is to you is laid down as an Argument to believe as a Motive to believe and therefore did belong to them before they did believe for the Cause is before the Effect Yes you will say to them to the Jews but not to us mark the next words And to all that are afar of even to as many as the Lord our God shall call Object But God gives not Grace to all and that 's the thing that fears me Answ What is that to thee As Christ said unto Peter Peter asked Christ such a question Lord what shall this man do Joh. 21. 21 22. saith Christ to him What is that to thee follow thou me So God gives not grace to all What is that to thee follow thou me believe thou in me saith Christ Object Oh! but I am a great sinner and will he pardon me and give grace to me Answ 1. The Covenant of grace is a free Covenant from the Lord 's free favour without any respect to any thing in thee it looks at nothing in thee no worth in thee can procure it The Covenant is not only a Covenant to grace but a Covenant of grace not only a Covenant to grace to give more grace where it is but a Covenant of grace to give grace where is none 2. The greatness of thy sinfulness will manifest and set out the greatness of his mercy For his names sake he pardons iniquity Isa 43. Now the greater and the more thy sins have been the greater will be the name of his mercy Quest But how may we attain the Knowledg of the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven Answ 1. Let not sin stand between you and the glorious light of the Mysteries of Heaven Cease love to sin if you would have an Heaven upon Earth a glorious Presence of God in you Render your spirits free to God let them not be ensnared with any lust such entanglement spoils your Glory pure hearts shall see the face of God Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God You poor souls who are purging your selves will you believe your Saviour then you shall see God Purity makes capacity of Heaven The holyest men ever had the most glorious visions as Daniel and John A man may see Hell in his sin but shall never see Heaven 2. Would you have the Knowledg of these Mysteries Then get upon some hill the air of the lower region is thick and misty I mean live above abstract your selves as much as may be from the world God chuseth his place to make Heaven he makes Heaven above in Jerusalem that is above in souls that are above above the vanities of this World he makes an Heaven and there the Mysteries of the Kingdom like so many stars shine Moses is led up to a mount to see Canaan Christ upon a mount had his glorious Transfiguration he had his Heaven upon a mount Love must mount above all these low things ere the soul can see Heaven enjoy glorious Presence It falls out unhappily still with man when he goes about to make an Heaven here when he sets love at work to take her fortune to make her Glory and Felicity here below as she can This checks the working of a glorious light in any heart it sets a Divine Power a working another way to whip the man with vexation of spirit for seeking Heaven in Earth in glorious vanities No man shall have two Heavens or but very few 3. Let thy heart be Crystal The Mysteries of Heaven shining upon such an heart reflect gloriously I mean an heart that is a pure glass clear from all hypocrisie God descended like a Dove upon a Dove sweetly and gloriously upon him In whose mouth there was no guile It was upon Jesus Christ there came a voice from Heaven This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased God never proclaims himself well-pleased in that heart which makes not him his pleasure A heart and a heart hath none of Gods heart Divine Power works not gloriously where the heart works basely An hypocrite hath least of Heaven of any man and most of Hell 4. As men draw near to God so they see him near to him in Quality and near to him in Duty Sirs We see Heaven best upon out knees At the Throne of grace we find grace Heaven at Gods feet When most in his Presence most in Heaven A man must live in Heaven to have Heaven live in him much going to Heaven brings Heaven at last down along with one Vse last Then Oh ye Saints bless the Lord Admire the Lord that hath revealed his Mysteries to you not to others that ye know those things which others do not Oh! fall admiring God and Free-grace The fourth and last Doctrine Doct. 4. That where there are beginnings of true grace though never so weak God makes rich Additions of more grace Whosoever hath to him shall be given and he shall have more abundance Now to evince this I will give you the Testimony of Scripture And 1. In Phil. 1. 6 Paul cheers up their hearts by telling them that he was confident i. e. assured That God who Phil. 1. 6. had begun a good work in them would perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ The Apostle writing to the Thessalonians praiseth God for them Because saith he your faith grows exceedingly and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth 2 Thes 1. 3. Where God plants he makes to grow and where he sows he watereth into an increase 2dly John 10. 10 I came saith Christ that they might have John 10. 10. life and that they might have it more abundantly or that they might have abundance So Musculus reads it Et abundantiam habeant For it is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Abundantius but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word signifieth Abundantiam copiam affluentiam i. e. Qui vivere dedit dabit reliqua ad vitam hanc caelestem necessaria Nec dabit parce sed liberaliter opulente Musculus in Johan Quid dat formam dat consequentia formam He that gives life will give all things necessary to this Divine life to maintain it richly an abundance and affluence of spiritual and heavenly Additions to the least grace 3dly Isa 42. 3 A bruised reed shall he not break and the Isa 42. 3. smoaking flax shall he not quench The Negative here implieth an Affirmative A bruised reed shall he not break i. e. he shall strengthen it and the smoaking flax shall he not quench i. e. he shall be so far from quenching that he shall make it flame and blow it up into a blaze He shall bring forth judgment unto truth which Matthew following the Septuagint Matth. 12. 20. saith He shall bring forth judgment unto victory And this is the meaning of that Text Of his fulness have John 1. 16. we all received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
that is that Jam. 2. 19. there is one God and tremble Answ 2. And observe it in that the Devil tempts thee that there is no God should be a means and argument to thee to believe more certainly that there is a God Satan would keep you from believing that which he cannot but believe And this should be a strong argument to make us believe that there is a God for were there no God the Devil would never tempt to think that there is a God 3. Another temptation to men in conversion is this My heart is hard I cannot repent of sin I cannot be sorry for my sins Oh! you must venture your soul upon Jesus Christ for free pardon and justification you must take Christ and he will give you a soft heart he will give you repentance unto life Acts 5. 31. You must take Christ for pardon and for repentance also that you may be pardoned Quest But may I before I repent take hold of Christ for pardon May one that cannot repent lay holy and lean upon Christ Answ 1. There 's difference between one that cannot repent but would 2. And one that doth not repent and will not cares not to repent 1. He that doth not repent and will not he may not take hold of Christ nor lay claim to him 2. But he that cannot repent but would he may lay hold of Christ that he may repent and he will go to Christ nothing shall stave him off to fetch repentance from him I say he may go to Christ for repentance See how David did do so Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me There are two snares and nets which the Devil sets for people 1. One is that they hope to be saved by Christ and never care to be humbled nor to be sanctified and in this the prophane are caught 2. Another snare which Satan layeth is to make men labour for Humiliation Holiness Mortification Obedience and not labour to believe and in this well-meaning people are caught For the first First They that hope to be saved by Christ and never care First snare to be humbled nor to be sanctified these are sadly in Satans snare he holds them deadly for Faith which justifieth makes holy though it doth not justifie by its holiness Faith makes thee a new creature that Faith is none of Gods making that doth not make thee a new man And therefore it was the speech of Francis Spira in his desertion and anguish of spirit Pag. 114. I will not saith he derogate from the certainty of saving-faith and the promises of the Gospel for they are most sure but yet take heed of relying on that faith that works not a holy and unblamable life worthy of a Believer believe me quoth he it will fail I have tryed it and therefore he much commended to them the Epistles of Peter which press sanctity and chastity Secondly The other snare which Satan layeth is to make men Second snare dig and labour in the Mines of Humiliation and Holiness and subduing their sins and not take pains to believe 1. Here 's labour in vain for that which can never bring thee Christ nor salvation and that Satan knows and therefore puts men on it to make them spend time and pains to no purpose he puts them in a way where Christ is not that they may not find Christ where he is As Rahab sent the men of Josh 2. 5 6. Jericho away towards Jordan to seek for the spies when she hid them in the stalks of flax So Satan sends men a travelling after Christ over Hills and Dales over the hills of Duty and high strains of Holiness and days of Humiliation And therefore as Christ said to Martha so say I to these Ye are careful about many things how to subdue your sins and be humbled for them but one thing is needful that is to come to Christ and believe in him do this and you shall be saved 2. When ye have believed and received Christ then you shall be able to do all things then you shall have 1. Mortification and Victory over your lusts 2. Sanctification and Ability to duty and not before These be the Births of believing you must believe before you can have these As a woman must be married to a man before she can have lawful children by him Were it not a simple thing for a woman to expect children legitimate by a man and then she would marry him As absurd it is to expect First to have legitimate graces in the soul and then to believe to be sanctified and get victory over sin and then to believe in Christ for Faith which doth espouse thee to Christ is the cause of all true Mortification and Holiness as marriage is of children As the Apostle tells you Ye are married to another even to him who is raised from Rom. 7. 4. the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God Christ is as it were the Father of all our graces of him we received grace for grace and when he hath married us to himself he begets them in us Of his grace he conveys grace to us and he never doth it but by our Faith in him for it is by Faith that he lives in us and we in him and holiness is the means by which Christ after he is believed in brings them that believe in him to salvation And this removes that objection that troubles many repentance Act. 2. 38. and conversion is requited to pardon of sin Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the holy Ghost Again Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may Act 3. 19. be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Once more For him hath God exalted Act. 5. 31. with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins How then shall I believe his promise of mercy to the pardon of my sins that cannot clear my Conversion to my Conscience None can enter into the Kingdom of God except they be born again of the John 3. 3. Rom. 8. 13. spirit If I live after the slesh I shall dye Here are two questions consounded they must be distinguished and taken asunder 1. What manner of persons they be whom God admits into Heaven 2. What manner of persons may receive Christ unto Justification of life For the first 1. God indeed receives none into Heaven but those on whom he hath written the golden Characters of sanctification And now brethren I commend you to God and to the word of Act. 20. 32. his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified For the second who may receive Christ 2. I say
greatnotice of her little strength Christ makes much of a little grace As the Father dandles his little child so Jesus Christ dandles a little grace upon the lap of his Commendation Though thy grace be but low yet he hath an high esteem of it 3. God's giving some grace engages him to give more Hath God given thee a little grace His giving thee that little puts an engagement upon him to give thee more one of his gifts bind him to give another When God went about to destroy Sodom saith God Shall I Gen. 18. 17 18. Hide from Abraham that thing which I do seeing I mean to make him a great and mighty nation As though one kindness did bind him to give another with God the bestowing of one favour binds him to add another If God begin to give thee grace he is engaged to go on and give thee more grace not for thy sake but because 't is his own work and therefore if he should not carry it on he should lose what he had begun If God hath pardon'd thee some sins and should not pardon thee all the rest all his former Pardons would be thrown away like precious water spilt upon the ground If God hath begun to give thee some grace he is engaged to give thee more for the sake of the former I say he is engaged to give thee more for the sake of the former and to give thee more yet nay more yet for the sake of that grace that went before As man that ploughs a piece of Land counts himself engaged to sow it and if he sow it he counts himself engaged to fence it and make it thrive because one work is for another the former for the latter plowing is for sowing and sowing is for growing and growing is for reaping and therefore one labour calls for the help of another So when God puts a little grace into thee it is for another to bring on another and that the former grace may not be in vain one gift calls for the help of another 4. A little grace is a pledg of more I say the little grace thou hast is a sure pledg of more as a little piece of money is an earnest of the whole sum God speaking of the effusion of his gifts and graces saith I will pour out my spirit God gives his spirit as freely as he gives rain now you know first it rains small drops and after greater and the small are the signs of the great 5. Jesus Christ makes intercession for a little grace Peter saith Christ I have pray'd that thy faith fail not thou hast but a little faith and I have prayed for thy little faith for thy weak faith that it fail not if any man sin we have an 1 John 2. 2. advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous Vse 2. What saith this Principle to Sinners that are without grace Surely Sirs it should much deject you and make you smite upon your hearts When Christ saith It is given to you to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven but to others it is not given should it not make those tremble that have not the gift that have not this special gift To know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven When our Lord saith To him that hath shall be given should it not shake the heart of the man that hath not so much as the first gift of grace yet bestowed upon him Sinner thou hast not so much as the Foundation the first stone of the building yet laid in thee Lord what a sad case am I in whilst thou art promising the addition of grace to others thou hast not planted so much as the beginnings of grace in me 1. While the saving-work in others is going on it is not yet begun in thee While others are upon their growth thou art not yet born I say not born again Sinner thou hast not yet so much as the first preparation of Heaven in thee while others are upon their Progress thou art not as yet in the Race while others are running to the Gole thou lyest dead while others are raised and enlivened thou hast not yet set out toward Heaven while others are a great way upon their Journey to Glory thou art left sleeping in Sodom till the sparks of fire and brimstone fall down from Heaven and fly about thine ears while the Lots are carried out by the Angel of the Lord Oh Sirs see your misery 2. Sinners you are ugly and mis-shapen Creatures without grace you want the Image of God upon you Holiness is our comeliness and Grace is the only handsom garment What are thy sins but thy deformities and thy lusts but thy leprosies Thou carest not what thou art in the eye of the godly but carest thou not what thou art in the eye of God Thou feest no unhandsomness in sin thou seest not thy self ugly but art thou therefore the less ugly A Toad or a Snake hath no odious apprehensions of it self it is above their reach to apprehend what they are so Sinners cannot discern their own deformities their Judgments follow their Natures and Dispositions 3. If Jesus Christ doth not conquer you he 'l slay you In Rev. 6. 2 there saith John I saw and behold a white horse Rev. 6. 2. and he that sate on him had a bow and a crown was given to him and he went forth conquering and to conquer 1. Here John saw an horse which is mystically the Gospel because of its swiftness The Apostles and Apostolical Preachers of the Primitive times were Horses for their nimble and swift Preaching of the Gospel through the World 2. This is a white horse to signifie 1. The Purity of the Gospel or Divinity of its Doctrine 2. to signifie the joy and peace it offers to the Sons of Men it is called glad tidings and the Gospel of peace A white Flag is an Ensign of Peace 3. To signifie the Glory of Christ white robes are Emblems of Glory Princes and Nobles did go in white 4. To signifie the Triumph of Christ white horse in sign of victory and Triumph The Romans when they rid in Triumph had white Horses to ride on or to draw their Chariots The Lord Christ will get the day he will triumph over souls either in their submission or destruction And therefore it is said 3. That he that sate on the white horse had a bow given him This Horse-man or Prince the Lord Christ had a bow in his hand and a Bow presupposeth arrows that is terrors and threatnings against his Enemies that will not submit to his mercy he hath his Arrow prepared upon the string and will shoot at the rebellious Sinner It may be thou hast some of Christ's Arrows sticking in the ribs of thy Conscience and art wounded for some sins thy very heart is galled with the threatnings that fly like Arrows out of the Bow of the Ministry but thou frettest instead of being converted
of life or spirit of lives 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gen. 2. 7. and man became a living soul So when thou lyest dead before the Lord without any life or breath of Prayer in thee thou canst not so much as breathe before him he 'l breathe a Soul of Prayer into thee he 'l put breath into thee as he did into Acts 9. 11. Saul Behold he prayeth saith God 2. Sometimes a man sends a gift to one that never asked him for it so doth God sometimes send his gifts of grace to them that never ask for it he gives them before they ask it Opposers and Persecutors are said to be the greatest Sinners yet saith Christ upon the Cross Father forgive them they know not what they do he spake it of those that put him to Death Some might have said Lord they are opposers of thee even to the Death be it so saith Christ I have mercy for opposers too and for persecutors too Father forgive them they know not what they do But Lord they do not beg for pardon wilt thou give such a kindness to them that ask not for it They do not acknowledg their fault if thou wilt shew mercy to them stay till they acknowledg their fault and be humbled and ask pardon nay saith Christ I will prevent poor sinners with my love Though they do not ask forgiveness yet I beg forgiveness Father forgive them But Lord these are great sinners and less mercy would serve the turn forgiveness is a great mercy no saith Christ no mercy less than forgiveness will serve the turn they 'l be never the better for any mercy without forgiveness therefore they shall have it Father forgive them but forgiveness is a great mercy be it so saith Christ I know what I do I have great mercy the greatest mercy for the greatest sinners and because they cannot ask it I will ask it for them Father forgive them Vse 6. Wo to you Professors that have not true grace from Matth 13. 12. Luk. 8. 18. them shall be taken away even that which they have Luke saith From them shall be taken that which they seem to have For if we speak of true grace they have not grace only seem to have it They seem to be holy and their seeming holiness shall be taken from them They seem to believe and their seeming Faith shall be taken from them They seem to repent and their seeming Repentance shall be taken from them They Matth. 13. 20. seem to joy in Christ and in Mercy and the Promises but their seeming joy shall be taken from them The spirit doth but assume them he doth not inform them nor enliven them As the dead bodies which Angels assume for a time they seem to live and talk and eat and drink but when the Angel leaves them because they were not the Angels proper bodies they vanish away and lose that life they did seem to have So the Spirit of God doth assume and act the souls of many men in the Church for a time to do service for God by them and all that while they pray and preach and hear and walk up and down in Duty out of one Duty into another and the Spirit leaves them because he did but assume them and then they drop down dead as indeed they are and always were Thus the Spirit did assume Judas for a time Judas was but a dead man in soul all the time he was with Christ only the Spirit of God assumed him and acted him and he followed Christ and went about Preaching the Gospel with the other Disciples but when the Spirit left him he betrayed Christ for thirty pieces of silver that was his proper work and despaired and dyed Vse 7. This should put the Saints upon a serious Tryal of their graces The Point tells you that where there are beginnings of true grace God will make rich Additions of more grace Oh then try what grace yours is if it be true grace God will give more grace As the Apostle saith He that hath begun a good work in you will perfect it If it be a good work God will perfect it he will cherish his own work Sirs God will not nurse up a spurious seed Bastard grace whereof he is not the Father Oh! then all you that would taste comfort from this Point try your graces The Evangelical Hypocrite is he I aim at There is Gospel-Hypocrisie so I call it for where the Gospel comes there are two sorts of Persons that walk beside it 1. Some directly oppose the Doctrine of it and those are Justitiaries that set up their own Righteousness as the Jews Rom. 9. 31 32. did And therefore it is said That Christ came to his own and his John 1. 11. own received him not And such are the Papists at this day who are justly by our Divines said to answer to the Jewish Pharisees These are Christian Pharisees they receive Christ in Name but set up their own Righteousness and will be justified by their own Works and saved by their own Merits 2. Others there are that receive the Gospel and so decry all their own Righteousness and cry up Christ they see nothing in themselves and look for all from Christ renouncing their own Righteousness and resting upon Christ alone for salvation These are of divers sorts 1. Some receive Christ with an Historical lifeless Faith they believe in Christ but will not part with their sins they gladly embrace Christ as a Saviour but oppose Holiness and will not change their lives and because Christ came into the World to save sinners they take liberty to sin and hope to be saved as well as any These are those we call our large Protestants who are as great Enemies to Christ as Papists are The Papists persecute the true Christians in the Point of Doctrine and these Enemies within us persecute the true Christians in Point of Holiness The Papists they will be saved by works without Faith these will be saved by Faith without works These are spots in our feasts The Epistles of James and John were written as Antidotes against this kind of poyson And Jude writes against these men ungodly men turning the Vers 4. grace of God into lasciviousness Arguing from mercy to liberty which is the Divils Logick Continuing in sin that grace may abound And my Beloved in this lyeth the very form of an Evangelical Hypocrite in denying his own Righteousness to establish his sin he will advance Christ to advance his lust Dub. But how can open sinners keep their lusts live in visible prophaneness and yet believe in Christ Sol. Because the Gospel brings the sweetest and highest Consolations along with it And therefore every man under sense of sin will fly thither for Sanctuary and hide himself under the Canopy of the Gospels mercy A man that travels under the fiery Beams of the Sun in an hot day the cool shadow of a Tree is very
fall when they are tried by God yet it makes for his glory What makes for their good makes for his glory when by their fall some secret sin is discovered as pride or self-confidence their latent dispositions are made known and their hearts are exposed to their view doth not this make to the glory of his wisdom When their sin is cured by sinning doth not he appear a most skilful physitian When being wounded by their fall they are healed and pardoned doth not this make to the glory of his mercy Do they not cry out Who is a God like unto thee that pardonest iniqnity When they rise again out of sin and grow more strong by their falls when they are raised where others break their necks doth it not make to the glory of his power So that every way Gods trials and temptations make for his glory they make for their good and therefore for his glory God tempts the godly and the ungodly he doth it for his glory By Abrahams temptation his faith was brought to light by Hezekiahs temptation his pride was detected And therefore the temptation whereby God tries man cannot but be good and always good as it proceeds from God although sometimes man abuseth it to his hurt for as we said God tempts both the godly and the ungodly and the event in both is sometime good and sometime bad as men are either confirm'd by the grace of God or being destitute of it are left to themselves although God always makes the event otherwise bad enough to turn at last to the godly to their good that by their falls coming to see and acknowledg their weakness and infirmity they may with so much more diligence through Gods grace work out their salvation with fear and trembling And thus as we hinted before by Abrahams temptation his glorious faith was tried and brought forth to light By Hezekiahs temptation his vanity and weakness was detected that so he might walk afterwards with more caution and humility 3. To make a temptation good he that tries must do it in a just way by good and lawful means for we must not do evil that good may come and God will not do evil that good may come of it nay God is so holy that he cannot do evil that good may come of it And this leads us to the fourth point 4. How God doth tempt and try and here I must tell you that God doth tempt and try men two manner of ways 1. Immediately 2. Mediately Immediately By himself Mediately By instruments by Satan sometimes by wicked men other times but always justly How doth God try and tempt his people 1. He tries and tempts his people by giving them Commands We try our children by giving them something to do some special command to obey God tempts his Children by commanding them sometimes such things as are difficult and offensive to nature ungrateful and displeasing to the flesh absurd to reason Thus he tempted Abraham in my Text by a command he commanded him to sacrifice his Son his only Isaac Thus Christ commanded the young man to go and sell all and follow him Unhappy man that had the command but had no love to obey the command For when he heard such a command he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions Matth. 19. 22. And why went he away sorrowful that Christ should command that which he was not willing to perform Sirs This is the case of many of you Gods Commands are your tryals and God commands you to repent and leave sin presently and you go away sorrowful God commands you to part with your beloved sin your sweet or profitable sin and you go away sorrowful 2. God tempts by afflictions and persecutions and these are great Temptations and make the heart heavy there is spiritual joy and outward heaviness at the same time wherein 1 Pet. 1. 6. ye greatly rejoyce though now for a season ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations that is afflictions their salvation in Christ made them rejoyce their temptations at the same time made them heavy here was sowre and sweet gladness and heaviness like the twilight at the same time in the same subject together Sirs sirs God will tempt his if you be his God will tempt you with afflictions he will make you know what metal you are of and therefore will one time or other throw you into the furnace 3. God tempts and tries his people by the prosperity of the wicked and this to weak nature is a sore affliction when their own affliction and sinners prosperity face one another they see themselves in poverty and Gods Enemies wealthy they see themselves pestered with sickness and sinners frolick in their health and jollity their own bones withered and the bones of the ungodly full of marrow Oh! sometimes it is a temptation as keen as a Razor Verily I have cleansed my heart in Psal 73. 13. 14. vain and washed my hands in innocency Why what is the matter do you ask me saith he it is because it is in vain to serve the Lord for while the ungodly prosper I am plagued all the day long and chastened every morning 4. God tempts by mercies by giving men mercies talents and opportunities to see what they will do with them and how they will improve them And thus God hath tempted you kindly and tried you sweetly a long time with Mercydays and Gospel-days oh the golden seasons of grace that have for many years dropt upon you Oh the melting dews of salvation and refeshing showres of peace and liberty that have daily wet you so that you have been as a water'd garden and God hath been trying you with these all this while and where 's the fruit ye have brought forth where 's your growth of grace Well look to it God will reckon for them And thus God tempts and tries sinners with his patience and long-suffering he hath made his cisterns to run with Wine of prosperity and health upon them And knowest thou not O man that the goodness of God leads thee to repentance Oh take heed Sinner thou hast been long upon thy trial I say God hath been trying how these would work 5. God tempts by objects and occasions As sometimes you will lay a piece of money in the way of a child or servant to try their faithfulness and prove their truth whether they will pilfer or steal yea or no that you may know whether you may trust them hereafter or not so doth God tempt and try the Sons of men by presenting them with objects and occasions that is unlawful objects and occasions to sin This is an holy Act of God for he doth not move the heart God tempted or tryed Joseph when he had an opportunity but behold brave Joseph saith he How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God to sin only presents the outward object to try the heart The goodly fruit of the
in God because he keeps promise with me he makes me know goodness and mercy in God because he bears with my slothfulness and sins Ninthly This leads me to another much like it true Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is experimental A man never stands firm and solid and constant in the Faith till he hath in himself some experience of that which he knows and believes And 't is certain That he holds so much firmness as he holds of experience in himself and no more It befalls us in believing and knowing the Gospel as it doth in knowing at first some wise and godly Man As long as we know the Wisdom and Godliness of such a man only by the relation of other men we are so disposed that other men coming and making a contrary relation we change our opinion we had of him at least doubt of it till at last having strict familiarity with him our selves we know by experience that the relation of him is true which was made to us and then no man is able to perswade us to the contrary So long as we believe the Gospel and the Mysteries of Heaven only by the relation of Preachers we believe it till other Preachers come and tell us the contrary and then we believe the other way or at least doubt of the Truth we had from the first Preacher till by having experience of that which is preached in the Gospel we stand firm and constant in that which we know and believe and then all the men in the World are unable to unsettle or change our Faith and Knowledg after 't is confirmed by our own experience As for example here 's a Gospel-Mystery That God hath punished all our sins upon Christ and redeemed us from wrath if we believe in him Now thy great work and design should be to get the experience of this Mystery in thee that God hath punished thy sins in Christ and redeemed thee from wrath Quest You will say how is the experience of Faith gotten Answ Then a man hath experience of that which he believes when he hath peace in his Conscience when he hath the fruit of that which he believes in himself being assured in himself that he can appear in the Judgment of God with that self-same security wherewith he would have appeared if he had lived with that innocency wherewith Christ lived and had by Gods will fuffered that which Christ suffered Vse 5. If it be such a transcendent priviledg to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven Oh then act your souls with disires and endeavours after the Knowledg of these Divine things For 1. Our souls are made for these things What are our souls made for but for excellent things And what is excellent but the Mysteries of Heaven Is the soul made to lay her mouth to the breasts of the World and suck in wealth and riches which she must spit out again I tell you these are but dunghils to a soul 2. They put Glory upon the soul They are glorious and make us glorious The Knowledg of God in Christ is a glorious Knowledg and the Gospel is called a glorious Gospel these things put a Glory upon our souls VVhat a glorious thing is it when by the Mysteries of Heaven a weak man shall have power againsta a strong Devil VVhen a poor Creature flesh and blood shall by some virtue distil'd through the Mysteries of Heaven into him have such a strong Faith in the promise of forgiveness of sins and such a mighty Faith in the promise that all shall turn to his good that all the gates of hell shall not prevail over that weak soul VVwhat a glorious thing is this And what a glorious thing is it when an impotent and unable soul shall by an Ordinance of God have strength over those corruptions and sins which others are slaves to That mean men of low and cheap education and parts should not be taken with those things that others are besotted with that are of more excellent natural parts than they VVhat a glory of grace is this 3. Did ye know the Mysteries of the heavenly Kingdom ye would wonder at nothing in the world besides VVhat is the reason that silly men are taken up with admiration of small and poor things here below but because their thoughts are not employed nor raised up to these high and great Excellencies The Poet saith Nil admirari prope res est una numici Hor. Epist 1. Epistol 6. Solaque quae possit facere servare beatum To wonder at nothing is the only thing to make us happy VVhilst men stand wondring at the glory and foolish lustre of the VVorld Oh! this honour and that greatness is a goodly thing they are undone they are taken with it and so undone This makes those whose names are not written in the book Revel 17. 8. of life to wonder at the beast as it is in the Text saying Oh! what a godly order have they among them one under another And this makes them worship him as it is in another Text All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him Revel 13. 8. whose names are not written in the book of life As the Philosophers speaking of the Knowledg of Causes say That the Knowledg of the cause takes away admiration O 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that wonders seems to be ignorant Arist 1. Metaph cap. 2. As Countrey-men that wonder at the Eclipse of the Sun or at a Blazing-star or at an Earth-quake it is from their Ignorance of the Causes a Philosopher wonders not at these things And therefore Pythagoras said That the end of Philosophy is that we should wonder at nothing So They that wonder at the Glory of the World and of earthly Dignities Oh! It is a fine thing to be rich and to shine in greatness it springs from their Ignorance It is the nature of shallow men to wonder at the things of this World A wise man wonders at nothing because he knows greater things he hath seen greater matters than those the world can shew Do you think a wise Christian will stand wondring at great and rich men at great places and honours and such things Alas He hath had greater matters in the eye of his soul and what can be great in this world to him to whom the World it self is not great What is great in this world to him that hath seen Christ and conversed with God Oh! come then and know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven These will so dazle your eyes with their glory that you shall wonder at nothing in the world besides To dwell in the favour of men and to rise up into high places and have the world smile upon you are these the things ye wonder at Truly Sirs If we would wonder let us come to Religion there we have him whose name is Wonderful that is Jesus Isa 6. Christ There we have his Laws and Testimonies
can create a soul in the Womb but the Lord Who can form the shape and structure of a man in the Womb but the Lord So though thou labour and travel in birth of Service for the Lord though thy Service for God may cost thee many a pang yet count it a gift As Jesus Christ did The works which the Father hath Joh. 5. 36. John 17. 4. GIVEN me And I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do Lo Our Saviour counts his work a gift so should we take it for a favour that he employs us that we may do him any service or have any office about him Nay to suffer for Christ and lose all for Christ count it a gift As Paul tells the Philippians Vnto you it is given in Phil. 1. 29. the behalf of Christ not only to believe in him but also to suffer for his sake To suffer for Christ was given them as a great favour sufferings are a gift as well as Faith As Latimer said The greatest promotion that God gives in this world is to be such Philippians to whom it is given not only to believe but also to suffer And Ignatius professed he had rather be a Martyr than a Monarch And the Apostles rejoyced that they were graced Acts 5. 41. so as to be disgraced for Jesus Christ Vse 4. Make sure of Heaven then since the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is a gift to some not to all How should we make our calling and election sure since many are called and but few chosen Give diligence to make thy calling sure seeing he gives grace but to some not to all since he sends pardons but to some not to all We need not doubt the attaining of that which none at all miss nor any are ever put by it But when a thing of price and worth is given only to some not to all there we should make sure work You that hope for Heaven make sure of Heaven for hopes disappointed will break the heart If hope deferred makes the heart sick surely hopes disappointed will make the heart break Oh do not hang upon rotten hopes as a man that hangs over a deep River by a Rope or Cord there he hangs and hopes and hopes and hangs but if his Cord break and snap asunder there he falls and never riseth more so many hang over Hell by the Cord of hope and if thy Cord of hope breaks as it will if it be but rotten thou art gone Man thou art gone if thou hadst a thousand souls And therefore do not hang upon a weak Cord of uncertain hope but upon the golden Cord of Faith and Assurance If you say How may we attain Assurance I answer you First God gives assurance in Gods way if God gives assurance certainly he will give it in God's way Therefore Sirs never expect it in a way of sin for sin is not God's way I am told by a most learned man That Assurance by our Divines Mr. Woolbridge of Hustification Pag. 292. is wont to be made a part of Sanctification and may very well be included in the sanctification of the spirit 1 Thes 5. 23. as distinct-from Soul and Body Secondly Seek not assurance in the way of the World the World is a stranger to assurance this is such a flower as grows not in the Worlds garden the world and assurance are Antipodes And therefore if ever you would meet with assurance do not as the world doth For do ye not know That narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it And therefore you run from assurance if you follow the world Oh tremble then to go in the way of the world If thou wilt follow the most I tell thee the most will be damned Assurance lyeth East and the world goeth West if thou follow the world the Sun of assurance will set upon thee The Apostle saith That the Devil is the God of the world who 2 Cor. 4. 4. hath blinded their minds And he tells you That the Saints are chastened of the Lord 1 Cor. 11. 32. that they may not be CONDEMNED with the world Where then can the world or her Children meet with assurance They may be assured of Hell but not of Heaven Our Lord Christ saith I pray not for the world but for John 17. 9. them which thou hast given me for they are thine The Lord Jesus doth not spend one breath to pray for the world and where then is the assurance of the world Thirdly It is but a few special ones that wear the golden chain of assurance about their necks and therefore you must be choice Christians if you would have this white stone and the new name written in it It is not every measure of true grace that affords assurance ordinary Saints have it not and therefore advance Sirs you must advance higher you must be peculiar ones if you would enjoy assurance All the Children know not their Fathers secrets but the choicest of them Fourthly Assurance is a work of the greatest diligence And therefore saith Peter Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure Lazy souls will never arrive at it he that would have it must be familiar and intimate with God Enoch who was translated was one that walked with God and you that would be translated into the Heaven of assurance must be persons walking with God You must take many a turn with him you must dwell in his Presence you must pray hard and lay fast hold upon him As it is said of Thetys that when she came to ask a request of Jupiter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. Iliad A. v. 512. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 She laid fast hold upon his knees and held him as if she had been ingrafted into him and would not leave him So vigorously must you pursue God in Prayer that would have assurance you must wrestle with him and lay hold on him as if you were incorporated into him Vse 5. Tremble at the severity of God in his spiritual administrations His judicial punishments upon the souls of men are very dreadful To you it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven here is exceeding mercy But to others it is not given here is exceeding severity The Lord knows how to meet with sinners in their own way to shape his judgments to their deservings Ignorance is their sin and Ignorance shall be their punishment He will speak in parables to them and he will act in parables to them his Word shall be parables and his Works shall be parables to them They shall understand nothing that he saith and nothing that he doth he will walk every step in the dark towards them all his paths shall be covered with Clouds in all his teachings and in all his walkings there shall be a mist before their eyes though he saith This is the way to heaven walk in it yet they shall
not see the way they would not and now they shall not Oh that thou hadst known in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes They did hide their eyes from their peace and now their peace is hid from their eyes Consider What are the things whose Knowledg is not given you The Mysteries of the Kingdome of Heaven What Sirs Is it the matters of Heaven that are kept from you A curtain drawn between you and heaven Now God's angry indeed A cloud set up to darken salvation and eternal life from you Lord here is thy greatest severity Nay he infatuates the wise and takes the understanding from the prudent He is a severe God to those that act against the light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Homer Odys Ψ. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God hath made thee mad who can make the wisest man a fool and strip him of his Intellectuals Do we not see men whom we call wise damn themselves understandingly God draws an horrid Eclipse upon their minds and their See Isa 29. 10 11 12 13 14 verses Sun of Wisdom sets upon them they run madly upon their ruine and most skilfully plot their own destruction God struck Nebuchadnezzar mad and he was driven from Dan. 4. 33. men and did eat grass as Oxen his hairs were grown like eagles feathers and his nails like birds claws he was turned into a beast by the Judgment of God And therefore Sinners are called in Scripture Lyons and Bears and Wolves and Dogs God bereaves them of their understanding they bark against Religion like Dogs and bite the Saints like Dogs they run about snarling and snapping at Gods ways and his People like mad Dogs Thus God is severe in his spiritual Judgments he infatuates the wise and makes them fools they carry on most artificially their own damnation Vse 6. Sinners see your spiritual misery and my God open your eyes that you may see it 1. You have seen many things and if you see not your own misery you see nothing It may be you have seen miserable Objects but if you see not your soul-misery you have seen nothing You have seen War in the Land you have seen garments rolled in blood you have seen your own or other mens estates plundred you have heard the noise of the Trumpet and the beating of the Drum in your streets But now if in a day of peace you see not God at War with your selves if you see not the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven denied to you if you see not your selves plundred of Heaven and stript of light and life if you see not your spiritual estate wallowing in its blood if you hear not the Trumpet of the Gospel calling you to Repentance if you hear not the Drum of Conscience beating against sin in your own bosoms whatever you have heard or seen you have seen and heard nothing 2. Much communicable and nothing had is not this miserable Heaven drops and it drops fatness and yet your souls so lean is not this a Mystery So much to be had and so little enjoyed makes me wonder and grieve Light communicable and yet men have no light Grace communicable and yet men without grace Heaven communicable and yet men drop every day to Hell This is an aggravation of Misery Ah sinners in your Fathers house is bread enough feasting banquetting glorious dishes in Wisdoms house how is it that you have nothing 3. Your sins are aggravated and so will your condemnation be you seeing see not and hearing you hear not you hear and see and yet understand not Doth not this aggravate your sins and make them exceeding sinful You are called and yet you have refused God hath stretched out his hands and yet you have not regarded you shut your eyes and stop your ears lest you should be converted and doth not this greaten your sins and make them odious Glorious power works in the world and yet men lye in their sins Power works gloriously but you feel none you are under the power of sin as if there were no Power of God at all working in the World Sinners this leaves you wholly without excuse there is power enough working to subdue the strongest lust what can you plead How great is that sin which is committed under the neglect of glorious power within the reach of a glorious arm As there is a glorious power so there be glorious sins splendida peccata scarlet crimson sins and these are such as are committed against glorious means glorious light grace and aid Men sin and lay it upon their weakness and so rest and rub on Ah Lord what a life is this God will judg you and lay it upon your wickedness and wilfulness for is not glorious Power present to raise you up Weakness becomes wickedness when it is rested in and pleaded for A soul given to shifting hath no mind to leave his sin there is no damning temper like this you say you have no power to come out of sin 't is not fo there is the Power of God in the Gospel present and ready for you to lift you up And therefore there must be no pleading for sin no not for any sin though never so great and strong The remedy the power is so gloriously All-sufficient Dub. But I pray you Sir tell us How shall we know that the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is not given unto us Answ 1. You that sleep in your lost estate to you the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is not given The Mysteries of Hell and Damnation are made known to you and yet you awake not What soul is there that doth awake 2. When a man can love a sin in the very face of Divine Mysteries in the very face of Mercy and the face of Glory 3. When the more God forbids a sin the more you bid for it When the more the Commandment comes sin becomes the more sinful and the heart the more stubborn when the more the spirit strives the more sin thrives the more the spirit strives against thy lust the more thou strivest to hold fast thy lust From this man is the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven shut up let him look to himself be-times Vse 7. Sinners go not on to provoke God to deny you the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven I told you in the Explication of this Point that God in denying to some the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven observes a Method of Justice that is Sinners deserve it and procure it at the Hands of God I say Sinners deserve blindness and obduration First sensu Negativo in a Negative sense because they deserve not softness of heart that God should mollifie them they deserve not this special mercy Secondly They deserve blindness and hardness of heart in an Affirmative sense because by their Additional sins and daily resistings they deserve a further Hardness and Tradition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
be given to them that have grace be it never so small Then Saints see what your work is What 's that to receive How may we receive more grace First Open thy soul to receive grace For to receive a thing is sometimes a motion of the subject or faculty opening it self to receive it As the hand doth open it self to receive a gift and a vessel must be opened to receive oyl or cordial pour'd into it The earht opened her mouth and swallowed up Corah And Numb 16. 32. Gen. 4 11. the earth as God said to Cain opened her mouth to receive thy brothers blood from thy hand Now the opening of the soul to receive Grace consists in these three Things 1. In believing the Promise when the soul believes its door stands open to receive the golden Treasures of Grace that are brought into it out of the store-house of the Promise And therefore saith the Text They rehearsed all that God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith unto Acts 14. 27. the gentiles 2. In love to grace promised for love is an opening grace When a man loves a friend dearly he opens his Arms to embrace and receive him so when a man loves grace he opens his heart to welcom grace into it And therefore ye shall find this passage between Christ and his Spouse saith Christ Open to me my love And saith the Spouse I rose up to open to Cant. 5. 2. Vers 5. my beloved He that loves Christ will open the two-leav'd gates of his soul to let in Christ with all his train 3. In desire after grace promised for the desire of grace is an opening of the soul to receive grace As the Lord saith Psal 81. 10. Open thy mouth wide i. e. ask freely open thy mouth in Prayer as wide as thou wilt And I will fill it 2dly Lye low The valleys that receive all the showres and floods into their bosom lye low under all the high hills and proud mountains so the humble Saints that lye in the bottom of self-abhorrence under all the rest receive the showres of grace the floods stay upon them and they drink them in they are overflown like your low grounds with abundance of grace 3dly Accept of grace to receive grace is to accept of grace As Jacob said to his brother Esau Nay I pray thee if now I Gen 33. 10. have found grace in thy sight then receive my present at my hand i. e. accept of my present at my hand Vse 5. What shall I do that have no grace To him that hath shall be given But what shall I do that have not Consider grace is a gift and therefore 1. God can give grace where it is not he gives grace where is none he doth good to them that are not good A gift is bestowed where it is not See Isa 44. 3 I will pour water upon Isa 44. 3. him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will pour my spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine off-spring i. e. as I pour Water and Floods upon the dry and thirsty ground that hath none so will I pour my spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine off-spring Where observe God gives showres of grace where there 's not a drop before 2. He can give grace to whom he will he can love whom he will and he can give grace to whom he will this is the Prerogative of Gods Love he can love any one Man being a narrow creature cannot love any one one that is fowl and ugly and crooked but God can love any one he can love unhandsom and deformed Creatures and marry them and make them lovely Naaman the Syrian was a Leper and therefore wondrous ugly he was a Leper in Body and Mind too The beauty of the mind presents a crooked person comely to us but Naaman had beauty in neither part he was a Leper in body and an Idolater in mind and yet God loved him and by a poor maid in his house sent him to the Prophet of Israel and healed his outside and healed his inside made his Body comely and made his Soul comely 3. He makes notorious sinners noteable Saints he makes Persecutors Preachers As he did Paul and all the Church admired it But they had heard only that he who persecuted us Gal. 1. 23. in times past now PREACHETH the faith which once he DESTROYED See the Work and Free-grace of God! Would God shew mercy to him that destroyed the Faith Yes he gave Faith to him that destroyed the Faith Paul if he could would have kil'd Christ and yet God gives him Christ The Gentiles were the greatest Sinners in the World and they were at the height of sin when the Gospel began to be Preached to them they were counted unclean the unclean Act 10. 14 15. beasts swine and other Beasts which the Jews under the Law might not eat did signifie the Gentiles and the Jews not eating the unclean beasts did signifie that they should have no communion with the unclean Gentiles yet on the GENTILES Vers 45. Acts 11. 17. also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost And forasmuch as God gave them i. e. the Gentiles the like gift as he did unto us 4. Sometimes God makes his greatest Act of Love to pass upon the greatest sinner Paul you know was a Saul indeed chief of sinners he saith it of himself and yet notwithstanding Acts 9. 3 4. Christ Preached from Heaven to him he sent men to Preach to others as Philip to the Eunuch but Jesus Chrrist doth himself Preach to Paul Jesus Christ when he was on Earth in the form of a servant called the other Apostles as Matthew at the receipt of custom and Peter when he was fishing follow me but when he was on his Throne in Majesty he Preacht from Heaven to Paul Wondrous love to a wondrous sinner 5. He bids thee pray and he 'l give Ask and it shall be Matth. 7. 7. Luk. 11. 13. given you But you 'l say he saith this to Saints Sol. See what our Lord Christ saith to the Woman of Samaria If thou knew'st the gift of God and who it is that saith John 4. 10. to thee Give me to drink thou would'st have asked of him and he would have given thee living water Dub. But I ask and yet 't is not given Resp Questionless he that bids us ask means to give As we bid our Children say I pray you father give me such a thing we do it not but when we mean to give it them Object But I cannot pray I cannot pray for grace Answ 1. He that will give thee grace when thou prayest will give thee grace that thou mayest pray As God first formed Adams body and it lay dead before him on the ground without breath or life or soul in it and God breathed into his nostrils the breath
prepare a Ship to embark upon the trouble of an Heavenvoyage to fetch this Treasure to sail through a dangerous Sea of Temptations through evil and good report through the powers of darkness through the oppositions of the World and the contradictions of a sinful and unbelieving heart to lanch from one depth and wave to another This the best hypocrite fails in and loseth all at last My Beloved here you may see the root of all the complaints that are in the mouths of many Professors they are ever complaining and crying out of wants but never feel supplies ever confessing their sins but never triumphing over their sin ever hoping never having ever wishing that they had the Lord but never enjoying the Lord Why what 's the cause of this Is heaven so barren that there are no golden mines there Are the fields of Gods Ordinances so empty that there is no treasure to be found there Surely no Gods Store-houses and Granaries are full but Christians are lazy there is the Treasure but they cannot or will not dig for it If thou cryest Prov. 2. 3 4 5. after knowledg and liftest up thy voice for understanding If thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledg of God Men pray against sin and if a few sighs will fetch in strength well and good if not they cast that shovel by Dig I cannot They spend some time in mourning and laying sin to heart but if they cannot presently feel the bitterness of it I cannot help it say they Dig I cannot You complain you seek and find not but do you seek diligently He that cometh to God must believe that he is and that Heb. 11. 6. he is a rewarder 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to those that seek him diligently and earnestly You complain that your hearts are fugitive and wandring undisposed to what is good But I pray you Do you keep them with all diligence Are you at pains to keep your hearts There there it lyeth you are idle and slothful you love not to sit up and watch your hearts Keep thy heart saith Solomon with all diligence Prov. 4. 23. Above all keeping That is more than any of those things or treasures which thou dest keep though never so strictly You complain you meet not with assurance but you can live well enough without it and make up the want of it with other comforts Your contentments in the world make up the absence of Christ from you and is not this a neglect of him Yet you complain you want assurance but do you use the utmost cost and care to make it sure As the Apostle saith Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1. 10. Oh! come then and examine your selves by this rule Tell me you poor Creatures Do you not often find checks for sin desires against it Christ and Mercy weeping at your knees and your hearts almost perswaded Do you not find some movings towards the Lord but yet withall a dead sloathful heart stays you again and will not let you offer violence to your selves 4. An hypocrite his turning from sin is but an exchange of one sin for another Many will say unto me I am no hypocrite for I have left these and those dear lusts which pleased me very well My drunkenness pleased me but I have left it my carnal mirth was my daily Cordial but I have thrown away the Cup and spilt it I was an oppressour and dealt unjustly but I have left it off Well this is well done but hast thou entertained no other sin in the stead of it I tell you An hypocrite his turning from sin is but an exchange of one sin for another When one sin is cast away another steps in the room of it and when that is gone another supplies the place of that too and commonly the strongest sin and temptation is the last The reason is because his Nature is not changed The sin of Nature only is most properly the reigning sin It hath been a Question What is a mans reigning sin his Master-sin But no sin is able to reign over any man but by Commission and Power from his sin of Nature As the weeds can never grow tall but by virtte of their soyl where they grow All the Boughs flourish by virtue of the root on which they grow And therefore we shall see let Satan sow his seeds of pride or lust or passion in a man whose nature is changed 't is impossible they should come to any perfection there but they will dye away within a time because the heart of the soyl is gone Hence also it comes to pass that a mans Master-sin may be changed Those sins that are his Master-sins in his youth are not in his old age those that are at one time in one place are not in another Now there could never be such change of Governours and Vice-roys unless there were some great King that sets up one and pulls down another Satis pro imperio This therefore is the reigning sin which pulls down one sin and sets up another under it which gives strength to every sin Now a gracious change is a full change not only a change but a full change not only a Conversion for an hypocrite may be converted but a full Conversion 'T is said of Amaziah That he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord 2 Chron. 25. but not with a PERFECT HEART Judah turned to 2. Jer. 3. 10. the Lord but not with her whole heart So then you see hypocrites may be converted There may be a turning to the Lord but not a whole turning there are many that have a Conversion but not a full Conversion What is a full Conversion First It is a deep Conversion Secondly It is a universal Conversion Thirdly It is an high Conversion 1. It is a deep Conversion it strikes at the root and subdues the very natural corruption I say more or less it kills the natural corruption and so by degrees ruinates the very foundation of sin so that in true Conversion nature it self is slain I mean corrupt nature it dyes and rots like a root in the earth and in this the superficial Conversion falls short That you may understand it you must know there are two corruptions of Nature 1. The one natural 2. The other acquired The natural depravation is expressed by David I was conceived in iniquity and in that of Job Who can bring a clean thing out of filthiness The acquired Corruption of Nature is expressed in that Text All flesh had corrupted his ways From the natural Corruption proceeds the acquired and by the acquired the natural corruption is inflamed The natural corruption cannot be repaired but by grace and regeneration The acquired Corruption of Nature was got by custom and habit and so it may be lost by
14. Lords face and turn from their wicked ways When they hear the words of the Lords threatnings they will rend their clothes 2 Chr. 34. 27. and weep before the Lord They that are humble they will accept of the punishment of their iniquity they will kiss Lev. 26. 41. the Rod of their correction glorifie his Justice and implore his Mercy The proud man thinks his little much the humble man thinks his much is too little The proud man thinks he hath grace enough the humble man thinks he can never have enough The proud man hath high conceits of himself the humble man hath high conceits of God The proud man seeks himself the humble man seeks Gods Glory and therefore his desires of grace are infinite because no measures are sufficient to serve Gods Glory The proud man reflects upon what he is the humble man reflects upon what he was that he was unprofitable he did serve sin a long time too long Many years were spent before he was called and all that while God lost by him and therefore now he must Row hard and ply his Oars with quickest diligence he did God much wrong and therefore now he must work and labour hard for him As Paul did I am the least of the Apostles that am not meet to 1 Cor. 15. 9 10. be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God I laboured more abundantly than they all The proud man reflects upon his attainments and what he hath done the humble man forgets those things which are behind Phil. 3. 13. Ad humilitatem pertinet ut Homo defectus proprios considerans seipsum non extollat Aquin. 22ae q. 35. ad 3. and reacheth forth unto those things which are before Is it possible that grace should not thrive here Oh! now it goes on amain The proud man casts his eye upon his Beauties the humble man turns his eye upon his Deformities the proud man looks upon his graces the humble man looks upon his sins and then crys out Oh! how much dirt and dross have I yet within me that must be purged out My sins out-weigh my graces so much levity of heart in me yet to be mortified so much self will to be expunged and self ends to be dethroned and carnal wisdom to be dismounted so much want of love to God and his Saints which must be heightned so much slavish fear in me which must be turned into filial fear so much studying mine own preservation more than the Honour and Interest of the Lord studying my safety more than my duty asking how I may be saved oftner than how I may serve God how little I rejoyce at the prosperity of the Gospel if my self be in adversity and how little I grieve in the adversity of the Church if I my self be in prosperity Thus the humble Saint by considering his imperfections advanceth on to perfection by advising with his own wants is still drawing more water out of Christs fulness 10thly God increaseth his Saints graces by making themselves to improve and increase them God increaseth their stock by their own good husbandry When the noble man in the Parable called his Servants Luk. 19. 12. and gave a stock of money among them to traffick with in his absence he charged them to improve it to his best advantage and one of them said Lord thy pound hath gained ten pounds and another came and said Lord thy pound hath gained five pounds So when the Lord Christ gives a stock of grace and sets up a soul he looks that your own care should come in and that by your own good husbandry you should add to it You suppose the work of increasing grace lyeth in Christ alone This is and is not true 1. It is true in this sense that the increase flows only from Christ the increase is his blessing As Paul said in another case Paul planteth and Apollo watereth but God giveth the increase 'T is he alone that adds to the first stock wherewith he set you up None can create grace in the soul but Jesus Christ Every addition is a new creation When David after his great fall prayed for increase of grace He saith Create in me a clean heart O God When Paul stirreth them Psal 51. 10. Eph. 4. 23 24. up to be renewed in the spirit of their mind he adds which is created As the first platform of the new man is created so is every degree of it This is the difference between the growth of nature and of grace In natural growth there ariseth out of nature a new addition but in the growth of grace there is a new creation Thus far that all your increase of grace lyeth in Christ alone is true 2. But in another sense it is not true that is without the endeavour For you must act that Christ may give the increase You must work out your salvation with fear and trembling though God must work in you both to will and to do And therefore 't is said to you Add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledg and to knowledg temperance The Disciples came to Christ and said Lord increase our faith And Paul prays for the Thessalonians The Lord make you to increase and yet he saith to them We beseech YOV brethren that ye increase more and more 11thly God increaseth grace in his Saints by keeping them awake The sluggard and the sleeper goeth behind-hand it is impossible he should thrive or keep cart on wheels And therefore God to increase their graces keeps his Saints awake Sleep is Ligatio sensuum the binding of the senses and therefore to be awake is when the senses are free and at their liberty 1. Sleep shuts up the eye the man that sleeps seeth no more than the man that 's blind And therefore God keeps his Saints eyes open to see Temptations and spiritual dangers to see the snares that are laid for them at their feet to see things invisible to see Judgment at hand to see the Tribunal set and the Books opened and the Judg sitting with innumerable Angels round about him and now repentance thrives and self-examination is at work and making your calling and election sure goeth on and spinning of fine linnen and washing of our robes white in the blood of the lamb and preparation for the nuptials with the Bridegroom While the eye of Hope is 1 Joh. 3. 3. kept open the man purifieth himself as Christ is pure 2. Sleep locks up the ear As long as a man is drown'd in a dead and deep sleep he hears no noise about him and therefore the Lord to increase his Saints graces keeps their ear open they hear the word of the Lord they hear and believe they believe and tremble they tremble and obey they obey and set upon action they read they run they pray they consult with the Saints they enquire how did the Lord work upon you What signs and evidences of grace
ever doubt of I say Satan tempts before Conversion namely to hinder us from entring the ways of grace and to keep us out of Christ For if we be once in Christ we are gone from him he can hurt us no more than he can Christ and you may see how far his malice can reach The seed of the woman shall break the serpents head that is his power The seed of the serpent shall bruise his heel that is his humanity When thou art once in Christ he can bruise but thy heel he may stir up affliction bring thee to thy grave but shall never bring thy soul to Hell At the best pain can but restrain your lusts it cannot heal them A disease can but abate the acts of sin it can never destroy the life of sin Death it self cannot kill sin the sins of wicked men live when they are dead The grave cannot consume them nor the fire of hell waste their strength the sins of unbelievers shall remain not only in their guilt but in their power to all eternity Quest But how does Satan hinder our conversion Answ By kindling a stronger love in us to sin There is in all men by nature a love to sin and Satan comes and blows that fire into a flame and so our love becomes predominant and afterwards it becomes a great work to un-love that sin 2. Satan tempts the unconverted these two ways 1. By inspiring his false Prophets and Ministers Thus he 1 King 22. 22. 1 King 22. 4 5. devised Ahabs destruction I will go forth and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets And again Ahab King of Israel asked Jehosaphat King of Judah who came to see him whether he would go with him to Battel to Ramoth Gilead Well the King of Judah promised the King of Israel and told him saying I am as thou art my people as thy people my horses as thy horses Afterwards Jehosaphat said nnto the King of Israel enquire I pray thee at the word of the Lord to day Then the King of Israel gathered the prophets that is Vers 6. the false prophets inspired by Satan together about four hundred men and said unto them Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to battel or shall I forbear and they said go up for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the King Consider it seriously They that admininister the Oracles of God are the greatest mercies or greatest curses When they drop from their lips nothing but Gods mind they are mercies if not they are curses 2. Satan tempts the unconverted by numbering more false prophets than true For when Satan cannot act for Truth on his side he will act by number He will weigh the balance by number when he cannot by truth he will disgrace truth by the greatness and multitude of number against it for he knows what will take among carnal and ignorant men they are carried with quantity more than quality What are you saith Satan that are but one or two wiser than so many Can truth sit upon the lips of so few If it were truth why should not others know it as well as you Why should so many be ignorant of it Thus he carried his device upon the wings of multitude against Ahab to hatch his design against 1 Reg. 22. 6. Ahab he did sit upon the spirits of four hundred prophets against one Micajah so there are many loose lives against one Christ though there be many now a days that teach men by their words and doings that men may live loosely yet Christ saith Broad is the way to destruction and narrow is the way to life So that the fewness of those that carry on the way to life is a Testimony of the truth of it 3. Satan tempts the unconverted by putting men out of conceit with the godly that they are proud and Hypocrites Secondly Satan tempts men in conversion He can play his part here also he is cunning everywhere to destroy if he cannot keep sinners from conversion he will hinder them in conversion Now Satan temps men in conversion 1. By putting hard thoughts of God himself into them and therefore no marvel if they have hard thoughts of godly men When such a soul is coming unto God he is by Satan way-laid with this namely that God will never pardon him he would repent but dares not he takes God for his Enemy Satan would fain make a poor soul that 's coming unto God think that God is his Enemy and will not save him it is one of his Master-pieces to bring the love and good-will of God into suspition Oh! saith he why should I repent I shall not be accepted and this is no small weapon And thus Satan deals with grown Saints and strong Christians and therefore surely the temptation is a strong Engine it hath more than ordinary strength in it He practised thus against Job 1. 16. Job The fire of God saith the messenger is fallen from heaven and hath burnt up the sheep Mark ye why did Satan consume Jobs sheep with fire He stirred up the Sabeans Vers 14 15. to take away his Oxen and Asses and why not the sheep why to provoke Job if he could to be passionate against God and for that was his great design to curse and blaspheme God to beget an opinion in Job that God was now his Enemy as well as Man The fire of God is fallen upon the sheep thou canst not put this off as thou mightst do the other and say this is but the malice or covetousness of the Sabeans that rob me of my goods no thou shalt see now that God himself is angry heaven frowns upon thee the fire of God consumes thee Turn over the Records of all antiquity and see whether ever God dealt thus with any but those cursed Sodomites upon whom God rained fire from heaven Was God their enemy in that punishment Behold he sends such an one upon thee though God hates nothing so much as sin yea nothing but sin yet he would fain save the sinner Now then bring your souls to this either I will be a natural man still or else I will get into Jesus Christ Sirs If you live in sin you will lose your souls if you throw away sin you shall be received into the bosom of Christs love 2. In conversion one device by which Satan tempts is when poor creatures are coming home to God to fright them with fearful blasphemies As for example he will first tempt or suggest to thee that there is no God and this temptation springs immediately from Satans hatred of God he would annihilate God But now to oppose Satan in this his device how shall I encounter him Thou must arm thy self against this temptation thus Answ 1. Tell him Satan thou knowest there is a God thou wouldst have me believe there is no God and yet thou knowest that there is a God The Devils also believe
not suffer his servants to loiter and sit idle Hast thou been afflicted and tried and tempted thou wilt be so again God will not give over with thee and therefore expect a perpetual series of temptations Vse 4. Think not the worse of the state of grace because of trials and temptations Be not discouraged in it It is God the gracious God that tempts Abraham and will tempt and try his Saints and these temptations the Devil makes use of to work your hearts back again When ye were in your natural condition then your heart was quiet your conscience quiet and the devil quiet and your friends quiet and did not speak evil of you and the world quiet and did not hate you nor trouble you But now you begin to look toward Jesus Christ now conscience condemns now the Devil accuseth now your friends your former friends they speak evil of you the world abuseth you your neighbours scorn and molest you I appeal to thee man or woman in thine own soul Dost thou not think that thy former condition was an ungodly condition Yes I confess yes and yet then thou wast quiet then conscience quiet then friends quiet then Satan quiet but now conscience accuseth and now Satan accuseth and the world accuseth and friends speak evil Oh say then my condition is now far better when I was bad and my condition was dangerous then all was quiet and therefore my condition now with trials and temptations is far better When I was going to hell all was quiet when I was like to be lost then all was quiet and therefore I will not change states with my self for all the world I would not be in my former lost condition with all my quietness for a thousand worlds I will prize my condition of faith and grace with trials and troubles infinitely above my former condition come what will come Gods Wormwood is better than the Devils Honey Well then be not discouraged 't was God that did and doth try his Saints Vse 5. Compose and frame your hearts for hard services store up strength for great and strong encounters God hath difficult work for his people to do it may be Saint he hath employed thee hitherto but in easie service and thou thinkest it will be always so but thou art mistaken You know not what dear Isaac what precious jewel God will have thee part with and sacrifice to him And therefore be up at work labour hard for grace to fit you for hard services The little Bee when 't is season with her is upon the wing of Diligence she is out in the morning goes to every flower brings in to her hive and stores up for winter and wilt not thou do so Shall the Bee the little Ant be wiser than thou art have they souls to save and yet they provide for nature and lay up for difficulties Awake then awake shall those silly creatures be at work and wilt thou loiter Go to the Ant thou sluggard consider her ways and be wise Many of you I fear will miscarry in your trials and temptations through your present loiterings It hath been honey-moon with many of you whilst others have been chastned every morning and you think it will be so still and this undoes you you think God will put you to no harder work than he hath done and so you overthrow your selves There 's never a person in this Congregation knows what day of difficulty and temptation is coming over him not one of you knows what hot service God hath yet for you Little did Abraham think a day before to hear that command from God Go and sacrifice thy Son thy only Son Isaac Little dost thou know how soon God will say to thee Be sick be afflicted and terrified in conscience how soon he may withdraw his face give thee up to doubtings and terrors little dost thou know how soon God may say unto thee as he did to Moses Go up to mount Nebo and dye Oh then store up strength for great and hard services and temptations Vse 6. Expose not your selves unto temptations It is said here in the Text that God did tempt Abraham Abraham did not seek temptation but God did tempt Abraham to seek temptation is a sin but when God tempts us it is a way to honour When we expose our selves to temptation a thousand to one but we fall and break a limb an arm or a leg but when God tempts us if we seek to him and keep to his rules we may expect a blessing Christ teacheth us to pray Lord lead us not into temptation but surely we are not to lead our selves into temptation 1. Ye heard that to a lawful temptation he that tempts and trieth must have jus tendandi a right and authority to tempt God being our Lord and the supream Rector having absolute government over us hath an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Authority to tempt us and try our graces but we are not our own we are his and not our own we are not at our own command nor in our own power we may not do what we will with our selves and therefore we may not offer our selves to temptation 2. When God tempts us and leads us out into the field of Trial we may expect his help and presence his assistance goes along with his temptations But when we tempt our selves and put our selves to trials and troubles we can expect no success nor look for Gods Assistance because we are out of Gods way let him that brings us in bring us off again If God bring us into temptation he will bring us off but if we bring our selves into temptation we must bring our selves off again Vse 7. Saints look upon your daily afflictions as your temptations 1. They are sent from God upon you as your temptations to try you and refine you Observe then with what humility you receive them for they are sent to try your humility observe with what patience and meekness you bear them for they come to try your patience observe into what nutriment you concoct them for you must feed upon them and eat them to kill corrupt humours and to breed good blood and spirits I say observe then what fruits they bring forth for though they are not joyous but grievious for the present Heb. 12. 11. yet afterward they yield or God looks they should yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby God will come to you as the Master did to the fig-tree to seek fruit on you I must tell you God expects as much fruit from your temptations as from your mercies Gods Eye is upon you he looks what you are doing 2. Afflictions per accidens through our corruptions are great temptations to sin and therefore you had need observe your selves strictly under your daily afflictions I say they are great temptations to sin for though it be said of Christ that he was in all points tempted like as we are
therefore bear them with willingness and patience 2 Cor. 4. 16. gain if he tempts you by losses your loss is your gain your wants will be your riches your outward poverty will be your spiritual wealth what you lose one way you 'l get another what you lose in the flesh you 'l get in the spirit Though the outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day saith Blessed Paul the soul grows new as the body by pressures grows old Afflictions may make thy outward face look withered and aged but thine inward man grows young and vigorous by them It is good for me saith David that I have been afflicted Now then bring your heart to this and bear all the temptations of the Lord with willingness and patience Vse 10. See God on the top of every trial or temptation God saith the Text did tempt Abraham you will say God tempted Abraham by word of mouth by an express command Is God wont to tempt and try men thus in these days I answer no you heard that God doth tempt and try men two manner of ways 1. Immediately by himself thus he tempted Abraham thus was Christ led by the Spirit to be tempted in the wilderness 2. Mediately by means and instruments by Satan sometimes by wicked men other times yea by Saints also sometimes as the Lord Christ was tempted by Peter when he spake of his sufferings Be it far from thee Lord this shall not be unto Matth. 16. 22. Job 2. 9. thee And Job was tempted by his own dear wife Curse God and dye And this is the Order of God at this day you see the means the instruments of temptation but though God be not seen yet he stands upon the top of every temptation no wheel moves in the world but by the direction and counsel of the first mover There is a concatenation of causes and God is at the upper end of the chain and nothing can be done by any link of the chain of second causes without the first cause In the fourth to the Hebrews there it is said that Jesus Christ Vers 15. was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin Mark it his Temptations were in all points like ours Temptations may be taken 1. For sufferings Or 2. For temptation to sin as having a power or causality moving us thereunto As for Christs sufferings they were exactly like unto ours To that end he took a Body and Soul and in his state of humiliation lay actually under them and felt them As for temptation to sin that is inward and outward Inwardly indeed he was not tempted but outwardly he was by men and devils more than ever man was and was tempted to the same kind of sins at least some of them which we being tempted to commit yet he never sinned Now the Apostle tells you there that he is touched with the feeling of our infirmities We have not an High priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities Nay because he was tempted like as we are he cannot but be touched with the feeling of our infirmities that is he cannot but be inwardly affected with the sense of our temptations Sirs your temptations touch him the temptations that you feel touch him his very bowels are full of the feeling of your infirmities he is acted with mercy and compassion towards you and he would have man to know it That which is the object of his compassion is our infirmities that is sins of the soul and pains of the body but chiefly sin infirmity here is sin and punishment sin and suffering which makes our case very miserable Some will think that Christ is not touched with the feeling of my sins others will think Christ is not touched with the feeling of my sorrows but ye are mistaken poor souls ye are mistaken saith the Apostle we have an High priest that is touched with the feeling of our infirmities with the sense and feeling of both of your sin and guilt of your sorrows and sufferings Whatever troubles you troubles Christ and the reason why he is so sensible of our sad conditions is because he was tempted in all points like unto us Christ as God is infinitely merciful but he became man tempted man that he might be sensible of our infirmities with our own humane affections that he might pity man with the affections of a man with such affections as we are wont to pity one another and therefore he was not only man but a tempted man because experimental knowledg and practical sense is the most effectual Hearken then you tempted souls how deeply is Christ touched with the feeling of your infirmities who was himself a tempted man as ye are he was in all points tempted like unto us This is that wonderful way which God by his profound Wisdom contrived to make his mercy greater and in some sort more than infinite he would have a kind of knowledg of mans infirmities which as God and Infinite he could never have AN ACCOUNT OF MANS TEMPTATIONS Psalm LXXIX 41. Yea they tempted God and limited the Holy One of Israel THIS Psalm is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exhortative and Instructive 1. The Psalm is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Suasive and Exhortative in the first verse Give ear O my people to my law encline your ears to the words of my mouth 2. The Psalm is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Instructive and Teaching I say for their choice Instruction and gathered out of the Records of Gods Providence towards his own people the Jews at the second verse I will open my mouth in a parable I will utter dark sayings of old which we have heard and known and our Fathers have told us We will not hide them from Vers 3. 4. their children shewing to the generations to come the praises of the Lord and his strength and his wonderful works that he hath done c. And that which the Psalmist would instruct them in is to obey God and adhere to him in dependance and subjection And not to be as their Fathers a stubborn and Vers 8. rebellious generation that set not their heart aright and whose spirit was not stedfast with God He warns them against Rebellion because their Ancestors and Fathers sinned at that rate and were severely punished by God Where you may observe by the way Observ That to say our Fore-fathers did thus and thus therefore so will we is no good argument Shall we be wiser than our Forefathers yes that you must or else you may smart for it The Holy Ghost here tells them that they must not be as their Fathers no sirs you must be better than your Forefathers the Light of the Gospel should make you far better and time should make you better and experience should make you better the example of Fore-fathers is not to be followed except wherein they followed the Lord.
his own word or no constant to his own sayings or no this is Facere Deum ludionem ridiculum I say this is to make God a meer stage-player ridiculous in his most grave transactions What is this but to make him light and unconstant to his most solemn pronunciations 12. They tempt God who live in known sins against the manifest word of God they make a tryal of him whether he will punish them for their sins or no whether he can be angry or will be angry with sin or no this is Interpretativa tentatio a tempting of God by Interpretation Sirs as oft as men sin against their own consciences they do presumptuously tempt God or try whether God will be just or no whether he be holy or no thou lovest such a sin and livest in it now thou temptest God whether he loves it and likes it also and at length thou thinkest that God is such a one as thy self 13. They tempt God who attempt things above their parts and power confiding in the Divine assistance which is not promised them thus many tempt God by entring into the Ministry they undertake a great work and are not underlaid with a stock of abilities but they venture upon confidence of Divine assistance but where has God promised thee his assistance he never promised his assistance to those that are unable he fits for the Ministry but never promised assistance to the unfit 14. They that put off their repentance from the present to the future-time and doubt not but God will give them grace and conversion whensoever they list tempt God exceedingly To repent and turn to God is a work above the sphere of mans ability who can change his own heart Oh! but God will meet me with his assistance hereafter poor man Who told thee so I am sure God never did 15. They tempt God who bring Gods Actions to the test and tryal who subject his dealings to unjust examinations 16. To conclude Some men tempt God to sin were he capable of such a temptation Indeed James saith of God Jam. 1. 13. that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God cannot be tempted with evil or tempted to evil yet many are so audacious as to tempt God to do evil Vse 1. The Vse is this Oh let this point humble us for who of us have not been tempters of the Lord both in our days of unregeneracy and since we gave up our names unto him both in our days of unbelief and since also in our days of faith When we loved and lived in sin how did we continually tempt God and since he manifested and revealed himself unto us how oft how oft have we tempted him most unkindly and unfriendly God may say to every one of us You Numb 14. 22. have tempted me these ten times How have we indulged known sins and favoured secret lusts and prayed free-grace to accept of us in our beloved sins and tryed his mercy to pardon us in our love to sin against his revealed will How coldly have we prayed against an endeared corruption nay have we not secretly prayed oh that God would spare me this sweet sin oh that God were of my mind that I might enjoy this pleasing sin have we not at least tacitly wooed God to a compliance with us and how indifferently have we conflicted with our pleasing sins as if we were loth to over come them How often have we tempted God with our impatience our murmurings our unbelief and discontents How often in our afflictions have we called God to an account brought his Actions to the test and subjected his dealings to our unjust examinations and tryed them by our touchstone Vse 2. The second Vse Oh then let us take heed of this great sin of tempting God Sirs you may trust him you may not tempt him God by all his promises meant to encourage your faith not your presumption 1. To tempt God is a grieving of God The Psalmist brings in God speaking thus to the Jews When your Fathers Psal 95. 9 10. tempted me and proved me and saw my works Forty years long was I grieved with this generation Tempting of God through unbelief and not submitting to his Government is a vexing of his Spirit and a provoking of him to reject the sinner Forty years long was I grieved with this Vers 11. generation unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest They tempted God and this grieved him and vexed him and then he sware they should not enter his rest 2. To tempt God is a destroying sin Neither let us tempt 1 Cor. 10. 9. Christ as some of them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents Vse 3. A last Vse shall be to give you some antidotes and then I have done 1. You must get the clear eye of faith by faith sometimes we understand the promises when we do not the work of faith is to commit the soul to God as unto a faithful creator Faith will tell thee when God frowns upon thee he loves thee Faith will help thee to commit thy soul unto God Jobs afflictions made way for him to heaven 2. Stay his leasure whatever your wants and conditions are stay his leasure go not before God stay his leasure if thou wilt be but content to stay Gods leisure thou wilt never go out of the way set faith and grace at work to help thee to look upon the time as short the mercy when it comes will be infinitely sweeter than if thou shouldst pull it off with thine own hand this will help thee to wait Gods leisure 3. Contentation is a rich antidote against tempting of God The defect of this Contentation leads us into many temptations and sins both against God while we murmur at his will and dealings with us And against our neighbour whose prosperous estate being better than ours we envy at And therefore sirs if we have food and rayment let us be therewith content that we may not trouble the waters nor disquiet God nor our own souls AN ACCOUNT OF Christian Piety 2 Tim. III. 12. Yea and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution PAVL was the Author of this Epistle the person to whom he Writes it was one that had much of Paul's heart 2 Tim. 1. 2. Timothy whom he stiles his dearly beloved Son not by natural but 1. By spiritual generation Paul begot him to God by the Ministry of the Gospel 2. And Timothy was also Pauls Son by imitation he took Pauls stamp upon him and resembled him as a natural Son doth his Father and therefore Paul in his first Epistle calls him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his right Son his true Son one that followed him to an hair 1 Tim. 1. 2. not spurious nor degenerate 3. And therefore he was Pauls Son in affection Paul loved him as any Father ever did a Son and he Paul as any Son ever did a