Gospel Grounds 'T is not a natural hardiness or apathy 't is not the Spirit of a man that does sustain his infirmities 't is upon the everlasting Gospel that he stands There are three Things especially that bear him through His viewing The Hand of the Lord. The End of the Lord. The Help of the Lord. 1. He sees the hand of the Lord in all that befalls him Whence was Davids patience Psal 39. 9. I was dumb I opened not my mouth Because thou Lord didst it Whence was Eli's patience 1 Sam. 3. It is the Lord let him do what seems him good Whence was Job's patience Job 1. 21. The Lord hath given the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. By the way note That a godly man is not only patient under his afflictions but thankful He is not only thankful for Mercies but for Chastisements 'T is not only the Lord hath given blessed be his Name the Lord hath built me up the Lord hath filled me the Lord hath hedged me blessed be his Name but also The Lord hath taken away the Lord hath humbled me broken me undone me left me naked left me nothing blessed be the Name of the Lord. This by the way 2. He sees the end of the Lord that God intends his good by all that comes upon him He knowes that all things and therefore this which is upon him whatever it be shall work to him for good 3. He feels the help of the Lord. When the hand of the Lord is upon him he feels also the hand of the Lord under him underneath the everlasting Arms Deut. 32. 27. The Gospel as it hath allotted him many Tribulation◠so it hath allowed him mighty supports A mighty God who is the Rock of Ages Isa 26. a merciful High-Priest who being tempted himself is able also to succour those that are tempted Heb. 2. 18. Precious Promises 2 Pet. 1. Gracious experiences Rom. 5. 4. Patience worketh experience This last support experience hath all the rest in it Experience is the whole Gospel proved A patient experienced Christian hath proved all things what they are hath proved the World and what it is and the worst it can do hath proved the Word and what there is in it hath proved what God is what Christ is what grace and peace and a good Conscience are Tribulation often takes away God and his Gospel and we never so well prove what God is as when we have him alone what grace is what a good Conscience is as when we have nothing else left us Our Religion never shews so much what is in it as when it 's most put to it When the Adversary hath gotten the greatest advantage of us of the Sun of the Wind of the Ground when he presseth with most violence with most fury upon us then we best know what the weapons of our Warfare are The comforts and supports of Religion are not known either of what strength or of what sweetness they are till they are thus proved Hezekiah had never such a tast of his integrity as when he received the Message of death Stephen had never such a sight of Heaven as through a storm of stones Christ is never so sweet as in a prison When God meets his Saints in a Wilderness then he speaks comfortably to them A patient Christian hath more or less experience of all this and hence is he supported keeps quiet under all his sufferings and carried with courage on in his way Be patient therefore Brethren unto the coming of the Lord. You have need of patience and no excuse for your impatience The sufferings of the Gospel call for patience and the supports of the Gospel will condemn your impatience If you will be godly count upon it that you have a great fight of afflictions to endure Venture not into the fight without your Armour An impatient creature is a naked Soldier How easily will Sathan destroy whom he hath once disarmed The more you can the less you shall suffer Secure your spirit and you save your self from harm There 's no Dart shall hurt you that does not hit your heart Keep your heart whole and the Devil loses all his shot Be patient and you possess your Souls keep your Souls and the enemy loses the day Christians 'T is of great consequence to you to be of a patient spirit and 't is a great Duty there 's much more in it than every eye observes When I perswade you to Patience know That 't is no small thing that I am perswading you to 'T is no less than 1. To the whole of Christianity 2. To the height of Christianity 1. To the whole of Christianity To be truly Patient hath as much in it as to be a Christian To be holy humble meek mortified self-denying crucified to the world heavenly minded all this you must be or you cannot be patient Patient and proud patient and peevish patient and unmortified earthly minded a self-seeker This is as great a contradiction as to be proud and humble fleshly and spiritual earthly and heavenly a Christian and no Christian If ever you will be possessors of this grace you must be partakers of all grace Get a believing broken self-denying heart get your spirits furnished with the love of Christ the hope of the Gospel the contempt of the World live above in the other World Let Christ Glory Honour Immortality be the portion of your Souls and the pleasure of your lives if ever you would be truly patient 2. To Christianity in the height of it In pressing you to patience I am herein pressing you to get Assurance Without assurance though patience be possible yet you 'l find it both difficult and very imperfect What Patience when I question whether my sins be forgiven whether God be reconciled and be not dealing with me as an enemy What Patience when I doubt whether my afflictions be not the pension of a bastard rather than the portion of a Son when I am not sure but my present sufferings are sent to carry me down to eternal sufferings I am in misery and perpetual torments never a day without 〈…〉 it may be never shall this or worse may last for ever 〈◊〉 if I were sure it would be well at last I could be quiet but for ought I know the Furnace I am in may be the very mouth of Hell The diseases the wounds I am under may be sent to let out my Soul into everlasting burnings how can I be patient under such doubts and fears Make God sure Christian make Heaven sure once and then thou may'st set thine Heart at rest then thou may'st almost as easily exercise as thine Enemies find thee Exercise of thy patience Christians if you will be patient you must be painful give diligence be diligent in making your Calling and Election sure be diligent in duty be vigilant against iniquity If you will be patient be impatient of sin and you will be
my trust in Christ that I shall be saved What trust in Christ and not turn to Christ Hope to be saved by Christ and refuse to be sanctified Will Christ redeem those from the Curse who will not be redeemed from iniquity Jer. 7. 9. Will ye steal and murther and commit Adultery and swear falsly c. And come and stand before me in my House and say we are delivered to do all these abominations Will you do wickedly walk in all manner of wantonnesse lasciviousnesse lust excesses c. and then come and take hold of a Redeemer as if you were delivered to do all this wickednesse Is my House become a Den of Robbers Are the Redeemed of the Lord a generation of Rebels Enemies of all Righteousnesse Lyars Proud Covetous Blasphemers Are these the followers of the Lamb 'T is true the Apostle sayes Such were some of you 1 Cor. 6. 11. Yet he adds But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of our Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Christianity without Godliness this is a fancy indeed Let every one that nameth the Lord Jesus depart from iniquity either turn from iniquity or talk no more of Christ a Christian and an Infidel are not more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 than a Christian and a Libertine Take heed sinners and let not the Gospel undo you let not Mercy damn you put not your Faith to do the sad office of infidelity Beloved let it never be said while the Just live you must die by your Faith this is like to be your case you would never have dared so to have slighted Holiness and persisted in sin had it not been for your trust in Christ You must count Christ to be no Christ no Redeemer or but an half or deceitful Redeemer if you count your selves good Christians while you are yet in your sins You must have another Christ another Gospel ere ever you can be saved in your sinful state Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them which are in Jesus Christ who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit This is Gospel wherein you have the Redeemeds Charter and the Redeemeds Character His Charter He shall not come into condemnation His Character He walks not after the flesh but after the Spirit that is He is a man of a godly life Whom doth the Gospel secure from condemnation Why those that are in Christ But who are they Why only those who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit those that walk otherwise can have no benefit by the Gospel You all stand as convicted malefactors guilty of death you have sinned and what have you to say why you should not dye and have your sentence of condemnation past upon you May be you will call for a Psalm of mercy my Book Lord my Book the Gospel will I hope secure me No sinner thou canst not have it thou art one that livest after the flesh and canst not have the benefit of the Gospel This is the Law and the Gospel says not one word to reverse it If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye Christ never intended the benefit of his Redemption to any of you whether you would repent or no be holy or no you may as well write for Gospel this He that believeth shall be damned as this He that obeyeth not the Gospel shall be saved And you may as well say that sinning is serving of Christ as that those that live after the flesh obey the Gospel 4. The Doctrine of Regeneration is a real truth There are three things most evident concerning this 1. That there is such a change and that necessary to salvation 2. That this is a great and mighty change 3. That this is an inward and Soul-change 1. That there is such a grace as Regeneration and that necessary to salvation 1 Joh. 3. 3. Verily verily or truly truly or certainly except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God 2. That the change that is wrought by Regeneration is a great and a mighty change it is as great as the making something of nothing Regeneration is a new Creation it is as great as the raising up of persons from death to life Regeneration is a Resurrection You hath he quicked who were dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2. 1. There is as great a power as much of Divinity manifested in quickning a dead soul as in raising a dead body When God would confirm the faith of the Jews concerning their Conversion and Restauration after their cutting off which the Apostle tells us shall be as life from the dead he evidences that he was able to accomplish it by his making dry bones to live Ezek 37. 3. Can these bones live Son of man prophesie unto â—ese bones say unto them Oh ye dry bones hear the Word of the Lord 'T was a strange service the Prophet was put upon but yet â—e prophesies and behold there was a great shaking and bone came to his bone and they were covered with sinews and with flesh and the breath of life was breathed into them and they stood upon their feet a great Army These bones saith the Lord are the house of Israel and Judah That is as they lay in their state of rejection from God and if the Lord could not have made the bones to live he had failed of his confirmation of their faith touching the Redemption of this dead people When the Ministers of the Gospel are sent forth to preach to sinners it is even as likely a service as if they had been sent among the Tombs and the Graves to prophesie to the Skulls and the Bones and the dust of the dead And if there were not a Divine and Almighty power accompanying their Ministry their successe would be the same as if they had been preaching the beasts of â—he field into Men or of Stones attempting to raise up Children unto Abraham 3. It is an Inward Soul change Regeneration is â—he uniting of dead Souls to Christ Gal. 4. 19. My little Children of whom I travel in birth untill Christ be formed in you Here note three things 1. That the result of this union with Christ is a new Life 1 John 5. 12. He that hath the Son hath Life Generatio unius est corruptio alterius In this Generation there is a Death and a Life 1. A Death Colos 3. 3. Ye are dead that is Your sins are dead your old man is dead Our old man is crucified with him Rom. 6. 2. A Life There is new sense and motion there is a living power communicated to souls united to Christ whereby they are enabled to move and act in such an holy spiritual and heavenly way as was impossible before Grace is a living thing that spirits and animates all the Faculties a new that puts life into all the duties and performances of the Saints which though for the matter of them they might
whose blood speaks whose bowels speak whose spirit speaks Doth he speak for sinners and yet not for me 4. Their own necessity Sinners are necessitous Creatures they have nothing of value left them In the fulnesse of their sufficiency they are in straits As a sinner of an hundred years is but a child so a sinner of thousands by the year is but a beggar poor miserable blind and naked He can want nothing and yet doth want every thing that is good Sinne hath stript him to the skin stabâ—d him to the heart the iron hath entred into his Soul it hath left him nothing but wounds and bruises and putrifying sores Is this thy case sinner and hast thou nothing to say Spread thy wants and necessities before the Lord and let these speak for thee Learn of Beggars that come to thy door who if they have ever a sore or malady about them a blinde eye a lame leg a burnt hand a broken arm that they will be sure to open to move pity and procure an Alms. Their pinching hunger their parching thirst their naked backs their cold lodging thy door shall be sure to ring of Never a peâ—ny in my purse never a morsel of bread have I had for this long time their necessity will both make them to speak and help them to speak Sinner spread thy necessities before the Lord spread thy wants open thy wounds and thy sores tell him how desperately sad thy case is tell him of the guilt that is upon thy head the curse that is on thy back the plague that is in thy heart God of Bowels look hither behold what a poor blind dead hardned unclean guilty creature what a naked empty helplesse creature I am Look upon my sin and my misery and let thine eye affect thine heart One deep calls to another a deep of Misery cries out to a deep of Mercy Oh my very sins which cry so loud against me speak also for me My misery speaks my curses the woe and the wrath that lies upon me my bones speak my perishing Soul speaks and all cry in thine ears Help Lord God of pity help help and heal me help and save me Come unto me for I am a sinful man O Lord I dare not say as once it was said Depart from me for I am a sinful man Come Lord for I am a sinful man Thou couldst never come where is more need Who have need of the Physitian but the sick Come Lord I have too often said Depart from me but if thou wilt not say Depart to me I hope I shall never again say Depart to thee My misery saith come my wants say come my guilt and my sins say come and my soul saith come Come and pardon come and convert come and teach come and sanctifie come and save me Even so come Lord Jesus Thus you have the sinners plea. Poor Sinner Art thou willing to return from thy sins fear not to go to thy God Take thee some such words as these and go and tell the Lord that one of his poor Ambassadors told thee from him that he expects thee before the Throne of Grace and is ready if it be not thine own fault to grant thee mercy Go and the Lord help thee give thee thy hearts desire and fulfil all thy mind and for thy encouragement take along with thee this Scripture Isa 55. 6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is near Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for be will abandantly pardon 4. Pray in Faith James 1. 6. But let him ask in Faith You will here enquire What Faith is it that is necessary to our prevailing in prayer I answer Not onely the Faith mentioned by the Apostle Heb. 11. 6. He that cemeth to God must believe that God is Nor onely a perswasion that he is able to performe our petitions or that he is ready to answer those that seek him aright nor onely a perswasion concerning prayer that this is Gods Ordinance appointed by him as a means whereby we may obtain mercy from him Though all this be included in it yet this is not all The same faith is necessary to the acceptance of our prayers which is required to the acceptance of our persons That faith which gives a person interest in Christ will alone procure the acceptance of his prayers Now this faith puts forth in prayer a three-fold Act. 1. It presents and offers up the prayer in the Name of Christ Heb. 11. 4. By faith Abel offered his Sacrifice Faith carries our Prayers to our Mediator the great Master of Requests for his hand to be put to them without which they will not be regarded yea it puts them into his hand it saies unto Christ Lord Jesus take thou this prayer what infirmities there are in it do thou cover what sinnes thou findest in them do thou hide Mingle thy blood with my Sacrifice let thine incense ascend with my offering and thus let it be carried before the Throne of Grace where that it may speak for me let thy blood speak for it 2. It depends and relies upon God through Christ for acceptance and performance It eyes and leans upon the Promise of God which in Christ is Yea and Amen and setting to its seal that God is true upon this it stayes it self 3. It works the heart to a confidence or a confident perswasion that God for Christs sake will hear and answer 1 John 5. 14. This is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us But here consider that this confident perswasion that God doth hear and accept us however it ar gues an higher degree of Faith and brings in much Peace and Comfort to the heart and if it be well grounded is a good Argument that the Lord intends to fulfil our desires yet is it not so necessary to the acceptance of our Prayers but that they may be heard where this is wanting If the former Acts have been put forth if there hath been a presenting them in the hands of our Mediatour joyned with some little staying of our hearts upon the Promise though there be a great fear upon the spirit that God doth not regard them yet for all this they may not be rejected I fear saith a doubting Saint I fear the Lord will not hear me nor regard my prayers there is so much sin in them so many weaknesses wandrings distrâ—sts distractions that I much doubt whether the Holy God will ever have respect to them but such as they are there I leave them in the hands of my Advocate I leave mine Offering on the Altar as poor as it is it is the best I have and though I much question whether it will be accepted yet there I leave it waiting what answer the
true heart Heb. 10. Let us be undâ—filed or upright in the way of the Lord Psal 119. 1 Let our works be found perfect before him Let us love in truth let us speak the truth in love let all our paths be mercy and truth Let our hearts be in every word in every step of our lives let the heart do all let the heart pray let the heart hear let the heart give and lend and forgive Let the grace of our hearts do all Let Faith pray and Obedience hear and Repentance celebrate our Fasts Let wisdom guide let Truth speak let Mercy give let Love forgive let Patience bear and Long-suffering forbear let Temperance feed us Humility cloath us and integrity preserve us Let Grace do all and let God have all let Pride have nothing Covetousness nothing and Envie nothing let Lust neither bear a part in our doings nor eat any of the fruit of our doing Let there be written on all we have or do Holiness to the Lord. Let us be more desirous to be holy than to be acounted so to be merciful and just and humble and patient than to be accounted such to have a good conscience in the sight of God than to obtain a name amongst the best of men If we be not reckoned amongst the ablest Christians for Gifts for Parts and Endowments let it content us that we are Christians If we be not the most skilful Christians if our fruits be not the fairest and most beautiful yet let them be fruits brought forth unto God the right fruit sound fruit If what we do be weakly done yet let it be â—onestly done Let us be Nathaniels Israelites indeed in whom is no guile So plain-hearted and single-hearted in all our ways that though our Adversaries do yet neither our God nor our consciences may call us Hypocrites Let us be able to appeal to God as the witness of our integrity Lord thou knowest that I love thee thou knowest that my heart is with thee Let us be able to commit our selves and our waies unto the Lord as he that shall plead for us against all the slights and censures of men My God shall plead my cause my God shall answer for me Brethren Sincerity will give us boldnesse before the Lord We shall be able to lift up our faces in his Presence and look in his Face in peace and he that can be bold with God may be bold with all the world He that can look God in the Face may look his accusers in the face his Despisers and Persecutors in the face He that can freely appeal to God can boldly appear before men The sinners in Sion are afraid fearfulness surprizeth Hypocrites The sense of their guilt and guile sides with every danger that they are in strengthen 〈◊〉 very feer that comes upon them makes their own hearts to fall upon themselves puts a sting into every cross starves them out of all their comforts To God they dare not look to Conscience they dare not remember they are forsaken of all their supports and left to shake and sink under every trouble that comes upon them 'T is innocency that hath boldness dare to be upright and fear nothing Go thy way ear thy bread with joy drink thy wine with a merry heart for God accepteth thy works II. Be steady and even in all your goings Be not off and on in and out Prov. 4. 24 26 27. Prov. 33 17. Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long Alone in company at home abroad in thy duties in thy business in thy recreations all the day and every day let tomorrow be as this day and next day as to morrow In this evenness and equality of our lives stand the beauty and comlinesse of them when all the several parts of them bear their due proportion each to other Let your wayes be conform to the Canon and let them be uniform be like unto God and then be ever like your selves be unchangeable We appear almost so many men as we live daies or come into companies We have more of the Moon than of the Sun little light but many changes and spots Let not your conversation be so checker'd let not Christians be speckled birds let there not be so many black among your whites sometimes something of God sometimes as much of the flesh What a deformitie is it to a new Garment to have here and there a companie of old rotten patches Now a little of God and then as much of the Devil now serious in the Spirit and then in the flesh now serious and savourie by and by frothie and vain this hour in a Divine Rapture and the next in a fleshly frolick now a little of Godliness and then a patch of sensualitie Be Christians â—â—nd be ever your selves do not change your Hearts with your Companie Be not of those vain ones who can cast themselves into any shape can suit themselves to any Times or Companies Who can weep with those that weep and mourn with them that mourn and pray with them that pray and can also laugh and be merry and jolly with those that are so Let all your goings be established be ever in the fear of the Lord. III. Be fruitful That ground is counted fruitful which bringeth forth good Fruit and which bringeth forth much Fruit. I have alreadie directed you how to bring forth good Fruit now let me presse you to see to it that your Fruits do abound 1 Cor. 15. 58. Alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord. Jam. 3. 17. The wisdom which is from above is pure and peaceable c. and full of good fruit John 15. 18. Here in is my Father glorified that ye bring forth much fruit Rom. 6. 19. As you have yeilded your members servants to uncleannesse and to iniquity unto iniquity even so now yield your members servants to Righteousnesse unto Holiness You have been the servants of sin be ye now the servants of Righteousnesse and be ye as free and as forward and as fruitful in the service of righteousnesse as ever you have been in the service of sin You have added sin to sin unrighteousnesse to uncleaness iniquity to inquity A sin hath abounded and multiplied its fruits sâ—â— let grace also abound and bring forth its fruits abundantly Let your lives be as much filled up with the works of righteousnesse and mercie and holinesse as they have been with the works of the flesh Brethren time was when a little sin could not suffice you a little sporting a little pleasure would not serve your turn you thought you would never have enough of the world and the lusts and vanities of it why prove your selves now to be as heartily the servants of Christ as ever you were the servants of sin by being fruitfully his as ever you were fruitful to sin If Christ be a better Master and a better Pay-Master let him have more and more chearful services Bring forth good fruits and
have been done before yet they were but the dead carcasses of duties rather than the things themselves 2. This new Life is a nâ—w Nature the Saints participation of the Nature of Christ a change of the qualities of the soul they are new Creatures that have passed the new Birth The second Adam as well as the first brings forth his Children in his own likeness The divine Birth is the bringing forth of the divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. As they said vainly the Gods are come down in the likeness of men It may be here said truly Men are raised up in the likeness of God renewed after his Image made partakers of his holiness Those that put any thing less in this charge than the new creature make Regeneration to be as very a contradiction as the Popish Transubstantiation Bread is made a God and yet bread is still a brute is made a Saint and yet remains a brute still A God under the accidents of bread and a Saint under the qualities of a Swine 3. This new nature is a glorious nature comprehending in it that divine light whereby the Saintâ— are inabled to understand and look into the depths of eternity the invisible things of God the mysteries of the glorious Gospel that divine love and faith and hope and the whole train of glorious graces together with those principles of righteousness Truth Mercy Charity c. whereby they are made capable of injoying fellowship and communion with God of bearing his Name shewing forth his Vertues and Praises before the world and doing his will In sum it is the Image of God the Epistle of Christ written upon the Tables of their hearts And thus much those Scriptural expressions New creatures partakers of the Divine Nature partakers of his holiness children of light with the life do signifie and import What a strange piece of vanity should we make of the Scriptures if all these high and various expressions should signifie no more than that empty and pitiful thing that carnal men do count their Religion or godliness that ever that ignorant Sottish formal brutish generation which have no more of the knowledge of God than an Heathen no more of the life of God than a Stock no more of Religion than to say over a Prayer by rote So far from being partakers of the new Nature that they know not whether there be any such thing or what it is That ever such a blind senseless multitude should be imagined to be the persons whom the Scripture means by new Creatures the Children of God the Children of Light the Images of God Much more that those that live after the flesh who are proud covetous sensual filthy beastly in their conversations yet if they have been baptized and passed under that sacramental Regeneration and do but say now and then I repent or God forgive me that these also are the children of God and have all that new Birth which is necessary to their seeing the Kingdom of God Who can with any colour of reason imagine Such as can make themselves believe this have made such a forfeiture of their understandings that they may be like in time to believe that the Devil is God and that Hell is Heaven and may even take up the Alcoran for their Bible and let the Scriptures go for a Fable Sinners consider with your selves is there any such thing as the new Birth Can there be a New Birth without a New Life Doth Christ bring forth Dead Children or do dry bones live Doth the Gospel bring forth monstrous births Children without eyes without an head without an heart or with the heart of a beast under the face of a man Doth it bring forth Serpents Vipers Dogs Swine for its Children and must the Kingdom of Heaven be peopled with such Inhabitants as these If these be the Children of the Kingdom where or who are the Children of this World are the Nathaniels the Israelites indeed in whom there is no guile Are these the true seed and the Saints spurious are these the sons and the Saints bastards Or if you will let these vile ones of the earth go as none of the seed take the best of carnal men that have the fairest face of Religion and form of holiness without the in-side the new nature are these they Is the shadow the substance and the substance but a shadow To say that the inward life of godliness the spirit and soul of Christianity is but a conceit and this out-side is all this Christianity is as good reason as to affirm that a picture is a man and that a living man is but a picture and as good Divinity as I my self heard Preached at Oxford about thirty years since by a zealous Advocate for the lawfulness of Sports on the Lords Day who Preaching about the observation of the Sabbath and distinguishing betwixt the Substantial and the Circumstantial duties of that day said That Preaching is a Religious Ceremony Praying is a Religious Ceremony but bowing at the Name of Jesus standing at the Creed and Gospel Holy and Religious Feasting Holy and Religous Dancing these are the Substantials Hence it follows 1. That Regeneration is not a Suppositious change or the counterfeit of a change there is some difference hereby put betwixt persons and persons the Regenerate and the Unregenerate are not one and the same no more than the living and the dead 2. It is not a bare Relative change as Justification and Adoption are held to be there is a change of nature wrought by it and not barely of Relation 3. It is not a Superficial change or meerly outward that goes only skin-deep it is not as 't is said concerning Baptism only the washing away of the filth of the flesh the cleansing of the out-side and leaving lust to reign within Regeneration is the change of the man and not barely of the manner 4. In this change we may read all godliness we may read the use of things very much in their beings we may know wherefore they are much the better if we understand what they are Gods expectations may he read in his operations we may understand much of our work by observing Gods work upon us As God in making men living souls does thereby tell us he expects other things from them than from dead stocks and stones and in making them reasonable souls intimates that he expects they should live other lives than dogs or swine so in making them Christians making them partakers of the Divine Nature he makes it evident that he expects they should live another life than other men The new life or life of godliness may be read in our new birth or new natures The Regenerate are said Eph. 2. 10. To be created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God had before ordained that they should walk in them Created unto good works that notes two things 1. Intended to good works 2. Fitted to good works 1. That in their new
this duty upon you as your task but excite and encourage your selves to it by looking for a return think what it is that you would have and look to receive it The reason why we obtain no more in prayer is because we expect no more God usually answers us according to our own hearts Narrow hearts and low expectations have usually as little as they look for or desire large expectations are ordinarily answered with large returns Expectation will put life into action you will then pray with most enlarged hearts when you are most full of hopes the reward that is looked for in the Evening will much encourage and quicken the labour of the day fear not to expect too much from Heaven Be not straitned in in your own Bowels and you shall not be straitned in the God of bowels open thy Mouth wide and he will fill it God will never upbraid his Beggars for looking for too great an Almes he hath enough to supply them and he hath a heart to bestow it God will never say to you you are too bold you ask too much too much Grace too much holiness why cannot less content you God hath given you commission to ask what you will not to the one half but the whole of his Kingdome the Kingdome you shall have if no less will serve your turn Christians be thankfull for every little you receive but look for much be thankful for every little every little received from God is much A drop from that Fountain is worth the World yet content not your selves with some drops when if you will the Fountain may be yours The King of Glory loves to give like a King and will never say This is too much either for a King to give or a Beggar to receive Since he hath given you leave spare not to speak in large your desires and let your Eye be as big as your Belly God hath promised you and therefore you may promise your selves whatever you ask that is good for you you shall not ask in vain Oh if we had so much in our Eye when we come before the Throne of Grace we should be oftner there and yet still return with our load Well Christians remember this when ever you come to begg look to receive come not to prayer as to dry breast that is like to yield no milk or to an empty Cistern that will yield no water 3. Learn the skill to plead with God in Prayer Though the Breasts be full yet they must be drawn hard ere the milk will come Though the Lord be willing to give those that task yet he will have them first to prove they are in earnest Store of Arguments he hath furnished us with to press him withal but he will have us use them We must strive with God if we will prevail and the best striving is with his own weapons The counsel I give you in this is Plead hard with God but plead with him upon his own Arguments there are amongst many others these four grounds on which to bottom your plea 1. On God himself 2. On Christ 3. On the Promises 4. On Experiences 1. On God himself And there are two special things from which you may plead here 1. His gracious Nature Fetch your Arguments by which you plead with God for Mercy thence whence he originally fetched his Arguments to perswade himself to shew mercy from his own bowels from his gracious nature from his natural goodness and gracious inclination to mercy John 3. 16. God so loved the world that he grve his onely Son c. Eph. 1. 5. to vers 10. Having predestinated us to the adoption of Children by Jesus Christ unto himself according to the good pleasure of his Will to the praise of the glory of his Grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved in whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his Grace wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdome and prudence having made known unto us the mystery of his Will according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed of himself Here we have heaped up in a few words the Riches of Mercy which God hath bestowed on his People Christ his beloved Redemption through Christ and the forgiveness of our sins the adoption of Children acceptance in his fight the Revelation of the Mystery of his Will or the discovering or making known these glorious mercies to us But whence is all this who is it or what was it that perswaded the Lord to this aboundant kindness Why all this arose from himself He purposed it in himself He consulted no other Argument but what he found in his own heart it was from his love the-good pleasure of his Will his Grace the Riches of his Grace wherein he hath abounded towards us Hosea 11. 8 9. How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee up Israel I cannot do it I will not do it I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger I will not destroy Ephraim But why wilt thou be angry Lord why wilt thou not destroy Ephraim Oh sayes the Lord Mine heart is turned within me my heart sayes Spare him my Bowels say Destroy him not I am God and not Man I love him and my love is the love of a God I have compassion on him and my compassion is the pity of a God I will bear with him I am a God of Patience Love is my nature Pity and Mercy and Compassion are my nature I cannot destroy Ephraim but I must deny mine own Nature Love and Pity and Mercy and Goodness are essential to God He can as soon cease to be God as to be Gracious and this is the Fountain of all our Mercy Hence Christ sprung hence the Gospel came and all the Unsearchable Riches of Mercy prepared for poor lost and undone creatures When you come to pray fetch your Arguments hence Plead with the Lord upon his own nature his Natural Love Grace and Goodness Thus we finde the Apostle Peter praying for the Christians to whom he wrote 1 Pet. 5. 10. The God of all Grace make you perfect stablish strengthen settle you Plead with the Lord in your Prayers as the Psalmist pleades with himself in his Affliction Psalm 77. 7 c. Will the Lord cast off for ever and will he be favourable no more Is his Mercy clean gone for ever hath God forgotten to be Gracious hath he in anger shut up his tender Mercies Is his Mercy clean gone Hath God forgotton to be gracious That men should be merciless that men should forget themselves and their Friends in their low estate is no such wonder But hath God who is all Grace all Mercy all Pity hath God forgotten Doth Mercy cease to be merciful Grace cease to be gracious do Compassions cease to be pitiful Hath God not onely forgotten his servant but forgotten himself Remember thy self Lord thine own
Heart thine own Soul and according to it remember me 2. His glorious Name The Lords Nature is to be gracious and according to his Nature such is his Name Exod. 34. 6. The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth This is an Argument which the Lord puts into the mouths of his People telling them Ezek. 36. 21 22. I had pity for my Holy Name this I do not for your sakes but for â—y Holy Names sake And upon this we find them frequently pleading with him Psal 31. 3. For thy Names sake lead me and guide me Jer. 14. 21. Do not abhor us for thy Names sake do not disgrace the Throne of thy Glory remember break not thy Covenant with us Go you and do likewise 2 On Christ And there are four things from which you may plead with God upon this account 1 The Lords giving of Christ to you as your Lord and your Saviour Upon which gift you may call him your own 2 The Purchase of Christ who hath bought from the hands of the Father all that you stand in need of He hath bought your Lives 1 Cor. 6â— Ye are bought with a price He hath bought you a livelihood hath purchased an Inheritance and Possession for you 1 Pet. 1. 3 The Interest that Christ hath in the Father being the Son of God the Son of his Love the Servant of God in whom his soul delights Isa 4â— 1 Behold my Servant whom I have chosen mine Elect in whom my soul delighteth whose Name is so precious and powerful with the Father that it will carry any suit obtain any request Job 16. 23. Whatever you ask the Father in my Name he will give it you 4 The Interest that you have in Christ As he is precious to his Father so you are precious to him as the Father can deny him nothing so he can deny his nothing John 14. 13 Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my Name I will do it He gives you Commission to put his Name upon all your requests and whatsoever prayer comes up with his Name upon it he will procure it an answer Now when you are praying for any mercy especially for any Soul-mercie make use of all these arguments Lord Hast thou given Christ unto me and wilt thou not with him give me all things I stand in need of Hast thou given me the Fountain and wilt thou deny me the Stream When I beg pardon of sin when I beg power against sin when I beg Holiness c. Is not all this granted me in thy gift of Christ to me Is Christ mine and is not his bloud mine to procure my pardon his Spirit mine to subdue mine iniquities Are these mine and wilt thou with-hold them from me Oh shall this guilt lie upon me these sins live in me these losts rule over me when by giving me in hand that whereof thou hast already given me a grant all this would be removed from me Look upon Christ Lord Thou hast said to me Look unto Jesue and give thy servant leave to say the same to thee Look thou upon Jesus and give out to me what thou hast given me in giving of him to me Look upon the purchase of Christ Do I want any thing or desire any thing but what my Lord hath bought and paid for and thou hast accepted of the price Look upon the Name of Christ which thou mayest behold written upon every prayer I make Though thou mayest sâ—y for thy own sake thou shalt have nothing not a drop not a crumb yet wilt thou say nor for his Name sake neither Is not that Name still a mighty Name a precious Name before the Lord c. By these hints you may learn how to plead with God from any other arguments drawn from his promises your experience c. Quest But of what use is this our pleading with God and in what stead doth it stand us in order to our prevailing with him Ans 1 It is not of use to change the purpose of God to prevail with him to do that for us which before he resolved not to do but to bring forth his purposes into performance We may say concerning the purposes of God what himself says concerning the accomplishing of his Promise Ezek. 36. 37. Yet will I be euquired of by the House of Israel to do this for them Such praying fetches out those mercies which were in the heart of God and puts them into our hand 2. By pleading with God for audience we plead our selves into credence or the more firm belief the Lord acceps and will answer And if by all these Arguments we can plead our selves intoâ—a stronger faith our faith will certainly bring us down a fuller answer Quest 2. These Arguments the Saints may use In Prayer but is there no plea for poor natural men that are yet in their sins to make use of What may they say themselves when they come before the Lord Have you never a word to put in their mouths They have more need of Arguments then any What shall they say Answ 1. I shall premise That its the duty of meer natural men to pray For 1. Prayer is a part of Gods Natural Worship If there were no positive Law requiring it yet the Law of Nature enjoynes it and no man is exempted from the Obligation of the Law of Nature 2. Otherwise it were none of their sin to neglect and restrain Prayer where no Law is there is no Transgression Now we finde in Scripture that neglect of Prayer is reckoned up amongst wicked mens sins Psal 14. 3. 4. They are altogether become filthy c. they call not upon God Sin though it doth disable yet it doth not disoblige to Duty Object That which is usually objected against this is God heareth not sinners The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord Now no man is bound to offer up to God an abominable thing better offer up nothing than an abomination Sol. In answer to this consider There are two sorts of sinners Resolved Sinners and Returning Sinners and accordingly there are two sorts of Prayers made by Sinners 1. Dissembling prayers mocking and lying Prayers Hos 11. 12. Ephraim compasseth me about with lyes lying Sacrifices lying Devotions makes as if he had a minde to know me and serve me when it is not in his heart and such prayers are made use of either as râ—vail to hide and cover their wickedness and to make them appear to men to be righteous or else as an Engine or Device to quiet and pacifie their consciences in a course of sin They make confessing of sin to serve instead of forsaking of sin praying to serve instead of repenting their prayers help them to sin the more freely They think they may go out with any thiâ—g if when they have done iniquity they do but pray for forgiveness Such prayers are an abomination to God and a desolation
Lord will give I doubt not but such a Prayer will be heard and my ground is this as it is the justification or acceptance of our persons so it is in the acceptance of our duties 〈…〉 our person will doubt less justifie our prayers and that weakness or wavering which will not hinder the one will neither hâ—nder the other Now it is universally granted that our persons may be justified even when we are strongly perswaded of the contrary and know no reason why the like must not be granted concerning our prayers I note this the rather for the support and comfort of many of the poor weakling servants of Christ or such as are in a troubled or deserted estate who after they have sign'd out their broken prayers because their own misgiving hearts return them a negative answer conclude that God doth so too my prayers are lost the Lord doth not regard them Why how can you tell God doth not regard them How can I tell why I cannot believe the Lord will hear none but the Pâ—ayers of Faith and I cannot believe I cannot be perswaded that God doth hear But by what hath been said you may perceive your â—â—istake you cannot be perswaded that God hears you therefore you do not believe Why you may even then believe when you want this perswasion Have you offered up your Prayers in the Name of Christ Have you committed them to his hand to present them to his Father and leaving them with him and adventuring them upon his Interest can you now but wait what answer the Lord will give This is that Faith which will secure your Prayers from being lost Having thus in brief shewed you what it is to pray in Faith what remains but that you practice accordingly study the Attributes of God his Power Goodness Mercy and Truth Study Christ his Office Interest Sufficiency and Faithfulness study the Promises and the stability of them let your faith set its seal to all this that God is good merciful mighty and true that Christ will be faithful in his Office that his Name is mighty with the Father that the Promises of God are in him Yea and Amen Strengthen your selves here and so go before the Lord let God be in your heart Christ be in your hand the Promise in your eye when ever there is a Prayer in your mouth Let your Prayer be so presented your dependance be so settled and your confidence as much as may be so raised as before you have been directed or whether you can attain to this confience or no yet do not fail of such dependance and then see what a rich return your prayers will sooner or later bring down upon you But he that will pray without thus believing let not that man think to receive any thing of the Lord and if he doth get nothing let him not lay the blame on Prayer as if this were an empty useless thing but on his unbelief The answer which God gives to Prayer is alwayes this Be it unto thee according to thy Faith And in this is included Be it unto thee according to thy unbelief This is the first means or help to a godly life Prayer THe second special Duty I shall direct you in is holy Meditation And touching this my purpose is not to insist upon the general nature of it but onely to give you some directions for your putting it in practice The directions which I shall give shall be such as concern 1. The matter of it 2. The Method Concerning the former I shall reduce the chief matters to be ordinarily meditated on to seven heads which as I shall afterwards advise may save an Head for a day and so in every week you may go over the whole I. Head concerning God BEgin with him who is the beginning of all things in whom we have our being in whose nature as well as his will is the very foundation of Religion In the spiritual nature of God is the reason of our spiritual worship his wisdom is the reason of our submission to him his power of our dependance on him his holinesse of our conformity to him his justice of our fear his goodnesse of our love his truth of our trust his grace of our prayers his glory of our praiser Now there are two things especially that I may contract all into as narrow a room as possible which you may pitch your thoughts and exercise your meditations upon concerning God Namely his Dreadfulnesse Goodnessâ— Direct 1. In order to the bringing you to a due apprehension and sense of the dreadfulness of God set before your eyes what the Scriptures speak of the Majesty Glory Omnipotenâ—â— Omniscience Holiness Severity and Righteousness of God The Scriptures speak of the Name of God as a fearful Name Deut. 28. 58. That thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful Name the Lord thy God And this dreadfulness of God is set forth 1 By the greatness of his power Jer. 5. 22. Fear ye not me saith the Lord Will ye not tremble at my presence Luk. 12. 5. 2 By the immensity of his Nature Psal 139 7. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit Whither shall I flee from thy presence 3 By the Glory of his Holiness Exod. 15. 11. Who is like unto thee O Lord who art glorious in Holiness fearful in Praises doing Wonders 4 By his Justice and Severity Hebrews 10. 31. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God Heb. 12. 29. For our God is a consuming Fire Direct 2. That you may understand and be duly affected with the goodness of God confider what the Scripture speaks concerning his All-sufficiency loving Kindness Mercie Faithfulness Patience c. Gen. 15. 1. Fear not Abraham I am thy Shield and thy exceeding great Reward Psal 36. 7 8 9. Thy mercie O Lord is in the Heavens and thy Faithfulness reacheth unto the Clouds How excellent is thy loving Kindness O God therefore the Children of Men put their â—ust in â—hee They shall be abundantly satisfied with thy fatness for with thee is the Fountain of Life in thy Light we shall see Light Psal 10. 5. For his anger endureth but a moment in his favour is Life Psal 73. 26. My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Psal 91. 4. He shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust his Truth shall be thy Shield and Buckler Psal 84. 11. The Lord God is a Sun and a Shield These Scriptures set forth the Lord as a sufficient portion wherein his people may be happy and a sure refuge wherein they may be safe He is a Fountain of Light Life Joy Rest Peace Everlasting blessedness and Everlasting safety He is the inheritance of the Saints wherein they shall be satisfied and their defence wherein they shall be safe for ever Direct 3. Ask thy heart these Questions Quest 1. Is not this God worthy
for you I must not damn my soul to please my flesh Touching the practice of this Duty take these two further Directions 1. Every day morning and evening set apart sometime for secret prayer and when you go to pray do not rush inconsiderately upon it but first sit down and take one of those Heads meditate on what the Scriptures speak upon them and then propose the several questions to your hearts and when you find your hearts affected and warmed by these Meditations then fall to prayer 2. Let each mornings Meditation be ordinarily matter for your thoughts to work on and for discourse that day unless providence cast in and calls you to some other profitable subjects The matter of Meditation is purposely divided into seven Heads to the end you may take one of the Heads for each dayes Meditation and so in every week you may go over the whole being the chief things of Religion And thus continuing from day to day from week to week you will be both more thorowly acquainted and more deeply affected with the things of God and will find through his blessing more liveliness and enlargement in Prayer and more comfortable successe Only take heed of formalitie of resting in the work done of going on in a round of Duty without a due regard to the end of Duty Let this be your aim in all to get your hearts more fixed upon and affected with the things of the world to come more enlarged and quickned and more effectually carried on in that course of holy and heavenly walking the end whereof is everlasting life But now least any should complain that this course is too tedious and that which they cannot have time daily for or that by reason of ignorance or want of helps they cannot perform it I shall adde this that such persons who are weaker in their understandings and thence unable to go through with this course and all others at such seasons as they are unavoidably straitned for time nay instead of the larger take this shorter course When ever thou settest upon the Duty of prayer sit down and ask thy heart these Questions Quest 1. What am I am I a Believer or an unbeliever converted or unconverted do I think in my Conscience I belong to God or do I not fear I am yet the child of the Devil Quest 2. What do I what are my wayes are they such as please the Lord and tend to the Salvation of my Soul or are they the wayes of death and damnation Quest 3. Before whose presence do I now stand Is it not before the Lord the Almighty God who is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him and the avenger of those that slight or rebel against him Quest 4. What am I come before the Lord about Is it not to plead with him for my soul to beg my life at his hands to beg my pardon and redemption from everlasting death and to obtain grace for the salvation of my Soul This short and 〈◊〉 course would be some advantage thou 〈…〉 that are able and can redeem so much 〈…〉 would commend the constant use of 〈…〉 â—rections THe third special Duty I shall direct you in is Self-examination It is of great use to the carrying us on in an holy course to know our state For By the knowledge of our state we shall the better know our work when we know what we are we shall the better know what we have to do If the question be What must I do to be saved The answer of that will depend upon another question How far forth am I come already Am I converted or unconverted in a state of sin or in a state of grace Let that question be first answered and the answer of the other will be easie 2 By the knowledge of this that we are in a good estate we shaâ—l have much encouragement to hasten on Assurance will quicken and encourage us on in the way of holyness Those that aâ—firm that the Doctrine of assurance is a licentious Doctrine and serves for nothing but to maintain men in a loose lazy and idle life understand not what they say nor whereof they affirm 'T is all one as if they affirmed That the more assurance any person hath of the love of God the less he will love God or that the more he loves God the less care he will take to serve or please him Those that know no other motive to Duty but fear may preach such Doctrine but those that have found the quickning and constraining power of love must lay down both their reason and sense too before they can believe it The way to know our selves is to search and examine our selves 1 Cor. 13. 4. Examine your selves prove your selves know ye not your own selves Now to help you in this duty of Self-examination I shall give you these two Directions 1. When you set to examine your selves by any marks or signs In the first place examine your Marks that you would try your selves by If you would prove your selves whether you have true grace or no by any mark that 's given examine that Mark by the Scriptures whether it be a certain and infallible sign of grace so that you may be bold to conclude that if you can find this Mark in you you are undoubtedly in the state of grace That 's a proper mark of true grace which whosoever hath it hath grace and whosoever hath it not hath not grace If you take that for a mark of true grace which is common to Saints and Sinners you may take your selves to have grace when you have none And if you take a mark to try your selves by which is proper to Saints but is not common to all Saints you may take your selves to have no grace when you have The former mistake may lose you your peace this may lose you your souls therefore Christians be wary here try your marks before you try your selves by them 2. For the matter of your enquiry let it be 1. Whether you are gotten into the way of life or not or whether you are translated out of a state of sin and death into a state of grace and salvation And if so then 2. Whether you be in a thriving or flourishing state or in a languishing or decayed state To help you in the former tryal I might only send you back to those directions formerly given concerning your closure with Christ whence it will not be difficult to gather some certain marks to try your selves by but I shall add two or three more wherein let it not be offensive to any that I follow that light which I have received from the worthy labours of that faithful Servant of Christ Mr. Baxter whence I confess my self to have through mercy grown into the fuller acquaintance with mine own heart and which I shall therefore the rather make use of for the help and benefit of others 1. Mark 1. Wheresoever there is true
leave these evil fruits to grow only on evil trees where we can expect nothing else Whilst we cannot look to gather Grapes of Thorns or Olive-berries of Thistles let not the fruit of the Bramble or the â—rickles of the Thistle be found sprouting out of â—he root of the Olive Let the Saints still be found what they were of old Doves Lambs Lillies â—mong Thorns Let there be nothing that hurts or â—ffends in all the Mountain of the Lord. Let the â—ricking briar and grieving thorn be rather in our sides than in our mouths Let blessing and praising and praying and intreating take up all the room that there be no place left for wrath and contention And whilst we take this care about our words let us take as great a care about our works Let there be no virulence in our â—ongues nor violence in our hands Let there be no deceit in our Lips nor falshood in our dealings Let us speak the words of truth and sobernesse and let us keep the way oâ— righteousnesse and peace Let us walk humbly with God and let us do justly and love mercy and live peaceably with men Let good words and good works meet together let Religion and Righteousnesse kiss each other let peace spring up out of the Earth as Grace hath looked down from them Let us add to our Faith Vertue and to Vertue Knowledge to Knowledge Temperance to Temperance Patience to Patience Godlinesse to Godliness brotherly Kindnesse to brotberly Kindnesse Charity Finally whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely what so ever things are of good report if there be any Vertue if there be any Praise think on these things Brethren so speak ye and so walk these things do live in peace and love and the God-peace shall be with you 2. In special Carry your selues well in anâ— towards your Families You that are Governour of Families you have more souls than your own to look to You have curam animarum the chargâ— of souls lying upon you You are not only to look to your Families in matters civil but in matters of Religion In the Law the Master of the Family was by the appointment of God to circumcise all the males in his house In the fourth Commandment the Master of the Family is charged not only to keep the Sabbath himself but to see that his whole Family kept it Thou shalt do no work therein and no only so but neither thy Son nor thy Daughter c. Parents are required Ephes 6. 4. To bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord to nurse them up for God to nourish them up in the words of Faith and good Doctrine to suckle their souls with the milk of the Word as well as their bodies with the Milk of the breasts Now where there is a charge of Souls there must be an account given of Souls When there is a Child brought forth or a Servant brought into thy Family God sayes to thee as the man in the Prophets parable 1 King 20. 39. Keep this man look to this man if he be lost Thy Life shall go for his Life If any in the house perish through thy neglect thy Life shall go for his life thy Soul shall go for his Soul This is thy charge and if thou be not faithful so shall thy Judgment be But what must we do for the right ordering and governing our Families Why 1. Instruct your Families teach them the way of the Lord dwell in your Houses as men of knowledge and make God known to all yours by reading and acquainting them with the Scriptures which are able to make them wise unto Salvation by Catechizing them c. 2. Endeavour their Conversation to God by speaking often to them of the faithfulnesse and misery of their natural state of the nature and necessity of conversion by enquiring often into the state of their Souls 3. Bring them into Covenant with God as you have already done it vertually in bringing thâ—m to be baptized so when they are grown up and well instructed in the principles of Christianity and made sensible of their baptismal Engagement endeavour to bring them to an express dedicating and engaging themselves to the Lord according to those directions that have been formerly given to Christians in general 4. Teach them to pray and call upon them often and see to it that they neglect it not 5. Pray for them and pray with them 6. Dispense your favours and frowns your corrections and encouragements not only as they are more or less towardly to you-ward but as they are more or less tractable and careful in the matters of God 5. In your disposal of them either to callings or in marriage have a special regard to the advantage of their Souls I can now but name these particulars which I have formerly more largely insisted on and pressed upon you 8. Be examples of holinesse to them walk in the midst of your house with a perfect heart do not unteach them by your practice what they have learned from your instructions do not teach them to slight your words by the unsuitableness of your wayes to them For a conclusion of the whole observe farther these four general directions 1. Be Sincere 2. Be Steady 3. Be fruitful 4. Be Stedfast I. In your whole course and all the particular actions of it be sincere Sincerity is not a distinct grace but notes the truth of every grace and gracious aicton There is a sincerity of Our State Our Actions 1. There is a sincerity of our state That notes the uprightness of our hearts in the main and hath been already desoribed in the directions I have given in the duty of self-examination 2. There is a sincerity of our actions This is two-fold either such as respects particular and single actions or the series of our actions our whole course 2 Cor. 11. 12. This is our rejoycing the testimony of our Conscience that in all simplicity and godly sincerity not in fleshly wisdom but by the Grace of God we have had our Conversation in the world in all simplicity and godly sincerity There is a natural sincerity and a godly sincerity natural sincerity imports no more but simplicity or plain-heartedness when there is no guile or deceit in any action no purpose to deceive no pretence of what is not intended no Conscience of any evil in what we do nor any evil intent in it In this sense God bears witnesse of Abimelecks integrity Gen. 20. 6. Testifying concerning his taking Abrahams Wife that he did it in the integrity of his heart that is he knew no evil in it He knew not that she was another Mans Wife nor intended any wrong to her Husband in it Then there is also a godly sincerity this supposes the sincerity of our state He cannot have his conversation in godly sincerity that is not first a godly man It concludes in
that befals I might be happy but this stands in my way If you would give God leave to be wiser than you you would say where-ever you are its good for me to be here this is my way to my â—est 3. The Providence of God hath faithfulness with it Psal 25. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that keep his Covenant and his Testimonies Psal 111. 8. His Works are done in truth Gods works may be said to be done in truth in a double sence In Reality In Fidelity 1. In Reality not in specie or in shew only but indeed Gods Comforts are Comforts indeed Gods Salvation is Salvation indeed The Devil will come with his gifts with his comforts and deliverances but they are for the most part but spectra like himself shews and apparitions quite another thing than what they seem to be sinners comforts deliverances enjoyments wherewith the Devil feeds them do leave them in as poor a case and worse than they found them you will never thank the Devil for his kindnesses when you have prov'd them what they are If you do not find your selves as fast bound in the midst of all your liberties if you be not wrapp'd up in as many sorrows after all the joys he hath procured to you if the glittering glories the glorying pleasures he entices you by and entertains you with prove not trash and dirt and meer lies in the end then say the Devil hath forgotten his trade of lying the Devils works will be even like himself false and deceitful But God is true and all his works are done in truth 2. In Fidelity his Works are according to his word 1 King 8. 24. Thou hast spoken with thy mouth hast fulfilled with thine hand In thy faithfulness thou hast afflicted me Psal 119. Not only in thy faithfulness thou hast saved me in thy faithfulness thou hast comforted me in thy faithfulness thou hast succoured me but in thy faithfulness thou hast afflicted me in thy faithfulness thou hast humbled and broken me and cast me down The promise of God is that we shall want nothing we shall neither want his Staffe nor his Rod neither comforts nor crosses neither joys nor sorrows we cannot well want either and we shall want neither because God is faithful You may not only write down with the Apostle God is faithful and will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able to bear but you may write also God is faithful and will not suffer you to want a temptation When 't is seasonable your hearts shall be glad and if need be for a season you shall be in heaviness God is faithfull he will ever be true to himself and therefore to you 2 Tim. 2. 9. He abideth faithful he cannot deny himself Should he be false to his people he cannot be true to himself to his purpose and promise his Word is not yea and nay God is not as man that he should lye or the Son of man that he should repent that he should say and unsay that he should say and not do you may write Gods name upon every word he hath spoken you may write his Name I Am upon all that he hath said It shall be Now Christians put these three Particulars together and if you cannot spel out the conclusion out of them the Providence of God will certainly accomplish his good Purpose and Promise concerning you You are of little understanding as well as of little Faith If God governs the World and nothing comes to pass but by his Providence if Providence governs according to Gods Purpose and promise if Providence cannot fail of accomplishing both If God be Almighty and can if God be Wise and knowes how if God be Faithfull and true let the Devil if he can with all his Sophistry evade the Conclusion That he will certainly do all that good for you which he hath purposed and promised If God be not able to perform he is not good if he mistake his way if he use impertinent improper means he is not the All-wise God If he do not actually perform what he is able and knows how to do when he hath said it he ceases to be the true God So that the matter is brought plainly to this Issue If God be God if God be the All-wise God if God be the true and faithful God this word which he hath spoken All things shall work together for good to those that love God shall not fail of its accomplishment in its season Having thus proved the Doctrine I shall after I have added a few words by way of Caution and answered an Objection or two against the Sence I have given of this Promise and subjoyned a few particular Inferences descend to the general Application 1. By way of Caution 1. Limit not the Lord to your time and way God will make good his word but you must give him leave to take his own season He that believesh shall not make hast believe God but do nor prejudge nor precipitate least you fall into temptation Put no more into the promise neither for matter nor circumstance then God hath put in it put not that into the Promise which God hath not put in it lest you miss and come short of that which God hath put in it Let others mistakes and miscarriages be warnings to you till God hath manifestly said do not you say This is the time build not your confidence on conjectures your Faith on the strongest Presumptions lest your Faith prove but a fancy and your confidence your confusion make not the promise of God of none effect by looking for its effect out of season Believe not your selves into Infidelity Consider Acts 1. 7. It is not for you to know the times and the seasons which God hath put in his own Power Study the Word and its commentary the Works of God but be sober in your Conclusions This you may safely depend upon and this will be enough if you have no more God will make good his good Word to you sooner or later in one time or other in one way other in the best time in the best way in the appointed time the Vision shall speak and shall not lye Habak 2. 3. Though it may tarry wait for it because it will surely come and will not tarry At least at the end of the days When you shall stand in your lott when you shall be gotten on the banks of Canaan and shall thence look back on the Promises and Providences of God ye shall see and say God is faithful there hath not failed one word of all that he hath promised Now I understand though once I could not how every Wheel was turning every Instrument was moving every event was working toward my good and everlasting welfare 2. Let not your expectation cause an abortion Let not your looking for mercy hinder the working of your affliction It is not seldom and
me so I can be in pain in disgrace If thou wilt have me But I cannot be unholy I cannot bear it to be such a starveling in the state of my Soul Lord for more holiness Lord for more life and care and zeal and fruit let me have it upon what terms thou pleasest only let me have it Can you say thus to the Lord I hope you can what and yet be displeased it he take you at your word can you pray thus and yet repine and murmur that the Lord hears your prayers Christian when the Lord comes to deal roughly with thee entertain his chastisements whatever they be with this thought Now the Lord is about to give me my hearts desire now is my day of hope This distress this sorrow and anguish the Lord hath brought upon me may be come to perform that work which I have long'd to see What the Word hath been so long a doing and yet is not done What Sacraments Prayers Mercies have been so long a doing and yet is not done Now is the time this may be the means to bring it about This bitter Cup hath health in the bottom this Plough and these deep furrowes it makes look towards an Harvest The work is doing that I have been so long a begging This froward this senseless this sloathful this earthly barren heart which I feel to day I hope now in a little time I shall be rid of for ever If this be the meaning of my troubles as I hope it is I will wait I will wait for the fruit and if this be the fruit oh welcom welcom this blessed Providence 6. Your patient suffering shall be the advance of your glory Remember what I have told you already Your suffering shall go into your reward according to your deep poverty so shall your riches be As 't was said concerning Babylon Rev. 18. 7. How much she hath glorified her self and lived deliciously so much sorrow and torment give her So shall it be said concerning you How much they have been abased and afflicted for me so much Joy and Glory give them As sure as the persecuâ—ings of the ungodly shall meet them in hell so certainly shall the Persecutions of the Righteous meet them before the Throne of God This shall be written on their everlasting Crowns Here is the Patience of the Saints By this time you see Christians that a suffering state is not so formidable nor patience under it so impossible nor your impatience so excusable as your hearts are so apt to tell you Sufferings you cannot avoid but you may abide them your carnal hearts will cry out I can't endure and therefore whatever shift I make I must avoid them The Gospel tells you You may endure but if you will be Christians you can't avoid them All that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution Well since it 's thus Gird up the loins of your Minds and follow your Lord. Consider him that endured such contradictions of Sinners and be not weary noâ— faint in your minds The Captain of your salvation was made perfect through sufferings and if you will be patient so shall you his followers Turn to your strong hold ye Prisoners of hope prove to the world that your Faith is no fancy nor your Rock a refuge of lies that your profession of holiness is not a meer talk or vapour Fear not to bear yours and thankfully accept your Lords Testimony when the Lord hath fulfilled his sad Predictions let your faith and patience seal to the fulfilling his promises When-ever the hand of the Lord touches to the quick and you feel in earnest that 't is hot service to be a Christian when your flesh begins to fly in your face and cries out against your Soul either as Zippâ—rah against Moses a bloody Husband hast thou been to me or as Job's Wife to him Curse God and dye chide it into silence Thou speakest like one of the foolish Women If it will still kick and â—ling and groan out to thee dost thou still retain thy integrity hearken not to it leave it to groan alone as the flesh hath left thy Soul to groan alone under sin so let thy Soul leave thy flesh to groan alone under affliction While thy Soul is quiet there 's the glory of patience though extremity of torment make thy flesh to roar nay the more the flesh roars and the Soul yet keeps silence the more patience If your fears affright you and prophecy to you before hand Oh I shall never be patient if the fore-sight be so dreadful what will the encounter be Yet be not discouraged You say you could be content to suffer if you were sure you could be patient that is you would venture into the water if you had first learn'd to swim why when you are in then you will learn and not before Tribulation worketh patience where it findeth none when you are in the fight you 'l find your weapons your very sufferings will learn you to bear 'T is the flesh that flings and frets but by that it hath been tamed in the house of affliction it will be quieter Be jealous of your selves while you will let not fore-hand presumption hinder fore-hand preparation But whilst you suspect your selves distrust not your God follow the Cloud of Witnesses and lean on the Rock of Ages and when you are put hardest to it let your soul take Sanctuary here When my flesh and my heart faileth me God is the strength of mine heart and my portion for ever Lastly As that wherein I shall take in most of these former particulars Let your lives answer that Spirit of holiness which the Gospel hath powred forth upon you Let your lives be gracious and holy lives Particularly 1. Let the Grace of the Gospel be visible and perspicuous in your lives shew forth the vertues of him that hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light Let your lives be the image of thot holy Doctrine or the holding forth of that word of Life which you have received Admire that grace of God which hath appeared to you and let his Grace appear and be admired in you let Grace appear in you in its Purity Power 1. In its Purity represent your God and your Christ and your Religion in its holiness to the world Teach the World to love or at least to reverence holiness by letting them see it before their eyes Holiness hath such a Glory in it that it will command respect and reverence when it is clearly seen Let your paths be pure as God hath separated you to separate your selves from the lusts of men to the Law of your God Keep your selves upright in the sight of God keep your selves unspotted of the world If they will be spotting you let it be only with your beauty spots your Wisdom Truth Holiness Mercy Meekness Patience the Excellencies and Vertues of your God appearing upon you Let this that you are too pure
to have no Assurance that he hath any at all If thou wouldest have power over Corruption if thou wouldest stand in the Day of temptation if thou wouldest not starve in the day of Famine if thou wouldest have the comfort of the Grace thou hast let it grow up to its fuller stature Grace when it is come to Age will speak for it self and shift for it self the better which whilest it is in its Infancie neither knows nor can help it self Christians let your Grace grow and let the Fruits of it increase Let your Fields ripen to the Harvest I may say concerning Sinners not as our Lord said Behold the Fields are already white to the Harvest but behold the Fields are already black to the Harvest The Word is ready to be given Come put in thy Sickle the Harvest is ripe the wickedness is great The Fields of Tares are already black to the Harvest But oh when shall it be said of you Behold the fields are white to the Harvest shall evil weeds grow so fast and shall only the good Corn be at a stand Brethren Let your Fruits grow more plentiful and more perfect daily Let that Scripture be verified in you Pro. 4. 18. The path of the Just is a shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day Let your hearts be so filled with the fulness of God that your pathes may drop fatness Let it be said of you as of the Spouse Cant. 4. 18. and Chap. 5. 5. Her lips dropped as the Honey Comb and her hands dropped sweet smelling Myrrh Let your lips drop as the Honey Comb as you have drunk in the Milk and Honey that comes down from above so be ever droping it down to others Let something of the fatness something of the fatness that you have received from above be alwayes dropping down Be dropping according to what you have drank as you see sinners of whom 't is said They drink iniquity to be alwayes dropping iniquity dropping Oathes dropping Lies dropping Scoffs and reproaches So let it be said of you They drink the Dew of Heaven and this they are dropping down Let no Child no Servant no Friend come into your Company and go away without some sweet drops from your lips A word of heavenly instruction a gracious admonition a word of encouragement or a quickening word let them have or lift up a prayer and drop down a blessing upon them Something or other of the Dew of Heaven let them feel flowing from your Lips Let your lips drop as the Honey Comb and your Hands drop sweet smelling Myrrh Let your Holy Practises your holy Examples second and set on your wholsom counsels and instructions Let your words be savoury and your works be gracious Let lip and life speak the same things and lead on the same way Christians By your nursing up the Souls and Fruits of others you will ripen and encrease your own If you should look on all the Fruit as little which your selves have brought forth to God you will have this to comfort you That you have born more upon your Brethrens knees the Fruits of those Fields which you have planted or watered will abound to your account Bring forth much Fruit unto God and be much in immediate converse with God Phil. 3. 20. Our Convetsation is in Heaven Be more elevated and raised in your Spirits daily above things sensual and carnal Above Carnal Delights Above Carnal Discouragements 1. Above Carnal Delights live more purely in the Spirit let your Hearts be wrought up to such a spiritual frame that all the joyes pleasures and comforts of your lives may be spiritual Let the Lord be all your delight Psal 37. 5. Let it be with you as much as may be as it is with the Saints already in glory to whom God is all who being changed into his Image and dwelling in his presence are satisfied in him Let God alone be as much to you as God and all the world Let the Fashions and Pleasures and delights of this world be so much beneath your Spirits that it may neither be an abatement of your joy to want nor an addition to your content to possess them Let the light of all these lower sparks be swallowed up in God when the Sun shines all the Stars dis-appear and are not needed Lift up thine eyes Christian and see what pleasures there are within the Veil Come drink thy fill of this new wine let thy Faith draw the Curtains of Eternity and take a view of those heights and depths and lengths and breadths of that Glory and Joy which there it may discover Look on him that fits on the Throne and those everlasting Treasures of Light Holiness Goodness and Mercy which are streaming from his Face on those over-flowing Bowels of kindness and compassion on those Rivers of pure and eternal Pleasures Rest Peace that rise from that glorious Throne and run through the City of God Behold the Tree of life and feed thy Soul on its precious fruit whose very leaves are for the healing of Nations Hearken to and fill thine Ears and Heart with those Tryumphs and Exultations those Raptures and Extasies of unspeakable and glorious joyes those blessings and praisings those Hallelujahs that are tuned upon the hearts and tongues of the Heavenly Chore the glorious Angels and the spirits of just men made perfect by the vision and fruition of thy God the God of Glory Look on and possess this Joy and Glory say to thy Soul as God to Abraham Gen. 13. 14. Lift up thine eyes and look from the place where thou art Northward and Southward and Eastward and Westward through all the Coasts and all the Dimensions of the blessed Land of Promise and holy City and then say Come Soul take up thy rest here all this is thine Look and love love and long long and hope hope and rejoyce in hope of this glory of God Look on thy God and never leave looking till thou art changed into his Image and satisfied with his Image And here let thy delight and thy dwelling be 2. Above all carnal discouragements from any adversaries or dangers wherewith you are baited and affrighted as you walk in the Lord let the joy of the Lord be your strength let your Sun be your shield let your hope be your confidence and fear not your dutie nor danger Look to your hope and you will laugh at fear Dwell in your reward and you will not be afraid to dwell in your dutie But of this a word more by and by Thus much for general Directions 2. I shall next give you some special Directions for you daily work General necessarilie depend on and subsist in particulars As there can be no Religion in a Kingdom unlesse it be first in particular Families nor none in Families unlesse it be in particular persons so a general course of Christianity there cannot be unless it be supported in our particular daily walk The advice I
within me says Amen Brethren will you yet again say your Lord nay shall Christ have his wish shall your Servant for Jesus sake shall I have my wish will you now at last conâ—ent to be â—anctified and to be saved let me have this wish and I dare promise from the Lord you shall have yours even whatever your Soul can desire Brethren this once hear this once be prevailed upon be content that your lusts be rooted out and your Lord planted into your Souls Be content to be pardoned content to be converted content to be saved This once hear lest if ye now refuse ye no more be perswaded with oh that they would but be for ever confounded with oh that they had Lest all our wishes and wooings of you be turned into weepings and mournings over you this once hear Oh that you would I heartily thank you for your good wishes and good will towards me for your willing and chearful entertainment of my person and attendance on my Ministry and particularly for your passionate desire of my longer stay among you Which desire if God had not my Soul could not have denied you Though the Almighty to whose pleasure it 's meet that we all submit hath said nay to that wish of yours yet let your Souls say Amen to this last of mine that the Lord God would dwell among you and in you both now and for ever And having thus finished my Labours among you I shall now close up with this double account 1. Of my discharge of my Ministry in this place 2. Of my deprival And shall so commit you to God and to the word of his Grace which is able to huild you up and to give you an Inheritance amongst all them that are sanctified 1. Of my discharge of my Ministry What my Doctrine and manner of life hath been is known to you and what my aim and intent hath been is known to God The searcher of hearts knows that 't is the salvation of Souls that hath been the mark at which I have levelled My way hath been to use all plainness that I might be made manifest in your Consciences Weaknesses and infirmities both natural and sinful the Lord pardon it I have had many I am sensible that much more might have been done both in publick and in private had it not been for a weakly body and a sloathful heart I repent that I have had no more zeal for God no more compassion to Souls I repent that I have been no more constant and importunate with you about the matters of Eternity Oh Eternity Eternity that thou wert no more in the heart and Lips of the Preacher in the hearts and ears of the hearers But while I thus judge my self for my failings Blessed be God for any sincerity to his name and good will to your Souls that he hath seen in me Blessed be God I have a witness in my Conscience and I hope in yours also that I have not shunned to declare to you the whole Counsel of God Brethren I call Heaven and Earth to witness this day that I have set before you life and death good and evil and have not ceased from day to day to warn you to choose life and that good way that leads to it and to escape for your lives from the way of sin and death Oh remember the many instructions I have given you the many Arguments whereby I have striven with you the many Prayers that have been offered up for the guiding and gaining your Souls into the path of life and the turning your feet out of the way of destruction Oh might I be able to give this Testimony concerning you all at my departure they have trodden in the right path they have chosen the good part that shall not be taken from them Beloved Brethren with whom I have travelled in birth that Christ might be formed in you I must shortly give up my account in a more solemn Assembly will you help me to give it up with joy by shewing your Souls before the Lord as the Seal of my Ministry Every sincere Convert among you will be a Crown of rejoycing to me in that day So let me rejoyce and let my joy be the joy of you all What shall I say more If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love any bowels and mercies if the Glory of the Eternal God the Honour of the everlasting Gospel the safety of your immortal Souls the incorruptible Crown the exceeding eternal weight of glory weigh any thing with you then once more let me beseech you by all this to hearken to that word of the Gospel which God hath spoken to you by me 2. Of my deprival The most glorious morning hath its evening the hour is come wherein the Sun is setting upon not a few of the Prophets the shadows of the evening are stretched forth upon us our day draws our work seems to be at an end Our Pulpits and our places must know us no more This is the Lords doing let all the earth keep silence before him It is not a light thing for me Brethren to be laid aside from the work and cast out of the Vineyard of the Lord and it must be something of weight that must support under such a severe doom I know there are not a few that will add to the affliction of the afflicted by telling the world t is their own fault they might prevent it if they would whether this be so or no God knoweth and let the Lord be Judge Blessed be God whatever be this is not laid to our charge as the reason of our seclusion either insufficiency or scandal You are not ignorant what things there are imposed on us as the condition of our continuing our Ministration which how lawful and expedient soever they seem in the Judgment of many yet have the most specious Arguments that plead for them left me utterly dissatisfied in my Conscience about them I must profess before God Angels and Men that my non-submission is not from any disloyaltie to Authoritie nor from pride humour or any factious disposition or design but because I dare not contradict my light nor do any thing concerning which my heart tels me the Lord says do it not After all my most impartial Enquiries after all my seeking counsel from the Lord after all my considering and consulting with men of all perswasions about these Matters I find my self so far short of satisfaction that I am plainly put to this choice to part with my Ministry or my Conscience I dare not lie before God and the World nor come and tell you I approve I allow I heartily consent to what I neither do nor can but must choose rather that my Ministry be sealed up by my Sufferings than lengthned out by a Lie Through the Grace of God though men do yet my heart shall not reproach me while I live If our hearts condemn us God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things But however though I must now no longer act as a Minister I shall through the Grace of God endeavour peaceably and patiently to suffer as a Christian I should to testifie my Obedience to Authority have become all Things to all Men to the uttermost that I could with any clearness of heart But since Matters stand so that I must lose my place or my peace I chearfully suffer my self to be thrust off the Stage And now welcome the Cross of Christ welcome Reproach welcome Poverty Scorn and contempt or whatever else may befall me on this account This Morning I had a Flock and you had a Pastor but now behold a Pastor without a Flock a Flock without a Shepherd This Morning I had an House but now I have none This Morning I had a living but now I have none The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Beloved I am sensible of my Weaknesses and Disadvantages I am under which may render a suffering state the harder to be born help me by your Prayers and not me only but all my Brethren also with whom my Lot must fall Pray for us for we trust that we have a good Conscience in all things willing to live honestly Pray 1. That God would make our Silence speak and preach the same holy Doctrine that we have preached with our Lips 2. That he would give Supports answerable to our Sufferings that he who comforteth those that are cast down will also comfort his Servants that are cast out 3. That according to our earnest expectation and our hope as always so now also Christ may be magnified in us whether it be by Life or Death And thus Brethren I bid you farewel in the words of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13. 11. Finally Brethren farewel be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in peace and the God of Peace and Love shall be with you And that God of Peace that brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever AMEN FINIS The Terms of our Communion are either from which or to which The Terms from which we must turn are sin Satan the World and our own Righteousness which must be thus renounced The Terms to which we must turn are either ultimate or mediate The ultimate is God the Father Son and Holy Ghost who must be thus accepted The mediate terms are ei-Principal or less principal The principal is Christ the Mediator who must thus be embraced The less principles are the Laws of Christ which must be thus observed