loves his people and sheweth his love even in reprooving by reproving sin neither in rage nor in a merry and flouting manner nor so as to set a brand of infamy upon them Ibid. Therefore desire to live under such a Minister as will faithfully reprove sinne and the great sin of the people that cannot endure it p. 52. the reasons why men cannot endure such a ministery Ibid. p. 53. the folly and sin of these men discovered in foure points Ibid. Objections answered that are made against such a ministery 1 That they use to raile give bitter and opprobrious termes to men 2 they use in a most unseemely fashion to cry and stampe and beat the pulpit p. 54. 3 They are alwaies chiding and inveighing and shew no love to the people pag. 55. 4 They love noâ— to deale with then people in private but disgrace them publikely 5 They are given to hearken to â—ale-beareâ—s page 56. Lect 10. In all our distresses we must fly to God by prayer and seeke comfort that way p. 59. for 1 In all our afflictions God hath 2 chiefe hand 2 He is able to releeve us 3 himselfe hath prescribed this course to us pag 60. 4 The Lord is ready to be found this way p. 61. The meanes of comfort we all apt to neglect Ibid. Lect. 11. Impediments that keepe us from this remooved 1 Th'extreamity of my affliction overwhelmes me and the tokens of Gods anger upon me are such that I have no hope to speed p. 63 64. 2 I am so vile a sinner that I dare not pray Ibid. p. 65. Lect 12. 3 I cannot pray p. 66 67. Every faithfull man hath the spirit of prayer yea a man may pray most acceptably though he do not feele that he hath faith or the spirit of prayer Ib. Such must bewaile their case to God and strive to pray for all they cannot doe it with feeling and comfort p. 68 69. Lect. 13. 4 It is to no purpose for me to pray Ibid. Resolve this is but a tentation and resist it and how p. 70. Particular answer to Sathans reason in this tentation 1 They that never use to pray doe as well as those that are most given unto it ibid. 2 men use ordinary meanes for their comfort with discretion they may do well enough though they never pray p. 71. Though God usually helpe men by meanes and best by best meanes p. 72. Yet he is the giver of all meanes and the vertue that is in them to do us good commeth wholly from him and Gods servants have therefore in the use of all meanes and in all occaâ—sions of their life sought to him Ibid. p. 73. â— Lect. 14. 3 God knowes our necessities well enough and hath decreed what he will do for us and is of himself apt enough to do us good without our asking Ibid. 74. 4 I have long used to pray and finde no good by it Ibid. It may be God rewards our prayer though we obtaine not our suite presently p. 75. Foure reasons why God delayes his answer Ibid. By five things wee may know God answereth us though we obtaine not what we aske p. 76 77. Lect. 15. When we have prayed long and finde no audience this must trouble us p. 78. We should hearken after our prayers what answer God gives them Ibid. We must not give over praying though we receive no answer p. 79. Examine the cause why thy prayers speed no better p. 80. Six causes for which the Lord useth oft to put back the prayers of his people without a gracious answer p 81 c. Lect. 16. Pardon of sin is more to be desired then deliverance from the greatest judgement that can befall us p. 84. for 1 sin is the greatest evill p. 85 2 pardon of sin a sufficient ground of comfort in any distresse Ibid. 3 in this suit we should be more earnest with God then in any other p. 86. 4 he hath enough to make him happy that hath that Ibid for 1 sin is a debt p 86. 2 sin is filthinesse and uncleannesse p. 87. Lect 17. Most men seeke after many things more then the pardon of sin count not sin the greatest evill nay no evill or misery at all p 88 89. our sins not smaller then such as Gods people have beene greatly humbled for Ibid p. 90. The knowledge of Gods mercy should not cause us to be the lesse troubled for our sins p. 91. for 1 His mercy in pardoning of sinne is not common to all but shall be denied three sorts of sinners Ibid. 2 That will aggravate sin and not make it the lighter p. 92. Nor this conceit that others worse then wee have found mercy both in life and death yet were never humbled For 1 it may bee they found not mercy with God though they prospered Ibid. 2 We are bound in charity to judge the best of their estate Ibid. 3 They may have beene soundly humbled for sin though we know it not p. 93. It s no good argument a sinner dieth in Gods favour because he dieth quietly p. 93. Lect. 18. Seeke pardon of sinne above all things Seeke it without delay and earnestly Ibid. For 1 its possible to be gotten 2 in regard of the excellency of this pardon p. 94. Seeke it speedily 1 in regard of the continuall danger of death we are in 2 in respect we are daily liable to afflictions p. 95. 3 in respect of the present comfort of our life page 96. Meanes to obtaine it 1 Bring the heart to a sound sense of sin Ibid. 2 Pray beg pardon for even such as want assurance of pardon may pray pag. 97. 3 Confesse thy sinnes to God 4 Fly by faith to Christ for it pag. 98. A man may have his pardon and not know and perceive he hath it and the reasons of it Ibid. p. 99. Yet may a man in this life be assured that his sins are pardoned Ibid. We must not be our own judges in this case but this must be knowne by the Word viz. 1 if we came to it the right way viz. by the foure meanes mentioned 2 If we finde ouâ— hearts changed and sanctified p. 100 3 If the knowledge of Gods love hath bred in us a love to him 4 If the knowledge of Gods love maketh us willing to forgive men p. 1â—1 Lect. 19. The best of Gods servants have no other ground of hope to finde favour with God for the pardon of their sinnes but onely in the mercy of the Lord p. 102. For 1 Though Christ hath dearely purchased our pardon yet is it meerely of Gods free grace that wee receive any benefit by him p. 103. 2 Though good workes bee strong foundations of our hope and comfort yet the maine foundation of all the hope and comfort we have in our workes is the mercy and free grace of God p. 104 106. Lect. 20. The best man cannot rely on any goodnesse hee findeth in himselfe
p. 448. 2 The taskes God sets his servants are not hard nor heavie 1 Indeed to wicked men they are not onely difficult but impossible Ibid. 2 To the godliest the commandements of God as the law enjoynes them are impossiâ—le 3 To yeeld Evangelicall obedience to the commandements of God is very difficult to the regenerate in respect of the remnants of naturall corruption in them p. 449. Yet is not the service of God so painefull as needs discourage us from it for 1 The Commandements are possible to the regenerate 2 yea to the weaker Christian they are easie as Christ enjoynes them 3 They are to them in respect of the inward man nothing grievous p. 450. This none can doubt of that considers the gracious disposition of the Lord and master we doe service to p. 551. This appeares in foure points 1 his aptnesse to passe by and winke at our offences and failings in his service Ibid. 2 his aptnesse to accept of that little we are able to do 3 when he enjoynes services of extraordinary difficulty hee gives extraordinary supply of strength and assistance p. 452. 4 The wages and reward he giveth Even in this life if we serve him we shall be sure 1 of his countenance and speciall favour 2 of protection and safety in times of greatest danger 3 of competency in outward things 4 when time of paiment commeth we shall be abundantly recompensed for all the paines wee have taken p. 4.53 The consideration of this wages and the hope of it should make us go through with our work cheerefully p. 454. Lect. 92. This doth greatly aggravate the sinne and damnation of wicked men that they have no grace nor are saved because they have no will nor desire to have grace and to bee saved p. 454. Wicked men are apt to impute all to Gods decree and will onely Ibid. But as the Lord is not the cause of any mans sinne but man himselfe so is not God the cause of any mans destruction but man himselfe p. 455. for 1 they will take no paines to obtaine grace and to escape damnation Ibid. 2 when they may have the meanes of grace and salvation without charge or paines they neglect them and account them a burden p. 456. 3 when God forceth good motions upon them they resist them 4 They doe in their hearts despise grace and salvation Ibid. Obj. This cannot be because 1 a man is dead in trespasses and who can blame a dead man for not desiring to live 2 the matter of mans salvation dependeth wholly upon the will of God 3 God can if he will overcome this unwillingnes that is in man Answ. 1. God is not the cause why man is dead in sin but himselfe 2 God is not bound to restore him to life 3 He is not so dead but there 's enough left in him to make him inexcusable he may do more then he doth p. 457. for he may if he will 1 forbeare many sinnes that make him more uncapable of grace and will increase his damnation 2 do many good workes 3 frequent the meanes even the best meanes Ibid 4 So observe and take to heart the Word and judgements of God as to bring his heart thereby unto Legall repentance and humiliation p. 458. 5 Out of the sense of his owne wretchednesse not onely desire the prayers of others but himselfe also pray and cry to God for mercy p. 458. Obj. All this that the naturall man can do is nothing worth nor pleasing to God Answ. Yet 1 he is nearer to salvation that doth thus what lieth in him then any other naturall man is 2 though by doing all this he cannot deserve nor be assured God will give him grace yet may he hope herein to finde mercy because 1 God so infinite in goodnesse Ibid. 2 he seeketh to the vilest sinners 3 he hath shewed much respect even to these endeavours of sundry naturall men p. 459. 3 They that doe not thus what they are able are hereby 1 made more inexcusable 2 worse and worse and 3 shall receive greater damnation Ibid. Lect. 93. Gods Ministers are of all workes of their ministery most bound to comfort th' afflicted soules p 459. Obj. They apt to doubt they are hypocrites that they have not one of the signes of uprightnesse in them p. 460. Answ. 1. The having some dregs of hypocritic or other sins will not prove one an hypocrite or wicked man unlesse it reigne in him p. 461. 2 Hypocrisie nor any other sin doth reigne in him that discernes it and feeleth it to be a burden Ibid. 462. 3 He that cannot take comfort in any of the rest of the signes of an upright heart may in this if he finde that in his minde he consents to the Word and unfeignedly also desires to please God in all things and to doe his will Ibid. Because he that hath this hath all the rest p. 463. This confirmed by three forts of proofes Ibid. Foure signes of an heart that 's set to please God and truly desires grace p. 465. Lect. 94. Motives to perswade us to labour to be upright in heart Such God hath promised to be good unto p. 466. 1 in outward things viz. 1 in their habitations and dwellings 2 in their children 3 in al other good things 4 yea in times of common calamity p. 467. And in spirituall things also for such 1 shall never loose Gods favour and grace 2 shall have strength from God to endure any tryall p. 468. 3 Have a joyfull issue out of all their tentations and spirituall desertions p. 469. Meanes to purge us from hypocrisie and to get and preserve uprightnesse 1 The heart must be broken before ever it can be found 2 Get true faith in Christ 3 Take heed of living in knowne sin Ibid. 4 Thinke oft of this that Gods eye is upon thee 5 Complaine to God of the falsehood of thine heart and beg an upright heart of him p. 470. Lect. 95. What 's meant by knowing of wisdome in the hidden part p. 472. True and saving knowledge is the principall work of Gods grace in the conversion of man For 1 in every one whom he converts he worketh saving knowledge Ibid. 2 This the first worke of grace 3 The change and conversion of a sinner consists chiefly in this p. 473. Reason 1 Because it is the foundation and that gives stability and durablenesse to all other graces 2 It is the seed and beginning of all other graces p. 473 477. Lect. 96. We are bound to desire procure so farre as in us lyeth that all men may have the meanes of knowledge for we are bound to pitty the estate of all even the worst men that live and to desire their salvation and knowledge is the onely meanes to bring them to salvation p 477 478. A sound ministery the greatest outward fruit of Gods mercy to a people 478. The Gospell hath beene more fruitfull in good works then popery p.
Proleps and notwithstanding he say he cannot beleeve for 1 hee hath foure just causes and encouragements to beleeve 2 He doth indeed truly beleeve though weakely and though hee perceive it not p. 682. Lect. 132. We should all highly esteeme of Christ and hunger and thirst after him and his righteousnesse labouring above all things to win him and to be found in him p. 683. 1 Motive else our state will bee wofull when extreame affliction and death shall seize upon us Six things to bee distinctly considered in this 1 Motive 1 Certaine it is a change affliction sicknesse and death will come 2 how soone none knowes 3 nor in what kinde and measure p. 684. 4 when it commeth it will awaken the conscience and that being wakened will bring into our remembrance our sins and the judgement wee must goe to 5 If we have not gotten Christ before we are in danger then to bee made uncapable 6 our case will bee most wofull if we be without him then for there 's no hope of mercy or comfort from God without him p. 685. On the other side they that have Christ may be safe and comfortable in any affliction nay never so comfortable as then p. 686. 2 Motive He that hath not Christ can have no sound comfort in his prosperity nor in any of Gods outward blessings for 1 though they be blessings and good things in themselves yet to him they are not He had better be without them they shall doe him no good but much hurt Ibid. For they are none of their owne they have no spirituall sanctified or comfortable title to them p. 687. 2 God hath not given them any thing in love Though these things be fruits of his common love they are no signes of his speciall love And no man can have any sound comfort in the common love of God but in his speciall love onely Ibid. p. 688. On the other side he that is in Christ may have sound comfort even in the outward and common blessings of God for 1 they are his owne and he hath the highest title to them 2 They are good to him and shall doe him good and no hurt p. 688. 3 They are to him pledges of Gods speciall love p. 689. Applic. Great folly and danger of such as preferre worldly things before Christ Ibid. p. 690. Lect. 133. None are fit to receive Christ nor can thirst after him but the poore and such as feele themselves utterly void of all goodnes p. 691. The civill honesty and those morall parts that are in many naturall men are in themselves good things pleasing to God and such as he useth to reward and the reasons of it p. 692 693. Professors should walke honestly and the greatnesse of their sinne that doe not set out in three points p. 694 695. Yet there is no sound comfort to be found in it the Lord is never a whit the better pleased with a man in resepct of salvation for his civill honesty unlesse he be in Christ p. 695 696. Lect. 134. There are sundry good things to be found in many an hypocrite and better things then in any meere naturall man and that in three respects p. 697. There is in many an hypocrite 1 a kinde of love to the Word and the ministery thereof he will heare constantly and with delight hee will commend and professe much love to the teacher so doth not the civill man 2 he will keepe a constant course in praying not ordinary onely but extraordinary so doth not the civill man 3 He is a strict observer of the Sabbath so is not the civill man p. 698. 4 Hee hateth Idolatry and the monuments of it and loveth the sincerity of religion so doth not the civill man 5 He is reformed not only from grosse sinnes but even from the least sins so is not the civill man p. 699. These things are not therefore to bee misliked because they are to bee found in some hypocrites neither may wee despise and scorne any for any of these things for though they be found in many hypocrites yet are they no signes of an hypocrite Ibid. 1 It s a singular good thing to love the Word and he can have no true goodnesse but is in a wofull estate that doth not 2 to keepe a constant course in prayer is a very good thing and such as God will blesse and he can have no true goodnesse in him but is in a wofull state that useth not to pray p. 700. Lect. 135. Though 1 the bodily observation of the Sabbath and such as may bee performed by th' outward mâ—n be nothing in Gods account in comparison of the spirituall 2 The bodily test from our owne workes bee the leaft part even of that the spending of the day in holy duties is a farre greater matter then that p 701 702. yet God is highly pleased with that and hath promised great reward unto it p. 702. and a chiefe cause of common calamities hath beene the neglect even of that p. 703. No man can become poorer by the conscionable keeping of the Sabbath day Ibid. Man receives a greater blessing by the Sabbath then by any other day specially in spirituall things but also in temporall p. 704 705. Lect. 136. We have all cause to praise God for the good lawes have beene made to provide for the better observation of the Sabbath and the hypocrisie and profanesse of the people generally appeares in seeming so zealous for the lawes and neglecting these so much p. 706. Every Minister is bound to reproove sin p. 707. The â— and chiefe thing that belongs to the right observation of the Sabbath is the keeping of the rest and performing the duties of the day cheerefully and spiritually and against this they offend that sleepe ordinarily at Church this sin is worthy of open reproofe p. 708. This is more then a sin of infirmity Foure notes given to discerne a sin of infirmity from a raigning sin p 709. The second duty required in the observation of the Sabbath is to spend the day in religious duties specially publike against this they transgresse that absent themselves from the Church p 710. The third and last thing is that we rest from al our own works on that day against this the profanesse and open contempt of the Sabbath by children and youth is a grosse sin Ibid. God will not endure profannesse and open contempt of religion no not in children yet will he lay this their sin to the charge of Masters and Parents and Governours chiefly p. 711. Lect. 137. It is a good thing and highly pleasing unto God to love the sincerity of Gods worship and to do nothing in that but what he can see warranted by the Word p. 71â— It is also a good thing to â—ate all Idolatry and every thing that belongeth to it and proceeds from it p. 712. It s no signe of an hypocrite to make conscience of the least sin p 714. Answer to
and their back-slidings are increased As the sand being the least thing that is yet by number is made extreamely heavy My griefe saith Iob 6.3 would be heavier then the sand of the sea 2. David continued not in the filthy puddle of his sinne above one yeare and thou hast lyen snorting in such and such sins of thine a great many yeares How long is it since thou first began to be a blasphemer a drunkard an uncleane person and given to such other sins and in all this time thou wert never soundly humbled for them never madest thy peace with God I tell thee continuance in sinne unrepented of is a great aggravater of sinne the longer that sinne lyeth upon a man the fouler and more loathsome it will make him in Gods sight the deeper staine and die it will set upon his soule Ier. 4.14 O Ierusalem how long shall thy vaine thoughts lodge within thee Hos. 8.5 How long will it be ere they attaine to innocency 3. So that 1 If David became so filthy by these sinnes but once committed if his sins were so heavy upon his conscience what will thine appeare to be when God shall open thine eyes and restore to thee thy sight that hast made sin thy trade and practise all thy life long 2 If there must be so much a do to make David cleane who had been cleane many yeares before and now lay scarce one yeare in these sins if the Lord must bestow so much washing and rubbing and wringing upon him to get him cleane verse 2. Wash me throughly or multiply thy washings of me wilt thou thinke it a matter of no difficulty a matter not worth the troubling of thy mind about to be cleansed from all thy sinnes 3 If David cryed so earnestly and was so fervent and importunate in this suit and desired nothing but that his sinnes might be pardoned wilt thou be so mad to thinke that a cold cry God mercy and God forgive me will serve thy turne and that thou canst so easily get thy pardon when thou wilt thy selfe Thou wilt say againe Though my sinnes be many and great yet there is no cause I should be so troubled with them nor keepe such a doe for the pardon of them as you speake of for God is mercifull and very ready to forgive To this I answer that touching Gods mercy thou canst not say more then thou shalt heare mee acknowledge when I shall come to the next that is the third and last part of this Text. But for the present this I say First It is true indeed that Gods mercy is infinite When David had spoken of the goodnesse and mercy of God Psal. 106.1 he adds verse 2. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord Who can shew forth all his praise And there is a mercy of God that extendeth it selfe to all his creatures Psal. 145 9. The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works And so I cannot denie but the leudest man that is may tast and doth daily tast of the mercy of God Iob 25.3 Vpon whom doth not his light arise and Luk 6.35 He is kind to the unthankefull and to the evill But this mercy that we now speake of the mercy of God that reacheth to the pardon of mens sinnes is not common to all this is restrained and limited to a certaine number It is peculiar to the Catholike Church as we are taught in our Creede and as the Prophet speaketh Esa. 33.24 The people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity It is restrained to them that feare God Luk. 1.50 His mercy is on them that feare him from generation to generation And Psal. 103.11 As the heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy to them that feare him And verse 17 18. The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that feare him to such as keepe his covenant and remember his commandements to doe them This mercy is restrained unto such sinners as are humbled and afflicted in heart for their sinnes Psal. 25.16 Turne thee unto me and have mercy upon me for I am desolate and afflicted This mercy God hath threatned to deny to some kinde of men that is 1. To the brutish ignorant Esa. 27.11 It is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour 2. To them that despise and scorne the meanes of grace Pro. 1.27 28. When your feare commeth as a desolation then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seeke me early but they shall not finde me Why what was the reason that is given verse 29 30. For they hated knowledge they would none of my counsell they despised all my reproofe 3. To him that sinneth presumptuously and upon hope of mercy and doth blesse himselfe in his heart saying I shall have peace though I doe walke in the stubbornesse of my heart to add drunkennesse to thirst that is sinne unto sinne or unsatiablenesse in sinne the Lord will not be mercifull unto him Deut 29.19 20. Now then thou that alleadgest this for the reason why thy sinnes shall not trouble thee because God is so mercifull consider with thy selfe how small cause thou hast to trust to that 1. Thou art not a member of the Catholike Church for that is holy and is a communion of Saints 2. Thou art none of them that feare to offend God 3. Thou keepest no covenant with him 4. Thou never remembrest his commandements to doe them 5. Thou art not humbled nor afflicted in heart for thy sinnes 6. Thou art void of understanding 7. Thou art a despiser and scorner of the meanes of grace 8. Thou incouragest and blessest thy selfe in thy sins upon hope of mercy And therefore as Iehu said to Amazias servants 2 King 9.18 19. What hast thou to doe with peace turne thee behind me So doth the Lord say unto thee what hast thou to doe with my mercy Iona 2.8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their owne mercy And this is the first answer I give to the second plea of these men Secondly I answer That the knowledge of the infinitenesse of Gods mercy will make no mans sin the lighter but cause it to lye much the heavier upon the conscience When he shall rightly consider that he hath despised and made so light account of offending so mercifull a God The knowledge of Gods goodnesse should lead men unto repentance it should breake their hearts and make them to mourne for their sins the more and this will heape up wrath unto a man against the day of wrath when a man shall despise the riches of Gods goodnesse and forbearance and long suffering Rom. 2.4 5. It is therefore said Revel 6.16 that wicked men shall cry to mountaines and rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the
throne from the wrath of the Lambe Of the Lambe Why what cause have any to feare the Lambe He is so called in reference to the sacrifice of his body and soule that he offered to his father for the sins of men Iob 1.29 Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sins of the world What need men be afraid of the Lambe of God O the more that Christ hath done for sinners the more indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish will be upon every soule that hath despised so great mercy and taken incouragement thereby to sin and hath not been brought unto repentance by it Say thou not then any more my sins shall never trouble me because God is so mercifull and Christ hath died for sinners but rather let the looking upon him whom thou hast pierced cause thee to mourne as one mourneth for his onely sonne and to be in bitternesse as one that is in bitternesse for his first-borne as the Prophet saith it shall be with all such as have the spirit and any true knowledge and assurance of Gods mercy Zach. 12.10 There is yet a third cause why men are not troubled for their sinnes noâ— will be disquieted in their minds with the remembrance of them and that is examples they have observed and experience that they have had of Gods mercy in others I have my selfe will many a sinner say knowne many that were worse men then ever I was that never had any trouble of minde for their sinnes in life nor in death in their healths nor in their sicknesse and yet God was mercifull unto them they lived in Gods favour for they lived in credit and were well thought of and well beloved of their neighbours and they dyed in Gods favour for they died most quietly they shewed no feare or unwillingnesse at all to dye and to goe to God but had marvellous peace in their consciences and shewed great comfort in the assurance of their salvation Now for answer to this plea I say in generall as our Saviour doth Mat. 18.7 Woe be to the world because of offences Yea woe be unto the world even because of this offence for thousands have stumbled at it even this that men notoriously wicked have died so peaceably hath hardened infinite numbers in their sins and made them to thinke there is no great danger in them But to answer this plea in particular First This is no good argument such sinners lived in Gods swear because they lived in credit and in the love of their neighbours For 1 the Lord seeth not as man seeth as he telleth Samuel 1 Sam. 16.7 Men are apt to applaud them that live wealthily and merrily whatsoever their life be Psal. 49.18 Men will praise thee when thou dost well to thy selfe But so doth not God For as our Saviour saith Luke 16.15 that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God 2. Men are bound in charity to judge the best 1 Cor. 13.5 Charity thinketh no evill and to be afraid of judging and censuring others Be not many masters controulers or censurers saith the Apostle Iam. 2.3 knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation and to thinke of others according to the profession that they make and that they know by them and not to take upon them to judge their hearts It was no fault in the Apostles that they thought so well of Iudas and suspected themselves as much as him when Christ said one of them should betray him Matth. 26 2â— 3. The man whom wee have knowne to have beene a notorious sinner it may be hath beene foundly humbled for his sinne and shed many a teare for it though we know it not For this may be done in secret Zach. 12.14 Every family apart and their wives apart Secondly this is no good argument such sinners dyed in Gods favour because they died quietly and without all feare and seemed very comfortable and to have great assurance of their salvation For 1. It is possible for most wicked men to die very quietly and without all feare For of most wicked men it is said Psal. 73.4 5. There are no bands in their death they are not in trouble as other men 2. It is possible even for most wicked men to be passing well perswaded of their owne estate and that God is their God Mic. 3.11 Yet will they leane upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us 3. God doth oft let wicked men scape scot free heere that he may reserve them to greater torment in hell 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord knoweth how to reserve the unjust unto thâ— day of judgement to be punished at that day he will manifest his wrath upon them 4. Though we may not presume to judge of the finall estate of any such man because the worke of God in the conversion of a sinner is oft times secret and wonderfull Ioh. 3.8 The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it commeth and whither it goeth So is every one that is borne of God And God is able to worke saving repentance in them even after they are speechlesse and cannot expresse their repentance unto men Yet is the example fearefull when such as have had many witnesses of their sinnes have had no witnesses of their repentance the example of such is worthy to have a marke set upon it for others to take heed by as in the case of Absoloms death they laid a very great heape of stones upon him 2 Sam. 18.17 For 1 God doth never pardon any mans sins in whom he doth not worke repentance Acts 5.31 Christ gives repentance unto Israel and forgivenesse of sins 2 He first gives men the spirit of bondage before the spirit of adoption Rom. 8.15 Yee have not received the spirit of bondage againe to feare but the spirit of adoption 3. God useth to worke in those whom he gives repentance unto humiliation proportionable to the measure of their sinnes as we see in the case of Manasses 2 Chron. 33.12 He humbled himselfe greatly And Mary Magdalen wept so that she washed Christs feet with teares Luk 7.38 4 Where sinne hath beene notorious there repentance also should be notorious yea the true penitent will be glad and desirous to have as many witnesses of his repentance as of his sinnes as we see in David heere And in Paul 1 Tim. 1.13 I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercy 5 No judgement of God is so dreadfull as when he punisheth sinners with hardnesse of heart This was the judgement whereby God plagued Pharaoh of whom it is said that God raised him up of purpose that he might shew his power on him Rom. 9.17 Lecture XVIII On Psal. 51.1 2. March 7. 1625. FOlloweth the second use of the former Doctrine and that is for exhortation to perswade and stirre us all up to do as David doth heere even to
and what he may do to please and honour him Nothing hath that force to worke in a man an appetite to the Word as this hath 1 Pet. 2.2 3. As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the Word that ye may grow thereby if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious As if he had said els you cannot and then you cannot choose but do it So Psal. 119.64 The earth ô Lord is full of thy mercy teach me thy statutes and verse 68. Thou art good and dost good teach me thy statutes As if he had said Who would not seeke to know the will of so mercifull of so bountifull a God as thou art and what may best please thee Fiftly and lastly He must needs be desirous to please him and to doe his will when he knoweth it Nothing hath that force to worke in a man a care of his wayes a care to obey the Lord in all things even in those duties that are most painefull and wherein hee is most to deny and crosse himselfe yea though it were to the laying downe of his life as the true knowledge and consideration of the Lords marvellous goodnesse and mercy hath Thy loving kindnesse is before mine eyes and I have walked in thy truth saith David Psal. 26.3 And the Apostle Rom. 12.1 I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice unto God As if he should say if this will not move you to it nothing will The love of Christ constraineth us saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.14 because we thus judge that if one dyed for all then were all dead and who can doe too much for him that hath so dearely loved him The goodnesse and mercifulnesse and bountifull disposition wee discerne in some men ô what force hath it to draw and knit our hearts unto them For a good man some will even dare to die saith the Apostle Rom. 5.7 And what is the goodnesse and mercifullnesse of any man if it be compared to the goodnesse and mercy of the Lord Surely not so much as one drop of water compared to the maine Ocean And thus have I finished this use of exhortation and shewed you what the duties are both towards men and towards the Lord himselfe that this Doctrine doth most effectually stirre us up unto It followeth now that we proceed to the third and last use of this Doctrine which is for comfort For this Doctrine serveth most effectually for the comfort 1 of all men how wicked soever they have beene if now they desire to repent 2 and chiefly of Gods own people that have already repented For the first there is not the vilest sinner in the world if he now feele his sins and desire to be reconciled unto God but he may receive comfort and encouragement from this Doctrine to turne unto God and seeke to him for mercy Nothing hath that force to keepe a poore sinner from repentance as this when he doth despaire of finding mercy with God if he should turne and seeke unto him When a sinner doth resolve upon this as Cain did Gen. 4.13 My sinne is greater then can be pardoned This was the maine thing that made those wicked Iewes to resolve that they would walke after their owne devises and every one doe after the imagination of his evill heart as the Prophet saith Ieremy 18.12 because they said there was no hope And on the other side Nothing hath that force to encourage a man to repent and turne unto God as if he can be perswaded of this that how vile a sinner soever he hath beene yet he may hope to find mercy with him if he can seeke unto him for it The Rebell or Pyrat that knoweth there is a proclamation out against him will never come in but if he once heare and can beleeve that there is a Proclamation of pardon yea and of some great advancement if he will yeeld himselfe and come in this and nothing else will cause him to come in and change his course become a faithfull and legall subject This is that which the Apostle teacheth Rom. 2.4 The goodnes of the Lord if it were rightly knowne and beleeved not driveth and draweth as his terrours doe but leadeth men willingly unto repentance Insomuch that as Benhadads servants perswaded him by this argument to seeke peace and reconciliation with Ahab when he had highly provoked him 1. King 20. â—1 Behold we have heard that the Kings of the house of Israel are mercifull Kings So have Gods Prophets and servants sought to perswade the most hainous sinners to seeke peace with God and to turne unto him by this argument because he is so mercifull a God Foure notable proofes I will give you for this and no more First thus doth the Prophet Esay perswade all sorts of sinners Esay 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his wayes and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him returne unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will aboundantly pardon Secondly thus doth Hezechiah perswade the ten tribes that had deepely revolted unto repentance 2 Cor. 30.9 For the Lord your God saith he is gracious and mercifull and will not turne away his face from you if yee returne unto him Thirdly thus also speaketh the Lord to Israel even after their captivity when their case seemed most desperate and irrecoverable Ierem. 3.12 Goe and proclaime these words toward the North and say returne thou backsliding Israel saith the Lord for I am mercifull saith the Lord. And fourthly thus doth the Apostle Peter perswade with those Iewes that had beene the betrayers and murderers of the Lord of life when they were even almost in despaire and knew not what to doe Acts 2.38 â—9 Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sins and yee shall receive the gift of the holy Ghost for the promise is to you and to your children and to them that are afarre off even as many as the Lord our God shall call So that I may boldly say to him amongst you all that hath beene the most notorious sinner if God have now given thee a heart desirous to forsake thy sins and to turne unto him be not discouraged thou needst not doubt of finding mercy with him if thou canst seeke unto him Two maine objections there be whereby some kind of men are kept from turning unto God and seeking to him for mercy specially at such times as they stand most in need of mercy First Though God be mercifull yet he is also just yea a most severe and terrible judge to take vengeance on such wicked men as I have bin Exod 34.7 He will by no meanes cleare the guilty and Psal. 5.5 He hateth and abhorreth all the workers of iniquity I answer This is not meant of such as feele their sins and desire to repent as thou dost but of
fully and particularly in those three that follow Now in this verse wherein he doth it more generally three things are to bee observed 1. That David doth acknowledge yea he professeth that he doth acknowledge confesse lay open his transgression yea his transgressions he desired not out of favor to them to hide or conceale any of his sins 2. What it was that moved him unto it His sin was ever before him he could not forget it he could not but thinke of it he could not be quiet for it 3. The inference or conclusion he gathereth from hence implyed in this word For which coupleth this verse with those that went before have mercy upon me blot out my transgressions wash me throughly from mine iniquitie and cleanse me from my sin for I acknowledge my transgressions As if he had said therefore have mercy upon mee or rather therefore I am emboldned to crave mercy and pardon therefore I am perswaded thou wilt have mercy upon me and blot out my transgressions because I acknowledge my transgressions Now then the first thing we are to observe here is this that David seeking to God for mercy and pardon confesseth freely his sinne amplifieth and aggravateth it before God and men yea maketh this a ground of his hope and assurance in prayer for pardon and mercy that he could so doe From whence this Doctrine ariseth for our instruction That he that truly repenteth cannot hide nor cloake his sins but will be ready to confesse and lay them open and this willingnesse and readinesse that he findeth in himselfe to confesse and discover his sins will give a man great hope and assurance to find mercy with God for the pardon of his sins Two branches there be of the Doctrine which I will distinctly confirme unto you First The man that truly repenteth will be ready to confesse and bewaile his sins This will appeare in three notable examples in the new Testament The first is of the Prodigall who so soone as hee came to himselfe and God had wrought a saving change shewed it first of all by this fruit of repentance Lu. 15.17.19 he resolved he would goe to his father and say unto him father I haue sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne The second example is that of the hearers of Iohn Baptist who declared the effectuall worke of Gods grace in their hearts by Iohns ministery this way Matthew 3.6 They were baptized of him in Iordan confessing their sins his ministery powerfully discovered their sins unto them brought them to repentance and they feeling the burden of their sins and repenting could not containe themselves but openly and publikely they must needes discover and lay open their sinnes unto him The manner of it may bee gathered from the resolution they sought and answer they received Luke 3.10 14. The people came and cryed out ô Sir we have beene unmercifull to the poore seeking our selves only without all care of the good of others The Publicans came and cryed ô Sir wee have beene worse then so for wee have beene shamefull extortioners and under colour of Law and pretence of right wee have gotten mens goods unjustly from them The souldiours came and cryed ô Sir wee have beene worse then all these for wee have by violence without all colour of right spoyled many The third and last example is of those that were converrted by Pauls ministery at Ephesus Acts 19.18 where we read that many that beleeved came and confessed and shewed their deeds And what kind of persons were they that did so It appeareth verse 19. among others many that were very rich men and very learned men did it and what were the sins they confessed The practise of curious arts they came in this manner to Paul ô Sir we have bin most grievous sinners we have used to cast figures to calculate nativities to practise judiciall Astrology and Necromancy c. And how did they confesse these sins did they it in Pauls eare secretly No no their sins lay so heavy upon their hearts that they stood not upon termes of shame or credit they discovered their sins and burned their bookes before all men Such force there is in the grace of true repentance to draw men and make them willing to confesse their sins So Ionah confessed his sin even to the marriners Ionah 1.10 Now for the second branch of the Doctrine This willingnesse and readines that a man findeth in himselfe to discover and confesse his sins will give a man great hope and assurance to find mercy with God for the pardon of his sins See the proofe of this in five points First The Lord himselfe hath directed his people to seeke comfort and pardon of their sins this way Numb 5.6 7. Where God prescribing a course how sinners should make their atonement it is thus written When a man or a woman shall commit any sinne that men commit to doe a trespasse against the Lord and that person be guilty then they shall confesse their sin which they have done This is the first thing that is to bee done before restitution or the offering of his sacrifice he must confesse his sinne So Ieremy 3.12 13. Returne thou backsliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am mercifull saith the Lord. But how must they returne and make themselves capable of Gods mercy That followeth in the next words Only acknowledge thine iniquitie As if hee should say no hope else of finding mercy yea doe it fully and freely confesse that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God and hast scattered thy wayes to the strangers under every greene tree Yea this is the course God would have us to take when wee are to bee suitors to him for mercy in the behalfe of others even to confesse their sinnes unto God In which respect he commandeth Iames. 5 16. Confesse your faults one to another and pray one for another As if hee should say None can bee able to pray for you so effectually to your comfort as those that know your sinnes well and so can confesse them unto God The Lord himselfe hath directed men to take this course to obtaine mercie Secondly The Lord hath bound himselfe by his promise to them that can rightly confesse their sins that they shall find mercy Levit. 26.40.42 If they shall confesse their iniquitie and the iniquity of their fathers with their owne trespasse which they have trespassed against mee and that they have also walked contrary unto me their own personall sins they must stand most upon and bewaile in this their confession then will I remember my covenant with Iacob and also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham the manner of expressing this promise of mercy is very emphaticall As if he should say I will remember how many wayes and how often I have bound my selfe to them
right hand of my righteousnesse And Vers. 14. Feare not thou worme Iacob thou that art so base and contemptible in thine owne eye I will helpe thee saith the Lord. Yea of all the faithfull those that are now before-hand so fearfull and weake have most promises of God that he will give them strength sufficient when the time of tryall shall come Out of weakenesse they were made strong as you heard Hâ—b 11.34 My grace is sufficient for thee saith the Lord to Paul 2 Cor. 12.9 for my strength is made perfect in weaknesse He giveth power to the saint saith the Prophet Esa. â—0 29 and to them that have no might he increaseth strength Certainly if Gods people would make use of their faith in making claim to these promises of God and challenging of him in humble prayer the performance of them unto themselves they could not be so tormented with slavish feares as they are The fourth and last corruption that much troubleth the best of Gods people is the hardnesse of their hearts they cannot mourne they say nor weep for their sinnes they are not sensible either of the judgements or mercies of God they cannot pray nor heare nor read nor receive with any feeling or affection at all See how Gods people complaine and were afflicted with this Esa 63.17 Why hast thou hardened our heart from thy feâ—râ— Now the best way that any soule can take to cure this stoninesse of the heart to make it soft and tender able to mourne kindly for sinne and to serve God with feeling and affection is to get assurance by a lively faith of Gods love to him in Christ and of the forgivenesse of his sinnes Foure notable experiments we have for this two in the old Testament and two in the new The first is that of Gods people mentioned in Ezek. 36.28 31. after that they were become Gods people and God was become their God and he had saved them from all their uncleannesses as you read Vers. 28 29. that is after that they were entred into the covenant of grace assured of Gods favour and of the forgivenesse of their sinnes then shall ye remember saith the Lord of them Vers. 31. your owne evill wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your owne sight for your iniquity and for your abominations Nothing hath that force to make a man loath himselfe for his sinnes as the knowledge and consideration of Gods love in the pardoning of his sinnes and the receiving of him into a covenant of grace and mercy that hath beene so extreamely unworthy of it The second experiment of this force of faith to soften the heart is that of Gods people whom the Prophet speaketh of Zach. 12.10 that they should mourne as one mourneth for his onely sonne and be in bitternesse as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne And the Prophet alledgeth two causes of this 1. The Spirit of grace that God had powred upon them that is the Spirit of adoption whereby God had assured their hearts of his favour and love in Christ. 2. The looking upon Christ whom they had pierced that is the weighing with themselves seriously what Christ had done and suffred for them And therfore also it is said they mourned for him they were in bitternesse for him It is the Spirit of grace and adoption assuring us of Gods fatherly love to us in Christ it is the weighing with our selves seriously how dearely Christ hath loved us that will make us mourne for sinne more than for any thing in the world all the terrours of the law all the judgements of God are of no force to soften the heart in comparison of this The third experiment of this is in Mary Magdalen Luke 7. Of her we read Ver. 38. that she had a very soft heart she was able to weep abundantly for her sinnes so abundantly as she could wash Christs feet with her teares And what was it that made her heart so soft Surely the knowledge and assurance she had of Christs marvellous love to her in pardoning her sinnes her so many and so hainous sinnes was that that did it as our Saviour plainely telleth us Vers. 43 48. The fourth and last example is that of Peter of whom we read Luke 22.62 that he had a most soft heart he was able to weepe bitterly for his sinnes And what was it that wrought so upon his heart That the Holy Ghost telleth us Vers. 61. The Lord turned and looked upon Peter and Peter remembred the Word of the Lord how he had said unto him before the cocke crow thou shalt deny me thrice When he considered the marvellous love of Christ to him that though he had so shamefully denied and forsaken him yet he was pleased still in the midst of all his troubles to think upon him to have care of him to turn himself about and cast a gracious eye upon him this brought Peter to remember what he had done this even broke his heart and made him weep abundantly And surely look what force a true and lively faith had in all these examples the same it would have in us if we did stir it up and make use of it as they did The true cause why our hearts are so hard is this that either we have no faith no assurance of Gods love to us in Christ or if we have it we make not use of it unto this work of softning our hearts For all that are in the covenant of grace reconciled to God in Christ have this promise given them of God Ezek. 11.19 which is also repeated 36.26 I will take saith the Lord the stony heart out of their flesh and I will give them an heart of flesh And if any of the faithfull when they are most troubled with the hardnesse of their hearts could make claime unto this promise and presse the Lord with it as he loveth to be importuned as you may see Luke 18.1 7 certainely they might have helpe against it And so much for the force that faith hath in the first part of our sanctification for the mortifying of sinne The second part I must leave till the next day Lecture CXLI On Psalme 51.7 Febr. 23. 1629. IT followeth now that I shew you likewise the force of justifying faith in the second part of true sanctification in making us partakers of the divine nature and renewing the image of God in our hearts in producing the fruits of the Spirit in us in the breeding and working of every saving grace When a man is once justified by faith in Christ is reconciled unto God through his bloud then shall he bring forth fruit unto God and never till then This will make the heart of a man fruitfull in holinesse and righteousnesse and nothing but this will ever be able to doe it For the first that is to say that faith will make the heart fruitfull we have a plaine proofe in that speech of the
may fall fearefully into odious sinnes 8 Why the Lord suffers his people to fall 9 10 The best have therefore great cause to feare 10 11 Means to keep us from falling 11 Take heed of declining in the least matters 795 When they are fallen they cannot rise up again of themselves 13 Comfort against tentations of falling away 352 357 Differences between the falls of the elect and others 355 556 Their sinne is great that rejoyce to heare and speak of them 552 And theirs that embolden themselves to sin by them 554 557 Why the falls of the godly are recorded in the Word 555 Family True converts will have a care to reforme their families 288 630 Such as have children and families are charged with the soules of them 289 481 Must answer for their open proâ—anenesse and contempt of religion 711 Fast. Humiliation necessary in every fast and for what causes we should be humbled 311 313 Feeling A man may be in the state of grace and highly in Gods favour though be feele is not nor have the comfort of it 140 141 Feare of God That may be well done that is done cut of feare of Gods judgements 387 But it must be such a feare as is mixed with love 388 A man may be subject to slavish feares and yet truly love God 392 Reasons of it 393 394 We must strive against these feares 395 6 Means to overcome them 396 734 735 He that is in the state of grace must be affraid to sin 569 570 Must feare every degree of sin must continue in this feare Ibid Faith the root of it 741 Freedome of will How dead we are by nature 305 517 518 Wicked men have no true desire nor wiâ—l tâ— have grace and to be saved 454 455 Wicked men may forbeare many sinnes and doe much more good than they do 457 He that doth what lieth in him is nearer to salvation than another naturall man 458 The naturall man is able to â—â—ve to men and to himselfe but not to God 518 G. God HIs omnipresence and omniscience 221 222 His holinesse 222 His Maiesty 223 His goodnesse and bounty 224 Gods love Wicked men are perswaded God loveth them and hee doth indeed with a common love 398 Faith assures us of Gods speciall love 400 Rest not in common favours but get assurance of Gods speciall love 401 402 687 688 Motives to seeke for assurance of Gods speciall love 402 406 Meanes to get it 406 c Grace We are bound to give God thanks for his restraining grace in others 337. In our selves 339 Saving grace is of a permanent and durable nature 428 Gospell The preaching of the Gospell is the outward instrument whereby the Spirit workes sanctification 732 H. Hearers TO love and reverence Gods Ministers 22 167 What Ministry they should most prize 22 23 Yet must they esteeme reverently of the meanest faithfull Minister 23 Reprooâ—e of hearers that love not their Ministers person 24 That discourage their Ministers 480 That regard not his Ministry 24 169 The danger of such as neglect to heare 26 That heare without profit 27 528 Many complaine without cause they cannot profit by the Word 528 What the true causes are men profit not by the Word 529 What they must do that have long enjoyed the Ministry of the Word and cannot profit by it 530 Hearers must examine what they heare 790 How wee may heare with profit 30 c. 742 1. What we must do before 30 35 792 2. What in hearing 35 39 3. What after 39 44 Resort to Ministers for resolution 43 Heart Grosse sinnes harden the heart 14 15 16 Hardnesse of heart a â—earefull judgement 16 Meanes to deliver and preserve us from it 16 17 735 Make conscience of the first stirâ—ings of thy corruption there 317 When God hath a mans heart it is a signe of uprightnesse 438 c. 463 Signes that the purpose and desire of the heart is right 465 Honour Whom God accounts truly honourable 286 Hope A sound hope that when wee shall die wee shall goe to heaven a speciall meanes of patience 270 Signes of a true hope 271 Humiliation The knowledge of our naturall corruption is of great force to humble us 308 We have cause to be humbled when wee have performed our best duties 309 When we go before God in prayer Ibid. Specially at fasts 311 And at the Sacrament 574 Seeking assurance of Gods favour with an humbled soule is a speciall meanes to obtaine it 408 647 Humiliation for sinne a speciall meanes to obtaine sanctified knowledge 498 He that is in the state of grace â—ath more cause to be humbled for his grosse sinnes than any other man 573 Foure benefits of â—ound humiliation 574 The humbled soule most capable of mercy 647 648 None fit to receive Christ but the humble and such as find themselves utterly void of all grace 691 Hypocrisie The best are apt to suspect themselves to be hypocrites 460 Comfort for such 461 Many things in an hypocrite better than in any meere naturall man 697 An hypocrite may go farre 698 c. The good things in them not to be misliked and scorned 699 In some respects the hypocrite is worse and in worse case than the open profane person 719 Signes of an hypocrite 720 c I. Idlenesse A Great sinne for any man to live idly and un-profitably 125 Idolatry It is a good thing and pleasing to God to hate Idolatry 712 714 Ignorance Is a sinne that much provokes God 494 It is a signe one is under Sathans power 496 Such a one easily seduced Ibid. Such an one is full of doubts and feares 497 Infants Every Infant so soone as it is borne or conceived is guilty of sin in the sight of God and deserveth to be damned 277 In what respects called Innocents Ibid. And said to be holy 278 How severe God hath beene in his judgements towards some Infants 279 280 The originall corruption of Infants consists in three things Ibid Observe Gods judgements on them 281 The sin that is in Infants is derived to them from their parents 282 Infidelity The hainousnesse of that sin 146 147 Notwithstanding Infidelity discerned and bewailed a man may trust in Gods mercy 648 682 Infirmities Foure notes to discerne a sin of infirmity from a reigning sin 709 Ioy. The humble-hearted man hath great cause of Ioy. 138 Gods children have cause to be comfortable and to serve God with alacrity 364 365 He that truly believeth he is justified by Christ must needs rejoyce in him 675 c. Their great sin that do not 680 Iudgements of God The Lord sheweth his severity more in this life against the sinnes of his owne people than of the wicked 1. He afflicts all them 2. Begins with them 542 543. 3. He usually makes them examples 544. 4. His judgements are wont to be heavier and sharper on them 545 This be doth to keep them from sin and perdition 546 He getteth himselfe glory from
wicked men two wayes by the Examples of his severity towards his owne children 547 548 Iustification By Christ we are fully and perfectly delivered and freed from all our sinnes 315 316 All true believers are perfectly cleansed from their sinneâ— and pure in Gods eyes 655 The reasons of it 660 661 Foure maine differences betweene justification and sanctification 656 659 How perfectly a true believer is discharged of all his sinnes appeares in 5 points 659 We cannot be justified by inherent righteousnesse 669 670 Reasons of it 670 671 We are justified by Christs righteousnesse imputed to us 672 Objections answered 674 The knowledge of this that Christ hath purchased for us the pardon of our sinnes a sufficient ground of comfort 677. and so is the knowledge of this that Christs perfect obedience is imputed to us Ibid. K. Knowledge A Good signe to desire to know the whole will of God in all things that concerne us 423 786 794 Saving knowledge is the principall worke of Gods grace in the conversion of man 472 It is the foundation of other graces 473 It is the seed of other graces 475 All Gods people must seeke for saving knowledge 483 Signes of sanctified knowledge 485 c 1 The Word the onely object of it 2. Specially such parts of it as are most usefull and profitable for our selves 485. 3. It is cleare and certaine 4. There 's no fulnesse nor satiety in it 486 It works 1 humilitie 487. 2. Good affections 488. 3. Reformation of hearts and liâ—e 489 490. 4. Strengtheneth against tentations 491 Motives to seek knowledge 1. It concernes one as well as another to have knowledge in Religion and in the Scriptures 492 493. 2. It is a duty required of God Ibid. 494 3 It is a comfortable signe of Election and uprightnesse oâ— heart 495 4. It keepeth us constant in Religion and from danger of seducers 490 788 5. It makes us walke boldly and comfortably 497 Meanes 1. Be sensible of ignorance 2. Be truly humbled or sin 498. 3. Depend upon an ordinary and sound ministry 499. 4. Read the Word 5. Meditate 6. Conferre 7. Pray 501. Receive the Word with an honest heart 792 No man by naturall abilities can attaine saving knowledge without supernaturall grace 512 This cure not perfected in this life nor so perfectly in some as others but shall be perfected in heaven 514 Naturall mens knowledge not sufficient to salvation 515 The work of grace enlightning the understanding is extraordinarie and rare 516 This workes most free no reason of it but only Gods good pleasure Ibid. â—abour to understand every thing we do in Gods service 583 Danger of them that make light account of knowledge 598 L. Labour WE cannot performe any spirituall service unto God without labour 34 Love of God The love of God is the root of all true obedience 386 The true love of God a certaine signe of an upright heart 388 389 No wicked man doth indeed love God 390 c. There may bee true love of God in them that are much exercised with slavish feares 394 Love that is wrought in men towards God by his common savours is unsound 398 399 Faith the root of it 742 Every one that hath the Spirit of Christ loves God above all 798 Gods honour must be dearer unto us than any thing 809 M. Magistrates HAve great opportunity to honour God in their places 631 Maliciousnesse True faith will subdue it 733 734 Meanes God is the giver of all meanes and of the vertue in them to do us good 72 Meditation Meditate on that we heare 40 Memory We should be carefull to remember what we heare 39 And to keepe Gods favours in remembrance 646 Mercy of God The onely ground the best can have for hope of pardon is Gods mercy 102 c. Gods mercy most free 107 In him bowels of mercy 107 108 We must not rest in this to know that God is mercifull but labour to know that his mercy yea a speciall mercy belongs to us 126 Five differences between it and common mercies 126 127 Five notes to know whether it belong to us 127 128 Five notable effects that the assurance of Gods speciall mercy worketh in the conscience 129 130 The vilest sinner if he feele his sin and desire to turne to God need not doubt of finding mercy with him 130 c. Gods mercy to us in the things that concerne this life 224 225 In things that concerne our soules 225 c. Learne to be mercifull by example of Gods mercy 115 Ministers Why the faithfullest Ministers are so hated 46 47 What properties should be in the Minister that desires to do good specially in reproving sin 48 52 Ministers should not be given to suits and contentions 51 What manner of men Ministers had need to be 166.167 Ministers must chiefly labour to bring the people to knowledge to ground and stablish them in it 481 By what means he may do that 482 Ministers have great opportunity to honour God 631 Ministers teaching by warrant of Gods Word are to be obyed 724 A man that hath no truth of grace in himselfe may be a meanes to converâ— others 805 Ministry of the Word The means which God hath sanctified and by which he hath been wont to worke repentance and grace 18. and knowledge 499. and constancy in the truth 796 What mighty works it hath wrought and the reason it hath done so 18 21 We should resolve to live under it and why 23 24 48 To be accounted a chiefe blessing 25 478 800 804 That the best that applyeth the Word particularly and reproveth sin boldly 44 A principall work of mercy to procure or provide that for a people 479 It is Gods speciall and free favour that any of us enjoy the sound Ministry of the Word 503 507 That the Ministry of the Word is effectuall to conversion is to be ascribed onely to the Spirit 507 509 They are in a fearefull estate that enjoy not the Ministry of the Word 526 527 And also they that enjoy it and cannot profit by it 528 A great mercy to enjoy the Ministry of the Word but specially when we profit by it 531 532 We should rejoyce in this 802 803 Modesty The people of God dare not speake boldly nor immodestly of filthy actions 6 Mortification Seven meanes of it 317 c. We may with confidence go to Christ for helpe against our spirituall infirmities 331 Objections against that answered 335 Faith the onely means of mortification 732 Musicke Three things to be observed concerning the Musicke they had in the worship of God under the Law 3 N. Neighbours HOw we came to make our selves guilty of the sinnes of others 179 c. 219 We are bound to desire and procure so farre as in us lieth that all men may have the means of knowledge 477 478 O. Oath GReat care to be had in taking an oath and keeping it 183 The common sinne in taking an oath
For 1 hee knowes many blemishes in his best workes 2 though he did not yet hee knoweth the Lord may 3 Though there were not yet can wee not ground assurance of pardon and eternall life upon them p. 106. The mercy of God is such as we may safely ground our hope upon it for 1 the Lord is of a gracious kind and liberall disposition his love is most free 2 in the Lord there are tender mercies bowels of mercy p. 107. 3 In the Lord there is a multitude of tender mercies p. 109. The religion and Doctrine of the Church of England must needs be true because it ascribes our salvation wholly to Gods free grace p. 110. Lect. 21. The true knowledge of Gods mercy hath great force to move men to forgive wrongs and to live in charity p 111. Take heed of comming out of charity to the Sacrament p. 112. Yet doe they also sin that absent from the Sacrament upon this pretence they are not in charity p. 113. Many thinke they are in charity when they are not and six notes to judge of this by p. 114. Lect. 22. He that hath truly tasted of Gods mercy to him in Christ will be mercifull unto others p. 115. viz. 1 apt to pity them that be in misery 2 bountifull and ready to helpe them do them good p. 116. great promises are made to this p. 117. 3 Free in his bounty mooved to it onely by the sense of their need and misery yet must respect bee had to the deserts of the poore p 118. But the badnesse of the poore should not keepe us from relieving them p. 119. Necessary to urge men to this duty The great sin of many in neglecting to give to the poore Ibid. p. 120 Lect. 23. Gods people are not onely peaceable and harmelesse but strive to be profitable to do good to the places they live in p 121 122. Popery in this sheweth it selfe not to bee of God for it teacheth men to be treacherous unto and to seeke the ruine of their owne countrey p. 123. The great sinne of oppressors and depopulators p 124. This aggravates much the sinne of wicked men that they bring Gods curse upon the Countrey and places they live in Ibid. A great sin for any man to live unprofitably idly p. 125. and to be all for our selves without care of the common good Ibid. Lect. 24. We must not content ourselves to know God iâ— mercifull but labour to know that his mercy even his speciall mercy belongs to us p. 126. Five differences betweene it and the common mercy of the Lord Ibid. p. 127. Five notes whereby wee may know whether Gods speciall mercies belong to us p. 128 Lect. 25. Five effects that the true knowledge of Gods mercy will work in our hearts p. 129 130. The knowledge of Gods mercy may encourage him that hath been the vilâ—st sinnet to turnâ— to God and to seek unto him p. 130 131. 1 Proleps That which the Scripture speaketh of Gods severity against sinners belongs only to the impenitent p. 131. 2 Proleps Though the number of the elect be small in comparison of the reprobate yet no man that desires to repent may judge himselfe to be a reprobate but rather that he is one of Gods elect p. 132. Many grounds there are for this in Gods revealed wil which we are rather to look into then to pay into or meddle with his secret will p. 133. Lect. 26. The best soules most subject to doubts feares p. 134. Though the most hearers have more need to heare the terroâ—rs of the law then the comforts of the Gospel p 135. yet we must preach as well these and rather them then th' other because 1 that there be some in every Congregation that have present need of these comforts it is to be presumed 2 all of us are like to have need of them one day Ibid. 3 of all heaâ—ers we must have most respect to theÌ„ p 136. Such as feare God must strive against their terrours heavinesse and stirre up themselves to receive the comforts of the Gospel p. 137. 1 It s the commandement of God they should bee chearefull 2 They hart themselves greatly by giving way unto this feare and hâ—avinesse Ibid 3 They have manifold causes of joy and comfort p. 138. Lect. 27. 4 The reasons they give against themselves why they have just cause to be so heavy and uncomfortable are insufficient viz. 1 Obj. They cannot be perswaded they are in Gods favour but rather that hee hath utterly rejected them Five considerations that may stay comfort us in this case 1 This is but a tentation of Satan therfore not to be credited It followeth not thou art rejected of God because thou art in thine owne heart so perswaded p. 139. A man may bee in Gods favour yet himselfe not feele perceive it p. 140. an excellent grace to rest upon Gods Word promise even when wee want sense of his favour Ibid. 2 This hath been the case of many of Gods dearest servants and there is great force in this consideration Ibid 3 The Lord hath a speciall hand even in this kind of affliction p. 141. 4 The Lord doth this in love and intends to doe us that good by this kinde of affliction that could not have beene done by any other Ibid. 142. for hereby 1 he causeth us to repent of our security 2 he prevents such sins as he seeth us in danger to fall into 3 he prepares us for such measure of comfort as otherwise we should be uncapable of p. 142. Lect. 28. 4 He weaneth us from the world maketh us think of home 5 Hee worketh us to an high pretious esteeme of his favour p. 143. 6. He causeth us to bee better rooted setled in a christian course theÌ„ otherwise we could be p. 144. The 5 and last consideration to stay us in this case that God will certainly sustaine and not suffer us to be overcome in it Ibid. Take heed of seeking ease in this case by false waies p. 145. Yeeld not to this â—entation but resolve to resist it Ibid. 1 by considering what God hath said in his Word concerning them that are in this case Ibid. 2 resolve to rest upon Gods promise and trust him on his bare word against thine owne sense p. 146. The hainousnesse of the sin of infidelity appeares 1 by Gods severity against it Ibid. 2 by the dishonour it doth to God 3 by three dangerous effects of it pag. 147. what ability is in us to beleeve Ibid. Lect. 29. Directions how to recover our selvés and overcome this tentation 1 find out the chiefe sin that is the cause of it and mourne more that thou thereby hast forsaken God then that God hath thus forsaken thee 2 call to mind the comfort thou hast found formerly for from thence thou maist ground hope of recovery p. 14â— 149. 3 examine thy present
not againe to drunkennesse in David that sinned never after in adultery in Peter who after he had repented of his Apostacy was the furthest of from falling into that sin againe of any of the Apostles none was more forward resolute and constant ever after then he in professing his love to Christ Acts 1.15 2.14 3.12 4.8.19 tho he had afterward farre stronger tentations to deny Christ then he had at that time when he did it Acts 5.18 40.12.4.6 and now grant this Secondly admit the regenerate cannot fall totally so as he should loose all saving grace to which end are brought usually those places of Scripture as 1 Ioh. 3.9 Whosoever is borne of God doth not commit sin that is with the full sway of his soule for his seede remaineth in him Which seed of God and regenerating grace is therefore called immortall 1 Pet. 1.23 and that David when he fell thus fearefully had not lost all grace may seeme to appeare by his prayer Psal. 51.11 Take not thy holy spirit from me Thirdly grant the regenerate cannot fall finally but he shall be restored and renewed againe by repentance so that in this case it might be said of him as David speaketh in another sense Psal. 37.24 Though he fall he shall not be utterly cast downe for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand Let all this be granted yet it is possible for the regenerate man for one that unfainedly feareth God to fall fearefully into most grosse sins yea even into the grossest sinnes that can be committed by any man excepting onely the sin against the Holy Ghost See three notable examples and instances of this in three of the most foule sinnes that lightly can be committed 1. Idolatry more grosse idolatry you shall hardly read that ever man was guilty of then that which Solomon fell into 1 King 11 4-8 2. Apostacy Observe all the circumstances of Peters fall into this sinne and you shall finde it was as shamefull as could be Mar. 14.71 3. Persecution And into this Asa fell 2 Chron. 16.10 He was wrath with the Seer and put him in prison for he was in a rage with him because of this thing The reason and ground of this is First in themselves for they have in them the seeds of all sins even of the foulest that can be named They have in them that deadly body the whole body of originall corruption which the Apostle Rom. 7.24 calleth the body of this death And that any of us are kept from any the foulest sin commeth wholly from the free grace of God 2 Cor. 3.5 All our sufficiency is of God Secondly in Satan Who as he hateth the best men most so will he endeavour more to make them fall into grosse sins then any other Satan hath desired to have you that he might sift you as wheat saith our Saviour of all the Apostles Luk. 22.31 Because he knowes God shall receive more dishonour by the sins of one of them then of many others The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you saith the Apostle Rom. 2.24 Thirdly in the Lord himselfe Who withdraweth his grace from his best children sometimes and leaves them to themselves as he did Hezekiah 2 Chro. 32.31 1. To correct their carelesnesse and carnall security so dealt he with his Church Cant. 5.36 2. To make it evident to themselves and others that the best mans standing in the state of grace is to be ascribed to the mercy and favour of God alone not to any goodnesse that is in themselves It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy saith the Apostle Rom. 9.16 3. To make them examples and grounds of hope to other poore sinners For this cause I obtained mercy that in me first Iesus Christ might shew forth all long suffering for a patterne to them that should hereafter beleeve on him saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 1.16 4. To keepe them from pride and to worke in them more sound humiliation and so make them more capable of grace and comfort from him Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations there was given to me a thorne in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet me lest I should be exalted above measure saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 12.7 Deut. 8.15 16. Who led thee through that great and terrible wildernesse wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions and drought which were the occasions of their murmurings and rebellions that he might humble thee and that he might prove thee to do thee good at thy latter end The use of this Doctrine is not to give any man incouragement unto security in any sin or to cause men to thinke thus is it such a matter for a man to slip into sin now and then into adultery or drunkennesse or oppression or revenge in many things we offend all Iames 3.2 the best have had their faults I may be Gods childe for all that For this is to abuse that which the holy Scripture hath reveiled touching the falls of good men All the words of God are wholsome words and the Scripture teacheth no doctrine but that which is according to godlinesse 1 Tim. 6.3 There is nothing written in the Word that gives the least just occasion to incourage or harden a man in sin Nay it is a fearefull signe of reprobation for a man thus to stumble at the Word and to take occasion from thence to fall into any sin as the Apostle teacheth us 1 Pet. 2.8 But the right use of this Doctrine is First to exhort us even the best of us that we would all feare our selves Other mens falls are recorded in Scripture to be examples to us to warne us that we do not the like These things were our examples to the intent we should not lust after evill things as they also lusted saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 10.6 and againe verse 11. all these things happened unto them for ensamples and they were written for our admonition which words though they be principally meant of the judgements that fell upon others for sin yet may they also fitly be spoken of the falls of others also that are recorded in the Word that he that thinketh best of his owne standing may take the more heed to himselfe lest he also fall 1 Cor. 10.12 Thus Nehemiah laboured with the Iewes to make them feare themselves Neh. 13.26 Did not Solomon King of Israel sin by these things yet among many nations was there no King like him who was beloved of his God and God made him King over all Israel neverthelesse even him did outlandish women cause to sin If I were a Prophet and could say to any of you thou wilt become a Papist before thou diest and thou an Atheist and thou a scorner and persecutor of all goodnesse you would say to me as Hazael did to the Prophet 2 King 8 1â— But what am I a dog
remedy and preservative against this presumption besides that which you have heard in the reasons of the Doctrine of these foure things First besides thine owne daily experience how few there be that rise againe when they are fallen that truly repent though God use never so many and so mighty meanes to bring them to it David thou seest here that was a far stronger man then thou could not do it he that had mortified his corruption much more and had more grace then thou could not repent after he had sinned and wilt thou feed thy selfe with such vaine hopes Thus Nehemiah presseth the example of Solomons weaknesse Neh. 13.26 Did not Solomon King of Israel sin by these things yet among many nations was there no king like him who was beloved of his God and God made him king over all Israel neverthelesse even him did outlandish women cause to sin Secondly Repentance is the mighty worke of God alone whom thou by thy sin provokest yea a rare gift of his it is and therfore presume not but be afraid to sin Phil. 2.12 13. Worke out your own salvation with feare and trembling for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to doe of his good pleasure Thirdly the longer thou continuest in any sin the harder will thy heart be and the more unable wilt thou be to repent Ier. 13. â—3 They that are accustomed to do evill can as hardly be changed as the skin of a blacke-more or of a Leopard And the Apostle saith of them that were exercised in covetous practises they could not cease from sinne 2 Pet. 2.14 Fourthly the fouler the sinne is that thou committest and the more against the light of thy heart the harder will it be for thee to repent of it For smaller sinnes Davids heart was wont to smite him quickly â— Sam. 24.5 2 Sam. 24.10 But now he had fallen into these foule sins we see how senselesse and impenitent he grew So speaketh the Holy Ghost of whordome Pro. 2.19 None that goe unto her returne againe neither take they hold of the paths of life And of drunkennesse Pro. 23.35 They have beaten me and I felt it not when shall I awake I will seeke it againe The second use of the Doctrine is to teach us that seeing hardnesse of heart and impenitency doth usually follow the committing of sin specially presumptuous sins sins against knowledge even in Gods own children to esteeme this a judgement of God greatly to be feared and trembled at There be many men that have hearts like to Leviathan as the Lord speaketh Iob. 41.24 His heart is as firme as a stone yea as hard as a piece of the neither milstone That can commit grosse sins and live daily in them without all trouble of conscience feele no burden in them but esteeme them as light as a feather and can go away merrily with them And this they count their great happinesse that they are not like your professours alwaies troubled in their minds they thanke God they have quiet consciences Zach. 11.5 Their possessours slay them and hold themselves not guilty and they that sell them say Blessed be the Lord for I am rich O the state of these men is fearefull I advise thee that fearest God to take heed of this judgement to tremble at it and strive against it And to move thee unto it consider First this is the chiefe judgement and marke of Gods wrath in this life of all other Pharaoh of whom the Lord saith Exod. 9.16 For this cause I have raised thee up to shew on thee my power As if he had said what I can do against mine enemy was thus plagued Exod 9.12 Better it were a great deale to bee delivered up to Satan then to a mans owne lust For of that judgement the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 5 5. It serveth for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. But this judgement tends to the destruction of the soule in the day of the Lord Ioh. 12.40 Hee hath blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts that they might not be converted and he should heale them Secondly this is the only thing that will barre thee from Gods mercy and make thee uncapable of it Not so much the committing of any sins as this that thy heart is hardned in it and thou canst not repent This is that that treasureth up wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.5 The foulest sin may be pardoned to him that can repent Matth. 12.31 All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost And why cannot that be pardoned Because it cannot be repented of Heb. 6.6 It is impossible to renew them againe unto repentance Thirdly it useth to end in greatest terrour The man that hath beene most secure and senslesse in sin useth in the end to be most overwhelmed with horrour Hardnesse of heart useth to end in desperation Think not thy heart shall be thus quiet alwaies Pro. 1.27 When your feare commeth as a desolation and destruction as a whirlewinde when distresse and anguish commeth upon you And who are they that are thus threatned verse 22. Ye scorners that delight in scorning Labour therefore for a soft and tender heart that can easily feele and be humbled for sin as with a more in thine eye The meanes to attaine to this and to deliver and preserve thy selfe from hardnesse of heart are these First take heed thou harden not thine owne heart against the Word and corrections of God Heb. 3.7 8. To day if yee will heare his voice harden not your hearts Say not nor resolve with thy selfe as those wretched Iewes did Ier. 44.16 17. As for the word that thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee but we will certainely doe whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our owne mouth Say not in thine heart I can give them the hearing but let them say what they will I will be as I have beene O take heed the Lord take thee not at thy word as he did the Iewes Matth. 7.25 Why did God harden Pharaoh Exod. 9.12 Pharaoh had first hardned his owne heart Exod. 8.32 Secondly take heed of the least sins of the beginnings and occasions of sinne Labour to be in this respect as precise as Iob was who bound himselfe even from wanton lookes and thoughts Iob 31.1 And as David who was afraid not onely of every presumptuous sin but even of his most secret faults Psal. 19.12 13. Remember what our Saviour saith of him that gives liberty to himselfe in the least thing that he knoweth to be evill and holdeth it lawfull to do so Mat. 5.19 he shall be least in the kingdome of heaven And Luk. 16 10. He that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much It is in this case as it is with a breach in the sea banke Neither David nor
loved thus hee was grieved that his enemies would not be reclaimed Mar. 3.5 He mourned for the hardnesse of their hearts and 8.12 He sighed deepely in his spirit for them And of our heavenly Father we read that he loved his enemies thus Psal. 95.10 Fourty yeeres long was I grieved with this generation Canst thou say thou hast loved thus O happy thou then If any man shall object as Iohn 6.60 this is an hard saying who can heare it who can endure such Doctrine flesh and bloud can never doe this I answer 1. flesh and bloud indeed cannot nor flesh and bloud can never inherite the kingdome of God 1. Cor. 15.50 If thou be not regenerate and borne againe thou canst not see the kingdome of God Ioh. 3.3 2. Pray with the Apostle Lu. 17.5 Lord increase our faith If thou wert well perswaded how great the Lords love hath bin to thee thou wouldst easily doe it Lecture XXII on Psalme 51.1 2. Aprill 18. 1626. IT followeth now that we proceed to the second duty that we owe unto men This Doctrine therefore which hath made knowne unto you the wonderfull goodnesse and loving kindnesse of the Lord and the infinitnesse of his tender mercies towards poore miserable sinners that stand in need of his mercy must stirre up and provoke us to be good and mercifull to them that stand in need of us Neither is there any thing in the world that will have that force to make us willing to doe good and to shew mercy unto men as the true knowledge and consideration of this how good and mercifull the Lord hath beene unto us Luke 6.36 Be ye mercifull saith our Saviour as your father also is mercifull and Matth. 18.33 Shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant even as I had piety on thee Yea Mat. 5.45 our Saviour teaching how bountifull and good the Lord is to all sorts of men perswadeth all his Disciples to be so too by this argument that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven As if he should say there is nothing whereby you may better be knowne to be the children of God nothing wherein you can more resemble him then in this willingnesse and readinesse to do good and to be beneficiall unto others And there be foure things principally commended to us for our imitation in this example of our heavenly father 1. He is full of the bowells of mercy apt to pittie them he seeth to be in misery 2. He is bountifull and ready to helpe them and do them good 3. His bounty is altogether free and respecteth nothing in them that might move him to it but onely this that they are in misery and have need of him 4. He is apt to do good not only to them that are in misery but to all even to all his creatures First we must labour to be tender hearted and pitifull towards them that are in distresse and misery For this is our fathers disposition as we have heard Iam. 5.11 He is very pitifull and of tender mercy And so must we be if wee will approve our selves to be his children Ephes. 4.32 Be ye kinde one to another and tender hearted 1 Pet. 2.8 Have compassion one of another be pitifull Col. 3.12 Put on as a beautifull garment that will greatly adorne and grace your profession as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercies They are therefore certainely most unlike to our heavenly father 1. That are hard hearted towards the poore not affected nor moved with their cryes and miseries Deut. 15.7 Thou shalt not harden thy heart from thy poore brother 1 Ioh. 3.17 He that shutteth up his bowels of compassion from his needy brother as if he should say when he findeth his heart apt to be moved with compassion violently restraineth himselfe from it how dwelleth the love of God in him We should provoke and force our selves to it as we have heard and not against it Pro. 21.13 He that stoppeth his eares at the cry of the poore and striveth not to be affected with it he also shall cry himselfe God can make the hardest hearted man cry himselfe but he shall not be heard And Pro. 11.17 He that is cruell to the poore troubleth his owne flesh 2. That do the workes of mercy without any mercy at all without any compassion of heart toward the misery of them that they doe relieve But either 1 out of a respect to their owne credit as the Pharisees Mat. 6.1 2. Or 2 out of hypocrisie as Iudas Ioh. 12.5 6. Or 3 out of a desire to be rid of them and freed from the noise of their clamour as the unrighteous judge relieved the poore widow Luk. 18.5 Where as indeed the mercifulnesse of the heart from whence that proceedeth which wee do for the poore is that which graceth our alms-deeds more then the valew of the thing that wee give unto them Mat. 5.7 Blessed are the mercifull Esa. 5 8.10 If thou draw out thy soule to the hungry then shall thy light arise in obscurity and thy darknesse be as the noone day Iob. 30.25 Was not my soule grieved for the poore Secondly we must not content our selves to pity the poore but we must also relieve them and be ready to doe them good For this is the disposition of our heavenly father Psal. 146.7.9 He giveth food to the hungry he relieveth the fatherlesse and the widow Yea he is bountifull in his goodnesse to such Iames 1.5 He giveth to all men as need liberally and upbraideth not And so must we do if we will approve our selves to be the children of our heavenly father And surely there was never any that did find the Lord to be mercifull to them in the pardon of their sinnes that were not by the spirit of God made mercifull to them that stood in need of them Psal. 112.4 5. The righteous man is mercifull and full of compassion a good man is mercifull and lendeth And verse 9. He hath dispersed he hath given to the poore Two things there be that do highly commend this duty unto us 1. That the Lord in his Word hath declared himselfe to be greatly pleased and delighted with it Mic. 6.8 What doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy It is a duty that doth greatly grace all other even the best duties that we can performe Acts 10.4 Thy prayers and thine almes are come up for a memoriall before God Yea it is a duty more pleasing unto God then any outward duty even of the first table Mat. 12.7 I will have mercy and not sacrifice 2. That it is a duty that God hath made greater promises unto then to any other almost that a Christian can performe Mat. 5.7 Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercy In which respect Solomon saith Pro. 14.21 He that hath mercy on the poore happy is he And three sorts of promises
there be which are made unto it 1. That it shall never hinder nor beggar a man that that is thus given shall not be lost See this promise Pro. 19.17 He that hath pity on the poore lendeth unto the Lord and that which he hath given the Lord will pay him againe It will returne againe yea it will returne againe with advantage and increase In which respect it is compared to the casting away of your seed into the ground 2 Cor. 9.6 He which soweth sparingly shall reape sparingly and he which soweth bountifully shall reape bountifully Admit thou dost not find it againe presently certainely if thou give thine almes with a good heart it shall not be lost thou shalt find it againe one day Eccl. 11.1 Cast thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt find it after many daies And Psal. 37.26 He is ever mercifull and lendeth and his seed enjoyeth the blessing Yea that that is thus given will bring Gods blessing upon all that wee have besides Deut. 15.10 Thou shalt surely give him and thine heart shall not bee grieved when thou givest unto him because that for this the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in all thy workâ— and in all thou puttest thine hand unto Luke 11.41 Give almes of such things as ye have and behold all things are cleane unto you This answereth two objections that usually men make to excuse their uncharitablenesse to the poore First beleeve me I know not how soone I may want my selfe I answer Thou art an infidell if thou say so for God hath said this is the way to keepe thee from want Pro. 28.27 He thâ—â— giveth unto the poore shall not lack Secondly I have children to provide for I answer thy children shall not be the poorer for this if God bee to be beleeved but on the contrary thy miserablenesse to the poore is the way to bring Gods curse upon thy selfe and thy children too Pro 11.24 There is that scattereth and yet increaseth and there is that withholdeth more then is meet but it tendeth to povertie The second sort of promises that are made to this duty are these that there is nothing we can do that will give us that security of heart that joy and comfort against the dayes of common calamity or against any particular judgement that may befall our selves as this will doe that wee have beene given to the workes of mercy this will free our hearts from the feare of them Psal. 112.7 8. He shall not be afraid of evill tidings his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord his heart is established he shall not be afraid Iam. 2.13 Mercy glorieth against judgement For 1 we have a promise there it will give us hope to be delivered from them Psal. 41.1 Blessed is he that considereth the poore the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble or 2 that God will give us strength and comfort in them Isa. 58.10 If thou draw out thy soule to the hungry and satisfie the afflicted soule then shall thy light arise in obscurity and thy darknesse be as the noone day As if he had said the most uncomfortable estate thou canst fall into shall be comfortable to thee In which respect Solomon makes this a strong motive to the workes of charity Eccl. 11.2 Give a portion to seven and also to eight be liberall in thine almes for thou knowest not what evill shall be upon the earth As if he should say how soone thou mayst loose all that thou hast And surely as there is now much evill threatned to our state by the power and designes of our bloudy enemies so if the wisest of Gods Prophets were now alive to direct us what to do to prevent these evills they would advise us next to our repentance our teares and prayers unto God unto this course as Daniel did that great King Dan. 4.27 O King let my counsell be acceptable unto thee breake off thy sins by righteousnesse make restitution and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poore if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity As if he had said if any thing will turne away the judgement this will The third and last sort of promises that are made unto this duty are such as concerne the life to come For this will strongly confirme a man in the hope of eternall life if he have beene given to the workes of mercy In which respect the Apostle calleth it 1 Tim. 6.19 The laying up for our selves a good foundation against the time to come that we may lay hold on eternall life And our Saviour Luke 16.9 Make you friends of the Mammon of unrighteousnesse that when ye faile they may receive you as faithfull witnesses of your faith into everlasting habitations In which respect also in that great day of reckning when every man shall receive according to his workes there shall be principall regard had to the workes of mercy Mat. 25.34 36. Come ye blessed of my father c. for I was an hungred and ye gave me meat c. And so much for the second point I told you was to be observed in this example of our heavenly father The third is this that we must not onely pity them that are in misery and relieve them too but we must do it freely also though the parties we relieve be most unworthy of it Some cautions I will premise before I prove this First true it is that the poore in all places are for the most part the most void of grace and not so miserable in their corporall as in their spirituall estate as Ieremy spake of them in his time Ier. 5.4 they are fooliâ—h or profane they know not the way of the Lord not the judgement of their God Pro 30.9 Least I be poore and steale and take the name of my God in vaine as if he had said so do usually poore men Secondly they that can do it ought to use their utmost endeavour for the reforming of them and it is the sinne and shame of this and all other places that they are born with as they are That which Solomon speaketh of all children may specially be applyed to the poore and their children Pro. 22.15 Foolishnes is bound in the heart of a childe but the rod of correction the house of correction shall drive it farre from him Thirdly you that are by office to take care for the poore ought to enquire into their conditions as well as into their wants and to put a difference in your almes Let such as are uncleane or idle or such as so soone as you give them a penny will to the ale-house with it presently let such I say smart for it let them feele the misery of want a little better It is the Apostles charge 2 Thess. 3.10 If any will not worke let him not eate Fourthly and lastly We are all bound in our almes to put a difference betweene the poore Gal 6.10 Let us doe good to all men especially to them that are
that he was in the time of his banishment like a broken vessell that none could make any use of And certainely the poorest servant and drudge that is may have more comfort in his estate then the greatest Gentleman that doth nothing but eat and drink and play nay then the greatest Scholler or Divine in the world that doth no good to others with the knowledge and learning that God hath given him 1 Cor. 12.7 The manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit with all And that is the reason why the Apostle preferreth prophesying before all other gifts because it tendeth most to the benefit and profit of others 1 Cor. 14.4 Fiftly Such as are all for themselves and have no care of the common good This is the common sinne of our times 1. In any businesse that concerneth the good of a whole towne how hardly are men drawne to yeeld their helping hand any way 2. In bearing the common burden and charge of a towne how ready are all men to withdraw and exempt themselves 3. Such as are put in trust to deale in businesses of the country or towne they live in are a great deale more carelesse and more lavish in expences then they are wont to be in their owne businesses These men I would have to remember 1. The expresse commandement of God 1 Cor. 10.24 Let no man seeke his owne but every man anothers wealth 2. That the good men have done to others and the care they have had that way will yeeld more comfort to their conscience and give them more assurance that they are now in the state of grace and shall hereafter come to the state of glory then the care they have had and paines they have taken to gather to themselves 1 Tim. 6.18 19. Charge rich men that they do good that they be rich in good workes ready to distribute willing to communicate laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on etrnall life For the more good we doe to others the liker we are to our heavenly father as we have heard now 3. This will get us a good name and esteeme both while we live and when we are gone For this was Iehojada so honoured at his death 2 Chron. 24.16 because he had done good in Israel And a good name is more worth then all our wealth Pro. 22.1 A good name is rather to be chosen then great riches 4. This is the best way to assure us of Gods blessing even in these outward things Ps. 37.3 Trust in the Lord and doe good so shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed Lecture XXIIII on Psalme 51.1 2. May 2. 1626. NOw it followeth that we proceed unto the second sort of duties that we are to be exhorted unto from the consideration of the infinitenesse of Gods mercy and those are such as we owe unto the Lord himselfe There be then two other duties that from this Doctrine wee are to bee exhorted unto The first of them doth most properly respect our selves and I will propound it unto every one of you in the words that Eliphaz in another case useth unto Iob 5.27 Lo this we have searched it so it is heare thou it and know it for thy selfe Observe this well that you have heard of the marvellous mercy of God towards poore sinners it is a most certaine truth as by diligent searching of the holy Scriptures we have made it evident unto you heare thou it whosoever thou art and know it for thy selfe beleeve it and apply it to thine owne soule Seeing the Lord is abundant in loving kindnesse so plenteous in mercy labour thou to know that he is so unto thee that thou maist be able to say as David doth twice in one Psalme Psal. 59.10.17 He is the God of my mercy As if he had said his mercy is mine it belongeth unto me Rest nor content till thou find that his mercifull kindnesse is for thy comfort as David prayeth Psal. 119.76 I speake not of the common mercy of the Lord. I know you can all even the most wretched creature of you all say you have and doe daily tast of that Acts 17.28 In him we live and move and have our being Lam. 3.22 23 It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions faâ—lâ— not they are renewed every morning And so doth every creature the Lord hath made Psal. 145.9 The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his workes and 147.9 He giveth to the beast his food and to thâ— yong ravens that cry And this common mercy of God is that which most men content themselves with that they may live and live long and live in health and quietnesse and pleasure though this be no other mercy then the bruit beasts enjoy as well as they But the mercy that I exhort you to make your owne to get assurance that it belongeth to your selves is the speciall mercy of God the mercy of David as Solomon speaketh 2 Chron. 6 4â— Remember the mercies of David thy servant The mercy that David obtained the mercy that David beggeth heere Psal. 51.1 According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions That mercy that reacheth unto the pardon of thy sinnes and salvation of thy soule that is the mercy that thou shouldst labour to know it belongeth unto thee Rest not in nor satisfie thy selfe with any other mercy that thou hast received but seeke carefully to make this thine owne Five notable differences there be betweene this mercy of the Lord and the other which may serve for so many motives to provoke us not to rest in the other but to seeke for this First those are such mercies as God casteth upon his enemies and such as he maketh no reckoning of yea more abundantly then upon his owne As it is said of royalty and kingly state one of the chiefe of them Gen. 36.31 Many Kings reigned in the land of Edom before there reigned any king over the children of Israel But these are peculiar to Gods Elect his dearly beloved ones In which respect Christ calleth those not ours but others goods but these mercies he calleth our owne peculiar unto us Luk. 16.12 If ye have not beene faithfull in that which is another mans who shall give you that which is your owne And wilt thou content thy selfe with these mercies rest in them dote upon them which Cain and Iudas and sundry others that thou art perswaded were abhorred of God and fry now in hell had as great a portion of as thy selfe O do not so but cry as Psal. 106.4 Remember me O Lord with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people ô visit me with thy salvation Secondly Those mercies though God bestow them on his elect also and we could not live without them yet they are in his account but trifles and such
such as love their sins Psal. 11.5 The wicked and him that loveth violence doth his soule hate Of such as goe on in their sins Psal. 68.21 God will wound the head of his enemies Who are these He answereth in the next words which are an exegesis or interpretation of the former such as goe on in their trespasses To such doe all the curses of the law all those sentences of the holy Scripture that set forth the severity of God belong not to such as feele their sins to be a burden to them and desire to turne unto God 1. Tim. 1.9 10. Know this that the Law is made the curses of the Law are written and appointed for the lawlesse and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners for the unholy and profane c. The second objection is this Though God be infinite in mercy and his common mercies be over all his workes yet his speciall mercy belongeth to none but to his elect and they are but a few Mat. 20.16 Many are called but few are chosen The greatest part of men are vessels of wrath as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 9.22 predestinated and ordained unto damnation Iude 4. And I have so lived as I see cause to feare I am of that number at least I cannot be sure that I shall find mercy with God though I should turne unto him I answer That though 1. the Lord did indeed in his eternall counsell predestinate some unto life and some unto perdition 2. and that the number of the Elect bee small in comparison of the reprobate yet hath no poore sinner that desireth to turne to God any just cause given him to be discouraged from it by this Doctrine This I will prove to you by three reasons First Because no man ought no man can say and conclude that he is a reprobate because of the life he hath lead That he is in the way that leadeth unto destruction he may know but that he is one of those that God did in his eternall decree appoint unto destruction he cannot know 1. Because God hath not by his word or spirit reveiled this to any particular man that he is a reprobate excepting only him that hath sinned against the holy Ghost which sin thou art farre enough from that desirest to repent and to turne to God Concerning the election of particular men God hath indeed given testimony both by his word 1 Thess. 1.4 5. and by his spirit also Rom. 8.16 The spirit it selfe beareth witnesse with our spirit that wee are the children of God 1. Iohn 5.10 He that beleeveth in the Sonne of God hath the witnesse in himselfe But Gods spirit never testified unto any man that he is a reprobate So that to every man that is so conceited we may say as Paul in another case doth Galat. 5.8 This perswasion commeth not of him that calleth you It commeth not of God And as our Saviour saith Matth. 5.37 Whatsoever is more then this commeth of the evill one Besides 2. God hath hertofore and may still call most wicked men at the very last houre of their lives and so declare them to be his elect who of all men in the world were most unlikely to be of his Elect as wee see in the example of the thiefe Luke 23.40 Secondly As no man can justly say he is a reprobate because God neither by his word nor spirit hath testified any such thing of him so such sinners as I now speake of have just cause to judge that they are not reprobates that God hath not appointed them to wrath but to obtaine salvation by our Lord Iesus Christ as the Apostle speaketh 1 Thes. 5.9 For those whom God hath made vessels of wrath are fitted unto destruction as the Apostle saith Rom. 9.22 They goe on still in the way that leadeth unto destruction and are hardened in their sins Though the greatest part of men shall not find mercy with God yet the cause of this is not in the Lord it is in themselves only because they seeke it not Hos. 13.9 O Israel thou hast destroyed thy selfe God sheweth himselfe ready enough to receive even such unto mercy but they care not for it So speaketh Christ even of Ierusalem though she had killed and stoned his Prophets Matth. 23.37 How often would I have gathered thy children together even as a Henne gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not That sinner therefore that findeth God hath wrought in him a desire to get under Gods wings a desire to repent and to turne unto God is in the way that leadeth unto life God is preparing and fitting him for glory and therefore he hath just cause to judge that he is no reprobate but a vessell of mercy Rom. 9.23 Thirdly and lastly No man is to judge of his present or future estate nor of Gods purpose towards him by the secret will of God but by his reveiled will Deut. 29.29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things that are reveiled belong to us and to our children for ever We may not in this case pry curiously nor enquire into the secret counsell of God but reverently admire it and cry with the Apostle Rom 11.33 ô altitudo ô the depth Remember what befell the men of Bethshemesh 1. Sam. 6.19 God smote aboue fifty thousand of them for looking into the Arke of God Looke thou enquire thou into the reveiled will of God and there thou shalt find enough to encourage thee to turne unto him and to assure thee that thou needest not doubt to find mercy and grace with him if thou canst now seeke it First God hath reveiled in his Word that he doth not desire nor take pleasure in the destruction of any wicked man no not in his temporall destruction Hee gave the old World warning of the Floud an hundred and twenty yeares before it came that by their repentance they might have prevented it as you shall see by comparing 1 Peter 3.20 with Gene. 6.3 He gave Pharaoh and the Aegyptians warning of the plagues they enforced him to bring upon them that by their repentance they might prevent them And in giving them warning of the fiery haile he expressely saith he did it to that end that they might save their servants and their cattell from that destruction Exod. 9.19 Send therefore now and gather thy cattell and all that thou hast in the field c. When his people had so deeply provoked him to bring them into miserable captivity and he had assured them by his Prophets that he would do it yet how oft was his heart turned within him and his repentings kindled together as the Prophet speaketh Hosea 11.8 How oft and how earnestly doth he warne them of it How many meanes doth hee use to perswade them that by their repentance they would prevent it See for proofe of this Ieremy 26.2 3. And 36.2 3 6 7. And if hee take no pleasure in the destruction
admit of no duty to be enjoyned us but that which is easie we must never looke to come to heaven Wee know who it was that said Matth. 7.14 Strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be that finde it And though it be an evill temper and constitution of the body to be too tender yet cannot the conscience be too tender the best temper and constitution of the conscience is to be sensible of the least sin Keepe my law saith the Lord Proverbs 7.2 as the apple of thine eye The conscience of Gods child towards Gods commandements is as tender a thing as the apple of the eye the least thing will offend it 2. This precisenes in making conscience of the least sin will not make a Christian life wearisome and uncomfortable unto him nay it is the onely way to make our lives comfortable unto us indeed if we could bring our hearts to this to make conscience of the least sin It is a certaine truth which Solomon speaketh of all the wayes of true piety Prov. 3.17 Her wayes are wayes of pleasantnesse and all her pathes are peace Certainly every yoke of Christ is easie and every burden that he layeth upon us is light as he telleth us that cannot deceive us Matth. 11.30 His commandements are not grievous saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 5.3 The strictnesse and precisenesse of obedience that the Lord requireth of us in this case is not a legall strictnesse and precisenesse of obedience but an Evangelicall 2 Cor. 8.12 If there be first a willing mind it is accepted God requireth no more of us but that we wittingly give not our selves liberty in the least sin but that we doe our unfeined endeavour to keepe our selves from the least sin and not to suffer the least of our corruptions to passe without a censure no not a thought no not a dreame that favoureth of corruption as it appeareth by the equitie of that law which wee find Deuteron 23.10 11. This precisenesse and nothing without this will give us assurance of the uprightnesse of our hearts and this assurance will breed that peace and soundnesse of joy in us as nothing in the world besides is able to doe So it is said of the people in Davids time 1 Chron. 29.9 The people rejoyced for that they had offered willingly because with a perfect heart they had offered willingly This is that that worketh true confidence and security in the conscience of a Christian as David speaketh Psal. 119.6 Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy commandements Such need not feare their sins nor the curse of the law due to sin For against such there is no law as the Apostle speaketh Gal. 5.23 The fourth and last use that this doctrine serveth unto is for reproofe of such as blame many of Gods servāts for nothing more then this that they are so precise in trifles in matters of very small moment This they taxe them for as for a very foule fault They love say they to be singular and to shew themselves more holy then all other men in matters of nothing Forsooth they will not do as other men do Nay they will not speake as other men speake O they may not sweare no not by faith troth This ridiculous precisenes in toyes trifles say they we cannot abide And this is certainly one chiefe ground of all the contempt hatred that most men do beare unto the servants of God they esteem us all to be no better then hypocrites because of this Now unto these men I have three things to say 1. That there is a kind of precisenes in smal matters that is indeed to be blamed as a certain note of hypocrisie 2 That all precisenes is not so 3. How men should carry themselves towards such as they so much mislike And for the first I will give you two notes to try it by 1. Why men are strict and precise and place religion and holinesse in such things as God hath given no such commandement nor direction for in his word The strictnesse and precisenesse of the Pharisees in observing their purifications our Saviour calleth hypocrisie because they had no ground for their conscience therein but onely the commandement and traditions of men Matth. 7.6 7. The precisenesse of the Papists in keeping their Lent and abstaining from meat upon opinion of holinesse the Apostle calleth hypocrisie because there is no warrant for it in the Word For every creature of God is sanctified and the use of it allowed unto us by the Word 1 Timothy 4.2.5 And certainly there are a world of such Popish hypocrites that are exceedingly scrupulous and precise and zealous in observing the traditions of men that doe observe sundry rites and customes of the Church not onely out of obedience to the authority whereby they are enjoyned but even out of conscience to the things themselves and perswasion that neither of the Sacraments would doe them or their children good if they should be received without those ceremonies that the Church hath enjoyned their feare towards God is taught by the precepts of men as the Prophet speaketh Esa. 29.13 that will urge and presse their ministers much more for the observation of these things then either for preaching or any other dutie of his ministery that God hath enjoyned him These precisians are grosse hypocrites certainely 2. Admit we have a commandement of God against these things that we are so scrupulous and precise in yet if we make more conscience of the commandements of God touching these smaller things then we doe of the greatest and weightiest of them this is also a certaine note of an hypocrite For so our Saviour proveth the Pharisees to be hypocrites because they were so precise in tithing of Mint and Annise and Cummin which yet they had a commandement from God to doe and yet omitted the weightier matters of the law as judgement and mercy and fidelity they strained at a gnat and swallowed a camell Mat. 23.23 24. And this is the first thing I have to say unto these men there is a kind of precisenesse in small matters that is no better then hypocrisie Secondly I say that all precisenes even in small matters is not hypocrisie It is no folly nor fault in a Christian to be precise in avoiding and making conscience of the least thing that God hath forbidden us Nay it is certainly the fault of the best of us that we are not so strict and precise that way as we ought to be This I will make plaine unto you both by examples and by precepts The examples are three Daniel was precise even in a matter of ceremony Dan. 1.8 H◠purposed in his heart that he would not defile himselfe with the portion of the Kings meate Our Saviour was so precise even in a matter of circumstance in Gods worship as that because God had commanded the passeover should bee
See an example of this in Iob who when he had received those grievous losses in his goods and children and that in so strange a manner he was so far from repining that he bursteth forth into these words Iob 1.21 The Lord gave the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord. And marke what the holy Ghost saith of him for this verse 22. In all this Iob sinned not nor charged God foolishly As if he should say If he had not thus willingly accepted of Gods correction if he had not thus kissed the rod when his father did thus beat him he had sinned he had charged God foolishly See also an example of this in the Churches speech mentioned Mic. 7.9 I will beare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him And in that of Ezra who speaking of the extreame judgement of God upon his people in the Babylonish Captivitie saith Ezra 9.13 Thou our God hast punished us lesse then our iniquities deserve And Lamenta 3.22 It is of the Lords mercies that wee are not consumed utterly from being a people because his compassions faile not You see Gods people have discerned and taken notice of some mercy some mitigation of the rigor of justice some cause of thanksgiving and of admiring rather his indulgence towards them then of repining against him even in the most extreame afflictions that have befallen him And from hence it is that they have growne to that pitch of blessed resolution not onely to submit themselves and beare the crosse that presently lieth upon them how heavy soever it be but as David here limiteth not his speech to the judgment he had felt in the losse of his child nor to those that Nathan had told him should befall him but speaketh indifferently that thou mayest be cleare when thou judgest whensoever or howsoever thou shalt judge correct me So have Gods people that have bin soundly humbled professed a resolution to beare whatsoever God should further bee pleased to lay upon them whatsoever it should be So speak the people of God Iudg. 10.15 We have sinned do thou to us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee And Ely 1 Sam. 3.18 It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good And David when he fled from his son Absalom when he was in extreame danger both to loose his kingdome and his life 2 Sam. 15.26 If the Lord shall thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him doe to me as seemeth good unto him As if he should say Though he cast me into hell I shall have no just cause to say he doth me any wrong Hitherto I have shewed you three degrees of that passive obedience that every one of us are bound to yeeld unto God in our afflictions And there is never a one of these but they are hard yea impossible for flesh and bloud to do till the mighty arme of God hath tamed our hearts and subdued and humbled them 〈◊〉 can never thus cleare the Lord when he judgeth us A hard thing it is to hold our peace when God correcteth us not to utter words of discontent impatiency specially not to fret and repine in our hearts against the Lord. A harder 〈…〉 acknowledge heartily and unfeinedly that God dealeth most justly with 〈◊〉 when he correcteth us But the hardest thing of all it is to submit our selves to Gods correcting and willingly to beare it to be perswaded that that we endure is nothing so much as we have deserved to admire his fatherly indulgence and love to us even when he correcteth us most sharply But the fourth and last degree of this obedience which I must now proceed unto is much more difficult for in all those judgments and corrections of God that befall our selves or others when the sins that deserved them are known and evident unto us it is no such hard matter to justifie and cleare the Lord in them But there be many judgements of God where no such cause can be knowne or discerned no not by the wisest men Thy judgements saith David Psal. 36.6 are a great deep ô Lord no man can dive to the ground bottome of them And Rom. 11.33 How unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out Now this is the fourth degree of obedience required of us that we must not only cleare the Lord in those judgements that we can discerne the cause reason of but even in those that we can conceive no reason of we must resolve with David Ps. 119.137 Righteous art thou ô Lord and upright are thy judgements and 145.17 The Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his works Admiring with the holy Apostle and adoring that which we are not able to comprehend Rom. 11.33 O the depth both of the wisedome and knowledge of God Now for the reasons and grounds of this Doctrine they are principally two the one of them respecteth the judge himselfe and the other them that are judged by him For the first It is not possible that the Lord should do wrong to any of his creatures or that any thing he doth should be unjust Deut. 32.4 All his wayes are judgement a God of truth and without iniquitie just and right is hee Doth God pervert judgement saith Bildad Iob. 8.3 or doth the almighty pervert Iustice As if hee should say that is impossible in the judgement of every mans conscience Shall not the judge of the whole world doe right saith Abraham Genes 18.25 This reason the Apostle giveth for this doctrine Rom. 3.5 6 Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance God forbid saith he for then how shall God judge the world This was that that stopped Elyes mouth that he had nothing to say against that grievous judgement God threatned against him and his house 1 Sam. 3.18 It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good And why is it not possible the Lord should do wrong to any of his creatures 1. In regard of his Soveraignty and Supreame and undependant power he hath over all things that he hath made even as the potter hath over his clay This similitude the holy Ghost useth Rom. 9.20 21. Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lumpe to make one vessell unto honour and another unto dishonour Is it not lawfull for me to doe what I will with mine owne saith the Lord of the vineyard Matth. 20.13 In respect of this Soveraignty and Supreame power of God Elihu saith Iob 33.13 that God giveth not account of any of his matters His manner is not neither is he bound to give men account of his decrees or of his judgements 2. In regard of his will it is not possible that hee should wrong any of his creatures for his will is the rule of all righteousnesse and every thing is therefore just right because his
thy God to wrath in the wildernesse And to this end Moses spendeth a whole chapter Deut. 9. in calling to the peoples minds and bringing into their remembrance their old sins which he would never have done if he had not knowne this profitable and needfull for them that their repentance for them might bee oft renewed But further then the knowledge of our sins serveth for one of these foure ends it is no benefit it is a judgement and correction of God upon us Therefore it is threatned as a judgement to wicked men Psal. 50.21 I will reproove thee and set thy sins in order before thee Therefore Iob complaineth of it as of a judgement Iob 13.26 Thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possesse the sins of my youth And Paul prayeth against it 2 Cor. 12.8 I grant indeed it is such a judgement and correction as God useth most to exercise them by that are dearest to him and seeth it to bee most necessary for them as is plaine by the example of Iob 13.26 and of Paul 2 Cor. 12.7 But herein his mercy appeareth that as it is said of all other corrections upon his Church Esa 27.8 In measure thou wilt debate with it so it is in this 1. The Lord doth not let any of us see all our sins but so many of them as he seeth will be sufficicient for us to see for our saving humiliation and repentance Dealing with us in this case as Balak did with Balaam Num. 23.13 Thou shalt see but the utmost part of them thou shalt not see them all And 2. those that he is pleased to discover to us he doth not let us feele the full weight of them nor let us fully see the loathsomnesse of them Oh if the Lord should breake up the sinke that is in every one of our hearts and let us fully discerne and feele how much filth is in them we were never able to abide our selves but should every one of us become a Magormissahib as Ieremy calleth Pashur Ier. 20.3 4. a terrour to our selves If the Lord should let us feele the full weight of our sins certainely we were never able to beare it but should be overwhelmed by it See this not only in the sin of Cain and Iudas that were castawayes Gen. 4.13 Mat. 27.5 but in the sins also of Gods own people Heare what David saith of his sin Ps. 38.4 It is a heavy burden too heavy for me to beare And heare what Paul saith of the incestuous person 2 Cor 2.7 he was in danger to bee swallowed up with overmuch sorrow 1. Thinke of this thou wretched man to whom many foule sins seeme as light as a feather drunkennesse swearing whoring c. when the Lord shall but let thee throughly to see what thou hast done when he shall lay but any one of these sins unto thy charge and cause thee to feele the full weight of it hee shall need to inflict no other punishment upon thee but even to let thee see feele what thou hast done Ier. 2 19. Thine owne wickednes shall correct thee and thy back-slidings shall reprove thee Wickednes will burne like the fire Esa. 9.18 Hell it selfe hath no greater torment then that And this thou hast cause to looke for and knowest not how soone Num. 32.23 Thou hast sinned against the Lord and be thou sure thy sin will find thee out 2. Let us therfore beloved acknowledge it for a mercy of God that he doth give us the sight and sense of our sins so farre forth as is necessary to our saving humiliation and repentance but let us acknowledge it for as great a mercy that hee doth not let us see and feele our sins to the full so as we should be overwhelmed by it Lecture LXIX On Psalme 51.5 Septemb 18. 1627. THe second thing wherein the admirable goodnes of God appeareth unto us is this If we could rightly weigh what we were by nature we would see just cause to wonder at the power and goodnesse of God in this that there should bee any truth of grace in any of us Let us consider this first in generall in the whole worke of our conversion and of that change that is wrought in our hearts by the grace and spirit of God Secondly In every particular act of grace that we do discerne in our selves And for the first wee shall find the Apostle maketh this use of the Doctrine of originall sinne Ephes. 2.4 5. God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith hee loved us even when wee were dead in sinnes hath quickened us together with Christ by grace yee are saved As if hee had said this was nothing but meere grace this argued the riches of Gods mercy the greatnesse of his love to doe this When the people beheld the mighty workes that Christ wrought in giving sight to the blind and hearing to the deafe and speech to the dumbe and life to the dead it is said they were all amazed at the mighty power of God Luke 9.43 and as it is said Matth. 9.8 they marvelled and glorified God And the party himselfe whom Christ had restored to sight admired the worke of God upon himselfe and said Iohn 9.32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was borne blind But the worke that God hath wrought upon our hearts whom he hath converted and begun saving grace in is though not so sensible yet a farre greater demonstration of his power and goodnesse then any of those was and such as wee have much more cause to admire and glorifie God for Certainely it is as possible for a blackmore to change his skinne or a leopard his spots as the Prophet speaketh Ieremy 13.23 for a Camell to goe through the eye of a needle as our Saviour saith Luke 18.25 as for us to have a change wrought in our hearts But blessed bee God that the thing which is impossible with men hath beene possible with God as our Saviour there speaketh Luke 18.27 This admirable power of God is sensible and apparant in the conversion of some men of such I meane as have beene prepared for their conversion with legall terrours such as having beene notorious sinners before have beene by some strong hand of God changed suddenly In the conversion of such as Paul was that of a bloudy persecutour was of a sudden made not onely a disciple but a zealous preacher also Where hee that was even now a Wolfe and a Leopard was so chaunged that hee dwelt with the Lambes and lay downe with the Kids as the Prophet speaketh Esa. 11.6 All men will bee apt to take notice of and to admire the power of God in the conversion of such a man as Paul saith of himselfe Galathians 1.24 that the Churches glorified God in him But the worke of Gods power in the conversion of most men of such as have beene bred in the Church and
The promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are a farre off even as many as the Lord our God shall call Yea that Christ is offered so unto me as I am commanded to beleeve that he belongeth unto me Come unto me saith our Saviour Matth. 11.28 that is beleeve in mee for so is that phrase expounded by himselfe Iohn 6 35. all ye that labour and are heavie laden and I will give you rest 3. I must know how and upon what termes and conditions Christ is offered unto me in the Gospell that is to say If I will receive him as in a matrimoniall covenant For so is the covenant of the Gospell oft called in the holy Scripture Hos. 2.19 20. I wish betroth thee unto me for ever yea I will betrâ—th thee unto me in righteousnesse and in judgement and in loving kindnesse and in mercies I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfullnesse In this respect also the preachers of the Gospell are called the friends of the Bridegroome Iohn 3.29 such as woo for him and whose whole endeavour is to make this match betweene Christ and his people I have espoused you saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 11.2 to one husband that I may present you as a chast virgin to Christ. Now in the matrimoniall covenant we know the spouse 1. Taketh her husband so as she bindeth her selfe to forsake all others and to keepe her selfe onely to him so long as they both shall live and so must we take and receive Christ Psal. 45.10 Matth. 10.37 Luke 14 2â— 2. She taketh him not onely to receive protection and wealth and credit by him but as her head and guide to be governed and ruled by him and he bindeth her selfe to serve honour and obey him Gen. 3.16 1 Cor. 11.3 Ephes. 5.22 23. And so must Christ be taken and received by us not onely for our Saviour but our Prophet yea our Lord and King Psal. 45.11 Iohn 20.28 and 3.35 Heb. 5.9 3. She taketh him for better for worse for richer for poorer in sicknesse and in health and bindeth her selfe to cleave to him in every estate Gen. 2.24 1 Cor. 7.10 And so must Christ be taken and received by us Luke 9 23. This knowledge of the Gospell is as I told you the first thing wherein the nature and essence of true faith consisteth In which respect faith is called the knowledge of Christ Esa. 53.11 Iohn 17.3 Ephes. 4.13 The second act of the soule wherein the nature of true faith consisteth is the assent and credit that the mind giveth unto all this that the Gospell hath revealed concerning Christ as to an undoubted truth that Christ is indeed an all sufficient Saviour and that God offereth him uâ—to me and commandeth me to receive him and that in this his gracious offer he meaneth as he saith and that he and all his merits do certainely belong to me if I will receive him upon those termes that the Lord offereth him on When I can say with Paul 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithfull saying So is the faith of the old fathers described Heb. 11.13 They saw the promises a farre off and were perswaded of them In respect of this second property faith is called a beleeving of Christ Iohn 3.36 And a beleeving of God 1 Ioh. 5.10 Rom 4.3 Till Naaman could thus beleeve he could not be healed 2 King 5.11 12. The third act of the soule wherein the essence of a true and justifying faith consisteth is the consent that the will giveth to this blessed offer of Christ in the Gospell not onely for the undoubted truth but for the incomparable goodnesse and excellencie of it When the heart accepteth of and embraceth it and saith with Paul 1 Tim. 1.15 this is not onely a faithfull saying but worthy of all acceptation So is the faith of the fathers described Heb 11.13 At the least though the beleever find in respect of the sense he hath of his owne unworthinesse much reluctancy and doubting which hindreth this act of faith yet his soule unfeignedly desireth and longeth to receive and take Christ in this matrimoniall covenant and saith with the blessed Virgin Luke 1.38 Behold the handmaid of the Lord be it unto me according to thy word In respect of this property faith is called sometimes a receiving of Christ Ioh. 1.12 somtimes a tâ—â—isting after him Rev. 21.6 Where that promise is made to him that thirsteth which none can possibly be partakers of but hee onely that truly beleeveth The fourth and last act of the soule wherein the nature of true faith consisteth is a resting and relying upon Christ and him alone for the obtaining of the favour of God and of eternall life And indeed this is of all other the chiefe act of the soule in true faith and that wherein the being and essence of it doth chiefly consist In respect of this property it is so oft called a beleeving in or on Christ and his name Iohn 3.16.18 36. 1 Iohn 5.10 a trusting in Christ Ephes. 1.12 a resting upon God 2 Chron. 14.11 a resting upon his promise 2 Chron. 32.8 a relying upon God 2 Chron 16 8. a staying our selves upon him Esa. 50.10 a cleaving and sticking close unto him Acts 11.23 beleeving in him and trusting in him are made all one Psalme 78.22 He that findeth these properties of faith in him hath certainely true faith though he want yet the assurance of Gods favour Followeth now the third and last point which I propounded That though there may be true faith where there is not this assurance yet certainely true faith if it be exercised and put forth will breed this comfortable assurance of Gods savour in the end That man that with an humbled and penitent soule can cast himselfe upon Christ trust unto him alone and rely upon him for favour with God for pardon of his sins and for eternall salvation shall certainely obtaine assurance and comfort in the end Alas may some man say how can I thus trust in Christ and relie upon him when I have no assurance but so much doubting in mee of the favour of God To such I answer Yes this is very possible Iob did so Though he slay me saith he Iob 13.15 yet will I trust in him David did so Psal 13. For though he thought God had long forgotten him and hid his face from him verse 1. yet saith he verse 5. But I have trusted in thy mercy So Psal. 143. when he cryeth thus verse 7. My spirit faileth hide not thy face from me he addeth verse 8. Cause me to heare thy loving kindnesse in the morning for in thee doe I trust He trusted in God and looked for comfort even then So did the woman of Canaan Matth. 15.22 28. For though she had received three fearefull repulses from Christ and therefore could have no assurance of his favour yet trusted she still in him for mercy and would not give over importuning him for it So
his owne salvation He is not so dead but there is enough left in him to make him without excuse as the Apostle plainely teacheth Rom. 1.20 He may doe more then he doth to avoid damnation he may doe more then he doth to further his owne salvation and because he will not doe what he may therefore he is inexcusable therefore he is the cause of his owne destruction Why what can he do will you say I answer First He hath power enough left in him by nature to curbe and restraine himselfe from all grosse sinnes from drunkennesse and whoredome and such like sinnes yea and from haunting of lewd company that may draw him to such sinnes he may forbeare these things if he will he hath enough left in him to make him able to live a civill and unblameable life There is many a man that even by the strength of nature can truly say as he said Luk. 18.11 I thanke God I am no extortioner nor unjust in my dealings with men nor an adulterer Secondly He hath enough left in him to make him able to doe many good workes I meane workes that are materially and morally good He can if he will make restitution of that that he hath gotten unjustly and doe workes of mercy also to the poore Els would not Daniel 4.27 have spoken thus to such a man as Nebuchadnezzar was Breake off thy sinnes by righteousnesse and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poore And that which the young man saith of the outward observation of all the commandements of the second table Matth. 19 20. All these things have I kept from my youth up that the Apostle speaketh even of many a Gentile Rom. 2.14 The Gentiles do by nature the things contained in the law And in the Church many a man is even by the strength of nature able to say not of the second table onely but of the three latter commandements of the first table also so farre forth as the letter and externall observation of them all these have I kept Thirdly He can if he will frequent the ministery of the Word the plainest and most powerfull ministery and that constantly When thou wert young saith our Saviour to Peter Iohn 21.18 thou girdest thy selfe and walkedst whither thou wouldest So much freedome of will every man hath by nature so much power even by that generall and common grace and assistance that God communicateth unto all men that he may goe to Church if he will yea he may if he will ride or goe many miles to a Sermon ordinarily as well as he may to an market so farre The Lord speaking of such as were no better then naturall men telleth the Prophet Ezek. 33.31 They come to thee as the people commeth and they sit before thee as my people and they heare thy words Fourthly He may if he will so seriously marke and observe the Word that is preached unto him and the judgements of God which he seeth and feeleth as he may bring himselfe thereby unto legall repentance even to such a sight and sense of his sinne and of the wrath of God as may make his heart to quake and judge himselfe to be in a most miserable estate Of them that were no more then naturall men we do read Esa. 58.3 that they did use in the time of Gods judgements upon them to fast and afflict their owne soules And of Ahab and Felix we read how by hearing the Word and observing what they heard they were wrought upon Ahab 1 King 21.27.29 rent his clothes put sackcloth upon his flesh fasted and humbled himselfe before God And Felix Acts 24.25 trembled exceedingly Fiftly and lastly He may be able out of this sense he hath of his owne miserable estate not onely to desire the prayers of others as Pharaoh did Exod. 10.17 and Ieroboam 1 King 13.6 but even himselfe also to cry importunately and pray to God for mercy So it is said of the mariners Ionah 1. that in the extreame feare they were in through the apprehension of Gods wrath they cried not onely every man unto his God verse 5. but unto the Lord also unto Iehovah verse 14. So it is likewise said of Saul Acts 9.11 Behold hee prayeth When our Saviour exhorteth the hypocriticall Iewes in an allegoricall speech to make their peace with God in time while this life and the day of grace lasteth Luke 12.58 59. he maketh this preface to that exhortation verse 57. Yea and why even of your selves judge ye not what is right As if he had said You have so much light and judgement in your selves even by nature as to discerne that that is fit and necessary to be done Even by the light of nature a man may be able out of the apprehension and sense of his owne fearefull condition to desire reconciliation with God and to cry earnestly for it Now if any man shall aske me and what is all to the purpose that you say a naturall man is able to doe seeing none of all this is any thing worth in the sight of God or pleasing unto him seeing there is no true goodnesse in any of this that a naturall man doth Without faith it is impossible to please God Hebrewes 11.6 I answer First That though this be so yet I may say to the naturall man that doth these things that doth thus what in him lyeth as our Saviour said to the Scribe Marke 12.34 Thou art not farre from the kingdome of God such a man is nearer to heaven then any other naturall man in the world is Secondly That though by doing all this that lyeth in his power 1 he cannot deserve neither ex condigno nor ex congruo as the Papists speake that God should save him or give him his grace for Gods grace is free he worketh in men both to will and to doe of his owne good pleasure as the Apostle speaketh Phil. 2.13 2 He can have no certaine assurance when he hath done all this that lyeth in him to doe that he shall find mercy with God for there is no promise made to these things All the promises of God are in Christ yea and Amen as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 1.20 till a man be in Christ he hath no promise from God yet may the naturall man be greatly incouraged to doe thus what lyeth in him to flie from the wrath to come and to please God and may conceive hope that by doing these things as well as he is able God will be pleased out of his infinite goodnesse to shew mercy on him And these grounds he hath out of Gods Word for his encouragement therein 1. Because the Lord hath revealed himselfe in his Word to be so infinite in mercy and goodnesse Exod. 34.7 and hath sworne Ezek. 33.11 that hee hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked 2. Because God seeketh to the vilest sinner in the ministery of his word 2 Cor. 5. â—0
are the works which as they be proper and peculiar to the Gospell and such as popery could never skill of so are they of all other the best works most acceptable unto God and most profitable unto men And certainly to conclude this first branch of my exhortation of all good workes of all workes of charity that any man can doe this is the best and that that will yeeld him most comfort when he hath beene the instrument to provide the meanes of knowledge and instruction for a people to settle and establish a sound ministery among them that had none before and to maintaine and so to give incouragement to an able and conscionable minister that is already setled and placed among a people It is said of good Iehoshaphat 2 Chron. 7.6 that his heart was lift up in the wayes of the Lord. As if the holy Ghost had said thus of him Hee did most zealously seeke to promote and advance the true religion of God And how did hee most shew his goodnesse and zeale That you shall see in the three next verses Hee provided carefully that all his people might bee well taught and instructed he sent teaching Levites and able ministers into all parts of the land and magistrates also with them to protect and encourage them in their ministery And this is noted for one of the best works that ever Hezechiah did 2 Chron 30.22 He spake comfortably to all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the Lord 1. he encouraged and heartned he spake to the heart saith the originall of all the Levites 2. hee encouraged them because they were able and conscionable teachers because they taught the good knowledge of God to the people And hee did not so himselfe onely but it is said further of him 2 Chron. 31.4 Hee commanded the people to doe the like to give the portion of the Priests and the Levites that they might bee encouraged in the Law of the Lord. Hee knew they could never doe their duty with any heart and encouragement if due maintenance were with-held from them See yet a third example for this in King Iosiah of whom wee read also 2 Chron. 35.2 3. that hee encouraged the Priests and Levites to the service of the house of the Lord. No good worke wee can doe will better argue that wee are truly religious and feare God indeed then the kindnesse and bounty wee shew to Gods faithfull ministers Obadiah feared God greatly 1 Kings 18.34 and marke the reason is given to prove this for when Iezebel cut off the Prophets of the Lord Obadiah tooke an hundred Prophets and hid them and fed them And it is worthy further to be observed in the example of Iehoshaphat 2 Chron 17.7 that hee is said to have sent his princes to teach in the cities of Iudah They were not preachers certainely hee sent them onely to countenance and encourage the Levites and even for that cause they are said to teach in the cities of Iudah And so all you that doe encourage the ministers of God that doe comfort and protect them in their ministery are your selves doers of this blessed worke So saith our Saviour Matth. 10.41 Hee that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward A Prophets reward is due to him that doth the worke of a Prophet but every one that doth entertaine and encourage the faithfull ministers of the Gospell any way doth the worke of a Prophet for he shall receive a Prophets reward I know well this is a great paradox to many now a dayes 1. they thinke they may bestow their bounty twenty wayes better then in placing and maintaining of able ministers 2. they thinke there is no want of preaching there are preachers enough and too many too every where 3. they thinke it a great priviledge to give nothing to the maintenance or to increase the maintenance of a preacher 4. they are so farre from encouraging the minister by any free gift for the increase of his maintenance that by spoyling and with-holding from him that which is his due they discourage him in his ministery all that they can But to these men I have foure things to say First That in the judgement of those three worthy Kings nay in the judgement of the holy Ghost who noteth and commendeth them for this to place and maintaine able ministers is a chiefe good worke a principall worke of mercy above all others Secondly That notwithstanding the plenty of teachers they talke of yet there bee still a great number of congregations that want able teachers whose case is extreamely to bee pitied thinke of their case and judge of it by the Prophets words Now for a long season saith he 2 Chron. 15.3 Israel hath beene without the true God and without a teaching Priest and without law Thirdly That the want of sound knowledge and instruction is the chiefe cause of all the wickednes in the land and that so many perish in their sins as appeaâ—reth by that complaint the Lord maketh Hos. 4.6 My people perish for want of knowledge Fourthly and lastly To him that is still resolved notwithstanding all that hath beene said it is no good worke no deed of charity to place and maintaine able ministers it is no sinne at all to shew no kindnesse to give no encouragement that way to his teacher no nor to with-hold from him what hee can I can say no more but what the Angell of God saith Revel 22.11 Hee that is unjust let him bee unjust still But let him withall blot out of his Bible and so his owne name also out of the booke of life that expresse commandement of God Gal. 6.6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate with him that teacheth in all good things And this shall suffice for the first branch of my exhortation that concerneth the duty wee owe unto other men wee are bound to desire and procure so farre as in us lyeth that all men may have the meanes of knowledge Secondly If knowledge bee both the foundation and the seed also of all other graces as wee have heard it is then such of us as have charge of others as all we that are parents and governours of families have are bound to use our best endeavour to bring them to knowledge that are under our charge It is a vaine thing for us to hope that either by correction or example or by any other meanes of civill education they can bee brought to grace till the knowledge of religion bee first wrought in them This is plaine by that direction the Apostle giveth unto parents Ephes. 6.4 and that that he saith to parents of their children may as well bee said to masters of their servants And yee fathers provoke not your children to wrath but bring them up in the instruction and information of the Lord. To this end 1. We must hold our selves bound to teach them our selves God established a testimony in
at in all his counsels and workes is the glory of his mercy Hee delighteth in mercy saith the Prophet Mic. 7.18 Hee hath predestinated us to the adoption of children by Iesus Christ unto himselfe saith the Apostle Ephes. 1.5 6. according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace So even in his denying of the meanes of conversion and the grace of conversion to many people hee hath had respect to this even to glorifie his mercy the more towards his owne people The Apostle telleth us 2 Thess. 1.10 that at the day of judgement God shall bee made marvellous in all them that beleeve As if hee had said His mercy toward the faithfull in electing them to life in redeeming them in calling them effectually in justifying and sanctifying them shall bee admired and wondred at by men and Angels at that day When they shall see how many God hath denied this mercy unto yea to how many that were in many respects farre better then themselves then will this mercy of God towards them seeme as it is indeed admirable in their eyes If this mercy had beene universall to all men God could not have beene so glorified in it in this world if the Lord should have given this grace or meanes alike to all men the glory of his speciall mercy and free grace had not beene so manifested as in this it is Thus the Apostle speaking Romanes 9.22 23. of the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction and of the ends that the Lord aimed at and had respect unto in it hee doth not say that hee did it onely to shew his wrath and to make his power knowne upon them but that the Lord even thereby might make knowne the riches of his glory upon the vessels of mercy The reprobates are fitted to destruction effectuall grace is denied unto them that the riches of Gods grace and mercy towards his elect to whom hee vouchsafeth both might be set forth the better by this comparison and glorified the more And this was the true cause of that joy our Saviour expressed Luke 10.21 In that houre saith the Evangelist Iesus rejoyced in spirit and said I thanke thee ô father Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes Did hee rejoyce in the judgement of God upon the wise and prudent No verily but so farre forth onely as it served to set forth the mercy of God towards those babes This made him to admire and magnifie the mercy of God towards those babes so much the more when he considered what manner of persons that mercy was denied unto when he considered that it was no common but a rare mercy that God had vouchsafed unto them Lecture CV On Psalme 51.6 December 9. 1628. IT followeth now that wee proceed unto the uses that this Doctrine serveth unto And they are principally two First For instruction to establish our judgements in the truth and confirme us against those errours which in this great worke of mans conversion do derogate from the glory of Gods free grace and give too much unto man himselfe Secondly For exhortation to worke upon our affections and stirre us up unto sundry duties For the first This doctrine serveth notably to establish our hearts in the truth of that holy religion which wee doe professe and to assure us that it is the onely true Doctrine and religion of Christ. Yea it may serve for a touchstone to try all other Doctrines in religion by and to discover to us the falshood and vanity of all other Doctrines and religions whatsoever how faire a shew soever of truth and holinesse they doe beare or whatsoever the persons be that doe hold and professe them That Doctrine and religion that doth derogate never so little from the honour of God that doth not give the whole honour and glory of mans salvation unto him alone but giveth some cause of boasting and glorying unto man himselfe certainely that cannot bee the true Doctrine and religion of Christ. It is not that wisedome that Doctrine and religion that descendeth from above as the Apostle speaketh Iames 3.15 See this distinctly proved unto you in these three points 1. All the glory of mans salvation is due to God alone and no part of it unto man 2. All the glory of mans salvation is to be ascribed onely to the free grace and mercy of God and not unto any thing in man himselfe that might move God to it 3. The ascribing of the whole glory of mans salvation to the Lord alone and to his free grace is the chiefe rule whereby the true Doctrine and religion of God is to be tryed and judged of For the first This hath ever beene the profession of Gods true Church and servants to give all glory to God alone specially in this great worke of the salvation of man This was the song of that heavenly host the blessed Angels that came to bring the glad tidings of the birth of Christ Luke 2.14 Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good will towards men As if hee had said It is enough for men that through Christ their peace is to bee made Gods good will and free favour is to bee purchased for them though they have no part of the glory of this worke ascribed unto them that is wholly due unto the Lord alone Glory to God in the highest This was the profession of the whole Catholike Church Revel 4.9 11. When those foure beasts representing the whole Church under the New Testament gave glory and honour and thankes to him that sat upon the throne the foure and twenty Elders representing the whole Church under the Old Testament fell downe before him that sat on the throne and cast their crownes before the throne saying thou art worthy ô Lord to receive glory As if he should say Though they had crownes and Christ had made them Kings and Priests unto God to reigne evâ—n on the earth that is to vanquish and overcome their owne corruptions and the tentations of Satan and of the world as themselves say Rev. 5.10 yet they cast downe their crownes they disclaime all honour that may seeme to be due unto themselves they ascribe all the honour and glory of whatsoever goodnesse was in them unto him that sat upon the throne unto the Lord alone Al the glory of mans salvation you see is due to the Lord alone Secondly All the glory of mans salvation is to be ascribed onely to the free grace and mercy of God This hath also ever beene the profession of Gods true Church and people Thus the blessed Apostle though hee had doubtlesse as great helpe from nature as ever man had If any other man thinketh saith he Phil. 4. â— that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh I more yet professeth 1 Cor. 15.10 By the grace of God I am what I am So the Prophet
of the most important passages of the story are And why hath the Lord done this Surely because he saw it was necessary for poore humbled sinners that it should be so surely because he saw how apt his poore children would be partly through the corruption of their owne heart and partly through the subtilty of Satan when they had fallen into grosse sinnes to despaire of mercy to thinke their sinne is greater then can be pardoned that there is no hope of finding mercy with God if they should turne unto him and repent that there was never child of God that sinned as they have done For their sakes it is to keepe them from despaire to encourage them to rise out of their sinnes and to turne to God by repentance the Lord would needs have these foule sinnes of his dearest servants recorded who though they sinned as grossely as any humbled sinner can possibly now doe yet upon their rising againe by repentance and turning unto God did find mercy with him And that this was a maine end God respected in this the Apostle plainely telleth us 1 Tim. 1.16 He fell so grievously and yet obtained mercy that God might make him a patterne to all his poore servants that should come after him of his readinesse to receive the foulest sinners unto mercy upon their unfeigned repentance This then is a second end God had in permitting his servants to fall and in letting thee to know of their falls that thou when thou art fallen and humbled for thy fall mightest be encouraged to rise againe and dost thou pervert it to a quite contrary end even to embolden and incourage thy selfe to fall These examples which the Lord intended onely for the helpe of the humbled sinner as a cord to pulâ— him out of the water thou that art a presumptuous sinner and hast therefore nothing to doe with them dost let Satan use them as a cord to pull thee into the water and to keepe thee there to thine owne perdition And this is the first thing I have to say unto these men Secondly Thou hast no cause at all to comfort thy selfe in thy sins by the falls of any of Gods people thou readest of in the Scripture or observest in thine own experience For none of all their sinnes are like unto thine If thou wert such a sinner as they were thou wert an happy man They committed more hâ—inous sinnes then ever thou didst it may be yet were they not so heinous sinners in Gods sight as thou art Thou canst not find in all the Scriptures an example of any one child of God that sinned as thou dost Three maine differences are to be observed betweene them and thee First Thou readest of no child of God that sinned but thou readest also that he repented and was humbled for his sinne yea that the measure of his humiliation was proportionable to the measure of his sinne David was deepely humbled for his sinne as appeareth in the 8. verse of this Psalme Hee watered his bed with his teares Psal. 6 6. Manasses humbled himselfe greatly before the Lord 2 Chron. 33.12 Peter wept bitterly Matth 2â— 7â— If thou couldst do so thou mightest take comfort in the examples of their falls but thou knowest it is farre otherwise with thee Secondly None of them after their repentance did ever fall into those foule sinnes againe Noah was never drunke but once David turned not aside from any thing that God commanded him saith the Holy Ghost 1 King 15.5 that is to say not in any grosse and scandalous crime all the daies of his life save onely in the matter of Vria the Hirtite The like may be said of Peter and all the rest And therefore what comfort can the common drunkard and adulterer and blasphemer take in their examples who though he hath fiâ—s of remorse for his siâ—s yet cannot leave them possibly Thirdly and lastly There was never any child of God that fell into any foule sinne but it was against the purpose of his heart I have said that I would keepe thy words saith David Psalme 119.57 this was his resolution and the setled purpose of his heart A wise mâ—n feareth saith Solomon Pro. 14.16 and departeth from evill hee purposeth not to fall into sinne And therefore the Apostle calleth the falls of Gods child an over-taking in a fault Gal. 6 1. when he falleth into sin it is through the malice and eager pursuit of his corrupt nature or of the divell whereby he is suddenly taken and as it were circumvented and overcome contrary to his purpose and resolutions But on the other side thou never purposest or resolvest to keepe Gods commandements and to resist tentations or if thou do yet thou hast no care to performe thy vowes and promises of obedience thou dost sleight and despise the waies thou shouldst walk in as Solomon speaketh Pro. 19.16 The third and last thing I have to say to these men is this That admit thy case were in all respects such as theirs was yet shalt thou find no cause to imbolden thy selfe to sinne by their example if thou wouldst consider well how they smarted for their sinnes It is true indeed Gods owne people many of them have sinned shamefully but it is as true which thou hast heard proved at large in the Doctrine that the Lord did never so sharply scourge any other in this life for their sinnes as he hath done them And if thou couldst well weigh with thy selfe how dearely they paid for their sinnes thou wouldest bee loath to purchase the pleasure or profit that any sinne can yeeld thee at so deare a rate And therefore it is to bee observed that as the sinnes of Gods people are recorded in the Word so are the fearefull judgements also recorded that followed them for these sinnes Noahs drunkennesse is recorded and so is the fearfull curse also that by occasion of that sinne fell upon his sonne Ham and all his posterity Gen. 9.25 Lotâ— incest is mentioned and so is the judgement also that followed it Gen. 19.37 38. the cursed posterity that came of that sinne were a scourge to Gods people for many generations as you may see Psal. 83.8 Solomons fall is mentioned and so is the judgement that fell on his posterity for it 1 King 11.31.33 I shall not need to speak of David of Hezekiah of Manasses or of Peter all whose sinnes are recorded indeed in the Word but it is as well and as carefully recorded how they smarted for them And to conclude of every sinne of theirs I may say to thee as Abner spake to Ioab in another case 2 Sam. 2.26 Knowest thou not that it was bitternesse in the latter end Lecture CXII On Psalme 51.6 March 3. 1628. THe second sort of uses that this Doctrine serveth unto hath relation unto the judgements of God executed upon others specially upon his owne Church and people The Doctrine which we have heard teacheth us how to judge and how to
was the onely ground of all his comfort he rejoiced and gloryed in nothing els God forbid saith he that I should glory save in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ. And thus we have heard the Doctrine confirmed unto us sufficiently Let us now proceed to the reasons and grounds of it and they are two principally according to the two severall branches of the Doctrine First No man can expect any mercy from God but onely through Christ Because he knoweth that he is by nature the child of wrath Wee all saith the Apostle Ephes. 2.3 were by nature the children of wrath even as others the elect as well as the reprobate the blessed Apostle as much as any other man was by nature the child of wrath And as he knoweth hee is in this estate by nature so by falling into and living in knowne sinnes he knoweth likewise that he provoketh the Lord afresh oftentimes and maketh him his enemie Thou hatest all workers of iniquity saith David Psal. 5.5 They rebelled and vexed his holy spirit saith the Prophet Esa. 63.10 speaking of Gods owne people therefore he was turned to be their enemy And who can expect mercy and kindnesse from him whom he knoweth to be his enemy No no no mercy no comfort can be looked for at Gods hands nothing but terrour nothing but indignation and wrath while God is our adversary till we be reconciled unto him Till then if a mans conscience be not senslesse there can be nothing in him but a certaine fearefull looking for of judgement as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 10.27 and of fiery indignation which shall devoure the adversaries Now Christ is the onely mediator between God and us to go betweene us and make reconciliation There is but one Mediator betweene God and man saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.5 the man Christ Iesus And Col. 1.19 20. It pleased the Father by him to reconcile all things unto himselfe Secondly No man can expect any mercy from God till he know first that the justice of God is satisfied for him As the Lord hath set this law unto all men to looke first to justice and then to mercy not to shew mercy unto any wiâ—h neglect of justice What doth the Lord require of thee saith he Mic. 6.8 but to do justly and to love mercy Thou shalt not respect the person of the poore in judgement saith the Lord Levit. 19.15 As if he had said Thou shalt not out of compassion to his distressed estate neglect to do justice So hath he set this law unto himselfe to looke first to justice and then to mercy not to have compassion upon any mans misery or to shew mercy on him with neglect of his justice For God is infinite in justice and will have his Law satisfied to the full It is easier for heaven and earth to passe saith our Saviour Luc. 16.17 than for one title of the law to faile As though he should say The Lord had rather heaven and earth and all the creatures therein should come to nought and perish everlastingly than that one word or title of his Law should faile and be unfulfilled And this is the irrecoverable sentence of his Law which the Apostle mentioneth Galat. 3.10 Cursed iâ— every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the Law to do them Till therefore a man know that this sentence of the law be fulfilled till a man know that this curse is borne for him he cannot expect to find any mercy with God See how the Lord hath expressed himselfe in this point even in that place where he hath amplified his mercy most and set it forth to the full I meane Exod. 34.6 7. The Lord is mercifull and gracious long sâ—ffering and abundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sinne What can be said more for the amplifying of Gods mercy than is said here And yet mark what followeth in the very next words and that will by no meanes cleare the guilty As if he had said As infinite as the Lord is in mercy yet will he by no meanes cleare any man that is guilty of the transgression of his law without satisfaction be made to his justice for him And who is able to make satisfaction to the justice of God for the sinne of man Who is able to satisfie the law and to beare this penalty and curse that is due unto him for the least transgression of it Who can stand before his indignation saith the Prophet Nah. 1.6 and who can abide in the fiercenesse of his anger Surely all the Angels and Saints in heaven and earth could not do it Onely Christ Iesus who was more than a man was able to doe it and did it for his elect to the utmost The Lord hath laid upon him saith the Prophet Esa. 53.6 the iniquity of us all that is the full punishment of all our iniquities Christ hath redeemed us saith the Apostle Gal. 3.13 from the curse of the law being made a curse for us He trod the winepresse of the fiercenesse and wrath of almighty God saith Iohn Rev. 19.15 There was not one jot of the fiercenesse and wrath of God that was due to the sinnes of any of the elect but he trod it out it came all upon him Christ himselfe our blessed Mediator could not make our peace with God nor get him to pardon our sinne and shew us mercy by intreaty or intercession or by any other meanes till he had satisfied the law for us till he had paid every farthing of our debt till he had borne the curse and punishment that was due to us for our sinnes even to the uttermost When we were enemies saith the Apostle Rom. 5.10 we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne nothing but the death of his Sonne would do it This truth the Lord taught his people even under the Law Without a sacrifice without shedding of blood there was no remission of any sinne saith the Apostle Heb. 9.22 It is the bloud saith the Lord Levit. 17.11 that maketh attonement for the soule And these are the reasons and grounds of the Doctrine Now before we come to the uses of it a question must be resolved to prevent the misunderstanding of this that hath beene delivered and to make way for the uses that are to be made of it How can it be said that no mercy can be obtained of God for us by any other way but by the bloudy passion of Iesus Christ seeing the Scripture so oft ascribeth our whole salvation to the meere grace and goodnesse of God onely By grace ye are saved saith the Apostle Eph. 2.5 And for the undoubted certainty of this truth he repeateth it againe Verse 8. in the very same words and teacheth us that our whole salvation commeth most freely unto us I will love them freely saith the Lord Hos. 14.4 We are justified freely by his grace saith the Apostle
experience 1 of Gods marvellous providence in sundry extreamities as Abraham had 2 of Gods gracious presence revealed to us in his house and in the use of his ordinances as Iacob had 3 of the comfortable answer that God hath given to our prayers as hee did to Hannah 4 specially of the fruit happy successe we have found in our fasts the great deliverances we have received by them as Gods people in the daies of Iehosaphat and Mordecai did that we should likewise take heed of forgetting these experiments use all the meanes we can to keepe them in remembrance for ever And that for this very cause because as the Apostle saith Rom. 5.4 Experience worketh hope And that upon this ground because though we be variable the Lord is constant in his love Whom he loveth he loveth to the end Iohn 13.1 In him is no uariablenesse or shadow of turning Iames 1.17 The fourth and last meanes that they must use who desire to obtaine assurance of Gods favour in Christ to preserve it when they have it and to recover it when it is lost is this They must renounce themselves and looke for it onely through the free grace and mercy of God in Iesus Christ. When a man can neither 1 by diligent examination find any goodnesse in himselfe for the present 2 nor call to mind any goodnesse that hath beene in him formerly 3 nor can remember any such speciall mercy or fruit of Gods love that he hath received in times past upon which he can ground any assurance yet if he can then with an humbled soule despairing to get it any other way cast himselfe upon the free grace and mercy of God in Christ and cry with Gods people 2 Chron. 20.12 We know not what to doe but our eyes are upon thee he may obtaine assurance and comfort by this meanes when he cannot doe it by any other By this means David looked to receive his comfort and assurance as you may find by that speech he useth to his owne soule Psalme 42.5 which he repeateth againe verse 12. Why art thou cast downe O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him for the helpe of his countenance He looked verily to recover the comfortable assurance of Gods favour How looked he to recover it Surely by hoping in God and resting in his mercy So by this meanes the faithfull professe they looked to obtaine the comfortable assurance of Gods love Psal. 33.20 22. Our soule waiteth for the Lord for our heart shall rejoyce in him because we have trusted in his holy name Let thy mercy O Lord be upon us according as we hope in thee Why but you will say can any man hope for mercy from God that can find no goodnesse in himselfe at all The righteous God loveth righteousnesse as we have heard out of Psal. 11.7 Ye that feare the Lord trust in the Lord saith David Psal. 115.11 The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting saith David Psal. 103.17 upon them that feare him But on the other side Such as have no goodnesse in them but are wicked men his soule hateth as David teacheth us Psal. 11.5 To this I answer That though no impenitent sinner can expect mercy from God neither would I have any such snatch at any thing that I shall say they have nothing to do with it yet the humbled and penitent sinner may as may appeare by examples Sundry that could find no goodnesse in themselves at all and therefore judged themselves utterly unworthy of mercy have yet relyed upon God trusted and looked to receive mercy from him neverthelesse for that Such a one was the Centurion Matth. 8.8 who though he judged himselfe unworthy that Christ should come under his roofe yet did trust to receive mercy from Christ for all that And the woman of Canaan who though she knew no goodnesse in her selfe but counted her selfe no better than a dog Mat. 15.27 yet trusted confidently in Christ for all that And two plain reasons there be for this First because they knew Gods mercy is free and not grounded upon any goodnesse that is in us I will love them freely saith the Lord Hos. 14.4 I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious saith the Lord Exod. 33.19 and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy Secondly Because they have trusted to receive mercy from God onely through Christ. In him they knew there was goodnesse enough though there were none in them Looke upon the face of thine annointed saith David Psal. 84.9 As if he should have said Though thou canst see no goodnesse in me for which thou shouldst shew me mercy yet thou maist see enough in him to content thee Cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary that is desolate saith Daniel 9.57 for the Lords sake Christ hath deserued that God should be mercifull to all the belieue in him And whatsoever goodnesse is in him is theirs He is made to us of God saith the Apostle 1 Corinth 1.30 wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption So that an humbled sinner may rely upon and expect mercy of God through Christ though he can discerne no goodnesse at all in himselfe Nay I say more that because thou findest in thy selfe no goodnesse at all therefore art thou of all men the fittest to receive mercy from God through Christ. Hâ—e every one that thirsteth saith the Lord Esa. 55.1 come ye to the waters and he that hath no money As if he had said He that hath no goodnesse in him nothing whereby he may hope to purchase and deserve mercy is neverthelesse capable of mercy for that nay he is the more capable of it because of that that he finds himselfe so As the emptier a glasse is the fitter it is to receive any precious liquor that should be put into it Blessed are the poore in spirit saith our Saviour Matth. 5.3 And To him that worketh not but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly saith the Apostle Rom. 4.5 To him that hath not any goodnesse not one good work to trust unto but can do God that honour as to believe in him expect and rest upon him for mercy though he know himselfe to be an ungodly man and void of all goodnesse to him his faith is imputed for righteousnesse As if he should say O that is a justifying that is an excellent faith indeed But though a man that feeleth no goodnesse in himselfe may yet expect to receive mercy and assurance of favour from God if he can rest himselfe upon the free grace and mercy of God in Christ and trust to receive it that way and that way alone yet how can such a one as I that am so full of feares and doubts and infidelity ever be able to do that my infidelity barreth me from all hope of mercy If Christ could do no mighty worke in Nazareth because of their infidelity
as the Holy Ghost witnesseth Mar. 6 5. how can I ever hope to obtaine mercy and assurance of favour from God this way To this I answer First Thou maist notwithstanding thine infidelity so long as the infidelity that is in thee raigneth not but thou discernest bewailest and strivest against it David had doubting and feare and infidelity in him when he cryed Psal. 13.1 How long wilt thou forget me O Lord For ever How long wilt thou hide thy face from me And yet even then he trusted in Gods mercy and hoped to recover assurance of his favour that way as appeareth by his words in the fift verse And when I am afraid saith he Psal. 56 â— when I am disquieted with feares and doubts of any kind I will trust in thee So Psal. 143.7 8. he professeth that when his spirit faâ—led when his spirit was overwhelmed and his heart within him was desolate as he had said before Verse 4. and consequently when he had much infidelity in him yet even then he did trust in God anâ— lifted up his soule unto him And was not the poore woman that had the bloudy issue Luke 8.47 troubled much with doubts and feares and infidelity when yet notwithstanding she did trust and looke to receive mercy and helpe through the free goodnesse of God in Christ. Secondly Though thou feele thy selfe never so unable through thy infidelity to cast thy selfe upon the free grace and mercy of God in Christ yet if thou can bewaile and be soundly humbled for thy infidelity God will make thee able to do it For he hath promised to give grace even this as well as any other to the humble Iam. 4.6 He will keep thee from sinking under and being overcome of thy infidelity And Gods people have never found him readier to shew them mercy this way that when they have felt most weakenesse and infidelity in themselves When the Apostle had been pressed out of measure above his strength as he speaketh 2 Cor. 1.8 9 and had the sentence of death in himselfe God sustained and delivered him and that for this very cause as he saith to teach us that we should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead which causeth him to professe 2 Cor. 12.10 When I am weak then am I strong He never felt Gods strength more in supporting him and keeping him from sinking under the burden of any tentation than when he found his own weaknesse and readinesse to sink most of all Now to make some application of this we shall find that many of Gods people do greatly offend in this point For they make that inherent grace which they find in themselves the onely ground of all their comfort and assurance of Gods favour while they discerne that in themselves they are quiet and comfortable when they cannot they are utterly out of hope Two evills they commit in this one against themselves another against the Lord. First resting upon that grace they find in themselves and so trusting in their owne heart they leane upon a bruised reed that may and will deceive them Their owne spirit may faile them and be overwhelmed as we have heard David complained that it was with him Psal. 143.4 7. Though that grace that is in them if ever it were in them in truth do not utterly faile yet their heart and spirit the knowledge and feeling of that grace they have may quite faile them for a time This made David say as he doth Psal. 73.26 My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Make God himselfe thy rock and portion the onely ground of all thy hope and comfort and he will never faile though thine own flesh and heart do Secondly In doing thus we make an idoll of that inherent grace that is in us and putting that trust in it which we should repose in the Lord alone we commit idolatry we go a whoring after our owne hearts as the Lord speaketh Num. 15.39 For no inherent grace that is in us is God but the gift of God only and therefore cannot be fully trusted in without sinne Let us therefore learne to praise God for any grace he hath wrought in us by his holy Spirit yea let us take comfort in it as in a fruit of his eternall and unchangeable love but let us not so rest upon it as to make it the onely or chiefe ground of our hope and comfort but learne to renounce our selves and all confidence in any goodnesse that is in us and with humbled soules cast our selves wholly upon the free grace and mercy of God in Christ and say with the Apostle Phil. 3.3 We are the circumcision which rejoyce in the Lord Iesus and have no confidence in the flesh Lecture CXXVII On Psalme 51.7 Septem 1. 1629. NOw the third and last use that this Doctrine serveth unto is as I said for the comfort of such of Gods people as though they feare God unfainedly and are carefull in all their wayes to please him yet complaine greatly of this that they cannot feele that the bloud of Christ is by the Spirit of God sprinkled upon their hearts they cannot attaine unto this sensible assurance of the favour of God in Christ. And though 1 I know well that in this profane and loose age few have need of this use of comfort because most men are confident enough of their salvation they are not troubled at all with any doubts or feares his way and the whole have no need of a Physician Matth. 9.12 Doctrine of humiliation and terrour were fitter for most of our hearers than Doctrine of comfort The fat and strong among Gods sheepe should be fed with judgement as the Lord speaketh Ezek. 34.16 Yea 2 I know well that some will be more likely to receive hurt than good by that which you shall now heare For Christ and the Doctrine of Gods mercy in him is a stumbling stone and rock of offence to disobedient and wicked men as the Apostle teacheth us 1 Pet. 2.8 And 3. though in handling of the meanes whereby true assurance may be obtained I have spoken much already for the comfort of such persons Yet have I two reasons why I dare not omit this use of comfort First Because I doubt not but there are some of you that heare me have present need of it And if there were but two or three such among you all I am bound in my ministery to have more respect unto them then to all the rest For to such principally are we sent to preach Hee hath sent me saith our Saviour Esa. 61 1 2. and that which hee that is the great Shepheard of the sheepe said it becommeth us all that are under him tâ— say likewise hee hath sent mee saith he to bind up the broken hearted and to comfort all that mourne in Sion Secondly Because though there be many of you that have not present need of
that he doth enjoy Not of works saith the Apostle Ephes. 2.9 good works he meaneth least any man should boast As if he should say A man is exceeding apt to boast of his good workes though not outwardly in words yet inwardly in heart he blesseth himselfe and secureth his heart in nothing so much as in his good workes in any good worke he knoweth by himselfe And when he had said 1 Cor. 1.30 that Christ is made unto us of God wisedome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption As if he had said We have all in him he giveth this for the reason of it verse 31. that hee that gloryeth might glory in the Lord. As if he should have said If we had any of this without Christ we would be apt to glory in it and care but a little for him And therefore it is so oft said that the poore and such as find themselves to be utterly destitute of all goodnesse are the onely men that are fit to seeke and receive comfort by Christ. The Lord hath anointed me saith our Saviour Luk. 4.18 to preach the Gospell to the poore As if he should say Small hope there is that any but they will receive it Ho every one that thirsteth saith he Esa. 55.1 come ye to the waters and he that hath no money Where it is to bee observed that hee maketh the man that thirsteth and the man that hath no money all one As if he had said None will thirst after Christ but only those poore wretches that have no money nothing of their owne to take unto So he saith likewise Zach. 11.11 that they were the poore of the flocke that waited on him And who are meant by these poore ones in all these places Surely not such as lived in the want of bodily and worldly wealth but such as are poore in spirit and feele an utter want of all goodnesse in themselves these are the onely men that will thirst after Christ and are fit to receive him And so the Apostle interpreteth that metaphor when he saith Romanes 4.5 to him that worketh not that hath no worke no goodnesse at all to trust unto but beleeveth in him that justifieth the ungodly knoweth himselfe to be void of all goodnesse full of ungodlinesse and therefore flieth to Christ and beleeveth in him to him his faith is counted for righteousnesse Yee see then how apt we are to be kept from Christ from prising him and desiring him as we ought even by those good things that are in us This impediment will easily be remooved if we consider well the force of this third Motive wee can have no true comfort of any good thing that is in us till we bee in Christ. To speake distinctly of this point you shall see the truth of it 1 In those good things that are in many a naturall man 2 In those good things that are in many an hypocrite 3 Lastly In those good things that are in the regenerate man himselfe And in handling these three I will observe this method 1. I will shew you that there are in every one of these some good things 2 That there is no true comfort to be found in any of this goodnesse till we be in Christ. For the first It cannot be denied but there are many good things in some naturall men That that we call civill and morall honesty is certainely in it selfe a good thing That many men live so unblameably free from any open or knowne offence specially against the second table The care that many naturall men have to keepe their word to deale justly with all men to bee helpfull and mercifull to such as stand in need of them and many such like things that may bee discerned in them are doubtlesse very good things The conscience that Abimeleâ—h the King of Gerar made of adultery and that integrity of heart that was in him that way of which wee read Genesis 20.5 was a very good thing Yea those are good things not onely in the esteeme of men but even in the account of the Lord himselfe We read Marke 10.20 21. when our Saviour heard the young man say that he had observed all the commandements of the second table from his youth and knew well that in respect of the outward observation of them be had spoken the truth that beholding him he loved him for this Certainely God loveth and liketh well of these moralities and civill vertues that are in naturall men Yea and he useth to reward them also Let me shew you the proofe of this in three degrees First Many a naturall man by the care hee hath to deale justly with men and by his good workes the workes of charity that hee doth avoideth many temporall judgements of God that doe fall upon other men That is the reason why the Prophet having threatned desolation against the Moabites Esa. 16.3 adviseth them that by executing judgement and shewing mercy to the oppressed they would labour to prevent it And the Prophet Daniel Daniel 4.27 giveth hope unto Nebuchadnezzar himselfe that by righteousnesse and shewing mercy to the poore he might obtaine a lengthening of his tranquillity Secondly It is not to bee doubted but that many naturall men prosper much the better both they and their posterity in their outward estate even for the morall parts that are in them It is said Exodus 1.20 21. that God dealt well with the midwives of Egypt and made them houses because of the mercy they shewed to the Hebrew infants they feared God so farre that they durst not make them away though the King so straitly commanded them to do it Thirdly and lastly The Lord hath been wont to reward these civill vertues and morall parts that are in some naturall men even with spirituall blessings also in some sort For even for this cause by his restraining grace he keepeth them from some sinnes that otherwise they were in danger to fall into I know saith the Lord to Abimilech Gen. 20.6 that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart for I also withheld thee from sinning against me therefore suffered I thee not to touch her Two evident reasons there are why the Lord must needs love and reward these morall parts these civill vertues that are in many naturall men First Because of the good they doe to others thereby even the service they doe to his good providence in preserving society and peace among men This civill honesty and these good morall parts that are in many naturall men where there is no religion are the very sinewes and bonds of humane society and there were no living or conversing among men without them This reason the Lord giveth why hee would reward Nebuchadnezzar and his army for the service they did against Tyrus Ezekiel 29.20 Because they wrought for me saith the Lord God As if he had said They were instruments of my good providence in the just ruiâ—e and destruction of that wicked people And if God doe
proceed unto the fourth and last of those Motives which I promised to give you to perswade you to seeke without delay to know that you are through Christ justified in Gods sight And that is this That when a man is once justified then he shall be sure to be sanctified and never till then If any man desire to get strength against any lust or corruption that troubleth him most or to obtaine any grace that he standeth most in need of let him first labour to know that he is justified and that his sinnes are forgiven him That is the onely sure way to attaine unto both till a man know himselfe to be justified let him use never so many meanes to attaine either of them he shall but loose his labour I will give you the proofe of this first in the generall by shewing you that all true sanctification proceedeth from justification secondly in both the parts of sanctification that is to say mortification of the old man and vivification of the new For the first Doe any of you desire to have a better heart and to lead a better life which wee all ought and every good heart doe desire more then any thing els in the world then labour to get assurance that Christ is thine that thy sinnes are forgiven thee that thou art through him reconciled unto God this is the onely sure way to amend both thy heart and life This will doe it and nothing but this will ever bee able to do it Two sorts of proofes I will give you for this 1. The inward instrument whereby the spirit of God worketh sanctification in the heart of man the inward principle and root of all grace is faith that justifieth a man and maketh knowne the love of God to him in Christ. 2. The outward instrument whereby the spirit of God worketh sanctification in the heart of man is the preaching of the glad tidings of the Gospell unto him For the first I will give you foure plaine places of Scripture for the proofe of it The first is that speech of our Saviour unto Paul Acts 26.18 where speaking of them that shall inherit eternall life he calleth them such as are sanctified by faith in him As if he had said It is faith in Christ such a faith as assureth a man that Christ is his and that God is through Christ reconciled unto him that sanctifyeth a man and nothing but that The second place is Heb. 9.14 Where the Apostle comparing the bloud of Christ with the bloud of the legall sacrifices and having shewed in the former verse that the sprinkling even of that upon the people did worke a kinde of externall and legall sanctification in them How much more saith he shall the bloud of Christ being sprinkled upon you and applyed to your hearts by the spirit of God purge your consciences from dead workes to serve the living God As if he should say so soone as the bloud of Christ is sprinkled upon the conscience so soone as ever the spirit of God hath by faith assured a man that the pardon which Christ by his bloud hath purchased doth belong unto him this will certainly follow of it his heart and conscience will be purged and cleansed from dead workes from those workes which while he was a naturall man dead in trespasses and sinnes he lived in and he shall be enabled to serve God in newnesse of life The third place for the proofe of this is in 2 Pet. 1.4 Where the Apostle saith that by the knowledge of Christ are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust Two things are to bee observed in these words of the Apostle 1. How come Gods people to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust How come they to forsake and be preserved from those sinnes that both themselves in times past and the whole world still through the strength of our naturall concupiscence liveth in How come they to be partakers of the divine nature How come they to have the Image of God which consisteth in true holinesse and righteousnesse renewed in them Why saith the Apostle we attaine unto all this this change is wrought in us by the exceeding great and precious promises of God which are given unto us not by any thing we were able to doe by any endeavour wee could use by any penance we could put our selves unto no nor by the law or judgements of God but by receiving and beleeving the exceeding great and precious promises that God hath given us of pardon and mercy was this blessed change wrought in us But then 2. How came wee to have interest in these exceeding great and precious promises of God Surely saith the Apostle Verse 3. And in the very first words of this verse through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and Vertue that is through the knowledge of Christ. By knowing Christ to be ours In whom all the promises of God are yea and Amen as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 1.20 wee come to have Title to all the exceeding great and precious promises of God The fourth and last place of Scripture which I promised to give you for confirmation of this first point is that speech of the Apostle Eph. 3.19 Where the Apostle praying for the Ephesians that God would make them able to know the love of Christ that passeth knowledge which was so infinitely great unto every poore sinner that beleeveth in him as no heart of man is able fully to know and comprehend it he giveth this for the reason of that prayer that he made for them that yee might be filled saith he with all the fulnesse of God As if he had said the more knowledge you shall have of the wonderfull love that Christ hath borne unto you the more that you shall be assured of it the more you look into it and meditate of it the more you shall bee filled with all the fulnesse of God the more shall you abound in sanctification and in every saving grace Now for the second sort of proofes I spake of the outward instrument wherby the spirit of God useth to worke sanctification and holinesse in the heart of man is the preaching of the glad tydings of the Gospell the opening and applying to him the new Testament and covenant of God the covenant of grace the promises of Gods free grace and mercy in Christ. True it is the Lord sometimes by his judgements and plagues but more usually by the Ministery of the law useth to prepare men unto grace and worke a kinde of repentance and change in the heart of man But the meanes whereby he useth to sanctifie a man indeed to mortifie and kill sin in the root to worke a saving change and true grace in his heart is by preaching the Gospell and making knowne to him his mercy in Christ.