised Reed till hee send forth Judgement into victory If wee observe the place of the Prophet from whence this is taken which is Esay 42. 3 the words are He shall bring forth judgement unto truth noting that wheresoever there is truth there will bee victory Christ will nourish the smoaking flaxe that is the least worke of grace till Judgement that is this worke of sanctification bee brought into victory and overcome what opposeth it If hee brings any beginnings of grace to truth the victory is already gotten It is reported of Master Bradford that he would never leave off when hee was in holy duties till hee found something comming in as in confession of sinne till hee found his heart melt and breake for sinne in seeking pardon till hee found some quieting of his spirit in some intimation from God of his love and so for grace till hee found his heart warmed and quickned It is an excellent thing indeed to resolve to follow the Lord in duty howsoever though nothing should come in by it to our selves but yet the heart that is right will never be satisfied in the performance of a duty till it finde some manifestation of Gods presence in it some worke of God put forth upon it by it it will not rest in duty performed it is not satisfied in good inclinations in good desires it hath nor in gifts it receives nor in comforts it findes in the creature nor in enlargements and more inward joyes but it must have grace and God it must have some impression of God upon it to carry with it as a Seale of that presence of God it did enjoy in the dutie it so strives with the Lord as it resolves not to let him goe till it hath got a blessing It is a very full expression that S. Bernard hath to this purpose in two or three words Oh what a mercy were it continually to enjoy that which he saith Oh Lord saith he I never goe away from thee without thee he meanes he never leaves off duty till hee gets the presence of God and so carries the Lord along with him Oh how often doe we goe from God without God! we thinke it enough that we have beene before him in holy duties though indeed we still abide strangers to him he to us How often doth God send us empty away from his presence which we should account a sore and grievous affliction But
not sensible of their inability to holy desires though they may have many flashes like unto holy desires yet they are wholly strangers to those desires after God which are truly holy 3 These prize not the meanes of grace they long not after them they will not labour they will not bee at charge they will not endure hardship to attain them they are not conscionable in the use of them in any power they use not all meanes if one way will not bring their desires to effect they try not other wayes they are not solicitous about the successe of meanes they look not much after them but rest themselves in the bare use of them not examining not searching their hearts to see what is in them that hinders the blessing not bemoaning their unprofitablenesse under meanes 4 Their desires are not strong unsatiable other contentments quiet their hearts Time weares away the strēgth of their desires though they bee as farre from the enjoyment of the things that were desired as they were at the first 5 Their endeavours are not powerfull they are not working constant endeavours they doe not dedicate devote give up themselves whatever they are or have to the seeking after the Lord their consciences cannot but tel them that the strength of their hearts and endeavours is after other things David in the 119. Psalm 48. vers saith That hee would lift up his hands unto Gods Commandements which hee had loved and hee would meditate in his Statutes Hee did not thinke it enough to have a love to to have some wishes and desires to keepe Gods Commandements but he would lift up his hands to them hee would set himselfe on worke in labouring to obey them hee would meditate set his minde and thoughts to plot and contrive how he might best come to the fulfilling of them Psal 27. 4. One thing have I desired and that will I seeke after Certainly those slight vaine desires and wishes that there are in many peoples hearts are not the following this blessed God fully they are but the dallyings and triflings with God and their owne soules they are so farre from bringing them unto God as they prove to be their destruction The desire of the slothfull killeth him for his hands refuse to labour Prov. 21. 15. Thirdly others have good resolutions now and then in some good moods the truths of God come darting in with some power as they cannot but yeeld to them and then they are resolved that they will doe better that it shall not be with them as it hath beene they will set upon a new course of life things shall bee reformed and their lives shall bee changed but yet these vanish too they follow not God fully They are as those in the 5. Deut. 27. who seemed to have strong resolutions to walke in Gods wayes Goe thou neare say they to Moses and heare all that the Lord our God shall say and speake thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speake unto thee and we will heare it and doe it But as the Lord said there concerning them Verse 29. So I may say of these Oh that there were such a heart in them How farre are they from having yet a heart to follow God fully For 1 Their resolutions are not fruits of their deepe humiliation for their former neglect of God and the former sinfulnesse of their wayes They are only to procure peace unto themselves for the present their hearts being stirred by the power of the truth darted in 2 They arise not from changed principles from a renewed nature from out of love to the Lord his blessed wayes hence they vanish and they never bring them up unto the Lord. Fourthly others have strong sudden affections they feele sometimes some meltings in sorrow for sinne in hearing the blessed truths of God revealed to them they feele some sweetnesse in the working of truths upon their hearts they are sensible of some joyes in good things they have a taste of the powers of the world to come When they heare Christ preached or see his body broken or his blood shed in the Sacrament they think with themselves Oh that Jesus Christ should come from heaven to save such poore wretches as we are that hee should shed his pretious blood that hee should die for such vile sinners yet these are a great way off from following the Lord fully For 1 these affections are sudden and flashing the truths of God passe by them leaving a little glimmering behinde them or as water passeth thorow a Conduit leaves a dew but they soake not into the heart as the water soakes into the earth to make it fruitfull 2 These are stirred with the pardoning comforting saving mercies of God but not with the humbling renewing sanctifying mercies when the word puts them upon any hard thing to flesh and blood it is unsavoury to them their hearts turne from it If the word urgeth to strict examination of themselves if it puts them upon the finding out of the deceits of their spirits their secret corruptions and would straine them to higher duties than their principles reach unto then their spirits fly off they seeke to blesse themselves in that they have already and think that these things trouble people more than needs if God should not bee mercifull to such who finde such affections such stirrings of heart as wee doe then Lord what shall become of us 3 These flashy affections doe not arise from spirituall judgement apprehēding the spirituall excellencies of godlinesse after a spirituall manner their apprehensions of spirituall and heavenly things are too too carnall and sensitive Hence afterwards when they come to finde the good things of the wayes of God to be spirituall and heavenly not sutable to those apprehensions they had of them their hearts are then taken off as those wee reade of in the 6. of Iohn 34. verse When Christ told them That the bread of God is hee which commeth downe from heaven and giveth life unto the world Oh say they Lord ever give us this bread their hearts were up exceedingly stirred Well as if Christ should have said You shall have it I am the bread of life hee that commeth to mee shall never hunger hee that beleeveth in me shall never thirst as if he should have said This must bee done by faith you must feed upon my flesh by faith and drinke of my blood by faith But now they having apprehended a strange kind of bread from heaven before and afterwards hearing of no other but comming to Christ and beleeving in Christ they were deceived of their expectations and so were offended and now their affections fall for verse 41. they begin to murmur at him and verse 60. they said It was an hard saying who could heare it and ver 66. From that time many of them went backe and walked no more with him The like example wee finde in the
Galathians at the first they would have pluckt out their eyes for S. Paul their affections were so stirred by his Ministery they apprehended some great matters in the message of the Gospel that S. Paul brought but afterwards finding that those great and excellent things that the Gospel spake of were onely spirituall which their carnall hearts had little skill of and could not relish their affections were soon cooled they fell off from S. Paul Take heed therefore of resting to these flashy affections for if you do when these are gone your hearts will bee left in darkenesse Many examples are knowne of such who have proved to bee most vile Apostates yet time was wherein they have had many meltings much sudden strong joy so as they have professed that the joy they have found hath beene so great that if it had continued but a while they could not have lived but their spirits would haue expired A solid worke of the soule proceeding from an humble broken heart casting it selfe upon the faithfulnesse and freenesse of the grace of God in the promise for pardoning and sanctifying mercy and there resting so as willing to venture it selfe there for ever though it hath no present sense of joy yet it is farre more to be prized than the strongest of these sudden flashes of affection These flashy affections which have not principles to maintain them are like to Cōduits in the City running with wine at the Coronatiō of Princes or some other great triumph but it will not hold they are like Land-floods which seeme to bee a great sea but come to nothing in a day or two As there may be flashes of terrour and yet no true feare of God The Israelites were terrified when the Law was given and yet God saith Deut. 5. 29. Oh that there were a heart that they would feare me So there may bee flashes of joy desire sorrow and yet no true sanctified joy desire or sorrow at all There is much deceit in mens affections Affections not well principled not well grounded soone vanish time will weare them away The people of Israel at the giving of the Law had their affections much stirred so that one would have thought they had been engaged unto the Lord for ever and yet within fourty dayes their hearts were so taken off from God and his Law as if God had never made himselfe knowne unto them they call to Aaron to make them gods to goe before them and say to the Molten Calfe These be thy gods O Israel which brought thee out of the land of Egypt Another notable example wee have of people whose affections are strong for the present and yet worne away in a little time in the 13. of Hosea 1. When Ephraim spake trembling hee exalted himselfe in Israel but when he offended in Baal hee died When Ephraim spake that is when Ieroboam who was of the Tribe of Ephraim declared his purpose to alter the worship of God the people at the first were exceedingly affected with it they stood all trembling at such a strange thing as that was the very thought of it made their hearts to shake because they knew how jealous a God the Lord was But Ieroboam exalted himselfe in Israel hee went on resolutely in his way and would bring his purpose to effect then the people in a little time were brought to offend in Baal and then they died and they became a dead sottish heartlesse people fit to receive or do any thing though never so vile Fifthly others follow the Lord but they follow him in a dull heavy manner there is no spirit no heat no life in their following of him therefore they doe not follow him fully They rest themselves in a middle temper in a lukewarme course they like well of Religion and profession but what need men goe so farre what need they doe so much As Pharaoh said to the Israelites Exod. 8. 28. I will let you goe onely you shall not goe farre away The judgement of these men is for a middle way they are mixed spirited men like Ephraim Hosea 7. 8. mixed with the people as a cake not turned halfe baked and halfe dough they goe on in an ordinary track of performing the duties of Religion without any growth or any sensiblenesse of the want of growth they set upon some faire way of Religion which they perswade themselves is enough and that they meane to hold to they are content to make use of Christ and the profession of Religion so farre as may serve their owne turnes but to entertaine Christ and his truth as an absolute Lord to rule them that their spirits cannot beare in their converse there is no ribauldry no filthinesse so there is no warmth no heat to refresh and quicken any gratious spirit that hath to deale with them in all the Duties of Religion that they perform they take no paines with their hearts to work them to God Luther cals such kind of men Cainists that is such as Cain who offered to God the work done but do not offer themselves to God they content thēselues with generall hopes of Gods mercy upon weake and unexamined grounds they never trouble themselves in calling things into question about their conditions and their eternall estates they never lay to heart the miseries of Gods Church and the publike cause of God is not deare unto them they have not heat enough to cause a melting spirit for the dishonor that God hath by themselves much more is that heat wanting that should keepe their hearts melting for that dishonour which God hath from others Now this temper is so farre from following the Lord fully as it is loathsome and abominable to the Lord so loathsome as he threatens to spue such out of his mouth It is observable that of all the seven Churches we read of in the Revelation there is some good said every one is cōmended for somthing onely this Church of Laodicea excepted which was a luke-warme Church and of this there is no good at all said and yet none of the Churches had that high esteeme of it selfe as this had none of them conceited themselves to be rich and encreased with goods and to have need of nothing as this did No people doth so blesse themselves in their way as luke-warme people doe and yet no people more abominable to God than they What a dishonour is this luke-warme temper to God as if God were such a God as such flat sleight dead-hearted formall services as are performed by them were sufficient to honour his holy great dreadfull and infinite Majestie God pronouneeth a curse in Malac. 1. verse 14. against those who doe not offer the best that possibly they can in sacrifice to him and gives this Reason of it Because my Name is dreadfull and I am a great King saith the Lord As if he should say Therefore onely the most high and excellent things that can bee
shall follow them with anguish and horrour and fill up their spirits with them It may be once they had some flashy comforts in the performance of some duties but they shall be all taken from them and dismall horror and hideous amazement of spirit shall possesse them Pro. 14. 14. The backslider in heart shall bee filled with his owne wayes Much more than the backslider in heart and life too hee shall bee filled he shall have enough of them Conscience one day will upbraid fly in the face and teare the heart Oh wretched creature what hast thou done whom hast thou forsaken is it not the God of life and peace and comfort and all good that thou hast forsaken are they not the blessed wayes of holinesse the wayes of eternall rest and peace that thou hast left God hath likewise forsaken thee and all good and comfort begins to withdraw it selfe from thee thou art like to bee left in horrid dismall darknesse Just it is that thou shouldst be left as a forsaken forlorne miserable wretch who hast thus wretchedly and vilely forsaken God and his truth for the enjoyment of such poore base things as thy heart is turned aside unto How wilt thou be able to looke upon the faces of those with whom thou hast formerly joyned in holy duties and hast had communion with But how canst thou looke upon the face of the blessed God when hee shall appeare in his glory unto thee What anguish will it bee to thee when thou shalt see others who have continued in their way following the Lord to be for ever blessed in that God whom their soules have followed and cleaved constantly unto but thy selfe because thy base unbeleeving heart dared not venture all upon him now thou art cast out for ever as an eternall curse Oh what rack of conscience will it bee when thou shalt see in what a faire way once thou wert but for want of comming off fully and constantly in such and such particulars thou art now for ever lost Lastly these men are hatefull both to God and Men they are hatefull to Men because they goe so farre and to God because they goe no further as Hebr. 10. 38. If any man draw back my soule shall have no pleasure in him Oh what a happy thing were it if God would trouble the wayes of these poore creatures if hee would make them bitter and grievous to them if hee would magnifie his mercy and his power in turning their hearts againe towards him if hee would deale with them as hee did with his people Hosea 2. 6. 7. Hedge up their wayes with thornes make a wall that they should not find their paths that so they might at length come to that blessed resolution wee find there I will goe and returne to my Husband for then it was better with me than now So I will goe and returne to my former wayes and follow after the Lord againe from whom I have wretchedly departed for then it was better with me then it is now then I had more comfort more peace more safety more blessing than I have now And let such know that though it were just with God for ever to reject them who have forsaken him just to say that vanity should bee their portion who have turned after lying vanities and many of the Ancients have made the case of such exceeding doubtfull especially if after conviction they have forsaken God againe and againe as Clemens Alexandrinus thought that God might give such the first and second repentance but if they fell oftner there was no renewing them by repentance And Origen seemed likewise to bee of the same minde in his 5. Homily upon Leviticus Chap. 25. So Tertullian in his Book of repentance God grants saith hee a second repentance but no further Thus we see the strictnesse of these Ancient times But though these leave these men exceeding comfortlesse yet let them know that the Lord cals them to returne again unto himselfe For though it be saith the Lord that if a wife have played the harlot and shee be put away and become another mans her husband will not receive her again yet saith the Lord Ier. 3. 1. Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers but yet returne to mee and verse 22. Returne yee back-sliding children and I will heale your back-slidings Oh that your hearts would answer as theirs there did Oh that this gracious offer of the Lord might have the same effect upon your hearts as it had upon theirs Behold say they wee come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God truely in vaine is salvation hoped for from the hils c. Wee see wee see wee have beene utterly deceived the wayes that wee have chosen have not beene good shame hath devoured our labour wee have bestowed our labour in shamefull things we lie downe in our shame and our confusion covereth us for wee have sinned against the Lord our God As when a man goeth from the Sunne yet the Sunne-beames follow him shine on him warme him so though thou hast departed from the Lord yet the beames of Gods mercy this day follow thee they shine on thee Oh that they might so warme thy heart as to cause thee to returne CAP. IV. Comfort and encouragement to those who follow the Lord fully IF this following of the Lord fully be the honour of the Saints before the Lord then here is comfort and encouragement to those whose conscience doth witnesse that their hearts and wayes are fully after the Lord. What ever others do yet there are a generation of men in the world who doe fully follow the Lord Blessed are you of the Lord you are honourable in the eyes of God and man you make up in part that hurt that is done to Religion by others you bind up the wounds of Jesus Christ and do in part heale his scarres If you bee content to give up all to God to betrust God with all know that there are many blessed promises full of mercy and encouragement for you that God will make good to the full unto you yea they shall come to you fuller of goodnesse and blessing than you can imagine Caleb challenged this promise of God to him made in this place upon this ground Ioshuah 14. 8. five and forty yeares after it was made for hee was but forty yeares old when hee went to spie out the Land and when hee challenged this promise in this place bee saith verse 10. I am this day fourescore and five yeares old Though God may seeme to deferre a while the fulfilling of his promise yet bee encouraged to follow him still for the eye of God is upon you to make good his word unto you and the longer it stayes the more full with good and blessing it will come God seemed to deferre a long time that promise he made to Abraham That hee would make his seed as the starres of heaven for two hundred and fifteene
yeares after this promise was made there were but seventy soules that came out of Abrahams loynes namely when Iacob went down into Egypt which if we compute the time wee shall find to bee just two hundred and fifteene yeares for Abraham was seventy and five yeares old when the promise was made hee was an hundred yeares old when Isaac was borne Isaac was forty yeares old before he married and hee continued twenty yeares without a child and Iacob was one hundred and thirty yeares old when he went into Egypt so that the time fals to bee just two hundred and fifteene yeares which was just halfe the time from the promise till the people of Israels comming out of Egypt which S. Paul saith Gal. 3. 17. was foure hundred and thirty years Now observe that whereas God halfe this time did but little for Abraham in the fulfilling of this his promise yet because Abraham followed him fully ventured himselfe wholly upon the faithfulnesse of the Lord see how fully God came in with his mercy at the last for in the second two hundred and fifteen yeares hee so encreased his seed that from seventy soules they were growne up to bee sixe hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty Num. 1. 45 46. and these onely from twenty yeares old and upward such men as were able to goe to warre there was thus many of these besides all children and women which it is like were far the greater number yea and the Tribe of Levy was not numbered amongst this number there were two and twenty thousand and upwards of them besides Thus you see how fully God comes in at the last in his mercy and making good his word of promise to such who follow him fully Be you as full as you can in following the Lord the Lord will bee as full towards you in doing good unto you Gods mercy shall be every as full as your obedience can bee 2 Sam. 22. 26. with the upright thou wilt shew thy selfe uprigh The words are in the Originall With the strong and perfect thou wilt shew thy selfe strong and perfect God will goe on strongly to his perfection of mercy towards them who doe goe on strongly in their perfection of obedience towards him Psal 11. 7. The Lord loveth righteousnesse and his countenance doth behold the upright The words translated word for word are thus The Lord loveth righteousnesses and his faces shall behold the upright Righteousnesses that is when all the duties of righteousnesse are together And his faces shall behold that is all the severall kindes and manners of the blessed comfortable manifestations of his love the upright shall have The great difficulties thou meetest with in Gods wayes if thou beest not discouraged but goest thorow them they shall turne to thy greatest comforts As Caleb who was not discouraged by the Anakims those great Gyants and the strong places they lived in which so much discouraged the rest Therefore Hebron the place of the Gyants was given unto him for a possession Iosuah 14. 12 13 14 and 15 verses God certainly will remember the kindnesse of those who are willing to follow him through the wildernesse of difficulties and discouragements Ierem. 2. 2. You who doe thus shall die without staine without any blur which few doe your memories shall be sweet and blessed when you are dead and gone You shall have an entrance ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. 11. This is promised not onely to those that are godly but abound in it as verse 8. They shall be as a ship comming gloriously into the Haven with full saile Thus S. Paul 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. with much confidence and full assurance concludes That seeing hee had fought the good fight and finished his course and kept the faith henceforth there was laid up for him a crowne of righteousnesse which the righteous Iudge should give him at that day hee challengeth it upon the righteousnesse of God When the soules of these who have followed God fully are to enter into heaven the everlasting doores shall stand wide open for them as when great men come to a house the great gates are set open for their entrance and in Heaven oh how full a reward shall there be there for them as 2 Ep. Ioh. 8. vers There is fulnesse of joy at Gods right hand Psalme 16. ult So full as shall bee more than can enter into them they must enter into it because it cannot enter into them there they shall not taste of joy and happinesse but shall bee filled up with them This Christ encouraged his Disciples withall Luke 22. 28 29. Yee are they which have continued with mee in my temptations and I appoint unto you a Kingdome as my Father hath appointed unto mee With this S. Paul encouraged himselfe in all his afflictions hee met withall while hee was following the Lord 2 Cor. 4. ver 17. For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a farre more exceeding eternall waight of glory First it is glory and this word alone implies that there is exceeding much in it but further it is a waight of glory yea an eternall waight of glory and more than that an exceeding eternall waight of glory as if yet it were not exprest fully enough hee addes further a farte more exceeding eternall waight of glory and what expression can bee fuller than this This was that likewise that incouraged Moses in his full following the Lord forsaking the pleasures the riches the treasures of Egypt that hee migh follow the Lord fully For hee had saith the Text a respect unto the recompence of reward Hebrewes 11. 26. And you whose hearts and wayes are fully after the Lord have the more cause to rejoyce in this your blessednesse because it it is the blessednesse but of a few Iniquity shall abound saith Christ and the love of many shall waxe cold but hee that endures to the end shall bee saved It is but a hee in the singular number that endures to the end Let these encouragements then fill your hearts with joy and your spirits with renewed resolutions and vigour to fill up your course let them fill your sailes that you may goe on with strength and prosper and be for ever blessed in your way I conclude this Vse with that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 7. 1. Seeing we have these promises these incouragements let us labour to perfect our holinesse in the feare of God And thus I passe to the last Vse which is of Exhortation CAP. V. An Exhortation to follow the Lord fully NOw the Lord carry our hearts fully after himselfe As the two blinde men Matth. 20. vers last as soone as their eyes were opened they followed Christ so were our eyes opened wee would certainly follow after the Lord were they fully opened our hearts would follow fully Many of you have some convictions
the converse that Jesus Christ hath with the soules of his people is compared to that converse that friends have one with another in their walkings together in their galleries Cant. 7. 5. The King is held in the galleries hee doth not only walk with his Beloved there but is as it were bound he is kept there by the bands of love and when death comes then the soule is called up to the upper roome to heaven there to follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth Wee reade of a notable speech that Hilarion had when hee was to die Goe out goe out my soule why dost thou feare why dost thou doubt almost these seventy yeares hast thou served Christ and dost thou now feare death And if the end of our way at death hath so much good in it how much good will there be in the end of our way that we shall enjoy when we come to heaven As the consideration of the full reward in heaven was made use of before as an encouragement to those who doe fully follow the Lord so now wee make use of it as a strong motive to draw up our hearts to the full following after him It was S. Pauls motive to the Corinthians 1 Epistle 15. 58. perswading them to hee stedfast unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as they knew that their labour was not in vaine in the Lord. We doe not follow after shadowes and phancies in following the Lord but wee seek for glory honour immortality wee follow after an incorruptible crowne a glorious kingdome an eternall inheritance the glory of heaven the treasures of the riches of God himselfe are set before us to draw up our hearts fully to him It was the argument that S. Paul used to worke upon his owne spirit withall Phil. 3. 14. I presse toward the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus How full is the worke of many mens spirits in their working after some poore little scant good in this world whereas if they had all the world they had but an empty husk in comparison of that glory that is set before us They pant after the very dust what cause is there then that our hearts should pant in the strong workings of them after those high and glorious things that are reserved in heaven for us It was the goodnes of the land of Canaan that was a strong motive to draw Caleb and Ioshuahs heart fully after the Lord through many difficulties Canaan was but a darke Type of the glory of Heaven which God hath promised to reward the full followers of himselfe withall It was once a speech of Anselme If a man should serve God zealously here a thousand yeares yet should hee not thereby deservedly merit to bee one halfe day in heaven Let us bee as forward let our hearts bee as strong and zealous in Gods wayes as possibly they can be yet I may say as Abigail did to David in that particular case it shall not repent my Lord when he comes into his Kingdome so it shal never repent you of any thing that ever you have done for the Lord when you come into your Kingdome But if it were possible there could be sorrow in heaven you would be sorry that you did no more It was a speech of one Gordius a Martyr that the threats of his enemies were but as seedes from which he should reape immortality and eternal joyes so all the hardship and troubles that we meet with all in our way here in following the Lord are but increasers of that glory that is to be revealed why then should any thing hinder us or stop us in our way And thus I passe to the second thing propounded in this Use namely to shew what are the Causes that hinder men from following the Lord fully and they are five especially which I shall but name First low apprehensions that men have of God they see not God in his glory in his greatnesse surely they know not God and therefore it is that their hearts work so poorly after him Ier. 9. 3. They are not valiant for the truth upon the earth and what is the reason For they know not me saith the Lord. As if he should say Did they know me certainly they would be valiant for my trruth They that know thy Name saith the Psalmist Psal 9. 10. they will put their trust in thee so they that know Gods Name will love him will feare him will be zealous for will fully follow after him The knowledge of all truthes concerning Heaven and hell ven and hell or any other thing that can bee knowne can never raise can never inlarge the hearts of men so after the Lord as the knowledge of God himselfe and therefore where God is little knowne no marvell though he be so little followed Secondly unsound beginnings in the profession of Religion are the cause why men doe not fully follow after the Lord their hearts are not throughly broken not deepely humbled the truths of God not deeply rooted at first their soules not well principled the foundation not well laid If men be not well principled at first in their entrance into the wayes of God they are like to prove but shufflers and bunglers in Religion all their dayes If cloth bee not wrought well at the first though it shews faire in the Loome yet it will shrinke when it comes to wetting the cause why many doe so shrinke in the wetting when they come to suffer any thing in the wayes of Religion it is because their hearts were not well wrought at first A third cause is the strength of ingagements their hearts are so wrapped in them so glued to them as it is exceeding painfull to get them loosened from them they are so near and deare to a corrupt heart As it is said of Esau hee looked on the Pottage and it was so red so they looke upon their ingagements and they are so full of content it is so grievous to be taken off from them that they rather suffer their hearts to bee taken off from God himselfe when engagements have taken possession of the heart then how hard is it to work any thing upon the judgements of men it is hard to get the minde to view the truths of God to get it to search into them to consider of them it is ready to close with the least objection against them to catch hold of the least advantage to cast them off and if truths bee so cleare as a man cannot but see them as conscience for the present is over-powred with them yet if the heart bee not taken off from ingagements it will fetch about againe to see if something may not bee gotten against those truths to breake the strength of them but where the heart is taken off from ingagements how easily do the truths prevaile how soone is the heart brought fully to close with them 2 Sam. 22. 33.
God saith David maketh my way perfect the word is He frees my way Solvit so it is translated by some Hee frees it from snares and this is a great mercy Hence Psalme 18. 32. Where this thanksgiving of David is againe repeated there the word is translated Dedit Hee hath given my way to be perfect this is a good gift indeed for God to make a mans wayes free and cleare before him to take off the temptations that did ingage and insnare his spirit and then as Verse 34. of that place in Samuel He maketh my feet as Hindes feet O how swiftly and powerfully then may the soule runne in Gods wayes when it is thus freed Psalm 119. 44 45. I shall keep thy Law continually for ever and ever and I will walke at liberty When the heart is at liberty then it goes on continually for ever and ever in following after the Lord but if there be any secret ingagement in it it will be weary and one time or other will leave off a man that is fettered can neither go apace nor continue long A fourth thing that hinders men in following God fully it is going out in the strength of their owne resolutions not in any strength that they receive out of the fulnesse of Jesus Christ they trust more to their owne promises than to Gods Luther reports of Staupicius a Germane Divine that hee acknowledged of himselfe that before he came to understand aright the free and powerful grace of Jesus Christ that he vowed resolved an hundred times against some particular sin and never could get power over it at last he saw the reason to be the trusting to his own resolutions A fift cause is the meeting with more difficulties in Gods ways than wee made account of when Christians thinke onely of the good and sweet that they shall meet with in Gods wayes but they doe not cast in their thoughts what the troubles are like to bee that they shall finde in them like Ioseph who dreamed of his preferment and honour that hee should have above his brethren but dreamt not of his selling into Egypt nor of his imprisonment there Christians should at the first entrance into Gods wayes expect the utmost difficulties they should enter upon those termes to incounter with great troubles if they meane to sollow God fully in them It is a shame for any Christian to account any trouble that he meets withall in Gods wayes to be as a strange thing unto him Because the Lord had takē S. Paul as a chosen vessell unto himselfe and purposed to draw his heart fully after him observe how God deales with him in his first entrance into his way Acts 19. 16. I will shew him how great things hee must suffer for my Names sake But what then would take off the heart and carry it fully after the Lord These three things will doe it First the reall sight and thorow sense of sinne as the greatest evill Whē God leads his people weeping and with supplications then hee brings them into a straight way wherein they shall not stumble Ier. 31. 9. and againe Ier. 50. 4 5. the Lord saith that his people shall goe weeping and seeke the Lord their God they shal aske the way to Zion with their faces thither-ward saying Come let us joyne our selves to the Lord in a perpetuall Covenant that shall not be forgotten When they are led weeping in the thorow sense of their sinne then their faces are set toward Zion and then they are willing to joyne themselves to God in a perpetuall Covenant The second thing that will take off the heart fully is the cleare sight of God in these two considerations 1. In relation to our selves to see how there is all good in him for us to enjoy fully though wee have nothing but him alone what ever wee would have in any creature in any way so farre as is good for us it is to bee had in him when the soule is thorowly convinced of this it comes off sweetly and flowes fully after the Lord. 2. Consider God in relation to all other good thus that nothing else hath any true goodnesse in it but in reference and subordination to him The third thing that will take off the heart fully is the feare of God and the feare of eternity powerfully falling upon the soule and deeply taking impression in it For the feare of God take that place 2 Cor. 2. 1. Perfect your holinesse in the feare of God The feare of God is a great means to bring your holinesse to perfection and for the second that place in Phil. 2. 12. Worke out your salvation with feare and trembling The feare of the eternall salvation of the soule of the infinite consequence of it will cause us to labour to work it out CAP. VI. That it is the choicenesse of a mans spirit that causes him to follow GOD fully FRom the reference that this following of God fully hath to the excellency of Calebs spirit The Doctrine that ariseth is this That it is the choicenesse and excellency of a mans spirit that causeth him to follow God fully As Comets that are called blazing stars do soone vanish because of the basenes of the matter out of which they are but Starres in the Firmament continue because they are of an heavenly substance so there are many blazing Professors of Religion who rise high for a while but at last they come to nothing because their spirits are base and vile but those who have heavenly and choice spirits they god on in their way finish their course to the honour of God and his truth Pro. 11. 5. The righteousnesse of the perfect shall direct his way but the wicked shall fall Ezec. 36. 26 27. A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you c. And after it followes And cause you to walke in my Statutes and yee shall keepe my Iudgements and doe them This new spirit will cause a man to walk in Gods Statutes a man of such a spirit shall certainly keepe his judgements and do them even to the end It is not strength of parts that will carry a man thorow nor strength of Argument nor strength of conviction nor strength of naturall conscience nor strength of resolution nor strength of common grace it is onely this choice excellent spirit that other spirit of which wee have spoke so much before In this point I shall follow these three things 1 Wee shall shew what there is in this spirit that doth carry on a man fully 2 Why onely this can doe it 3 Apply it For the first it is the choicenesse of a mans spirit that causeth a man to goe fully after God for 1 By this a man comes to have a more full presence of God with him than any other man can have such a man is nearer unto God than others hee hath more of the nature of