there of the Disciples That they should wait for the promise of the Father Christ commaded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father What is that We know what it was and is that which befel afterward it was the giving out of the holy Ghost the holy Ghost fell upon them this is called THE promise of the Father That as in the times of the Old Testament the promise was the giving of the Son and coming of the Second Person So after Christ came the great promise was the coming of the Third Person and the giving of the holy Ghost When I am gone saith Christ I 'le send ye another Comforter He that beleeveth out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water This he spake concerning the Spirit which was not yet given in those extraordinary emanations of gists and graces because he was not yet glorisied So then the great Blessing that was to be given unto the children of men the great Gospel-blessing was the giving out of the holy Ghost this is a Gospel-blessing indeed Well Ques But what doth Christ do when he doth Bless It 's observable Answ 1 that when any Superiour did Blesse a father did blesse his child or the like he did observe what was the choice mercy and good in those times and he did wish that unto his child or unto his inferiour And so in Isaac and Jacobs time the choice good it was The dew of Heaven and when they did blesse their children they wish't unto them the dew of Heaven So now when our Iord Jesus our great High-Priest doth blesse any man observing that the choice mercy of the Gospel is the injoyment of God in Christ the favour and love of God and the giving out of the holy Ghost into a mans heart he doth wis all this good unto him and he saies unto God the Father Lord let this poor soul have thy favour Oh! cause thy face to shine upon this poor soul and give out the holy Ghost unto it that it may walk after the spirit In the Second place It 's observable That when the Priests did Blesse the people they did not barely wish good unto them but they did Authoratatively pronounce them blessed Numb 6.27 They shall put my name upon them saith the Lord when they bless So when the Lord Christ our great High-Priest doth Blesse a man he does not barely wish him good The Lord cause his face for to shine upon that soul in a way of wishing but the Lord Christ being a High-Priest when he blesseth he doth authoratatively pronounce such a soul to be Blessed Thirdly When the Priest Blessed he did not only pronounce the people Blessed but in the Blessing of the Priest there was a kind of Binding-power it had the power force and efficacy of an Absolution And therefore as Christ saies unto his Disciples Go and whosoever sins ye remit they shall be remitted I 'le stand by you in it So saith the Lord in that same place the 6. of Numbers On this wise shall ye bless the children of Israel saying unto them The Lord blesse thee and keep thee and at the 27. verse They shall put my Name upon the children of Israel and I will blessethem I 'le stand by them in this So when the Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest doth Blesse he doth not only pronounce a man to be Blessed but he doth Absolve him from all his sins saith he by authority that is given to me from my father the Keyes that are put into my hand I do Bind this blessing upon this poor soul Further The Priest when he blessed indeed he could wish well and he could pronounce a man blessed and he might Absolve but he could go no further he could not confer the Blessing he could not bestow the Blessing But our Lord Christ being an High-Priest beyond all the High-Priests that ever were before him in this respect too where he doth Blesse he bestoweth the Blessing being God and man he bestoweth the Blessing In the Fifth place This our great High-Priest being God and Man look how God Blesseth so doth he Blesse In the Scripture ye shall find That when God the Father Blessed he said unto those things that he blest Increase and Multiply still when he blest Increase and Multiply So the Lord Jesus Christ our High-Preist when he comes to blesse he doth not barely wish good unto a poor soul or pronounce him blessed or beslow a good thing upon him but saith he O soul Multiply in this good the Lord increase thy Graces and thy Gifts and thy Comforts poor soul Increase and Multiply herein This the Lord Christ our great High-Priest doth Thus it 's cleer what the Blssing of the Gospel is wherein it consists and what our High-Priest doth when he doth blesse the people But Secondly Quest 2 Does this Blessing properly or specially belong unto Jesus Christ Yes Answ For he was made a curse for sin he and none else made a curse for sin and therefore it belongs unto him above all the world for to blesse For look what evil Jesus Christ endured the contrary good he merited for the children of men a power to bestow that good Now he above all was cursed hung upon the Crosse and died a cursed death he was made a curse therefore it belongs unto him above all for to give the blessing for to blesse poor sinners Primum in quolibet genere c. The first in every kind is the cause of the rest The Sun is the cause of all the light we have here below and 't is the first light body And the Lord Jesus Christ he is the first blessing Therefore hath they God blest thee for ever There are Three that we reade of in Scripture especially that did blesse The Father the King and the Priest The Father did blesse his Children the King blest his Subjects and the Priest blest the People Now the Lord Jesus Christ He is our Father The Everlasting Father He is our King I will set my King upon my holy hill And he is our great High-Priest and therefore all these relations meeting in him it belongs unto him above all for to blesse the people But is the Lord Jesus Christ Willing for to Blesse poor sinners Quest 3 and inclin'd unto it Yes Answ He is very Willing this blessing of the people it is a work whereunto he is much inclin'd and wherein he is most delighted Ye shall observe therefore what abundance of blessings Christ scattered among the people when he was here upon the earth Ye don't reade that ever he cursed any man formally cursed him Once indeed he pronounced a Curse but it fell upon a barren fig-tree not upon a man But take your Bibles and turne over from leaf to leaf and see how frequent he was in blessing and consider whether you do reade in al the Bible of any Preacher or Prophet
a prison he rattles chaines in the ears of a poor beleever and so labours to scare him away from his conscience and from his faith and from the Truth and Cause of God and the good waies of Christ How shold we ward off this blow Quest First Answ 1 Before the temptaton comes labour to possesse your heart much with the Mercy and priviledge of suffering for the Cause Truth Name and Way of Christ To you it is given not only to beleeve but to suffer 't is a great Gift A suffering opportunity and a suffering heart is a great Gift from God Is it not a great mercy to be conformable to Jesus Christ our head For this Cause saies Christ came I into the world that I might bear witness unto the truth Is it not a great mercy to be confessed at the last day before all the world Angels and men He that confesses me before men saies Christ Him will I confess before my father c. Is it not a great mercy to live and reigne with Christ a thousand years ye know that Scripture I shall not speak of the meaning of it now but cerainly there is a great deal of glory promised there living and reigning with Christ a thousand years and the promise is made unto those that do acknowledge and own the Cause and Truth of God and Jesus Christ Possesse your heart much with the priviledge and mercy of bearing witness to the Truth the Cause and the good way of Christ before your temptation comes Secondly Answ 2 If you would bear off the blow of this temptation Be sure that you look upon both sides of your suffering or bearing witness to the Truth Cause or way of Christ the Dark side and the Light side let them not be sundered When the Lord cals for any of his people to suffer at any time for him he does give them more strength than before and he does give them more Comfort and Consolation than they had before Now Satan comes and holds forth the suffering he makes mention of the suffering but he hides the Strength and the Consolation Either Satan holds forth the suffering alone or else if he do mention any strength or comfort that a gracious soul shall have in the suffering 't is but the same strength that he hath now he don't speak of the strength he shall have then and the great Consolation that he shall have then when the suffering comes and so these being parted the Suffering and the Consolation being parted now our faith fails When ever therefore this temptation does come upon you answer thus Satan here thou bringest the suffering before me and causest that to come before me but thou doest not tell me of the strength I shall have and of the consolation I shal receive Satan I shall not have the strength I have now nor the consolation I have now but I shall have more strength then when the suffering comes and I shall have more consolation when as the affliction comes than I had before Keep these together don't look only upon the one side of your suffering and witness-bearing but look upon both sides together and thus you shall be able to stand and ride out the storm of this temptation But you will say Quest We have heard of the several blowes that Satan gives unto our faith unto the faith of Reliance unto the faith of Assurance and unto the faith of Acknowledgment how he labours to weaken all these our faiths and how we should bear off al these blows But there may be yet some temptation possibly that does not fall within the compass of these temptations these directions are pointed against these particular temptations but I have other temptations that don't fall within the compass of these whereby Satan labours to weaken my faith and to make my faith to fail What general Rules and Directions may be given by which a man should so walk as that Satan may not make his faith to fail in the time of his temptation First Answ 1 Before your temptation comes while you are upon even ground Study and look much into the Scripture and into every corner and nook thereof as I may so speak laying and treasuring up Promises and Words sutable to every condition Let the Word of the Lord dwell in you richly that so when a temptation comes ye may have a word sutable at hand and this will help ye to bear off the strength of the temptation when it comes Secondly Answ 2 Either a particular Word and Promise does come unt ye or it does not in the time of your temptation If it do come unto ye Take heed that ye dont ' measure your selves or your condition by the warmth and life and inlargment of your heart which ye have at the coming in of the word And if a particular word or Scripture and promise do not come unto you in the time of your temptation don't measure your selves and your condition by the straightness and deadnesse of your heart which you have at that time when a particular word does not come Thirdly If temptaion come Answ 3 Look much unto the infirmities of Jesus Christ not the sinful infirmities for so he had none but he had many other infirmities And ye know what the Spouse in the time of Desertion saies in the book of the Canticles His left hand is under my head and with his right hand he does imbrace me The right hand is a hand of power and the left hand is a hand of weaknesse and in the time of Desertion and Temptation it 's a great relief to a poor soul to consider the infirmities of Jesus Christ his left hand is under our head then As when a man is inlarged in heart 't is good to consider of Christs Example that so he may be humbled under his inlargement So when a man is in Desertion or Temptation it 's good for to think of Christs Infirmities that so he may not be overwhelmed or cast down too much Fourthly If temptation do come be sure of this Answ 4 That ye don't conclude it is no temptation Satan tempts and then he tempts a man to think it is no temptation So long as a poor soul thinks it is but a temptation his heart is borne up with comfort and he saies It is but a temptation and it will be over shortly and the Lord Jesus Christ will pity me for 't is but a temptation and so his heart is borne up with comfort waiting upon God But if the Devil can get a man so far as to make him think it is no temptation but worse than a temptation then his heart fails and his faith failes Therefore I beseech ye If a temptation come don't conclude it is no temptation but say Oh! it may be 't is a temptation and therefore I will wait on God Fifthly If temptation come Answ 5 Remember thine own soul of the waies of God with thee Gods waies ye know
THE WORKS OF WILLIAM BRIDGE Sometime Fellow of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge now Preacher of the Word of GOD at Yarmouth The first Volume VIZ. I. The great Gospel-mysterie of the Saints comfort and holinesse opened and applyed from Christs Priestly office II. Satans power to tempt and Christs love to and care of his people under temptation III. Thankfulnesse required in every condition LONDON Printed for Peter Cole and are sold at his shop at the signe of the Printing-Presse in Cornhill neer the Royall Exchange 1649. TO THE READER SO good is the God of Jacob to his Israel on this side the promised Land that no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly Friend If it may be verified of thee what our blessed Saviour spake of Nathaniel behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile thou hast at present not only a title to Esau's ENOVGH but the tenure of Jacobs-ALL according to that ancient Charter of all Saints recorded by that great Apostle of the Gentiles For All things are yours whether Paul 1 Cor. 3 21 22 23 or Apollo or Cephas c. All are yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods The very Persons and Ministery Calling and Gifts Studies and Writings Prayers and Sermons of the faithfull Ministers of the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All are for the use service and comfort of Christs LITTLE-LITTLE FLOCK This Evangelical truth is notably proved by the same Apostle to the Ephesians When our only High-Priest ascended up on high into the Holy of Holies there to transact his Priestly office of Intercession at the right hand of God the Father He gave some to be Apostles and some Prophets Ephes 4.11 12. and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ Thus this Servant of the Lord is thine as much thine as Paul was the Corinthians Yea these his Spiritfull peeces of Evangelical mysteries are thine Thine to build thee up in the saving knowledge of that doctrinal truth the Priestly office of Christ as it is the Magazine and storehouse of all that grace and comfort which we are crowned with under heaven Thine to give thee a piercing insight into the intricate methods of the Old Serpent and plainly to discover upon what rocks and sands the faith of many suffer shipwrack Thine 1 Thes 5.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 6.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to arme thee with spirituall Armour of proof called a BREAST-PLATE because it guards the heart or as the word elsewhere holds it out A LONG-IARGE-SHIELD which is very dexterous to defend the whole of a Christian Souldier from all the fiery darts of THE WICKED-ONE 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reader Let us be thine to beseech thee by the mercies of God as thou tenderest the peace and welfare of all within thy own tabernacle immediately to put in practise the holy Contents of this Experimentall Book For if thou art one of the LORDS-Simons Behold Satan hath desired to have thee that he may sift thee as wheat Oh therefore make provision for thy soule with all speed before the houre of temptation draweth on It is not true valour but desperate fool-madnesse to adjourne this Every-dayes businesse of everlasting concernment Because in this as in oversights of War there is no room for a second retractation the first error being unrecoverable This is all we have to advertise thee touching these choise usefull Lectures For the Author of them whom we very much love and honour we must beare witnesse that when he first preached them from the bosome of Jesus Christ his Master to many tempted bleeding hearts in and about this populous City he had not then the least thought to suffer them in Print to serve the Publique But afterwards eyeing the voice of God in the multiplied desires and greedy expectations both of friends and strangers his constant Auditors though of different judgements in their private speeches and Letters and to prevent a further inconvenience sc the publishing them by some who had impefect Notes in their hands was necessitated to depute us in his absence at Yarmouth to hand out into the world this his Copy M. W. M. which was exactly penned from his tongue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 1.14 by that his beloved Amanuensis and since kept charily by him as a precious thing committed to his trust The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ grant thee according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man so that thou mayest be more then conquerour through Him that loved thee and prayed for thee that thy faith faile not So be it Thine in the Lord Jesus William Greenhill John Tates William Adderley The Titles of the second Volume Viz. I. Grace for grace or The overflowings of Christs fulnesse received by all Saints II. The spirituall actings of Faith through Naturall impossibilities III. Evangelical Repentance THE CONTENTS Of the First VOLVMNE HEBREWES 2.17 18. SERMON I. THE words opened Doct. Page 2 The Priestly office of Christ is the great Magazine and Store-house of all that grace and comfort we have on this side heaven Page 3 Proved ibid 1 It is a relief and succour to a Christian against all temptations Page 6 Cleered by particulars 1 When the Lord Jesus Christ died he offered up himself a sacrifice to God the Father Page 7 Proved Page 8 2 When he was upon the Altar the sins of all beleevers past present and to come were laid upon Christ Page 9 Cleered ibid 3 When the sins of beleevers were laid upon him he did make full satisfaction to God the Father and Divine Justice for them all ibid Object Why Beleevers have their sins still charged upon their Consciences Answered Page 13 4 This he hath done in a more eminent way than ever any high priest did before Page 14 5 How all this conduceth to our comfort or holiness Page 15 It conduceth to our comfort 1 There is a store house of mercy and meer compassion erected for poor sinners Page 15 2 All our Afflictions come not upon us as punishments Page 16 3 We shall never be damned ibid 4 We may come with boldness to the throne of grace ibid Object How shall I know that Jesus Christ hath satisfied for me Ans 1. Why not for thee Page 17 2 Applying the promise makes it thine ibid 3 Christ is willing you should think he satisfied for you ibid 4 Else we are in a worse condition than the Jews It conduceth to our holiness 1 The new covenant is founded upon it Page 19 2 Strengthen faith and strengthen all graces ibid 3 The more a man sees a holy necessity upon Christ to shew mercy the more his faith rises Page 20 4 The more a man is engaged to Christ the more
Devil looks upon him And Jesus Christ looks upon him The work of the Law is to Condemn The work of the Devil to Accuse And the work of Jesus Christ is to Intercede it is the work of his office Now therefore assoon as the Devil sees such a soul Oh saies he here 's a fine instrument for me here 's a fit subject for me to injoy Assoon as Moses sees this man Here 's a fine subject for me to condemne unto all Eternity But when Jesus Christ looks upon such a soul saies he Here 's a fine soul for me to save unto all Eternity to intercede for why because it is his Office and what a man does by office he interprets accordingly Therefore what the Lord Jesus Christ does he does by office and he does it readily and willingly And I will give you one demonstration of it It was the end why Jesus Christ was taken into Heaven into the Holy of Holiest that he might Intercede According to the Scriptures mentioned before in Heb. 9.24 For Christ is not entered into holy places made with hands but into Heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us He does not say thus Christ is now gone to Heaven to be glorified there Christ is now gone to Heaven to injoy the bosome of his Father for his own happiness No but he is gone into Heaven to appear in the presence of God for us This is the end of his ascention And so again in the 7. of the Hebrews Wherefore he is able to save to the uttermost seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us What is he in Heaven to be glorified there No but the end why Christ is in Heaven Is to make intercession for poor sinners And therefore he must needs be infinitly willing to do this because it is the end of his going thither into the Holy of Holiest Oh therefore be of good comfort all you that do come unto God by him for he is willing to intercede for you And let not any thing discourage you It may be you will complain and say Oh! but I am much opposed here in this world What matter so long as Jesus Christ does intercede for me in Heaven and speaks good words unto God the Father for me in heaven what though I be opposed by men It may be you will complain and say Oh! but I am much tempted and cannot pray Be humbled for it but yet know this That when you cannot pray Christ prayes for you and he prayes that you may pray It may be you complain and say Oh! but I labour under such and such corruptions and the Devil he is busie with me exceeding busie and I cannot overcome them and the Devil stands at my right hand for to tempt me and to lead me into such and such sins Wel be it so yet notwithstanding the Lord Jesus Christ he is at the right hand of our Father and he is set down at the right hand of God the Father till all enemies be made his footstool and your sins are his enemies And therefore be of good comfort O all ye people of the Lord. Is there ever a poor myrtle-tree a soul that growes in a bottom in a poor dark condition be of good comfort the Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest he is entered into Heaven into the Holy of Holiest there to intercede with God the Father for thee I but Quest you will say unto me Does not this conduce to our Grace and Holiness too and how does it do it This Intercession of Jesus Christ Ans this work of the Priestly Office of Christ and the consideration thereof it does conduce exceedingly unto our Grace and Holinesse For. First What a mighty incouragement is here unto all poor sinners for to come unto Jesus Christ He ever liveth to make Intercession for those that come unto God by him Oh! then who would not come unto God by Christ who would not come unto Jesus Christ Me thinks a poor sinner should say Indeed my sins were so great that I was afraid for to come unto God But now I hear that the Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven to make intercession for all those that come unto God by him Though I have been a Drunkerd now I wil go unto God by Christ And though I have been a Swearer and though I have been an unclean wanton yet I will go unto God by Christ Indeed I thought that my time was past for I have been an Old Swearer and I have been an Old Drunkard and I have been an Old Sabbath-breaker and I have been a sinner so long that I was even afraid of going to God at all and thought there was no mercy nor no pardon for me But seeing now that this is true That the Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven to make intercession for all those that come unto God by him Well through the Lords grace now I will go unto the Lord Christ I will go unto Jesus Christ I indeed am a young man and I thought it was to no purpose to go unto God God would not regard poor ignorant ones and I am a poor ignorant creature and thought it was to no purpose for me to go unto God But now I understand this That the Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven to make intercession for all those that come unto God by him Well then Though I am ignorant yet will I go unto God by Christ and though I am but a poor young thing and scarce understand the termes of Religion yet will I go unto God by Christ Oh! come unto Christ come unto Christ Behold here in the Name of the Lord I stand and make invitation to poor sinners Come poor Drunkard Swearer Sabbath-breaker Unclean heart the Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven to make intercession for all that come unto God by him and will not you come Oh! how will you answer it at the great day when it shall be said The Lord Jesus Christ made a tender and offer of mercy to you and you would not accept of it you would not come unto him Here is matter of great Incouragment unto all poor sinners to come unto Jesus Christ Again Secondly The more I apprehend or see with a spiritual eye That the Lord Jesus Christ does appear in Heaven for me the more am Fingaged to appear upon earth for him Mark I pray that you may see how this does conduce unto Grace and Holiness Ah! shall the Lord Jesus Christ appear in Heaven before Saints and Angels and God the Father for my soul and shal I be afraid to appear before poor worms for him Shall the Lord Jesus Christ own me in Heaven and shall not I own him upon earth Shall the Lord Jesus Christ as the great High-Priest take my name and carry it upon his breast into the presence of God the Father and shall not I take the Name of Christ and hold it forth to the world Oh! I beseech
was a pattern and plat-form of his dealing with all his people to the end of the world Now ye shall observe that Christs love was never more let out towards his Disciples than from this time after he had said these words Satan hath desired to sift you as wheat After this time they were all offended because of Christ and they all forsook him Peter denied him some doubted whether he were the Messiah or no and another would not beleeve his Resurrection as sheep they were all scattered and shattered great was their temptations yet from this time do but observe the love of Christ towards them after this speech then Christ preaches a most excellent and sweet Sermon to them in the 14 15 and 16. chapters of John Then he takes water and a towel and washes and wipes his Disciples feet Then he appoints the Lords Supper Then he spends a whol chapter the 17. of John in prayer for them makes a most excellent and sweet prayer for them Then he cals them his friends Ye are no longer my servants but my friends Yea his Children Yea his Little children Never was his love more drawn out or exprest towards them than after this time And I say this was a pattern and a plat-form of his dealing with all his people unto the end of the world And therefore though Christ do suffer his own people to be tempted yet his love and mercy is never more at work than when they are most assaulted by Satan Thirdly You will say Quest 3 What is there in the heart of Jesus Christ that does incline him to this indulgence toward his people that his love and mercy is then most at work when they are most assaulted by Satan My beloved Answ There is the quintescence of all the excellency of loving relations in Jesus Christ A Father a Mother a Brother a Friend He is the everlasting Father And his soul was in travel saies the Prophet He is not ashamed to all you his brethren And he is a Friend I call you my friends Now though parents be tender of their children at all times yet especially when they are sick then there 's a chair of love stands by the childs bed-side And so though Christ be alwaies tender of his people yet then especially when their souls are sick and labour under temptation There is the greatest pity in Christ that can be the most pitiful disposition in Christ which is alwaies laid out where he sees a fit object for it pray what is the object of pity The object of pity is One whom ye love in misery If ye see a man in misery yet if ye don't love him ye don't pity him if ye see a man whom ye love yet if ye don't see him in misery ye don't pity him ye love him but ye don't pity him but a person whom ye love in misery is the object of pity Now all the Saints and people of God are the beloved of Christ and when they are in temptation that is their greatest misery and therefore when they are most tempted then is the love and mercy of Christ drawn out unto them especially Besides The Lord Jesus Christ hath a great Interest and share in every beleever a share going in every beleever As the member hath an interest and a share in the head so the head hath also in every member Thine they were saies Christ and thou gavest them me Christ hath a special and great interest in all his people and he will not lose his interest The truth is when Satan does assault a beleever he does rather strike at Christ than at a beleever And therefore saies Gregory well The Devil in tempting Job did not so much strike at Job as at God for the Lord had said That Job was an upright man and now the Devil would go about to make Job an Hypocrite so that the Devill would fain have made God a lyar and he did not so much strike at Job as at Gods testimony of Job he did strike at God And so now in all the temptations of the Saints he strikes at Christ and they bear those temptations because of Christ Let a man go on in a wicked and ungodly way Satan won't vex him with temptations but let a man once become godly and be in Christ and then how many temptations will Satan vex him with Now saies Christ shall this poor soul endure all this for me and shall not I help shall not I assist shall not I deliver If a man break his Arme or his Leg before ye you will pity him but if he break his Arme or his leg in your work or service in a work that you set him about you count your self ingaged then to help him 'T is the work of Christ that the Saints are about and Christ sets them on work and when Satan comes to tempt 't is to disturbe them in the work that Christ sets them about Now therefore saies Christ shall they endure all this because of me and because of my work and shall not I assist and defend them and help them Surely I will Oh! my beloved if ye did but know what an Interest Jesus Christ hath in every beleever you would easily see the reason of this so great tenderness in him that his love and mercy is never more at work than when they are most assaulted by Satan For Application Applic. What abundance of Comfort is here unto all those that are the true Disciples of Jesus Christ you are not alone in your temptations Christ is with you and he is in Heaven too interceding and praying for you he hath sent his Spirit into your hearts to make intercession for you there and he himself is in Heaven making intercession and praying for you there when you are in temptation Christ is at prayer for you Yea he does not only pray for you but his love and his mercy is most of al at work then when you are most assaulted Oh! what Comfort is this But will some say I fear this comfort belongs not to me Object because I am none of these that are Christs true Diseiples Christ prayed for Peter because be was his Disciple and he prayed for therest because they were his Disciples but as for me though in profession I may be a Disciple yet really I fear I am no true Disciple of Jesus Christ and therefore I fear that he does not pray and intercede for me in the time of my temptation Two things for answer to this Answ First I pray consider that place in the 16. chapter of Matthew and the 24. verse Then said Jesus unto his Disciples If any man will come after me or if any man will be my Disciple so some books hath it let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me Mark Here are Three properties of a true Disciple To open the words a little unto ye that I may settle this comfort the more fully upon your
is never more at work for thee than when thou art most tempted and assaulted by Satan What a mighty incouragement is here to al that hear the word of the Lord to get into Jesus Christ But if I be godly and al this be true Why should I question the love of God towards me in the time of my temptation Beloved ye know it in your Experience ye are never more apt for to question the love of Christ than in temptation and yet Christs love is never more at work for you than in temptation Oh! what an unworthy answering of Christs love is here Again If I be Godly Why should I not be contented and quiet under all my temptations though they be never so great Christ prayeth for me Christs love is most at work now I am most assaulted his bowels then yern towards me Yea If I be Godly Why should I not with Paul Triumph over all temptations and make my boast of Christ and say as he did Now know I that nothing shall separate me from the love of God in Christ not Principalities nor Powers nor Devils nor Temptations for when I am most tempted Christ is most at work in love for me Yea beloved in the Lord why should we not all warm our hearts with this love of Jesus Christ it's a mercy that the Lord Christ will cast but an eye or a look upon a poor soul under temptation that is a mercy I but I tell ye more than so Christ does not only cast an eye and a look upon a poor tempted soul but his love and mercy is never more at work than when you are most assaulted and tempted by Satan Ah what grace and heart-warming love is here If I be Godly again upon this account why should I give over so soon and lay down my weapon in time of temptation If a City be beleaguer'd besieged and know that help will come they will not give over And though I am thus besieged and thus tempted help will certainly come for Christ hath prayed why should I give over then in time of temptation And if these things be so if there be so much love in the heart of Christ towards poor tempted souls then beloved should we not all run to Christ in the time and hour of our temptation run unto him by prayer It may be there are some that will say Quest If Christ pray for us in time of temptation what need we pray But I pray look into this chapter Answ and you will find our Saviour carries it otherwise In the text saies he But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fall not At the 46. verse Why sleep ye saies he rise and pray lest ye enter into temptation So that though he had said That he prayed for them yet he cals upon them also to pray It 's good praying my beloved when mercy is coming and mercy is then coming when Christ is praying and when you are most tempted then Christ is at prayer But to end all What ever your temptations therefore be you that are the servants of God still think ye hear Christ saying to ye Man Woman be of good comfort I have prayed for you though thy temptations be very great I have prayed for thee thought thou canst not pray for thy self as thou wouldst I have prayed for thee when flesh fails and eyes fail and heart fails and all fails yet remember this Christ prayeth for you in the time of your temptation Christ prayeth for you think that ye hear Christ speaking to ye in the time of your temptation for certainly he does it as well to his Disciples now as he did to his Disciples then he does speak and say Be of good comfort man or woman though thy temptations be great yet I have prayed for thee and thy faith shall not fail FINIS THANKFVLNES Required in every CONDITION 1 THESSALONIANS 5.18 In every thing give thanks Preached at Margrets New-fish street March 23. 1645 for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you WHAT is written to the Thessalonians is written for our instruction What they are commanded as Christians we are commanded as Christians In the latter part of this Chapter several Exhortations were given to them among the rest this is one In which ye have The Exhortation it self In every thing give thanks And the Reason in forcing that Exhortation for this is the wil of God in Christ Tesus conerning you In every thing give thanks In Prosperity and in Adversity whether things go well or whether they go ill In every thing give thanks He had said before verse 16 17. Rejoyce evermore Pray continually Unto those Exhortations he adds no such Reason as here Because it may seem strange that a man should give thanks in every thing he adds also for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you So that plainly here lies this Observation or Truth upon the words It is the will of God Doct. even our father that we should be thankfull to him in every thing When we are Full it will be granted that then we are to give thanks to God Deuteronomy the 8. and the 10. But ye are not only to give thanks when ye are Full but when ye are Empty not only when ye are strong but when ye are weak not only when you are delivered from the hands of your Enemy but when you are delivered into the hands of your Enemy Job 1.21 Therefore Job saies The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away blessed be his Name Job was plundered by the Enemy and yet he does blesse the Lord Job was emptied of a full Estate and yet he does blesse the Lord Job had lost his dear Children and yet he does blesse the Lord Job in a great measure given up into the hands of Satan and yet he blesses the Lord for which he is commended So then It is our duty and the will of God our Father that we should not only be thankful but we should be thankful in every thing For Reas 1 there is alwaies excellency enough in God and Christ to entertain your Thankfulnesse to draw out your Thankfulnesse and Praises Indeed there is a formal or notional difference between Praising God and giving thanks to God Praises respect the excellencies of God himself Thankfulness respect the benefits we receive from God I praise God when I honour him for the Excellency that is in him I am thankful to God when I blesse him for those benefits I receive from him But now in Scripture these are put one for the other ordinarily and whatsoever our condition be whether high or low rich or poor full or empty there is enough Excellency in Christ for to draw out our Praises and therefore in every thing we are to be Thankful There is no condition so sad Reas 2 but somewhat is good that is mingled with it No darknesse so dark but-some light withal No misery so miserable
had leave And he could not winnow Job till he had leave he hath not power to tempt you further than your own Father gives him leave Again Is it not matter of Praise and Thanksgiving That nothing hath befallen you but what hath befallen the best of Gods Children the greatest Saints Men say somtimes Oh! never any ones condition like to mine never any affliction like to mine The most godly men have been most sorely tempted In the old Testament David a man after Gods own heart 't is said of him 1 Chron. 21.1 The Devil stood up and moved him to number the people What a report did God give of Job and you know his winnowing and his continuance In the new Testament Two famous Apostles Paul and Peter Peter Satan hath desired to winnow thee Paul a messenger Satan sent to buffet him And our Lord Jesus Christ himself In all things tempted Heb. 2.18 that he might succour those that are tempted Oh! beloved how gracious will Jesus Christ be to tempted ones that came from heaven on purpose to be gracious to them Further Is it not matter of Praise and Thanksgiving That you have alwaies one for to run unto to succour you to relieve you in your temptations a brasen serpent up against you be stung Paul therefore in that 7. of the Romans Having said O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death in the next words saies I thank God through Jesus Christ When Satan is tempting Christ is praying interceding Luke 22.31 Satan hath desired to winnow thee saies he but I have prayed You cannot pray Truely sometimes we pray most when we pray least for Christ prayes for us Again Is it not matter of Praise and Thanksgiving That ye have such an Estate that these theeves can never rob you of A Christian is a Traveller the Thief meets him and takes his money that he hath about him But he hath an Inheritance of Land at home the Theif cannot take away from him And Satan by his Temptations possibly may rob you of these Comforts that are about you But you have an Inheritance and Estate Christian in heaven that shall never be taken away that you shall never be robbed of I 'le conclude this Is it not matter of Praise and Thanksgiving That by this mud you shal be more cleansed Beloved this is Christs way he suffers men to be tempted that they may be freed from more temptations and he suffers this dirt to be cast upon them that they may be the more cleansed Simon Simon saies our Saviour Satan hath desired to winnow thee as wheat How so Satan goes up and down like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour True that is his intent in his Temptations Satans intent in the temptation is not to winnow that is Christs intent Satans intent in the temptation is to devour but Jesus Christs intent in al those temptations are to winnow And who more konwing who more gracious who more humble who more thankful than those that have been most assaulted with a temptation Pray observe what is said in the 2 of the Corinths 12. Chapter 7. verse Saies Paul Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of revelations there was given me a thorne in the flesh the messenger Satan so it may be read without of The messenger Satan to buffet me lest I should be exalted above measure again See how that goes before and follows it begins the verse and ends the verse Lest I should be exalted above measure at the beginning of the verse Lest I should be exalted above measure at the latter end of the verse As if now that these temptations were special preservations against spiritual pride 't is set down twice Least I should be exalted above measure again and again Spiritual pride indeed is very dangerous It was Mr Fox his speech As I get good by my sins so I get hurt by my graces in regard of that spiritual pride he was guilty of upon the receipt of them By Temptation God uses to keep men humble The Hebrew word for Lees the Lees of wine comes from the root that signifies to Keep because the wines are kept by the Lees. And so God is pleased to keep men humble by these Temptations in these Lees and in these dregs God keeps mens graces Temptations do you no hurt til ye yeeld to them The greater the Temptation and the more your flesh does tremble at it the greater the Affliction but the lesser the Sin Temptation is the souls Rape it may deflowre your soul offer violence to your soul it cannot take away your innocency Now it it not a great mercy to be kept innocent and chast unto Jesus Christ Austin hath a notable speech If ye praise God under good things ye are paid your debt if ye praise God under evil ye have made God your debter The truth is we can never pay our debt to God neither are we able to make God our debtor but God is pleased to call himself so when men praise him under Temptations and under Persecutions and under Desertions God is pleased to call himself our Debtor Surely therefore it is good for a Christian to blesse God and to praise God in every thing in all things to be thankful in Affliction in Persecution in Desertion under Temptation This is the will of God our Father that we should be thankful to him in every thing in every condition And if so Applic. then what great cause have we to be very Thankful to God in these times Had the Lord let in the Enemy upon you ye should have been Thankful Had ye been plundered of all your Estates ye must have been Thankful Had ye lien at the mercy of the mercilesse Enemy crying for quarter yet you must have been Thankful how much more now Had ye been emptied of all ye must have been Thankful Oh! shall we not be Thankful then unto God now that hath given us such Deliverance and such Victories as these You will say unto me Quest What special thing is there that we should be Thankful unto God for in these times Hath the Lord done such great things for England and art thou only a stranger in Israel Answ Did ever England hear of such a year as this last year hath been Can any Records tell us of such a year May I not say Stand out O all ye Ancient Records from your dust and tell us from the first day of Englands birth Did ever England see such a year as this hath been wherein the Power and Mercy and Free-grace of God hath rode in Triumph throughout the Kingdome Yet that I may not be wanting to you to your Question look I pray into the 107. Psalm the 1 and the 2. verses ye shall find it written O Give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy indures for ever Let the redeemed of the Lord say so
holy he is the more a man sees his sins pardoned the more is he engaged to Christ ibid 5 The more a man denies his own reghteousness the more holy is he with Gospel-holiness Page 21 SERMON II. Heb. 2.17 18. The second work of a high priest is to pray and intercede for the people Page 25 Proved Page 26 Cleered by opening 1 Wherein it consisteth 1 In owning our cause and souls to God his father Page 27 2 Carries the merit of his blood into the presence of God the Father Page 28 3 Answers the accusations that are brought in against us ibid 4 Cals for pardon of our sins at the hands of God Page 30 2 How powerful it is with God the father 1 The great interest he hath with his father Page 31 2 The inclination God the Father hath to the things Christ intercedeth for Page 32 3 upon what terms Christ was taken and admitted into heaven Page 34 3 He now intercedeth for us in heaven as our High-priest 1 He hath gone through more temptations than any High-priest ever did Page 35 2 He is filled with more compassions Page 36 3 He is more faithful in his office Page 37 4 He liveth for ever to intercede Page 38 5 He intercedeth at all times ibid 6 For all sins the sin against the holy-Ghost excepted 4 This conducech to our comfort and holiness To our comfort proved Page 39 Object I am afraid the Lord Christ doth not intercede for me Answ 1. It is no presumption to bear our selves upon the intercession of Jesus Christ Page 41 2 Who those are that Christ doth intercede for Page 42 3 How infinitely willing he is to intercede for us 1 He hath received his anointing for it Page 44 2 It is the work of his relation Page 45 3 It is the work of his office Page 46 To our holiness 1 The more we are engaged to come to Christ Page 48 2 The more we are engaged to appear on earth for him Page 49 3 The more we are engaged to lay out our selves for him Page 50 SERMON III Heb. 2.17 18. The third work of the High Priest to offer up the gifts of the people to God to present their duties to him Page 52 Proved Page 53 Cleered by particulars 1 What Christ doth when he offers up our gifts to God the Father Page 54 1 He takes our persons and carries them to God the Father in an unperceivable way to us ibid 2 He takes out the iniquity of our duties before he presents our duties to his father Page 55 3 He mingles his own intercession with what is good in our duties and so presents them as one work to his father Page 56 2 What acceptance this hath with God the Father Page 57 1 It was an agreement made between them before the world was ibid 2 He was made the great Lord treasurer of all grace Page 58 3 The father promiseth him his desire ibid 4 He hath put the keys of heaven and hell into his hands ibid 3 He doth Improve his acceptance for our acceptance Page 59 4 What abundance of acceptance we have in all our duties by him Page 60 Objections answered Page 62 5 How this makes for our comfort and holiness Page 64 For our comfort 1 Our duties are not lost Christ takes notice of them Page 65 2 We have liberty to go to the mercy seat and there meet with God ibid 3 We know how it shall go with us at the great day of judgment ibid 4 Being poor beggers we are releeved of God Page 66 Object How shall I know the Lord accepts my duty Answ 1 If thou find thy heart warm in duty or after duty thy duty is accepted Page 67 2 Can you pray and intercede for other godly men Page 68 3 If grace be larger under the Gospel than under the Law ibid For our holiness 1 To the ungodly 1 It keeps men from opposition to the wayes of God Page 69 2 It is a mighty encouragement to ungodly men to come to Christ Page 70 2 To the godly 1 Here 's an infinite reason why we should be much in duty ibid 2 Infinite reason why we should receive every truth that comes from Christ Page 71 3 It will make you more obedient in an evangelical way Page 72 4 The more a man rejoyceth in spirituall obedience the more humble he is Page 74 SERMON IIII Heb. 2.17 18. The fourth work of the High priest is to blesse the people Page 76 Proved ibid Opened 1 Wherein the blessing of Christ and of the Gospel consists Page 77 1 In the spiritual enjoyment of God in Christ Page 79 2 In the holy Ghost dwelling in our hearts ibid 2 What Christ doth when he doth blesse 1 He wisheth choyce blessings to them Page 80 2 He doth authoritively pronounce him blessed Page 81 3 He absolves them from all their sins ibid 4 He confers and bestows the blessing upon them ibid 5 He gives increase Page 82 3 That this belongs especially to Christ proved Page 83 4 That Jesus Christ is willing to blesse poor sinners Page 85 5 He doth this fully ibid Object We do not see it Answ 1. 'T is a hard thing to discern the blessing of Christ sometimes ibid 2 He doth not blesse as the world blesseth Page 84 3 Not as professors blesse Page 85 4 Not alwaies as godly men blesse ibid But 1. He blesseth such as are weak in gifts and grace Page 86 2 Such as he hath made use of in the work of God ibid 3 Such as are willing to leave all relations to follow him Page 87 4 He blesseth when the world curseth ibid 5 Such as graciously enjoy evangelical ordinances Page 88 6 All this conduceth to our comfort and holiness To our comfort Page 88 Object If I were assured God had blessed me I could have comfort Answ 1 It is a sign a man is blessed when others are blessed by him Page 90 2 When he is drawn the neerer to God by outward things Page 91 3 When he encreaseth and multiplieth ibid To our holinesse 1 it encourageth to come to the truth Page 92 2 To go on in it against all opposition Page 94 3 To go on though we have but weak parts ibid 4 To be contented with our condition Page 95 5 Continually to bless the Lord ibid Hebrews 2.18 SERMON I Text opened Page 98 Doct. God suffers his deerest children to suffer by the hand of temptation Page 101 Opened 1 There is an afflictive disposition in every temptation Page 101 2 God suffers his own children thus to suffer 1 The best many times suffer most Page 103 2 At that very time when they have most of God ibid 3 Satan many times seems to have the better of them Page 104 4 This continues a long time ibid Why God doth so 1 That they may be the more enlightened Page 104 2 That they may be cleansed ibid 3 That they may be
Debter when he comes and looks upon the book he is able to reade all the particulars Item for such a thing and Item for such a thing and Item for such a thing but the man being not aquainted with the nature of crossing the book he is able to reade all th particulars and he charges it still upon himselfe because he does not understand the nature of this crossing the book and he is as much troubled how he shall pay the debt as if it were not paid at all So now 't is here The Lord Jesus Christ he hath come and cross't our book with his own blood the sins are to be read in your own consciences but we being not acquainted with the nature of Christs satisfaction and the crossing of the book we charge our selves as if no sin at all were satisfied for us Yet when the Lord Jesus Christ was made an offering for sin upon the Cross then he did give full satisfaction unto God the Father And that 's the Third Fourthly This now he hath done as our great High-Priest and in a more transcendant and eminent way than ever any high-Priest did before For though the High-Priest did come and make an atonement for a poor sinner yet he himself was never made a sacrifice the Priest offered up a sacrifice but himself never was made a sacrifice But our great High-Priest does not only offer up a sacrifice but Himself is made a sacrifice Yea that sacrifice that was then in the times of the old-Testament it could not purge the conscience not only because as the Apostle speaks it was the blood of bulls and goats but because the sacrifice was performed successively as thus A man sinned then he brought a sacrifice sins again and then he brings another sicrifice and once every yeare the High-Priest goes into the holy of holiest to make an atonement But in the mean while a poor soul might think thus What if I die before the year come about what will become of me the High-Priest he goes once a year into the Holy of Holyest and sprinkles the mercy-seat but what will become of me if I die before that time But now our great High-Priest he does not only offer up a sacrifice and Himself the sacrifice but he offers up a sacrifice once for all So saies the Apostle So that now when a Christian hath sinned he is not to think of a sacrifice that is yet to come a year hence but he is to look unto that which is done already a sacrifice once offered and once for all So that he needs not be in suspence now as the Jewes were his Conscience it may be fully purged from sin Again Take the High-Priest in the times of the old-Testament and though he did make an atonement for the sins of the people yet sometimes also he did make the people to sin It is said of Aaron the great High-Priest concerning the golden-Calf that he did make the people naked But the Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest he makes an attonement for sin and never does make them sin He is so far from making the people naked that he covers them with his righteousness that their nakedness may not appear Here 's a glorious High-Priest Yea This High-Priest of ours He does not only make an atonement for sin committed and paies the debt but he does also become our Surety unto God the Father He does not only pay the debt that is past but he becomes a Surety for time to come None of all those High-Priests that ever did so not Aaron not any High-Priest that ever gave his bond unto God the Father that any sinner should never sin no more But our Lord Jesus Christ our High-Priest he becomes our Surety and what Surety not an ordinary surety for amongst us the Surety joyns and does become bound with the Debter but still it runs in the name of the Debter and the Debter he gives the bond for to pay the debt But now here our Surety he gives the bond and we that are the Debters we do not give the bond for to pay the debt there is no godly man or beleever that ever gave a bond unto God the Father that he will pay the debt but our Surety comes and the bond goes in the name of the Surety and the Debters name is out Oh! what a glorious and blessed High-Priest is here here is a High-Priest beyond all the High-Priests that ever did go before And that 's the Fourth thing Fifthly How does all this conduce to our Comfort or Holiness First How does all this make to our Comfort Quest first Answ 1 Is it not a comfortable thing in the eares of a poor sinner that there is a Magazine and a Storehouse of Mercy set up that the Lord hath erected an office of Love and of meer compassion for poor sinners Is it not a comfortable thing that God the father is satisfied and so your sins pardoned Mark 2.5 Son saies Christ unto the palsie man be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee He does not say Be of good comfort thy disease is healed No whether thy disease be healed or whether it be not healed this is comfort Son thy sins are forgiven thee If the Lord Jesus Christ hath satisfied for my sins may a beleever say then whatsoever affliction I do meet withal it does not come upon me as a punishment properly it does not come upon me as an arrest for to pay my debt When a Reprobate is smitten and afflicted all his miseries they are arrests for to pay his debt Hath the Lord Jesus Christ satisfied Divine Justice and God the father for me then surely these afflictions they do not come for me to make satisfaction Again If the Lord Jesus Christ hath satisfied for my sins may a beleever say then I shall never be Damned I shall never fall from grace I have had many fears that I should fall from grace and so go to Hell and perish at last But if the Lord Jesus Christ hath satisfied Divine Justice for my sin then God the father will never punish my sin again for it was punish't in Jesus Christ therefore I cannot fall from grace therefore I can never be Damned And if the Lord Jesus Christ hath satisfied Divine Justice as our great High Priest Then I may come with boldness unto the Throne of grace A debtor so long as his debt is unpaid he dares not come by the prison door by the Compter door he is afraid of every Sergeant he is afraid of his friends that they should be Sergeants but when his debt is paid then he dares go up and down with boldness And so the poor soul when he knows that his debt is paid and Christ hath satisfied then he may go with boldness unto the Throne of grace But you will say Quest I cannot have the comfort of this because I cannot say that Christ hath satisfied for me How shall I know
to do the work of his office if he be faithful A Porter is willing to carry a burden why because it is his office to do it It is the office of Jesus Christ for to bear our sins It is his Office to be the great High-Priest that does satisfie God the Father for our sins Surely therefore he is willing to do it for he is faithful in his office But besides Answ 3 The more I see an holy Necessity upon Christ Jesus for to show mercy to me the more my faith rises It 's very remarkable The Lord Jesus Christ as God he may refuse and might refuse whether he would show mercy to us or no But now as a High-Priest he cannot refuse a poor sinner that does come unto him If I know that Christ is able to satisfie is able to show mercy to me my faith stirs a little at the sight of Christs ability If I know that Christ be willing to show mercy to me my faith rises higher but if I know that Christ cannot refuse me if I do come unto him then my faith rises up to a great height indeed When a poor sinner amongst the Jews had sinned and brought his sacrifice to the High-Priest the Priest might not refuse it Our Lord Jesus Christ is our great High-Priest I say as God he may refuse but now he being our great High-Priest therefore when a poor sinner comes to Jesus Christ as a High-Priest he cannot refuse Oh! what a great strengthening is this to faith Strengthen faith and you strengthen all the right understanding of this truth doth wonderfully strengthen faith Further Answ 4 The more a man is ingaged to Jesus Christ and takes himself to be ingaged to him the more Holy he is the more a man sees himself freed from sin by Christ the more he takes himself to be ingaged to Christ for freeing of him from his sin Now this truth tels us how Christ hath satisfied for our sins freed us from sin and so we shall be the more ingaged to Christ If a man were going to prison even at the Compter door for a great sum of money and the door were unlocking if a man should come and speak to the Sergeant Hold your hands here is money for you I will pay this mans debt and laies the money down would not this poor debtor take himself for ever ingaged to that man that should thus come and lay down the money and free him so seasonably from the Compter and prison Thus it was with the Lord Christ Ah we were all going to prison everlasting prison chains of darkness and he comes and laies down the money makes full satisfaction to God the Father as our great High-Priest Oh! what an ingagement is this to every soul unto the Lord Christ to become the Lord Christs for ever Lastly The more a man does deny his own righteousness Answ 5 the more Holy he is with Gospel-Holiness It is said of the Jewes That they going about to establish their own righteousness submitted not unto the righteousness of Christ So on the contrary when a man does go about to establish the righteousness of Christ then he submits unto it and then he denies his own righteousness The more we see a fulness of satisfaction made by Jesus Christ for all our sins unto God the Father the more we acknowledge Christs righteousness and the more we establish it and the more we shall be brought off from all our own righteousness Oh! Therefore now as ever you do desire to have more Grace more Holiness more Comfort study and study much this Priestly office of Jesus Christ There are many that complain that they cannot profit under the means of grace That they have hard hearts That the waies and Ordinances of God are not sweet to them Prayer they do perform but with no sweetness they do not relish the blood and Spirit of Christ upon their spirits in their duties c. Many complain that their sins and temptations like the sons of Zarviah are too mighty for them and that one day they shall be slain by the hand of Saul such a lust such a corruption No wonder that we have these complaints when we do not go unto the store-house of comfort and grace that the Lord hath set open for us The Priestly office of Christ it is the great Magazine and Storehouse of all that grace and comfort which we have on this side heaven if ye do not go unto it is it any wonder that ye want comfort or that ye want grace I appeal to you now are there not some nay many that never went to Jesus Christ as their High-Priest to this day Ah are there not some even Professors that do not know what the Priestly Office of Jesus Christ meanes Oh! No wonder poor soule so uncomfortable no more stength against thy temptations If the State should appoint a man for to relieve poor maimed souldiers that go a begging if they meet with the sawme man that is appointed by the State and they beg of him in the streets as an ordinary man he relieves them not but now if they come unto him as a man appointed by the State for relief of such then he relieves them according to the duty of his place So it is with men they go to Christ in an ordinary way they do not go to Christ as the great Lord Treasurer of all our grace as our great High-Priest they do not go unto him as in office set up in office by God the Father for such reliefe they do not addresse themselves to him as their High-Priest to make satisfaction for them and therefore they go away and have no relief But would we have more strength against corruption would we walk more comfortably in our course would we find the waies of God Ordinances and duties more sweet and comfortable to our souls then reade and consider that place in the Canticles 2.3 As the apple-tree among the treesof the wood so is my beloved among the sons I sate down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet unto my tast The spouse speaks it concerning Christ What is this fruit of Christ Your Justification Adoption Vocation Sanctification Consolation it is al the fruit of Christ All your own Duties your Prayers Reading Meditation they are all the fruit of Christ The injoyment of al his Ordinances al your spiritual priviledges under the Gospel they are the fruit of Christ Now saies she I sate down under his shadow and his fruit it was sweet unto my tast As it is unto a man that does love fruit be it Pears Apples Cherries or the like I love this fruit saies he but yet notwithstanding I must needs go where this fruit grows and gather it off the tree and when he hath gone to the tree and taken the fruit off the tree saies he I sate down under the tree I had not the fruit the Apple or Cherry brought unto
and does intercede he must needs prevail because the Father loves him for his interceding the Father likes the matter as well as he loves you the better for it Thirdly This will appear also if we consider upon what termes our Lord and Saviour Christ our great High-Priest was taken and admitted into Heaven the Holy of Holiest so it is called He was Honourably received into Heaven and he ws received thither for to do the work of the High-Priest He was Honourably received when he came to Heaven Sit thou down at my right hand saies God the Father to him a note of Honour When Solomon would expresse his Honour to his mother he set her down at his right hand Thus God the Father would expresse the Honourable welcome that Christ had when he came to Heaven Sit thou down on my right hand saies he Now ye shall observe that when soever this is made mention of The sitting down at the right hand of God the Father it is made mention of not with the Kingly Office of Christ but with the Priestly Office of Christ as if that he were set down there to do the work of the Priestly Office One would think I say that this should be exprest with the Kingly Office of Christ but you shall find it running along in the Scripture still with the Priestly Office of Jesus Christ Look into the 8. Chapter of the Hebrews the 1. verse Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum We have such an High-Priest who is set on the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens It 's named with the Priestly Office And so again in the 10. Chapter of the Hebrews at the 11. and 12. verses Every High-Priest standeth dayly ministring and offering often times the same sacrifices which can never take away sin But this man speaking of Christ after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sate down on the right hand of God It is carried a long with the mention of the Priestly Office of Christ as if he were sate down on the right hand of God the Father in Heaven on purpose to do the work of the Priestly Office When Jesus Christ came into Heaven into the Holy of Holiest he came thither as our great High-Priest and he said unto God the Father Lord I am not now come in mine own name for my own sake only but I come as the great High-Priest having on this Brest-plate the name of all the Elect and I come to intercede for poor sinners I come as High-Priest Saies God the Father to him Welcome upon those termes welcome upon those termes not wich standing thou doest come in their names come and sit down at my right hand saies God the Father to him Thus Father is ingaged for he received him upon those termes into Heaven as our great High-Priest the Father therefore is engaged to hear his Intercession and so the intercession of Jesus-Christ must have a great deal of power and prevalency with God the Father in Heaven This is the Second thing But Thirdly Does the Lord Jesus Christ intercede for us in Heaven as our great High-Priest Yes and he does do this in a more transcendent and eminent way and manner than ever any High-Priest did before Him For First He hath gone through more Temptations than ever any High-Priest did He was tempted saies the text that he might succour those that are temped as an High-Priest If he was Tempted that he might succour those that are Tempted succour them as an High-Priest then the more he was Tempted the more experimentally able he is for to succour those that are Tempted Never any High-Priest that was Tempted like unto Christ He was saies the Apostle in all things tempted like unto us sin only excepted Poor soul name any temptation that thy heart is scared at the thoughts of and you will find that the Lord Jesus Christ he was tempted with that temptation You will say I am often times tempted to doubt Whether I be the Child of God or no and that very often So was Christ too you know the place in the 4. of Matthew If thou be the Son of God and if thou be the Son of God twice that the Devil would set an If upon Christs Son-ship Oh! but I am tempted often times to use indirect means to get out of trouble So was Christ too Command that these stones be made bread saies the Devil to him Oh! but sometimes I have been tempted even to lay violent hands upon my self So did the Devil tempt Christ too Cast thy self down off the pinacle of the Temple that was a temptation Oh! but I am tempted unto such evil things that truely I am afraid to speak of such Blasphemies such horrid and wretched Blasphemies as I think never came upon the heart of any child of God so that I am afraid to think of them and ashamed to mention them And was not Christ so was not he tempted so Saies the Devil to him All this will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me Oh! horrid Blasphemy Blush blush O Sun that the Lord Jesus the God of glory should fall down to the Devil and worship the Devil what wretched blasphemy was here that he should speak this and yet the Lord Jesus Christ he was tempted to it What shall I say He was in all things tempted like unto us sin only excepted Now there was never any High-Priest that was so tempted and he was therefore tempted that he might succour those that are tempted He is more able as our High-Priest to intercede to put in for you and to succour you than ever any High-Priest was before him Again As he hath gone through more Temptations than ever any High-Priest did So also he is filled with more Compassions It behoved the High-Priest to be Merciful it is an office of love and Mercy Now our Lord and Saviour Christ saies the Apostle is such an High-Priest as cannot but be touched with your infirmities the High-Priest that did go before him sometimes was not touched with their infirmities Hannah came and prayed and Eli's heart was not touched with her infirmity at the first But our High-Priest cannot but be touched he does sympathize with us under all our infirmities He is afflicted in all our afflictions It was the work of the High-Priest to sympathize with the people and yet notwithstanding there was a law that the High-Priest might not mourn for his kindred in that he might not as others sympathize or mourn But now our Lord Jesus he does fully sympathize with us and therefore goes beyond all the High-Priests that ever was before him Further He is more faithful in his office and place than ever any High-Priest was Aaron was an High-Priest butunfaithful in the matter of the golden calfe But our Lord and Saviour Christ he is more faithful than Moses was In this 3. Heb. 1.2 verses and so on Wherefore
holy brethren consider the Apostle and High-Priest of our profession Christ Jesus who was faithful to him that appointed him as also Moses was faithful in all his house He steps over Aaron who was the the High-Priest and he compares him here to Moses in faithfulness Now Moses was faithful in all his house But our Lord and Saviour here he is preferred before Moses in point of faithfulness yet it is said Moses was faithful in all his house When that the Lord commanded Moses any thing as the Lord commanded so did he and rose up early in the morning to do the commandement of God He was faithful in all his house and yet our Lord and Saviour was more faithful than Moses in the matter of his Priesthood For so it is brought in here at the 3. verse For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses in as much as be who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house Verse the 5. Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after but Christ as a Son over his own house Look now as a Child or a son is more faithful in his fathers house than a servant will be so saies the Apostle Christ is more faithful than Moses And look as the builder of the house does go beyond and excel every beam and stone in the house or every part of the building So does the Lord Christ in faithfulness exceed Moses You will say there is a great difference between a stone in the building and the maker of the house Look what difference there is between a stone or a piece of wood the maker of the building so great a difference there is saies the Apostle between Jesus Christ in the matter of his Priesthood and Moses yet notwithstanding Moses is faithful in all his house Oh! then how faithful is Jesus Christ in the matter of his Priesthood He goes before all that ever went before him Again Take other High-Priests and though they were never so good they could not alwaies intercede they died the High-Priest died and another came in his room But this man liveth for ever to make Intercession Yea Take the High-priest in the times of the old-Testament and while he lived he did not alwaies intercede for the people Once in a year the High-priest came to enter into the Holy of Holiest to sprinkle the Mercy-seat with blood and caused a cloud to arise upon the Mercy-seat with his prayers and intercessions for their acceptance and then he went out of the Holy of Holiest and laid aside his garments But now our great High-priest is ascended into the Holy of Holiest never to put off his Priestly garments and he does not once a year sprinkle the Mercy-seat with his sacrifice but every day and therefore he goes beyond all the High-priests that ever went before him And yet further Take the High-priest in the old Law in the times of the old Testament and though they did offer sacrifice for some sinnes and intercede yet there was other sins again that no sacrifice was to be offered for If a man did kill another at un-awares there was a sacrifice If a man sinned ignorantly there was a sacrifice But saies the Text in the 15. of Numbers 30. vers If any man sin presumptuously he shall be cut off and there shall be no sacrifice for him No sacrifice no intercession by the High-priest then But we have such an High-priest that makes intercessions for All sins So he saies himself Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven except the blasphemy against the Holy-Ghost Every sin though it boyle up to blasphemy it shall be forgiven but without sacrifice there is no remission and therefore he hath made a sacrifice and so he presents the sacrifice and intercedes for every poor sinner and therefore he is such an High-priest that transcends all the high-priests that euer was before him In the Fourth place How doth all this conduce now to our Comfort or our Holiness to ur Grace or Peace First To our Comfort Very much to our Comfort And therefore in the 1. Chap. of Zach. good words comfortable are spoken upon this occasion ver 8. saies the Prophet I saw by night and behold a man riding upon a red horse and he stood among the myrile-trees that were in the bottome and behind him were there red horses speckled white Then said I O my Lord what are these And the Angel that talked with me said unto me I will shew thee what these be And the man that stood among the myrtle-trees answered and said These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walke to and fro through the earth And they answered the Angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle-trees and said Wee have walked to and fro through the earth and behold all the earth sitteth still and is at rest And the Angel of the Lord answered and said O Lord of hosts how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the Cities of Judah against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years Here is Intercession And the Lord answered the Angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words Give me leave to open the words a little and we shall see how much it makes to our comfort this Intercession of Jesus Christ At the 8. verse I saw saies he a man riding upon a red horse This is the Lord Jesus Christ presented thus unto us And he stood among the myrtle-trees The Saints and people of God they are called myrtle-trees for their greenness sweetness and fruitfulness And these myrtle-trees were in the bottome That is in a dark in a low and a poor condition it is the condition of myrtle-trees and of the Saints and people of God to be oft in bottoms and in a dark and low condition Well Behind him were there red horses speckled and white And I said O my Lord what are these Now that this is Christ First of all he is called a Man and an Angel too Secondly As Christ walked between the golden Candlesticks in the book of the Revelation So here he stood among the mirtle-trees among the Saints And behind him attending upon him were red horses speckled and white That is Angels sent to and fro through the earth upon his message and upon his errand and unto him they come and give an account and to none but Christ Then we shall see this Angel that stood among the myrtle-trees comes and Intercedes all the Angels they come and bring in this report That the Church and people of God were in a low condition Then this Angel that stood among the Myrtle-trees answered and said at the 12. verse O Lord of hosts how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the Cities of Judah against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten yeers It
for ever keep me from opposition to the good wayes of God I have said sometimes may a wicked man say concerning godly mens duties That it was their Hypocrisie And I have said concerning such and such Professors This is your Pride and this is your Singularity and I have opposed with all bitterness and earnestness the prayings and wrestlings of some of Gods people But is this true That the Lord Jesus Christ takes every Prayer of the meanest of Gods Children and carries it into the bosom of God the Father and shall I spit upon that that Christ owns shall I dare to oppose that that the Lord Jesus Christ presents unto his Father The Lord in mercy pardon me I have sinned and done foolishly and for ought I know I may have spoken evill of that Duty that Christ hath carried into the presence of God the Father Oh! through the Lords grace then for ever will I leave to make any opposition against any of the good waies of God again and I will never speake one word against the persons meetings or supplications of the godly again Again In case a man be Ungodly a wicked man Here is mighty incouragement for to come unto Jesus Christ I and to come presently For is Jesus Christ the ladder that Jacob saw by whom we go up to Heaven doth he take all our Duties and Prayers and present them to God the Father for acceptance Then till I do come to Christ all is nothing all is lost if I be a Drunkard and will not come to Christ Prayer is all lost if I be a Swearer and will not come to Christ an Unclean wretch and will not come to Christ all my Prayers and all my Duties are lost Oh! the Lord pity me may many a poor soul say I have lost too many Prayers already through the Lords grace now I will lose no more Oh! I come to Christ Lord I come I come This is a mighty incouragement to make every man now for to come unto Jesus Christ because the Lord Jesus our High-Priest takes every Duty and carries it into the bosom of God the Father for acceptance Thus for Ungodly Secondly In case a man be Godly this truth doth conduce to our further Holiness and growth in grace If I be Codly Then here I see infinite reason why I should be much in Duty not only pray but be much in prayer Why for the Lord Christ taketh all and carries all into the bosom of the Father mingles his own odours intercessions with it although it be but a sigh and a groane The Apostle upon this account makes this use of it having spoken of Christ our High-Priest Therefore saith he let us come with boldness vnto the Throne of grace Heb. 4.16 The word signifies to speak all ones mind let us come speaking all Having such an High-Priest indeed as will carry all into the presence of God the Father for acceptance every sigh and every groan then who would not be much in prayer speak all to Christ be free with Christ come with boldness There 's many a poor soul that is much discouraged and he dares not go to prayer many times afraid to go to the Throne of grace The reason is because he looks upon his Prayer or Duty as it lies upon his own heart or as it comes from himself Whereas my beloved 't is with your Prayers and Duties as it is with fire Your kitchin fire is troubled with abundance of smoake and there is filth about it fire upon the hearth hath much smoake but fire above in the Element of fire there 's no smoke So your Prayer when it lies upon your own hearth as I may say there 's a great deal of smoke but when it gets once into the hands of Jesus Christ there 's it's Element and it is freed from all it's smoke Or as it is with a mans Body so long as he lives here upon the earth he is feeble and weak and many times sickly assoon as he is come into Heaven all his weakness is taken away and his body being in Heaven 't is presently glorified and strength put upon it and all his diseases are gone So 't is with our Prayers So long as they are here below in our own bosoms they are full of weakness but assoon as our Prayer is out of our mouth 't is in the hand of Christ 't is in Heaven 't is glorified the weakness is now done away Oh! 't is a glorified Prayer when once 't is gone from you 't is in the hand of Christ And therefore this is a mighty incouragement unto all those that are godly to be not only in Prayer but to be much in Prayer come with boldness unto the Throne of grace Again If ye be Godly yea if ye be Ungodly Here I see infinite reason why I should receive every Truth that comes from Christ though accompanied with many failings in him that speaks it The Lord Jesus Christ he accepts of every prayer and duty that comes from me though it have many weaknesses yea he takes my Prayer and carries it into the presence of God the Father for acceptance my poor Prayer labouring with many weaknesses Then when a Truth comes from Christ shall not I accept of it what though the Minister or Preacher that speaks it labour with this or that weakness There is Pride or there is some miscarriage in the delivery or the like Shall the Lord Christ take my Prayer labouring under infirmity and accept thereof and carry it into the presence of God the Father for acceptance notwithstanding all the failings of my Duty and shall not I accept of Truth that comes from Christ notwithstanding all the failings of the poor messenger that brings it Further The more Evangelical you are in your Obedience the more Holy ye are in your lives This truth that is now before ye well studied and considered will make you more Obedient in an Evangelical way And ye shall find therefore that the Lord himself from Heaven does make this use of it pray consult with the 17. of Matthew and the 5. verse This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear ye him Those words follow Hear him Hearing notes Faith and Obedience not a bare Hearing with the ear Compare this and the same speech together which ye have in the 3. of Matthew and the 17. verse Loe a voyce from Heaven saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Heare ye him is not there in the 3. of Matthew but here in the 17. of Matthew these words are added Heare ye him What should the reason be that Hear ye him should be added here in the 17. of Matthew and not in the 3. of Mat. thew Give me leave to give you some reason for it so far as may make to our present purpose Not to say any thing of that which Moses said In his daies a Prophet will the Lord your God raise up
the Son of God putting another If upon his Son-ship So when he was upon the Cross the Devils Instruments speak his own Language they had not forgotten it If he be the Son of God let him come down putting an If upon his Son-ship again The Devil follows this close Oh! but I am tempted many times to use indirect means to get out of trouble out of mine affliction And was not Christ so when he was an hungry saies the Devil to him Command that these stones be made bread Oh! but I am tempted I am loth to say what it is sometimes even to lay violent hands upon my self And what said the Devil to Christ Throw thy self down off the pinacle of the Temple Oh! but I am tempted to horrid and blasphemous things that I am afraid to name and my heart trembles to think of And was not Christ thus tempted saies Satan to him All this will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me What worship the Devil Oh! horrid blasphemy Blush O Heavens and be astonished All this will I give thee If thou wilt fall down and worship me Oh! but I am tempted to depair sometimes I confesse I am able to reade Gods love and to say that God is with me and I think I can say I know that God is with me but at another time Oh! how unlike am I unto my self and I say Mercy is gone and Christ is gone and hath left me as an orphan And I pray consider how it was with Christ in this respect he went as neer to it as could be without sin It is Musculus his Observation In the 16. of John Behold saies Christ at the 32. verse the hour cometh speaking of his suffering hour Yea it is now come when ye shall be scattered every man from his own and shall leave me alone and yet I am not alone because the Father is with me Speaking of his suffering hour And yet when he was upon the Cros he saies Father My God my God why hast thou forsaken me How diverse does he seem to be from himself Saies he I am not alone because the Father is with me And yet when he comes into the hour My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh! but I have suffered as much as ever any did I have suffered by the hand of my temptations they have been a continual torment to me and I have suffered much from them Well but have ye suffered more than Christ suffered It is said in the text For in that he suffered being tempted What a mighty suffering was it for the glorious God of Heaven and Earth to have such temptations thrown in upon him any one temptation to be lodged in his mind what a mighty suffering was this Thus you see how Christ suffered And beloved He suffered and was tempted that he might succour you that are tempted Will you question his love then because of your temptation or your own condition do ye know what you do Suppose that your Father should leave you a great Estate and give you good Evidences and a cunning Lawyer comes and writes upon the back-side of your Evidence Naught naught will ye because of that joyn with him and say that your Father hath given you nothing Christ hath given you in a great Estate of Mercy and hath given you good Evidences for it and Satan now comes writes upon the back-side of your Evidence and saies This is naught Will you joyn with him against God and Christ what wrong is this to his love think of it I pray you that are the Saints and people of God Be humbled under every temptation though it be never so small but never question your condition though your temptation be never so great There is indeed something of a suffering a malignant quality an affliction in every temptation when it takes least and therfore look how you would walk under an affliction so walk under your temptation In your affliction you will walk Humbly so under your temptation do In your affliction you will examine the Cause especially if your affliction lie long upon you So in your temptation do In your affliction you will seek God Early So in the morning of your temptation do In the day of your affliction you will Engage to God the day of affliction is the day of engaging and you say Oh! if the Lord will deliver me through his grace I will do so and so So in your temptation do In your affliction you will take heed of those sins that you are most apt unto in the time of affliction so do in the time of your temptation For example thus in affliction a man is very apt to be discouraged to have his heart sink and to die within him So in temptation take heed of that In affliction a man is apt so to mind his present burden as to forgit all his former mercy so in the time of temptation take heed of that In the time of affliction a man is very apt to be froward and impatient to break out into frowardness and impatiency though he did not so before As the wood that is laid upon the fire sends forth filth which you did not see in the wood before it came upon the fire So men are apt to send forth filth and much frowardness and impatiency in the time of affliction when you took them for good natured people before and thought there was no such frowardness in them and no such impatiency So in the time of temptation also take heed of that In the time of affliction men are apt to make an evil construction and interpretation of things Affliction raises Passion and Passion puts other colors upon things than formerly and so in time of temptation we are apt to make strange constructions of Gods dealings and Christ's dealings with us take heed of that In time of affliction men are apt to change their behaviour David did so he let fall his spittle upon his beard and faigned himself mad he changed his behaviour and so are men apt to change their behaviour in times of temptation take heed of that In time of affliction men are apt to stint and limit God and say Can God provide a table now and can God deliver now and so also in the time of temptation men are apt to say Can God provide now can God deliver now and so stint and limit the Holy One of Israel take heed of that In the day of affliction a gracious heart does rather rejoyce that he hath any opportunity to exercise his grace than mourn for his present burden so do you now In the day of affliction a gracious heart doth more desire to be cleansed than to be delivered wishes rather that his heart may be sanctified by his affliction thā that his affliction may be removed There is somthing of a suffering ye have heard in every temptation now then does a temptation arise and presse in upon
a temptation but you are beleaguer'd by it and when your temptation is about you say O my soul be quiet yeeld not the Lord Christ is a succouring Christ and succour will come and therefore hold it out Shall the Lord Jesus Christ shall he succour me against my temptations with his bosom and shall I take my sins and temptations into mine own bosom Shall he come to succour me against my sins and shall I succour my sins that he comes against What a mighty argument is here to keep us from all our sins and from yeelding to our temptations Jesus Christ is a succouring Christ to tempted souls In the fift place If there be a truth in this Christ is a succouring Christ Let us all labour to answer Christ Beloved 't is the duty and the property of the people of God to observe what God is doing upon their hearts and to help on that work If Jesus Christ be succouring of any of your souls against your temptations Oh! help it on help on the work 't is your duty for to help it on and to answer him But you will say Quest Christ succours Before temptation and he succours Vnder temptation and he succours After temptation how shall I answer this how shall I help his work on Give me leave to give an answer unto this Question Answ and so I will winde up all Does the Lord Jesus Christ succour Before temptation Observe his succours and lay them up in your hearts against a rainy day Gird your sword upon your thigh it may not be to seek when the enemy comes have it in readinesse You don't lay the plaister on upon the wrist for the Ague when the Ague is on but before it comes Observe what those tokens of love are that Jesus Christ does throw into your bosom before a temptation comes and lay them up carfully there And beloved in the Lord Labour to keep the sence of his love warm upon your hearts Look as it is with water in winter so with your hearts in this respect So long as the fire is under the water and the water is hot it freezes not but when the heat goes off and the water is cold then ice comes upon it And so long as your heart is kept up in the sence of Christs love and warm with Christs love so long the ice comes not the temptation comes not The slumber of grace is a preparation to sin and a preparation to temptation When once our hearts grow cold and grow remisse then way is made to temptation and therefore if you would answer Jesus Christ Oh! labour to keep the sence of his love still upon your hearts And when the temptation is come Then look upon Jesus Christ No temptation so violent or fierce but a thought may steal out and get a look upon Jesus Christ The sight of Christ on the Cross is a Judge upon the Bench against all temptation The consideration of Three things keeps one from the power of temptation The worth of a soul The hainousness of sin And the love of Christ And you see all these in Christ upon the Crosse When temptation comes stand look upon him You know that when the Israelites were stung they were then to look upon the brasen serpent and by their very looking upon it they were cured thereby The Lord Jesus Christ is our brasen-serpent lift up upon Gospel poles having more excellency than any brasen-serpent That was but a piece of brasse he is the God of glory That for a time he is our High-Priest and lives for ever That for the Jewes only but he for Jew and Gentile That for those that could see and if any poor blind man was stung it was a case what should become of the blind man how should he look upon the brasen serpent how should he be cured but this our brasen serpent is able to give you an eye Beloved this Ordinance is still on foot spiritually And therefore Christ saies by the Prophet Esay Look unto me from all the ends of the earth and be saved Oh! when a temptation comes poor tempted soul addresse thy self to the Lord Jesus stand wishly looking upon him And then Give thy soul over into the hands of Christ all thou canst put thy self out of thine own hands So long as the planck or the board swims in the stream in the midst of the water you may draw it along with a little thred but if once it come towards the banck towards the shoare and touches upon the ground then you can hardly draw it So long as your temptation is in the stream of Christs love and of his blood you may draw it along the more easily but if once it come to touch upon your own shoare Oh! then you draw hard Whensoever therefore a temptation arises go unto Jesus Christ and say O Lord I have no strength to stand against this great Enemy I confesse it is my duty to resist this temptation but 't is thy promise to succour me under this temptation and therefore I put my self upon thee And then rest upon Christ As I use to say Your very resting on him makes him yours your resting on his strength makes it yours and your resting on his succour makes that yours And if the Lord command you to the use of any means Don't rest upon any because they are great Or despise any because they are small You do observe that the great Victories amongst the Jewes they were obtained by the weakest means and by the blowing of rams horns wals fell down Those were but Types of those spiritual Victories under the Gospel God seldom does wound the head of a temptation but first the heel the means is bruised whereby the head of the temptation is wounded As Christs heel is bruised in his wounding of Satans head So I say 't is in regard of means seldome that any means does wound the head of a temptation but the very heel of that means is first bruised and therefore don't despise it though it be small And if it please the Lord to cast in any Promise when you are under a temptation Oh! take heed that you don't live upon the letter of the Promise I mean don't live upon the Conveyance but upon the Land and yet how many do live upon the bare Promise bare letter of the Promise When a temptation comes passe from the temptation unto the Promise and through the Promise unto Jesus Christ and learn to live upon the thing Promised and not the letter of the Promise After temptation is over I can but touch on things Either you have the better of Satan Or else the worse If you have the worse Be for ever Humbled but never Discouraged And if you have the better of him Then rejoyce in the Lord and in all his goodness toward you and in all his succouring love and mercy Rejoyce in the Lord evermore and again I say rejoyce As one whom his mother comforteth
temptations be never so great he cannot fail totally because he is built upon a rock In the 13. of Matthew ye know it is made the property of the false ground that in the time of temptation it fell away Now if the good ground a regenerate man should fall away in the time of temptation what difference were there between the false ground the good ground Plainly therefore the Scripture holds forth this truth unto us That a regenerate man a Beleever though his faith may fail much yet it does not fail totally in time of temptation And thus Peters faith failed and thus it failed not In regard of the Exercise and Acting of his faith it did fail but in regard of the grace it self faith it self so it failed not and so it is and may be with others of the Saints also Secondly Quest 2 If the faith of a beleever do only fail in regard of the Acting Exercise and Working thereof What great inconvenience is there or evil in the failing of his faith Much my beloved very much Answ For though that faith fail only in regard of the Acting Exercise and working he does lose an opportunity of glorifying God 'T is said of Abraham That he beleeved and gave glory to God Faith gives glory to God it glorifies his Power his Mercy his Faithfulness and his Wisdom not faith in the Habit but faith in the Exercise of it glorifies God and so much as a mans faith doth fail in the Acting Working and Exercise of it so much he loseth an opportunity of glorifying God Moreover He loses his own Comfort Faith is a Comforting grace Being justified by faith we have peace with God And in the 15. to the Romans and the 13. verse ye find That Joy and Peace grows upon faith Now the God of hope fill ye with all Joy and Peace in beleeving So much as a man does beleeve so much Joy and Peace if a man fail in the Exercise of his faith he does lose his Comfort Yea hereby also he does lose his present prize A Christan hath a prize in this life he hath a two-fold crown A crown of glory in the world to come and a present crown And therefore saies the Lord unto the Church of Philadelphia Hold fast that which thou hast lest another take thy crown Now if a man do fail in the Exercise of his faith he does lose much of his present prize Ye know how it was with Moses and Aron ye reade of it in the 20. chapter of Numbers and the 12. verse And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron Because ye beleeve me not to sanctifie me in the eyes of the children of Israel therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have promised them They were shut out of the land of Canaan for not beleeving But Moses Araon did not lose the grace of faith it was only failing in the Exercise of faith their failing was not in the grace it self but only they failed in the Exercise of their faith and they were shut out of Canaan for it And Moses besought the Lord earnestly in prayer that he would reverse this threatning and it might not be he was shut out of Canaan meerly for failing in the Exercise of his faith Oh! what an evil thing is it then for a Christian to fail in his faith though it be no more than in the Exercise of his faith Further In this failing of ones faith though but in the Exercise of it A Christian does lose much of the benefit and sweetness of the mercy promised Look as it is with a wicked man in regard of the judgment threatned So with a godly man in regard of the mercy promised Now take a wicked man and let the threatning of God be fulfilled before him upon others upon himself he profits not by Gods judgments Why because that he don't exercise faith concerning the threatning and so when the judgment comes he profits not by Gods dealing by Gods judgments he loses the benefit of Gods dispensations that way So I say with a godly man let the promise be fulfilled and possibly he does not find the sweetness or the benefit of the mercy promised when the promise is fulfilled Why because he don't exercise faith in the promise it self When as the Lord gave Manna Moses had the seetness of it why because he exercised faith about it But the children of Israel they make a tush of it a light matter of it why because they look't upon it in a way of sence did not take it in a way of beleeving and so they lost the benefit and sweetness of the mercy promised Beloved it is no small matter this for to lose the benefit and sweetnesse of the mercy promised that a Christian loses by failing in his faith in regard of the Exercise of it and therefore certainly it is a very evil thing though their faith fail not in regard of the grace it self yet if it fail in regard of the work and the exercise of it it is a very evil thing and much inconvenience comes unto the Saints thereby Thirdly Quest 3 Whereby may it appear that Satans great design is upon our faith in the time of temptation He does tempt most unto that sin which is the greatesi and the sin against the Gospel is the greatest sin Answ Satans great design is to hinder the work of Christ the kingdom of Christ in the hearts of the Saint to counter-work the Spirit of God Satan does tempt that he may tempt and the greatest temptation usually comes in the reare comes at the last Satan does tempt a man to break the Law but he hath a further reach in that for he tempts a man to break the Law that so he may tempt him afterwards to sin against the Gospel he lies in ambush in one temptation for to draw to another When Satan tempted our first parents Adam and Eve he tempted like a serpent in form of a serpent and so now too he comes and he winds about us in his temptation but his sting is in the taile and at the latter end And thus ye see it was in the temptation of our Saviour Christ his great design was upon Christs faith in the 4. of mathhew ye know he hath Three temptations there and saies he in the two first temptations If thou be the Son of God and If thou be the Son of God And in the Last temptation All this will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me He tempted him to Blasphemy and Atheisme and what greater unbeleef So 't is with the Saints also Satan he comes and tempts them to sowrenesse frowardnesse and passion in their families but he hath a further reach upon that distemper for saies he I will tempt this man or woman to passion and frowardness and when he hath been froward and passionate then I will tempt him to be doubting whether he be the child
of God or no first I wil tempt this man for to break the Law and when he hath broken the Law then will Itempt him to sin against the Gospel then will I strike at his faith his great design still is upon your faith in all his temptations But you will say Quest Why is Satans great design upon our faith in time of temptation He is the great Robber or Theef and if he can Answ he will be sure to spoil a man of that wich is the best Now faith is more precious than gold the trial of your faith is faith is the gift of God and therefore if he can get any thing from a man he will get that which is Gods gift He is the great hinderer of all good of every good work and he will especially labour to hinder that work which is The work of God in a special manner and this is THE Work of God that ye beleeve in his Son Satan knows that faith is the most Beneficial grace unto the Saints The Shield of faith it is called and the Anchor of faith If ye be in a storm at sea faith is your Anchor If ye be in danger at land before Enemies faith is your Shield If that a mans Faith fail his Duties fail his heart failes and all failes He knows well enough that he shall soon make us suffer shipwrack if he can but weaken faith and therefore his great design is upon our faith He knows that faith is most prejudicial to Himself for by faith we overcome the world whom resist stedfast in the faith And by faith we quench the fiery darts of the Devil Now then saies Satan Does faith quench my fiery darts then will I labour to quench faith if I can The Devil does labour alwaies to present himselfe in Christs cloathes unto a soul as an Angel of light and he does labout to rpesent Christ in his own cloathes as an Angel of darkness When as he is a lyar Himself he does labour to make the soul put the lye upon Christ and upon the Spirit The Spirit of God that comes and testifies unto a man or woman Thou art the child of God Satan saies No. When a man therefore does say He is not the child of God the language of his action is He gives the lye unto the Spirit and he saies that Satan speaks true So here he makes Christ and the Spirit of Chrhist a lyar by his unbelief he makes the devil to speak true Now this is Satans great design and therefore in all his temptations still he strikes at the faith of the Saints labours to weaken their faith his great design is upon their faith In the Fourth place Quest 4 How does Satan weaken our faith in time of temptation What are those strokes that Satan gives unto our faith and how shall we be able to bare them off In the general Answ Satan does sometimes labour to weaken our faith By drawing us from the means of faith Take the wood away from the fire it will soon lose it's heat if not put out And if a man be but drawn away from the means of faith the means drawn from him or he from the means by his own default his faith will be soon weakened This Satan labours to do sometimes Sometimes again He raises up Mountains of Difficulties and Discouragements in the way of a Christians obedience and so labours to wound his faith Throw water upon the fire it will soon be out But that I may speak the more fully unto this great Question the answer whereof is of concernment every day amongst you Ye know there the Three acts of faith There is the faith of Reliance whereby a soul does relye upon God in Christ There is the faith of Assurance Whereby a man is perswaded of Gods love towards him and his love to God and that he is the child of God And there is the faith of Acknowledgment whereby a man does own and acknowledge the Cause and Truth of Christ I shall now spend some time and shew ye How Satan strikes at all these faiths and withal labour to shew you How we may bare off his blows that so we may stand in the time of temptation and our faith may not fail First For the faith of Reliance Satan does sometimes strike at the faith of Reliance in the Saints by hiding from them their former Experiences of Gods gracious dealing with them So long as a man hath the sight and view of his Experiences of Gods gracious dealing with him before he does relye on God and he saies I will for ever rest upon God and relye upon God in Christ for thus and thus he hath dealt w th me heretofore Now therfore Satan does labour in the time of temptation to hide the Experiences of the Saints from them and so does strike at their faith and labours to make their faith faile But then How should we bare off this blow Quest Thus Take heed that ye never rest upon the promise barely Answ 1 or only because of your Experience but rather deal with your Experience because of the promise It is a good thing for a man to come up to the Promise by the ladder of Experience but it 's better for a man to go down to the promise by his Experience And if ye look into the 106. Psalm ye shall find that when a man does rest upon the Promise barely by reason of his Experience his faith will soon fail The waters covered their enemies at the 11. verse 't is spoken of the Israelites when they came through the red sea there was not one of them left Verse the 12. Then beleeved they his words Mark now because of their Experience now they beleeved Gods word now they beleeved his promise by reason of their Experience Then beleeved they his words they sang his praise But what became of this Reade the next words They soon forgate his works they waited not for his counsel So that I say take heed that ye don't rest upon the promise barely and only because of your Experience for if your Experience be but out of the way a little then your heart will fail and your faith fail presently Take heed that ye never mourn for any evil Answ 2 no not for sin it self so as to be unthankful for or unmindful of former mercies We are very apt to this and Satan he comes and tempts and saies unto a poor soul Are you speaking of former mercies or blessings to be thanful for them That is a good work for others but as for you you have committed such a sin and it 's your duty now to mourn for your sin committed look you to that to be humbled apply your self to that work and so when he hath gotten a mans heart fix't upon that work in opposition to thankfulness for former mercies received the soul loses the sight of his Experience and so his faith failes in the time of temptation
are in the deep and his footsteps are not known but as the Heavens are greater than the earth so are Gods waies of mercy beyond our waies Now therefore if a drak temptation do come upon ye and ye see no way to get out say O but my soul remember Gods waies are infinite and his waies are beyond our waies and though I see no way God hath infinite waies he walks over mulbery-trees and his waies have been in the deep and so it hath been all along with my soul and therefore now O my soul wait on God Sixthly Answ 6 If temptation come if Satan come Do you run to Christ and look how Satan appears to you so do you apply the Attributes of Christ to you sutable to his temptation Does Satan set a temptation unto your breast observe what temptation it is and take an Attribute of Christ sutable to that temptation and set it to the breast of that temptation For Example Does Satan come and tempt as a Serpent Then remember that Jesus Christ is the brasen serpent Does Satan come and present himself as a roaring Lyon Now remember that Jesus Christ is the Lyon of the tribe of Judah Does Satan come and present himself as an Accuser Now remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is an advocate Beloved in the time of temptation ye are to run to Christ that is true but that is not all but you are to observe how your temptation lies and apply that Attribute of Christ to your soul which is sutable to your temptation do this and your faith shall not faile in time of temptation Seventhly Answ 7 and lastly Above all things take the Shield of faith Take the Shield of faith that your faith may not fail for the way to beleeve is to beleeve the way to pray is to pray the way to hear is to hear the way to receive is to receive the way to perform duty is to perform duty the way to exercise grace is to exercise grace When temptation therefore does come upon thee that thy faith may not fail now stir up thy self to this work of faith and to beleeve and if ye beleeve that ye shall overcome ye shall overcome and if ye beleeve that ye shall prevaile against your temptations ye shall prevaile against your temptations And poor soul if thou canst relie upon Christ and beleeve that thou shalt be justified thou shalt be justified and if thou canst by faith relie upon the Promise the Promise shall belong to thee Wherefore stir up your selves now to beleeve when temptation comes When ye have to deal with an Enemy here among men I don't say beleeve ye shall overcome your enemy and ye shall overcome a man may beleeve he shal overcome his outward enemy here in the field and yet fall before him and not overcome but having to deal with this enemy Gods enemy your fathers enemy and your enemy beleeve ye shall overcome him and ye shall overcome him Quest But shall we overcome him Only if we beleeve Answ Who ever thou art that speakest or thinkest thus Doest thou make on Only of beleeving I tell thee from the Lord It is an harder thing to beleeve than to keep all the Commandements for there is something in Nature towards the keeping of the ten Commandements but nothing in Nature towards beleeving in Christ And poor soul doest thou make an Only of beleeving thou doest not know what beleeving means but I say unto thee from the Lord Beleeve that thou shalt overcome and thou shalt overcome beleeve that thou shalt prevaile against Satan and thou shalt prevail against him beleeve that thy sins shal be pardoned through Christ and relie upon him and thy sins shal be pardoned Whensoever therefore any temptation comes Oh! run to Christ cry unto Christ and rest upon Christ and say Lord I do beleeve help thou my unbelief Beloved in the Lord ye have heard That in all Satans temptations his great design is upon your faith to weaken your faith therefore let it be all your design in all your temptations to strengthen your faith and to look to your faith Which that ye may do think on all these things and the Lord bless them to you SERMON V. Of TEMPTATION LUKE 22.31 32. And the Lord said Simon Simon behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat Preached at Stepney Oct. 24 1647. But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not THese words as ye have heard acquaints us with a great temptation that was to come down upon Christs Disciples Concerning which ye have here The Danger of the temptation And the Remedy against it For the Danger of the temptation I have spoken already and now come unto this 32. verse But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not Here is something Implyed and somthing Exprest Satans design implyed which is and was to weaken the faith of Christs Disciples to make their faith to fail And of that ye have heard already Now that which is exprest is Christs tender care of and love unto his Disciples in regard of their temptations And this love and care of his towards his Disciples under temptation is Exprest in many things First in the forewarning of them of a temptation coming upon them there is his love and care in that he told them of the temptation before it came And then also He prayed for them Yea He prayed for them before they were tempted Yea And he tels them that he did pray for them that they might have assurance of his help in the time of their temptation Great was his love and care to and for his Disciples unders their temptation And so the Observation is this Christs love and mercy Doct. is never more at work for his Disciples and people then when they are most assaulted by Satan When Satan is most busie to tempt and assault their faith then is Christs love and mercy most at work to keep and defend both them and their faith We don't reade of such a prayer for Peter before We reade indeed that our saviour said unto Peter Vnto thee do I give the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven Thou art Peter and upon this rock will I build my Church but we don't reade there that he prayed for Peter But here he prayes and for Peter in particular I have prayed for Thee Why because now his temptations were to be more than Ordinary and therefore Christs love and care was drawn out and exprest in a more than ordinary way For the clearing of this Truth unto ye I shall labour to discover First Wherein the love care and mercy of Christ is expressed unto his people under their temptations Secondly That this love and care of his is most expressed when they are most tempted Thirdly What there is in the heart of Christ that does thus incline him to this indulgence or mercy And so to the Application First Quest 1 If
Massab and Meribah the waters of strife and of temptation there the Lord gave Israel his statutes How many experiences do Gods people get in and by their temptations tempting times are teaching and Christ teaches his people by their temptations Satans Buffetings are the Saints schoolings Yea Thirdly He does not only teach his people But he does also bear up and uphold their hearts with new supplies of his grace and Spirit in the times of their temptations Christ does not suffer his people to go into new temptations with old strength but as a new temptation does come from Satan so new supply of grace and strength does come from Christ Saies David in the 94. Psalm and the 18. verse When I said my foot slippeth thy mercy O Lord held me up He does not say thus when my foot slippeth thy mercy O Lord held me up but when I said my foot slippeth when I thought I was quite rejected cast off and forsaken when I said my foot slippeth then thy mercy O Lord held me up As new temptations do come in so new strength comes in Yea and supplies of greace in Proportion to our temptations My grace is sufficient for thee saies the Lord to Paul my grace is Fit for thee Yea he does not only give out Proportionable strength but an Cverplus of sirength As the woman that had oyle given her not enough barely to pay her debt but an Overplus to live on the rest So Gods people in the time of their temptations have not only strength given them to stand out against their temptations but an Cverplus to live on the rest Yea and they have not only in-comes of Assisting grace but of Accepting grace too more Accepting grace God doth and will then Accept lesser than at another time Though the prayer be weak and the faith low yet saies the Lord it is the time of temptation with this my poor servant and therefore I will take the Duty though it be never so little because it is the time of temptation it 's a time of darkness and a time of sadness Ye know what our saviour said unto Thomas Reach hither thine hand and put it into my side Come Thomas if thou wilt not beleeve without it I 'le take thy faith even upon these termes for I know it is a time of temptation with thee What grace what love and mercy is here Yea Fourthly The Lord Jesus Christ does not only come in thus with supplies of grace strength in the times of temptation But he does give his people an Ease and a Remedy a breathing time under their temptations though they be never so sad and never so great Indeed Job said That God was his enemy and would not suffer him to swallow his spittle he followed him so close but the good man was mistaken much for at the same time the time of his temptation he could say I know that my Redeemer liveth and he could blesse the Lord he had his breathing time in the midst of all When David was persecuted by Saul he was under temptation for as the Devil casts some men into prison so the Devil persecutes in wicked men yet David had his breathing time now and then Saul given into his hands as a pledge of that ful deliverance that David should have afterwards And this is no other than that which the Apostle speaks of in that same 1 of the Corinthians the 10. Chap. at the 13. verse Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape Make an Out-let so the word is He will make an Out-let Though the smoke be very offensive yet there shall alwaies be some window open for to let it out or some door open for a poor tempted soul to go out at stil an out-let some breathing time in the midst of these temptations Fiftly and lastly As the Lord Jesus Christ liveth for ever to make intercession for us So he doth it especially when his people are under temptation then he prayes for them and then especially I will not determine whether Christ now in Heaven does intercede Vocally or Really but when Satan lies hard upon a poor tempted soul and fetches blood from it then does the Lord Jesus step in unto his Father and present his wounds and his blood and saies unto his Father O Father I have prayed unto thee that this poor man or woman may not fail in the time of temptation Thus it was with Peter here I have prayed for thee and yet this was not the time of his full intercession when he was here on earth There are two parts of Christs Priestly Office Satisfaction and Intercession The proper place for him to make satisfaction for sin was here on earth and in Heaven the holy of holiest he does make intercession there he does do it fully but he could not for bear while he was here on earth but he saies unto Peter I have prayed for thee Though my great work in Heaven be to intercede and my special work here on earth be to satisfie yet notwithstanding I have prayed for thee already Peter And the Lord Jesus Christ was heard in all that he prayed for Now then if the Lord Christ doth intercede here on earth for his poor tempted servants and was heard here how much more when his Disciples are tempted does he intercede and pray for them in Heaven and is heard there Satan may come running in upon you with his temptation but when Satan runs in upon you with his temptation Christ runs into the presence of God the Father and spreads his blood and his satisfaction for you and there he saies unto the Father Father I have prayed that this man or womans faith may not fail Oh! what grace and mercy and love is here Thus in all these respects and many others that I might mention is the love of Christ and his mercy drawn out unto his people in the time of their temptation Well Quest 2 But how may it appear that Christs mercy is most at work when his people are most assaulted by Satan Christ deals by His Answ as God the Father did deal by Him Now ye shall find that Gods love was never more towards Christ than when Christ was under temptation When Christ came to die Satan was very busie it 's called The hour of darkness so busie was Satan with all his malice against him yet then was the Fathers love towards Christ then especially for saies Christ Therefore does the Father love me because I lay down my life If the Father did therefore love him because he laid down his life then his love was most at work towards Christ when this hour of darkness was And so I say when you hour of darknese is the hour of temptation Christs love is then most at work because he deals by His as the Father did deal by Him The truth is Christs dealing with his Disciples
Peter Object but my faith doth constantly fail Peter denied and his faith failed in the exercise as to one Act but my faith doth constantly fail in time of temptation I was heretofore more able to beleeve in the time of my temptation than now I am my faith is failed and it constantly fails and therefore I fear that the Lord Christ will not pray for me in the time of my temptation Well But if you be more able to relye upon meer free-grace Answ than ye have been heretofore then your faith is not less but increased rather If you be now more able to be contented with your condition than you were heretofore If you can let God and Christ alone to use his own means about you If you can leave the Events and successes of things more unto God than you could heretofore then your faith is not failed but rather increased Man or woman if that you are able now to take those hints of a word which you could not heretofore If your judgment be more setled in the Truth If you be more contented to suffer now for the Cause and the way of God than you were heretofore Then thy faith is not failed but thy faith is increased rather and so thou comest within the compasse of the Lord Christs prayer Oh! Object but yet will some say I have sinned greatly very much I have been a great sinner and therefore I fear that the Lord Jesus Christ will let me alone to wrestle with my temptations all alone and will not pray and intercede for me in the time and hour of my temptation Well Answ I must yet say again to you Hast thou sinned more than this Peter did when he denied his Lord and Master Yet Christ prayed for him and his prayer took and prevailed Have you sinned more than Jerusalem did Oh! Jerusalem thou that stonest the Prophets saies Christ when they put him to death And yet if you look into the 1. of the Acts you shall find that Christ after his Resurrection bids his Disciples for to stay and wait at Jerusalem and not stir from thence and preach the Gospel and mercy and free-grace in Jerusalem Hast thou man or woman that makest this objection sinned more than those that did put Christ to death that run him into his body with a spear that nailed him upon the crosse hast thou sinned more than these Ye know our Lord and Saviour when he was upon the crosse he prayed for them Oh! Father forgive them they know not what they do But Lord these are thine opposers these are persecutors and they persecute thee to death Well be it so saies Christ I know what I do and I know whom I pray for Father forgive them they know not what they do Oh! what grace and mercy and love is here Comfort yea Comfort unto all the Disciples of Jesus Christ when ye are in temptation the Lord Christ is at prayer for you And remember the Doctrine Never is his love and mercy more at work for ye than when Satan is most busie about ye to tempt ye most What comfort is here This was that in part that comforted the Martyrs in the Primitive times ye reade of very great comforts that the Martyrs had in the Primitive times those times next after Christ I have desired to consider what it was especially that bore up their hearts under all those persecutions And Turtullian pitches upon this as one thing We consider saies he the case of Peter Satan desired to winnow him Christ prayed for him Here were saies Turtullian two requests before God the Father One was the request of Satan and another was the request of Christ Now the Son having more credit with God the Father than Satan his request must needs prevail So saies he Satan hath desired for to tempt and to winnow us and persecute us but the Lord Jesus Christ hath requested for us There are two requests before God the Father There 's Satans request to winnow us and there 's the Sons request praying for us Now therefore seeing that the Son hath more credit with God the Father than Satan therefore are we assured that we shall be upheld and our faith shall not fail And so may you also This is matter of great comfort unto all the Saints You will say Indeed it is matter of great comfort Quest but is there no Duty that this Truth cals for at our hands Here is much comfort but what is that Duty that this Truth cals for Much every way If I be an Ungodly man Answ what a mighty incouragement is here for to get into Jesus Christ that I may be in the number of the true Disciples So long as a man is out of Christ not a true Disciple of Jesus Christ Satan may come and tempt and do what he wil with him and no Christ by to help Satan could not hurt or touch or tempt Job but he must ask leave But Satan went to the Sabeans and brought in them upon Jobs Estate and he did not ask leave for that they were in his power He ruleth in the children of disobedience Daniel was in the Lyons-den and they devouered him not their mouthes were stopt and they could not hurt him But when the Enemies were thrown into the Lyons they crack'd and crush'd their bones before they came to the ground If a godly man one that is a true Disciple of Jesus Christ if he be in a den with these Lyons Devils their mouths shall be stopt they shall not swallow him But oh for wicked men that are not in Christ these Lyons they crush their bones every day they crush their bones and a wicked man may say as Saul did The Philistims are upon me and God is departed from me So a wicked man that is not in Christ he may cry out and say Oh! temptations are upon me and Christ is departed from me I have none of Christ to help me as for the Saints and those that are true Disciples of Jesus Christ they have Christ at hand though they fall Christ is by for to help them up And Christ himself measures out all their temptations and Christ assists them and helps them but Oh! as for me I am all alone in my temptations I poor soul am all alone in my temptations Ah! who would be a Drunkard still who would be a Swearer still who would be an Unclean wanton still who would be a lyar and a Theevish servant still Let me tell ye that while ye go on in these sins you are out of Christ Poor soul a Swearer a Drunkard a common Lyar a Sabbath-breaker a Wanton out of Christ and thy temptations fall heavily upon thee the Lord knowes thou art all alone in the time of thy temptations Oh! but get into Jesus Christ get into Jesus Christ to be in the number of Christs true Disciples and when thou art tempted the Lord prayes for thee yea and the love and mercy of Christ
kept ibid 4 That their graces may encrease Page 105 5 That it may be discovered to themselves and others what their sins and graces are ibid 6 That they may be the more fit to receive Christ as a Saviour ibid 7 That they may be made like to Christ ibid 8Vpon the same reasons that God suffered the children of Israel to suffer under the Egyptians 1 That his power might appear Page 106 2 That they might not learn their manners ibid 3 That they might be provoked against them to cut them off Page 106 4 That they might long for the Land of Rest Page 107 5 That they might not return back to Egypt ibid Objection Answered Page 108 Application Do not question the love of God because of temptations Page 109 Object How shall I order my heart in temptations Answ 1 Take heed you do not yeeld to any part of a temptation that you may be delivered from Page 113 2 Do not carry the guilt of your old condition into a new condition ibid 3 Note what sutableness there is in your condition to the temptation and take away that Page 114 4 Turn your thoughts to another object Page 115 5 Take the Shield of Faith ibid 6 Doe not feare too much Do not fear too little Page 116 7 If you overcome be thankful if you be overcome hold up still Page 117 8 Make good improvement of it ibid Sermon 2. Heb. 2.18 Doct. The Lord Jesus Christ is a succouring Christ to tempted souls Page 220 Proved Page 221 Opened 1 Christ is able to do it Page 222 2 He is willing to do it 1 It is Gods will and he delights to do the will of God Page 224 2 He was willing to suffer it therefore to do ibid 3 He is much troubled if it be not done Page 225 3 He is faithfull in doing it Page 226 4 How Christ succours in temptation 1 Before temptation 1 By manifestation of him self Page 227 2 By laying in Gospel-principles ibid 3 By filling the heart with the Holy Ghost Page 228 2Vnder Temptation 1 By opening their eyes to see it is but a temptation Page 228 2 By letting fall some glimps of his love ibid 3 He doth succour from temptation by temptation Page 229 4 By casting in some promise ibid 5 By keeping the heart and the temptation assunder ibid 3 After temptation by filling the heart with unspeakable joy ibid Application 1 A gracious invitation to poore tempted souls to come to Christ Page 229 Object Why then are men damned Answered Page 230 Other objections answered ibid Object My temptation is mixed with corruption Answered 1 He succours sinners most when they are most tempted Page 231 2 When they cannot succour themselves Page 232 3 Notwithstanding all their failings ibid Application 2 Here is strong consolation to all Saints Page 233 Application 3 Let us be succouring Christians Page 235 Application 4 Why should we yeeld to temptations though never so violent Page 236 Application 5 Let us labour to answer Christ in this work 1 Observe his succours and lay them up against a rainy day ibid 2 Labour to keep the sence of his love upon your hearts Page 237 3 Look up to Christ ibid 4 Give thy soul up into his hands Page 238 5 Rest on him ibid 6 Do not rest upon means because great nor despise them because smal ibid 7 Do not live upon the letter of a promise Page 239 8 If you have the worst be humbled If the better improve your victory ibid SERMON III Luke 22.31 32. Text opened Page 241 Doct. Christ gives leave to Satan sometimes to tempt his own and best Disciples Page 242 Opened 1 What great power Satan hath to tempt and molest the children of men 1 He is an Angel Page 242 2 He is a Spirit Page 243 3 He is able to suggest what he pleaseth ibid 4 He knows what bait will soonest take ibid 5 He is able to follow his suggestions ibid 6 He is able to bemire the fancy ibid 7 To hold down a mans mind to that particular thing Page 244 8 The same words which are given to God for good are given to the Devil for evil ibid Wherein the Devil fals short of God ibid 2 He puts forth this power especially upon the best of Saints Page 245 Object Why doth Satan lie so heavy upon the Saints seeing he knows they shall be saved Answ 1 His envy Page 246 2 That they may be stumbling blocks to others ibid 3 He loves to molest them Page 247 3 How he comes by this power Page 248 4 Why God gives Satan leave to tempt his own children 1 To wean them from that sin they fall into Page 249 2 The manifestation of his own power wisdom faithfulness and free-grace Page 250 Application Why should any man doubt of his sonship Page 251 Object Mine is no temptation of Satan but the corruption of my own heart Answered 1 It is usual for Saints to charge all Satans temptations upon their own hearts Page 254 2 The Saints never fall into any great sin but Satan hath a special hand in it Page 255 3 It is the disposition of the Saints to be grieved for their sins as if all were from themselves and nothing from Satan ibid 4 The difference between Satans temptations and our corruptions Page 256 Object What comfort can we have in this condition 1 Nothing befals you but what may befal a child of God Page 257 2 Whilst thou art tempted Christ is praying for thee ibid 3 The enemy is overcome before he strikes ibid 4 He hath no more power than God gives him Page 258 5 Thou hast something cannot be taken from thee ibid Object 2 What shall I do that I may not not yeeld to temptation Answered Page 258 Object What shall I do that I may avoid temptation 1 Do not stand playing upon the borders of any sin Page 260 2 Get your hearts mortified to the objects of love and fear ibid 3 Take your temptation and dip it in the blood of Christ Page 261 SERMON IIII Luke 22.31 32. Doct. The great design of Satan is upon the faith of the Saints Page 263 Opened 1 What it is to fail in faith Page 264 2 What evil is in failing in faith Page 266 He loseth 1 An opportunity of glorifying God ibid 2 His joy and peace ibid 3 His present prize Page 267 4 The sweetness of his mercy ibid 3 That Satans great design in Temptation is upon our faith Page 268 Why it is so Page 269 4 How Satan weakens our faith Page 270 1 Our faith of Reliance ibid 1 By hiding our former experiences ibid How to bear off that blow 1 Take heed you never rest upon a promise barely because of experience Page 271 2 Take heed ye never mourn so for sin as to be unthankfull for mercies Page 272 2 By severing our souls from the promise How shall we bear of that blow 1 God commands
me to beleeve therefore the promise belongs unto me Page 273 2 If the Lord gives out a threatning that it may not be fulfilled then he gives out a promise that it may be fulfilled ibid 3 If I am more godly then I was when Satan told me that the promise did belong to me then is the temptation causeless ibid 4 God hath commanded me to beleeve Page 274 2 How Satan weakens our faith of Assurance 1 By telling us we have no faith ibid 2 By telling us we have no obedience Page 275 How to ward off this blow Page 279 That we have no faith How to ward off this blow 1 The Lord doth give out particular promises for men to measure their condition by Page 276 2 God doth not alwaies give out a particular promise ibid 3 Particular promises have a particular faith Page 278 3 How Satan weakens our faith of Acknowledgement By keeping us from owning Christ Page 278 How to bear off this blow 1 Possess your souls with the priviledge of suffering for Christ Page 279 2 Be sure you look on both sides of your sufferings Page 279 Quest What general Rules may be given to stay our faith that it fail not in temptation Answ 1 Study the Scripture much Page 280 2 Do not measure your selves by the Enlargement or Deadness of your owne hearts ibid 3 Look much unto the infirmities of Jesus Christ Page 281 4 Do not conclude it is no temptation ibid 5 Remember thy own soul of the waies of God with thee ibid 6 Apply the Attributes of Christ sutable to the temptation Page 282 7 Take the Shield of faith ibid SERMON V. Luke 22.21 22. Doct. Gods love and mercy is never more at work for his people than when they are most tempted by Satan Page 286 Cleared First Wherein the care of Christ is expressed to his people in temptation 1 In ordering their temptations ibid 2 He weakens them Page 287 3 He causeth them to be laid downe so as that they may be discerned ibid 4 He orders the time Page 288 5 He sanctifies them ibid How is Christs love drawn out to his people under temptation 1 In teaching them in and by their temptations Page 289 2 He upholds them with new supplies Page 290 3 He gives them a breathing time under temptations Page 291 4 He praies for them then especially ibid 2 His care is most expressed when they are most tempted 3 What there is in Christ that inclines him to this Page 293 1 The quintescence of all love he hath to them Page 294 2 The great interest he hath in them ibid Application Abundance of comfort to all Christs Disciples Page 295 Object I fear I am none of Christs Disciple Answ 1 All Christs Disciples deny themselves Page 296 2 They take up their Cross ibid 3 They follow Christ ibid 2 Christ doth not only pray for his present Disciples but for all such as beleeve through their word Page 297 Object My heart fails me in time of temptation Answ 1 There is difference between failing of ones faith and failing of ones heart Page 298 2 Between failing in faith in our own opinion and in Christs opinion ibid 3 Between failings of faith and failings that acompany faith ibid 4 Consider whether your faith failed like Peters Page 299 Other objections answered Page 300 1 Thessalonians 5.18 Doct. It is the will of God that we should be thankful to him for every thing Page 306 Reas 1. There is excellencies enough in God ibid 2 No condition is so sad but there is some good mingled with it ibid 3 Christians must be like Jesus Christ Page 307 Object Suppose a mans spiritual condition be overclouded Answ 1 Though God do not shine upon a Christian yet it may be light to him Page 311 2 Though Christ withdraw his comforting presence yet he doth not his supporting presence ibid 3 Though Christ withdraw yt he draws by his Spirit Page 312 4 What a man would not loose for all the world is worthy of praise ibid Object Suppose God do not only withdraw but Satan draws neer Answ Be thankful Because 1 Christ hath overcome him Page 312 2 He can do no more than God gives him leave to do Page 313 3 Nothing befals you but what befalls the best of the Saints ibid 4 Christ succours you in your temptations ibid What particular things we should be thankful for 1 We are redeemed of the Lord. Page 317 2 That we have so many dayes of Thanksgiving ibid Encouragments to thankefulness 1 If you can be thankefull when you are low you engage God to raise you up Page 320 2 Hereby your afflictions will bee made blessings ibid 3 The more thankefull you are the more your soules will be filled with peace Page 321 4 Thereby ye shall shame the Devil How this must be done 1 Observe your owne tempers and put your selves upon that duty your own disposition lies next to Page 314 2 Maintain your assurance fresh and green ibid 3 Let your eye be as well upon what you have as upon what you want Page 315 4 Be sure maintain a sence of your own unworthiness ibid FINIS SCRIPTURES Opened And occasionally Cleared in the First VOLVMNE Chap. Vers Pag. Numbers 6 24 25 79 16 41 43 20 12 267 1 Samuel 25 32 33 2 Samuel 24 10 254 Joh 1 11 321 Psalms 40 7.8 11 94 18 290 116. 11.12 271. 117 1.2 316 Canticles 1 6 68 2 3 12 2 14 62 Isaiah 24 15 307 53 9 11 Zachary 1 8 39.307 3 1 28 Malachy 3 2.3.4 56 Matthew 3 17 72 5 10 87 7 24 266 16 24 296 17 5 72 Luke 1 8 9 10 53 22 31 101 John 10 17 33 13 30 310 16 3 110 16 26 61 17 20 42 Acts 1 4 80 Romans 3 25 121 8 33 28 8 35 234 1 Corinthians 10 13 291 2 Corinthinans 12 7 314 13 14 79 Ephesians 1 3 77 3 12 55 5 2 8.12 6 12 245 Hebrews 2 14 15 230 3 1 2 37 8 4 26 9 24 47 10 6 11 10 11 12 34 1 John 2 1 42 5 18 107.265 Revelation 8 3 56 20 1 2 3 288 FINIS SCRIPTURES Opened And occasionally Cleared in the Second VOLVMNE Chap. Vers Pag. Genesis 3 15 70 8 21 29 12 3 72 Exod us 15 ult 160 Deuteronomy 11 10 11 63 18 15 72 Joshua 7 6 162 2 Chronicles 13 17 181 Job 2 4 70 11 13 57 33 14 55 Psalms 16 2.8 25 33 22 164 68 18 41 72 6 47 37 19 187 51 15 102 31 2 3 104 77 2 223 21 3 233 116 11 164 Proverbs 9 begin 13.253 16 1 100 8 29.31 118 Canticles 11 12 99 6 8 7 Isaiah 61 1 2. 24.97 43 13 28 54 8 9. 29 55 1 53 62 12 254 53 11 210 30 21 219 Jeremiah 7 4 6 3 8 177 31 22 187 31 33 79 Ezekiel 36 26 27. 30 20 41 42. 243 Zephaniah 2 3 168 Haggai 2 7 11 Zachariah
must needs be Christ for no Angel intercedes but Christ alone What is the fruit of this Intercession at the 13. verse The Lord answered the Angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words I indeed good words and comfortable are the fruit of the Intercession of Jesus Christ It is a matter of great comfort this That the Lord Christ our great High-Priest is in Heaven to intercede for us Is it not a comfort to a poor man to have a friend above neer the King or in the Court that may be able to do him kindness A man sometimes saies I had a friend indeed in the Court but now he is dead I but here is a friend that never dies He ever lives to make Intercession Friends may alter and turn enemies but he changeth not Our Lord and Saviour Christ said unto his Disciples Rejoyce not in this that the Devils fall down like lightning before you but rejoyce in this That your names are written in Heaven it is a matter of great joy to have ones name written in Heaven Oh! but what is it then to have ones name written in the chiefe part of Heaven to have ones name written there upon the breast-plate of Jesus Christ our great High-Priest that is gone into the Holy of Holiest Thus it is The Lord Christ is now gone to Heaven entred into the Holy of Holiest and carries our names into the presence of God the Father and there pleades and intercedes for us Oh! what matter of comfot is here But you will say unto me Object This is indeed exceeding good and very comfortable in it self but what is this to me for I am afraid that the Lord Christ does not intercede for me if indeed I could perswade my self that the Lord Jesus were in Heaven as my High-Priest to intercede for me I think verily I should have comfort though I were in the lowest bottom though I were in Hell it self but Oh! I am afraid to bear my self upon the Intercession of Jesus Christ lest I should presume This is the great Objection and stands up continually Ans to resist the comforts of Gods people Give me leave therefore to deal with this Objection all along and to take it off that so the comfort may fall the more fully upon you First I will shew It is no presumption for us to bear our selves upon the Intercession of Jesus Christ Secondly Who those are that the Lord Christ does Intercede for in Heaven And Thirdly How willing how infinitely willing he is to Intercede for us that so I may bring the comfort neerer to our own bosomes First I say it is no Presumption for us to bear our selves upon the Intercession of Jesus Christ no Presumption to beleeve We know the story of the woman in the Gospel that came unto our Lord and Saviour touching the hem of his garment for her cure and she was cured thereby But our Saviour perceiving vertue to be gone from him he cals out the person Who hath touched me come forth and the woman came forth trembling Our Lord and Saviour Christ does not say to this poor woman How dare you thus touch me how durst you thus presume to do it Consider The woman had no Command to do it no Precept to back her The woman had no promise to engage her that if shee did touch the hem of his garment she should be cured The woman had no Example never any before that touched the hem of his garment and was cured No Commandement No Promise No Example Surely now if any woman or man should Presume it should be this woman that had no Commandement nor no Promise nor no Example and yet the Lord Jesus Christ does not chide her away does not tell her she had presumed but O woman thy faith hath saved thee thy faith hath made the whole Let me speake this home we have a Command now to beleeve in Christ and a Promise Those that come unto him he ever liveth to make Intercession for them And we have Examples of many that have come unto Jesus Christ born themselves upon his Intercession and have gone away cured what was it no Presumption for the woman to come and touch Christ without a Commandement and a Promise and an Example and have you Examples and have you Promises and have you Commandements to beleeve and will you say this is Presumption Be not deceived it is no Presumption for thee poor soul to bear thy self at length upon Jesus Christ Secondly To make this out a little more fully I shall discover who those are that the Intercession of Jesus Christ does belong unto 1 Joh. 2.1 If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous You will say This is to be carried upon those that were spoke of before and those were such as had fellowship with the Father Truely our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Jesus Christ Chap. 1. verse 3. Now if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous If any man that hath fellowship with the Father or Christ sin they have an Advocate with God the Father First therefore stand you by I pray that we will take for granted all you that ever had any fellowship with God the Father or with Jesus Christ this Doctrine of the Intercession of Jesus Christ and the comfort hereof does belong to you Moreover In the 17. Chapter of John there we find that our Saviour saies He prayes for those that do beleeve and should beleeve Those that he prayes for here he intercedes for in Heaven Neither pray I for these alone at the 20. verse but for them also which shall beleeve on me through thy word I do not pray only for those that do beleeve now but for them also which shall beleeve Well then here is a second sort Those that do beleeve and those that wait upon the Lord in the Ordinance that they may beleeve or shall beleeve Stand you by also you are another sort of people that the Intercession of Jesus Christ and the comfort thereof does belong unto But now yet further If we look into the 7. Chapter of this Epistle unto the Hebrews at the 25. verse we shall find these words Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them Who are those Those that come unto God by him Lay this and 53. Chapter of I saiah the 12. verse together He was numbred with the transgressors speaking of Christ cleerly and he bare the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors It may be thou canst not say I have fellowship with God the Father it may be thou canst not say I do beleeve I am perswaded that I do beleeve thou canst not say so Well but can you say thus Through the Lords grace I do come unto God by Christ I
whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy See who are to say so Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so whom he hath Redeemed from the hand of the enemy Beloved ye know that not long since we were in Captivity I mean a Spriitual Captivity we sate down by the waters side and said How shall we do to sing a Christian song The Lord hath Redeemed us he hath Redeemed us out of the hand of our Enemies And if the Lord hath not Redeem'd you out of the hand of your Enemy don't say so but if he have Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so Pesides Is it not worth our Thankfulness that we have had so many daies of Thanksgiving together A day of Fasting and Prayer is a sweet day a Thanksgiving-day sweeter if I may make compate For in a day of Fasting and Prayer we deal with the anger and wrath and displeasure of God In a day of Thanksgiving with the love of God and the mercy of God In a day of Fasting and Prayer we exercise Grief But in a day of Thanksgiving we exercise Joy and love In a day of Fasting and Prayer your eye is upon your sins In a day of Thanksgiving upon your graces to be Thankful for them As the fish swims upon the top of the water when the Sun shines which in a storm lay at the bottom and wood and sticks tumbled up and down and those were seen So in a day of Thanksgiving there ye see and take notice of your own graces to be thankful for them In a day of Fasting and Prayer sometimes ye are so humbled for sin committed as the sence of your Justification is quite shattered But in the day of Thanksgiving your assurance for heaven is sealed they are sweet daies And beloved you have had many of them of late and surely this is worth our Praise But give me leave a little to Enumerate for Enumeration is one kind of Argument Hath not the Lord from heaven owned his own Cause in the hands of his servants our brethren in the field Hath not the Lord heard your Prayers Hath not the Lord opened many Mines of precious Truths that ye never knew before Hath not the Lord delivered you from the hand of a savadge Enemy Those that lay among the pots brought forth with doves-wings Victory after Victory one treading upon the heel of another overtaking another Does he not daily load you with his benefits I cannot say as David in the 9. Psalm and the 1. verse I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart I will shew forth all thy marveilous works The former part I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart you will say But the latter part I will shew forth all thy marveilous works Who can say they are beyond us And now Beloved if it be our duty to Praise God to be Thankful to him in every condition when we are low shall we not be thankful to him now that the Lord hath raised us and fill'd us thus You will say Object There 's one thing that hinders us in the work of Praise and Thanksgiving in these times A Reformation is now begun and things do not succeed according to our desires in the matter of Reformation should we can we be Thankful now Yes If the Lord give me a Child Answ should not I be Thankfull for it because it is not borne a man When the Jews built the Temple did not they shout and praise God that the Foundation was laid When the Israelites had overcome their enemies in Samuels time though the Enemies were round about them they set up a stone and called it Eben-ezer 1 Sam. 7.12 Hitherto the Lord hath helped us Beloved in our Thanksgiving we are to be like unto Jesus Christ He did not only praise God when he had the mercy but before he had it in the entrance upon it When he raises up Lazarus from the dead John 11.41 42. Father saies he I Thank thee that thou hearest me alwaies and then he commands Lazarus to come out But first he gives Thanks to God In the Scripture the holy-Ghost hath commmanded us Prov. 3.9 To honour the Lord with our substance and with the first fruits of all our increase Either ye have the first-fruits of Reformation or not If not what mean all those precious Ears and fruits which ye have been gathering in these latter times And if ye have the first fruits though ye have not reap't the harvest yet then honour the Lord with your substance and with your first-fruits So shall your barnes be fill'd with plenty and your presses with the new wine of the Gospel God does give one mercy as a seal unto another a First as a seal to the Second the Second as a seal to the Third the lesser as a pledge of the greater God does give a lesser mercy to try us whether we will be Thankful that he may give a greater Beloved these are trying times God tries us whether we will be Thankful for what we have A Reformation is now on foot what though things don't succeed according to your desire shall we not be Thankful for what we have because we want something of what we would have when then shall we be Thankful I but Quest 't is not only want of Reformation but many Errours that are risen up among us in these times and should we be Thankful now in this condition Yes Answ Shall I not be Thankful for some grace because it is mingled with much Corruption Shall I not be Thankful for my field of Corn because divers weeds are mingled therewith Shall I cast away the kernel because it is compast about with a shell Luther in the beginning of the Reformation met with many Errours and he comforted himself with this When the Corn is grown the weeds will die alone Meaning this When Reformation is come to greater strength Errours would die alone 'T is said of our Lord and Saviour Christ Isa 53.12 He was numbered among transgressors Should not I love Christ or own Christ or be Thankful for Christ because he was numbered among transgressors The Errours of the time you say are the transgressors of the time Shall I not love the Truth and own the Truth and be thankful for the Truth because it is numbered among the transgressors the transgressors of the time Blessed is that man that can see a beauty in Truth when it hath a scratch't face And indeed every Truth hath a beauty the Lord hath given you out many Truths in these times that ye were ignorant of before Beloved I do not say that ye should be thankful for any Errour we ought to be grieved for any Errour But shall we be so mindful against Errour crying out against Errour Errour as not to be thankful for any Truth we have If the whole world were spread with Errour that one Truth living Jesus Christ died for sinners there were