it were not pride and statelinesse in the Prophet what cause was there why he should send to Naaman rather then come forth himselfe Was he not expected and might he not feare some aspersion to his person God and Religion by his aloofnesse Surely by the way these things ought much to curb our base passions Bishop Hooper that famous Martyr of Christ and man of tender conscience being of somwhat a more retired private spirit and carriage then usual did cause some Christian men and women who honoured his integrity and sought advice from him to wonder and to stumble at his austerity A defect which he could not easily amend in himselfe But it cost him sorrow afterward as some of his letters witnesse that he should grieve any good heart by such an offensive carriage Those letters are also extant wherein reverend Ridley craves pardon of his deere fellow-Martyrs Bradford and Sanders for his unbrotherlike passages in some cases a time there will be in which every one that feares God will mourne for the least misdemeanor in this kinde Gods glory is pretious and his peoples souls cost deare They must not be offended for our humours or trifles better a mill-stone were hang'd about our neckes and wee cast with it into the sea then to offend one little one This by the way Ministers must be tender of Gods glory and jealous of offence by their carriage I answer there had been in this case of Elisha some feare of this I mean of offence if God had not discharged him from it by a Supersedeas to his ordinary charge but having a warrant for it hee might trust God the better for preventing of hurt As the Prophets were extraordinary persons so the most of their actions bare a speciall reference towards God not themselves And so it was here Elisha was a man familiar enough in his owne case as appeares in his homely and courteous carriage towards the woman that set him up a Table 2 Kin. 4.12.13 Stoole and Candlesticke in his Chamber This was no great state nothing neere Naamans yet thankfully accepted But there is a season for all things to bee familiar with a poore Tradesman Eccle. 2.3.2 and to be strange to a Prince both lawfull Now the Lords worke was in doing and Elisha might not procure to himselfe the note of courtesie by breaking a command as that Prophet who to avoid discourtesie went backe to eate with the old Prophet 1 King 13.19 and lost his life When God discharges us by a closer-command its folly to affect the name of unseasonable obeying And by the way it is no small error in men to interpret Scriptures according to the letter without respect had to the scope and circumstances proper to the text The Letter of the Scripture not to be wrested against the sence for mens humours As the Papists who by this meanes snatch extraordinary facts of Moses and Christs fasting Matth. 4. Ebuds killing Eglon Judg. 4. Elijah's affronting Ahab 1 King 20.21 or the like to such ends of their owne as not God but themselves are the authors of Not the fact of burning the Passeover reliques Exod 12. and of robbing the Egyptians but the warrant of God over-ruling ordinary cases for speciall ends of his owne must be regarded Now I say the Lord had another end in withdrawing Elisha from going forth For why He saw he was more carnally adicted to the Prophet then he ought More specially of the cause he came full of carnall esteem of him as a man of great power to worke miracles 1. To prevent carnâ—ll esteem of his person and the outward cure He looked also at the outward cure full he was of himself and his carnall hopes who but Elisha with him as a great Physitian with a patient for hope of cure This together with a confidence he had of his owne sufficiency to give him full content for his paines as if he had gone to an ordinary man and lookt to take and pay did wholly eclipse the honour of God who will not give his glory to another The Lord loved Elisha well and his reputation as we see Cap. 2. yet not so well as to part with his own 2 King 2.5.6 Esay 42.5.6 for his sake If God had intended only a bodily cure it had been enough to have come out and laid on hand upon the leprosie and so an end But the Lord who had a further scope even to acquaint Naaman with himselfe 2. To cast out his owne spirit his power love and mercy in healing his soule also saw that this could not be effected withour fetching a further compasse viz. by casting out the aime at bodily cure alone the confidence upon a Prophets skill 3. And to raise up his spirit to God the admiration of a mans person the fulnesse of Naamans carnall hopes all these justled aside the glory of God and the preparation of Naamans heart to entertaine the gift with a due respect to the giver And therefore the Lord thinkes it best to suspend Naaman a while longer and to traine him by degrees to a more spirituall heart in embracing such a double mercy Tne Lord strives with his spirit as Gen. 6.2 to drive out of it that same carnall savour hope content wherewith he had filled himself having heard that the Prophet could heale him As for spirituall cure he felt no disease nor knew any remedy of it But the Lord meant it and therefore meant that Naaman should in the meane season be secretly prepared for it As our saviour told Peter what I doe now John 13.7 thou knowest not but hereafter thou shalt The Lord therefore by this crossing his hopes doth desire to let in a further light into his minde then yet he had That he might consider that he was not now come to an ordinary person to heale his body but to the Lord and his Prophet to worke a divine cure here therefore he must looke up to God stand to his curtesie adore his power love goodnesse and mercy here is no marquet for money to beare mastery all must come from meer goodnesse and that not from a Prophet but from the Lord working by him Now therefore having to doe with him let his carnall savour and erroneous conceits ly by let him empty himselfe of a wordly heart and get an heavenly as having only to do with God and not man The ground affords many sweet meditations I wil briefly touch upon two or three and so proceed Thie first is this All the course which God takes in bringing home the soul to God is in a word but this one to subdue the carnality and unsavourinesse of the heart Gods way in converting any is chiefly to subdue carnall savour and the blindnesse and error of the minde to the obedience of Christ From first to last the Lord aimes at this if we marke it through all the preparations of
our places and callings and be not too indulgent to our backs bellies companies travells and the like sensuall recreations and contentments many men affect such a breâ—th in the uttermost of their liberties and jollitie that their very garbe bewraies them to bee men who savor not much of denying themselves goe to the Lord often with this thorne in thy heele and bemoane thy paine unto him 2 Cor. 12.6 till he ease thee as Paul did and ceased not till the Answ 6 spirit was sufficient for him Beseech the Lord not to leave thee to thine owne findings but to take thee into his own patronage maintaining thee at his cost and charge It is said that Ieconia long after his obedience to the Prophet Ieremy Jerem. 52.31 to yeeld up himselfe to the King of Babel was so honoured by God as to become of a vassall and captive a favorite and to be nourished from the Kings owne dish to have a portion of meate from him daily meditation of the Pearle Matth. 13.44 caused the Merchant to sell all and buy it How doth Paul Phil. 3. heate his heart with the Lord Jesus till hee cast out himselfe as dung Dâ—vid Psal 73. recovers himselfe out of his temptation of distrust and impatience by meditation and then breakes out Whom have I in heaven but thee Luke 2.51 Mary bred Christ in her soule by pondering the message of the Angell against her feare and doubting Nothing a greater nourisher of Selfe then unacqaintance and slothfull neglect of the promise Againe behold the practice of the Saints both in Scripture and experience both living and dying Heb. 13.7 how they have moulded their souls into the truth of God and have been content to hazard their own salvation thereupon saying if I perish I perish Let also as I toucht before the afflictions Answ 8 of God whether in our bodies or soules breake us off from our wilde olive stock and implant us into the naturall and sweet olive Say Lord it is a sweet mercy not to live to my self though it cost me deare to learne this discipline but to be at thine allowance As an idle wench chuseth to live basely and idely at her owne hand rather then under a Mistresse so would Self do if God did not over-rule the soul But when she is corrected and instructed then she smites upon her thigh and repenteth Lastly Answ 9 be not too eager in pursuit of our worldly affairs but quietly let us set our boate upon our streame of providence to crosse our selves in our carnall appetites and though God crosse us not yet deny we our selves inuring our hearts to mercy compassion to such as are in necessity bodily or spirituall Let not Papists the chiefe favorites of Selfe condemne us Protestants in this kinde farre it be it from us to foster a spirit of envy which lusteth in us after uncharitablenesse indignation morosity austerity censoriousnesse anger revenge suspitions contentions Jam. 4.4 discontents either with men or with providence and Gods administrations that please us not for these morall distempers will defile us spiritually if we be not aware of it Seeke not honour repute respect and acknowledgement from men let God alone with these Joh. 5.44 and let us not for such base scurfe yet highly set by in the world destroy the worke of God Oh! beloved consider what I have said of this weighty argument and the Lord give us understanding in all things for mine owne part I have cause to mourn that notwithstanding all I have spoken I have so small hope to prevaile with men because I goe against their edge and speake riddles to men of another metall What are we but signes and spectacles to men and divells in preaching these doctrines What serve we for save to harden their hearts For they will fulfill the doctrine and Selfe is like to quash their hopes when all is done The Lord prevent it in you for his mercies sake And so much also shall suffice for this whole use of exhortation to them that seeke conversion Now concerning the latter branch of Exhortation 2. Branch of Exhortation Gods people must practise selfe-deniall in their conversation to them who through mercy are converted already Let me urge this upon them so much the rather to deny all for Christ and his name by how much they have already obtained favour to count all as drosse in respect of pardon and reconciliation If in the former respect that of our Saviour be true how much more in the latter He that will bee my Disciple must deny all if the case so require take up his crosse and follow me And the truth is such are the times we now live in that I am in a manner forced to adde this point of use to the former For you must know the former is secret from the view of men though one day it shall be knowne to men and Angells so that we should doe men a world of wrong if we should judge them to bee other then selfe-denyers and beleevers Matth. 16. end But indeed there is another selfe-deniall a consequent upon faith and that is an outward renouncing of our selves and selling our selves out of all our profits pleasures ease and liberties for the name the truth of doctrine the profession of Christ in power That rather then we would betray these to the enemies thereof neither liberties nor lives should be deare to us Now herein what doe men Alas they shew that either they never knew what it meant to cast out Selfe to receive Christ or else they have found a narrow distinction between barke and tree to save themselves harmelesse viz. That although they deny themselves inwardly for him never so yet they have a dispensation so that outwardly they will not lose a dramme of wealth credit maintenance ease love of wife child will or appetite for his sake And at this plat the world of our professors now fall off Causes They love Christ with their hearts but they will not lose one straw for him Alas what wonder that it is so with them For why Why most men so little deny themselves for Christ To deny a mans selfe for Christ requires a better bottome then they have any The Lord Jesus never denyed himselfe to the death for the redemption of their soules never gave himselfe as a price to wrath for their pardon and peace The Apostle Rom. tells us Doubtlesse for a good man one would be content to dye Christ hath not been a good Christ to them for if he had they would deny themselves to the death for him They are upon their owne bottome still their owne ease will health pleasures life and liberties are too deare to them they love them as pretiously as a zealous Christian loves Christ therefore they will part with nothing for him If Christ were their Selfe their inner man their joy and content they would cleave to him as their
weapons and tremble at thy wretchednesse Branch 6 Sixtly let this doctrine not onely convince thy judgement of a truth that the case thus standeth Lay downe thy pride and rebellion between God and thy soule but let it proceed to bring thine heart and whole selfe under the authority of this advantage at which God hath thee That is let it worke exceeding humiliation and feare of spirit in thee and cause thee to pull downe thy peacocks fethers and lay downe thy pride rebellion and gainsaying heart and be as one out of himselfe As that jailor when the earthquake had broken the prison doores Act. 16.27 and loosed the prisoners thought himselfe but a dead man Act. 9. and Paul being under the arrest of Gods might and power lay for dead So the thought of this thy wofull disadvantage under the hand of God should cause the jollity of thy spirit to quaile and thy bog and bold heart to be abashed saying if this be thus whence comes my impudent resolute purpose to go on in my course I see I have not mercy at my command nor grace pind to my sleeve when I can but use three or foure good wordes at my death Alas I perceive I my selfe am infinitely under the advantage of Justice and wrath both in Adam and by my owne wicked courses Is this then Oh my soule a season of revelling of casting care away of adding drunkennesse to thirst Is this a time to contest to provoke to increase sinne by wilfulnesse What do I think to scare God by my murmurings and cavills against him Oh no! this is the way to make judgement inexcusable and hell seven times hotter then at first See Esay 28.22 Therefore lay it to heart as those in Act. 2. did when they heard Peter shew them what pickle they were in for murdering the Lord of life Oh! their hearts were gored as with a swords point So let rottennesse enter into thy bones tremble and say What if the Lord should take this advantage of his to destroy me What if his long suffering all this while hath onely spared me as a vessel of wrath that he might with the fuller swinge come upon me and all at once sweep me to hell what a taking are those men in who are at their enemies curtesie as having lost all they have or condemned in as much as they are worth and at the mercy of their adversary who hath got an execution against all their estate surely hee were an odde man for stoutnesse of stomacke who should stand it out and dare his enemy to ceaze upon him Alas Esay 27.4.5 what a poore wretch should he be made So here what rescue hath the dry stubble against the advantage of fire if once kindled in it Oh! if thou canst bring downe thy base and sturdy heart by this meditation how thou standest at the meere curtesie of him who cannot only destroy thy body Luke 12.4.5 but cast body and soule to hell if this will master thy proud heart and make thee crouch and put thy face within thy knees for confusion and sorrow thou hast attained some part of that end which this convincement serves for Seventhly yet rest not in this dejection onely Consider that the soveraignty Branch 7 of God doth not reach only to destroy the creature Soveraignty is free to save aswell as to destroy but sometimes to abase it and save it There is a soveraignty of mercy a free and bountifull grace aswell in that God who hath thee at this advantage as a power to condemne And therefore apply thy selfe to the beholding of those cords which the Gospell puts in and offers thee in this dungeon and of that ladder which is thrust in for thee to come up by as to the meer implodding and sadding thy thoughts with the likelyhood of thy confusion Consider its one step to pardon to lay to heart Gods advantage For who are they who perish who carry a blacke marke of wrath about them Surely those who either acknowledge no such thing live at hearts case and elbow-roome and come leaping forth in their chaines with Agag or else if they heare of it murmur fret and kicke against it 1 Sam. 15. If then thou hast escaped both one thing remaineth escape also an unbeleeving heart Rest not in these suburbes of hell but behold the freedome of mercy in the promise And do not reach first at Election and so fal backe and breake thy necke Election not to be first lookt at but the offer of grace But take this first worke of humiliation in thee as an hansell of hope that more shall follow and as for Gods secrets they must attend faith not goe before it Therefore nakedly and without further dispute convince thy judgement of a possibility of escaping this advantage which God hath thee at Not by thy struggling and fighting against it as Pharaoh against the waters returning but by thy meeke and humble stooping under it And know that this doctrine of Gods soveraignty serves to try the spirit of men of what mettle they are made of and to condemne none save the finally rebellious Those who cease whetting at Gods secrets as not belonging to them and only betake themselves to the softly streames of Siloam beholding with stedfast eye Deut. 29.29 the freedome bottomednesse and unchangeablenesse of the promise have a marke upon them of such as shall be saved the soveraignty of Gods advantage against the poore creature notwithstanding Come then to the Lord and say thou mayst indeed justly damne me yet thou mayst also save mee O Lord doe not destroy thy creature let it please thee to have mercy and desire not the death of a poore wretch with thee the fatherlesse shall find mercy of which I am What boot shall it be for thee to have my bloud Oh spare a little let me recover my selfe if thou must needs be just powre thy wrath upon despisers but spare the penitent and such as lye at thy feet as lost Eightly let this conviction of judgement turne thy soule to make an adventure and where thou seest a breach made there to lay the battery Branch 8 of faith to assay an entrance into the City of grace The Lord having cut off his plea by as strong a remedy Assay to beleeve and redemption yea stronger then ever the former advantage lay calls thee to lay hold of it strongly in the blood and satisfaction of thy Redeemer How dost thou find thy selfe affected in this case Whether chusest thou to curse God and dye or to breake and pull downe thy stomacke and live judge thy selfe herein acording to the rule if ever the advantage of God dranke up thy spirit how wentest thou to worke didst thou recke thy teene upon God and quarrell with him for his forsaking thee or soughtst thou after a way of hope by Gods cutting off his owne advantage in his Sonne Dost thou behold the Lord
Jesus lying at the stake with thy guilt as thy surety for whose sake the deadly enmity of God is abated toward thee And doth this cause thee to take more thought for thy soule then to dispute with God Well then feed thine heart with this thought that the Lord will save some and whom save those whom its provided for even those who can beleeve that free mercy is as well worth the embracing as soveraignty is worth the fearing and therefore determine with themselves rather with a trembling foot to goe towards the former then with a blasphemous mouth to goe to hel Leave Gods secrets and try him in his revealed will and way he hath professed that none who chuse life shall dye none shall endure the disadvantage of their sin who come to Christ as having discharged them from it by bearing it for them Chuse then to live 1 King 20.33 Ahab had Benhadad at a great advantage If his power had driven Benhadad to be stout and desperate there had beene no remedy but he must have dyed upon his owne sword But he left the sharpe point of his advantage and be thought himselfe that the Kings of Israel were mercifull His servants put him in hope that he might possibly fall into mercifull hands This drew him to give over despaire and to chuse hope and therefore with trembling acknowledgement of the advantage and with ropes about their necks he sends to this King for release and pardon and sped of it Do thou so and prosper chuse the hope and renounce the despaire All Gods people having two things set before them by the one whereof they cannot chuse but perish by the other they may possibly escape they being led by the spirit of hope grace forsake bondage terror and despaire and light upon the other And that conducts them by a doore of hope to the Pallace of pardon When those lepers who were shut out from all company and reliefe laid together the sad spectacle of the assured dying in the city with the possible though perilous hope of life in the campe of Aram 2 Kings 7.3.4 Adventure upon the promise what did they They put their lives in their bosomes they counted them no more worth then a straw under their feet if they save us we shall live say they if they kill us we are but dead men better is it for us to die with adventuring for life then to die here in coole bloud and so they were saved Doe thou so Know it there is no poore soule who was ever freed from Gods advantage and wrath save they who gave finall free sentence against themselves as making full account to perish if mercy did not save them at a narrow and a dead lift even a hundred to one Hast thou ever passed this narrow adventure Then though in respect of thy selfe its an hundred to one but thou perish yet in respect of God and his promise upon which as a sure bottome thou venturest thou canst not but be saved All the difficulty is in the adventure Loth are men to carry their lives so loose skin for skin and all they have they will give for life Job 1. But they whom God hath brought to be at his uttermost advantage will give over all their owne props hopes helpes duties devotions and performances and carry their lives in their bosome if they perish by venturing upon the promise they perish but to be sure by not beleeving they must perish He that is brought to this point may say truely if I had not perished I had perished indeed my perishing was my happinesse In thus doing thou hast hope but otherwise none Ninthly yet so venture thy selfe as a forlorne wretch upon the Lord Venture not at hap-hazard but upon a sure stay Branch 9 and as one that goes not to worke at a meere hap-hazard but as one else lost venture upon a promise as a sure stay and refuge which cannot faile thee If thou be under this condition the Lord puts thee not upon a meer adventure which may prove well or ill but upon the promise of the sure mercies of David whereof nothing can defeate thee Esay 5 5.3 Unbeleefe may hold thee some while at the staves end but such a one as thou art called to know that thy feares are taken away and turned to an hope which shall not be ashamed Take no thought for the advantage which Justice had thee at the Lord will see to that and hath seene already to it in casting it upon his sonne If thou object Object but he hath onely so done for the Elect. I answer Still goe thou to the markes of his revealed will Answ If thou confesse the advantage to thee belongs the redresse which Christ hath merited by satisfying the claime of justice Esay 53. The Lord hath laid this penalty upon one whom he loved more deerely then ever he hated thy sinne feare not therefore but he is appeased If thou canst humbly come in and plead it for thy selfe thou art one upon whom the Lord will not serve himselfe by condemning thee having already in the flesh of his owne Sonne served himselfe to the uttermost that thou mightst goe free Now the Lord hath ceased his plea and turned it to a desire that thou wouldest be reconciled which if thou art content to be it s no rash venture but it s a taking hold upon his strength to make peace and thou shalt have peace Esay 27.5 If thou wilt not esteem of this strength of offred reconciliation already wrought for thee without thy cost to be far more precious then the former advantage of wrath is terrible Thou shalt be found to ascribe more to the guilt of a finite creature then to the satisfaction of an infinite God and the offer of an infinite reconciliation Come in then and lay hold upon this refuge with strong consolation Heb. 5. end Take no more thought what becomes of the plea of justice then the Lord himselfe doth if he will have free mercy rejoyce above soveraigne justice why then shouldst thou shrug at it and why should thou grudge thy selfe that which God can beteamed thee and so destroy thy selfe rather then set thy seale to his offer to be happy True it is thou hast beene so soaked under the former anguish of the Lords justice and advantage that thou canst not so easily forget it and the newes of this mercy seemes an incredible thing unto thee but remember that the Lord is willing thou out-grow thy feares by degres though it be not suddenly done yet be not sullen and wilfull and time shall work it mercy shall in time subdue thy suspicious heart Incline onely have a comming soule to this offer and the Lord who suffred thee long in thy rebellions Esay 55.4 shall much more be patient toward thee in thy timorous and weake approaches toward his grace he shall spare thee as a father spares his child that
with others worse then her selfe pleads her civility innocency of life good parts devotions and moralities if God ferret her out of this burrow she will annexe and apply her selfe to Christ after a fashion for aide and entrench her selfe within her duties teares good affections zealous performances good opinion of others if this fort be battered shee will still betake her selfe to her seeming selfe-deniall in many things forfeit of her will of sundry lusts pleasures bad company and redeeme selfe with some forfeit of selfe Shee will not bee pulled out of her Castle of selfe-conceit nor give up her counterfeit sufficiency and treasure within for any withour one bird in hand is worth two in the bush Till at length custome and confirmed error doe so harden her that she will sooner part with her life then her false happinesse or resigne up her bulwarkes and City to Christ and his besieging Army In such a case what must the Lord doe See Deut. 29.19 The siege of God to such a soule Surely either give her quite over as impregnable and raise his siege or else resolve to put her to the uttermost straights that can be Sometime by blasting her best blessings and with some deadly disease taking off the edge of worldly content making her soule to loath dainty meate or putting a surfet and fulsomenesse into all which she enjoyes that she cannot taste them or letting in a veine of vengeance into conscience convincing her that all is not well so that nothing can comfort her Job 33.14.15 she is Gods enemy an hypocrite an unbeleever wants the promise lives without God in the world never was humbled broken denyed her selfe never was lost nor forsaken and therefore never was out of her owne bottome to live in another stocke and roote of Christ When the Lord mixes himselfe really with crosses with terrors with law or Gospell to convince the soule either of sinne or righteousnesse then she begins to feele a straight and to be at a losse else she is merry and so long as she hath one ragge to cover her filthinesse one penny in her purse one crust to gnaw upon one shred to hang by Revel 3.18 she will be cloathed rich full and compleate Christ shall never heare of her It must be an hard besetting with a narrow straight which strips her and robbes her of her selfe-sufficiency Therfore Elihu Iob Cap. 33. under that one instance of sicknesse sweetly compares the state of an unregenerate person before straights come with the estate when they are upon him Before saith he God speakes once and twice by promises and by blessings but man heares like the Adder with a deafe eare she makes wash-way of patience word conscience and all But when the Lord afflicts both Conscience and body at once the one with terrours and affrightments in the night when men should sleepe the other with a consumption in his parts so that his bones sticke out and clatter his soule loathes dainty meat his moisture is spent and the buriers and mourners gape for him Then in this straight if an interpreter come and declare his righteousnesse and set him at liberty he shall be welcome Why Oh because God hath asswaged his pride and tamed him so that whereas before he was too high for any man to talke with now being on the rack you may have him at any termes and willing to come to any conditions Surely so it is in any other kinde of straight whereby the licentious spirit of man is subdued and scared while that lasteth the man is in a quite contrary frame to that he was in at liberty Reason 1 And what reason may be given hereof viz. Why the soule is best in case to deale withall under an exigent then otherwise I answer First a straight calls in and limits the spirit which before went at large and no compasse would hold it It brings the heart into bounds The sicke bed is narrrow the sicke conscience is upon strict termes with God whereas health and security make men wilde Job 39.9 like the Roe or wilde Asse Who shall yoake an Unicorne to the plow But the Lord having a man upon the hip can make him stoope to it The very she Asse when she is in her monthes may bee a taken in a pit Jerem. 2.14 cannot rise and runne away she is in a straight her big body will not suffer her to escape Now whomsoever the Lord converts he will narrow their course and bring them to a short Reason 2 account till then there is no talking with them Secondly by an extremity the Lord makes the creature understand his power over it and that it hath a superior to controll it whereas before it acknowledged Reason 3 no Lord or controller but it selfe Thirdly it abases and pulls downe the error of the heart and the selfe-love of it which presented all things in a false view to it and removed all feare and suspicion farre off so that as Paul without the law was jolly and alive so is this living without any bands or chaines Now under a straight it reflects upon it selfe some sad notions of feare sinne guilt wrath judgement so that the case is much changed Fourthly it abases the pride of the heart conceit of it Reason 4 selfe rebellion against God and makes it crouch as knowing there is no fighting against necessity This Elihu calls Gods hiding of our pride Straights will take away the bubbling and pride of a wretch and force him to an humblenesse yea they will hold downe the spirit to a patience and bearing long so that the Lord may take leasure to doe that which a free heart and jolly in sinne could not attend unto before a Sermon of an houre long was irkesome Now with Saul at Damascus gates it takes law and saith what wilt thou have me to doe Fiftly it bores an eare into Reason 5 the soule which before had none it pierces the heart and makes it apt to heare yea swift tractable and teachable saying speake Lord for thy servant heares Sixtly it provokes diligence painefullnesse and unweariednesse Reason 6 in using of meanes As Ninivee under Ionas arrest which before lay in a bed of ease sloth and sottish carelesnesse Seventhly it makes Reason 7 the heart glad of any one word of hope possibility of remedy and promise of mercy Eightly it breakes the heart and melts it to heare that Reason 8 the Lord will encline toward it being so low brought as it is Ninthly Reason 9 it causes a marveilous esteeme of mercy sets a wonderfull terrible hiew upon sinne and a precious marke upon forgivenesse causes the soule to forget all her vanities former objects in respect of that she would have Oh! Naamans disease seemed now hideous a cure precious all his honour and favour at home is forgotten for the time Tenthly it causes the Reason 10 soule to be glad of remedy from whomsoever be he never so base mean
To teach us the price of grace which of us would ever thinke grace to be such a thing as it is which of us would not wax wanton with God and forget our former condition which of us would pâ—â—se mercy and conversion as the inestimable free gift of a gracious God who might have left us at large to the corruptions of the world and the depth of the Divell But when we see how the Lord crosseth us what blocks are in our way and how hard it is to be vessels prepared for mercy to be clensed from our evill savour which would defile the grace of God then we wonder that ever the Lord should bestow any mercy upon us at all And so we walke in the sense and savour of it more humbly and thankfully afterward we suspect our base hearts we are jealous of forgoing it earnest to pursue it glad of the least dram of it and why we know the price and worth of it In this frailty and corruption of nature we can beare no great measures of grace by good experience of that it cost us to compasse it Where is there a man who is meet to enjoy any great matter from God either outward blessing or spirituall favour without pride and swelling So that the Lord is faint alway to be much in preparing such as he intends to bestow any great matter upon How long was David in preparing by the Lord See 1 Sam. from chap. 15. to the end of the book ere he came to the kingdome Between his first anointing and his Crowning how many turn againes and pursuits had he Surely as the Merchant of the East Indies who ventures for rich wares and pretious commodities hath an hard taske of it goes through strange hazards by pirates by tempests by winds by rocks and by continuall feare both going for them and comming home with them and all to teach him the price of them that he may after enjoy them more soberly so is it here The Lord is faine to prolong the day of his mercy and pardon and to bring the soul through many adventures to teach it to enjoy mercy without wantonnesse giddinesse lightnesse and boasting A drunken man can beare strong drinke or wine with his weake braine aswell as our slight hearts can entertaine grace we wax vaine and frothy idle and empty as not knowing what we have received from God nor how sober and wise we ought to be in the use of it 2 Cor. 1.2.3 So Paul the Lord meant to betrust him with deep revelations But before that how was he faine to buffet him what bitter greetings had he of his vile heart and how was he abased in his owne feeling And why Surely to teach him to walke humbly not to swell nor disdaine others but to distinguish the excellency of Gods grace from the basenesse of his owne spirit As we see it to fall out in the disposition of seasons and weather Simil. while the winter season is in her setling and height although there be a generall coldnesse of the aire yet it is mixed with some calmnesse and moderation But when once the spring tide is approaching we see what inequality of weather there is winds raines tempests and blustering all to purge the sky and to bring down the winterly distempers of it that the coast being cleare the sweet season of the spring and summer may succeed Just so it is with the soule perhaps while it lies under the winter of her owne desolation she makes a shift and hath no great chaines upon her as being under the hatches of misery But if once the Lord cause the spring time of life and conversion to approach strange it is what tempests clouds and weather arise the heart growes full of feares corruption rebells by occasion of the Law and selfe rises up in armes by occasion of the Gospel a marvailous change appeares in the soule through terrors bondage doubtings resistings cavellings and distempers of a base heart loth to leave that hell of hers which by custome became her heaven But all this is but as it should be the Lord proceeds gradually and by steps delayes the worke of grace and all that the coast may be somewhat cleared before hand and the soule prepared to welcome the season of mercy with calmenes humblenesse and modesty To conclude the Lord is Reason 4 most wise in thus trying his owne servants before he convert them To discerne them from such as are not his owne to the end that he may discerne them from such as are not of his number For why when hypocrites once come to see the conditions of grace what attendance upon means what knowledge and sense of sin what deep convincing of conscience is required how humble hungry painfull earnest the Lord lookes the soule should be that desires grace how plain-hearted in her aimes and prising it above all liberties how willing to sell all and glad it may to buy this pearle lo their rotten carnall hearts fly off and abhorre to stoop so low upon any hopes They thought heaven might be compassed with small adoe and that they might have it and their owne wills too But when they see it will not be nay more that many a poore honest soule is faine to waite long at Gods gate till he see it a fit season to bestow his grace upon it alas poore wretches they never were either so pinched with sinne nor affected with mercy as to bestow halfe the cost for it although they might be sure of it and therefore they fall off either altogether and so turne backe to their lusts or else if light and compulsion of conscience scare them from that they still abide as they are in a saplesse fulsome and dead course But it is not so with the others Gods true Merchants of the best pearles who know the true worth of them will not be beaten off by such discouragements but but with Naaman in the verses following rather then they will forfet all their hopes and carry back their lepers skin With them See Mat. 13.44 they will put their lives in their hands or rather themselves in the Lords to deale with them as he please and whatsoever difficulties or delayes they meet with they will beare them seeing they are for the best all shall end well By waiting the Lord will appeare at last but by giving him over they are sure to perish Oh! there is great use of this course how many desperate hypocrites doth the Lord trie hereby discovering their basenesse rage and discontent and how doth he comfort his owne faithfull poore servants that have waited upon his salvation assuring them it was his owne grace that sustained them in such delayes and difficulties to hold on Vse Instruction admonition to all Novices in grace not to be dismaid for difficulties The use whereof should be instruction and admonition to all Naamans and novices in regeneration and the worke of
therefore repentance entertaines him men of unhappy aimes who cannot avoid one rocke save by rushing upon another I confesse in the place alleaged Paul cites these words out of the Prophet Depart and goe from among them and I will receive you and be a father unto you and you shall be sonnes and daughters of me saith the Lord Almighty But this text sheweth not that repentance is a step to the receiving of a man by faith and adoption but rather it discovers this That till the Lord had humbled and abased the Iewes for their idolatry and setting up of false gods against himselfe and committing spirituall filthinesse with them there was no hope of being received into favour or marriage with him Otherwise repentance and turning from idols to God and from darkenesse and the kingdome of Sathan to Christ presupposeth faith to purge the conscience and to make us beloved and accepted The summe briefely is That this point urgeth us not to repent ere we beleeve which were to overthrow the need of a Christ and then to come to Christ but to shew us that ere ever Christ be truely closed with sinne must be nipt in the necke That jollity content and hearts-ease which a sinner found in his lusts must be throwne out both litter and whelpes of his heart ere ever he come to behold Christ with his sufficiency to save One wombe cannot at once carry two conceptions and the soule cannot at once serve two masters God and Mammon Christ and lusts The sufficiency which lusts erroneously afforded to the soule making her deeme her selfe happy in them and to be as a man of a full stomacke who loathes a honey-combe must be abandoned by legall consternation and humbling ere Christ be precious Christ must be needed as meat by a sterne belly ere ever he be had But that he cannot be while the love of lusts lived in surfeits the appetite And this is the first of those branches in which grosse-selfe consists Of which this I say Oh! that it should be possible that such a nature as was first created with a soule capable of divine being The degeneratenesse of our nature discovered and bred to immortality should so debauch it selfe and lose her honour as not with Nebuchadnezzar to forgoe his throne to feed with beasts but to forfeit Gods image to become a beast Nay I wrong a beast to speake so to become worse then any swine or beast and to wallow and incorporate it selfe so into spirituall filth as to forget what it was ever borne unto and not onely so far to degenerate as to embrace the enemy of God and that which Christ came to destroy but to set up such a sufficiency to it selfe in it as to abolish that sole-sufficiency of mercy to pardon and purge it yet this I say of it that although sinne of her owne nature and in her course tends by degrees to defile harden and make the soule impenitent and desperate yet if God breake off the soule betimes from it ere it have cankerfretted the soule it is more easie for such a sinner to come to some sence conviction and humiliation for it and so to some need of pardon then many a Pharisee who under pretence of abhorring odious Publicans and offendors is riveted into a conceit of his owne righteousnesse both a Pharisee and a Publican oppose Christ yet the former more then the latter because Christ came not to call the righteous but the sinner to repentance And so much of this so farre as this Digression will permit The second selfe naturâ—ll or the civilian I proceed to the second that is to the meere Naturalist or Civilian By whom I meane such an one as lives upon dregges the very reliques and ruines of the image of God decayed To open my selfe briefely the Lord out of infinite mercy hath so dispensed and ordred the penalties due to sinne in the fallen condition of Adam that although the wrath and curse of God upon the same lye equally upon all his posterity yet for some ends The flood-gates of corruption restrained by providence his owne mercifull indulgence and the commodity of common life he hath in some persons restrained the flood-gates of this deluge so that sinne hath a limitation and bound set unto it both for sundry kindes and measures of it Some being more innocent harmelesse righteous just temperate sober curteous civill then others which vertues although they are as pearles in a swines snout planted in a cursed nature out of which nothing can proceed save that which is uncleane for the clearest water in a standing kennell or puddell though it differ from the mudde underneath yet savours of the same stinch yet comparatively seeming to be lesse ill and impure then the muddy and base lusts of the uncleane the prophane and openly wicked obtaine among men the repute and opinion of vertues And indeed so they are in order and respect to the welfare of a Commonwealth in which it s no small outward beauty and happinesse to live with such in respect of the fierce injurious Favour of nature is inlarged by many meanes in the naturall civilian noysome and hurtfull qualities of the lewd and wicked And this favour of Nature in many men is greatly enlarged by sundry meanes First by the lawes of men which tend to settle civility and innocency in their governments which having penalties annexed to them severely censuring delinquents 1. By good Lawes cause the selfe-loving spirit of flesh partly from a confessed goodnesse in the vertues themselves partly from feare of punishment and partly a love of praise and reputation among men who count such rare peeces to cloze therewith to curbe and keepe in their distempers and to accommodate themselves to the order of community 2. By education and Discipline Secondly by the institution and discipline of Moralists instilling into their disciples the seeds of vertue and outward life propounding rewards of commendation and honour to such as attaind them shame and reproach to such as ensued them in which kinde those heathen Masters of manners excelled For by your continuall fostering those sparkles of nature left upon the herth and laying together such principles of art as they preceived to make for the engendring and nourishing thereof in mens mindes especially their tender novices not being leavened before with lusts they got such a perfection both in negative absteinings from evils and positive performances of duties as may justly make even Christians to tremble that they should come so farre short of them both in subduing of passions and practice of selfe-denying vertues being under the discipline of Christ himselfe Thirdly 3. By their experience others by their experience which their industry and observation of politicke courses among men hath purchased unto them have obtained such measure of perfection in this kinde that they have beene able to rule others by the authority of their skill and carriage and
owne unworthinesse or Gods long delaies which provoke the heart to wearinesse or comparing of the forwardnesse of others with her backwardnesse or else that God meanes not as he speakes but the contrary even to cast her off with some marke of vengeance sometimes rushing upon the rock of election as if all labour were lost because she is not predestinated to salvation as if we were to get to the highest step of the ladder before we have ascended by the lower sometime descanting about the way of revealing why it should bee onely by the word and spirit and not by sensible waies of expression by voice from heaven or extraordinary convincements and so in sundry other respects 10. Selfe-feare 10. Feare that the work of faith will be so hard and tedious that it will never be compassed by so weake and fraile a creature as she is so ignorant forgetfull corrupt and estranged from God the present sense of these and other corruption dazeling the spirit and enfeebling the heart so that it growes to a falling sickenesse and is at a losse upon each occasion each Sermon it heares seems to speake dismall thinges unto it and it thinkes it were better wholly to give over hearing then heare yea and in a strong tech and pang dare not or will not continue to heare for feare it should bee worse and heape up wrath instead of mercy so that all which is said either in publique or private seemes to leake out Heb. 2.1 and sometime this feare commeth from unlikelyhood of ever forgoing all sin or holding out to the end Eleventhly selfe-staggering 11. Staggering when the soule is betweene the condition of the promise and the performance as for example if she be urged to beleeve because the condition is already wrought then she questions that whether it were ever wrought at least aright because alas her sorrow is little she hath never been so deeply tozed by the law nor so broken hearted full of affections and diligence as others on the other side when shee feeles the condition comfortably present then she staggers about the promise saying the condition is not the matter but the beleefe it self and that is above her power many come farre who never beleeve and faith is the gift of God and free and what if it should never bee wrought or shee should die and be past hope ere it be effected Thus Satan comes between cup and lip to defeate the soule of her due whereas if she were staied and settled upon the word and as 2 Ioh. 8. would not lose those good things which she hath gotten but hold a little closely till more come the worke would not be alway to beginne as the frame of a Carpenter when it is disordered as fast as hee laies it together Twelftly selfe-fullennesse and unthankefulnesse 12. Sullennesse which is in a contrary extremity to ease when the soule will not see or acknowledge what God hath done for her nor abase her selfe as meaner then the least mercy of God nor confesse that any step toward conversion is more then the Lord oweth her having her at an infinite advantage by her guilt and so chusing to spend her time in sullen complaints for the measures she wanteth then gracious meltings and praises for any thing she enjoyes whereas the Publican thought it mercy to tread on the earth to looke up to heaven and it is mercy that she is not in hell but under hope and Gods ordinances and patience This is the fruit of pride and doth set back the soul more from profiting then if she could stoop to be at Gods dispose Thirteenthly 13. Ease self-ease or dalliance when the soule through idlenesse hath lost her former diligence and earnestnesse and painfulnesse in using all meanes publique and private for the making of her calling and election sure waxes slacker in her esteeme and in her love and affections as thinking her selfe now past danger and so neglects the seasons intimations of the spirit plies not nor followeth the motions of the assisting and perfecting grace but le ts them wanze as if she could meet with them at her pleasure but by this meanes Satan circumvents afterward and stings her for this confidence and presumption because she is guilty of slighting such grace as she feels to be past her reach to recover and therefore justly suffers for her loosenesse and giddinesse 14. Dulnesse 14. Selfe-dulnesse and deadnesse of spirit in not marking and pondering digesting and applying the truthes we heare and so growing towards ripenesse Heb. 5.10 which sinne makes us not only non-proficients in the doctrine of Christ but also inferior to our selves and farre short of that we might be especially when this disease comes not from naturall disability and unavoidable weakenesse but from affected error as from an heart overmuch implodded in the earth and made heavy by sensuality and carnall ease Luke 21.37 Luke 21.37 15. Foolishnesse Againe Fifteenthly selfe-folly I may better call it selfe hatred when we are not so wise or forward to dispute for the truth and honour of God and his promise as we are to reason against it and our owne soules thereby making a worke not easie of it selfe to be more wearisome and tedious then it need to be whereas rather we should reason the matter seriously betweene God and our souls as in Ierem. 2. vers 9. the Lord biddes us to doe Jer. 2.9 and Esay 1.18 Esay 1.18 and laying the desperatenesse of our misery to the hope of his promise wee should rather wonder that all place of pleading should not be taken from us then cavill against a plaine naked word of God pinned upon our sleeves Those Ninivites when yet they had no cleare promise Jona 3.8 yet reasoned thus who can tell whether Gods fierce anger shall turne away or no They thought it their wisdome rather to catch at a word a farre off then to lie in present misery without hope But self-folly still delights to shut out it selfe by her disputes against God cowardly to shun a possible mercy that it might lie down in remedilesse sorrow This I say must needs be horrible fool-hardinesse rather to perish 16. Slinesse then venture upon a promise of ease and remedy The last of all is selfe subtilty or slinesse whereby the soule secretly withdrawing her selfe from the power of the promise which ought to work all her works for her both preparing and finishing and finding her owne affections of hope sorrow joy desire and the rest very ready to put forth themselves in the work of disposing the soul towards Gods grace and to mixe themselves wi h the word doth welcome and applaud her owne selfe and all her abilities and beginnes to compasse her selfe with her owne sparkles with her owne feelings and with the joyes which come from her owne welwishes to her selfe which having no roote of Christ and his spirit in them but of selfelove
But humblenesse stands not in confessing there is no cause of it but in casting it out So much for the first Branch A second respect wherein Grace resists Selfe is this 2. Maâ—â—e she subordinaâ—es all to Grace I say all Selfe and her branches carnall Selfe hypocriticall Selfe mixt Selfe all now are quasht and the soule dare seeke no other credit respect commodity ease to her selfe then the Spirit of Grace will allow her Grace in a poore soule is as the power of Reason is to the inferior faculties when once the soule is infused into the Infant this supreame one of Reason subordaines the other faculties of vegetation and sense to her selfe all come under her authority and name Looke whatsoever Selfe hath formerly aimed at above Grace the Spirit fetches it all under it selfe As Peters trade of fishing and nets were vile in his eies when hee saw the glory of Christ upon mount Thabor Even all Selfe and folly comes behinde the Spirit of Grace Oh! what a blessed liberty is this to bee rid of the bondage of Selfe what cause of rejoycing Oh brethren to love the Lord Jesus for himselfe and all other things for his sake what a checke is it to Selfe Good brethren note it and trie your selves by it if those contents which were unlawfull be cut off wholly and the lawfull seasoned and sweetned by Christ if those delights which formerly were either savored for themselves or without Christ now we cannot relish but in and through Christ it is some signe that Selfe is brought under the subjection of the Spirit of Grace And to this may be added which differs not much in substance that the truth as it is in Jesus and the Spirit of Grace is the supply and furniture of the soule in all the wants and difficulties of it so that it need take no further thought it takes off the soule from all those proppes which shee formerly trusted unto and makes a rich supply of them in Christ really Excellent is that speech which Ioseph bid his brethren utter to Iacob when he sent for him into Egypt Take no thought saith he for your houshold stuffe and implements which ye use for lo all the fulnesse of the land of Egypt is before you count all your furniture not worth the carrying Gen. 45.20 for ye shall find in Egypt such store of all necessaries that you shall not repent you of the leaving of them behinde Surely if the promise of Ioseph were so well worth the trusting to what is the promise of Christ worth And if the store of Canaan were so superfluous in Egypt what is the supply of Selfe worth to one that is in Christ If this were thought of beforehand how lythe and cheerfull would the soule be in going to Zoar out of Sodome How farre would shee be from looking backe with Lots wife as loth to depart from her old treasure The heart called to Christ hankers and hangs off here catching up one rag of Selfe there another loath to goe naked fearing lest there should not be enough for all uses and turnes in Christ but when shee heares Take no thought for any of these Christ shall afford all meet ease credit content and worldly conveniency Oh it is well content to leave it for who so will let them take it that know no Christ As the lame man hearing Christ calling him threw away his cloke and crutches saying If Christ will give me my limbs I take no thought for these either I shall need none or have them better supplied from a fountaine Brethren weigh this marke well Selfe cannot digest it All the whole sea of Christ is no content to her except shee can eike him out with somewhat of her owne she hangs in the aire without a bottome like a stone till it be upon her center But Christ is a sufficient store to a poore soule in the vacuity of other things Though there were no calfe in the stall or bullock in the flock Heb. 2. yet Christ were enough Trie your selves you may as easily judge by this marke as what meate your stomack stands to If onely you can bee satisfied with Christ while your ease credit health and welfare last then upon point Christ is not these but these are Christ When Iacob saw the charets he had enough if you cannot say so when you behold the promise all is not well Onely an insufficient Christ causeth such patching A good new garment needs no shreds to peece it Christ is to a poore child of God as Elkana told discontented Hanna more then tenne sonnes 1 Sam. 1. Till there be enough felt and tasted in Christ who will forgoe his other proppes Who will flit out of his dwelling to lie in the street The true mother cried let her have all the child rather then divide it So the soule that is guided aright 1 King 3. loathes to divide Christ he had as leave have none Beg of the Lord to reach you out the Lord Jesus in his full supply of all wants and seasoning of all mercies that your soule having this boote in beame may be indifferent for other things as knowing they shall either not bee needed or else cast in The third branch of the Spirit of grace in opposing Selfe is the subduing and subjecting of the soule with equalnesse and contentednesse of minde to all those termes and conditions upon which grace may bee obtained The third Marke It subjects the soule to Christ upon his owne tearmes and conditions refusing no difficulties neither use of meanes nor forsaking her old contents but thinking grace a rich pennyworth whatsoever she cost There is a basenesse and closenesse in Selfe whereby she causeth the soul to shrug at the conditions of Grace as wearisome and costly this humor the Spirit of Grace removes causes such a cheerfull willingnes in the soule to stoop to any tearms of Gods imposing that she thinkes her selfe well if she may so speed When a man lies sicke of a disease without danger of death he will send his state to the Physitian and give him a slight fee but he is loath to charge himselfe deeply for the matter but if sicknesse encrease and danger of life appeare then the desire after health and the fear of danger concurring make him devoure all charges then he will have the Physitian come to him and give him any recompence being glad of health upon any conditions So it is here Coy and queazie Selfe that feeles no danger and reaches at Grace as a good thing in generall can beteame no great paines nor deny her selfe any wonted liberty nor submit to any great abasement of her selfe for the matter if it come easily she is content But if once the Spirit of Grace shew her the danger of forgoing it of delaying to get if of an indifferent remisse heart lazy carnall and willing to goe to heaven with all her will and liberties if once she present
sparke wits ripe heads experience and abilities Implore still the same sad hand of the spirit to suppresse them from pearking up you shall finde it will not quite leave you till death but be not discouraged It had the birthright first and birth-rights hold long Iacob had recovered the right of birth when Isaac blessed him yet it was five hundred yeares ere he got possession in the meane time Iacob was a prisoner and slave in Egypt a pilgrim in the wildernesse and in Canaan no Lord over Edom till David and other Kings subdued it But seeing it was Iacobs by promise he got it at last and so shalt thou at death though the whiles thou be held down mightily by thy enemy as Hannah with Peninnah Trust God that neither thy owne corruption within nor yet the world and error of the wicked without with all their carnall jollity shall pluck thee from thy sincerity That which hath beene the bane of thousands zealous Ministers Magistrates Gentlemen Courtiers Citizens Lawyers Students and others yet shall not be thine if thou wilt cleave to God! Oh! beware lest Satan conspiring with thy carnall heart disguise thee not and make thee a time-server When thou seest so many of thy time and parts education disposition kindred and family still to be left to their cavills descants and the streame of unmortified reason loathing and scorning to stoop to the conditions of Christ either to doe for him or to suffer Oh! be thankefull and thinke thy state happy whom God pulled as a legge out of a Beares jaw or a brand out of the fire and consider how much better it is to beare now and then a squib for thy Religion then to bee made a booty to the Divell for thy revolting Thus much for this and the rest of the uses belonging to this doctrine Now I must not forget my promise beloved and by so fit an occasion I must answer a question and that is this Answer to a maine quaere May not carnall reason in Quest 1 any case be used If not Whether carnall policy be unlawfull Answ Yes As appeares by the particulars 1. Politicke and crafty shifting how farre may policy be admitted with safety of conscience and in what particulars For the first carnall reason if convinced so to be for sometime lawfull policy may seeme to be carnall and yet is not is simply unlawfull As may appeare by these particulars First politicke shifting with an officious lye or an handsome sudden evasion though against truth Thus the midwives made a lye to avoid the murther of the Israelitish women True it is the Lord covered it in mercy because the scope and end was holy and tending to charity and it said the Lord built them houses yet not for their lying but for their mercy The like I say touching the woman that concealed Ahimaaz and Ionathan saying They were gone over the brooke when they were in the Well So Rahab hid the spies and is commended for it Heb. 11. but not for her lye saying that they were gone I say not that they ought to have discovered them nor doe I say it is easie to answer the question what should be done in that or the like cases the Lord keepe us from straits and from horned occasions and hard exigents which are both waies difficult but I say these things are not lawfull we leave the dispensation and issue of such things to God to whom only mercy and pardon belongs when the soule hath offended by a kinde of necessity But to affirme that God may be or is pleased by a lye or needs it were horrible Now then if a shift or a lye for a good end a weighty and holy end yet cannot be maintained as warrantable what shall those carnall shifts be counted which wicked men use to conceale themselves when their owne lewdnesse hath brought them into straits As Ieroboams wives policy to disguise herselfe going to the blinde Prophet and making herselfe another because she feared Ahija for her Idolatry So Sauls disguising himselfe when he went to the witch and making himselfe another lest else his wicked purpose had been defeated And the like may be said of the ordinary lyes and mannerly shifts used to serve mens owne turnes when there is either a denyall of a truth or affirmation of a falshood As when a servant for some respects doth answer shiftingly to any that shall call for his Master and aske whether he be within or at home and shâ—ll either deny it or further adde he is gone to such a place being yet false of which sort are infinite other tricks in common use among men and counted veniall toyes as in promising to goe to such a place to doe such a thing to come to a friend no limitation set downe and yet faile c. Secondly politicke closenesse darkenesse 2. Politicke closenesse and neutrality and reserved neutrality to go no further in Religion then we can come off faire and make our own retreat safe without endangering of our selves in any kinde obeying the commands of men by disobeying God This is a reall falshood of heart and practice which we call temporising comming from a base deceitfulnesse of the spirit to God-ward and is a deserting of God and his cause yea though it be through feare or frailty as Peters deniall and the revolt of many that suffered in time of persecution But much more when either no danger or not so great is to be feared Sutable whereto is that cunning temporising that lookes at the displeasing of men more then God Gal. 2. as when Peter at Antioch ate meates forbidden by the ceremony as confessing an abrogation and yet when there came Jewes thither he withdrew and abstained from them to avoid quarrelling 3. Politicke carnall equivocations and reservations Thirdly politick reservation of conscience in the actuall committing of an evill As in Queene Maries time many would goe to Masse with their bodies pretending to keepe their consciences entire and undefiled Sutable whereto is the practice of our Jesuits in their equivocations whether in their oathes or other actions when they sweare in word but say they reserve themselves mentally unsworne and meant it not or by some trick of exception which they suggest to themselves viz. That such a one went not this way pointing to their sleeve or that they were not in such a place of company meaning to betray it to others c. 4. Politicke selfe-love Fourthly politicke indirectnesse of course swerving from providence and duty for a mans owne indemnity as when David fearing the Philistins who discovered him to be their enemy and distrusting Gods protection let his spittle fall downe upon his beard and scrabbled upon the doores 1 Sam. 21.13 so that he was thereupon taken as a mad man by Achish and so escaped So the Papists have a trick which they call good guile much what the same when we call an honest theefe or
best grounded yet alas have many feares are very much unsettled and have never done in the proving of them to be sound Answ I answer They who stagger about their grounds may be to seeke and so remaine doubtfull But yet by their studious enquiry and serious deliberating at last they come to determine whereas the prophane carelesse and Atheisticall never are troubled at all and therefore remaine in their wofull condition Psal 17. And whereas some of them as Iob and the Psalmist speaks seeme to die in peace yet that peace is accursed for though they force to themselves a wilfull peace there is none to them they goe downe to the pit with such peace as a drunken prisoner goes to execution Esay 57. ult But this doth not infringe the doctrine because although some live and dye lawlesse and senslesse yet the case of the greater sort is otherwise They rush without due consideration upon their maters and accordingly meet with sorrow and repentance onely the godly who fix their eies upon Gods stable bottomes provide best for themselves hee that walketh soundly walketh safely and although through unbeleefe Esay 26.2 weaknesse or temptation they are often appalled it is to teach them to cleave better to their grounds But ordinarily they walke by rule and finde peace when trouble befalls them it comes not by their closing with but by warping from their rule and when they recover their grounds they recover their peace So much for answer to this objection Now the uses follow First Instruction to teach us the wonderfull Vse 1 wisdome of the art of Godlinesse Instruction Râ—ligion is grounded upon most solid foundations It is grounded upon most weighty and materiall bottomes No man would suppose the Lord to be so infinitely wise as he is till he set himselfe seriously to try his conclusions Few men thinke there is any great matter in living by faith in shunning appearences of evill in cleaving to the company of the good in pitching the soule upon a truth of a promise threat or command But by that time they feele the sad fruit of their errors then they grow to looke backe and behold a most hidden excellencie in Gods principles when their peace is lost and themselves cast upon hideous sorrowes then they beginne to applaude them that goe to worke by knowledge and discerning of things that differ as Scholars never grow in love with an Artists principles till they have examined them and finde out their exactnesse then they behold the misery of an inartificiall and ungrounded course of study So is it here Art hath no enemies save idiots no more hath Religion Secondly it teaches us It is a singular favour of God to any when they are bottomed soundly how great a favour of God it is to any beginner Branch 2 in Christianity when as the Lord prevents them with wisdome in grounding themselves throughly both in point of faith and conversation Who can expresse the depth and height of that mercy which hath prevented so much sorrow Let it but appeare in this one principle That a poore soule though it have but a poore measure of grace yet is taught of God to deny herselfe and to captivate herselfe to the truth of the word not daring to goe on the right hand or left to the contrary Why This is in a sort the comprehension of all other graces the Lord herein hath laid a ground of many prevented a world of misery at once Look back into thy life past and aske who hath thus led me as a Shepherd leads his sheepe through a wildernesse Oh! Esay 63.14 the helpe of some one principle is as much as a mans soule is worth What a mercy then is it to be led on by knowledge in all our course To shunne all the snares of death Oh! be thankefull and say It is not my carnall wit Lord it is thy lore and word which hath made me wise to frame my course so that I doe now esteeme welfare not to stand in wealth or favour of men but in the losse of all these yea although persecution and the crosse should betide me for thy truth and name yet so long as conscience and peace abide and I am privy to it that thou hast lost no honour by me I count my state happy Looke upon the snares which the proud ambitious covetous flatterers and servers of the time pull upon themselves and then judge whether it be not a favour to be kept by a principle of truth from such sorrow and repentance The world boasts of her many tricks and policies but thy one is worth them all and shall preserve thee when they with all their inventions shall bee intercepted Vse 2 Secondly let it be use of Admonition to all that desire to see good dayes and a quiet life Admonition Be well grounded upon the unchangeable principles of truth 1 King 13. to ground themselves carefully upon the principles of God and to eschew all false waies and inventions Be earnest with God to remove far from thee all waies of error and to turn thee out of all crosse paths of deceit Remember still one error in the ground produces infinite many dangers in the sequell Rehoboam had better have given halfe his Kingdome then to have split himselfe so irrecoverably upon the rocke of his ill counsellers What sorrow did it worke him all his dayes Stript him of three parts of his Subjects at once What a misery did one error create to Saul to wit his owne carnall wisdome 1 Sam. 13. 15. rejecting Samuels charge What one quiet day had hee thirty yeares after in all his whole life but perpetuall vexation till he was faine to consult with a witch and to fall upon his owne sword Nay consider what Gods owne deare servants have purchased to themselves by one error and tricke put upon them by Satan As Davids lust what a world of sorrow did it procure So let it warne us to abhorre the incurring of such a premunire with God by embracing any principle of error or vanity as being once bred in the bone will never out of the flesh Beware we either of instilling or of drinking in any base error into any or from any of speciall note for parts learning or authority Let such as are men of place whose example if bad would like poyson pierce into the bowells of silly ignorant ones I say let such looke to themselves lest after in hell they cry out of them and say woe bee to such examples had not their authority beene stronger with me to draw me to formality to ambition to pleasures and lusts then the word to disswade I had never come here Beware of such offences Woe be to the world because of offences Matth. 18.7 both in laying blocks and stumbling at blocks It is just with God that one should destroy the other because neither cared for the truth nor to be principled upon
costes and be as nothing an unprofitable one when thou hast done all cast not God in teeth with them call not for them backe againe nor bring him his owne in a napking For these qualities poyson all thy labours Gods hearers will be at Gods dispose for blessing and drive the Lord further off rather then draw him nearer And when thou hast turned all thy selfe-defeated discontent into selfe-deniall and art willing that the Lord should doe with thee as he list then see how he will dispose of thee A little barley or an handfull of meale with a little oile shall make a more accepted meat offering to him with an heart willing to be at his dispose then all thy plenty of costly sacrifices without it Joel 2.13 Lastly it reproves all such as yet goe beyond these also and are content Branch 3 to submit humbly to all such waies as the Lord prescribes for the attaining of mercy but yet it mightily troubles them that God doth so delay his season and lets them goe so long without giving them their desire To whom I answer All yee have done hitherto is well Adde one thing more give all your humblenesse your labours your endeavours to God Waiting upon God necessary for such as looke to speed of grace and when you have waited upon him therein give him your waiting too for it is not too good for him perhaps there may be a Selfe in that also and sure it is the finer Selfe is spunne the more she will take pritch if she be defeated But be thou as Paul was 2 Cor. 12.9 who feeling no bottome in himselfe yet was content to be under that weaknesse and all to try what mercy could doe doubtlesse in such a case thou shalt finde that grace shall at least bee sufficient for thee if the Lord doe not also magnifie his power beyond expectation in thy infirmity And poore soule what gainest thou in the mean while by thy carking plodding and casting about with thy selfe If thou doe thy duty shall it not be well with thee And hast thou not a great recompence in this that thou art accepted and thy successe is with God Is it not much that a sinfull wretch who cannot lay claime to the aire earth water to breath in to tread upon and the like maist yet come and looke up to heaven with hope and come to the Lord as bound by his promise Alas his pay may be leasurely but it is sure the gaines may seeme small but still they are comming and will make a heavy purse at last And what Is there not some scurffe which the Lord must purge out thinke you Hath not a long course in evill hardned thee And may not a speedy course of thine owne hurt the more another way What if the Lord should leave thee to such corruption of thine owne as should cause thee to wax wanton were it not better prevented by longer delay And speake the truth to shame the Divell and thy slavish heart is it not better with thee at sometimes then at other If it be noâ— suspect thy selfe if it be suspend thy cavils cease thine enmity thine hard thoughts thine unbeteaming heart the Lord loves to be as freely thought of for his love as he deserves And for thy selfe if it be thy lot to lye longer under hope then others and to want the cheerings which some have yet sure it is if thou abide waiting in thine innocency not being tainted with shrewd dregs of thine owne stale and base heart the Lord will at length breake out so much the more in pitty to thy fainting soule by how much his delay hath made thee waite so long and it shall not then trouble thee that thou hast thus indured Mercy at last shall be sweetest to thee Esay 57.16 that thou faile not wholly Singularity of delay sometimes argueth an heart tainted with Selfe in more then a common manner And so much for the use of reproofe Vse 3 Lastly to finish this point and so draw to an end Let this be Admonition both speciall and generall Great men must submit their great spirits to God First speciall to such as are Naamans great ones in place renowne authority birth or any other worth above others viz. That their great stomacks rise not up in arms against God to quarrell with him when they are crossed in their owne hopes and expectations The truth is the streame of Selfe is ranke enough of it selfe though there be no oile added to the flame The poorest wretch could say though I am not so rich as thou yet I have as proud an heart as thou But yet when one streame meets another the flood is the greater Great men who thinke it a peece of their Noblenesse to take no affronts at any mans hand what ever it cost them had need deny themselves farre to get a subject heart even to God himselfe Their great bloud the repute of their owne eminency and parts exempts them in their owne opinion from the common lot as we read of him 2 King 6. who having first raged at Elisha as the supposed cause of the famine saying God doe so and so if his head stand on him this day after being greeted by him more discurteously then he looked for flew in Gods face too and said shall I attend on the Lord any longer Ver. ult As once a great Prince being crossed of his pastime by the weather told God swearingly he was a King too and he offered him ill measure so to defeat him Abner the pillar of Sauls house being but reproved by weake King Ishbosheth set up by himselfe for medling with his fathers concubines 2 Sam. 3.6 tooke it so hainously that he forth with revenges himselfe and betraies the Crowne to David Great men therefore swell easily if defeated and indeed these two were as bad as great but the best in this kinde take defeats heavily Let such consider that which Naaman if he had had the knowledge which they have would soone have noted viz. How desperate a thing it is to fight against God and to crosse him when he serves not our turne If God resist all proud ones especially great ones how much more proud resisters Pride being of it self a resistance Although your spirits rise up soon against men which yet I allow not beware ye be not found fighters against God Act. 5. Know that though men accept your persons yet God puts no difference especially in matter of salvation It is counted a great humility in a great one to be never so little humble But oh worme for what is the greatest flesh else if thou thinke it equall that a poore beggar should stoop to thee what shouldest thou do to God to whose eminency thine is as the drop of a bucket Take not upon thee though thou be the chiefe of the Parish the Lord of the Towne and Patron of the Minister to yoke him to any other
but let not words blowes and sutes follow as if you were heathens Oh saith one Shall I endure such a base fellow to overcrow me No hee shall well know I am a better man then himselfe ere I have done with him Oh earth earth earth heare the word of the Lord Abate thy heart abase thine heart and doe as he did Humfrey Mummouth who meeting his enemy who had sought his life when he could have crushed him entreated him to bee friends and brake his heart doe thou so and prosper Touching the second point of inferiours attempting superiours 2. Branch Instruction Inferiours dealing with superiours must wisely observe whâ—t their persons will beare let this caution be observed from Naamans servants that we wisely observe what our persons will well beare and admit Inferiour mens sway and stroke will goe but a little way with superiours The meannesse of the one and the prejudice of the other will be barres Yet so it may fall out that necessity may put some calling upon an inferiour as when there be no superiours or equalls present when silence would embolden the offender much when the glory of God lies at the stake unavoidably and especially when the grace of the reprovers wisdome may be like to over-match both his owne meannesse and the others stoutnesse Otherwise there had need be great caution lest inferiours rather run themselves into the suspition of sawcinesse receive great affronts and discouragements if not wrongs from the reproved lest also the offender be more hardned in his sin A caution and the ordinance with the fruit of it be dishonoured and unprofitable But to returne if God doe intimate to the spirit of any wise inferiours that they ought to reprove then let them suspect their owne persons and beware that they make no open contestation but bee content with privacy where no affront may be given before witnesses especially let it be carried with great aloofenesse and rather with insinuation of an error then taxing openly exhorting rather to a contrary duty then reproving the fault downeright 1 Tim. 5.1 Rebuke not an Elder not onely a Minister but a superiour in any eminency but exhort him as a father Otherwise if God afford not discretion and opportunity better is a warranted silence and commending the cause to God with some item of a grieved heart then a rash venturing and rushing beyond our bounds But to bee sure let all lenity bee used all possible acknowledging of their places yeares worth and worship give them all their due both titles and praises to the uttermost that it may appeare the reprover is so far from presumption that were it for the meere regard of the offenders soule the glory of God and the discharge of conscience with peace the reprover would much rather have chosen silence then to attempt reproofe and so leave the issue to God So much for this second Uses of the speciall fact of 〈◊〉 servants I come now to the Uses arising in speciall from this example of the servants wise and loving carriage towards their Masters spirituall distemper And first if it be so difficult a worke to ease a distressed spirit Let Vse 1 all such as have obtained this mercy from the Lord know that they have met with no common mercy Instruction It is a peculiar favour to enable the Minister to speake a word in season to a wearied soule But how much more for the soule to find the word and to feele it to be so Instruction to the heavy hearted Proverb is not as the gift in the hand which Salomon tells us prospers whithersoever it goes and carries a commanding power with it Esay 57. The setling of a distressed heart by counsell is a mercy highly to be prised No To speake to the heart is Gods worke whosoever be the instrument and none can create the fruit of the lippes save onely hee that first created and formed the body of the earth and breathed into it the breath of life We Ministers may speake to the eare discerne and advise urge answer doubts and convince but the spirit of grace which annointed the Lord Jesus to bee the Prophet of his Church can carry those words into the soule and cast them there as seed and give them a body and being altering ignorance doubting feares deadnesse bondage insensiblenesse infidelity heavinesse into light resolution hope life liberty feeling faith and comfort He that said lift up thy voice as a trumpet and convince my people of their sinnes and againe Comfort ye my people comfort them at the heart meanes not that we should pierce into and reach the heart for we cannot get to it but that we bee the messengers of peace and glad tidings God onely must by his Spirit convince Joh. 16.9 and he onely can carry consolation through those manifold turnings and crooked windings of the soule even home and close to the heart rootes He onely can say My doctrine shall droppe as dew Deut. 32 1. and as the small raine wetting at the roote Therefore whosoever thou art here in this audience whom ever the Lord hath caused to breake through the hoast of discouragements and to consult with the Minister sincerely aiming at the true ends of counsell and hath also met with thy speciall disease spoken to thy heart so that it hath gotten a reall bottome out of the word and promise for the sole of her foote to rest upon against feare and doubting Oh! learne to prise such a favour above all treasures Elisha was sent but to one leper as many as there were in Israel and did not he esteeme that priviledge Let the 15.16 and 17. verses witnesse for him So the Minister of God goes to hundreds of sicke and afflicted ones But perhaps he is sent in the spirit of counsell and sealing up of peace through pardon to a very few It is their portion to whom it pertaines those must partake it who can receive it and only such can be thankefull What is the cause why we comfort so many through the seven yeare of whom perhaps wee heare no more againe ever after Our feete are not beautifull to the most of them they never imbraced the power of truth they despised the counsell of God for their salvation and the consolations of God seemed small things unto them They have got that they came for a kinde of stopping of their outcries of conscience their wounds are kept sweete and doe not rankle as they thinke they can now follow their businesse and goe about the world at their pleasure pleasing themselves with that the Minister hath said unto them And that no man shall pull from them for it pleases them well to heare themselves to be under the condition of grace that faith belongs to them that the least desire of faith is faith But alas They are comforted all at once their comfort growes not as their doubts grow they are not unsatisfied in
last not long The greatest danger is lest the heart being rid of them wax wanton and secure and bee not humbled for that corruption whence these have their welcome and fiery fiercenesse 3. Rule Oâ—serve the measure of the trouble The third rule is observe wisely of what measure the trouble and affliction is If it be moderate then proceed accordingly But if it be excessive so that extremities may be feared succour the fainting heart with some hope even at the first though perhaps the condition of it may bee farre from applying a promise Yet because the horror or trouble may threaten despaire or violence Shew such a one that the Lord delights in no such thing but in mercy to the oppressed and when the heart is eased then returne to such a method of counsell by degrees as their estate needeth Necessity as we say hath no law Much may be done to avert a present danger which else might stay longer The jaylor was to be staid for feare of selfe-murther 4. Rule Whether terror come from sin or feare of punishment Fourthly discerne wisely of terrors of conscience whether from sin as sin or as a mischiefe which cloggeth and loadeth the heart excessively Many a wretch and these dayes are full of such will roare and cry out of himselfe the horriblenesse of his sins their returns upon him after intermission not from any true abhorring of the evill of them but because God dogs his cursed heart delighting in those evills with shrewd terrors which although they are two extremities I meane great swinge and sweetnesse in sinne and great horrors for sinne yet nothing hinders why both may not be at once and yet the mediocrity farre off In such a case to beleeve such a wretch for his outcries and horrors when it is manifest he doth but seeke for hope and sodering and possibility of pardon that hee may returne to his vomit the more boldly were to adde oile to the flame The marke of such is this their object is that which presently pinches them you shall heare little or no aime at Christ and his sweetnesse for they regard it not The counsell is to hold them hard to the law that their soules may bee under bondage of sinne as sinne and not onely under present accusation If this prevaile not they will rush themselves quickly out of their horrors into prophanenesse more and more And had not comfort beene well bestowed upon such as need none Fifthly though thou perceive the soule to bee under bondage 5. Rule Consider whether the frame of the heart under conviction be tame or rebellious yet consider well of what frame the party is If the heart bee rebellious and that sinne doth wax more sinfull by that conviction then though it bee a good signe for time to come yet the Lord makes no haste to comfort such a one till his rebellion bee brought downe and then his heart will be doubly humbled both for guilt and rebellion also It is meete that some should lie and wait under their legall abasings because else commonly they returne to their old byas againe if they come not to see how out of measure sinfull sinne is in her nature I observe it in this age of ours that the law troubles few except some violent crosses attend it which argues that they will hardly hold humble when their troubles cease Be not too hasty therefore Sixtly when thou seest it a season to speak a word to a poore soule 6. Rule Observe due season deferre it not For there may be as great perill in delay as in rash haste And shew thy selfe as carefull and cordiall in pressing of a promise earnestly and effectually to a soule in case to receive it as thou wert backward in applying it till it was so A loaden soul is under the condition of the promise and therefore to delay such an one from it is to defraud it of her portion due to it which is a worse sinne then rashnesse even as despaire is worse then presumption To this end bee conversant with the promises and be able to apply variety of them not knowing which may prevaile If the affliction bee an holding downe of the soule from beleeving 7. Rule Whether under the condition or no what lets it or if so what hinders beleeving when as yet it is under the condition of the promise search out what the speciall stoppe of the soule is and accordingly apply remedies For instance if the soule be tossed too and fro between the condition and the performance labour to settle the heart upon the condition first proving it truly loaden and hold it there telling it that the Lord is willing that it hold that which it hath gotten and then it shall be more easie to finish the other worke If the glasse bee shaken who shall see his owne face rightly So againe if the feare be that it hath not the conditions of the Gospel or hath them not in such a measure as it ought resolve such a one that the Lord having wrought a true loading in the soule will also worke the same to the sight of ease by the promise which promise as it appeares more and more reall both in the meriter and the offerer so it must needs afford more hope more desires mournings and longings after it As for the measure of these God snares no poore soule with them Be it never so feeble and brused hee will not breake it So againe if the trouble be that it hath long waited and is weary that the heart is exceeding hard corruption very strong others are got before us we are afraid we be not elected wiih a hundred more apply the remedy thereafter And whereas the maine stoppe is Selfe and aiming at our owne ends and a dead heart to beleeve let the counsell be thereafter Subdue the base heart under meer mercy enlarge the glory of the promiser above the gaine of the beleeve Also bee well exercised in the thorow opening and urging of a promise on Gods part by enlarging the length and depth of the free full and faithfull heart of God infinitely above that which a soule can long after But if I should enter into particulars I should be endlesse 8. Rule What to doe in revolts Eightly if the trouble arise from revolts and breach of covenant after repentance first observe whether former experience of mercy have broken such an heart or no if not then endeavour to breake it and to raise up the soule from the present desertion wherein it seemes destitute of that grace which formerly it enjoyed Convince it that the Lord hath never cut off nor cast out any branch which was ever planted in him Also that by such desertions he labours to hold the heart at a deeper bay of humility Read for this Jer. 3.1 and Hosea ult when once it comes to outgrow the confusion of feare and horror which a guilty conscience hath snared it
As the loadstone holds iron to it selfe so I have felt thy promise to draw me so that I cannot give it over nor forsake the meanes but they are daily sweeter and sweeter to me I have not felt such temptations to hideous thoughts lusts as some have done I am not disquieted so much about the measure of my preparations as some have been from my youth up thou hast by steps and degrees wrought that which thou art faine to worke in others by violence and with difficulties Nothing but excesse of clemency and mercy hath beene my portion and yet in all I have held some good testimony in my owne heart of sincere and plaine intentions although feeble yet faithfull Oh blesse the Lord Pitty such as get to heaven with difficulties As for others whose birth costs more travell and paines pitty them the rather and confesse thou owest them so much the more compassion by how much they come harder to heaven then thou dost We see an heire toiles not so much for all his inheritance as a poore labourer for a groat a day Doth the poore man murmure at him No but puts himselfe under providence which hath made some owners some tenants some to live at more ease others with more toile The Lord is the maker of both and perhaps foresees that if the poore had as the rich he would beare it worse and therefore his rough spirit must bee basked and held downe from pride and rebellion Let not such as meet with more hardship in their conversion accuse God for changing ease into toile Let them not murmure at Lydia at Zachee and such as have beene easily brought home but blesse God that he would trouble himselfe with such peeces as they rather then burne them as knotty logs scarce worth the hewing and bestow any cost upon them for his owne names sake rather then they should perish But let them be farre from cavilling at God that they have abode the heate of the day and others comming in at the eleventh houre have fared as well Matth. 20.15 Is thy penny the worse silver for theirs Or is thine eie evill because Gods is good wonder rather that ever that penny should come in thy purse then that others fare as well or that thou farest not better So much for this Branch Branch 2 Secondly let this be an admonition unto thee for the time to come that this ease of the first mercy Beware lest the ease of the first mercy cause thee after to slight it become not a snare unto thee afterward to cause thee to slight it and forget it Doe not as wanton heires who spend it as lightly and basely as it came easily Lest the Lord make your hearts ake for it and set you on the racke teaching you to repent and to keep within bounds Oh! abuse not this goodnesse slight it not walke not slackly sit not loose upon easie mercy devote thy selfe rather to God for so free sweet easie mercy with the most close faithfull heart thinking nothing too deare for him David could breake forth Psal 43. ult into great triumphs after a tedious conflict and combat with his fears doubts depth of heavines and say I will still praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God And shalt not thou say so much more who hast escaped many such scourings Doe not now thinke thou art safe thou maist heare pray receive the sacraments as loosely and formally as thou wilt because grace came easily No make the more precious account of it else thou art a slave and no Sonne An heire seeing himselfe stockt by his father with sweet dwelling rich grounds great revenues so that he needs not to carke and toile for a living What doth he Surely as the Lord bids the Israelites who came into a land flowing with milke and hony and that at the best vantage even in the harvest of all commodities But rather knit the heart to God Joshua 5.11 Beware lest now yee forget the Lord that hath thus endowed and furnished you Walke humbly and feare the Lord that it may goe well with you So should we doe we should say now all other things are done to mine hand there is but one thing to doe Lord teach me to do it well If I can be full and yet remember the Lord that made me and highly esteem the rocke of my salvation he will thinke them well bestowed Deut. 32.14 and confirme them to me else they shall be a snare Fall not to Adams and Eves sinne who in the abundance of all things being set in a Paradise could not digest their happinesse but fell to revolt and so were cast out Say not Soule eat drinke be merry cry not peace peace but let the ease of mercy keepe thy soul from all presuming and sensuall security John 5. Remember that bitter pill given by our Lord Jesus to a loose one whose cure cost him nothing so he began to play his parts Thou art healed now sin no more lest a worse thing befall thee and then thou wilt wish would I had lien lame by the poole still We are scarce able brethren to beare the ease of mercy but we wax wanton and that is the cause why so few finde it and so many complaine of such difficulties It is just with God to make us weare the chaine for it to teach us to walke before the Lord more humbly and soberly And so much for the second Branch of the Exhortation I should now have concluded the Use with the third and last Branch that we walke in the experience of this blessed ease to trust God forth on for the like goodnesse But the time is spent Let us cut off here and call upon God c. THE FOVRTEENTH LECTVRE Still continued upon this thirteenth VERSE VERSE XIII And his servants came neere and said unto him Father if the Prophet had bid thee doe some great thing wouldest thou not have done it How much more then when he saith unto thee Wash and be clean VERSE 14. So he went downe and dipped himselfe in Iorden seven times c. 2 Kings I Gave you an hint briefly beloved in our Saviour when I last ended the former Sermon what I would have proceeded with if time had permitted I have shewed you That the beleeving of Gods promise to such as are in case is an easie thing Sundry grounds and Scriptures I cleered the truth by and sundry Uses of Instruction of Terror of Reproofe and of Exhortation I have added And to this last wherein two branches were urged Branch 3 then belongs a third that is That all who have found this handfull of ease The ease of mercy should make Gods yoake light for ever after in beleeving pardon should be earnest with God for the ease and sweetnesse of an holy course that the yoake of God may become easie and his burthen light Say thus unto the Lord Hitherto
desolate and desperate which is the estate of hypocrites and selfe-deceivers Esay 50. ult and so God should put no difference between a poor humbled soul mourning for him and one that compasses himselfe with his own sparkles All these being of infinite absurdity and ill consequcnce it must needs bee that God will not bee angry nor contend for ever but finde a time an accepted season in which he will ease the heavy heart of her distempers and set her at liberty Thirdly the Lord hath the spirit of man and the passages and waies Reason 3 thereof in his owne hand to sway draw alter turn it as he pleases He formed the spirit first of his owne breath knows how it defiled it self understands the wofull inability of it to heale it selfe sees and beholds the secret windings and turnings of it how it wraps it selfe into endlesse errors and wearisome doubtings he permits all these in wisdome and when he sees his fittest time he can turne the course and streame of the spirit his owne way though the rebellion crossenesse feares and staggerings thereof be never so perplexed There is an absolute soveraignty of God over the will and conscience of man that when hee please he can do with it as men do with rivers of waters Proverb which though naturally they runne downeward yet by art and skill are recalled and derived to such uses as best serve to the benefit of the owners so that the question is not whether the heart would of it selfe encline but whether God enclines it Fourthly the power of the Spirit is such that it blowes at it owne Reason 4 pleasure and is of a most perfect freedome to blow where when how farre it selfe will and is not in the power of any Divell enemy man himselfe to crosse it God hath the winde of perswasion in his owne hand and he holds the winde in his fist All perswasions arguments and motives doe so farre prevaile or not prevaile with the spirit of man as the Spirit it selfe pleases to set them on When he will overrule the Spirit a little motive a word speaking shall effect it when he will stop the power of it nothing shall prevaile Luke 5.3.7 As Peters nets lay by when the season was so when the time of catching came all the fish came together and were enclosed under it So the counsells of the best wisest strongest must lye by as ineffectuall when God is absent the heart lies as a stone frozen into ice no axes mattocks strife of man shall break it But when his heart is enclining to man and meanes him good then shall the Spirit lye in another coast and suddenly thaw and melt the ice of the soule and dissolve those strong chaines which bound it before and made it past mans skill to pierce it so that as before nothing could soften it so now nothing shall harden it Now then marke If this power be in the Spirit of grace it must needs serve for somewhat it is not needlesse Therefore it must serve to this end to rid captives of their chaines to speake a word in season to a soule that is weary to carry the seed of life and the promise into the poore and fatherlesse spirit and there to enter open and enlarge the soule so farre that as it had no power to apply to receive or embrace any light or hope now it may be as the eternall gate opened by the eternall Spirit who hath the key of David and have no power to shut it selfe any more nor to resist the Spirits power and perswasion Reason 5 The fifth Reason is taken from the scope which mercy propounds to herselfe in the turning the soule to God Even the glory of it own selfe and that nothing may share with it selfe in this great worke of over-powring the soule As she onely hath those weights in her hand which can over weigh the base and backward heart so she will doe it when the soule hath struggled and tyred her selfe in her owne way hoping by her owne skill to effect it Then can mercy onely save the soule and remove the false principle which she found in the soule to crosse it even when the soule seemed to be most earnest in seeking it The Lord seeks more to honour himselfe above the soule then to shew it mercy onely for the private good thereof and when he findes that the soule herselfe can make no work of it is past hope in herselfe sees most basenesse in herselfe then is his fittest season to worke for his owne name and then none shall share with him in that point whereof he is so jealous that is his glory Esay 63.4 Esay 42.5 There is a speciall text of worth for this point which I wish all to observe Esay 57.17 I was angry with him and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart But I have seene his wayes and will heale him and restore comfort and create peace What While he goes on in his frowardnesse kicks against the pricks and hath no disposition in him to convert Surely no for all the work of Selfe is but the frowardnesse of a man with himself because he cannot have his will of God But then will God heale that man may be set on ground and bee convinced of his owne impotency for no reason can be given why at last the Lord should so overrule him save meer mercy to one in misery except any will say that a froward heart can merit any mercy So then the entire glory of the grace of mercy causes the Lord at last to finish the worke hee hath begunne that both the Alpha and Omega may be his both warpe and woofe from him Thus much for Reasons Now I proceed to some Questions Three Questions For upon that I have said sundry may be made Especially these three First wherein doth appeare that a soule in the way of grace and under the condition of it may yet a long time lie under such distempers ere it come to apply the promise this may arise from the present case of Naaman of whom the Doctrine saith that the Lord now found a time of grace for him though it were long first some therefore may desire to see it proved that it may be long first wondring that it befalls not the soule as soone as shee is under the condition of it The second question may bee why the Lord should permit such delayes and longsome staggering since that it may seeme it were better if it were speedy and put out of doubt at first Thirdly it is asked by what markes it may appeare to a poore soule that the Lord intends to finish his worke and to set her out of her old feares and distempers To answer the first of these this I say experience proves it that conversion is not finisht in many a soule which yet may be under a condition Quest 1 of it as soone as begunne Why conversion is not
speakes most directly to his heart As for pleasing himselfe in being in the element of any truth whereof he sees no use it is irkesome to a wise heart although he reverence all And these may serve for a taste of many more lets which differ as men differ and for answer to the first question I come to the second Since it is thus what reason may be given to Quest 2 satisfie men in this way of good for many would thinke it better if God tooke a more short and speedy way But I answer Answ for many causes God permits it To summe them up breefly One is 1. Cause because the Lord herein lookes at some grosse sins which ruled and reigned in the former part of mens life and in youth which are as iron moles and will hardly be worne out of the flesh being bred in the bone save by tozing and searching the heart throughly Secondly that he might breed some restraint in youth and curbe them from such offences as after must cost a great deale of purging plowing and harrowing ere the soule will affoard good mould for the word For sure it is the more rebellion the Lord meets with the more irons he loades the soule with Esay 28. Thirdly that he might exercise each soule in finding out her owne speciall let and not goe to worke in a fulsome generalnesse Fourthly to breed in the soule a solemne and sad thought concerning the way of God and roote out that giddinesse and vanity which puffes up the soule in a vaine presumption and ease Fifthly to occupy the minde of the Minister in right and carefull dividing the word and studying to approve himselfe as a workeman not to be ashamed striving to be faithfull both in the gift of discerning spirits that he may speake to the purpose not at randon as also to be painfull in catechizing which containes the wise and leasurely way of God to scrue and dive into the hearts of men by degrees and to soke the heart in the principles of faith which they that want may be long enough in hearing Sermons ere they conceive the order of the mystery of faith and how the soul comes to claspe with the promise Sixtly the Lord hereby corrects those most wicked evills which have carried the soule in and under the Ministry of the Gospel especially the dallying with the seasons of grace 7. That by this mean the Lord might clense the heart from Selfe in every kinde and twitch up every roote and rinde of selfe-love which would dangerously mix it selfe with the promise Lastly that the Lord as I toucht before might prepare way for himselfe in the honour of the soul when it shall finde by experience that all her salvation is of him and he could bring it out of nothing nay worse then nothing when as the soule lay strugling with herselfe without hope or remedy So much for answer to the second question The third and last question is how the soule may finde by markes Quest 3 that the Lord is following on with the work of grace That so it may be comforted in this that she is no hypocrite and so shall not wanze and moulder away as wax before the Sunne but obtaine the fruit of the promise in Gods due time For answer whereto this I say it may bee knowne by the contrary to those markes which bewray hypocrites Answ Marke 1 The first shall be this A soule truly under the condition of grace is very vigilant stirring and observant of the seasons which affoord grace not only generally to hearken after the word but specially to observe the Angels moving of the water The Lord doth not alway stir alike The Minister is not moved nor the heart of the hearer affected alike It s rare when the Lord and the soule close throughly one with the other when the word is preacht so savourly and lively and carryes the vertue of the speaker with it into the hearer and when the hearer meets it with a discerning of a season from God But when the soule meets with such Oh it abhors to dally and trifle with God to greeve him with slightnesse either for the present or after But confesses it to be a rare occasion presses hard with the Lord for blessing and followes on as Gedeon did those enemies Judg. 7. while the sent was hot lest he should be defeated Thus doth a good heart watch her time alway being upon wing for her prey and loaths carelessenesse of the watchwords of God No sin stings her more then former dallyings with the Lord nothing brings her upon her knees in secret more then this sinne and the sad fruit of it nothing puts her in more feare lest God should forsake her and suffer his Spirit to give over all saving strife with her nothing more is desired then that the Lord would forget her many provokings this way and stir her up with threefold alacrity to redeeme such seasons for time to come Whereas an hypocrite sees not such mercy from God or else vanishes in the fruit of them le ts all goe and nouzles himselfe in a blinde hope all shall be well whiles yet old sinnes and dallyings are upon the score unrepented of and unforgiven and the soule hardning more and more and waxing daily more and more crazy and unfit to be wrought upon Marke 2 Secondly a thriving soule God and promise-ward above all things nourishes life in herselfe not onely in ordinances but in the course and way of conversation Where ever she become the Spirit of life leaves her not wholy but more or lesse accompanies her spirit to preserve it from deadnesse flatnesse remissenes and suffering the worke of God to lye by in her And howsoever she feels a very body of death in this kinde fighting against the law of life in her yet knowing which is the stronger she gives not place No although the more she strives to be lively and savoury upon the promise and by faith the more the death of corruption resists her and discourages her yet even in this darke belly of the whale she casts her eie towards the Temple Jonah 2.8 and dares not yeeld when yet she is almost foiled but discernes a base body of death from the desire of her owne heart and because she feeles a dying she judges herselfe not wholly dead but to have some life under the embers which she makes much of and nourishes as one would hatch up one coale of fire upon dry straw lest it should goe quite out Such a soule abhors a daily deadish and sad heart more then death it selfe labours to revive it selfe by all hot waters from swowning and dying rejoyces when she recovers exercises her selfe with others as well as in secret to whet up that dull and weake edge of life and faith which remaines and is glad to feele that it is not alway alike with her in this kinde Whereas an hypocrite who never attaind to this sweet life
to all the truth of God without neglect so especially to those maine truths which they most sticke at and come shortest of that their insight into Gods method and way may be more evident unto them As for novelties and fancies of men of unstable minds ready to carry them away from the simplicity of the Gospell whether erroneous opinions or things which have some truth but yet for the present are not pertinent or profitable but might under some pretence of zeale and devotion withdraw them from their grounds ere they be setled which I observe to be a notable trick of the Divell to disorder the course of a soule travelling towards heaven they are shy thereof and cannot close with it Let every one that desires to know himself to thrive to Godward well marke this whole Section So much for this third marke Another is That such a soule strives after that which makes most Marke 4 for her owne good and for the justifying of God Even that foolish modesty which holds many under the hatches that they will not open themselves to any but keepe the Divells counsell to their owne hindrance and thereby nourish unbeleefe the longer in themselves when they are convinced of it as its long ere many will be they abhor it using all means with Paul if by any they may attaine faith at last They doe not as Ahaz who being willed to aske a signe from God to confirme his promise refused it and let all goe at six and sevens pretending that he needed none but would leave it to God without such adoe Esay 7. But he is rebuked for greeving of God by such slightnesse who loves that his people should take order to resist their infidelity and hasten to beleeve using every ordinance each occasion for the atchieving of such a grace Such a restlesse spirit they are led by who keepe the price of the high calling of God in their eie loth to lose it Phil. 3. and preserving the tender care and inquiry after it in their soules as an object of greatest excellency A bottomlesse carelesse spirit to get and lose as fast and to spill that pretious liquor which God hath been long putting into them they loath and detest 2 Joh. 8. and still seek to make up a full reward to themselves and cannot be quiet till the Lord give into their bosomes measure heaped up and running over that they may be at rest If they have any bottomlessenesse it is for the world and the cares of it but as for grace they keep all they have and still are on the gaining hand till they attaine their desire Psalm 84. No faintnesse there shall be but from strength to strength they goe full fast till they appeare before God in Sion Fifthly as they are alway hastening the Lord and impatient in Marke 5 respect of their importunity of desire Psal 70.5 so yet they are patient in respect of discontent unweariedly waiting upon the Lord for the accomplishing of their petition They have learned that lesson of the Psalmist Blessed are they that wait upon him and of Ieremy Lamen 3.25 It is good to wait patiently upon the Lord. It s much to them that the Lord will come and bring healing in his wings at last requiting long delay as Malachi speakes with speed Mal. 3. and as for urging the particular time when he will come and how soone they leave it to him whose the seasons of mercy are by whom onely the day of sealing is appointed they must wait They attend upon a Soveraigne God who shewes mercy to whom and when he pleases Rom. 9. yet also his mercies are fare to them whom hee hath called to the hope thereof Therefore their part is to get the spirit of supplication alway attending the Spirit of grace Zach. 12.10 which will hold out with the Lord without fainting and concurre with him in his time of ease In which respect it makes not haste but considers that each day hastens Gods time For as it is in the second comming of our Lord Jesus Matth. 24. end so it is in his first None knowes whether he will come at noonetide or at the evening midnight or cockcrowing but come he will So whether in youth or middle yeares or old age thou knowest not whether in a short time or after a long season whether in thy hearing or at the sacrament or in prayer or at a fast or in some great crosse or at thy death its unknowne Thou hast a promise come he will and therefore wait upon him thou art not too good and when he comes thou shalt not repent thee Marke 6 Againe this is another marke That such a soule suffers not it selfe to be taken up so deeply with the common mercies of the earth that the mercy of pardon and salvation should lose her price and wax stale with her Oh she strives to put difference alway between the content which blessings of this life bring and those which the mercy of heaven affords Give Esau a messe of pottage and his longing is satisfied Give a child a bright counter Heb. 12. and he will forgoe a gold angell It pleases a foole as well to have his bable as a Kings Crowne why Because he is a fool and discernes not so a wretch that never came in the favour of mercy will equall it to any common thing fill his belly give him ease cloath his body fill his purse and you may rob him of his birthright So hee have content any way and for the present he is well Not so that soule that longs for mercy For why It compares one with other and makes as much difference as between gold and drosse holds firmly the esteem of mercy to herself and will not suffer the base vanishing creature to come between her and home and steale her heart away by such rattles and feathers as these are Zach. 12.10 It comes here to minde what Zachary speakes That the spirit of grace goes with the spirit of compassions There are such compassions towards the Lord in a poore soule as there are in the Lord towards it In the Lord there are tender mercies as that other Zachary speakes Luke 1. Through the tender mercies of our God mercies of tendernesse and compassion to a poore miserable lost sinner reaching to forgivenesse These are peculiar not common or such as he bestowes upon them whom he pitties not in their miserie Now therefore that soul that partakes these tender mercies is as tender of them and doth so prize and esteem them that no other mercy can steale away the affections of the soule therefrom nor stall the heart therein much lesse make tender mercies to wax stale and common but still the price thereof rises till the Lord fill her therewith Marke 7 Lastly note this out of Naamans example That a perpetuall and sure marke of a man who is grace and faithward is this that his old perversenesse
of a possible but also of a likely cure hee comes to the Prophets owne house and stands there to receive his direction Which shewed how restlesse this hope of his made him and what singular estimation was bred in him of the Prophet Fifthly he standing at the Prophets curtesie hearing the errand is marvellously offended at it as too slow and leasurely for his hasty spirit and bewrayes thereupon what a deale of scurfe lay within to cavill against it and to breake off his former hopes and likings unto an utter distaste and rebellion against the way of God with a furious resolution to give over because he neither could speake with the Prophet nor brooke his direction which yet was all by God sweetly governed so that being upon this tickle point yet was he not suffered to depart and goe out of Gods blessing into his owne warme Sunne and to sinke in his owne carnall selfe-love but stronglier assisted then ever and set upon by such powerfull perswasions to obey the Prophets counsell as although very unlike to prevaile with such a spirit yet wrought out selfe-love and pride and made his spirit at the last to come downe and submit thereto most readily And these were the passages of Gods prevention and assistance Now for the perfecting worke of God it is most cleare in this verse wherein his heart being humbled he assents to the Prophet both commanding and promising and as a man in a fit condition for the purpose doth that which before hee was very unfit for obeyes beleeves goeth down and washeth himselfe in Jorden Thus having made way to the poynt collected hence Proofes of the Doctrine I proceed to prove the truth thereof by Scripture which is not more fertile in any one thing then in proving of this For although the words of condition of the promise be not in the Scripture in tearmes yet are they equivalently and in effect everywhere in the word both in the Old New Testament As when our Saviour saith Luke 5.31.32 I came not to call the righteous but the sinners to repentance And the whole have no need of the Physitian but the sicke not stomack-sick who can ease themselves by vomiting but the heart-sicke and not onely so neither but those that are so deadly sicke as no other Physitian can heale I am no Physitian for fees but in meere mercy when no mercenary one can helpe then for meere pitty and to save life I will help rather then a soule should miscary and rather for the honour of my skill and mercy Esa 55.1 then for gaine for I take neither money nor price for my cure I will heale him Esay 57.17 Esa 57.17 Marke upon what termes and conditions Christ cures even as Jorden cured Naaman when Abana Pharphar were out of date and himselfe at a plunge so when a sinner is such in his owne sense all are so but yet in their element as a fish in the water feeling no weight of it feeles it is convinced of it and neere to execution for ought is in himselfe What else save this condition is implyed in all those Parables of the lost sheep lost groat Luke 15 4.8.11 Matth. 15.24 prodigall Sonne Those that were never lost alway found alway with their father no fatherlesse children are excluded out of this number Why must that son spend all try the hard world bee forlorn and forsaken ere he knew the true worth of a father ere his father comes out to kisse him to put on all those abiliments upon him to kil the fat Calf to welcome him Why did he not so to his other good Son who was alway with him and therefore needed no Kid nor Calfe Because hee was alway well and therefore it had been ridiculous so to expresse himself to him he would have thought his father a foole in so doing Thus Hosee expresses the Condition Hosee 13.3 Ashur shall not save us wee will not ride upon horses Why It was no course to thrive But with thee the fatherlesse finde mercy Why Because it is Gods condition and qualification of such as he will save So Esay 57.16.17 I am high and holy but I looke downe and picke out some above others to make my favourites Esay 28.9 Who are they The humble ones to revive the contrite ones and what will hee doe to such Hee will create the fruit of the lippes which is faith and thereby peace to the neere and to the farre off and restore comfort to their mourners So elsewhere I will powre water upon the thirsty grounds Esay 44.3 and thirsty lands such as are scorcht and gape for my raines to refresh them Againe whom shall I teach wisedome To whom shall I give instruction Not to all but to such as are under the condition of it humble trembling ones and weaned from the breasts fooles and Ideots Small credit is to be got by such as have more wisedome then seven men besides such as are full of it but to make a foole wise is somewhat worth How often doth the Lord Jesus in one Chapter urge this Condition Blessed are the poore in spirit Mat. 5.3.4.5 the hungry after righteousnesse the meeke in heart Theirs is the Kingdome they shall bee satisfied and the like Why not others Doe not they want it Yes but they need it not it were ill bestowed The Kingdome of God is like to a Merchant Mat. 13.43.44 who sought a Pearle of price which having found hee weighed the worth of it he hid it hee went and sold all his reall estate and bought it Every one could not so value it venture all upon it Jam. 4.7.8 Submit your selves under the mighty hand of God saith Iames. And what then When you are downe the Lord will raise you up Those that be raised already care not for this preferment And to finish proofes what meaneth the holy Ghost by describing all converts by this condition what went before the conversion of those murderers of the Lord of life They were convinced of their bloudy malice and of the mercy of Christ who was willing to save them that slew him Act. 2.37 and then they were prickt in heart What then Men and brethren what shall wee doe What made their bowels earne and made them glad to learne of the Apostles The same grace that made them humble What caused the Iaylor to come leaping in to Paul and Silas whom he had whipped and wronged His heart was broke to see the mercy which God shewed him Act. 14. and in the keeping in of the Prisoners to save his soule So much for proofes Reason 1 Reasons of the Doctrine follow Such onely and all such may and must come in and obey the Gospell by believing Because first No other save such are brought within any generall bounds of salvation but still remaine incorrigible impenitent secure carnall and in their sinnes If others were in Gods ordinary way and
generall texts satisfie not a scrupulous soule in so weighty a matter and flesh is ready to say what signe from heaven shewest thou us of these things We would see some sight or heare some voice to confirme the word Ah poore soule I may say of thee as the Scripture speakes of Samuel 1 Sam. 2. thus did he ere he knew the Lord so these are thy crotchets ere thou knewest the promise But afterward thou sawest more in that alone then in all other waies for the Promise and Testament of Christ 1 Sam. 2. is written with the finger of God by the penne of the Spirit dipt in the bloud of God But to utter what God is willing to have spoken I must say that he who might claime this absolute power over the soule to be beleeved upon his bare word yet seeing the sensuality of man and our wofull distrust is willing to allow us all the meanes of strengthening our soules in his promise both by such seales and witnesses as confirme it yea Miracles Sacraments and oaths annexed to his Covenant and especially by those properties of a promise and of him that makes it and all to conclude and set the controversie beyond questions And by this meane faith is wrought In the which course of God appeares his great love and wisdome for herein hee hath endeavoured to answer all our doubts and carnall objections we are not so ready to cast in feares as he by this meane casts them out For why O poore soule dost thou suspect the Lord will not satisfie thy desire in giving thee Christ Either it must bee because there is no ground or cause for which he should doe it The ingredients of a promise and this is answered by his freedome graciousnesse Or he is a God just and revenging sin but this is taken away by satisfaction made taken Or because he cannot and this is false for his power is omnipotent Or because he meant it not eternally But the promise is from election Or wills not in time But that he doth for he invites and beseeches us Or he is not wise enough to compasse it But that he is for he is wisdome Or he is untrue in his performance But that he is not for he is faithfull Or he may change but that he cannot for he is immutable So that let us but set perfection of nature and grace in him against that which is in us our distrust and unbeleefe and we shall see every sore hath his plaster each distemper hath his medicine And all these are included in a promise So that whosoever hath the gift of ripping up a promise aright should behold all Gods riches in it But is a great skill and the promises of God lye in the Scriptures as gold and jewells lye deep in the earth at least in the field of the Gospell and we are not aware of them nor acquainted with that fulnesse and perfection which is in them And many confesse one of these who will not acknowledge another grace comes in drop by drop else wee should looke upon a promise with other eyes then for the most part the most of us doe A word or two of each of the branches For the first Freedome true it is 1. Freedome there is nothing in thee to procure such mercy but he is of his owne accord for his owne sake Esay 63.4 cut off his plea thought thoughts of peace he hath done it for the glory of his grace even because he will shew mercy it better pleased him so to doe then the first creating of Adam for now by his fall he addes mercy to goodnesse and magnifies himselfe in many attributes more Justice Wisdome and Truth He seekes nothing else save the winning and binding of the soule to him for ever in covenant which else so treacherous an heart as ours would never have yeelded to So that thou maist well trust him in this respect if thy faith can but get in with the Lord for if he do it not for thine ends yet for his own he will so that thou canst set thine owne under his so that thy best prop will be the preciousnesse of his glory which he will not give to another and therefore thy unbeleefe shall not rob him of it 2. Strength Secondly satisfaction is made and taken therefore he hath ground enough to settle his graciousnesse upon Justice could not cry it down by revenge rather then it should a satisfaction made by the bloud of an onely Sonne the bloud of God and man shall stoppe the cry of it upon this both made by Christ and taken by our Judge lo he turns wrath into mercy and his bosome is set open and unlocked as a fountaine 2 Cor. 5.20 21. He offers us reconciliation because hee hath made him sinne and curse who knew none that we might bee his righteousnesse And this is called the Lords strength Esay 27.4 that is the bottome whereupon mercy maintaines herselfe against all quarrell of justice and this hath taken away the dint of it so that hee truly professeth anger is not in me therefore come in not to an enemy 3. Omnipotence but to a father feare not Thirdly he is omnipotent He can doe what hee will His power ushers and attends his love as an handmaid Esay 57.14 The high and lofty one who inhabiteth eternity yet lookes downe that he may be strong with the humble and contrite ones His power is no crushing power save of our enemies and all that hate us But a releeving power an outstretched arme of salvation Not to destroy but to build up Esay 63.1 He that commeth from Edom dyed red with the treading of the winepresse of wrath is glorious in his apparrell travells in the greatnesse of his strength and is mighty to save Be the thing never so difficult to us with him nothing is impossible Can the Lord say they spread a table in the wildernesse The answer is can he not What is it which he cannot doe Except it be to deny himselfe and that nothing no not thy unbeleefe can bring him unto This power of God cannot be severed from the former satisfaction 4. Eternity Prov. 22.8 Fourthly he meant it from eternity as I said in the first of these he set downe with himselfe the frame and way of his owne grace long before Adam was or sinned the disease was foreseen the remedy fore provided It s a secret which lyes deep and hidden in the bosom of eternity though not farre above us in point of participation in this life yet in comprehension we must not looke to reach it here We may cry out O depth unsearchable and past finding out But till we come to heaven Rom. 9. end and behold it in the face of God being made one with him we cannot gage it our happinesse is that it is really so great that we cannot 5. Willingnesse Fifthly he wills it most cordially in
others Consider good friends what the Scripture speakes If yee will not beleeve you shall not be established Esay 7.9 Nothing but this Anchor will settle the ship nothing but Faith will overcome the world either within us or without us The heart being unpurified will bewray it selfe onely to faith is granted to weare the crowne of victory 1 Joh. 5.5 for this is that victory even our faith Oh! who would be alway unsetled and lye open to all mischiefe who might prevent it Zach. 12.10 Conclusion of the exhortation But I conclude this Use with the former Directions and Motives Pray to God for the Spirit of grace and supplication goe together that his spirit may perswade thy soule to both these to deny thy selfe and to resigne up thy selfe to the promise Say thus Lord thy workes are all perfect where thou beginst thou finishest It is beyond flesh to retaine this grace I have run I have laboured but except thou give me the hand to helpe me over this steep hill I shall fall back again to my old distempers the end will be worse then the beginning 1 Sam. 14.13 Oh therefore let me goe up the hill of faith as Ionathan did up the hill against the Philistines give mee a signe as thou gavest him and then all lets and oppositions shall fall before me all high things which set up themselves yea the worst that is the contrariety of heart to this thy way of beleeving shall be cast downe and then shall I submit nakedly to this obedience of faith The Lord grant it to us all for his Names sake This for the first and maine Use of Exhortation be spoken Branch 2 A second Branch of Exhortation is to all such as through mercie have cast themselves upon the promise already for pardon and life and that is that they still practise the same grace in the course of their life in all their straits crosses duties dangers and difficulties in all their temptations losses wrongs and pursuits at the hands of the unthankfull or unreasonable And in a word whether for things concerning this or a better life that they cast themselves upon the promises for salvation sustaining and full redeeming them from them all Know this brethren that as much adoe as faith costs us for pardon Plead the promise for sanctification as well as pardon Matth. 4.1 yet wee have not done there It is as great a grace to preserve the soule as it was to beget it at first enemies will not give us over as soone as wee are converted to God but rather assault us more forcibly as Christ himselfe was by Satan after his baptisme and unction to be Mediator Now then what helpe have we against all affronts save to cast our soules upon him for reliefe and redresse whom wee have already adventured upon for pardon and life What is our Charter save that of our Saviour Be of good courage I have overcome the world Joh. 16.33 14.1 Esay 26.3 Let not your hearts be troubled you beleeve in the Father beleeve also in me Cast your selves upon Jehova for he is eternall strength Here on the one side steps in feare and saith I shall never overcome such a corruption and lust of earthlinesse or pride or selfe-love or revenge or uncharitablenesse or I shall not grow in grace as others doe but alway stand at a stay or I feele no thriving by the meanes still after fasting Sacraments the old deadnesse of heart abides and I walke as the horse in the mill in one dead frame of heart and life Well deny thy selfe first and then resigne up thy selfe unto the promise Doest thou willingly yeeld thy selfe to any base corruption Or doest thou wilfully slight the meanes or defile thy conscience Then looke to thy selfe and lin not till thy pardon and peace be renewed But otherwise look not at thy distrust or unworthinesse but humble thy soule for thine unbeliefe and recover by the promise Say thus Lord when I was weake and without strength I cast my selfe upon thy word for pardon of sin and release of curse how much more may I doe it for supply of wants Plead the promise now as thou wert wont to cleave to it at first When Bathsheba was afraid her sonne Salomon should bee defeated of the Kingdome 1 King 1.15.22.26 she and Nathan plotted together to concurre with one Argument and came to David saying Did not my Lord the King say that Salomon should reigne How then is it that Adonija sits on the throne What did David He rouzes up his dying body and sweares As the Lord lives looke what I have said shall be accordingly done Thus by pleading they sped Plead thou the promise which once God gave thee and so shalt thou also Lord Didst not thou say Sinne shall not reigne Thine shall grow Thou wilt finish thy worke and they shall hold out to the end And now lo the Divel perswades me it shall be otherwise But O Lord had I first clave to sense and feeling I had never beleeved Therefore now teach mee to cast my selfe upon thy Word still and looke off from appearances Although I feele no great growth yet because thou hast said I shall and I doe not wilfully oppose it therefore I beleeve I doe In like manner steps in the malice of Satans instruments and they threaten my ruine and make me thinke I shall one day perish by them But I aske my soule Doest thou not side and sort with them by an ill conscience forsaking thine integrity Then cast thy selfe upon the promise Psal 73. end Call thy selfe a foole a beast for distrusting God Roll thy wayes upon him and say Was not I alwayes with thee Didst thou not promise to guide me by counsell till glory whom have I in heaven or earth like thee When Iehoshaphat in 2 Chron. 20.5 was beset with three armies what did he Cleave to sense and so despaire No he pleads a promise an old one made to Salomon at the dedication of the Temple Didst thou not say when enemies should besiege us and we looke up to thy throne thou wouldst looke downe Lo here is an object for thee Mount Seir and Moab and others What did God Instantly answered and scattered them all Alas brethren our faith forgets her plea and is weary of her worke God sets enemies about our eares to file off the rust of faith that shee may still honour him against feares and carnall reason We say we have cast anchor upon Gods bottome for pardon but how shall it appeare If we say so who shall gainsay us in a secret thing But shew it then in our course that secret grace may discover it selfe in straits and trialls that we may know all that is in our owne hearts either how weake they are that we may strengthen them or how strong that we may be thankfull But when sorrowes and feares beset thee on every side sicknesse debt losses of husband
sinfull wretch yea obey me punctually closely universally yea my very thoughts that he might be a servant according to mine owne heart and whether I give a reason or no of my charges I thinke it equall that my inferiour doe nothing at all swerve from my commands Oh! what shall become of me for my loose heart thoughts affections conscience What shall I answer for my dead hard lazy empty senselesse sensuall heart in point of a tender chearfull and upright walking with thee I see Sauls subjects being charged to fast 1 Sam. 14.30 trembled to see his owne sonne to touch a little hony so farre were they from tasting it and shall the awe of a man in a trifle saving the vow so absolutely surprise their wills and yet the eternall and righteous will of God not be able to prevaile over me O Lord I deceive all that know me when I doe the materiall part of a command the life of the duty is absent when I doe the morall part the spirituall is far off and although I see and know it thus I am so chained under the law of my corruptions that the integrity the scope the fruitfulnesse the large-heartednesse of my obedience is not to be seene Oh! I offer sacrifices halt and blinde wanting heart liver and reignes I am so fraut with my selfe Rom. 7.23 and the command of evill that good is seldome present A lust hath a principle in me causing mee to love it to serve it to use all means to fulfill it to shunne studiously whatsoever might crosse it But I feele not that spirit of grace which should cause me to obey from a principle of sweetnes still there is somewhat which me thinks I chuse rather to doe and to be swaied by then the law of love to God for his love to my soule Oh! herein the Lord my God be mercifull to mee that wheras I have found as much mercy as any yet I have bowed to this lust and that and worship my owne fancies and am as like to do still if the awe of God lie not more closely upon my soule Oh! that this fire might alway so burne upon mine altar as might consume my drosse and put some life and courage into into mee to get out of this Circle in which the Devill hath conjured mee to walke deadly and basely towards the Commands of God! Nay which is worse O Lord I am growne to this point even to lie as a beast in a slow groning under her burden so lie I in a fullen discontent of heart at the Lord himselfe that he enlarges mee no better when as yet I nourish my selfe all the while in my ease and carnall distaste of his streight Commands Oh! me thinks my cursed heart because it cannot have her will of him could even tell him to his face That he is an hard Master and gathers where he strawed not Alas I consider not that he hath mee at the vantage because I have lost the grace of my creation nay abused a better grace of Mercy and therfore may justly be punisht for the least Rebellion And not only thus but from this stubborne heart of mine it comes that I set my sayles abroad and commit my selfe to winde and weather am not smitten when I breake all cords in two as Samson I am loose in Sabbaths in the curbing of my passions my vaine thoughts have their through-fare and lodge in mee and yet I am not troubled I swallow every gobbet and let it go Once I could straine at a gnat but now I devoure Camels and heare no more of them Oh! Lord I picke quarrels with those lawes which have formerly been equall to mee And more then these Lord I am growne to this sad point that the sence of a bit and bridle is by custome of loosenes quite slipt out of my mouth I begin to frame God to be such an one as my base heart could be content he were even a God like to my selfe who will neither do good Psal 50. nor evill whose threats are as the clappes of thunder without any stroke following I hope to go on in a Round and way of easy Religion and doing of one duty after another successively without strayning of a joint But as for any sadnes of Commands to weigh downe my spirit to solid feare being thus accustomed to a slight and vaine course I feele it not God helpe mee In all these respects what shall a poore soule O Lord do Conclusion of this branch with it selfe What O my deer God shall bring me back againe after all these desperate revolts unto thee I wonder that I should not be wholy left to utter woe and open offences I know nothing in my selfe why Satan should not have mee at such a bay as to cause me to depart from God grossely and generally aswell as in these secret rebellions For I waxe weary of thy yoke and am content that others should abide the heate of thy worke and my selfe be released O Lord I am so farre from pleasing my selfe in this state that rather then I would be under the misery of my slightnesse I could wish thou woldst cast some other unpleasing chaines upon mee some stinging crosse some corrasive to eate out my dead flesh And as untoward as I am to suffer if I deceive not my selfe I could wish the sweet fruit or such a course with some pinch to my flesh rather then thus giddily to provoke thy Majesty by the transgression of thy Commands But thirdly and above all this is exhortation to all Gods people Branch 3 to sadden their hearts and to lie under the Authority of Commands for Conscience sake A most sollemne point above all that I can say to urgeit As before I spake when Iacob went to Luz God cast a feare upon the nations that they durst not stirre a joint against him Oh! Genes 35.5 such a feare shouldst thou beseech God to cast upon thy soule in secret Feare of God besetting the heart a great meane to keep close to God wheresoever thou becommest that it may hem in and compell thee to obey As it s sayd of the clowd which filled the Temple and caused the people to feare the presence of God who was in the midst therof so should this cloud alway lie upon thy soule to smite an awe into thy soule of offending Theris is a base spirit in us it is not love alone which can long hold us within bonds Heb. 12. end Therfore we had need as it is Heb. 12. end to hold fast such grace as may cause us to walke in reverence and holy feare Deut. 32.46 Moses summing up the contents of that Swans song of his in two words tells the people Set your hearts to all the words of this booke which I testifie to you this day that is the law of the covenant it s a sadde law sadly therfore set your hearts to it He whom wee have to do with
prepar'd to destruction as in the old world and Sodoms case Doth he not so to a sinner of an hundred yeares old nay to Cain of nine hundred who yet at length must be destroyed Eccles 8.12 Did he not so to those Atheists 2 Pet. 3.6.7 whose conceit yet could not out-sleep their damnation Shall God performe a promise to such as are in league with hell But why are others lesse sinners so set in the fore-front escape Surely perhaps to break their heart and convert them to God whereas thou goest on in a close and hardned heart to colour and excuse the like sins or if not yet to be far from repenting of them It had been better for thee God had served thee so too then to harden thee by long-suffering And perhaps thou hast bought of these sinnes with thy wealth and greatnesse but God is not mocked Another sort of these are such as boast because they are kept from open sins and outrages have no deep tempâ—aâ—ions 2. Abstinence from open sins no great horrors or distempers of consciences but goe on in a faire and civill way as one said of that Emperour rather free from foule vices then qualified with any true vertues They are well thought of and are no base drunkards or the like Such and such say they run into excesse of riot and discredit for their spend-thrifty uncleane and ruffianlike courses but I am void of such evils Is it not say they a signe of favour Doth not God promise to his to keep them free from such offences Oh mistaken wretch God upholds his in their integrity indeed in token of love Psal 41.12 But integrity is equality from great and small But alas sin as sin never affected thy soule as yet thou hast no sense of thy nature of the enmity of God of a secret false prophane hollow unsavoury heart Thy sent is in thee still as in Moab God hath not rolled thee upon thy dregges Jer. 48.29 therefore they settle And is this mercy thinkest thou to soder thee up in a base course Thou art held in by abstinence but that 's a negative principle no positive grace Restraint by education favour of nature generall light awe of punishment is not the favour of a promise these never cost the bloud of Christ to purchase at least they are not the purchase in kinde A third sort are such as boast of promises in point of externall blessings 3. By outward blessings Job 21.10 God hath so furnisht them with health strong bodies successe in trades good crops marriage and children as much corne as can stand on ground no Cow but gendreth and casts not Calfe that they conclude themselves happy as few rubbes and changes as any Psal 17.14 They goe downe in peace and leave all to their babes But are you not also of them who because they have no changes feare no God Such may be as ranke Atheists as live God makes no promises to such as goe downe into the pit Not the still but the safe death argues a promise True it is Psal 37.37 The end of the righteous is alway peace but it is the peace of good conscience not of stupor and ease Note Performances are alway good things but good things are not alway performances Mercies of the left hand are no tender mercies Eccles 9.1 Deut. 33.16 Love is no more discerned by these then hatred Hast thou got the love and good will of him that dwelt in the Bush Surely except the sea of mercy hath come between thy wealth and thy soule to purge away all thy drosse of carnall savour the blessings of the Sun and Moone and earth cannot pleasure thee Alas no! Jer. 2.13 All is from a dry pit as the corne on the thatch which fills not the hand of the Mower One performance from a promise is worth ten such blessings as these Lastly all such as boast of their hearings prayers doings and sufferings 4. By their Religion good affections to religion distastes of old sinnes These they say argue a change and that is a signe of a covenant But Oh poore soule these may be some changes in respect of what in times past hath been But these are not that change which comes from Gods promise except some other markes as well as these may be alledged Iehu doted upon himselfe to see such zeale against Iehoram But none of the sins of Ahabs house were purged out of him Goe 2 Kings 10.16 finde out some surer markes then the forbearance of some old anger pride wantonnesse while the pang lasteth or else this flame will breake out againe and burne up all To conclude I say let all such bee afraid of their rotten and false proppes What became of those Sycophants who would needs be King Edward or such other Princes Were they not hanged up What noble man can endure a base fellow who pleads kindred to him because of name or likenesse of countenance When yet they are mungrels and bastards having no drop of Noble blood within them Beware therefore and meddle not with Gods performances they are Childrens bread and belong to no Dogges while they are so Thus much for this Vse 6 A sixt use is Instruction teaching us the admirable honour and prerogative of saving and pretious faith A second Instruct with caveat Luk. 9.23 Faith in promises performances is a most pretious Jewel and why It is cloathed with all the wealth wardrobes treasures and provisions of God All the performances of God are hers As our Saviour said If thou canst beleeve all things are possible No sooner doth faith close with a promise upon earth but the Lord in heaven closes with that soule by ratifying to it what it beleeveth Faith as hee saith is when that which is said is done The Lord meaning to doe a poore soule good causeth it to meet his purpose by beleeving it that so he may honour it with a performance Faith is like the Cherubims which were alway peeping into the Mercy seat so doth faith alway trade in heaven spying out what good thing God is preparing for the soule that she may beleeve it and carry it alway with her If faith concurred not as well with performances as with promises who would care for it Pro. 27.19 But she makes all reall and present to the soule as well as promised As face answers to face in water so doth a promise to a performance in a needing soule Note Joh. 11.40 Compare Jona 2. v. 4. and 8. with v. 10. and that by the mediation of Fâ—i h. As our Saviour said to Martha Said I not to thee If thou beleeve thou shalt â—ee the glorious power of God Marke Naaman here No sooner doth he resigne up himselfe to the promise by washing but instantly there comes in new marrow into his bones and smoothnesse upon his flesh here is no intermission or delay of performance looke what was said is now
in my Sabbaths whenas I could get mine heart to delight in them in my very crosses Lament 3.23 when I could be humble and be content to be as thou wouldst have me And shall not this experience strengthen mee for time to come Contrary misery of unbelief whiâ—h â—aâ—not bâ—team herselfe that largenesse which is in God Is there any shadow of change with thee if I could bee the same Thy base unbeliefe is to thy soule as the laying of a peny to thine eye close whereby thou art baffled so that thou canst see nothing though thou stoodst upon the top of the hill This causeth thee to say within thy selfe This day I am to goe to Gods Table Feast and surely I doubt I shall even come home as I go thither I cannot see how God should remove this brazen bolt of my old pride unbeliefe earthlinesse unkindnesse unmercifulnesse c. Doest thou not Why Hath he never done thee as great good as this comes to Yes But thy unbeliefe makes thee to seek Thou must learne to comprehend the Lord better Simil. by faith and experience I should play the foole to bid a little childe of three yeares old to bring me a great Church Bible I know he cannot grasp it in his arms or reach me a thing from the top of an high shelfe it is above his reach So is the length breadth of Gods promises beyond thine for lack of comprehension Oh poor soul who knows what riches is in a promise But what is it to thee that there is such a Mine of gold when thou walkest over it and art aware of no such matter God was here and thou wert not aware If all promises in him are Yea and Amen yea and hee glories in it that thou shouldst beleeve it and enjoy the benefit thereof why shouldest thou weare a chaine and fetters about thee when thou mightst bee free or make thy selfe equall to hypocrites and slaves when the Lord allowes thee to bee a free man of his company What is this save as Iob speakes wilfully to stint Gods hand to the end that thy selfe mightst be miserable Surely such a one shall not have the happy lot to drink of those floods of hony and butter Job 20.17 which are reserved for the portion of such as can lot and trust to the fulnesse of a promise Amplification of it When thou hast been earnest with God this day for pardon of thy failings for mercy for thy wife and family doest thou feele a checke within thy spirit from plying God further Doest thou think it enough Shalt thou not need him as much to morrow Are there not infinite many passages in thy life and in each day for thee to know thine old friend and to make use of him If God be but as man drawne dry with gifts what doest thou pretending to trust to him Jer. 2.13 If he be a fountaine why shouldst thou suspect him or thinke him sufficient to pardon such sin and no more to purge such corruption and no more to deliver from such a danger and no more What a straitning of unlimitednesse and All-sufficiencie is this If thy selfe shouldst sow thy Corne upon a well-tilld soile wouldst thou limit providence to so many bushels the Acre If thou shouldest have Isaac his increase Gen. 26.12 an hundred fold wouldst thou grudge it thy selfe No herein thou canst enlarge Providence beyond ordinary beyond reason and there is no end with thine appetite But tell me I pray thee upon what soile hath the Lord sowne his promises Upon thine or Christs If upon Christs 2 Cor. 1.20 as he saith all promises are Yea and Amen in him what seed comes amisse to his foile Hath not his blood made the soile of Promises rich Can any crop be reapt off this soile but plentifull No except thou suffer it to shale and to fall to the ground for lack of reaping 2 King 13.19 Look thou to thy faith that it hold on with the Lord and doe not smite the earth thrice when God intends thee six or seaven deliverances This gives life and heart to thine enemies within to the sworne adversaries of Gods truth and thy comfort without that thou canst not get breath enough to get up the hill of promises Christ makes the soile of promises rich Ruth 3.16 For if thou couldst thou shouldst bring down thine armfull of performances Every one that lookes on thee should count thee an happy man and wonder at thee as Naomi wondred at Ruths lapfull of corne Not thy gleanings but the Lords powrings out must make thee rich First learne to gleane and at last God will give thee full measures heaped up shaken and running over Every man applauds the rich Merchant for his happy Ventures and admires him for his richnesse in silkes velvets and other commodities of far countreyes But thou shalt be an happy man for richer wares Oh shall men say how rich is such an one become in performances How is he furnisht with all Gods cost What graces hath he not got What lusts hath he not subdued How hath God held him up by the chin in all his troubles to make him cheerfull meeke and patient in them How doe his enemies sinke and fall downe and worship at his feet How have his afflictions set a new hue upon him and made him a far more humble diligent and zealous Preacher and professor of the Gospel Brethren we are cast upon ill times and live in a hard world 2 Tim. 3.1 yet we are not so quite stript of examples in this kind but we might pick out some such if we could observe them Oh brethren All things are ours 1 Cor. 3. if wee in Christ All the crop of his rich soile is thine if thou have the capacity of faith to bestow the same in Paul Cephas Apollo all gifts of the Ministery all Ordinances of Word and Sacraments all the graces of the Saints their whole communion is thine to doe to suffer to persevere The heads of the enemies of Gods Church are all thine and shall be cast thee over the wall if thou wilt beleeve Gen 47. end and 48.11 The promises in Christ are a rich Lordship a nemo scit of wealth and welfare and thou shalt say with Iacob I have enough Lord I never looked to see thy face and lo now I see thy children brought upon my knees Happinesse it selfe could make me no happier then thy performances have done So much for this Lastly this should serve for encouragement thankes and consolation to all Vse 9 such as have tasted how good and gracious the Lord hath been unto them in the performance of promises Surely Consolat Gods people should be encouraged the publicke fulfillings of promises to the whole land and Church should deserve it at thy hands and much more those which thine owne soule knowes best thou standst bound unto him for Even this present mercy Brethren which
I finished the last Lecture yet this one day of our Lecture being the last that you and I are like to teach and heare each other and the last of our yeare requiring that I should say somewhat unto you Also my studies having reached fully to another Sermon and besides this fourth part of the Chapter craving some connexion with the three other handled already I have set apart this day to this end One point may give light to al the particulars following being 7. if God permit To wit to handle some one such point out of the whole Harmony of these five Verses following as may give you some generall light into the whole context for time will not permit us to go through all These five verses then as I told you in their Title containe the remoter consequences of Naamans obedience To give you a briefe view and taste of them these they are First there is the true spirit of the cure to be evidently discerned in this new Convert feeling the truth of the Word in himselfe and virtue let out from heaven into Jordan to heale him he takes it not as a common thing and like a blocke without sense but is presently and instantly and erresistibly ravished as with a new spirit begotten by the worke of God upon his soule as well as his body The Lord darting grace of mercy and compassion into his heart as well as health into his flesh to intimate unto him by whose providence from first to last he was guided to so strange an effect Lo he comes to the Prophet with a spirit of impotencie admiration and zeale to acknowledge the Lord with all fervor of spirit and to knit his heart for ever in love unto him for this cure of body and soule Secondly feeling himselfe unable to reach the Lord himselfe he goes to his Prophet the next instrument of his good forgets his former discontent and entirely embraces him as the Prophet of God sent unto him for this purpose and to him he directs his thankfulnesse which fell short of God himselfe Thirdly hee enters solemne league with the Lord to be a close client of his for ever ejuring all former false and idolatrous service and vowing himselfe wholly to the Lord and his worship for time to come Fourthly he takes hold and possession of the Church of God acknowledging it to be the onely true Church and therefore scruing himselfe into it that although his face was Aram ward yet his heart was to Jerusalem ward and to the true and onely place where the Lord had visible residence and presence at this time And this although he testified by a weake and poore expression of taking with him the earth of the holy Land Yet the inward soundnesse of heart exceeded his weake signification Fifthly he discovers his unfained conversion by a most tender sense of that sin whereby he had formerly most offended God viz. his presence at the worship of Rimmon this darts into his converted soule even as a dash of the tooth-ach or the sting of an hornet Sixthly he is exceedingly pierced with feare and care how he might nourish that sparkle which God had begun in him and how he might shun and prevent that rocke of offence at which he had mortally stumbled before Seventhly he is very glad to aske direction while it was now to be had how he might order his whole course for time to come which being darke and doubtfull for the present hee therefore craves the Prophets advice and prayers unto which the Prophet gives him a mercifull answer These are the parcels of this fourth generall I can but goe over the first The point then is this Where God workes a true cure upon any soule Doctr. Every true cure hath the spirit of the cure attending it there he also workes the spirit of the cure By a cure I meane conversion of a soule from Idols not Rimmon but lusts and vanities to the living God By the spirit of a cure I meane that instinct and disposition that due temper and quality which such a cure deserveth at the hands of the cured And I say not the spirit of him who is cured but the spâ—rit of the cure that is such a spirit as the mercy of him that heales the soule instils into it viz to be for God who hath beene for it Onely this As Gods cure hath beene gracious so is the spirit of the cure zealous and as his worke hath beene entire whole and unfained to the good of the soule that it might no more returne to folly so is the spirit of the cure sincere intire constant God hates patchery and halfe cures and the spirit of the cure hates halfe thankes halfe love halfe affections In a word the spirit of a sound cure of a soule is a tender spirit the very first fruits of the heart enlightned with faith forgiven renued and warmed in the wombe of mercy the most naturall peculiar acceptable and well pleasing fruit of the soule to God What the spirit of a cure is It stands in a tender love truly called the first love a tender joy in God tender compassions towards him tender jealousie of that which might provoke â—im tender care to please him tendernesse of spirit both to him in affections of desire and delight and also for him in zeale and revenge defence and taking up armes for him And it rests not in him but descends to a tender love to his Truth Worship Services Sacraments Sabbaths Servants and all which hath any relation to God even for his sake This in short is that I meane by this spirit of a cure I pitch upon this point the more willingly because it hath an easie comprehension of all those seven consequences of the cure above named And although each of them be distinct yet because this is my last Lecture I am glad that one doctrine hath so good a lot as to give you though but in generall and farre off a view of the whole For in this spirit of the cure all those fruits of Naamans returne from Jordan may be coucht together as a garment into one knot Explication of the Doctrine Marke then for explication sake thus much It is with the soule in point of spirituall cure as with the body in case of a bodily Who being heal'd by some odde rare Physitian of a mortall disease and such an one as all the Physitians in the country could not turne their hands unto yea such as all others gave over as desperate and past their skill by some odde Physitian I say one of a thousand who himselfe could not have heald it neither except he had by divine hand beene peculiarly made and train'd up for the very nonce to be skilfull in such a disease and such a one as will by no meanes take money or fees but scornes it only stands upon doing good preventing sad wreck of the diseased that he might get himself a name of
in generall And it s no other save the bad Selfe of good Selfe an ill quality cleaving to a good subject In this sense it is upon point no other then old Adam the depravednesse and disorder of the appetite before spoken of As the wildenesse of an horse or his lamenesse are accidentall to his good metall and good pace even so that faculty whereby I naturally seeke mine owne welfare and safety is good But the disorder thereof whereby I seeke my selfe corruptly and impiously is accidentall thereto and separable from it by grace In Scripture this is called flesh lust and sometime by a metonymie of the subject for the adjunct Selfe to shew the inwardnesse and rooted familiarity of corruption to nature So Iob 42. I abhorre my selfe in dust and ashes So Paul 2 Cor. 12. Of myselfe I will not boast And if I preach my selfe that is my corrupt selfe Adam was so created that God was his appetite the desire of his soule was to him onely as the chiefe good and his owne happinesse further or elsewhere he sought not Him he trusted to honoured obeyed and embraced with his whole man But after he had deserted God he justly was deserted of him to seeke after an imaginary happinesse falling downe by the penalty of Selfe to a denied apple and thereby given over to the creature to grope therein after a welfare ever coveted never obtained Still the subject nature remained to seek himself but that directive of minde and freedome of pure will that kept him before now being gone he was changed into a corrupt Self-seeking and Selfe-love As it fares with him that strives to behold the bright body of the Sun but by reason of weak eies cannot dazles and flags downeward and thinkes he sees three Sunnes for one but in truth sees none So the soule sunke down from God by wilfull desertion and not being able any longer to behold the excellency that is in him falls downe and adores a false Trinity the lust of the heart the lust of the eye and the pride of life the vaine cursed creature that hath nothing in it equalling the soule instead of God Selfe then in this sense is nothing else save corruption and originall sinne Contrary to this Selfe is Selfe-deniall in a good sense which to speake properly is nothing else save Regeneration whereby the soule generally denies corrupt Selfe in her frame and streame bending a contrary way forsaking the creature and returning to God Esay 55.8 her first happinesse and making him really that unto her which corrupt Selfe erroneously was That is herselfe and herselfe his to seeke his ends and felicitie therein renouncing her owne In this sense Divines speake and write when they treat about the state of Vnregeneracy or Apostacy from God and to this head referre all those markes signes and degrees whereby Selfe may be discovered Also to this referre all that is usually discoursed touching conversion of the soule to God and turning herselfe Acts 26.18 from her vaine Idolls and darkenesse to the living God All is no other in a word save setting the soul streight to her first object renouncing the Selfe and obliquity thereof when fleshly wisdome of the minde and carnall favour of the heart is turned to the wisdome of God to salvation and the savouring of it freely and sweetly then is this great cure wrought This of the second Branch 3 But all this while I have spoken of corrupt Self generally considered and apart Selfe in the remedy But herein yet appeares not her own venom while she is let alone she is still and quiet as a snake in her hole being no whit lesse herselfe I grant but yet not apearing in her right colours 1. In the Law Selfe in the remedy is the true corrupt Selfe when God sends her in a light to discover all her filth to convince to tame her and fetch her home then she shewes the metall she is made of and then it appeares it was hell fire that kindled this heat in her and bred this monster of privation and enmity to God Marke well what I say all you that thinke originall sinne a bug-beare when the Law came fire revived it was dead before lust was unknowne till the Law said Thou shalt not lust But as the Toad being prickt spits poison So Selfe encountred with a Law proves out of measure sinfull and rebelliously dashes herself against it as a pitcher against a stone wall to this kinde referre all that rebellion of Selfe against the word of conviction and that sly-selfe which chuses to scrue herselfe into the deepest bondage and horror that may be rather then shee will come to the bent of Gods bow that is lose her life and proud spirit upon the pikes of wrath which is the onely way which God hath appointed to wit when she is wholy broken in peeces upon this wheele and come to an utter strait then to shew her a doore of hope of this it shall be sufficient to speake but a word since I have largely treated of it in her due place But legall Selfe is not the deepest poison of Selfe But especially in the Gospel The worke of the Law is but a remote remedy The Gospell is that neare object which above all other discovers Selfe in her kinde The closer the Gospell and Christ come to the soule the more opposite is Selfe and as Faith is the most eminently spirituall grace above all graces so is Selfe the deepest deadliest enemy to it of all other yea to whatsoever savours of it any promise any offer of mercy any work of Christ in the soule any preparation making that way Selfe was jealous of the Law lest she be dispossessed But infinitely more jealous of Christ lest he take new possession It s the most uncouth desolate object unto her to thinke of giving up herself to Christ and leaving her old hold that can be imagined Hence come those infinite many and subtill and desperate feares doubts impossibilities difficulties objections against the promise in the rebellious those invincible snares of ill conscience accustomed to sin that so great a sinner so unworthy a wretch should ever speed of favour from so potent a God so just and terrible a Judge And hence is it also that not onely Selfe is so obstinate in the wicked But when a soule is got under a condition of mercy yet then Selfe wraps such a world of exceptions against her owne particular beleeving Hence also it is that rather then she will be cast out shee will put herselfe upon the promise oftimes with self-presumption resting in her false hopes duties performances affections preparations and the like but all to deceive herselfe and by seeming self-deniall to twine as the Ivy about the oake for her owne ends that by mixing herselfe with Christ she might still grow from her owne roote and rest in her bottome that so not Christ but Selfe might be all in all contrary to
save him I hope I shall not need to prove the truth of his conversion If any doubt of it let them note but the scope of our Saviours discourse in that place of Saint Luke and it will satisfie him for except it be granted that Naaman was converted the whole scope of our Saviours speech is overthrowne And that evidentâ—y is this Luke 4.27 to convince and upbraid his owne countrymen for their contempt and infidelity and that by Naamans example As if he should say Trust not to this that you and I are Townsmen and neer of acquaintance God is no excepter of persons grace is free and mercy is neither of the willer or runner but of him who sheweth mercy look well to your selves that ye despise not the offer I make as little worth and thinking your selves Abrahams seed and children of the promise for except ye beleeve the Lord can passe by those of the kingdome and call in from the East and West strangers even such as Naaman and thrust out the children Marke then except Naaman were converted the Jewes might have had a ready evasion to escape the dint of this exprobration and have said Why Lord Elisha was no more sent to Naaman then thou art sent to us there was no more wrought in him then in us This had bin to cut the sinewes of Christs argument asunder And whereas it may be alledged Christ did no miracles at Nazareth I answer it is uncertaine But say he did not it had bin small upbraiding of them with the want of miracles if he had not much more cast them in teeth with the want of that for which miracles served I meane grace and faith This objection then thus removed I returne and say that the Lord sent Elisha to Naaman for the cure of soule and body out of an especiall freedome of Graces which he denied to others who were far fairer for it then he That the glory of this free and soveraigne mercy and compassion might only be ascribed to God The doctrine then hence is that Grace is free and soveraigne And Doct. Gods grace is free Rom. 9.10.11 unto this truth doth all the Scripture give witnesse The Apostle Rom. 9. defending the soveraignty of God against all cavillers who cannot endure that God should differently impart himselfe to such as are equally inwrapped in the same state of corruption saith thus shall the clay say to the Potter why hast thou formed me thus And whereas the caviller alledges that this should infer a contradiction between the secret will of God touching the end of the creature and the revealed touching the duty of the creature and saith why doth he then yet complaine q. d. He hath barred the creature from obeying and beleeving by a secret denying of power unto it to do either and doth he still exhort warne threaten and chide The Apostle answers Verse 20. Oh man who art thou who janglest with God Is God unrighteous in each act of his whereof thy wit cannot give reason And in the same Chapter Wherefore Verse 16. it is not of the willer or the runner but of God who sheweth mercy Why should all others save Lydia and the Jailor be left Acts 16.14 27. when Paul came among that people and all the wise Phylosophers at Athens be passed by onely Denus and Damaris a poore only man and only woman being excepted And Acts 17. ult Who called Rahab and rejected all Jerico Ruth and not Orpah Who chose David and refused Eliab Who separated the Gentile and rejected the Jew Who is he that saith not many wise learned are chosen but the meane things and foolish of this world to condemne the mighty 1 Cor. 1.26 Why was that one Eunuch attended and converted by Philip other Proselites being let alone Surely that we might tremble and say Oh the depth of the wisdome of the justice and mercy of God how are his waies past finding out why should one who came at the eleventh houre fare as well as he at the sixt Because God may doe as he list with his owne Matth. 20.12 Is thine evill because he is good No for of him in him and by him are all things to him be praise for ever Calling to grace double Unconditionall or conditionall both free What the former is How it is free Now that Gods call is free according to his owne soveraigne pleasure appeares by the difference of Calling which is two fold the one unconditionall the other conditionall The former of these is that externall call of God whereby he ministers the meanes of the Gospel by which the effectuall call may be attained Now it is evident that this is free for it requires not nor cannot require any antecedent disposition or fitnesse in the called All are equally sunke into rebellion in respect of their nature and as concerning the practice sure it is that howsoever the morals of some may possibly be worse then others yet this can be no bar unto Gods free visiting them with light if he please so to do and there is no wickednesse of man over which the grace of the Gospel may not prevaile Deut. 9.4 Say not saith Moses that the Lord hath chosen thee from among all other Nations because thou wert better then they for thou wert the worst of all Nations But it was free mercy which thus chose and called thee to the Covenant and to be a people That caused the Lord to call thee from all other Nations of the world though all the world were his Againe it is not the moralnes of any people nor their vertuous qualities which can move the Lord to shew them the light of further grace but if he leave them in their moralities it is just and righteous Sure it is this unconditionall call is as free as the raine which falls upon the earth in some places plentifully in some scantly in some not at all Even where the Lord in soveraigne wisdome shall please to send it Some places the Lord permitted his Apostles to goe to others the Spirit forbad them to visit God had no people there therefore the meanes were held from them Not because the meanes were not granted he had no people but because he had no people therefore meanes were not granted Now concerning this former call how many Nations of the world are excluded Untill Christ all the world was excommunicate for the times of that ignorance God regarded not and since Christ now full one thousand six hundred years and odde how many are uncalled if some speake truly scarce a sixth or seventh part is yet visited if it were but the one halfe it were enough to prove this freedome Cavills there are some against this former freedome the most of which are taken from the respects of more sinfullnesse in those people or their Predecessors or some former contempt but they are so idle and senslesse that the divisers of them shew
had the proudest hearts to say we are Abrahams children and free men and never served any The cause whereof is within our wofull bosomes viz. that as we have lost our first honor of Creation so we have lost both understandings to know and wills to yeeld and bee convinced of it being like drunken slaves that dreame of liberty and make themselves merry with their owne woe Even so doe we struggle against the prerogative of God and scorne that any difference at all should be made between us and others Numb 16. Hence comes that fulsome conceit of the most that all who professe Christianity are in an equall condition to God-ward all the people of God are holy They thinke that those Ministers who put difference betweene one and other except open monsters and odious livers take too much upon them and out of singularity of spirit and factious pride doe but sow the seed of dissention betweene men and women who else would live alike in neighbourhood and amity And as for the worke of grace and conversion which indeed puts the difference either they conceit themselves to be as forward in it as the best or if they be convicted of the contrary that notwithstanding the common profession which they make with others yet they come short of them in the spirituall power and fruit of the Covenant and Word of the Seales and Sacraments oh they storme and rage as a Beare robbed of her Whelpes Judg. 18.24 Micah did not make such an out-cry after them who stole his gods as these doe after them who would rob them of their Idoll of formall profession Which in truth argueth that their hearts were never truly meekned nor subdued under this doctrine of soveraignty But let all such beware for every blow which they give to God lights upon their owne skin and they carry a blacke marke about them of such as must perish while they scorne to confesse the misery which they are fallen into and so to apply themselves to the humble seeking of that peculiar mercy in God which must if ever they be saved bring them home to him Sure it is that the winding themselves up in the common sheet of other men hoping they shall doe as well as they and abhorring to thinke that others should be better then themselves whiles yet they let others goe before them in humiliation and faith themselves rejecting the meanes of grace this pride and fulnesse of selfe conceit will sooner seale them up to hardnesse of heart and arme them with weapons of pride and envy rage and rebellion against Gods soveraignty then bring them into the least degree or step towards salvation Secondly Lie under the conviction of Soveraignty let us be exhorted to lie under the conviction of this sad Branch 2 truth that God is the Soveraigne Lord of his owne grace to do with his owne what him listeth The neglect of this duty is the meane to foster in the heart of man a roote of bitternesse and rancor against God and so of enimity treachery jealousie the high way to hell And therefore rest not till thy soule can fully accommodate her judgement to confesse this truth that grace is free and without all respect of persons To this end first consider the root of this soveraignty 1. partic Consider the root of Soveraignty I meane that infinite advantage which thou hast given the Lord by thy wilfull fall in Adam The little weighing whereof hath caused as many errors and mistakes in Religion and Divinity as any one Confesse it to be righteous with God to take the uttermost advantage against thee which the most strict justice of his can devise Admit no carnall corrupt colours of reason or cavillers against this truth but lay thine hand upon thy mouth and say Thou hast shut up all under disobedience Oh Lord most justly that thou mightst by their sinne set forth the largenesse of thy Power justice and mercy yea although thou canst not sometimes unty the knots of carnall objections comming from thy rebellious heart yet loose thy selfe in this truth of God and tremble at it saying this is a depth too deepe for me to fadom and too high for me to reach my reason is as the short arme of a poore child which cannot reach farre But whether I reach it or not I am sure there is an eternall truth in it wherein I rest And this step is a great degree towards mercy and a marke of one whom the Lord will save I meane to rest convinced and well apaid concerning this soveraigne pleasure of God A rebell hypocrite and enemy of God dare not commit himselfe to this sea he chuseth rather to creep by the shore of his owne carnall reason though it be to his owne perdition It was the speech of an Heathen man concerning a profound oration which he had heard a Philosopher make what I understood said he I admired as excellent and I beleeve also that was excellent which I understood not How much more shouldest thou bear in thy judgement such a reverend conviction of Gods matters though above thee And secondly let us rest well contented in the Lords free dispensation of the severall measures of his grace 2. Instance Be content that the Lord dispence grace in what measures he pleaseth If he please to be found of some that sought him not Esay 65.1 to make a shorter worke of it yea to intercept them ere they are aware in the midst of an evill course and to powre in mercy by large measures battering breaking and subduing them betimes and as it were all at once whereas he suffers others to goe on by the yeare and the seven yeare without working any great matter in them sensibly but suffers them to welter in their fears doubts and complaints let us not murmur but acknowledge his Soveraignty Of which more in the use following 3 Judge not God in the effects of his unlimited Soveraignty either in sinnes See also Rom. 9.17 Likewise let us not judge God in the effects of this his unlimited will I mean in the trialls commands penalties which he exercises the wicked withall for why he created them holy and accordingly may in equity trie them with strict charges though exceeding their strength to obey For he looks upon them according to that grace which they have lost not which they have So I may say touching those penalties which they incurred by their sinne they were just Had they clave to their duty 4 Or penalties of wicked but in the matter of it they had bin highly rewarded and therefore falling off in coole bloud from doing the outward act which was in their power in the midst of so many encouragements how just was their overthrow Why did the Lord inflict so heavy a plague upon all the posterity for Adams sinne Because it was a bundell of all sinne in one and if he had stood he had enjoyed all happinesse for
himselfe and his If the Lord Jesus did justly accurse the servant I mean the figtree for not bearing figs at all seasons which if sin had not letted it might have done shall not the master much more be accursed for making himselfe barren being created fruitfull 5 Nor for leading into tentation So also let us not accuse God for suffering them to fall It s said Hophni and Phinees could not hearken to their father because God would slay them And the Jewes could not heare the voice of the Lord because Esay had foretold the contrary viz. that God had hardned them For why Act. ult God put no evill into any of them But because he saw what basenesse and rebellion was in them already he left them thereto and would not overpower their hearts for it was just for him thereby to be avenged upon them for their wilfull contempt and so make them as snares to others to fall by Those ten tribes were justly snared by Ieroboams calves because they had plaid the Idolaters before in Salomons daies under the freedome of the Temple worship and so God would plague them for all at once and both give them a King in wrath and sweep them away in displeasure A master having a slie servant oft drunken and carelesse of his businesse to the end he may pay him for all doth justly send him to some place which accidentally occasions him to fall he sends him upon an errand justly but because he means to prevent all his shifts and punish him soundly he will suffer him to fall into a snare that he may take him in the manner and punish him for all his prankes together So when God punishes the sinnes of parents upon the children Ahabs upon Iehoram Eli's upon those hundred and eighty Priests slaine by Saul Salomons upon Rehoboam For why The Lord beholding them in the sinnes of their parents imitated and unrepented of destroies both serpent and egs together Let us I say strive to be convinced in our judgements Exod. 20. Nor for punishing the sins of parents in their posterity touching Gods most just Prerogative in all these and all other kindes and being settled in judgement we shall not easily stagger in our affection and practise Thirdly let us submit so farre under this Soveraignty of God as to do Branch 3 to the uttermost of our power to obey all his charges and commands Do what lies in us to obey Gods will and to stoope to all his ordinances which he propounds unto us for our conversion Shall God have us at so great a bay as he hath and shall we wax carelesse Or because we are not able to do that which he requires for the matter shall we therefore in a sullen and desperate humour sit still and doe nothing Shall we not shun any sinne for conscience which we can shun if hired with mony Because all is not either in our willing or running shall we neither will or run Nay more put case we have brought upon us by our sin such an avoidable languor disability that we cannot put forth our selves to the uttermost that common enlightning might worke us to what Shall we therefore doe nothing which lies in our power to do yes surely in holy awe of this freedome of God to do with us and our endeavours what him lists let us tremble and in all humility doe the best we can yet trusting to none of it loathing to be Pharisees and Pelagians but abhorring much more to be Epicures and malecontents walke we in Gods way in which he only is found and may be found of us But those that disdain to heare to pray to take paines because God hath the bridle in his owne hand shew themselves Giants rather and such as would be revenged upon God then desirous to get heaven by submitting to his power and Soveraignty As those lamps were fitly planted under the olive branches to receive the oile which dropped from them by the providence of God so let us accommodate our selves under the dropping of the ordinances ascribing nothing to our selves but all to the meer grace of the ordainer as Zachary there speakes Zacha. 4 5. not by strength or mans wisdome but by my spirit saith the Lord. Fourthly let it teach us tendernesse and charity towards meane ones Branch 4 ignorant yea loose and dissolute ones Be charitable to others let us not affect the disdaining of the basest simplest vilest although we ought to loath their manners but consider thy selfe if thou onely exceed them in morality wit and parts tremble to think that such silly ones and ungodly may perhaps arise pull heaven by violence to themselves and thou with all thine abilities be thrust to hell where were then thy boasting Ipta was thrust out for a base excrement from the family of Gilead Judg. 10.4 But they were all glad to seeke him for their Captaine in their distresse Poore Ioseph the slave was yet so preferred that the Sun Moone and starres were faine to do homage to him despise not the least free grace may make him thy better and make thee glad to seek to him for helpe and succour ere thou die and envy not the greatest neither for the Lord can ingraft thee also into the same stocke as meane as thou art if thou canst adore his soveraigne mercy which magnifies it self as much in the setting up of the low as the mighty that they who boast might not boast of their person or quality but of the Lord. Fifthly let thy stony heart break in peeces between the hammer of his Soveraignty and the pillow of his long suffering and patience toward Branch 5 thee Surely in that he hath so long had thee at so infinite advantage its strange that ever he should forbear thee so long Breake thy hard heart hereby offer thee such meanes ordinances or should passe by the daies of thine ignorance or suffer any seed or remainder of a tender heart to abide in thee I say it is strange he should restore thee out of so many perills diseases and hazards stil present thee with hope and possibility of forgetting such a multitude of transgressions and forgiving thy offences What should all this argue save a most bountifull abatement of extremity rigor and that notwithstanding his power yet his love is more prevailing with him to spare thee Shall this kindnesse of his leading thee to repentance be an occasion to forget both his soveraignty and thine owne guiltinesse and according to thine hard heart which cannot repent wax stout and wilfull against him and so heap up wrath against the day of just vengeance Rom. 2.4 No rather this mixture of both should keep thee within bounds and put holy thoughts of his purpose and pleasure into thee then breed a desperate enmity on the one side or security on the other to both which thy heart is far more propense then to come in give up thy
favour of healing so these thinke it were but reasonable that God should grant mercy to such a towardly and zealous childe or novice But as that Ruler hearing of their words to Christ came himselfe and abased himselfe cast off his merit and his building of a Synagogue professing himselfe unworthy under whose roofe Christ should come and so prevailed so must thou deale with the soveraignty of mercy if ever it be thine No no not the appearances of man can bind the Lord but his free love must overrule him The most poore despised impotent and silly wench among all thy brood may speed of mercy when the bravest wittiest and hopefullest of thē goes without Look at none despise none by the outward semblance Grace is free who knowes but thou mayst be an instrument of soveraignty to breed some savor of mercy even in that wife of thine which hath long beene most averse in spirit in that poore drudge of the kitchin who hath come last to prayers that child which of all the rest seemes of least capacity its not the easinesse of our heart to accept nor the rebellion thereof to refuse but the invinciblenesse of the Lords soule who cannot be pulled from his Elect and the efficacy of grace and powerfull mercy which carries the will of the creature before it not by compelling or necessitating of it but by a sweete perswasion and drawing it by his owne cordes to beleeve it making it of nilling willing and of willingable and effectuall to embrace it Sort. 4 Fourthly it must stop all the base cavills of men Oh! saith one I have spent the best part of seven yeares to obtaine a broken heart and cannot get it I see such and such can so melt and be so lowly upon the first hearing of the Word and grow to some measure of faith in short time as is incredible Surely if I had belonged to God I had long since been accepted Why Is not God the soveraigne giver or denier the furtherer or delayer of his owne grace Is not mercy his owne to give at his pleasure Is it not thank-worthy if thou get it at the eleventh houre even upon the Crosse with the theefe Esay 65.1 Is God tyed Is he not sometime found of them that seeke him not who never dreamt of him but walked in their ignorance and jolly in their lawlesse way And doth he not suffer some that seeke him with a Pharisaicall heart to goe without yea although they seeke him humbly and painefully doth not he know his owne best season Is thine eye evill because his is good doth he tie himselfe alway to one course God courses in the drawing home of his very divers No surely some he inclines to the meanes and breeds an hope a farre off others he holds under the meanes a long time in darkenesse the truth is he is tyed to no course to no persons seasons meanes or measures Turne thine impatience to humble selfe-deniall and adore God in his liberty goe to worke aright and ascribe to no meanes nor to thy selfe but his meere good pleasure and this will Sort. 5 prove the neerer way home though it seeme further about Fifthly doe not abuse this doctrine to forestall thy care in the use of meanes Doe not waxe out of measure wicked in shaking of all diligence to heare because God hath the whole strength in his owne hand to determine as he pleases But know that as the end so the meanes and the ordering thereof is in his hands Wouldst thou deny thy selfe all succors of the creature to feed and cherish thee because if the Lord have appointed thee to live Sort. 6 thou shalt live and if to dye no meanes shall sustaine thee Also doe not by this doctrine disorder the secret and revealed will of God but reverendly distinguish and observe both The one is that by which hee hath determined the ends Gods will double with the difference The other whereby he appoints the duties of men The one is unknowne to thee adore it but snare not thy selfe with it let not that forestall thy care and diligence in use of the meanes appointed by the revealed will Say not thus if I knew my selfe ordained to salvation I would apply my selfe willingly to them but how doe I know whether I belong to God Quest and shall not use the meanes in vaine to encrease my judgement Answ I answer thee Election is not revealed to any to encourage them to use meanes or beleeve But meanes of faith are offered to incourage to beleeve The knowledge of Election in such as attaine it flowes from faith not faith from it Fall thou to the meanes as God offers them which shall bee a signe unto thee of an humble and plaine heart and descant not upon that thou knowest not a signe of a froward rebellious spirit Thou art in the dungeon the Lord offers thee a ladder to come out cords and rags to hale thee up As Ebedmelec did to Ieremy Should Ieremy standing in his mire Jerem. 38.11 have felt more will to descant upon Ebedmelecs purpose in the casting in of rags and cords then desire to apply himself to the way of comming out might he not have lyen long enough there but if God have given thee the heart of Ieremy to tremble at the dungeon thou wilt not find leasure to quarrel with Ebedmelec what his meaning is unto thee but simply judge his meaning by his act his love by his cords and say thou mayst leave me here still with my cordes upon my shoulders but it seemes not so by thy offer for then thou mightst have spared this labor Therefore I obey thy charge and trust thee for drawing me up who gavest me thy cords and when I am drawne out then will I say now I know thy good will by the effect thereof Doe so in this case and prosper And so much for this second generall arising from the whole context And also for this time Let us pray c. THE SECOND LECTVRE VPON THE NINTH VERSE 9 So Naaman came with his horses and charets and stood before the dore of Elisha 10 And Elisha sent a messenger c. WEE come now beloved more closely to the words themselves Entrance upon the ninth vers and begin with this ninth verse as an introduction to the points following to the twentieth although it containe none of the five generalls which I intend chiefely to dwell upon yet it is the key to unlocke the doore of entrance upon all It containes the immediate occasion of the miraculous cure and conversion of Naaman Containing the Antecedents of the cure of Naaman and of those antecedent passages which lead unto it both the message of Elisha and Naamans entertaining thereof of which after But for this ninth verse sithence it hath in it some maine points of doctrine which depend upon the connexion of former verses we must open them first as all points gathered out of
historicall dependance require the annalyse of the story before going Thus then briefly the story leads us to this verse First The Analyse of the whole History from the first verse it presents to us a noble man Naaman by name Earle Marshall to the King of Aram a man of great valor and courage for warre and of as great acceptation and esteeme with his Lord being his chiefe favorite upon whom Branch 1 the King leaned yet a leper and as much held under with his filthy noysome malady as set up by his dignity And surely if we had not some sowre sawce to our sweet meat we should surfet if all were according Branch 2 to our desires without check who should live with us Secondly wee have here a providence of God offering to Naaman the newes of a recovery For whereas in some former skirmishes the Aramites had taken prisoners of the Israelites and among the rest a young Damosell lo it was her lot to be taken into the service of Naamans wife The maide whether our of a better observation of Elisha then ordinary and remembring what worthy acts she had heard of him or whether out of a desire to win favor at the hands of her Mistrisse seeing how the case stood with her Master and perceiving well how welcome an addition the cure of his leprosie would prove to all his other happinesse calls to minde the Prophet Elisha telling her Mistrisse that if her Master were but with him he would soone heale him of it A speciall and first handsell of providence swaying her to be the first happy moover in this Branch 3 frame of miraculous cure Thirdly we have Naamans inquisitivenesse and restlessenesse Prov. 18.1.2 upon the hearsay For a mans desire he will soone separate himselfe So doth he le ts all matters lye by and seekes out immediately how to compasse his purpose and in the first place using the interest he had with his master the King to write letters in his behalfe to the King of Israel who now was the vassall of Aram and therefore at his command to doe what he could to content him he obtained his desire The summe whereof comes to this that although no letters were directed in speciall to Elisha yet because it was supposed that there was no subject of Iehorams who might not quickly be at call to serve his turne in the working of the cure therefore as it became a King he writes to the King of Israel to see the businesse dispatched Branch 4 Fourthly we have a great blur and disaster here in the attempt of Naaman a greater difficulty affronts his hopes then he feared to crosse him in his cure For the stupid King of Israel having small entercourse and lesse interest in the Prophet of God mistakes the letter and the scope of it and construes it to a sinister sense viz. that a quarrel was pickt with him he rends his cloathes and askes am I God to heale lepers which doubtlesse he had not said if his thoughts had bin upon the Prophets miraculous assistance two chapters before 2 King 3.5.6 when he was in a distresse for lack of water Branch 5 Here therefore the worke stands at a stay Fifthly therefore the Lord whose worke it was to bring Naaman thus farre within the Element of mercy and cure doth not faile but puts in life to the businesse and checks the sencelesse King by a messenger sent from Elisha who upbraiding him for his sottish ignorance prompts him with that truth which corrects Naamans mistake saying although thou canst not heale him thy selfe yet be it knowne to thee Israel hath a God who hath a Prophet even Elisha by name to whom if thou send this man he will heale him of his leprosie Upon this message the text tells us that Naaman forsaking the King who could doe him no good comes now full of courage and good hopes that although he had miscarried hitherto yet now at last he should without any more adoe speed of his journey And therefore he with his horses and charets come downe and stand before the doore of Elisha Thus we see the coherence and have the patient standing humbly at the doore of the Prophet forgetting his state and being at the curtesie of the Prophet for his cure Now for the last of these Two things I would commend unto you out of this verse Two generals in this ninth verse The former is the habit and behaviour of this great Prince and favorite Naaman being now at the doore of the Prophet Wee heare of no rapping or bounsing at his gate such as is mentioned of Iehoram in Cap. 7. Vid. cap. who sent a cursed messenger before him to beat downe the doore upon the Prophet and Elders met in a holy sort before God in the judgement of famine and following himselfe with a bloody threatning and swearing spirit God doe so and more if the head of Elisha stand upon him this day 1. Generall Nâ—amans humble carriage But all humble and lowly carriage such as became a petitioning Patient who though he brought fees enough with him yet could speed no way save by waiting and obeying This behaviour may seeme strange in so potent a Prince at so meane an house as the Prophets and toward a man in shew so farre inferior as a poore old man to a Kings favorite Surely these daies would scarce affords us such a patterne of humblenesse in great ones toward Gods Ministers But the reason was Naaman had and felt that burden and clog within which beat off proud thoughts not only the honour of the Prophet and divinenesse of the cure awed him but the yoak which was upon him subdued all hautinesse suppressed all stomacke and pride telling him as the case stood it was no season for him to take upon him imperiously He was now fighting a new battel wherein not his armes but his patience must beare mastries Doubtlesse his great spirits might rise and provoke him to insolency but still he minded his errand aand for the time thought it fittest to stoope lest he should loose the maine his cure hoped for this amed him and kept him low standing with all his pompous retinue at the poore gate of poore Elisha waiting and glad to waite for a favourable answer The point I would urge is this Doctrine Great straights are Gods season to pull downe a stout heart the only season of working a jolly and stout heart to crouch and creepe is when God hath it at a bay even to stand at his curtesie in some great straight and extermity It was thus with Naaman and is thus generally with most men who are not of desperate madnesse And the point is generall although I shall touch it after in a speciall sence by the text and applyable both to good and bad A more wilfull and wicked contrariety hereto we cannot have then that of Iehoram which I named who thought to fight it out with
to the use And first it might be instruction and admonition to such of us as goe for the forwardest Christians Use 1. of Instruct Instruction first to teach us to adore the wisedome of our God in the administration of the times in which we live in The word seemes to have done working upon the consciences of the most few are gastred by the terrors thereof few sustained by the promises few are sensible active watchfull walkers I doubt not but God hath his jewells in corners his secret ones whose hearts and waies lye close to him in these degenerate times But for the body of hearers either to bee converted or in appearance converted already strange it is what a numbe palsey what a Laodicean temper of indifference ease and selfe-love hath covered us over scarce one in a long time gastred out of his neast of forme or profanenesse and such as are keepe their consciences at such loose termes that few can discerne them to be under the Banner or authority of any Soveraigne Now what doth the Lord Surely he is faine to lay men upon the bayard and to afflict them with one yoke or other either personall or generall straights Selfe-love hath over-growne all that except God stept out of his ordinary path of speaking to doing and did cause each face to waxe pale and each hand to be on the pained plat some by poverty others by debt or imprisonment or losses or reproach or pursuite of enemies malicious tongues unreasonable men desperate unfaithfulnesse treachery and injuriousnesse of such as they live with Sure it is the word would worke but little upon us Even the wise Virgines are all fallen asleep with the rest Matth. 25. How should the Lord search us what conscience truth and sincerity lyes at the bottome Surely now if ever we should rouze our selves and say the Philistins are upon thee Samson Judges 16.22 When the power and purenesse of worship when the substance and matter of religion growes questioned when men teach professe and walke so as if any profession would serve their turne yea many such as have seemed most zealous sincere and faithfull waxe cold maintainers of disorder in their places live in contention and jealousie with the best plucke in their former hornes of forwardnesse others play the Time-servers and leave God to shift for himselfe saying now see to thine owne house David Is it not time for the Lord to come with his sharpe triall among us to search what is in us To gaster the consciences of some who were never awakened by some outward straights hardnesse to live banqueruptnesse and ruine of estate beggery and misery others by searching trialls and extremities that either they must carry their lives and states gifts and hopes in their bosomes ready to let out or else they must prostitute their consciences to sinne and treachery yes surely or else he knowes if we might be let alone we would grow to the formality softnesse security commons and fulsomenesse of others who have no sparke of grace in them But now perhaps being searcht to the quicke and put to it we dare not for shame lay our names at the stake of perpetuall reproach by giving God quite over now perhaps we will shake our selves and say shall such an one as I betray God shall I pollute his worship shall I defile that truth which I have received incorrupt from others shall I helpe to destroy Gods lawe deface the power of goodnesse sort my selfe with such as are enemies separate my selfe from my brethren No sure I wish I had looked to it sooner yet better late then never At last I will give witnesse to God to his truth honor servants Sabbaths I will no longer give aime to the religion of these times their saplesse dead and powerlesse profession my soule loathes it I long to reprove and confute all Popish Pelagian superstitious and formall religion and therefore let parts let ease let liberty preferment honor gifts outward prosperity goe where they will my darling I will not lose I will not bite off that precious stone for which I am hunted and cast it to the hounds to save my life But I am resolved through mercy to my uttermost to justifie the power of truth both in my judgement and practice Oh it is the wisedome of God to send such straights and snares among us for the discovery of hypocrites and base counterfeits and for the exercise of that secret grace in his owne which else through ease and selfe-love would rust and cankerfret Vse 2 Secondly let it teach us to lay it sadly to heart that God is so crossed of his purpose both in generall and speciall by such as abuse his judgements and terrors in the world Admonition Lay to heart the little humiliation of the land under publique straights I will more sparily touch forraine nations and Churches French Dutch or other yet let it not passe us without notice that after all these hurliburlies and havocks of warre of persecution of famines pestilences and such miseries as scarce in any age have beene heard of the hearts of those nations remaine still as secure profane contemptuous of God blasphemous drunken contentious yea in the midst of their late victories so regardlesse of Gods honor either in abandoning Papists and Popery or in setling power and purity of worship but still as desperate the Ministery as saplesse and the people as fruitlesse as ever Oh how just were it with God for these evills to turne the wheele backe and to suffer Papists and heresie to encroach againe and make their second bondage as much deeper then the former as the loines are greater then the little fingers yea as their latter evills and abuse of Gods providence have exceeded the former But to leave them and come to our selves how doe we at home generally beare off all Gods straights and pressures with head and shoulders No man laying to heart any thing but as Esay 64. saith No man seekes after the Lord nor stirres up himselfe to lay hold upon him All lick themselves whole with false tongues every man taking thought how to save one Esay 64.6.7 none understanding the Lord in his way what he should meane by his wasting us by plagues consuming our people with poverty destroying our foules with cleannesse of teeth depriving us of the lives and labours and worthy services of so many Ministers Nobles Warriours good Governours and Christian professors of his truth few consider the scope of God in these differences that are between Prince and Subject Subject and Subject Complaints are in all mens mouthes sorrowes upon all states But whereas the Lords scope is hereby rather to unite all the Nation against the common adversary to draw all to an holy consent in seeking mercie for the Church and agreement between divided parties that by a generall humiliation and preparing to meet the Lord we might prevent ruine Alas when was there more powring out of
all adversity as Oded saith If thou scape the Lion the Beare shall meet thee if both a Serpent out of the wall shall bite thee There is no struggling And besides why should a streight so scare thee from God hath it no power or use in it to draw thee neerer God will nothing serve thee save to hate him for amends whom thou hast already hurt Is not all for thy good if thou be not a Bedlam And mayst thou not blesse God for a Little-ease when the world could not hold thee nor the earth beare thee for thy wildnesse and insatiablenesse in sin Tell me Streights cannot bee well wanted if God had not matched thee who could hadst thou not been damned Shall then the remedy bee worse then the disease wilt thou breake all chaines wit hs and ropes like Samson cannot a prison hold thee when all is done Oh if not before yet at the last when God hath thee there grinding like an Asse look up and say I will return to my father Or thinkest thou that thou shalt not profit by it Remember it is a marke of a reprobate not to profite by the last medicine Oh! there is abundant gaine in a crosse and streight Beleeve the doctrine and apply thy selfe to it sue to God for an heart to concurre with him in it and thou shalt finde a streight to be more wholesome for thee then to have thy will Heathens could say so and art thou a Divell to deny it One of them a deep observer of moralls and events having knowne one to bee very licentious in life and after comming to see him on his death-bed writes thus of it to his friend Yesterday I understood by visiting such a one how much better wee are in sicknesse then in health For what sicke man shall you see covetuous or libidinous or revengefull or contentious So that it were to be wished that we were such in coole blood and in health as in feare of death wee are forced to bee So farre hee So that wee shall need to consult with no Scripture for the matter But if we doe we shall read Lam. 3.27 It is good for a man that he beare the yoke and vers 22. even in chains and banishment the Church confesseth The compassions of the Lord are renewed every morning which she did scarcely see in liberty I need name no more Onely let this be noted That it is not wise for us so studiously to shun or shift off streights Shunne not streights nor so eagerly to lay for ease and liberty to the flesh except wee would covet sorrow and avoid humiliation Rather lay together what vantage thousands have made thereof both Prodigals before conversion and Revolters after repentance how the pride and jollity of the one in knowing no God as Nebuchadnezzar and the Jaylor hath beene turned into meeknesse and how the carnall sensuality of the other as David being driven away by Absolom and Samson in prison hath been corrected and changed to sobriety and watchfulnesse Lastly let this exhort all who would be truly happy to looke up to God the maker of yokes the easer of yokes and the sanctifier thereof that he would concurre with them in giving them a kindly worke and issue Vse 4 upon our soules Exhortation Looke up to God for a sanctified use of all strairs Alas straits and extremities are no reall substance of goodnesse but only preparatives and accidentalls occasioning the worke The effect of grace resteth in the pleasure of him that sends them if with an heart of mercy they shall not cease till they have left the soule under the authority of grace if not they shall onely make it inexcusable in the day of destruction Rest not then in this which many rest in that they feele an awed fearefull heart checking and taming them from old ventrousnesse and sawcinesse against God This is a great change but not the change which they must looke after For as a Master Not onely to awe and tame us doth as truly loath a base slave as a sawcy fellow to be his servant preferring a lowly and chearefull subjection before both extreames so doth the Lord he loaths both the bold the servile spirit If Naaman had rested in this his crouching at the Prophets gate under the disease he felt he had never been cured and yet even this was one step to pull downe his stomacke We see that when hee was put to it in the next verse he raged as base as he seemed here A Lion is a Lion still both couchant and rampant But if a Lion were made a lambe it should be a Lion no more Religion stands in no forreigne violence or pangs and acts of compulsion but in inward habits and principles Every violent thing doth but watch her time to bee set at liberty as a prisoner to finde the doores open and to file his chaine off Why Because he was where he would not be and seekes to be where his delight is A proud carnall heart vaine and loving sensuall objects may be held from them a time and for the while in some respects thinke its well that its free from the tyranny of some lusts for the noysomenesse sake But when it can have liberty to them and be let out to old objects of vanity pride and sensuality it prefers it rather because the constitution of it is naturally so I say therefore rest not in such an estate Consider how endlesse it is to strive with a body of evill by a few pangs of actuall distaste and violent restraint Thinke with thy selfe how little thou hast prevailed by all this course and that it will be a work ever to do till the Lord binde the soule to her good behaviour by putting goodnesse into it and causing it to behave it selfe well it is but as the damming up of a violent streame which will have her course Be not too much dismaid at the thought of a new change of thine heart it s at the first a sad object to the carnall heart but the sweetnesse of it at last makes it welcome The Lord begins with violence but ends in sweetnesse the spirit of grace working a principle of delight in the soule But to work a change in the soule and to turn it to God The dismall thoughts of a true change by a milde and softly drawing the will freely to choose grace before corruption even for the good and savour which it feels therein As it was lately with a melancholy man upon his marriage he was exceedingly dejected to thinke that now hee had put himselfe into a new frame which hee had not formerly knowne and lost the liberty of his single estate brought the charge of wife children and family upon himself whereof before he was free so is it with the corrupt part when it judges of that estate which God pulles her to But if God match that feare with the sweetnesse of union and marriage
to himselfe and make his yoke easie oh then love maintaines the soule in grace with sweet and content Beg then of the Lord that thy pressure may not be remooved till it have left the print of mercy behinde it and brought thee so under graces command that thou maiest wholly be the Lords Princes arrest their subjects for some debts fines forfeits or services due to themselves which being paid the party is at his owne liberty But the Lord doth not so hee arrests not a man to bring him upon his knees to wring from him some tearmes of homage but to subdue the whole man and the principle of the minde will and frame to himselfe Concurre with this end of good and prosper But if it be thus the effects will shew it for then Effects of change will shew it not onely the stoutnesse of the heart and the rebellion of it are held under by strong hand for a time but the subtilty thereof is truly turned to simplicity the ease sloth of it into diligence the indifferency of it into earnestnesse the wearisomnesse of it into restlessenesse and diligence the inconstancy of it into stablenesse the acts and pangs of it into habits and principles the violence into liberty and holy delight to submit it selfe both to the way of beleeving and the fruite of subjection and deniall of it selfe both in legall and evangelicall respects And so much for this doctrine so far as the scope of it will beare I might enter into further matter both to discover the infinite tricks of a false heart to nouzle it selfe in a corrupt estate and the trialls and waies whereby the Lord sets such an heart at liberty But I foresee that the points following will better occasion these things and therefore I onely make this doctrine a preparative to them Now I proceed to the second doctrine out of these words Doct. Whom God meanes to convert them he first prevents by occasions and means That Naaman comes and stands at the doore of Elisha And that is this That whomsoever the Lord intends to bring home and convert to himselfe he will order all meanes most sweetly and agreeingly to that purpose We see Naaman and his retinue brought to the doore of Elisha But how surely by the providence of the same God who had purposed his conversion he is brought to the meanes to waite and expect the season of it And all things we see fall out and concurre aptly to it First Naaman is infected with a loathsome disease that under the hope of curing that hee might make an errand to the Prophet whom he had not else visited Secondly a maide must be taken and the Aramites must fight and take her place her with Naamans wife the maide must know Passages of Gods prevention in Naamans case and be able to report of Elisha to her mistrisse Naaman must ascribe credit to her and all these must concurre that he might hearken after Elisha Thirdly letters must be eroneously sent to Iehoram that Elisha might thereby correct an errour and turne him to himselfe which else had not bin And lastly Naaman hearing of the Prophet must forthwith repaire unto him and not expect till Elisha tend upon him else he had missed of his cure All these occurrents God most wisely orders and rules for the ends he intended so that the one could no more be defeated then the other if any one had failed the effect might have ceased The like may be said of the conversion of Onesimus Proofes of the point Epist to Philem who had plaid the thiefe to his Master Philemon God meant he should bee converted by Pauls Ministery Lo how doth the Lord order the meanes unto it He doth not instill falshood and flight into him but he orders it He over-rules him in his journey that hee might not peake aside into this corner or that but goe to Paul and lighting upon him might by some direct and seasonable speech from him be turned from his falshood to God So in the case of Cornelius Acts 10. The Lord meant to settle him being a good Proselite in the faith of the Lord Jesus The instrument by whom was Peter How should he know of him or where to come by him The Lord in a vision intimates it to Cornelius and he sends to Joppe to Simon But Peter was armed with a minde to reject their errand because he was a Jew and Cornelius a Gentile True But immediately before their comming the Lord rectifies Peter and frames him to goe by a vision of all crawling vermin in a cleane sheet which Peter was bidden to eate and refusing to doe so was commanded not to esteeme that uncleane which the Lord had made cleane No sooner is Peter rectified but they knock and he is prepared to goe with them comes findes all ready and converts Cornelius To conclude thus it is with the Eunuch of Candace He passing by that way Acts 8. where Philip preached the Spirit prompts him to joyne himselfe to that Charet When he comes he findes him reading in Esay a peece of a Prophecie cap. 53. concerning Christs generation and not knowing the sense askes Philip who takes occasion thereby to open to him the whole mystery of Christ and convinces him of the truth whereupon he is converted I heape up no more examples Reade the passages of Acts 9. Acts 9. in Saul Reasons 1 There be many reasons of the point 1. As the Lord is the first mover of the vast frame of this world and the maine changes of whole States Churches and Kingdomes their stablenesse and prosperity their decay and ruine the great affaires of warre peace and government so especially he sits at the sterne of his Church If he meane to punish it he acts and animates the wayes to bring it to passe and the instruments of his wrath Though the King of Ashur Reade Esay 10.7 meant no other but to spoile and make wreck yet God used him onely as his rod of vengeance And as he meant to scatter those ten Tribes for their horrible idolatry 1 King 12.13 so he orders the whole frame of premises tending thereto He divides the Kingdomes of Rehoboam and Ieroboam He suffers that snare of Division to cut off the tenne Tribes from Juda and her worship Temple and sacrifices To devise an idolatrous worship of Calves He plagues them with a succession of 3 or 4 cursed families and their of-spring Ieroboam Baasha Omri Iehu and after them left them to a most desperate government of Usurpers Shallum and the rest till the whole nation was carried away into perpetuall Captivity And when it pleased him to redeeme his Church he also acted the spirits of those instruments of deliverance as after the 70 yeares Captivity 2 Chr. 36.22 Ezra 1.2 Ezra 6.6 he stirred up the spirit of Darius Assuerus Cyrus and others to begin and perfect his project Nay not onely so but there is no
in their conversation and behaviour seeing that the world is hard and living under strict government they begin to looke about them and to digest those counsells which they have long beene taught Every age is not so capable when yeares have hardened a man in his evill course he is farre worse to be wrought upon then in his younger time having lesse experience of evill So that the Lord takes men in the fittest season in youth and prevents the unfittest and so for all other circumstances Fifthly the Lord mercifully stops and prevents such accidents as if Branch 5 they tooke effect would be like to hinder the worke of his providence Prevents such evills as might hinder his ends Thus the Lord prevents an ill marriage an unapt yoke-fellow when as yet there was far more likelihood that way then any other Yet the Lord crosses and defeats it so that it shall not take effect so also he stops and cuts off some such companion by death either friend or husband or wife or the like whose example or counsell might possibly have hindred the good of the other party 1 Sam. 25. Abigail being freed from Nabal was at liberty for David and so many a well-minded childe over-ruled by a crosse and peevish father or mother when God removes that tye is at more liberty to enjoy the meanes and to profite So that the Lord when he intends any thing doth alway remove out of his way the lets which might hinder his worke Lastly and especially the Lord doth put life successe and blessing into Branch 6 all such courses and meanes from first to last Puts life and successe into all occurrences as are offered by his providence that they shall take effect and leave the impression of grace behinde them Because God meant well to the Prodigall hee so ordered the matter that even contraries seemed to worke together for the best God oft workes by contraries Luke 14. If he had kept still with his father ten to one hee had been as the other brother But even the misery which he felt which might have been the next way to have made him desperate and to have rusht himselfe upon vile courses to his ruine or caused him to have laid violent hands upon himselfe yet by Gods dispensation wrought him to an utter loathing of his bad wayes and himselfe and to an earnest desire to seeke to his father for pardon Much more then doth the Lord blesse other wayes of sinners which are lesse unlikely as wee see in Naaman here no one passage befell him but brought him one step neerer and when hee had his owne desire that wrought in him such a brokennesse of spirit that he was thereby fitted to receive a better boon from God with more thankfulnes So that poor blinde man Ioh. 9. John 9. whom Christ purposed to save although at his first cure of blindnesse he was not converted yet the Lord was so effectuall in his cure so brake his heart by that love that when hee was most bitterly reproached and excommunicated for confessing him yet he gave not in nor shranke but convinced them with shame and put them to silence and when our Saviour had him upon that advantage he meets him againe in his streight and by a few words speaking to him converted him But these may serve Now for use of the point it is manifold First it is terror and admonition Vse 1 to all brutish prophane ones and base hypocrites Terror with admonition to such as are under no prevention but alway at one point who walke securely in their way some neglecting all meanes others using the most holy and effectuall meanes in a meere formall manner Both of them justly left at large by the Lord to themselves so that nothing workes upon conscience But even as the Wind-mill turning in her round every way yet stirre not out of their place so is it with them after ten twenty yeares they are where they were the first day no step neerer God but many further off For why alas they are farre from acknowledging any preventing grace of God in their course They know no other means but to goe to Church and present themselves among others in the place and so home againe As for a providence to prevent them to bow and sway their hearts to any tendernesse and towardlinesse to see themselves drawn by God to know themselves to see into their nature to abhorre it and embrace all opportunities for their owne spirituall furtherance to salvation they are farre from it And as they live so they dye And if the Lord at any time do scare their conscience or move them to any better thoughts of their wayes yet alas they have no intimation from God of any mercy therein are soone weary of them they vanish as they came And when they looke backe into their course past their youth education company marriage dwelling Ministery or the like alas they cannot speake of any moving of heart stopping their lewd course still they are in their thorough-fare heare like blockes are wearie of good company shun all opportunities of good for feare of being better glad when they can wash off good duties and winde themselves out of all occasions for heaven Alas poore wretches yee shall not need put off with one hand that mercie which you cannot pull on with both It must bee singular grace which must prevent you if ever you come to good But to goe against the edge of providence thinking your selves happiest when yee are out of the element of it is fearfull Doth it not sting you that you have felt so little of Gods prevention in all your wayes So many of your yeares time acquaintance not onely stirred but converted to God since your beginning and you still as saplesse and senselesse as ever Doth it not disquiet you to see all is too little for your ease will world lusts and vanities What have yee no sighes nor sobs in your dreams and upon your beds how it shall fare with you in the day of wrath and that there will be bitternesse in the end 2 Sam. 2. What I pray you is more miserable then to live without God in the world And who live so but such as feele not one pull by the eare one knock at the doore of your hearts or if they doe forget and shake it off with as little savour or regard as pigges tread upon pearles Alas if hee who is the authour of the Scriptures of Ministery of Sacraments of long-suffering of afflictions hath never yet cast the least seed of light or sparke of heat into you which should teach you to acknowledge these ordinances and administrations of his and to tremble at them Are you worse then Divels Application of the terror by admonition Therefore I pray you consider of what I say If the Lord raise not up the North winde to blow upon your spirits to encline and perswade them it
will be long enough ere you of your selves stirre one inch off your own ground If he alter not your intentions sure it is you will intend small good to your selves but please your selves in your drousie dead and senselesse way till yee goe hence and be no more Me thinks you should rouze up your selves and moan your selves to the Lord saying Am I the onely dry barren wretch of all others whom thy Spirit should never blow upon whom no mercies crosses or government of thine should ever affect I see O Lord thy steps wheresoever they goe drop fatnesse and thy fingers drop mirrh upon the handle of the doore Cant. 5.5 where thou knockest But I am still a barren desolate creature without any acquaintance with thee in thy wayes And for the second sort of such as have felt the Lord comming toward them in sundry wayes and that hee hath not left them without witnesse but by his Word his workes by death of wife or husband or by good company or losse of children estate name many privie and secret warnings of their conscience hath checked them or offered them many meanes of good and drawne their hearts thereby but they have shaken them off as a dog doth a blow on the head That sometime in such houses and places as they have dwelt in sometimes in hearing some searching Sermons or by the offer of Christian yoke-fellowes or by other occasions Such as God hath prevented beware of dallying the Lord hath solicited them earnestly to turn and repent howbeit it is with them as with Israel in the wildernesse whose carcasses were scattered therein they have tempted him seen his works but to no purpose for the Lord is vexed with them for their stubbornnesse and their hard and rebellious hearts which will not know God nor come in Oh! beware lest this patience of God which should have drawne you to repentance doe not harden your hearts to utter destruction To both sorts I say this Know it if those whom the Lord means to save he wil be alway busie about them to accommodate all things to their calling and conversion what a wofull case are they in who have all their lives long either seen no finger of his in meaning them good or else escaped his fingers most subtilly and slily as fast as he hath pursued them Doubtlesse for ought can appeare the Lord meanes them no good if they had been sheep belonging to his fold he would never have suffered them to erre and lose themselves so deeply in their lusts but hee would have recalled them But his not suffering the breath of his spirit one whit to stirre in them doubtlesse he meanes they shall nuzzle up themselves in a dead senselesse estate unto perdition Oh! what beds of ease doe you lye upon that you should take one nights rest two nights till you finde your selves out of this misery Secondly this should teach us to adore this great God and onely wise Vse 2 and that because hee hath the key not of the wombe onely and deeps Instruction Adore the wisedome and love of God in his preventing grace Jerem. 10.23 clouds and the grave but of the hearts of the sonnes of men Hee onely can order their courses wayes and intentions to their owne greatest good and his glory It is not in man to order his owne way the heart and purposes of men are their owne but the dispositions thereof are from the Lord as the issues so the preparations to life and death are in his hand It is no priviledge of a Prince over his subjects nor of a parent over his children nor of husband over wife They have authority to over-rule the bodies the outward behaviour and duties of such as are under them But for the secret over-swaying of intentions and turning them from their owne to his way it is onely the Lords prerogative It is with mans intentions as with the body of a man in a ship who walkes upon the hatches from East to West Yet the motion of the ship being contrary carries the man the way of her owne motion neverthelesse This should therefore breed in us singular reverence of God and provoke us to magnifie him both with our prayses and with our prayers With our praises first By praises As the Church in the Psalme having professed that shee had seene goings of God both towards their fathers and themselves Psal 68 24. Deut. 8. in wildernesse and Canaan that he might humble and try all in their heart subjoynes presently The men singers that goe before and the women singers after Psal 123.1 and praise the Lord. If the Lord had not been on my side shouldest thou say in disposing every way for my conversion I had never been brought home But I see that it was the finger of God that when I had run my selfe into desperate company forsaken the counsell of all friends shaped a course to my selfe perhaps to spend my patrimony riotously perhaps to haunt harlots and lewd companions or to travell beyond sea in an humour of discontent to seek my fortunes or to seek the world and implod my self in the dirt and dunghill of covetousnesse or to mâ—â—ch my selfe resolutely with one whom I fancied onely for her out-sidâ—â—ayâ—â—g Give mee her for she pleases me well then did the Lord provide better for mee then I deserved turn mine intentions quite off divert them to serious thoughts of mine estate prepare a good wife a peaceable life in marriage good friends good Ministery and turne mee from the pit I sought a good frame in a blinde corner under an Idoll the Lord tooke him away sent a better and tooke me napping in my hole and brought me home to himselfe Job 33. No good soule that hath tasted these preventions of God can bee silent Sundry passages of preventing providence one prayses God that living in a desolate prophane corner of the Country in the practice of drunkennesse and lewdnesse the Lord sent a friend by providence to the house where he dwelt who by his sober caniage and report of the fruit of the Gospel in other parts brake me off from my sinfull life bred a zeal after God good means by which I was haled out of my dungeon to live under the Ministery in Goshen where I was convinced by the light of truth and converted to God Another comes in and saith O Lord if I had rusht upon such a match lighted upon such a Ministery I had been quite lost thou plantedst me better As Psal 80. the Church blesses God for pulling her from Egypt where she grew as a lilly among thornes into a better soile So should we adore Gods preventing us accommodating and suting occasions crossing lets giving strength to the meanes and overruling purposes as no doubt the woman John 4. going to her kinsfolke and saying Come see a man who hath told me all magnified mercy which finding her in a cursed scornefull
and prophane way stopt her and changed her heart Paul to be sure did so 1 Tim. 1.17 having shewed how God found him a persecutor blasphemer and wronger of innocents yet abounded in mercy and called him home Oh! he cannot wonder enough at it tells it out to others and himselfe concludes Now to the immortall invisible olny wise God to sway all to his ends be all honour for ever yea and we should never cease to call upon ours aswell as our selves to doe it when I sent thee forth my child as Iacob to Laban the Lord did order thy journey for the best defeated thee of that thou wouldest and diverted thee to that which was farre safer and better for thee Dost thou not see how hee leaves others to themselves doth not prevent them with any softnesse and tendernesse provides not well suffers them to run wild and to tire themselves in their owne vanities Thus good Naomi perceiving that God had heard her prayers for poore Ruth a stranger Ruth 3. to rivet her into the Church and make her the mother of Davids grandfather provokes her to wonder saying who art thou my daughter And hearing her to entitle God to the worke she confirmes her to trust God for afterward Branch 2 And secondly it should stir up in us prayer for our selves and others that the good hand of our God may alway attend and overrule our intentions and waies for good Our prayers should succeed our prayses Gen. 24.12 Eliezer beleeving the Lord to be such a wise and powerfull disposer fell to prayer that when Rebecca should come out to draw water for the cattell and for himselfe the Lord would prevent her with such thoughts as might promote and succeed his enterprise So should we in our journeyes travailes attempts of weight changes of our estate going to the congregation meeting good company beseech him that his good haâ—d might appeare in all these and through all the occasions of the day for the furthering and not dismaying us in our holy course See Job 1. end Yea even for others we should earnestly beg and say Oh Lord this day my husband goeth to such a Sermon Thou knowest he lookes at nothing save his owne ends rests upon his smooth civill bottome that he is no grosse person his wordly wit ease and pleasure are the wheels to carry him on Oh Lord oft have I begd mercy for him to open his heart and change him Now prevent him Lord let thy Minister be in his bosome convince him lay some block of thine to stop him Ezek. 14.3 remoove the stumbling block of his owne iniquity send him home more humble then he went though thy spirit blow never so weakly yet let it blow and by little and little bring him home Let me be no let to him and thy worke My unquiet heart is ready to discontent my selfe and so the husbands to the wife when I see matters goe amisse and so give way to passions unkinde and unsavoury words But alas The worke is thy prevention So for others Lord when I send forth my children to the University or to service I hope all shall be well They shall meet thy good hand to prosper them they shall be brought nearer to thee in knowledge and thou wilt blesse studies tutor company to bring them to better passe But all is in thee I have hitherto been too confident they have miscarried and stumbled at base examples Lord now at last prevent them for good Gen. 43.13.14 and lay such hold upon them that they may not slip Iacob sending his sonne Benjamin to Egypt little thinking what God intended yet intreated God to blesse them and to send his Angel before them and to give them favour in the sight of the man The Lord heard him in that and added a further blessing for he so hampered them by Iosephs wise austerity and policy that their conscience began to check them for their selling him and so by degrees their sinne comming to light they could crie out God had found them all out in their basenesse Some of them incestuous as Reuben and Iuda others murtherers as Simon and Levi and the rest like them Cap. 45. but in likelihood this became the first step to their reclaiming Oh! so should we beg Lord we send them out into the wide world or wee are to goe to our long home and leave them behinde among Lions Beares and Wolves and Foxes Lord let them find favour with thy Majesty let thy good hand goe but with them All pray for wealth and prosperity for their children Psal 4.6.7 But Lord shew them thy countenance and that they are of thine Elect and therefore within thy Covenant wheresoever they become prevent them with grace let thy Ministers and people love them let all turne to their good their services their dwellings tradings marriages Ministery and let them see that none can finde out any thing after thee that thou art in all because things could not have any way framed better for them then they shall finde Stop all lets and crossings either from within their proud vain hearts or from without Satan his subtilty and the baites or snares of this world Adde so both these It should breed humiliation in our hearts It should hold us in an holy awe and reverence of God and teach us to set his Crowne upon his head when we see t is not all our counsells Ministery be it never so powerfull education thought and care which can prevent our owne hearts or the hearts of ours or others who belong to us with any goodnesse we may pray and commend them to God as Isaac and Rebecca did Iacob in that sad pilgrimage of his to Padan The Lord it must be who must succeed him Gen. 28.1.2.3 who must encourage him at Luz and set forward his journey with prospering So that this should abase us in all best attempts Salomon could not with all his wisedome foretell whether a foole or a wise man should inherit all his travailes I confesse it ought to stay us from discontent Eccle. 2.19 if God have not heard us for our children but suffered them to run riot if we have as Iob jealously offered sacrifice for them and commended them to the good hand of God but all this will not exempt us from greefe when we see them scapethrifts and unhappy ones when we doe not commend them to the word of his grace we may thanke our selves if they thrive not yet in our best and most solicitous desires wee must not rest satisfied in our endeavours but still humbly tremble under the power of that God whose prerogative it is to prevent them with mercy to accommodate all occasions to stop all obstacles and to succeed all helpes for their good Oh! the woefull ruine of thousands who have bin children of the choysest prayers teares cost and care should teach us to lie low before the Lord in this case
integritie of course To whom I answer Doe yee thus require the Lord O yee unthankfull people scarce worth the name of people Did the Lord give yee brasse out of the stones and silver out of his hidden treasures mercie when yee looked for none that yee should still distrust his promise If when yee were strangers yet he so prevented yee to make yee children shall hee forsake yee being now in covenant Did he kill the old Serpent and Leviathan and shall hee suffer her spawne to destroy yee Did he remove the guilt of sin from destroying you and shall he leave the venome of it to bee a goad in your side and a pricke in your eyes to make your life desolate No not except yee forsake the promise looking that God shoulâ— drop mercie still out of clouds and prevent you as at first without any beleeving of yours No hee now puts ye to it to work out your own salvation with fear having his pretious promises 2 Cor. 7.1.2 labour to perfect your sanctification To take his Sword Helmet and Breast-plate and fight the holy warre of God against your selves Judg. 3.2 and all enemies and not to looke that the Egyptians should still be drowned while you looke on While yee were children yee did as such but being men the Lord looks his stocke should grow and bee put to occupying and that yee should be setled and rooted therein As for outward blessings Esay 25. hath God made you a feast in the mountaines and will he deny yee it in the valleyes Luk. 12.23.24 Will he so cloath the Lillies that labour not nor spin and shall hee leave you to shift for your selves who next to the kingdome serve his providence for a meet portion here Matth. 6.32 shall hee not cast in these things without sin or sorrow Did hee prevent your soules from perdition and shall hee not prevent want from your bodies Doth he so cloath the hearb and flowers of the field which to morrow are cast into the Oven and shall he not doath feed and provide for you in this world 2 Pet. 1. for whom hee hath provided a crowne hereafter as Peter saith immortall and not fading To conclude if hee have over-ruled your intentions for his owne glory and your owne salvation should yee feare lest any Divell or instrument of his should come between you and home Say thou livest in dark times in places where the wicked beare sway Esay 63. what then As the Church Esay 63. cries Thou wert mercifull to us of old Lord what are all thy bowels and rollings restrained Oh! deliver us still Thou canst over-sway their intentions by the same prevention and turne them to the contrarie aime Their policies and devices against thee and thine shall not preuaile thou canst scatter them thou canst avert convert or pervert them at thy pleasure 1 Sam. 23.27 2 Sam. 17.7 Gem. 31.29 Acts 9.9 Avert them as Saul from David pervert as Achitophels against David convert as Paul from a persecutor They shall say as Laban to Iacob It was in my power to do you hurt but the God of your Fathers appeared unto me yester night and prevented me Acts 12.3 Herod Acts 12. intended to bring out Peter to be slaine after Iames but the Lord had another purpose which overthrew his as cob-webs swept downe with a besome In a word if God once declared his prevention of mercie toward us Oh! let us not presume yet let us honour him thus far by our experience that still the same God will be at worke for us in our particular course to turn all to better then wee could look for Ruth 2. 3. as to poore Ruth when she went out to gleane barley the Lord found her out rest all her dayes Oh! if once he have delighted in us he still will rejoyce to make us objects of like mercie so that all shall see us to be his favourites and long for our portion And for this point Sermon an Verse thus much Let us pray c. THE THIRD LECTVRE Vpon the tenth verse VERSE X. And Elisha sent a Messenger unto him saying Go wash seven times in Iordan and thy flesh shall come againe to thee and thou shalt be cleane VERS 10. But Naaman was wroth c. THIS poore Pilgrime and patient Naaman as yee have heard beloved hath stood some time at the Prophets doore denying himselfe and his esteeme Entry upon the substance of the miracle honour and favour with his Prince he and his train submitting themselves and standing at the courtesie of God and his Prophet for his cure And although we heare of no words or suit comming from him yet his very habit and standing in the deep silence of it speaketh and calleth aloud for the Prophets helpe And indeed it had been hard-hearted and unmercifull for Elisha having himself sent for him to his house when he was wildred seeing how humble his suppliant is to have let him to stand as a dumb pageant without salutation Courtesie and morals could not have denied him that favour and much more that Spirit wherewith the Prophet was filled a spirit of mildnesse mercie exorablenesse and easinesse to be intreated of a petitioner so miserable and comming so farre for helpe must needs hearken to his request This verse therefore shewes us what message Elisha sends him to the doore And now at this third Sermon weare passed the Antecedent occasions leading us to the Contents of the Cure and are come to the chiefe substance of the story Whereof to make a full Analyse all at once because it would clog the hearers memory therefore we thinke it here superfluous onely wee will severall the story into her branches opening the first of them here in our entrance upon it but for the rest we will referre them to the threshold of their particular handlings that every thing may be more lively and better remembred The whole story then hath these five distinct parts The first Elisha his message sent to Naaman standing at his gate and full of expectation and that in this tenth verse The second is Naamans entertainment and construction of it The generall heads of the story five and how it tooke with him and that in the eleventh and twelfth verses The third generall is the Rejoynder of his poore servants upon their masters misconstruction of the message and that containes their loyall and serious treatie and counsell of wiser interpretation and for better carriage that in the 13. verse The fourth is the issue and happinesse of all the sweet conclusion of a sad entrance and that is that upon the overture and intimation of his servants or rather of grace he changes his former resolution to be gone into an obedient submission to wash in Jordan The fifth and last the issue of his obedience partly immediate that hee found the Prophet true hee was instantly cleansed his flesh returning as a young childes
for that which is cursed for ever not onely through the want of Christ but through her enmity to Christ 4. See the ugly hue of this sin Fourthly They shall see the ugly shape of that creature which they have made an Idoll and committed spirituall Sodomy with it as degenerate a villany as to commit filthinesse with a beast They shall see what a dampe it brings the soule into when it places her happinesse in the earth and the hidden treasures of it how it makes the word and ordinances most fulsome and unsavory 5. All the savor of a creature rests upon mercy 5. That all sweetnesse which any creature can afford must come from Christ dropping fatnesse into it by his footprints in it what savor then can it afford when it opposes Christs sufficiency by her own vanity and so robs him of his what savor can the soul suck from a creature which is a dead carrion what is all the comfort of a creature to a dead soule not only destitute of the life of Christ but stabbing Christ to the heart rejecting his life yea 8. It will worke the soul to a revenge of it selfe chusing to cut off the creature from it self then it would not be cut off from it By these the like convincements the Lord will cast down the fort of self in the creature stripping it naked of all her false sufficiency shewing her she is but a gull not able to afford that which she crakes of that shee hath nothing but bare walles to boast of that so this strong hold being razed and made levell with the earth poverty of spirit may enter into the soul and Christ and his sufficiency which onely belongs to them who are brought to nought in themselves may come into it 2 Cor. 10.4 Therefore let all such as have felt this disease in themselves cease to marvell why their hearts have beene so empty of Christ Conclusion of the point and beene left to such a wofull staggering of heart in point of comfort For they have forsaken the fountaine and digged broken pits to themselves which will hold no water Let them renounce them for hereafter and say Ashur shall not save us wee will not ride upon horses upon these vaine creatures for with thee the fatherlesse shall finde mercy make them no prop of support either by greedy seeking Jer. 2.13 Hos 13.2 sensuall keeping or loathnesse in forgoing And Lord I finde my selfe as destitute and forlorne a wretch in point of grace notwithstanding all my deep portion in the creature as if I were the veriest begger in the Country I see all true sufficiency to be in thee and that thine exceedes mine both for kinde roote quality and degree of content as much as a carnall a fading blasted and vanishing yea a vexing one is inferior to a spirituall immortall incorruptible and satisfying sweetnesse wherefore I count my selfe the same man whether I want or have abhorring my selfe in dust and ashes I renounce mine own and rest at thy dispose for the creature to have more or lesse of it and cleave to thine And so much also shall serve for this fourth branch The last kinde of grosse selfe is Selfe-religion or Religious selfe The fifth Branch Selfe-religion And this is the invention of Satan Christs deadly foe that whereas all will not be prophane nor naturalists nor epicures but will be religious lo he hath a baite for every fish What it is and can insinuate himselfe aswell into Religion it selfe as into lusts and pleasures and so provide that in all the duties and priviledges which professors of Christ boast of yet there shall bee a cord upon their heele which shall pull them backe from all power and savor of Christ aswell as if they had never been towards any Christ at all And so the nearer Christ they seeme to goe the more dangerous shall their selfe-delusion prove and the more confident their sufficiency of devotion makes them the more wofull shall their defeat at last bee and all for want of soundnesse and sincerity And in this point I would insist in three things Priviledges Duties The branches of Religious selfe three and degrees of Religion All these strengthen Selfe-religion in hypocrites and time-servers and shroud them under a false covert and protection of that which is farre from them for the first it was alway is and will be 1. Privledges the boast of Jewes Papists and common Protestants They were the children of the free not the bond-woman Abrahams seed such as whose all the promises were to whom the Ordinances and Oracles of God belonged others were dogs and swine and accursed to them they cried the Temple the Temple they were of all other nations the chosen generation Matth. 3.9 the peculiar people all others rejected save themselves The Lord must want worshippers if he cast them off and by this meanes they were so puffed up in themselves that when Christ came in person to offer himselfe for salvation they abhorred and slew him and cast him out of the vineyard that fulnesse and sufficiency they felt in their priviledges Privledges of Religion great enmity to many in keeping them from Christ caused them to live in a practice of horrible treachery and impiety against God and desperate contempt of the Lord Jesus as it were under a banner of defiance Just the like is the practice of Papists who under colour of the Church the Church the succession of Bishops the ancientnesse of their Religion the glory of their outside of worship pompe and bravery of rites and ceremonies their prosperity and worldly happinesse their large and generall extent in government their superstitious devotions and what not which flesh can desire make themselves beleeve that they are the onely Christians and all other are upstarts and counterfeits So doe our common Protestants and hypocrites they boast of their baptisme their part in the communion of Saints their right to their word and ordinances they are no hangbyes no Gibeonites no recusants no prophane ones no morallists nor epicures but constant worshippers of God frequenters of the sacraments and partakers of all the priviledges of the Church When Constantine restored the Church to her priviledges she began to degenerate And this puffes them up the divell blinding them that they should bee bewitcht with his charme and looke no further then a bare priviledge comparing themselves with such as still walke in a loose and prophane course and in respect of such deeming themselves very religious But what is the effect hereof surely this that under pretence of their great priviledges they are full of themselves so that the pith and marrow of them for all tend unto and end in Christ or else are empty shells faith I mean and Christ in his sufficiency to forgive save and sanctifie them is a meere stranger unto them The Church was purest when her priviledges were fewest The
portion never to be taken from her To apply the answer the cause of such staggering is self-love That which you feele to agree with your selves and to come easily pleaseth you too well and causeth you to dwell upon it too long and to withhold you from better things The remedy of your disease must bee to ascribe no more to your selves but to the glory of grace to abase selfe and to exalt mercy to renounce all selfe-reflex from duties and endeavors of your owne because they cannot shed any meritorious bloud to save you and to claspe to that promise which is established upon a satisfaction to justice which though it be out of your selves yet is after a sort made your owne by him that promiseth because faith is his gift and he hath covenanted to give it you for that end and purpose What skils it how little grace you feele within when as he who offereth you mercy onely seeke such as want it that he may have the glory Or what shall it boote you to thinke you have lesse sinne then others when as he who calls you to forgivenesse cares not how great it be so it hinder not your beleeving in him Read this wisely who seekes the superabounding of grace where sinne hath abounded Accept then such grace offered as those in whom nothing dwelleth toward any grace Grace best accepted by such as of themselves are emptiest of it and as if yee had stept no one step toward it more then the vilest publican and sinner have done Be content to gird your selves and serve grace and let not grace attend you as if you had wrong if it be not laid in your laps but come under the banner and authority of it the ends and honour of it It is something that grace runnes in your streame but your staggerings shall never cease till your streame be dried up and turned to runne meerly in Gods streame to be carried both whither how soone how and how farre it shall please him Use all meanes walke so in the way as making use of all incouragements but still looke forward to the price of the high calling of God boast not your selves as if you had put off your harnesse But rather thinke thus if it be so joyfull a message to heare of a pardon how much better were it to sue it out and apply it to my selfe and how wofully should it sting me if any things should come betweene cup and lip to defeat me of it Remember that all preparations of grace serve onely to testifie to the soule that the Lord hath beene at worke not that it should rest in a taste of absent but presse on with unweariednesse to obtaine the fulnesse of a present and enjoyed happinesse and betrust it selfe wholly to his workemanship who would never have begunne if it had not beene in his power and will to finish Stand therefore at his curtesie wholly as disabled in thy selfe to cooperate with him much lesse to have him at the bent of thy bow binde Selfe to the altar with cordes and turne thy active medling spirit into a meere passive and waiting spirit upon the worke of God not as a slave nor as a loyterer but as a self-denyer and one whose strength is to sit still and behold the salvation of God Oh beloved that I could so follow this councell of mine with effectuall prayer to the Lord that through mercy it might become a mean to put to an happy end those endlesse innumerable complaints of staggering consciences to settle them in some tolerable measure with comfort and quietnesse And so much may also serve for this third and last Branch of instruction Vse 4 The fourth use of this point may be examination of your selves concerning this secret sinne of Selfe Examination I say not the being of it for hee that would be rid of it must goe out of the world but the raigning and defiling and deceiving power of it to keepe the soule from Christ I need not be large in this I have prevented my selfe already in all which I have said before to describe this theefe by his markes But what shall it profit you brethren to say they are laid down in the opening of the doctrine if ye let them lie there apply none of them to your selves to find out your owne let What shall it availe that I have told you what grosse Selfe is and what this secret and wyredrawne Selfe is To have shewed you many instances of it The steppes and degrees of it The carriage of it both in the ground the proceeding and the scope of it The reasons of it both from the cursed nature of Selfe the curse of God and Satans advantage What good will it doe you to heare the danger of it described by the naturalnesse subtilty closenesse violence of it If none of all these will stirre ye up to cry out and aske Am I the man O Lord or with Rebecca feeling her twins to stirre within her to goe to God for counsell Alas brethren To this end all serves else all is as water running over in a full vessell some of yee perhaps will say there is so much said of this that it fills your head so that ye know not where to beginne I answer If it be so much it may make some amends for the little or nothing which most men will speake of it and oh that it might occasion others to speake more But to answer you I say take any one of these and trie your selves by it especially cull out such instances and markes as you thinke sort best with your condition let not plenty make you barren Who knoweth what is in the spirit of man save the Lord and it selfe Or rather the Lord searching the heart by his owne Spirit Jerem. 17. and teaching it to dive into the depth and secrets of sinne Selfe requireth good and deepe searchâ—ng Who can judge whether it be grosse Selfe or privy and subtill Selfe which pesters the soule and disables the promise Who knowes whether ease or pride feare or presumption conceit or error and ignorance hinder most Try therefore thy selfe knowest thou not that Selfe must stoope if Christ enter doe not thinke that because here thou maiest finde some markes of this else therefore by and by thou hast snatcht him no no thousands who know their diseases carry them under their privy garments as running sores till they destroy them especially remember if Selfe bee so deepe an evill so naturall a twinne eating laughing and living in thy bosome with such familiarity and bewitching what save the infinite wisedome and power of God can worke the discovery or resolvednesse of heart to cast it out Therefore not to urge any thing already urged in speciall I doe onely in generall urge thee to make use of what hath beene said already of this mischiefe Goe aside hide thy selfe in thy chamber Esay 26. powre out thine heart to
so the people let them bee exhorted also to exalt free grace and meere Christ in the promise not muttering that they find not that fruit of their selfe-deniall that they expect but counting it their chiefe work to wait at the posts of grace not as foolish pilgrimes doe at the gate of the Popes entrance knocking with a golden hammer till he bring them his Jubilee blessing but with patience attending the promise till the Lord shall stirre the dead poole of their hearts and quicken them with hope confessing that it is mercy they may live and breathe in Gods aire much more by the aire of a promise although not yet so established in their hearts as they could desire yet sufficient to keep them from grudging to make them lay their hand upon their mouth and to bee dumb Malac. 3. till the Lord bring healing in his wings and put an end to their waiting But as for esteeming themselves for their common gifts of knowledge or zeale to be ever the neerer to God for which thousands are in hell abhorring it and chusing to be the poorest doore-keeper in Gods house then the highest Pharisees in the Church who need no righteousnesse of another because they boast of their owne Therfore in all matters of God deny thy self cleave to God God is the first cause and therefore the true end of our being actions service All Rivers runne into the Sea For us to make our selves our owne ends were to make our selves God independent and to make God an Idoll To deny our selves is to distinguish our selves from the ungodly who make themselves and the creature their happinesse Wee looke to better our selves by our selfe-love but indeed we destroy our selves Selfe is our disease selfe-deniall is our cure Whether is it better for us to yeeld to but we infinitely better our selves by denying our selves even an hundred fold as Christ tells us Object But who ever hated his owne flesh Doth not God himselfe perswade us by selfe-loving arguments As by profit pleasure peace I answer yes Selfe is a plant of Gods planting in our nature But it is one thing to destroy an horses good mettall another to rectifie and subdue it so it is one thing to destroy Selfe and affections with Stoicks another to regulate and direct them Love thy selfe and spare not so the Lord by his word may order thee in it and take off thine exorbitant Selfe as in the love of thy wife seeking of learning wealth honour favour c. For the better perswading of thee hereto take some motives and some meanes First for motives Till Selfe be denied thou dost in vaine enterprise to be religious thou opposest a desire of thine owne against an whole body of death for Selfe is overspread in all the lims and faculties of thy body and soule as the forme is over the matter and the Call over the inwards Thou wilt be tried with selfe resistance except the principle be first removed Flesh will so dog thee with her askings that thou wilt be weary with refusings Till the soule be thus prepared there can be nothing done The first husband must be dead ere thou canst marry a new at least in the rectified intention and preparation of thy soule The flesh of the Virgin had beene a clogge to the second person except first separated and purified by the holy Ghost Else Demas might have clave to Paul as well as Silas the ten spies to God as well as Caleb and Iosue But they were of two spirits No agreement betweene two crosse principles Secondly God will never stoope to thee his will is not to be bowed to thine nor ever will while the world standeth For his will is the rule thine the string out of tune What should order a crooked thing but a streight Neither can they both stand together take whether you will both you cannot have you cannot have your will and swinge in your contents of world lust and liberties and Christ too no man can serve two Masters nor drive two such trades at once as a Fullers and a Colliers the one sullyes as fast as the other whitens nay of the two there is more to be made of following Selfe alone without Christ then Selfe and Christ by the former a man may at least get himselfe a worldly happinesse though he lose heaven after But by the latter a man makes him wretched and distracted so that he can neither enjoy the one nor the other Skin for skin and all that a man hath he will give for his life The heart of a Christian is single in respect of his object onely God and his favour no mixtures with it Either deny nature in her inordinatenesse or else give God over for both cannot consent in one degree of eminency who cares for a wavering minded man either to make him our chapman or friend or husband For still hee seekes not us but himselfe Let no sweet morsell be kept in our palate to cause God to be out of rellish with us Better key-cold then lukewarme Thirdly it is equall that Christ and God be chiefe because they have bought us with a price to bee theirs Wee should doe him great wrong who hath bought a Captive if hee should doe his owne worke God hath not onely bought our service but our selves Except then wee never made such a bargaine with God wee must bee for him who hath so dearly bought us To be sure God will bee revenged of us as well for not making that bargaine as for not keeping it 2 Pet. 2. Some hypocrites are said to deny Christ who bought them A servant is his Masters mony Fourthly The soule feeles a heaven in selfe-deniall What inward content thinke we had Abraham when he had denied Isaacs life And Moses and Paul when they could preferre God and his Church before their salvation to suffer afflictions with Israel rather then to be a Prince in Pharaohs Court Contrariewise what an hell carrieth that man in his soule who for base ends denies God and conscience Let but a man deny one base lust of revenge wrath and what an heavenly heart doth he carry with him to prayer Fifthly Think what an emptinesse there is in thy self thine own aimes and bents of heart and in those creatures and objects which thou judgest so sweet Wells wanting water and cloulds without raine As one saith of the Pagan Gods why did men chuse so many save that each one was emptinesse When the eie of Selfe falls downe from one cleere Sunne it thinkes it sees three or foure but they are all but fancies The fullest creature is but a brittle glasse full of water give it but as a cracke and it is gone If we were convinced hereof who would seeke vanity Who would deceive himselfe in eating ashes Esay 44. and hold a lie in his right hand It is meere inconsideratenesse and want of weighing things as hee saith there of the Idolater Sixtly Either be armed strongly
all those objections and cavills whereby Selfe labours to rivet her selfe in the soule shee passes sentence against Selfe 5. Marke It answers all objections of Selfe and when Selfe hath spent her selfe in all she can say to hold the soule in her chaines yet the Spirit of Grace is stronger for Grace then Selfe for corruption Notwithstanding all her ease loathnesse to part advantage to the flesh difficulty of beleeving pretences and colours yet so it is Grace will beare the sway and perswades the soule to cast her out She is as those men of Juda whose words were stronger for David 2 Sam. 19 43. then the words of the men of Israel So that let Selfe dispute what she can against mercy yet mercy is that which at last the poore soule must betake her selfe to sooner or later and better at first while the heart is tender and willing to take paines then at last when she is sapped and soked in Selfe Grace is the thing she aimes at and although she have had many turnagaines and discouragements yet till she rests there and sets downe her stafe upon the promise shee shall have no rest or peace in her spirit and therefore bearing downe all difficulties cavills and pulbacks she resolves upon Grace and the freedome of mercy This cannot an hypocrite reach unto for either he is resolved to be as he is or else proceeds on in a continuall staggering If the former then he is hardened and will be as he is if he be in an error he will live and dye in it he will not change his estate for any mans hee desires to be in no better case then he is If the latter then he is alway devising of one shift or other to delude his owne conscience when it checks him for unsoundnesse making it his trade to daube it with untempered morter Contrary to both the Spirit of Grace causes the soule to bee informed of her owne danger to be content to heare of the hardest to amend any errors which have misled her though with much paine searing or lancing medicines or plasters she is willing to undergoe any hardship for a cure and will refuse nothing so she may be rid of an unsafe condition and although shee knows this divell will not out without foming and raging and much opposition yet she doth as the husbandman doth Eccles 11 4. who knowes if hee should observe winde and raine he should neither sow nor reape So the Spirit of Grace waites not while the coast bee cleare and all objections of Self be answered for she holds her own and will not be answered but breakes through the hoast of all cavills to come to the bare promise and when she cannot untie each knot by picking it shee takes her sword and cuts them in two at once that the soule may be at liberty Zachar. 5.11 And as the Prophet speakes of carrying the Ephah into the land of Shinar so doth the Spirit of Grace carry this resistance of Selfe farre away from the soule whence it may never returne any more to pester her in the maine point of resolving to cast her selfe nakedly upon Grace and Christ Sixtly Grace opposes Selfe by setting Selfe against Selfe 6. Marke It sets Selfe against Selfe and thereby wearing her in her owne way that shee may forsake it and take a better Hence it comes to passe that when the soule hath long traded with her owne affections devotions and duties satisfying her selfe with the warmth of her owne feathers the Lord sets another Selfe against them that is suffers some morall distempers to rise up in them as peevishnesse wandring after fond frothy vanities an inconstancy of spirit to unsettle them contenting themselves with the creature any shred of it eating and drinking padling in the world or about carnall objects which formerly they despised and why these Surely that they might be gastered by the worse from the better and being beaten from Self in both kindes might resolve to fasten upon that which might bottome them upon Christ I have observed it in sundry even of tender and good affections that through feare and weaknesse could not bee perswaded to cast themselves upon the onely free and unchangeable truth of the promise there to settle and to rest in Christs bosome without strugglings or distempers of their owne base distrust therefore the Lord hath suffered them to be exceedingly disguised and burdensome to themselves by the contrary qualities of sloth ease wearisomenesse deadnesse formality wrath and other baser evills Their former love of the word hath turned to indifferency whether they heare or no their painfull hearings meditatings with some life and savor praying with devout hearts and fervency with like care and jealousie in their other course hath wanzed and waxed wearisome and those evills which I named have come in their roome and when they have felt these pricks in their flesh to buffet them Oh! how sad and unsettled have they beene As a bone out of joint fit for nothing Yea how sullen with God quarrelling as if they never had any good wrought in them and sometimes ready to give over all in a tech and mood Why I pray you doth the Lord leave such painfull soules to such disguisements Hath hee delight to crosse them to breake the brused reed or to quench the smoking flax No doubtlesse Try your selves good brethren whether or no this hath beene your condition And if it have know that the Lord is just to deale thus with you although ye have not perhaps provoked him by an ill conscience by running to evill or wilfull rejecting of the meanes even because you still rest upon your owne bottomes and ascribe to your duties and affections he would pull ye off from these and draw you to set your soules upon better objects I know what objection you will make by and by That you have also as much as in you hath lyen strove against all resting in any affections of your owne Object laboured to deny your selves and to settle upon the promise Answ But I demand why then have you not obtained a bottome to rest upon You will secretly mutter and say the Lord hath not beene pleased to let out any saving and effectuall goodnesse out of his promise to prevent you in your endeavours and to sweeten you with the comfort of his Grace that so your labours might not be in vaine Doth hee not let out such sweetnesse as yee would Where then is the fault Could you lay the fault upon God Or thinke you that the error lies within your owne bosome What way hath God I pray you save the way of his promise inseperably attended by his Spirit to let in and convey himselfe into the soules of his poore servants Surely if you have closed with his promise for the assistance of the Spirit to convey his good things upon your soules then may and ought you to waite his leasure for the answering of your
doubtfull hearts and the Lord will not bee wanting to give you now and then such handsells of mercy as are meete to stay you and to assure you of better measures afterward But say the truth is there not within you a secret loathnesse to give up your owne bottome hopes and hold to the meere freedome of eternall mercy Or have you not kept a false measure within you that is to mixe your selves with mercy being loath to deny your selves your feelings zeale labours and devotions Have you cast these out and come under the power and authority of the Word I feare there is such a pad in the straw If there be not it is some sin against conscience which hath wasted you which must be abhorred but if it be as I have said alas poor soules then wonder not that God hath crossed you for it is for good even to fasten you to himselfe and above all meanes to acquaint you with his owne power who in the midst of these distempers of yours can forgive you can imbrace you with mercy and finde in his heart to love you even then when perhaps you could bite your tongues because you are so bad and this if you can beleeve it will carry meate in the mouth when all your own mixtures must vanish Try your selves by this marke whether the Spirit of Grace have so wildred you in the best and most pleasing waies of your own Esay 26. till he have driven you into your chambers to hide your selves there under the secret of the Almighty under that free infinite full covert of the promise till the evill be overpast Tell me brethren when you can feed and revive your spirits at this feast and warme your selves at this fire is it not high holy-day with you Finde you not a difference betweene this and your owne sparkes Bee content then resigne up your soules to this worke and say the Lord hath done you no wrong to weane you from your owne breasts that you might suck at his promises Seventhly and lastly the Spirit of Grace opposeth Selfe in all her errors and subtilties For the former Selfe is a great blinder of the eyes and causes the soule to sleep in a whole skin she doth so baffle her selfe with her owne shewes and forwardnesse that shee doubts not but her estate is good She saith with Iehu 2 Kings 9. Come and see the zeale which I have for the Lord of Hosts But the Spirit of Grace is a Spirit of discerning between errour and truth it seperates between the pretious and the vile gives clearnesse to the eyes of the simple Psal 19. causing them to judge according to the grounds of the word which cannot deceive to distrust her owne conjecturall and slight bottomes Truth is able to approve both her selfe and her contrary whereas error can comprehend neither truth nor her owne vanity And secondly she discovers those subtilties of Selfe It were endlesse to mention them by a few judge of the rest Sometime she is so slye that when her affections and duties forsake her she can recover her selfe by her whinings complaints and mutterings against her selfe as if she mourned because she attaines no better fruit of her labours Sometimes she will pretend that she desires grace really and is willing to be searched and that shee knowes not that evill which she would not gladly be rid of that she might attaine it But yet she deceives herselfe with dead wishes and will not ensue those meanes closely which tend thereto nor profit by the experience of her owne basenesse but her experience leaves her dead in the nest as it found her and she will not endure the triall nor set one foot forward to remove the stumbling-blocke of her iniquity from before her Ezek. 14. and her Idols from between her brest Therein she is as she was Againe a third subtilty is that she will spare her owne lazy skin and cut her selfe off from those more convincing ordinances and more pertinent and seasonable meanes for her owne good by putting herselfe upon such as are lawfull and good in their kinde as to avoid close attendance to reading of the word by singing of a Psalme also prayer by reading a Chapter instead of secret and private prayer she will chuse to pray with others or in family or upon a booke instead of extraordinary duties shee will content herselfe with her ordinary houres and all to shew that shee is glad to put off the Lord and save herselfe harmelesse with as small a pittance and as poore measures of spirit and courage as may be And commonly when Selfe pitches upon her course this is her property she is loose with God in the best meanes Againe she will so contrive her matters that for the shifting of some close duty of worship as meditation searching her corruptions repenting after falls or renewing covenant she will alway finde some occurrent or other duty of calling conversing with others needlesly or by some worke of mercy and duty of the second Table or any other fained pretence to rid herselfe of that which would stick to her spirit and discover her loose grounds Sometime which I would have marked when she is so hunted that she cannot shelter herselfe and is pressed to leave all for a promise she will turne presumptuous and professe that she hath cast herselfe upon that also and thereby hath put an end to all her former distempers purposing to cast about and fling out no more but settle herselfe upon the truth of God But alas this her fained cleaving to the word is nothing else save a dead relyance perhaps shee quashes her former feares and doubts But how Surely by a lazy and slothfull pretence of beleeving that she might be free from any callings upon reproofes or paines taking and delude her selfe with ease for why Come to the triall of her confidence alas it is without savor peace contentation or joy of heart saplesse barren and ventrous dissembling a selfe-deniall and calmnesse of heart but indeed a lethargy of the spirit willing to deceive herselfe No true desire to honour God in the fruit of a sound course or to purge out old distempers can appeare I say all the subtill and sly tricks of selfe-delusion the Spirit of Grace pierceth into and purgeth the soule of for looke what I have said of a few might be said of all the rest Although I deny not but many a poor soule hath some secret shreds of Selfe lying hid and unknowne yet I say the nature of the Spirit is to discover them if the soule be not wanting thereto And this be said touching the former generall head of the Spirits opposing Selfe Second generall How the Spirit of grace that it serves wholly for Grace In three things 1. In discovering the mystery of it Now for the second generall a second marke of the Spirit of Grace is That it serves wholly for Grace And that both in the
discovery of Grace in the effects of that discovery and the end of it For the first of these The Spirit of Grace is all for Grace in the discovery of the mystery of it the amplenesse largenesse height depth and length of it to the poore soule that it may appeare in all the excellency and fulnesse freedome bounty unchangeablenesse and wel be teamingnesse thereof that no corner of it may lie hidden from the heart of a sinner so farre as may further him in the bottoming of the soule in mercy This is a singular and peculiar act of the Spirit tending to this end that the soule may not stagger about the sufficiency of Grace which God offers unto her but may behold the power of the Priesthood of Christ once offering up himselfe as a compleat and spotlesse sacrifice and satisfaction for the sins of the elect needing no more to be offered able to procure from the Father endlesse wel pleasednesse and acceptance also a free offer of reconciliation and to create in the soule alone and of it selfe without any antecedent free will liking and cooperating of Selfe a most sufficient clearing of conscience from guilt and feare yesterday Heb. 10.3 Heb. 13.8 to day and for ever This cannot sinke into the heart of an hypocrite he cannot bee perswaded that there is enough in the Lord Jesus alone to discharge him in the Court of heaven the offer and promise are empty notions with him to sway all his strength upon neither dare hee rest thereupon with peace without a further addition of his owne feelings But the Spirit of Grace grounds the poore soule in this as the maine worke of all that so all the building may subsist thereon and makes sure retreat and refuge for her in the midst of her distresse that her foundation may not be shaken I wish that the method of that Epistle to the Hebrewes especially in the 7.8.9.10 Chap. might well be observed to the understanding of this act of the Spirit Secondly the Spirit of Grace doth not onely offer such a light to the soule but lets it in by her owne working into her setting the soule on worke to concurre with his revealing light and shewing it both that the Lord will conferre no lesse then all this Sufficiency upon a needing soule and therefore shee may without presumption take and partake them from his hand It sheweth her that it is the endlesse matchlesse Grace of God that he can find in his heart to pardon her yea to cast love upon her not only when she seems zealous and affectionate for Self can make her beleeve that but even when she is basest in her owne eies and under the conscience of her guilt when she is in her bloud when her originall loathsomenesse her actuall wickednes of thoughts of words of wrath hypocrisie and the like doe lye as a burthen upon her yet then even then marke what I say he hath love in a corner of his heart for such an one such as he will have herselfe confesse to be causlesse on her part yea such as if he had no more aime at being knowne to be loving then to love for any amiable thing in the object he would never shew to any Nay more lest the Spirit of Grace should leave any thing behinde him he doth offer to create the gift of faith in the soule Esay 5â— 19 to claspe upon this gift of mercy and includes this gift in the offer as knowing that it were in vaine to offer the one without working the other And hereby he causeth the soule to lay hold upon his strength and ablity to save as having received a ransome sufficient which is no other saving the writing of his covenant in the fleshy tables of her heart Esay 27 4.5 prepared by himselfe for the nonce And moreover that all this hee hath done of his owne free will and motion without any former principle acting him to intend it or concurring with him to create it I say he hath done it of himselfe as judging it meet for himselfe to doe whatsoever we bee and for the glory of his Name No entreaty of men or Angels no difficult tearmes of perswasion caused it but it flowed naturally from him as most honourable to his Majestie to doe Fifthly the Spirit of Grace stayes not here but proceedes to accommodate the soule to embrace this power of God for to what end should the Lord be willing to do it in her for her except she also felt sutable inclinations wrought in her soul towards it And therefore he moves her sadly to digest this grace offered to count it no light nor strange thing no nor yet beyond the soules apprehension but as on the one side hee causeth it to be most weighty pretious and to be highly valued so on the other side he makes it familiar sweet clear and evident not a thing above the clouds nor under the earth farre fetcht but neere the soule put into her bosome Rom. 10. belonging to her not to bee rejected or thrust away from her except she will perish These together with the infinite benefite of receiving it and the endlesse losse in forgoing it as being the onely remedy doe marvellously stablish the thoughts upon it and ravish the affections with it so that layes a most sad charge upon the poore soule upon paine of forfeiting her peace for ever not to passe it by slightly deadly and formally but to view and meditate of it savourly deep y unwâ—ariedly with admiration till by this mirrour of beholding the Lord with open face she be transformed to the gloriousnes of this gracâ— and carried 2 Cor. 3. end yea left in the streame thereof by the Spirit of the Lord. This for the first of the three particulars The second is the effect of this presenting worke of the Spirit And that is union The second worke the effect hereof viz. Union Whereby the Spirit of Grace shewes the soule into what a condition she is translated by faith in the promise That is she is made one with the Lord Jesus thereby and really partaker of all his good things true peace contentment in blessings crosses all conditions freedome from all former garboiles feares enemies joy in God and his salvation never to be divorced from him any more This causes the soule to shake off that wearisomenesse of Selfe never settled that bottomelessenesse never grounded that inconstancy and vanity never at rest and why Because it had no reall good to fasten upon and to determine those restlesse desires of hearts But now the Lord Jesus himselfe both in his present grace and hope of glory to come runues in her streame or rather turnes hers into his so that looke what Selfe was to her before emptily and barrenly now Christ is in her stead Christ is the Selfe of the soule he is all in all to her acts her comforts her staies her quickens her guides upholds
her in all straits and troubles As Selfe was a body of death in her before easily besetting her so is Christ now a very reall being of Truth and Grace a very life of being and welfare unto her Now the soule is willing to shake off Selfe because she hath a better thing in possession which frees her from the old yrkesomenesse vanity bondage and unsubsistence which before she was disquieted with Oh! it is a wonderfull priviledge to a poore soule that whereas before it was tedious to her to muse of the promise to deny her owne hopes flashes and pangs to cleave to the bottome of another out of herselfe now all these are become sweet unto her because Christ is now instead of Selfe unto her even all in all Before it was a violent worke to apply the soule to meditation for she was out of the element of Grace but now she counts it familiar worke because the presence of Christ hath made it so a mercy more worth then all the world beside when shee considers duly of it Before shee was haled as a Beare to the stake to the word to the sacraments to other ordinances duties now she hath fellowship with them as her owne even as she is Christs before she knew not what to make of herselfe her affections her desires but now shee is able to discerne what God hath done for her and her affections mournings and duties stand not up in the roome of Christ but flow from him safely and returne to him as the waters to the sea whence they came Oh! what oddes is there betweene the dead life of Selfe moving the soule heavily as Pharaohs charet wanting their wheeles and the living life of Christ alway affording some warmth vigor breath and motion to the soule and assuring her that is not from herselfe but from a principle without which will not faile her Oh! this second Adams quickning spirit is as far above that dead principle of Selfe as a living creature is above an Image Thirdly the Spirit of Grace drawes the soule to the end of Grace The third is the end to behold the purpose of God in declaring the riches of that mercy by which he saved a sinner that he might purchase more glory to himselfe then good to the soule Of this I spake before by another occasion only note this that the Spirit carries Selfe out of the soule hereby For when the soule is ravished with the view of those excellencies of God manifested by redemption she loseth herselfe as in a streame as being ashamed to thinke that she should so basely struggle for that by her own strength which onely the Spirit of the promise can conduct her unto for the ends of the promise serving to make the Lord admirable in his Saints Oh! how is the soul ashamed yea confounded for her own folly that she should goe about the fadoming of so bottomelesse depth with her owne bucket I conclude these three branches with renewing my exhortation Try your selves by these whether the Spirit of Grace bee in you or no for if it be it hath the promise of a full bottome to stablish the soule upon it hath brought realnesse of comfort and peace into it and it hath carried it into the sea of the riches of grace so that it can make songs of the Lords deliverance with more admiration then if the inheritance of a Prince had befalne it I cannot insist now any longer So much for the second marke that the Spirit of Grace is for Grace To make an end a third and last marke of the Spirit of Grace is The third marke is The calme proceeding of this Spirit of Grace that it goeth forward calmely and softly in her pursuit of the promise without any carnall striving and violence of Selfe much lesse fretting and distemper of spirit upon Gods delaies She teaches the soule to waite upon the Lord and harken what he would say to his Saints for he will speake peace to them that they may not returne to folly their old selfe-staggering unsettlednesse or bondage The Spirit of Grace is much like the Temple of Salomon it loves not to hear the din of Selfe to disquiet it Psal 85.8 as hammers and tooles might not bee used in the building of the other 1 King 6.7 While he is at worke he cannot endure Selfe to disturbe him he will raise up the frame himselfe we must onely say Grace grace unto it but he will both lay the foundation and corner stone Zach. 4.7 and set the building upon it and it shall prosper in his hands Suffer we our selves orderly and by degrees to be led from step to step without turning off on the right hand or the left meekely and patiently attending his leasure in our innocency and use of meanes and foist not any secret weights of our owne into the ballance as if the Lord were not alone able to perfect his owne worke onely let there be no stops in our owne spirits to set backe or quench this Spirit of Grace under the pretence of our quiet and patient wayting 1 Thes 5. A point which no hypocrite can discerne If he be bidden to rest he leaves his diligence and waxes idle whereas true striâ—â— and true rest goe together and a poore soule so rests from his selfe striving that yet he continues his selfe-denying diligence in the use oâ— meanes Esay 30. Try your selves also in this but I remember I have touched â—oâ— part before when I spake of the violence of Selfe This shall thereâ—ore suffice to have spoken touching the markes of this Spirit of Grace and the several branches thereof Now in a word for the other peece of the question how this Spirit of Grace may be attained Quest 2. Hâ—w this Spirit of grace may be attained I answer briefly First be earnest in prayer to God for it for the Spirit of Grace and supplication are joyned together Zach. 12.10 That both the Lord would cast down this strong castle of Selfe and raise up the strong fort of his own salvation upon the ruines Answ 1 thereof joyne with prayer meditation be much in the use of all other powerfull ordinances of God fasting especially the true Sampson to Answ 2 cast down the house over the head of self and unbeleefe And observe seriously Answ 3 the graces of others such as have shot this gulfe and have had the Answ 4 experience of Christ in them Again seek not to please our flesh as it is said David would never crosse Adonija from his youth and that made him such a good one but abridge our selves of our wills even in some lawfull liberties 1 King 1.6 and abstaine from many things which others permit to themselves dyet our selves daily as those which runne for a prize and that may somewhat inure us to deny our selves in this great worke of Answ 5 Grace 1 Cor. 9.25 Tye our selves closely to the duties of
the whole Army of corrupt Arguments which both within and without beset the soule against the naked truth of the promise before ever he set them at liberty And the truth is onely the worke of regeneration is able both to drein away this spring and floud of contradiction and to dry up her streames that they may not so abundantly flow out to beare downe all the force of truth in us or perswade us to conversion And the same spirit it must be which must turne our streame to run another way and take off this rolling doore of our corruption from the old hinges to open and move a contrary way Onely Grace must consume all our base inventions which man hath found out against God as Eccles 7.29 Civils against Religion sundry of theâ— named That this Sect of Religion is everywhere evill spoken of If once a Christian ever a slave a beggar a foole These Preachers tell us many tales of a tub against sinne and of the judgements of God but the best is wee see not thunder and lightning to follow upon every word they speake If all were so cursed whom they declaim against they would looke as blacke as foot there would bee no living among men but thankes be to God we see all things still continue as they were and men are as white in the face as they were wont buy and sell goe to markets and faires to Ale-houses and merry meetings their pleasures and good fellowships as free and fast as ever Therefore we see they would but rob us of our liberties and make us such fools as themselves which God forbid it were pitty that for their pleasures the world should be so turned Iopsie-turvie Others come in and backe themselves with this That your best Preachers are no better then they should be and in corners they are as other men Some thinke if religion once beare sway then their trades must be forsaken they must sell all and give it to good â—â—lke and Preachers not unlike to the Popish Jesuites who in their Sermons tell the people that English Protestants have long tailes and hornes in their foreheads and looke as grizely as Ghosts and some grinne like Dogges and the like Againe others cavill say These Christians are so sad and melancholick that I am afraid I should die of no other disease save of very thought and care Others come neerer and consider God would have their lusts and lewd qualities from them which are necessary evils to them they cannot part with them Religion is better to make shew of for mens ease as Machiavil said then to make us sound at heart and so cost us much paine Others cavill and say The best cannot tell whether they shall be saved and they can hope as well as others and so hope well and have well Others thinke it impossible to change their natures and to be converted They have assayed often but they finde little come of it and they love no worke which is never at an end nor then neither They love that religion which a man can tell what to make of and come to a point but as for that which is never content but first men must forgoe their lusts then their liberties then themselves beleeve repent and bee broken-hearted this is precise and curious not for their tooth Others say If yee heare the Preacher yee will lose your wits and drowne or fore-doe your selves Others yet come closer and cavill thus Wee see the more we are terrified for sinne the further we are from God God hath not appointed all to bee saved all cannot mourne or beleeve it is the gift of few we know not whom God hath chosen men may fall away after they have beleeved and if some say true the justified may revolt and be damned and they can be no worse though they never begin Many goe so farre as few can match them and yet for one cause or other they must prove hypocrites and lose their labour therefore they will save theirs altogether they had as good sit for nought as toyle for nought Others say their corruptions doe so weary them that they shall never get through them and others are afraid that they shall never persevere but at one time or other fall foully and dishonour their Religion therefore dare not give the on-set To conclude others have taken offence at the rigour of the Law and so run out to seek old liberties alledging that bondage to be most irksome And others who proceed further yet say This and such like doctrines of Selfe doe discourage them they feare that a man cannot be rid of it and they see it is hard even for the best to discerne the Spirit of God from a mans owne Endlesse it were to reckon up all cavils onely the Lord must change the heart ere it be rid of these her inventions To dispute for God is a great work of grace And much more must the Lord turne the streame a contrary way ere the soule wax resolute against all such objections and bee turned to dispute for God to hold close to the promise and to devise as many as strong and as witty reasons for her owns salvation as before shee did against it Some instances of disputing for God To argue thus is not common The Lord hath his number and will ever have and they are such as leaving his secrets cleave to his revealed will Such as are loaden with their corruptions mourne after ease not for ease onely of their feare and guilt but to take the yoke of Christ upon them in stead thereof Such if any may claime the promise And such an one through mercy I am Few indeed shall be saved but then as few lament after God till they finde him and many glorious lights fall away but then their light was in themselves they were not humble True it is the elect are knowne to God but yet such as will first beleeve shall in time know themselves to bee elect And why should I thinke my inducements to beleeve to bee so weake or few Nay rather why should not I if I be lead by the Spirit of Grace turne disswasives into perswasives and sway all objections to the naked promise Surely Caleb did so And Gods reasons are many and strong Num. 14.5.6 Mee thinkes it is a strong motive that the Lord will leave none but such as forsake him first His meaning seemes very cordiall unto me when he bids a sinner be reconciled For why There is bottomelesse patience in his heart to forbeare smiting hee hath mercy cut off his owne plea he hath neglected no meanes to satisfie his owne justice hee that would not refuse to forgoe his onely sonne will not lose his cost surely he meanes well to a poore wretch He hath received a ransome declares himselfe to be appeased wishes us to be so threatens us if wee refuse His Spirit is annexed to his offer he allureth draweth encourageth and yet
an outward manner Surely hee would declare from heaven who are for him and who against him Carnall reason wishes old waies in stead of a promise His enemies should not flourish and have their wills as they have Goates should not trample upon sheep surely he would judge the world in equity not suffer things to be so darkely carried Indeed we have the word and his promises sounding in our eares and his threats but he followes them not really with blessing the godly nor destroying the wicked Oh! those were happy times when the high Priests Ephod answered cases when God spake with voice and by miracles visions and Prophets This scurfe is lodged in our bosomes and we little ponder that Heb. 1.1 that now God speaketh by his sonne as if he should say this manner of his revealing himselfe exceeds all other to a beleeving soule Faith can make a reall presence though no carnall both in sacrament and in word preached and in crosses and in the most hidden administrations of God in the Church But it is this cursed carnall reason which darkens all and causes every object to be like the glasse through which we behold it To returne therefore if thou have beene a man given to thine appetite put thy knife henceforth to thy throate and stand not to defend or maintaine it against the Lord Bestow no more wit to cavill but fight against thy infidelity Sarah laughed behinde the doore at the message of the Angel but she was ashamed of it Heb. 11. she is said by faith to conceive seed she had cast out carnall reason ere she could breed by the promise If thou see a difficulty in the promise which thou canst not match yet turne thy struggling against thy self and give glory to God in shaming thy self that so thou maiest give him more in beleeving Oh what should it boot me to heare men say I have as morall a people as any are except it may be added as spirituall also what joy can be morall and carnall civility and rationall Religion may well agree truly this taint is deeply festred into most of us You of this congregation looke to it No congregation for this fifty years hath been so beaten and staved off from carnall reason a life of sense and unbeleefe as this and therefore looke to it Satan will more rejoyce in your flesh then in any other if he can rule in you by the scepter of carnall reason as truly he doth in most of us Oh! how will he crow upon his dunghill and exalt himselfe above the truth of God so long preached Give over this strong hold forsake and surrender this castle for God sticke no longer to it say thus If I cannot beleeve as I would yet I will set my marke upon Gods word I will honor such as can Gods truth ceases not to be faithfull because I am unbeleeving God keepe me from being unfaithfull that it may be true to me Alas if God spake never so really from heaven what were it without faith Joh. 21. And when Thomas put his finger into Christs sides what had he gained by it if still unfaithfull God hath made himselfe cleare to me by more expressions then to many I have had more patience deliverances blessings redemptions then many I have touched and tasted the Lord and groped him with hands and yet unbeleefe hath made all unsavoury So that I see it must be faith and not carnall reason which must prevaile For then Israel in the wildernesse had never beene barred from Canaan by unbelefe Oh therefore I am weary of this wofull enemy I could put tenne cavillers to silence ere I could set carnall reason at a non-plus she hath a fountaine within her springing up to death and is never weary But Oh Lord pardon what is past and through mercy for the time to come I shall turne a new leafe Oh! that I could nay the Lord prevaile but thus farre with you I dare not leave you here But Oh! that you who are not come so farre as this might at least attaine this Branch 2 Secondly therefore let me draw ye one steppe further and that is to be a foole in thy selfe Exhortation We must bee Gods fooles ere we be wise to salvation that thou maist be made wise The sunne never riseth but ye shall perceive a dimnesse and blacknesse cast upon the aire though the moone and starres shine never so brightly before So where the light of divine wisdome approacheth it causeth all the wisdome of flesh to vanish as smoke before it And this the Lord of purpose effects in all whom he converts as he rehe did to Naaman He will make all flesh to be as grasse and all the beauty of it as stubble that he may shine onely in the soule and that the Kingdome may be the Lords It is I confesse as ridiculous to us Joh. 3.5 as that a man should enter againe into his mothers wombe But such a change must there be the fruit in the wombe undergoeth not more alteration ere it see the light then carnall reason must doe ere the soule be begotten to God It must be with it as with a scholar that would learne a poore trade he must lay downe all his learning and stoop to be an idiot in that science till he be taught it It must even be as the Jesuits novice is to his superior whatsoever he teaches him or enjoynes him be it never so repugnant hee must submit he must have no understanding cavills or objections against it but freely suffer himselfe to be led into the streame of authority and captivate all feares unlikelyhood dangers to the blinde obedience of governours he must say the Crow is white and the Swan blacke yea even suffer his senses and braines to be knockt out that he may be a true novice a wise Catholicke no Jesuit will else have to doe with him if he say not yea to his assertions and nay to his denialls if he be not ready in all things to assent This I affirme of them as most unnaturall for Religion expells not reason but rectifies the carnality of it but yet in a sort the Lord requires no lesse in point of carnality then they doe in point of reason it selfe The Lord will triumph over it and say where is the Scribe The wise man 1 Cor. 1.15 He will cause this wisdome to become very madnesse ere ever he commit the seed of true wisdome to it and the soul hearing principles of Christ and faith must chaine up cavilling and thrust her eies into Gods bosome professing to know nothing in any mystery of Religion save that which truth reveales and having as Ionathan by his honey received sight Psal 73.15 he must cry out Oh foole that I was Oh beast in thy sight Oh Lord Oh now I appeare a very foole to my selfe and perceive that darkenesse cannot comprehend it selfe till a light of God be held
heare ill when we have done well which is a royall grace indeed Secondly this also may be just reproof to others though not so ranke as Vse 2 the former and these are of many sorts First Reproofe such as although they live in a bad course and know it yet are no sooner convinced thereof but they cavill against God himself and lay him in all the fault they would as faine be better as the Preacher and they cannot deny but they are farre from that they should be But these Ministers they say would goe beyond God and have them better then God will make them which cannot be for till God change and mend us all we can be no better let men teare their tongues to the stumps And and whence is this cavill Truly from base prophane Selfe which is crossed in her way imagining that because it is easie for God to worke as he please Cavillers against God as if he were in fault for all their errorâ— convinced and the worke of conversion is onely his therefore they may live the whilst as basely idely and prophanely as they list They would have grace droppe out of the clouds on the suddaine into them that their hearts might all at once be humbled comforted and turned to God before they bee aware and then they thinke they might scape a great deale of trouble that others meet with who are so restlesse painfull and unwearied in the use of the means For their own part they will use good means too on the Sunday and come to Church and heare but they will waite till God worke To whom I answer The Lord rebuke all such wretches God open their eies For tell me I pray you these waiters upon God how live they the whiles Most loosely deny themselves no liberty lust or will of their owne but lash it on upon the score till grace come and wipe off all they spare for no sinne committing to be lewd companions drinkers covetous or the like For why should they If heaven will be favourable it can pardon great as well as small offences If it will not in vaine should they strive For they have no strength of their owne they confesse to restraine from any such courses till God turne their hearts then you shall see what manner of persons they will be when they be of Gods making you shall see what new men they shall be But oh you white Divells you that turne rebellion into smoothnesse and play the still swine who eate up all the draffe how should such as you ever come into Gods mint to be new stamped I denounce unto you that all your hypocrisie tends to the vailing over of your sinne it is not grace you seeke if your brests were open hell and destruction are there and the way of peace you have not knowne Peace you would have pardon and heaven Gods love and favour but your cursed wills you would not forgoe And therefore that ye would have mercy I meane you shall never have and what ye would shunne you shall for ever inherit even woe and wrath I know some of this sort are not so prophane as others but feed themselves with duties and moralities a smooth way of Religion and so wait Matth. 3. Esay 30. But who hath taught such to escape the wrath to come by their sloth and ease What although it be our strength to sit still Must we therefore suspend our labour paines and use of meanes Will God be found in a way of ease of yawning desires and lazy hopes which abhorre to be guided Gods way and to come to his oath and covenant of humiliation aith and selfe-deniall No neither the prophane nor the lazy shall enter into his rest no more then the rebellious They maintaine a secret distemper and pritch of heart and tetch of selfe against God and either will be saved their owne way or not at all And therefore to these I also professe with sharpe reproofe The way to peace yee have not knowne neither will you rather will quarrell with God for not fulfilling you wills to make you such as you would bee without your trouble This way God never knew Nay I say more Though God would save you yet you would not if ye might and I may say truly salvation it selfe cannot save such as would not because it saves none but the willing Pull downe your cursed spirits and cease to kicke against the pricks for till you be content to abandon your lusts and ease you doe secretly cavill with him whom you shall never be able to make your cause good against you stand not right in your plea the Court is Gods the judgement is his who shall curse all weapons formed against himselfe and condemne all those most justly who cavill against him Therefore I say againe take this word of reproofe with meekenesse Esay 54. ult and sit still in the point of cavilling but abhorre to goe against Gods edge by your prophanensse or your ease for the Lord will never beleeve that either of these will ever be content to finde mercy though they might enjoy it And as Esau when time came would have had the blessing but yet would be still a sensuall Epicure and therefore it was finally denyed him So I say to you If in truth you would have grace pray to God to plucke up that roote of bitternesse which springs up in you Heb. 12. for that will defile you faster then all your idle and false wishes can clense you and no wonder if you well weigh it And secondly here come to be censured all such as go yet a steppe further Branch 2 and will close with meanes and be deepe in paines taking Selfewilled ones who binde God to their labours convinced but then when they see that God will take no paines for full price but for serving his owne grace and good pleasure onely then they fret and fume at their lot because God regards not their labours What say they Is this equity that the Lord should alike esteeme of the painfull and the lazy I answer thee yea if Selfe defeated be the caviller Thou takest paines it seemes that thou mightest be warme by thine owne sparkles and have somewhat to alledge why God should regard thee That is thou wouldest have him for thy sake to forsake his owne way and turne free grace into wages Rom. 9.13.14 And because he will not as indeed hee never will be a servant to the runner or the willer therefore thou frettest and fumest at him for not serving thy turne But oh man Who art thou that disputest with God Shall the axe quarrell with him that cutteth with it I answer thee therefore The Lord doth not simply equall thee with such as take no paines keepe thy paines still and if thou wilt adde more unto them but rather take away thy upbraiding spirit doe that thou dost with meeknesse and be content to sinke in thy
of God Thinke with thy selfe is this a lesse priviledge then the former Are all that are Gods people partakers of this grace Are they preserved by the power of faith to salvation without snares wounds and breach of their peace is this so common and thankelesse a favour to be carried as the Arke above mountaines so above the floods of great waters that they should not come neare us Behold the Saints in Scripture Gen. 7. Psal 32.5.6 how few escaped the trialls of their sincerity in a safe manner How many of them lost their peace wasted their conscience by drunkennesse uncleannesse intemperate passions pride the world disguised and at last comming to their grave with sorrow Witnesse David Salomon Asa Hezekia Ionah Peter others Behold the times in which we live Doe wee finde it so common a grace that those whom we have esteemed of well for uprightnesse and zeale to the Gospel still hold their beauty Doe they not beginne to change colour and wax pale and wanne Doe they not stagger temporize and grow common in their communion with all sorts in their affections to the truth to the power of godlinesse Is it not hard to finde one who may be trusted Oh then if God have kept thee close from the error of the wicked that thou mightest not be pulled from thy stedfastnesse nor wanze in thy first love count it a peculiar unspeakeable mercy Againe dost thou see the most professors to keepe from revolts Is not the world full of offences of such as gave their names to Christ Whence then are so frequent scandales of such as are fallen to uncleannesse in all corners and so to other reproachfull sins Art not thou one of them Hath the Lord hitherto holpen thee as Samuel saith Blesse him and wonder Oh Lord thou who gavest Paul the lives of all that were in the ship with him and notwithstanding all tempests and fears of shipwrack broughtest them all safe to land Thou hast graciously given my soule to the Lord Jesus put me into his ship kept me hitherto from sinking being cast away upon the rocks sands shelfes of this wofull sea in which I am tossed Even so O Father because thou hast promised else I had beene cast away a thousand times by temptation by offences by my corruptions But as nothing could intercept the Lord Jesus till his worke was done when they had beene on the toppe of the hill to throw him downe headlong Esay suddenly he passed through them without hurt fire could not burne water could not drowne him Divell could not tempt to prevaile nothing could hinder but he passed through all reports wrongs persecutions feares till he had fulfilled his course rose againe from death and conquered it And why Hee walked under the banner of his fathers protection Even so it hath pleased thee O Lord to fence and fortifie my poore soule that neither my desertions when I thought my selfe cast off and in despaire through unbeleefe nor the dint of my afflictions when as yet the arrowes of God dipt in venome stucke in me nor the malice of enemies nor the fiery darts of Satan piercing me by my lusts could ever wholly divorce me from thee Oh! how many thousands have fallen on my right hand and as many on my left since I beganne Men of like age birth and education of better parts and endowments then I and yet mercy hath kept mee hitherto nay Naaman was never so sullen and froward with the Prophet and with Jorden as I have beene wayward with God sometime weary of his crosses cavilling against his governement both in generall and speciall ready to leave his worke to renounce his Sabbaths Sacraments Promises and all because I could not see how God performed them to me when I have beene oppressed with Selfe and a dead saplesse and savourlesse heart ready to give the Lord and his trade quite over yet he hath revived me and not suffered me to revolt quite from him by all these still by the power of poore faith he hath kept mee to salvation he hath delivered doth and will deliver me still if I can waite Oh! wonder at this grace of his and let the first linke of vocation be a warrant to thee that the linke of justification sanctification and redemption shall never be broken but he that brought thee through so many unlikelyhoods to beleeve can and will now much more bring thee through as great oppositions to persevere enjoy thy priviledge stand at gaze and boast onely of the Lord. Thus much for the use of instruction Lastly let this doctrine be an incouragement to all feeble and fearfull Vse 2 soules who think they shall never wade out of their distrust Encouragement to all feeble and fearfull ones ignorance of Gods way their deepe pride Selfe rebellion and hypocrisie they behold these corruptions by which Satan holds possession as by Forts and Bulwarks as evident markes of their perishing one day and that they are so strong that they will master grace and deprive them finally of hope But poore soule stay a while doe not so hardly sentence thy soule Looke here upon a poore Pagan out of covenant an alien from God behold how freely God prevented him at first when he sought him not how graciously he assisted him and that when he was past all sense of it deepe in the sence of the contrary One I say that had no promise meerly an hangby to the visible Church save that he was supported by an invisible bounty of unspeakeable goodnesse and yet lo when he was at the saddest point and the lowest ebbe of dispaire suddenly as if this were Gods season to breake his heart and to win him to himselfe all hope of good successe being past there appeares a change of his wretched condition into an happy secret mercy had first marked him out for God and the same still waited on him not suffering him to slippe away and depart from welfare Hath God done this in the green tree and shall not he doe it in the dry Hast thou O poore soule either deeper distempers then Naaman had or sadder affronts then he within or without Canst not thou take courage to thy selfe by a promise when hee found mercy without one What is it then that causeth thee to be so heavy In the following points I shall speake further to thee onely here let me say this If thou canst prove that God hath once savingly prevented thee whereof upon the ninth verse I have at large spoken I can prove hee will not forsake thee he will not lose any one stroke of worke upon thee but will assist it and in time perfect it Sure I am thou canst not feel thy spirit deader or further off then did Naaman thou canst not be further out of Gods precinct then he was and yet the Lord beyond hope turned all to as happy an issue as the premises seemed uncomfortable Take thou like courage unto thy selfe All thy
unkindly affronts shall end well when thou art weary of hearing God shall revive thy spirit so that thou shalt heare a voice behinde thee saying heare still thou shalt not be able for thy heart to give over the ordinances thy sullen heart shall not be permitted to prevaile in thee against the promise do what thou canst some light or other shall appear to encourage thee to cast out thy prejudice cavills frowardnes when others are left to themselves to sinke in their owne peevish rebellions thou shalt finde pitty thy tender nurse shall use all his wisdome not against thee but for thee and shall not bee provoked to give thee over as thou dost him thou shalt see it and blesse those armes that comprehended thee when thou couldest not containe thy selfe those feet that followed thee those hands that laid hold on thee saying returne O Shulamite returne whither wilt thou goe Out of blessing into the warme Sunne What boot will that bee to thee What an occasion of endlesse repentance and regret will it bee to thee hereafter to leave God in a tetch to forsake cleare evident sure mercies upon a toy and conceit of thine owne against the promise of him that cannot lye Oh! consider better of it lay not the bottome of remedilesse woe betimes Thou shalt wish one day of the Sonne of man hereafter and that it were with thee as it hath beene but then the guilt of thy former contempt and fullennesse shall be a thousand witnesses against thee Thus the Lord shall even revive the spirit of Naamans servants in thy spirit to pull thee backe from the pit and prepare thee for mercy Onely beware thou yeeld not to thy temptations but waite upon the word A caution hereupon Suffer not this grace of God in thee to be slighted as it is by hypocrites or to be damped and eclipsed by wantonnesse wordlinesse and base lusts as it is by prophane wretches for these will rankle in thee and fret into thy bowels a as canker and then feare not but other annoyances shall cease in due time and turne to a sweet calme in thee when suddenly the Lord Jesus awaking out of his sleepe shall rebuke them as he did the storme and waves which threatned the ship wherein he lay for it is as possible that those should have overwhelmed him and his Disciples as these shall ovewhelme thee perhaps thou conflictest with boylings of corruptions and rebellings against the Law of faith and righteousnesse of the Lord Jesus but even these shall humble thee turn to great casting of Self out of thee perhaps thou art cast upon same unwelcome crosses losses sicknesse feare of death before thy peace be made be content the Lord doth not try thee in vaine they are to make sure worke of thy heart and to bring thee to a duer sight of thy selfe they are not to destroy thee although thou maiest thinke them sent to discourage thee God shall put more courage then so into thee hee hath the power of death in his hand and it shall not seize upon thee till the worke of God in thee be past danger The bed of thy sorrow and the racke of thy conscience and the clattering of thy bones and thy loathing of dainty meates and drawing neare to the grave shall not hurt thee for all shall end well Job 33. and turne thee from the pit and when thou art convinced thereof thy loathnesse shall be turned to readinesse as Peters was Joh. 13.9 and thou shalt say Doe what thou wilt Lord if for good I am ready to stoope perhaps thy owne parents wife in bosome best friends and companions turne enemies looke estrangedly lye at thee with threats taunts scornes for thy casting them off and looking another way But be quiet the Lord shall teach thy fingers to fight and thee to thinke that the more pretious for which the Divell so blusters against thee resolve to beare what thou canst but surrender not thy hopes perhaps when the Law hath laid thee open to the sight of thine owne conscience buffeting thee with guilt and horrors exceedingly thine estate seemes worse and worse thy old liberty in a sinfull course bubbles up within thee tempting thee to shake off chaines to returne to it again but God shall teach thee to preferre his chaines to the Divells freedome In a word Satan will disquiet thee with Atheisticall thoughts against God Providence Scriptures the threats the promises as if they were all but fables so the wicked world through error counts them but in all this confusion the Lord shall not leave thee and as I said before through this sea dried up he shall bring his scattered ones rather then they shall perish All shall give place be it never so opposite rather then Gods worke shall be defeated And so much for this point of coherence may serve Another thing there is to be noted here Ground of second point Gods continuing still to buffet and humble Naaman ere I come to the substance of the words And that is that this thirteenth verse wholly aimes at a third buffeting and subduing of Naamans spirit to the obedience of Gods command Twice already you have heard how the Lord crossed him once by the idle carriage of the King who rent his cloathes when hee thought he would have healed him Another time when he waited at Elisha's doore for an answer of reall cure without delay We see these did but incense the froward spirit of Naaman and set him on carping and cavilling and not onely so but upon a will and stomacke of his owne to turne away and give over all Therefore to take downe his high lookes and that the cure which now followed might not light upon so rebellious a peece Lo the Lord tames him this third time not by sending Elisha to shame him but by setting him to schoole to his poore servants and underlings such as commonly were glad to be at his becke Doe this and he doth it goe and he goeth come and he commeth But lo now the case is altered the Lord so honours them that rather hee is under their authority they bid him come backe and he commeth they exhort him to goe to Jorden and he goeth they bid him doe this Wash seven times and he doth it yea and he is a happier man by thus obeying then ever in all his dayes by commanding We know when a Parent will abase a proud sonne he will not vouchsafe to correct him himselfe but put him to his Ostler or to his Groome to be chastened and this takes downe the pride of his sonne So here The Lord keepes Elisha within doores and sets the servants of this great stout Champion to take him to taske so ordering it that they must be conquerors of him who yet had got so many victories Now they can charme and levell his spirit more then any other and now these poore fellowes of farre lesse wit policy and insight must yet be
thou mightest wonder at how or whence he should come by any savour of Religion and yet thou takest no notice of it seekest not to me to droppe any mercy into thy soule to breake and convert it Oh! what a wofull item hast thou laid up what an accusation hast thou put into Gods mouth against thee Surely if such examples provoke not to thee jealousie of imitation they shall occasion God to burne against thee with the jealousie of indignation And so much for the coherence Now for the second branch of this coherence the ground whereof I have already laid downe that which I would say of it is this viz. The second branch of the point God will never lin with his till he have tamed their rebellion That the Lord doth still thus follow Naaman with new affronts that he might conquer his will and stout heart which had taken courage to it selfe and hardened it selfe in it owne way against God I say the Lord now intends a finall battery of it by setting his servants all of them with one consent to side with God and the Prophet none with him which no doubt was a great battering and stubbornesse And it teaches us that this selfe-will of ours is as desperate and tenacious an enemy as can bee in the matters of God worse then selfe-mindednesse and strength of opinion when one selfe-will comes to strengthen selfe-conceit that it hardens it selfe against God and will try masteries which shall carry the goale strange it is how invincible a fort it proves against him and all the way both of commands and promises But marke before that the Lord turne home the soule unto himself he will by one means or other though it be by a continuall opposing of the same so breake pull down and levell this wofull rebellion of heart and will in the soule that hee will let out the water and bloud of it and shed the bowells of it to the ground that it may never arise up any more to crosse him He will bring it so to the bent of his bow that it shall say Speake Lord for thy servant heares And with him Act. 9. What Lord wilt thou have me to doe And as I have noted already in the former affront of the message so now in this I note againe The Lords Kingdome is not set up nor his throne stablished save upon the ruines of selfe-will which hath her Kingdome and Scepter through Satan set up as altar against altar contrary to this Naaman now immediately before his cure and conversion must be the third time thus encountred both by the perswasions and by the finger of God in drawing of his servants to a contrary will to their Masters that so at last his opposite heart might fall down after all this encounter wonder not at the resolution of the wayward will of man against Gods it is the very bloud spirit marrow of the soul it is the fort which holds out longest against God til the Lord batter that there is no approach of grace Will quailes and failes as soone as the Lord enclines to doe the poore soule good be it never so unpleasing seem it never so harsh impossible by head and by hand the Lord will not be overcome by corruption he will make it cry out thou hast overcome Vse And good brethren seeing I long to be in the verse it selfe and must be briefe take it thus God will never leave thee whom he loves till he have thus wonne the day of thee and when he meanes truly to cure thee and to make thee his Disciple even at the very same time he will cause the way of thine owne will to stoope to his He will blocke thee up quite and famish thee till he have made thee surrender Object Sanctification I doe not here urge brethren nor repenting before beleeving Answ But I say this That base bent streame and our corrupt will disposition and instinct for that which pleases us Note well our ease our profits our pleasures or whatsoever lies in us contrary to Gods way either of salvation or government the Lord will have cast downe in us ere ever hee betrust us with grace 2 Cor. 10.4 at least in the vouchsafing of grace hee vouchsafes that a most meeke submission of soule a renouncing of that selfe-way and selfe-will in us which perpetually lusts against his Christ and obedience Yet repentance goes not before faith the choice the propensity of the soule which is the darling of all the Lord will carry downe before him with a stronger streame of his owne and turne it backe not onely in point of resistance but in point of concurrence Cardinall Wolsey is reported to have beene a man of so hauty a spirit that his stile was wont to be Ego Rex meus As I and the King please But God will admit no such Peere as our will to quarter armes with him he will have the stone of our heart broken and taken out and an heart of flesh put in He will not have us doe according to that seemes good in our eies Deut. 12.8 and either in beleeving or obeying It is not our flourishing about with duties when we are pleased that shall serve our turn A woman pleases not her husband in all her busie welcomming and feasting of strangers but in the resigning up of all her will to his So we please not God in doing some of his will but in having our owne will subdued to his implanted in it and abhorring to establish our selves with him in the throne of Majesty He will shew us what favour he pleaseth or we could desire but still as Pharaoh said to Ioseph I will be chiefe in the Kingdome thou shalt be under in that Gen. 41.40 To conclude therefore brethren looke into this cursed will and stomacke of ours both the roote and branches how crosse and contrary it hath ever beene to Gods how it hath ever fallen upon and chosen the worse way consider the deepnesse of the purposes of it how hidden secret close they have beene weigh the dangerousnesse of them that commonly they have beene most rebellious against those waies of God if any be weightier then other which have most touched upon his prerogative as the matter of imbracing the maine promise or the parting with some precious personall beloved lust also remember how dead and rotten this will of ours hath alway been in contradiction and walking contrary to God Levit. 26. Insomuch that after some seeming convincement and vow of subjection to Gods will in such and such cases yet when old occasions and objects have offered themselves we have forgot our covenants and are as ranke and rife in our self-willednesse and stiffeneckednesse as ever and made a very custome of it I say in Gods fear remember how it hath been a dead rotten will and heart we have nourished against the Lord And therefore let these and this example here breake this staffe of
the badge of the resurrection about them for fashion sake but else resolved to suffer no word of truth to enter into them or trouble them and make a privy contract with Satan to hold their owne lusts against all Preaching what difference is there betweene thinking there is no God and resisting him speaking in his word Betweene open maintaining that there is no judgement resurrection or torment for sinners and the practice of blasphemies swearings breaking of Sabbaths stealth adultery and all debauchednesse What shall I say unto you Shall I say as that ancient Father once did to his people of Antioch Get yee Bibles for shame and come in O ye uncircumcised hangbyes to the congregation Howster out such vermine O ye Church offcers if ye serve for oughts out of their kennells But you are readier some of you rather to pursue the best of your neigbours take heed my words stand not upon record against you without repentance rather then hunt such as pester our Townes with Atheisme and Impiety Alas the Divell is served as well by such as by them that have read Lectures of Atheisme heretofore They professe a God you will say Tit. 1. ult what is that when they are in their workes abominable and to each good thing reprobate They live by swinish principles and customes of darkenesse they see all swayed by mony favour and pollicy they see others all for backe and belly purse and pleasures pompe and preferments and therefore further they will not stir They whom carnall reason meerly rules are negative Atheists because they admit of no principles which should make them other and cause them to tremble at themselves Oh! mourne deare brethren for this that the Land swarmes with such and pray for such as are in place that they may reforme it and consider with what fruit we requite God for this seventy yeares of his Gospel past by nouzeling up among us a generation that know no more of sinne Christ judgement day then the swine at the trough but rather trample upon these pearles Tell them of their washing brewing baking startching on the Sabbath and they answer Alas we are poore and the six daies are little enough to worke in and earne meate to our bellies we must be fed and cloathed and more then we worke we must looke for nothing Others being asked about their hope in death tell us they have had their purgatory here in want and misery and therefore hope they shall have no more hereafter Others live by a Popish mixture of some shreads with their owne wisdome and such errors of the wicked as they suck up every where The issue of all is they abhorre the word and those that live by it and doe wholly breath in the element of their owne carnall savour Oh woefull ones your damnation sleepes not and the flood of Gods wrath the fire of vengeance shall sweepe you to hell Matth. 24.38 as the waters did them who ate and dranke married and gave in marriage and would know nothing till they were under water God keepe you from it You have had your reproofe but except God ring an alarme in your eares you will not awake But alas I speake to the walles these Gibeonites come not within the Temple carry them home these newes you that dwell by such So much for the first Use Secondly is carnall sense so reproveable What is then an utter despising Vse 2 of sense and of the manifest waies of God Reproofe of sundry sorts to the very eyes of men so that they cannot deny the finger of God We have many such Sort. 1 as these among us beloved such as see the apparant hand of God upon them and among them yea the Lord comming as it were to their doores Such as sinne against sensible and ocular mercies worse then such as sinne against promises into their bosomes judgements upon their bodies children wives names even such as their owne cursed mouthes have wished pox and plague c. and their cursed workes have procured justly and yet they are as Pharaoh hardened by his inchanters even when the frogges leapt up upon his bed in his privy Chamber what is this save to fight against heaven it selfe When judgements follow not the word men cavill and say these Preachers cry aloud but no thunder or lightning followes upon it But what say they when the Lord plagues you and raines snares and tempests upon you Many of you what diseases hath the Lord cast upon you noysome and stinking Note well all these following Instances Are ye one whit moved by it You use to answer as the sorcerers did all sorts are troubled with one disease or other all sorts have some poore in reproach c. But you know that yours are sent upon you for your debauched courses Doe you see God against you Had not Thomas beene grossely reproveable if when Christ thrust his hands into his sides to feele the print of his nailes he had beene unfaithfull But these mens eyes goe out with beholding the Sunne shine in their faces How many are there of you here who have cavilled at God that hee Sort. 2 puts no difference betweene bad and good in point of blessings and lo God hath served your turne brought you out of debt set you up and planted you well so that you take roote and grow upward Is not here ocular and sensible mercy I demand now of such are you any better Doe you see God in this I denounce before the Lord unto you this day that the mercies you have wished and doe enjoy shall bee the heaviest corrasives to you that ever befell and shall sting you as fire Why Because those covenants and vowes which you made are all broken and forfeit when yet God hath fully done his part Had it not beene better that he had kept you hungry and beggerly still Others of you what mones and chatterings have you made like Sort. 3 Cranes as Hezechia did upon your sicke beds unto God Oh! should the Lord take us away in our prime of youth our best yeares ere wee have spent any time in the land of the living to prepare our selves to meete him The Lord hath heard you or else earnest praier for you I am sure of it and hath brought ye from the brinke of the grave and set you upon your feet again What is come of it Are you any more penitent then you were Doth the presence of God awe you Doe you walke softly in your house as he said as having scaped a scouring and felt Gods fingers Have not your recoveries made you more fledge and sawcy with God so that now yee fare as if the winde were turned and you had the Lord at a vantage I denounce here unto you that most of you are waxen grosse fat laden with fatnesse you have despised the God of salvation Deut. 32.13 Esay 38. And instead of Hezechias words The living the living shall praise thee
you may say the living are worse and stinke worse above ground then if they had beene rotting in their graves So that by experience we are now growne to trust no sicke mens promises whatsoever they bee Oh you wofull people Doe you thus requite the Lord Alas I foresee you are ripe for the harvest and groane for the sickle to reape you downe indeed at last without any remedy And although some of you make a shift to hold out 1 Thes 5.2 yet your damnation sleeps not it shall come like a whirlewinde when you cry peace most then shall it come swiftly Oh be reproved Sort. 4 And lest I should touch upon outward blessings and deliverances only let mee adde somewhat of Gods word and his patience towards others of us How have some of you here present complained of your sillinesse to conceive the things of God the hardnesse of your hearts to melt at the word How have you beene vile in your selves for your ignorance and unbeleefe How have you wondred at the gifts of others Oh! if I might obtaine mercy of God to pray as such to remember to conferre as they how should I use it The Lord hath heard some of you granted you light and discerning melted your hearts enlarged your affections ripened your gifts and hath any sweet fruit proceeded from hence Could ye also trust him for the creating of the grace of faith in you and for converting your natures have you not given him over in that worke for the granting whereof he was sealed Joh. 6.27 I meane the seeking of the meat that perisheth not No But hee hath beene content with common gifts and so rested You have therefore shewed you selves false in covenant and given over the Lord in the plaine chase when you might have felt and groped the Lord in his manifest providence Act. 14. Sort. 6 Others how hath God lengthened out their daies beyond expectation When as they never looked to have harrowed that which they had sowne not so much as to see one of their children brought up How hath God given them a restitution from paines and infirmities and made their latter daies which they never thought to see farre better then the former so that they have lived to see more of Gods truth both in word and works Rom. 2.3 then ever they imagined But what hath this long suffering of God led them to repentance Hath not their clay laid in the warme sunne hardened the more Is their any power in their soules to breake off their old lusts and to returne to God sincerely No surely but having the better end of the staffe they have prolonged life to encrease wrath and to treasure up vengeance Nay to speake a word to the better sort how many of us in our deepe heavinesse of spirit under the Sort. 7 burthen of conscience when no counsell could worke upon us have even given sentence on our selves that there is no hope Jerem. 2. how have wee counted our lives scarce worth a straw under our feete Yet hath the Lord blowne over our fears made a calme swallowed up death into victory Nay some of us in our deepest sicknesses of body when sinne and Satan are most busie have we not found God neerer to us then in our best health Hath he not answered us as Hanna in our long praiers Hath he not enlarged the promise unto us by the seale of his Spirit making as I may say the light of the Moone as the light of the Sunne and the light of the Sunne seven times greater then ever in comfort and holy confidence above all feares How hath this wrought with us Hath it knit us in so firm a covenant with God as never to be broken off Hath it caused us to walke here below as shadowes and to despise all the earth in comparison of our hopes I doubt not but some doe and shall finde the fruit of it at death But oh that such faire wether should doe harme and be an occasion to make us wax wanton earthly and thinke grace to be pind to our sleeves how reproveable is it Good brethren looke to your selves If carnall reason bee so base what is it to blindfold our eies against ocular mercies Oh! such favours as some of us have met with should make us cry out I have found I have found God hath not dealt with others as with me Therefore whether it be my lot to be in straits or whatsoever temptations I must endure yet I will call to minde the old mercies of the Lord and be comforted yea I will gladly be under infirmity 2 Cor. 12.9 that the strength of God may be perfected in me and though he kill me yet I will trust in him through mercy Oh that this fruit might appeare Who would have thought that when Hezechias request was granted to wit the going backe of the Sunne tenne degrees for the assuring of his recovery that his recovery should have beene so stained with apostacy But alas God hath made our fears and griefes goe back as many for us and yet we have revolted not as he did once but made a falling sicknesse of our course To conclude the Use In the Sacraments and Seales of Gods Covenant Sort. 8 how hath Christ come as it were in his likenesse unto us and by outward signes spoken to all our senses yea thrust our hands into his very sides that if it be not himselfe let us distrust him still see feele smell handle taste eate my flesh drinke my bloud a fancy hath no substance lo here is substance What fruit hath it had Brethren I shall speake a fearfull speech I am resolved that the carnall reason of most men is enlarged rather then diminished by the Sacraments And the judgement of most is become greater by them then if they had never had any Alas they cry not out as ashamed and convinced ones My Lord and my God! Thomas himselfe shall rise up against such So much for this Use also Thirdly let this be a caveat to Gods owne people to teach them to Vse 3 beware of this evill except they will have the Lord reprove them to Admonition their faces viz. That they will beleeve God no further then they see him when they heare the promises urged upon all broken and mourning soules what say they Yea you say well if wee could feele it thus Instances 1. Putters off the promise to be reproved First I say this may bee a pranke of an hollow heart and then it is horrible As we see in those Jewes who were alway pressing upon Christ for a signe Tell us if thou be the Christ And why Not as meaning to beleeve for so he tells them I have told you oft by preaching and miracles yet you beleeve not but as a cloake of your prophanenesse viz. That they could not so cleerly behold him as they desired But put case it be otherwise with us and that thou meanest
simply What then Is thy speech to be commended No in no case For why Dost thou not go by the worlds rule it seems not to be so I cannot thinke it Is this enough to bury the truth of a word of the eternall God under Doe not still speake evill of the way of salvation because God makes it not so rationall as thou wouldest and will not sell thee heaven for thy praiers and devotions He askes no more then his word beleeved will give thee power to performe if thou reject it not by distrust Instan 2 Another Instance is this Beloved so long as Gods government in the Church Administrations of God must not be quarrelled or upon our selves pleases us while hee dandles us in his lap holds off enemies enlarges our abilities keepes under our corruptions tries us by no great temptations annoints our paths for us and gives us better gifts fruit of our labours and outward blessings then we expected Oh how we can cleave to him This drawes water out of a marble stone But let our sunne enter never so little into an eclipse or if God remove our strong holds from us leave us to enemies seem to smile upon them side with them suffer them to enjoy whatsoever their heart could wish Psal 80.4 Job 1. Mica 2.7 in having their wills on us But to frown upon us not onely while we sinne but when we repent and to disregard us even in our most frequent importunate praiers Do we then persist in our uprightnes Dowe then as Micah saith beleeve that still Gods word is as good as ever it was to such as walke uprightly When neither Moon nor Sun appears for many dayes do we abhor to suffer darkenesse to possesse us within because there is such a darkenesse without Can we fall to Pauls remedy Act. 27.20 Act. 27.20 Judg. 6. Mica 7.9.10 I beleeve God No no wee cavill and say If the Lord be with us how are all these evills upon us Why I beseech you Although hee hath promised to all beleeving soules to shew them light in darkenesse and after to turne their darkenesse into light yet did hee ever promise us to keepe this darkenesse quite from us Had Christs love so appeared if he had come and kept Lazaras from dying as it did by raising him up when hee was dead and beganne to stinke Bring me forth one word sounding that way that God would alway keepe one even tenor of outward peace and prosperity over his Church and then tell him hee is not as good as his word But this is a Religion better fitting Papists who know not what faith is then such as we Oh be warned This carnality of ours sits neere Gods heart loades him as the cart with sheaves is loaden Doe not give God over thus say there will be light for the righteous it is sown for them though not come up yet God is good to Israel to the upright in heart The eternall strength of God is a brasen pillar Psal 73.1 which the soul may swing all her strength upon in the greatest straits although heaven and earth goe together such shall have peace peace that is sure peace as Esay speaks and as for carnall reason she shall see it too Esay 26.2.3 2 King 7.3 but she shall not eat thereof it is a dainty onely serving for waiters and beleevers It is faith which must doe the worke of workes keepe fire from consuming the bush or burning the three children It is faith which must doe all these feats Heb. 11.35.36.37 Carnall reason never wrought one miracle but it hath marred many Faith and the power of God hath kept a venice glasse from being broken against the wall when it was cast with violence But carnall reason breakes all it throwes Therefore to conclude take heed of her and learne admonition to lot upon the word of truth for thy selfe for the Church in the promise of God in the providence and alsufficiency of God If he satisfie not thy desires know it is not because he is weaker or falser or lesse pitifull then he was but he hath other ends then thou seest hee aimes at purging out thy canker of Selfe and perhaps hath more universall ends for the manifesting of his vengeance upon a Nation not worthy to be beloved deserving a decree to come forth This is no season for carnall sense to lowre but for faith to fall to worke if not to save others yet to save each one himselfe and lay in as Iosia did for himselfe Jer. 45. 2 Kings 22.20 that he may have his life for a prey and he may not see the evills which shall come upon others And so also to lay in pledges of hope for posterity that when Gods winter is come downe and his people scoured and his old brasse and candlesticks melted he will make better vessels of our posterities even zealous ones and prepared for every good worke And againe a third Instance may be this The outward difficulty of Instance 3 the times is great the Lord having marveilously plagued our spirituall surfeting upon his bread of life not onely with a famine of it but even with cleannesse of teeth This hath beene a sore yeare for the poore and pinched the rich What doe you poore ones now For the rich may scape better Do ye fall to fears that you shall be starven Or your do ye solace your selves that still the word abides for a stay unto hearts in these hard times Tell me truly Doth lesse meat serve you because you trust God Doth faith and a cheerfull heart make a little goe a great way Or doe ye runne to the cursed phrase If windowes were in heaven it could not be holpen Truly I hope some of ye speake the truth when you say Gods word for man is not fed with bread only doth sustaine you It is a signe that flesh and sense doe not altogether beare rule I am glad it is no worse goe on and prosper and as the Lord hath hitherto holpen you so that the scarsity of other thevish savage poore hath not oppressed you so hee shall still finde mercy in mens hearts and purses to relieve and helpe you through this famine while plenty come onely learne by this experience to build your altar with Samuel and say Hitherto the Lord hath holpen us and so hee will he hath not kept us from a Beare and a Lion that a Giant 1 Sam. 7.12 a Dog should destroy us Say thus The Lord hath not yet put us so sharply upon the pikes of famine as that we should eate our owne children or mice dogs cats and rats as in former ages of Popery they have done in this Kingdome Therefore I will trust him still and although there shall be no Calfe left in the stall Habac. 3. nor Bullocke in the flocke yet the Lord shall be my salvation I will not as poore as I am say as a Carle lately did
and set a price upon the promise as a pearle above price 2. In divers points Secondly the Lord makes it an easie worke by setling the promise upon the soule and that by sundry workes For first it doth pull up all hedges and fences which stopt the soules course standing between the soule and her harmes he puts her out of feare and sets her out of danger removes Lions of supposed difficulty out of her way as malice of Satan dismaying error of the wicked deterring and selfe distempers which disquiet her with doubtings wee know if a man would goe the next way to a place and avoid dirt and bad way hee must have a guide to lead him by the fields to pull up gaps barres and stops which done the traveller hath great ease So the Lord deales for his he suffers them not to travell tediously to heaven that is the portion of hypocrites who undoe as fast as they doe and are ever new to beginne but to his owne he gives sweet ease in his way If a man should hold our enemy for us and binde him by strength it were as we say five of the seven we might easily beat him Thus our Lord Jesus bindes Satan and difficulties that the soule might get the better of him and goe forward without awcknesse Luke 12. selfe-love or hypocrisie Secondly the Lord makes the promise easie by presenting to her all the good things of it as Canaan was seene easily by Moses when the Lord shewed it unto him and so sets the soule in a sweet course Deut 34.1 2 3 4. Wee know by experience when once a man gets the savour and smack of an object he goes roundly A Tradesman having tasted the reall sweet of his returne and a scholar of his booke take small thought to goe through stitch Paul in that place to the Corinths tells us that the Lord hath diffused the savour of his truth into him and by him to others An hypocrite is puzling after it all his life time 2 Cor. 2.14 but is so poisoned with the more welcome savours of his pleasures gaine and lusts that he falls short of the grace of God and as it is Heb. 12. Esau came short of the blessing Iaacob came just in the way of it and failed not And this savour differs from the decaying and wanzing taste of temporaries it abides in the soule and causes it to be restlesse till it possesse what it savours It is as leven sowres the whole lumpe of minde will affections Thirdly and lastly it doth authorise enable and carry the soule as under a safe convoy into the promise So that without the toile of the wicked it holds on cheerfully in all those meanes which she must use as prayer meditation conference hearing so that she uses not these at had I wist hit they or misse they but as ordinances under the blessing of God which shall not returne in vaine As Esay speakes Esay 55.9.10 The snow and the raine returne not in vaine to him that sent them but cause the earth to bring forth corne to the eater and seed to the sower So shall my word saith the Lord not faile of its scope but to doe that for which I sent it And sithence the Lord Jesus speakes no words in vain but with the promise addes the performance therefore the soule heares it so takes and findes it so even as the command of Christ to the sicke of the palsey Be thou cleane clensed him forthwith So then if the Lord will have it so sweet and easie a worke who shall let it Who shall disanull it So much for the Reasons I proceed to the Use Vses Let this first teach us to put a difference between persons who professe to seeke heaven Whatsoever the world thinkes Instruct 1 that all are alike the matter is nothing so I may say of them as the holy Branch 2 Ghost speakes of the Jewes in Esters Ester 9.14 time when Hamans plot was broken Grace is easie to them that are bred for it that to the Jewes was a day of gladnesse and rest from all their troubles feasting and ease but to their enemies the contrary So I say to all plodding ones and hypocrites the Lord gives as much toile and more for hell as the godly for heaven it is their lot Eccles 2.26 and the portion of their cup They would never come within the condition or suburbes of mercy but the others lot is fallen into a goodly heritage Psal 16. It is with them Simil. as it is with two men carried into a field wherein there lies an hidden treasure The one is left to seeke to dig to harpe upon the place by conjecture and so findes it a bootlesse worke Matth. 13.44 The other is carried to the placâ— pointed by the finger and there he digges and findes it A Scholar in the University that hath a generall wit for learning will thrive and get it although but poorely maintained when another kept there upon costy tearmes wanting such a spirit shall plod in vaine Matth. 13.11 It is only theirs to whom it is given to whom by covenant it belongs even such as renouncing themselves wholly resigne up themselves to him who can only make it easie and sweet The elder brother was as near his fathers elbow as could be and alwaies with him yet it was the lot of the yonger a prodigall turned to his father to eat of the fat calfe to have the ring robe and shooes put on him it was easie for him to be happy when his father would beteame it him as his lot Judg. 14. When Sampsons friends are kept from the riddle how hard is it in seven daies to hit upon it But when they plowed with his heifer how easily they finde it out and come to him saying What is more sweet then hony And what more strong then a Lion When the two Apostles Peter and Paul preached to the Jewes how they pressed upon them the offer of salvation because by vertue of the covenant they were to have the first refusall Read two places Act. 2. Peter tells them To you and to your children out of Gods free love the promise belongs and the powrings out of the spirit and to as many as the Lord our God shall call And so in the 13. of Acts To you brethren the Jewes at Antioch is preached by this man forgivenesse of sinnes It was a great honour though they had not the grace to see it And so much more to all under the condition of faith the promise belongs although to such as are under the condition of their own strength it shall be a meer toile and bondage So much for the first instruction Instruct 2 A second serves to untie a knot in the seeming contradiction of Scriptures Quest Grace is called by name of a yoake how then easie Some presenting unto us a marveilous ease in the yoke of
thou hast dealt with thy servant in mercy thou hast not laid heavy taskes upon me I cannot accuse thee like an hypocrite that thou hast taken up where thou hast not strawed nor reaped where thou hast not sowne Rather I may say that others have laboured and I am entred into their labours that is found a sweet and easie work of beleeving Now as I blesse thee for this so yet be not angry with me if I have another request to make unto thee Matth. 25.24 and that is that thou wouldest still hold the like hand towards me in making the life of faith sweet unto me and the course of obedience most welcome and familiar Oh! let it be no harsh thing unto me to beleeve all thy other promises Gen. 18.30 concerning strength against tentations power against my lusts And breed experience for time to come Lord let not the difficulty of walking be as great as the ease of conversion was mercifull just it were with thee to make it so and to try me what soundnesse what uprightnesse were in me by hard trialls But oh lead me not into tentation do not suffer my corruptions to wax stronger then I can master nor Satan to be more fierce and fiery in his darts then I can resist or quench I doe not pray against crosses or assaults but that they may be according to man and that an issue may be given with them that I may say thou hast been afflicted with me in all my afflictions to make them tolerable Esay 63.9 by thy meekenesse confidence patience and courage put into me Let the Angel of thy presence save me and conduct me beare me up by thy hand continually and redeeme me out of them all at last in an happy manner give me O Lord both the upper and the nether springs enlarge my coast and be with me against those Cananites of the mountaines Judg. 1.15 who have iron chariots If thou shalt indeed blesse me as Iabez said thou shalt be my God 1 Chron. 4.10 Teach me mercy to the distressed patience in affliction faith in straits sobernesse in blessings faithfulnesse if a Minister subjection if a wife understanding if an husband dutifulnesse if a child trustinesse if a servant and let there be sweet ease in all these Lust is sweet Lord to my unmortified part but present thou such a prevailing sweetnesse in thy love by thy promise that it may bear down the corrupt pleasure of my sinne so that while thy love and the joy of thy countenance is present the image of such scurfe may bee despised and it may not be tedious to mee to reject the tentations to wrath revenge earthlinesse loosenesse in liberties pride vanity But all these may become bitter to mee thy grace making them so Oh brethren the Lord teach you to thinke of this Strange it is how many of us goe to worke with God in the way of our conversation especially if private solemne dangerous disgraced hard duties be urged wee finde our hearts so sullen weary hollow fickle carnall in any duty which concernes us as if God were highly beholding to us for our worke What then should be the pitch of our ambition with God save that still he would carry us upon Eagles wings hide all difficulty of Religion from us present it to us as a sweet object remove our waywardnesse of will and fill us with love that wee comprehending the length depth and height of it might be filled with his fulnesse and be carried on without any great rubs or sad offences that our heads may not be brought to our graves with sorrow but wee may finish our course with joy David in that Psalme 27.4 having found one mercy with God staies not there but laies in for a new What is that One thing I will aske of God that he will not deny me That I may walke and spend all my daies in his house continually A child findes it no trouble to him to walke in the presence of a loving father who pitties and provides for him So shouldest thou Mourne thus if ever any thing come between my soul and ease it will be this treacherous heart which will come to a point It s that which so manacles and pinions my soule that I cannot reach that liberty and joy which thy servants feele It s that Lord which makes me so darke so lowring discontent unfruitfull and sad Esay 38. Oh Lord ease me here these have oppressed me deliver me I doe not lay in for liberty to the lusts of the flesh to fulfill them Pray for five things to make Religion sweet I desire the curbing and destruction of them for ever and their wasting daily But till thy sweetnesse satisfie my soule and soake me to the rootes I shall never be as I would be nor can thy worke bee as it ought to be Accept therefore first the will for the deed a little for much that shall be one vantage Then againe cover and hide defects and looke upon my better part thine owne grace and not my corruption interpret me with favour to the uttermost Then thirdly betrust me with those principles of love and sincerity which will make a little goe a great way And then make my lusts to be my clogs and as Sauls armour upon Davids backe who could not goe with them And to conclude make the yoake of thine afflictions easie and enlarge me to runne the way of thy commandements with cheerfulnesse So much for this third Branch Branch 4 But there is yet a fourth branch of Exhortation behinde flowing more necessarily from this Doctrine Nourish not feares about the way of God then any of the former And that is this That seeing the people of God have an allowance from God of ease in beleeving Therefore let all poore soules set their hearts at rest and not nourish fears within themselves of a more tedious entrance into the Kingdome of Grace then the Lord hath promised Nay rather let them fasten upon this priviledge not looking at themselves but at him who hath all impossibilities at his becke and can turne them to ease In which respect Abraham is said to beleeve that although in shew Sara's wombe was to be barren yet because God was able to make good his word therefore from one who was as dead should issue thousands Thus faith gives glory to God and drownes her owne fears in his power True it is wee cannot beleeve that God will make his promise easie till we beleeve But one excellent argument to draw us to beleeve is the meditation of it as an easie worke and that the Lord can and will make it so As I noted before the cause why so many start and shrinke from the way of God is the conceit of the most noysome and tedious hardnesse of it The sluggard still cries A Lion is in the way Proverb I dare not goe Take we heed of this bondage Wee cannot dishonour God
more deadly then by an ill conceit of him and his method of beleeving For wisdome is easie to him that loveth understanding if God will make it so why shouldest thou gainsay it A lowring sullen heart causeth this slavery in us wee are willing to beleeve that which we wish but looke what we have small list unto that we naturally frame to our selves very difficult Counsells against this disease Strive first to get a true judgement of the way of conversion that the Lord hath said its easie It s that which Naamans servants here labour to beat into their Master and by it prevailed with him for the obeying of the promise Next strive to get under the condition of it for all such are at next door to it To this end instead of studying thy selfe and thine owne abilities study the promise and let that draw thee to be in love with him who hath so freely offered it that will winne thy affections to it and when thy heart is taken with it thou shalt soone be on thornes to enjoy it The ease of beleeving issues from the soules getting under the condition of the promise Touching which point because it will offer it selfe in the next verse more fully I say the lesse here That which in a word I will presse here and so finish is this Resist faiths enemy which is bondage an ill opinion of God a conceit that he love our toile and vexation and nourish faiths friend which is Gods ease and that he is no hard Master no tyrant no taske-master but one that delights in a cheerfull obeyer and faith will follow sweetly God loves one that will not bee scared away with Lions and Beares but come to God for ease with assurance that its easie for him to give The cause why there is such difficulty in beleeving comes not from God but it comes from our false opinion and a strange conceit that all pretious things must bee difficult It costs the Lord exceeding paines to banish out this error which if it were once overcome it s not to be said what incredible ease would appeare Therefore let thy course poore soule be to beg of God the benefit of this ease pray to him and say If the way to heaven be of thy meer inventing if the Lord Jesus himself be thy free gift if the offer of him to a loaden heart be free and voluntary if the gift of faith it self be thine and thou hast bound thy self both to give feet to come and to give ease to the soule that commeth where lies the difficulty Surely in the slavish heart which feares where no feare is which judges of God according to her owne sense Now to sense and flesh who dare say or when did ever God say faith was easie Come to him then and importune him for this ease Lord take away my slavish heart I have wofull experience what my moyling and toyling wit and course is able to doe At the first I liked it well as mine owne strength but now I am tired with it I see it s thy plague thou givest toyle to the wicked but to the good and pleasing in thy sight ease and rest To hunt and to rost that they have got in hunting to labour moderately and to eat of the fruit thereof Oh this blessing I want Lord all the fish in the sea are at thy call thou canst in a moment gather them all together into one place Luke 5. Joh. ult Gen. 18.14 Thou canst bid Peter spread his net just where they are and enclose multitudes in it after he had fished all night and catcht nothing Alas he cast out his net on the wrong side all the while but when the Lord Jesus came then he cast on the right side and catcht abundance At thy command Lord a dead heart shall be quickned a dead wombe shall conceive a creeple of thirty eight yeares shall be healed and what hard thing hath not turned easie at thy command What was easier then to goe through the red sea first and then Jorden dryshod when thou causedst the windes to keep up the waters like two walls on both sides and to dry up the mud in the midst What is hard save because of lets And what is not easie if barres be removed Oh therefore Lord thou who by that miracle madest Peter a Preacher and gavest him a signe that he should be a fisher of men and enclose three thousand at one Sermon teach me this blessed gift make me such a Preacher of reconciliation by thy skill and ease Act. 2. And thou who broughtest all fishes under the net bee not discouraged by my shinesse feare and loathnesse to bee driven in Say but the word and I shall come under it and thy Minister shall cast out on the right side and enclose me Oh happy soule if after all my tricks and wiles to shunne thee thou shalt at the last make my will willing and cause me to come under the sweet and yet authority of thy promise I crave not Lydia's ease Zachees ease I know now thy course is more leasurely I doe not so much seeke shortnesse of labour as sweetnesse of spirit and meekenesse of heart and surenesse of successe and riddance of my basenesse and contradictions The wildernesse shall be as welcome to me as the way of the Philistins if thou wilt tame my rebellions and give me a pledge of Canaan at last The Lord will not stop his eare to such a prayer mercy pleaseth him and the ease of mercy pleaseth him what should hinder him from giving that which pleaseth him Onely our owne ease set up against his makes the way to heaven tedious if that be removed heaven will bee as easie as this cure was by washing in Jorden So much for this last Branch as also for the whole Use Vse 5 I proceed now to the fifth Use which is Admonition and Caveat viz. Admonition Wisdome is needfull to judge of the ease of grace That notwithstanding all which hath beene said about this point yet that we be wise and discreet in our judgements both concerning Gods diversity of dispensation and concerning the estates of men For the first although I have said nothing but the truth of God hitherto yet this must not breed ill bloud in us when we consider his casting off thousands yea millions of people both such as are without the pale of the Church and such as are visible members by Baptisme It may arise in the mindes of some to thinke that if the way of God were easie why should the Lord hide it from so many generations from the beginning till now for ought we know among Pagans and Infidels And why should so many among our selves after their long knowledge and use of meanes yet finde it so hard a taske and come short of it when all is done The answer whereto is That the secret waies of God are not for us to descant upon If he will
conceale this way of his from many for speciall cause we must say Knowne unto the Lord are all his wayes and workes from the beginning Act. 15.18 Hebrew Greeke and Latine are things easie and familiar to some children but they who never had training Judge not rashly either of Gods publicke never come to know them they are theirs whose lot it was to have good education It s the lot of some Countries to have plentifull Mines of gold and silver and it s no hard matter for such to dig it out of the earth Act. 17.38 But they whose lot it is to have no such priviledge know not what the ease thereof meanes Therefore the wofull forsaking of them and passing by those times of ignorance must not make us thinke that those to whom the Lord reveales it finde it to be a difficulty It s easie onely to such as the Lord makes it so Whom he will he shewes mercy unto and whom he will he hardneth Such secrets as these must be trembled at and adored not descanted rather those whose portion it is to bee so mildly and easily drawne home to God should applaud and magnifie his goodnesse to them as a peculiar priviledge and say He hath not done thus to every Nation neither have all knowne his wayes That which hath beene impossible for some to reach unto we have beene borne unto as free men and have found it easie and sweet unto us Secondly let not us judge the estates of such Or private administrations as whom the Lord hath exercised with long difficulties in this point of beleeving I need not instance It s well knowne to all that observe Gods government how different it is in this kinde how sweetly and safely the Lord hath drawne and carryed on the course of some of his servants with ease and comfort And yet how many others not inferior in grace unto them have beene brought through a thicket to heaven Paradise and Purgatory are not more contrary notions then the estates of these two How many holy men Preachers and others have led wearisome dayes nights and yeares in their conflict and continuall combat of their unbeleefe How intricate hath Satan and Melancholy made their conditions that they have thought it as impossible for them to beleeve as to climbe up to the clouds The Lord knowes why he suffers such holy humble and hungry soules to be so long tozed and disquieted without ease some to see sinne more bitter in the crosse and curse of Christ then in all legall terrors and some to dye so Phil. 3. not to teach us to judge them for no doubt they are comprehended of him whom they comprehend not but to tremble and adore the Soveraignty of God who will as it were step out of his course when he pleaseth and is bound to none and hath it in his owne hands how and by what way hee will bring his to heaven So much for this fifth Use Lastly this should be Encouragement and Comfort That although the helpes and meanes under which they live are poore their wits silly Vse 6 their memories weake their courage small their feares great Comfort and encouragement to poore soules by this ease the Divell mighty to beat them off their friends ready to discourage and above all their own hearts most ready to dismay and give them the slip yet the Lord having drawn them truly to seek him he can make the way easie and can fight as well with few as with many He can make a way through Euphrates for his remnant to returne by as Esay saith His bare word speaking causeth the light to appeare 2 Cor. 4.6 and one word of his mouth will cause the light of grace to shine in the heart and scatter all darkenesse at once Oh! how shalt thou hold up thine head before the Lord when he hath made thy way easie if thou by thy base sloth and presumption or stoutnesse and rebellion or by the minding of other trash shalt make thy selfe uncapable of it When the Lord promises to carry thine Arke above all rocks and mountaines and to set it downe at length in safety upon dry land that yet thou wilt not betrust thy selfe to it nor resigne up thy feares unto him Oh thou shalt be speechlesse when the Lord comes against thee Therefore to finish the point beare thy selfe upon this sweet priviledge of ease and enjoy it was not Ruth willing to enjoy the favour of easie gleaning Did she reject the ease which Boaz his favour allowed her Ruth 2.16 3.13 in suffering the eares of corne to be scattered before her by handfulls No surely she and her mother both tooke it as from God Say thus I thinke it was thy good will and pleasure Lord to have it thus else it should never have beene thou meantest love to me else I should have made no such earnings of it But seeing thou wilt have it so shall I reject it No but rather draw others by thine experience to seeke the like 2 King 7. Ease makes men very ready to talke The two lepers having found such an easie booty could not bee quiet till they had declared it to the Kings house declare it thou to thy wife to thy poore children let it be as a loadstone to pull their hearts to the promise Come my child I see thou fearest thou shalt never get any thing but looke not thou at thine owne awcknesse looke at the Lords ease I looked to have met with as hard a bargaine of it as ever did any but no sooner had the Lord tired me with mine owne wrastlings and humbled me under the hope of his sweet ease but my chiefe worke was over Even so get downe thy heart subdue it to Gods promise and all shall be sweet and easie If a Lady being sued too by a King to be his wife should answer were I a Queene I would soone hearken but alas I am a poore Lady Would the King affect her No surely the marrying of a King will make a Queen of it selfe 1 Sam. 25. Abigail hearing that David had sent for her to be his wife made a great matter of it but seeing he would needs have it so rejected it not though she was not meet to wash the feet of his servants 1 Sam. 18.23 And David though he said Seems it an easie thing unto you to be the Kings sonne in law Yet refused not finally to bee so when it was put upon but accepted it with gladnesse No man willingly stands in the light of his owne lawfull preferment save a foole And so much for this last Use and for the whole Doctrine grounded upon this first Argument of the Servants The second argument of the servants Naamans love and respect to Elisha Now I proceed to the second And that is the love esteeme and repute wherein their Master formerly had had the Prophet They saw it now to bee weakened through
No they would not for a world have concealed it but now they were glad that they gave not place to their Masters madnesse or their own feare of his ill will and that by this craft of theirs even of sincerity they had conquered him Oh how many temptations we have within and without to lay downe our counsells and give all over thinking wee shall tire our selves and prevaile little purchase ill will for our love and hatred for our sincerity and that would grieve us Grive us nay it would have grieved us if we had beene hollow but there is no cause of griefe now whether our counsell take or not our labour is with God Sonne of man saith God to Ezek. 18. If thou seest the plague comming and shalt plainly tell them of it thou hast saved thine owne soule their bloud shall be upon their owne head if they beleeve not Here is the season of upbraiding by base Rebels for our plaine dealing But bee of good cheere hereafter will be the day in which wee shall be admired when the Lord shall arraigne all Sycophants for their flattery and spilling the bloud of soules and the bloud of Christ the price thereof then conscience shall rend them in peeces then all their owne ends of gaine or ambition shall vanish and then they will cry out Oh that we had beene faithfull Then shalt thou be comforted and they tormented yea let all such as have received good counsell rejoice and bee thankefull David having heard Abigails plaine counsell was rapt into praise unto God 1 Sam. 25. Oh saith she my Lord it will not grieve thee when thou shalt sit upon the throne that thou hast obeyed thine handmaid and not shed innocent bloud Grieve thee nay wonderfully glad thee that thou scapedst such a disaster Oh saith he blessed be the Lord and blessed be thy counsell which hath turned off my sword from this fact which else I had committed so shalt thou blesse God for a counsellor and for mercy to perswade thee by it and say it was ten to one that I tooke it I had as many temptations to reject it as Naaman had here which if I had I had gone on in my unbeleefe and pride to hell which gulfe I have now shot We need not aske whether Naaman comforted himselfe in following the advice of his Servants Concerning which the verses following entreat Thus much for this third argument of the Servants viz. the sincerity of Elisha his counsell There is yet one more which now I come to and so finish the whole Verse And that is in the last words How much more when he saith unto thee wash and be cleane It is taken from a comparison of unequalls Their fourth and last aâ—gument from comparison Thus thou pretendest great respect to the Prophet in greater things this is but a small one if thou meane as thou makest shew thou must needs obey in the lesser if thou meantst it in the greater else thou shouldest be but hollow and not to be trusted The point is He that is honest and upright Doctrine The faithfull in greater things will much more be so in smaller if he be faithfull in greater things will much more be so in smaller This point attends the former very fitly That called upon us for the brestplate of righteousnesse This puts upon us the belt or girdle of Truth Both are peeces of the Christian armor Ephes 6. and the summe of it is That where truth is there is proportion and equalnesse A man may know where to have an honest man if he shew forwardnesse in great things by good reason a man may expect readines to do smaller matters He is but a meer boaster and hypocrite who makes great shewes of doing this or that but being puâ— to the triall shrinkes his neck out of the collar even in trifles no man judges such a one to be any better then a gull But to speak a word or two in the Proofe and so breefly come to the Use Luke 16.11 The ground of it may be fetcht from that speech of our Saviour If you be unfaithfull in the lesser things the Mammon of this world who will trust you in the greater Treasure That is if you may not be trusted in the disbursing of a little pelfe and trash that perisheth for the good of the body and releefe of the poore who will trust you in the dispensing of heavenly treasure to the comfort of the soules of such as need it As if he had said The Law of equity supposes that if you were faithfull in a greater you might be well trusted with the lesser but if the lesser bewray you to be unfaithfull doubtlesse much more would you be so in the greater If I should betrust a man with twenty shillings to distribute it among poor folke the party should deceive me and rob the poor of it I durst hardly trust him to be my Executor to disburse a great summe to their use The reason is good and holds strong that basenesse of heart which hinders him from the lesse by reason of a trifle would assuredly much more withdraw him by a greater booty and try his falshood And so by contraries But I will adde a Reason or two First Religion agrees well with naturall principles and admits those consequences which reason allowes Now there is nothing more common Reason 1 in nature and reason then this That every whole must needs containe his parts and every general his particulars for why its greater and therefore includes his lesser Againe we have a rule issuing from hence That which availes in the greater much more availes in the lesser Whether greater in quantity the greater circle includes the lesse the perfectest figure as a circle comprehends a lesse perfect as a cube or in quality as a greater heat containes a lesser a greater light as the Sun containes the lesser as the Moone So in other degrees greater strength containes a lesse in numbers hundred comprehends scores oftnesse comprehends seldomenesse in notions the more unlikely comprehends the lesse the more difficult the more easie and arguments may easily be drawne from the one to the other to convince any that is guided by sound reason Therefore it must hold in Religion also Reason 2 Secondly God is the God of order and his off-spring is like him Religion is an orderly thing no confusion But if men might goe to worke as they list and goe out and in be off and on in greater matters conscionable in lesser carelesse bound to no rule where should wee have or finde men Religion being the seed of God acts and workes the heart to grace or duty by an infallible principle so that who so makes conscience of great things doth it upon a command of God and not only for observation sake or base respects Now he who is guided by a command considers it according to the extent of it and if he bee willing in cases
cast in more if she had had it But the other cast in out of ostentation because they were seen of men and cast in of their superfluity and jollity of spirit who perhaps if they had been moved in secret to give here or there a shilling where their gift should have beene buried would have shrunke in their heads Whence is it thinke we that many jolly fellowes are very forward to give scores of hundreds of pounds to Schools Hospitalls or in a publick sort who if they see private reasons of contribution to many a decayed Christian or Minister are hardly drawne to it Oh! because not the naked simplicity of the thing as to God but the observation publickenesse memoriall and name of the one better agrees with their pharisaicall spirit then the other whereas if the true end were reliefe of the distressed Eccles 11.1 they would as well cast their bread upon the waters as into an open stocke I discourage none nor censure any particular persons for their almes these are no dayes for it I rather would speake two words to further then one to hinder yet we know such a disease there is Eccles 10.1 and who would spoile a whole box of ointment for one dead fly doe both scatter in private some handfulls as well as powre out whole bushells and then the suspition is taken away Once I remember a man who long profferd his kindenesse to a Colledge but still left his gift sealed up till death then he would give all but before nothing Why Alas after death there is no pleasure which before there is and men are willing to part with their wealth when pleasure in it and power of it are gone I tax none who give after death but desire to rectifie them for ability permitting who should not rather chuse in part at least to be his owne executor then to leave it to strangers not knowing what it may come to Take an instance out of the six later commands whereof every former exceeds his later But why I demand doe many men seem to obey in the maine command which provides for the life it selfe of man when as the lesser which concerne his chastity his wealth his name are slighted He that does no murther dares defile his neighbours wife steale his goods or traduce his name Doth not this practice directly crosse my doctrine Yes but then you must marke here is no honesty no faithfulnesse in such a person Where that failes there be many causes why the greater may tye them who in the smaller will bee loose First because a lesser vice may be more naturall to the constitution of the body then the greater All vices cannot roote alike in the soile of a bad heart at least providence barres and bounds our corrupt nature that it be not endlesse all vices cannot be nourished corruption hath a streame if it should scatter it selfe one sinne and lust might crosse another Thou maiest regard the life of a poore man although thou be an uncleâ—ne beast because that sinne is thy beloved and predominant sin and so matters the rest Secondly this disorder may arise from terror and feare of horrible impieties horror of the penalty unnaturalnesse of the fact and such like bits and bridles which God puts into the mouthes of men which if they were absent the rule would soone prove true the committer of the greater would make no bones of the smaller Eye for eye tooth fortooth skin for skin and all that he hath will a man give for his life but smaller things are not so perilous Thirdly this may issue from vain-glory when a man thinks he shall have a deeper esteeme among men for some greater worke which in a lesser would vanish of which before Or pride when a base heart thinks smaller duties to be under him and not equall to his great stomacke to undertake though perhaps some great ones he will stoope unto as more suting to his greatnesse We have a Proverb Eagles catch no flies So the spirits of great ones thinke that small matters are a dishonour to them they will not foule their fingers with them So much for this This serves againe for confutation of Popery They would beare us Vse 2 downe and make themselves above us in the point of mortification and God helpe Confutation of Popery the best of us come short of it in these daies of sensuality and fleshly liberty But to goe to our Doctrine They tell us that the perfection of self-deniall stands in outward workes of Penance and Satisfaction in scourgings in fastings in abstinence from marriage in course apparell in standing up to the midle in cold water in the winter time in pilgrimages and such like of which the Apostle saith Col. 3. ult They have a shew of wisdome in will-worship humility and neglect of the body denying honour to the satisfying of the flesh Popish mortifications discovered to be false But nothing to the true mortifying of the spirit the frame of that still continues the same proud conceited and imputing these to merit as if they engaged God to themselves by them But as for our mortification which they say is secret and stands in the mortifying of our wills and concupiscence lusts and affections the fruit of faith purging the conscience Oh this is but a pretence of hypocrites who come farre short of their fruits in this case And to confesse the truth it were to be desired that we Protestants discovered our mortification in greater and more outward selfe-deniall then we doe But as for them this I say if they excell us so much in the greater how comes it to passe that they faile so much in thâ—t they count the smaller I meane inward humility denying of their owne affections Is it not tenne times harder to get that grace of faith and change of heart into us which should make us abhor our selves in all our performances then to tame the flesh for a while that so the spirit may gaine thereby a deeper opinion of merit and giving full satisfaction to God for sin Did not those thus in Mica 6. offer to God whole flocks and droves and rivers of oile and wine and their first borne Did not they esteem these great matters But what saith the Lord unto them Doth he not convince them of their hypocrisie and tell them That the things which he calls for are within Outward things he cares not for but to walke humbly with him and to do justly and shew mercy Therefore it is evident they these fail in their account and set a greater marke upon their devotion then God doth and therefore are lyars If those things which they alledge were greatest surely they who are so forward in them would not be behinde hand in such as they account the smaller Esay 66.2 They would say of themselves when all is done our righteousnesse is as a menstrous clout and count themselves for ought is in them to merit as
Publicans and vilest ones unprofitable servants whereas their building within rises up to a greater height of self-confidence by their outward castings downe for they thinke that not onely they may merit for themselves but for others and more then fulfill the Law and so by equalling themselves to Christ they overthrow the sole soveraignty of his satisfaction and merit But O ye â—opish mortifiers of the flesh adde one thing more get the power of the word into you to divide betweene the bones and the marrow Heb. 4.12 to goe betweene your hearts and your corruption and to cast downe those high things of yours those imaginations which set up themselves against the simplicity of Christ and then so farre as the word warrants us wee will joyne with you in outward fruits wherein though many of us faile more then you yet this makes your Doctrine never the sounder nor justifies your defect in the great matter of Sincerity and Faithfulnesse Wofull hypocrites who straine out a gnat but swallow a Camel dare not eat an egge in Lent but dare kill your Prince And although wee will not wholly condemne all those patternes of humility whom you boast of for certainly many of your first Monks and Votaries were honester then your selves yet we know that their devotion had much wil-worship in it which cannot warrant yours much lesse can yours stand which hath neither honesty within nor warrant of the word without to maintaine it So much for this also Vse 3 Thirdly this serves to instruct us how to esteem of Gods administrations and dealings and how to dispute with our own soules in the case of our distrust and infidelity I remember the argument by which Elisha perswades that Iehoram and his company 2 King 3. to beleeve that God will give them water in that perill of drought This is a small thing saith he for the Lord to doe for you For why He will also deliver the Moabites into your hands a farre greater thing Sutable to which was that which the Lord would convince Ahaz of by Isaiah Esay 7. viz. the victory he should have of the Aramites Is it a small thing saith he for you to weary the Lord and to distrust his power Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son and shall call his name Emanuel which is a greater thing then to give you victory To apply this Let us learne hence to summe up the mercies of God vouchsafed us already and let us weigh them in due ballance If wee have seene him feed seven thousand with a few loaves Gods faithfulnesse to us in the maine must make us trust him in the smaller things doe we distrust him to feed twelve Disciples Do we finde that he hath bestowed upon us the maine let us beware of distrusting him in the lesser For he holds this rule much more surely then we We will trust a friend that hath lent us an hundred pound for the lending us twenty shillings and shall we distrust God He that hath made our bodies and breathed in our soules will he deny us food and raiment Is not the belly better then meat and the body then cloathing Whence is then this our distrust If he hath given us his Sonne Matth. 6.25 will he not with him much more give us other things lesser matters If he have made us a feast in the mountaines will he not much more give us ordinary food in the valleyes Had it not beene a base distrust in them that came into Canaan to thinke that God might suffer them to starve in the midst of a land flowing with milke and hony having before by a miracle nourished them with manna quales and the following rocke of water in the desert Doth the Lord urge us sinfull wretches by a Law which himselfe will not observe If we be faithfull in the greater treasure will he trust us in the lesser and will not we trust him Let us boldly urge the argument upon him by faith and we shall prevaile Rom. 8.32 he himselfe hath put it into our mouth If it become weake Read a speciall place in Math. 16.8.9 it s because we have made it so by our unbeleefe and let it fall to the earth We deceive our selves in the fundamentall promise and then accuse him that he keeps not touch with us in the lesser But if we would deale substantially in matters of weight we should finde that other lesser things would follow our hand with ease and the great ship of the main promise would carry all our smaller vessells of our secondary supplies after it without our rowing or strife But oh how basely doe we deale herein with God and our selves We dare beleeve that God will save our soules but whether he will keep us from poverty or no or bring us out of debt or enable us to maintaine our charge we cannot tell we have not so cleer a word for that we say as for the other Nay rather we yeeld more to sense and carnall reason in this then in the other or else make our selves thinke we beleeve the former better then indeed we doe Alas if the greatest were beleeved it were easie to cast anchor upon the other If the mountaine be given us shall a molehill be denied us No but we are pinched more with unbeleefe in the lesser then the greater if we had the like pinch of heart about the chiefe point of favour and pardon would it not thinke we dash the other and make it nothing Save my soule Lord and for my body doe thou as thou wilt for thou canst not doe amisse thou art tyed by thy promise to the lesser How comes it to passe then that those who have tasted how sweet the Lord hath beene in easing us of a burthen which wee never lookt to be rid of that we distrust him for faith in petty cases As for the easing us of such a strait aiding us in such a crosse of bad wife subtill enemy helping us in the losse of a good Ministery or in the encumbrance of a bad unprofitable people or ill and unsavoury Minister or strengthning us against such a lust or enlarging in us such a grace or granting us such friends in our distresse of body or blessing in our trade or training up of children or saving us and them from the customes of this present evill world or giving us our daily bread Oh thou of little faith what wilt thou be heathenish Shall the Lord cloath the grasse and deck the lillies which labour not nor spinne and shall he leave thee naked Not if thou labour and spinne out the promise in speciall Other of Gods people have done so Habac. 3. 1 Sam. 17. Habacuc would not distrust God though no bullocke were in the stall no calfe or sheep in the fold David will not distrust God touching the Philistin having killed both Lion and Beare and concludes 1 Chron. 16. that God will not
the cure of his soule as an overplus to the cure of his body The other is secret and yet manifest enough for now the Text would give us to understand That all his old wrath and conceits were vanisht all was now on the suddaine changed Jorden was an happy water to him but rather his faith for that scoured away all his distempers at once never to be heard of any more This for the analyse of this Verse Other second consequents there are not belonging to my purpose and scope in handling of this story and they lye in the three verses after We come to the first of these which as I noted the coherence of the verse with the former gives us to conceive of To wit that now at last seasonably even as apples of gold and pictures of silver comes in a calme after a great and long storme Who loves not to heare of rest after labour and joy after heavinesse Oh it s as dew to the grasse and as drinke to the thirsty Naaman was one whom God had a purpose to honour his grace upon at last and therefore lo so must it prove though it were long first even after many defeats and conflicts yet he obeyes the Prophet and is healed of his leprosie The point is God hath an appointed and set time for all his Doctrine God hath a time of accomplishing the worke of grace in his Elect. wherein after all their feares and distempers he will vouchsafe them an happy issue at the last No corruption within them no difficulty in the worke of faith no malice of Divell no discouragements by others nor the longsome delayes of grace and mercy shall finally deprive them of pardon and comfort But at the time appointed God shall bring forth judgement unto victory and in the meane season support the soule from utter sinking under her burthen Psal 97.11 There is light sowne for the righteous though it lye long in the moulds by reason of cold snuffes of weather yet a sweet day at last will come and a sunshine to fetch it up Proofes of Scripture are so many that I must cull out some few Heb. 4.9 That in the Hebrewes agrees well with this in the generall There is then a rest for the people of God a Sabbath of grace of pardon and peace after many unlikelihoods and a Sabbath of glory after all their combats and conflicts here That which Elizabeth tells Mary Luke 1. is true of all whom God hath by his Spirit conceived in the wombe of the Church there shall be given a performance to them of all the things which are promised from the Lord. A time there is for all things as of toile feare doubts resistance so of ease rest resolution and submission to the word Eccles 1.2 They shall be as glad of it as ever they were averse and aloofe from it God creates the fruit of the lips peace to them not onely who are neere and faire for it but far off and unlike to speed of it Esay 57.17 Heb 10.37 Mal. 3. Hos 12. He who commeth will come and not tarry and bring healing in his wings He will accomplish the warfare of his Sion and be as one that takes off the yoke from the jawes and lay meat unto them A most divine text is that of Esay I saw his concupisence and I will heale him for why He will not be angry nor contend for ever for then should flesh faile and the soules which he hath made The like whereto is that in his 54. Chap. For a moment in wrath I smote him I hid my selfe and was angry for a while Esay 54.7 for a short time But with everlasting compassions will I returne to him saith the the Lord thy redeemer Marke The dayes of peace shall not be as the time of trouble that 's but an houre of darkenesse but this a day of light And shall recompence the tribulation with a settled welfare Job ult As Iob when God turned his captivity enjoyed all comforts with continuance yea the Lord addes This is no casuall thing but certaine It is as the flood of Noah which the Lord sware should no more destroy the earth and his covenant is as the Rainbow which when we see we resolve there shall be no more such deluge Reason 1 Reasons also are many Not onely from Gods secret purpose who knowes his owne and therefore its impossible for any chaines to hold them from him They must one day feele the power of that election to call them to save them which first preordained them to grace But also from the course of Gods revealed will and dispensation For that grace which first prevents them afterward assists and followes them till at last it perfect the worke of faith in them Both the former I noted in this present example God prevented him by the message of the Prophets ablenesse to heale him by the Damsels meanes and brings him to the Prophet though after much error The same God assisted him there and raised up his servants to be his Counsellors though much pudder came betweene And now at last when the disease was ripe he lets out the impostume overthrowes Selfe and carnall reason melts and perswades his heart so that although he was more like to have gone from Jorden in a rage yet now he goes and washes himselfe in it and recovers And thus deales the Lord with us if he have savingly prevented graciously assisted he will powerfully finish his worke else should his power be questioned and men might say of him as they do of men who have laid a platform of a great building and begun the bottomes of it Luke 14.39.30 but cannot finish Now this were repugnant to the glory of his grace and the power of his might unto which nothing be it never so unlikely is impossible Luke 1. Reason 2 The second Reason may be taken from the absurdity and inconvenience which must follow if this were otherwise This I toucht out of Esay 57.16 before and God himself makes it a reason teaching us to alledge it If it could be otherwise then it were possible that the most excellent nature of God wherein he exceeds all his other attributes might be questioned I say then might that compassion and mercy in God receive a great foile and reproach Then should God seeme to take from man his righteousnesse which he is farre from Lam. 3.35 To rejoice in the misery of the creature then should he lose his name and honour with his people and not attaine his owne ends but faile of his purpose Then should the art of God in the way of conversion bee frustrate and prove uneffectuall as not being grounded upon certaine foundations then should his promises incur the blur of unfaithfulnesse and in a word the soule should become as one in a wood wandring and wildring it selfe untill at the last it lye downe in her owne sorrow and confusion utterly
pride and stoutnesse begins to quaile and his great stomack comes downe That heart which before was the heart of Leviathan as Iob describes it hard as a stone now melts and becomes soft as wax This is a signe indeed of mercy drawing neare a poore soule that even as before all turned to gall and bitternesse Job 41.24 and like bad physick wrought by contraries so now the Lord purposing to perfect his work with power lo all goes right and the omnipotent arme of God subduing and casting downe all high things that before caused the heart to swell and bluster against the way of God now molifies the hard heart and thaws it as the frost by the southwind Oh what a strange alteration doth the rising Sun cause in the horizon Fogs and mists and darkenesse vanish and disperse themselves and all the coast is cleare againe as if there had never beene any such And marke it who will thus it fares with every soule which comes to God the nearer it drawes to the Sun of righteousnesse the more melting and humble it is all old quarrells and cavills all old rebellion and stoutnesse of spirit are scattered when Christ once arises to rebuke the boisterous rage of the sea for such is every wicked heart Esay 57. ult even foaming and casting up mire and dirt then on the suddaine all waxes mild and calme and the place where frowardnesse and distempers grew is no more found Thus much for the third question I come to the Uses of the point which are many fold First it instructs Vse 1 us about a difference betweene the hypocrite and the sound hearted seeker after God Instruction 1. Branch Hypocrites elect ones differ in their issues Matth. 12. There may seeme no great oddes in their paines and endeavours both may seeme earnest and longsome both heare much pray and live in the element of meanes constantly both have their terrors their hopes their flashings of light and comfort both have their ebbings and flowings sorrowes and joyes but the one hath not the issue which the other hath The end of the one is to goe out in darkenesse the other to overcome and breake forth into victory The end of the righteous marke it Psal 37. is alway peace though after long toile and hazard The righteous are saved though scarce and with much ado and at last they come to the haven They are like to them in the ship wherein Paul sailed Act. 27. though they had so toilesome a travell of it all the winter yet God gave to Paul all the soules that were with him and bid him be of good comfort for all should safely come to land at last The truth is there is an ods between them from first to last in their knowledge in the work of the Law their terrors and of the Gospell their sorrow their desire and the rest But that is not so easie for us to discerne God only sees that But in the upshot it is manifest For then it appeares that there was a different principle that acted them the one from himselfe to himselfe the other from the Spirit of grace for the honour of grace and the change of the heart As Saint Nazianzen once spake of one of the Councells that neither it began with God neither would end for him Looke well about you brethren for God helpe us the worke of faith seems to be perfected in few of us to any purpose preaching in and out of season we have long had and all follow it but to behold the sad and dead point which many of us doe and long have stood at would flait any honest heart to think of one would thinke those former trialls should exercise every one of us to see what at last will come of all our struglings and strifes I pray God we prove not of the baser sort that enter not but faile of Gods grace though it be long first yet if at last our successe answer our pains it will be well An item to these persons But it s not amisse for some of us to suppose the hardest and say what if I should not be of them who shall end in comfort All shall not If I be one what doe I running this round and treading this maze in vaine As neere at my death as at my entrance And like to one wildred all night and in the morning comming to the place he set out I beseech you looke over those markes above hurt it can doe you none God sets us not to this taske of hearing and profession for policy and to keep us occupied and from idlenesse No he sets us to heaven-ward if we see not his scope we may wander all our lives and never the nearer and what a sad woe would that bring with it Many poore soules are afraid that death will come ere grace bee perfected But I pray God it prove not the portion of many that feare it not but are confident that the upper milstone running upon the nether the corne will be grownd whereas alas they have no corne between the milstones their soules laâ— not in for any such matter as to get their soules saved and broken Esau thought nothing when he dallied with his birthright but after it was gone all his howling could not recover it Be wise therefore looke still at the scope the end must pay for all be sure your growths to heavenward be sure though slow be sure your conception be good and that the seed of God is in you then shall all your combats and strifes be as Rebecca's whom God told she had twins So be sure there be a child a breeding and true life for that will beare you through and at your birth you shall forget your sorrow Otherwise as the unhappy woman who carries a mole orabortive in her hath many feares and saith either I goe with child or with my death so shall it fare with you So much for this first 2. Branch of Instruction Censure neither our selves nor othâ—rs in the matter of Grace Againe it should teach us neither to censure others nor our selves in the passages of our endeavours strifes for heaven Not others To say thus and thus long they have beene striving and making towards salvation and yet they daily complaine as men that have got but little alway in their complaints doubts and conflicts Surely I feare there is little in them No say not so If they be the Lords the issue shall bee good Reasons why God justly permits it thus I gave before Now I adde that these rash censures are commonly theirs who are little acquainted with the trade of faith Alas you know not what the ventures of this Merchant and the toile of this husbandman are Thinke not sinisterly of grace for the paines and the severall troubles that it brings with it If it be more easie with some then with others blesse God you have avoided many a rock and hazard that others meet
and Divellish But as for nourishing this naughtinesse in your selves and stifnesse in it to keep your fashions attires to speake your owne words as if no Lord should controll you Oh! how horrible is it Shall God beare your name and be as your husband but you will eate your owne bread weare your owne cloath and be at your own hand and finding as those women in Esay speak Esay 4.1 Then surely you must bee content to live upon your own wages and so lâ—e downe in sorrow Vse 3 Thirdly This is terror Terror to all openly proud scornfull and prophane persons who proclaime their sinne as Sodome whose hearts cast up mire and dirt like the raging Sea Esay 57.21 Those carry themselves aloft and live at the full height of a bigge and high heart without any sense of their danger Such as maintaine this rotten principle It is good to be some body in the view of men because as a man thinkes of himselfe Jam. 4.7 so will others thinke of us Which as it is false for God resists the proud crosses them so what if it were true Surely so long as my doctrine continues good there is no possibilitie for thee to obtaine grace and obedience while this spirit lasts Naaman was a great one Proud hearts terâ—ified by Gods resisting might as much stand upon it as thou yet till his stomack came downe the word of his cure was not beleeved hee was a Leper still so art thou and worse in Gods sight so long as thy lofty heart dwells in thee thy high thoughts of thy selfe cause mean thoughts of God contempt of his word and disdaine to bee a captive to Gods truths Nay it takes away all capablenesse judicious discerning remembring affecting applying or practising of any thing thou hearest save to pride thy selfe in thy knowledge and to strengthen thy selfe in a rotten peace Jerem. 48.11.29 Alas as the Prophet describes Moab that she was very proud shee had not beene rolled about and therefore was setled upon her dregges her sent still abode in her so is it with every proud wretch his own savour is in him still he is as he was as you leave him so you finde him a proud wretch rolling up and down upon his own hinges As for suspecting all is not well or laying any thing to heart hee is farre from it No winde shakes his corne he applauds himselfe in his owne conceit and saith I shall have peace though I walke in the stubbornesse of mine owne heart Mark how carelesse pride is But what comes of it Doth he meet with any grace in such a condition No the Lord will set himselfe against such a sturdy wretch Deut. 29.15.16 breake his iron sinew and the staffe of his pride the wrath of God shall smoke against him and resist him till his heart feele it and desist from fighting against God And surely if such finde small favour with men save from teeth outward they finde much lesse from God Should not this scare every such man out of himselfe saying The more I magnifie my selfe the more God vilifies me I see it hard to curb pride but it is harder to endure wrath and to be cast out from God who counts none pretious but such as count themselves vile Beware of it then the sin it selfe is sad but that it should be the canker that should eate out the foyson of grace and destroy all my hearings and make my devotions as odious as the cutting off a dogges neck Oh! this consequence of the sin is worse then the sinne it selfe Many sinnes are worse in their fruit then in themselves and this is one of them And to touch the particular of Naamans sinne here which was blustering at the Prophet and cavilling against his message we see here how God abased this spirit in him ere ever he could obey But when that was gone then the other succeeded And so I say to all proud cavillers The terror urged here is terror for them While cavilling lasts no grace enters Looke upon this patterne all you cavillers and see God branding you with a gracelesse heart as long as this humour lasts I have noted the end of such as have vented their pride in cavilling and picking knots with the Minister and his doctrine such as cannot receive or stand under a solid and sad truth with a meek heart and I never saw such come to good God hath betrayed them to shame and ill report Their knowledge hath puft them up They have some growne Alehouse-Keepers and haunters embraced the world fallen out with their brethren and forsaken their fellowship been foully tainted with grosse evils uncleannes the world contention censoriousnesse uncharitablenesse Some have proved Brownists Poynters Schismatickes and Libertines and lost their honour with God and his Church If there bee any drop of humility in you let this affright you lay downe the bucklers and as you have been proud so now be humble Say not with Gardiner I revolted with Peter but I have not repented with Peter but with this poore Proselyte Naaman I have been as stout and proud as he and now behold I repent and am humble as he Lord give me grace as thou gavest him Oh! the servants of Naaman had little cause to repent them of their counsell when such an effect followed Neither should I of mine if I could prevaile as they did God grant you and mee this grace The fourth and last use shall be exhortation to us all Exhortation and comfort to humble soules to embrace this Vse 4 grace of a subject humble spirit Oh! it is the messenger of mercy and mercy followes her at the heeles Selfe-deniall and an humbled soule are speciall ingredients of this receit of Mercy and faith to apply it When the soule is full of her owne it is empty of Gods hee counts all grace put into such a soule as water put into a top-full vessell The empty the bare the naked and poore soule is that wherewith he will betrust his grace Jâ—mes 4.7 be earnest for this as you would have faith herselfe 1 Cor. 25. As Paul calles death the last enemy which must be subdued ere we have glory so may I say that a proud selfe-sufficient heart is the last enemy which must be cast out ere we can come by any grace It is the last brat of the house which goes out The onely vice which keepes possession for old Adam to keep out Christ When wee see Gods tokens Simile we count the plague incurable and when mercy cannot conquer a rebellious heart it is past all remedy And contrariwise here is comfort to all such as are thus tamed by God they are brought to the bent of his bow I may say to thee as Martha to her sister Mary Thy Lord is come and calleth for thee And as our Lord Jesus himselfe said to Zacheus This day salvation is come unto thy house
upon us by the Spirit of Grace in a weaker degree at the first and unshapen doth at last by the same Spirit bring them to a more full and formed degree in such as are to bee saved Thirdly note It is a middle thing between meere corruption and grace that this preparation stands in a middle nature between meer corruption the gift of grace it selfe peculiarly so called Preparation is neither to bee called meere Nature nor any thing which nature alone can affoord nor yet can it bee called Faith but a previous supernaturall worke which in them that perish by suffering it to decay comes to nothing but in the elect ends in effectuall calling and beleeving the promise Fourthly note that yet this must not bee trusted unto as if it were in it selfe sufficient to make the soule happy for still that which the poore sinner must cling and cleave to for her pardon peace must be that only bloud of Christ the sati factioâ— of justice She must lay hold on this and make it her owne by faith in the promise Thus much for the present comes in my minde to tell you touching the nature of this Condition Now I come to the steps of it The first property issueth from the convincing power of the morall Law It is not to be trusted to alone The steppes of it 1. Loading by the Law A Loaden soule what it is and the markes of it working the conscience to be loaden through the spirit of bondage To speake much of any thing in speciall would spend more time then such an Audience and exercise admits I must take these things for granted having taught you them in my course of catechising One thing I will adde which there I omitted viz. to lay you downe some markes whereby you may discerne this condition of the Law All that are loaden lost deadly heart-sick of the Law are bidden to come to Christ But who are these 1. Such as cannot look back into their former estate of jollity liberty and life in sinne uncontrolled without wondring and detestation of themselves 2. A loaden soule feeles her selfe discharged quite from those false shoulders that suffered not so intollerable a load of sinne and curse to be felt but kept the soule in a rotten peace The Law abandons ease security boldnesse peace pleasures mirth and company ignorance and selfe-conceit which would not endure sinne to settle upon her right subject and lets in a veine of vengeance in stead of the veine of vanity and carelesnesse 3. The soule in this case fares as a thing oppressed with that which exceeds it As in all naturall excesses there is either a weakning or destroying of the Patient If light or heat be too excessively offered to the eye or fire to the touch they destroy both So this wrath of God ceazing excessively upon conscience doth spiritually kill it 4. This loading is such as exceeds all concealment or biting it in by modesty or patience it must vent it selfe Act. 2. Men and breâ—hren what shall we doe 5. It is glad to heare of the least ease not cavilling with the Instrument but joying in it 6. She confesses God might justly crush her in peeces without any purpose to redresse her 7. She walkes for ever after much more warily and tenderly against sin then such as never felt this load though their knowledge be greater 8. This load is unto the soule as a venomed Dart sticking to the flesh or a burden nailed to the shoulder not possible to be puld off but the more she struggles the more it settles 9. Other mens loads trouble her not so much as her owne shee hath no leasure to jangle of them having so much to doe at home 10. Though God should ease her shee would not readily return to her old vomit 11. It is not such a load that crusheth a legge or an arme but such as oppresses the whole man in each faculty and member 12. It is not such a load neither as quite destroyes but the soule is sustained by God from utter sinking till shee heare further Thus much of the Legall The second work is from the Gospel Before any further preparation is wrought the Lord ministers to the soule a further light and that is the Gospel which brings newes to the soule in such an estate of a possible remedy through the grace of Christ I must not insist in things largely handled elsewhere but take them for granted here The summe is that the Lord in the view of that full satisfaction of the Lord Jesus offers full and free deliverance and ease to a soule thus loaden without any equivocation or fraud And withall discovers to her the most pretious view of all the good things of God purchased for her though pardon immediately yet consequently all other whereby she may bee made perfectly happy and rid of her thraldome And according to the soules measures in the revealing of this light unto her she comes more or lesse forward in those affections and dispositions which wee call Evangelicall preparation of which there had rather bee a volume made then a Sermon and as elsewhere I have promised I intend a speciall Treatise of them if God grant life and liberty at least of so many of them as I have not already handled in other Treatises Evangelicall preparings either Negative or Positive Now it shall bee sufficient to point at them this being the least part of the Doctrine under our hand and then I will come to the latter branch This Evangelicall preparation is of two sorts The one negative and of them I point at these foure First a stopping of the Soul from her old courses and from relapsing into them Secondly a great sorrow of heart for sin past Thirdly a speciall aversation and abhorring for time to come Fourthly Selfe-deniall The other sort of these I call positive and heer take these foure also First an hope raised up in the soule which causeth her to hold still on with God in his way Secondly desire encreasing more and more after mercie Thirdly an high prizing of it above all earthly treasure Fourthly restlesse diligence in use of all meanes till her desire be accomplished with fainting under delay All these are the fruit of the Gospell drawing the soule to bee willing to hearken after God although as yet she cannot incorporate herselfe into the promise nor put Christ on as a garment made fit for her yet by these she is drawne to looke toward him And therefore to speake a word of each not as I named them but in their order First I say Such a soule is loth to give over that little taste she hath of him nor can bee pulled from her hearings duties prayers and meanes nor perswaded to revolt to her old vanities Psal 85.4 As David saith Such as hearken after God s mercy returne no more to folly Secondly such an one by the Gospel conceives an hope a farre
off as it were a glimpse of light through a cloud that her estate is not quite forlorne whereupon the extremity of her former feares is much alayd and shee put out of despaire into some expectation of better things although as in the twilight much mixture of old terrors remain not quite banished as the Canaanites among Israel to teach them warre and to occupy them in combats Thus was it with those Ninevites who by the instinct of mercy darted into them by the Lord secretly lifted up their heads a little towards hope of not perishing and to the musing upon the benefit of deliverance The third is an holy compassion of heart towards him whom the soul hath pierced by sinne even the Lord of life who yet was well content to be murthered lest his murtherers should perish The due meditation whereof melts the soul into marvellous heavinesse that she should seeke his ruine who sought her making Not as mourning for his death for else she must have for ever been damned but for her treachery against the mercy of a Father who cut off his Plea and the love of a Saviour who gave his life for her This makes her impotent in her mourning and steeps her in gall and wormwood Zachar. 12.10 as not able to utter indignation enough against her selfe for it Fourthly yet as one borne downe with the singularity of such mercy and the fulnesse of that price which is paid to justice for her sinne shee is loth to let it passe without a desire to partake it yea and an ardent affection after it as one that is famished for lack of bread or drinke can be satisfied with nothing save that which it longs for though shee were offered treasures in stead of it yet shee still cries with Rachel Gen. 30.1 Give me this or else I dye And fifthly here she stoppes not but warily lookes about her that she binde not the hands of mercy from bestowing her desire upon her by her boldnesse and loosnesse of heart life and therfore she is watchful to her self lest in this her pursuit after mercy she should offend it any way by her pride frowardnesse base words passions or behaviours worldlinesse commonnesse of heart about her earthly lawfull businesse loose hearing forgetfulnesse or the like Sixthly she is marvellous restlesse in the applying of her selfe to all such meanes and ordinances as might further her desires and reveale unto her more light and evidence of Christ fearing lest by any defect of hers and letting slip the opportunities and seasons of grace and stirring motions of the Spirit shee might provoke the Spirit of grace to give her over to her owne unprofitablenesse she tries all as ascribing that honour to God to chuse what he will worke by to these hornes of the Altar she will cleave and if shee must dye shee will dye there Seventhly the more she growes in understanding of the way and mystery of salvation by Christ the more shee compares it with the best contents which this world in any kinde did ever present unto her and finding them light in the ballance and farre from being what they seeme or performing what they promise nay although they could doe both yet in comparison with mercy shee stamps them under her feet esteeming them all as drosse and dung Phil. 3. Lastly by this meanes she resolves fully in her last thoughts to sell off all whatsoever might seeme pretious unto her lusts liberties vertues Religious duties yea that onely stop of grace the mixture of Selfe with Christ that so shee might in the losse of all make up a price of grace that is that she may come with nothing and make a price of no price and so buy the Pearl till which purchase be made her own she can have no peace And this purchase stands in her faith which as an hand takes and accepts the seasin and delivery of the Lord Jesus given to her by the hand of him that surrenders him unto her by the promise Touching the which act of faith it remaines that we speake a little having said of this preparation so much as for the present wee think meet Touching faith what it is and how it is bred in the soule Concerning which and first of the nature of it so farre as it is the act of the soule obeying and yeelding to a word of promise I will say a little as may best sute the Text here under our hand Naaman then we see overswayed by his servants doth submit himselfe to the word of the Prophet and hee goes to Jorden and washeth Faith then to tell you first in what it stands not is not properly an habit of assurance or certainty of pardon through a personall and particular appropriation of Christ to her selfe Although asrance be never without faith yet assurance is not the proper act of Faith The originall of this error proceeded as many others have done from heat of confuting Papists in their opposing of possibility of Assurance That wee might the moâ—e fully confute them our first defenders would maintaine that the nature of justifying and saving faith stood in assurance which Tenet was indeed more then a confutation for although it is the portion of none save beleevers to enjoy this assurance yet neither is it the portion of all that beleeve to attaine it but only some special ones to whom it is granted neither is that assurance which such have the formal act of their faith but rather an effect or coÌ„sequent of the act of beleeving of an higher measure then that is For sure it is the greater our feeling of assurance is the lesse our faith is To shew then what it is It is such an act of the soule as upon good ground and warrant casts her selfe upon the promise for pardon and life By casting her selfe can be meant no assurance within her selfe but a submission and resigning up of her selfe to the promise in respect of that power and truth of the Promiser who bids her come and hee will ease her This is a sure word and hath neither trick nor device in it neither hooke nor crooke but is that which it imports and cannot deceive And this sure word is the object which faith lookes at Shee lookes not so much at the assurance which shee feeles within her selfe but at the certaine and infallible truth of the Word without As for her selfe shee knowes shee is full of doubts feares and unsetlednesse but so is not the Word of God nor himselfe that speakes in it She even in the very act of believing is full of strife and struggling For the making of this plaine consider faith in all her passages and you shall see it Quest 1 The soule hath three questions The first question is whither the Soule shall turne her selfe in her legall straits Flesh saith thus Goe on no further towards the promise for it is a difficult worke to believe and unlikely to take effect
the revealing of it for who shall construe it otherwise who heares how many sweet invitations cords of perswasion arguments to enforce terrors against despisers he uses Esay 55.1 and 2. verses Read that Chapter and marke his offer Come all you that thirst drinke freely His contest verse 2. Why lay you out silver for no bread His compellation Incline thine eare hearken unto me and come c. He that concludes not hence that the Lord is willing to communicate his grace nay takes thought lest it should not be accepted and would rejoice if it might must needs call God a notorious dissembler which were hellish sacriledge And this a main point for all who confesse Gods power and are convict yet are not so of his will If thou wilt thou canst heal me Luke 5.12 1 Tim 1.17 Sixtly he is Wisdome it selfe 6. Wisdome When the Apostle had spoken of this mystery he concludes Now to the only wise God be honour c. Why so wise Because of all other waies he thought this the best he would in the best of his counsells finde out no other nay could not finde out any so good as this for then who is only wise would And the like I may say of the manner of publishing of it By men like our selves of like infirmity who might familiarly insinuate themselves By a promise rather then by any waies of old as visions miracles or voice of his immediately as more spirituall and effectuall So that the very Angellâ— looke into it with admiration how much more should we cry out Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdome of God! Heb. 1.1 To all unbeleevers a stumbling blocke and foolishnesse Rom. 11.33 but to us that beleeve the wisdome and power of God Seventhly his faithfulnesse It is a principle 7 Faithfulnesse 1 Sam. 15. Luke 1. God is not a man that he should lye The strength of Israel cannot lye God will not be mocked therefore neither will he mocke any And therefore hee hath bound it with an oath to Abraham and his seed Surely in blessing I will blesse thee Therefore Simeon saith To performe the covenant which he sware to our father Abraham that he would give us They are called the sure mercies of David and Heb. 6.18 In the covenant and oath adde thereto the seale of his Sacraments which speake to each soule in particular in Baptisme thus I baptise thee in the Supper thus The body of Jesus broken for thee The bloud which was shed for thee And as himselfe is so is his word in each part Heaven and Earth shall passe but not one jot or tittle thereof shall passe Above all his promises cannot which are his first borne and carry with them the birthright of his faithfulnesse and therefore are a maine bottome to rest upon Lastly his unchangeablenesse His nature is so as Iob saith Job 23.13 8. Unchangeablenesse he decreeth and changeth not Farre above all decrees of Medes and Persians Although we read oft in Scripture that it repented God of some things yet of this he saith I have sworne and will not repent Thou shalt be a Priest after the order of Melchisedec If foure thousand yeares could have changed the minde of God Christ had never came And looke how the Lord was in the great promise Gal. 4.4 so is he in all that follow thereupon God willing to shew to the heires of his Promise the immutability of his Counsell and againe that by two immutable things wherein it was impossible God should lye we might have strong consolation in our taking refuge So that nothing can separate up from his love first nor last Thus in these few particulars I have shewd what bottomes faith may have to cleave to a word and to cast herselfe upon it for pardon and life And so much for the first Question Now I come to the second If any desire further light in this let him consult with my booke of Sacraments in the triall of faith And that is why faith is called Obedience and Consent This question arises from the ground of the Text For Naaman you see being convinced by his servants Quest Why faith is called Obedience and Consent obeyes and consents and doth as he is bidden Esay 1.19 If ye consent and obey you shall eat the good things of the land Hence I call faith by these names only observe that one and the same faith in divers relations hath divers names As it relates to a command of the Gospell so its obedience As to a perswasion so it is consent As Naaman then in one act both obeyed the command of the Prophet and consented to the promise or perswasion thereof so doth faith obey God commanding and consent to him promising or perswading This is the Commandement of God that you beleeve in his Sonne whom he hath sent Luke 5. As Peter to his Master so faith saith to this command At thy command Lord I will let downe my net although it seeme never so absurd As Abraham being commanded by God went downe right without looking at the absurdities or objections first he would kill him and then thinke of them and drownd them all in the charge so doth faith nakedly obey against all stops and then casts them upon him who set her on worke So againe shee consents to his promise and perswasions Gen. 24.28 Much like Rebecca having heard and seene Isaacs motion and tokens answered I will goe with the man She saw enough against it but the perswasions of Eliezer were more potent to overpoise her Spirit So doth faith she hath a thousand cavills and disswasives yet she breakes through and consents and then shee heares no more of them Thus Abraham hearing the promise of Isaac is said not to looke at Sara's wombe which was now withered but hee looked simply at the promise and cast them upon God So that this act of faith casting herselfe upon the word doth both obey nakedly the word of command and consents to the promise as Naaman here doth to both these words of the Prophet Goe wash and be cleane So much also for this second question Now it is time to come to the Vse 1 Uses Terror for all such as live prophanely and yet thinke themselves within a condition of mercy And first I will insist upon the condition of the promise First then here is Terror for all such as are so farre from the condition of faith that they utterly reject and cast it off And of these there are two sorts The one prophane the other schismatickes For the former They please themselves with this That God bids all sorts indifferently bee reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5.20 be they never so base and lewd yet Christ came to save them if they can beleeve but as for this preparation they cannot tell what it meanes they will let God alone with that so they can beleeve they shall doe well And that they
betweene barke and tree to defeat your faith and conversion As once a noble man having his picture drawne faire wrote underneath One thing still remaines to dye well So say you Hitherto Lord thou hast holpen me and brought me under a condition of mercy now Lord give me thy perfecting grace too the upper and nether springs Judg. 1. as Caleb to Achsah suffer me not now in the haven to make shipwracke but give me thy hand helpe me well over this last hill that so I might be past all danger this one thing remaines to set the faire Crowne of faith upon the shoulders of the condition thereof and the worke is at an end But together with thy seeking of God for he will be sought for it Ezek. 36. end quicken up thy spirit to looke for it and lot upon it that he will doe it for thee If such a one as is under the condition of the promise may and ought to fasten upon the promise and cast himselfe upon it Plead hard for faith if once we be under the condition argue for thy selfe from this ground and plead for faith as thine owne portion The misery of the most hearers is this That they live in a perpetuall pudder uncertainty between these two rocks Whether they are under the condition or no or if so then whether they can beleeve or no. Therefore doe one thing at once First hold thy selfe close to the condition if thou be under it and let not the Divell nor thy own feares pull thee from it It is that portion which God hath alotted thee as a pledge of more These are the Suburbs of Hope to bring thee into the City Perhaps thou sayest Thou hast nothing at all wrought in thee As for the sorrow and desire which are in thee alas thou makest nothing of them but comparest thy selfe with them who have gotten beyond thee But learne to say It is mercy that I have any thing that I breathe in the aire that I am not in hell But much more to enjoy a desire after mercy I tell thee thou mayst plead for it For why Mourners for their sinne and thirsters for Gods favour have a promise to bee comforted and satisfied they want nothing save to beleeve it Oh then see thy priviledge and make use of it Do not say The Lord may yet leave me for I do not beleeve as yet I may dye ere that day Much lesse give place to thy sullennesse wearinesse and discontent It is said of Manoahs wife that when her husband abused the condition of a promise made unto them and said We shall dye She replied No husband If the Lord had meant to have slaine us he would never have appeared unto us thus and how should we have a sonne if he slay us So shouldst thou argue against thy feares because the Lord doth nothing in vaine therefore he will give me faith in deed Nay hold fast and close to the condition as thou wouldest reach the promise So did Elisha in another case 2 Kings 2.6 when Elija told him that he had asked an hard thing to have his Spirit doubled upon him yet if he saw him ascending he should have it what did he Did he breake the condition Did hee goe aside and leave his company No although hee were sollicited strongly to it yet hee sweares As the Lord liveth I will not leave thee till I must needs For why There lay a great issue upon it the forgoing or enjoying of a double Spirit of his Master Therefore to shew how hee closed with the charge at their parting he cryed My Father my Father Verse 16. and so obtained the Promise So doe thou hold that thou hast and let none pull it away but by the triall of what thou hast already got learne to trust God the better for that which still is wanting and suffer none of thy staggerings to bereave thee Eliah having tried Elisha three or foure times to leave him and not prevailing lo at last hee granted his desire Matth. 15. When that woman of Canaan had gotten a condition by the end viz. That Christ came to save the lost sheep of Israel whereof she although a Dogge in account tooke her selfe to bee one and would not be beaten off by all our Saviour his buffetings at last shee sped Since there is no remedy saith Christ but thou wilt have thy petition granted take it Sure it is the Lord will try thee of what metall thou art made if he meane to trust thee with faith If any thing will beat thee off or make thee subsist and stop ere faith bee wrought in thee soundly if onely a condition will serve thy turne and thou art content there to rest Judg. 6. thou art not fit for Gods battell Even as God tried the lappers of water from the soopers of it for Gedeon so will he try thee Be wise therefore and so hold the condition as yet understanding that the excellency thereof stands rather in her relation then in her selfe for if it could be that faith might be severed from desire or sorrow it were not possible for thee to be happy But to sever them in the elect it is not possible And thus much may serve to have spoken of the former part of the doctrine to wit the condition of a promise and the uses thereof Now the second and chiefe scope of the Doctrine and the uses thereof remaine viz. that such an one must cast himselfe upon the promise for pardon and life Of the uses hereof in order for this is the maine point 2 Part. Vse 1 And first since it is so This point of the duty of Faith the most spirituall grace and thing in the world Terror to all carnall ones that savour not the spiritualnesse of faith is strong terrour to all those who are so far from closing and casting themselves upon a Word that alas they are farre from so much as conceiving or reaching what manner of thing faith is or what it meanes to cleave and cast our selves upon the bare Word of God without any other mixture for salvation Alas they think they were as good cast away themselves altogether as to purpose it Tell us not say they of such spirituall matters as these they are above our reach and capacity wee are plaine folke commit not such riddles to us we forget them as fast we love such things as we see feele taste and handle If yee will tell us a tale or play a jigge or shew us a play and fine sights or sing sonnets in our eares if you will bring us to merry company or a feast if you will shew us some new fashion or if you will helpe us to a good bargaine where we may put out our money to use for eight in the hundred or tell us of a warme match for my Sonne or Daughter if you will shew us how we may get the day of our adversary or if
thou hast excelled them all 2. Branch Prerogative of Faith And secondly the prerogative of faith is sutable to her nature for although many things are very pretious in nature as jewells which excell in lustre and brightnesse which yet equall not the price with any reall use Job 28.19 yet this pretious grace is as usefull also and therefore well might Salomon say and so Iob also She is more pretious then Rubies and the Topaz of Ethiopia shall not bee taken for her And that appeares by this that she is the doer of all in all in the soule both for light In sundry respects direction and strength First for light as the Sunne is first subject of naturall light in the world So is Faith in the supernaturall divine light in the soule And is to the whole man as our Saviour speakes of the eye if it be light then is the whole body light the hand Matth. 6.22 the foote the members are all light if the eye be cleare And as the Ephod or Urim were to the Priest so is faith to the soule even the oracle of it and conceives the deep things of God and reveals them to us to whom before they were hidden And if it be true as it s most true that we know no more in Gods matters then wee beleeve then surely faith is the key of all true and saving knowledge in the soule Then also she is the directresse of the soule As servants from the Master or Mistresse so doe all the graces of the Spirit receive direction from the gift of faith As in a ship each boy hath his taske some to row with oares in the boat others to climb the shreeds to pumpe to stop the leaks some to attend the steridge but all receive direction from the boatswaine he orders them and their works So Faith workes not every thing immediately in the frame of a Christian she hath abundance of workemen and as the Centurion said to his so Faith saith to hers Doe this suffer this conquer this come goe and they all obey If a crosse come goe Patience endure it If a blessing come Sobriety use it temperately as if thou didst not use it If any duty of mercy to soule or body to be done Charity and Liberality must doe them If any hard taske then Wisedome Diligence or Selfe-deniall must step forth and to these Faith gives their charge and orders their worke Thirdly she is the strength of all other graces of the Spirit As all sinewes are from the braine all Arteries from the heart all veines from the liver thence they derive their originall and all that activity which they exercise in the body So 1 Joh. 3.9 all the graces of the Spirit fetch their being and support from Faith Shee is the seed of God in the Soule and she is the strength of God also His seed because whatsoever divinenesse is in the gift of patience long-suffering thankfulnesse mercy love hope of salvation it comes from the fountaine of Faith She is the Merchant Royall all other Chapmen have their wares from her Store-house Then she is the strength also of God in all graces Whatsoever thou seest excellent in a Christians frame or graces if thou hadst an eye to see thou shouldst behold them all in one faith out of whole Forge and Anvill they are all formed For why Faith taking hold of Gods maine strength to save carries away all his strength to obey if God will save me surely hee deserves my love my patience and surely hee and his love will put mee forth and uphold me in doing for him in curbing my passions in mortifying my Giant-like corruptions the great sonnes of Anak those Emims and Zanzummims 2 Cor. 5.8 Esay 26.12 which are above all the rest in fiercenesse and strength So that now mark this Doctrine of Faith casting the Soule upon the Word and Promise for pardon and life argues the most excellent nature and prerogative of faith above all other It is evident by this whatsoever the Lord workes in man he workes by the Word and the Spirit and whatsoever these two act in the soule they act it by faith as their onely instrument so that Faith is the onely Intelligencer to the Soule from the Spirit and from Heaven and that grace which is maintained as agent for God in the soul No other gift is so As hee saith of the ship that there are in it many who do needfull works but the Pilot doth all in all he doth not so sordid works as they but he doth greater and better for he sits at the sterne and guides the course of the Ship into the Haven the other are but subordinate but shee is principall so I may say of Faith and other graces all of them conferre to the well-being of a Christian but faith to the being The Ship boyes stop leakes and row with Oares but they doe not the great worke of guiding the Ship by Card and Compasse till she come at land So all that which any grace of the Spirit doth that faith doth But faith doth somewhat which they doe not nor can doe Nay faith is faine to cover all the defects of other graces to save them harmlesse and to beare their chin above water from sinking As we see that the Shield is not onely armour to fence the body Ephes 6.16 but also to fence off blowes and affronts from all the armour it selfe so that the dint come not at the head-peece or corslet or the rest Onely faith brings the Lord Jesus into the soule to doe all her workes in her and for her and when all is done to pardon the wants and to cleanse away the spots thereof by cloathing her with that robe under which God seeth no deformity to impute or punish it To conclude I say brethren that I presse this purposely that as I have spoken much of those things in this Book which tend to faith so I would perswade you to thinke no paines too great to bestow in the getting thereof because this grace being once gotten to cast the soule upon the Word and Promise yea God himselfe in Christ By this meane she hath all because she encloseth him who is all in all in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdome who is the fulnesse of God in whom we are complete And so much may serve for this use Vse 2 Another use of instruction may be to give us some further light into the substance of this grace of faith Of Instruction Faith hath two parts 1. Self denial by shewing you of what ingredients the receit is made or of what parcels it consists And they are two The former deniall of our selves The latter resigning up of the soule to Gods Word For to cast the soule upon the promise implies both these Selfe-deniall then first is one parcell of this grace For why It is impossible that the soule should cast it selfe upon a Word
till she have cast off all weights and clogges which might hold backe and with-draw her from this free and full giving up her selfe to God Simile I make this plaine by a similitude A Clergie man hath a Benefice which by his errour is fallen into the lapse if hee will still plead a true right by his preaching of his Sermons or serving Cure he loseth his living or if his stomacke be too great to confesse the lapse But if he will acknowledge his lapse and have his friend ready in the Court to begge it of the King to whom it is fallen hee may possibly save the lapse and recover his living with a better title then at first So here Grace is fallen into the lapse by Adams and thy sinne by this the right of it is forfeit into the hand of the King of heaven if thou wilt now confesse the forfeit and renounce thy crazie title if thou wilt resigne it up into the Kings hand going to thy friend the Lord Jesus to begge it for thee againe thou mayst have it better confirmed then ever Else Simile if thou plead thine owne righteousnesse thou losest Gods Another Simile As it is in the marriage union A woman cannot wholly resigne up herselfe to a man except she wholly be free from all her own cavils and exceptions which might hinder her resolution If either her minde stand to live a virgin as distasting the married estate in generall or if she like it but yet refuse except shee may have her owne ends reserve stroke in her owne hand to dispose of that she hath or have such and such liberties to goe and doe as her listeth or if shee feele the yoke of subjection heavie to her and will be eased of it or if she dislike the person or qualities of the party or his abilities or breed parentage or trade calling any of these are sufficient to hold her spirit off and to use her freedome live single Even so here Till Self and selfe-ends be all borne down by the streame of grace and the promise there is no possibility for the soule to yeeld up her selfe and resigne her liberty That which they speake in Joh. 8.33 Wee are Abrahams children were never bound unto any is the voyce of every base heart which though it ly in the deepest slavery yet thinkes her selfe free because that chaine is sweet by custome and becomes even as deere as life it selfe And to bee broken off from it is more bitter then death Oh! every one thinkes thus Rom. 7.9 Now I am alive to my will and lusts If once my necke bee under the coller of Christ I must stoope farewell then all my liberty But till the soule bee brought to see that in the promise which will equall such carnall liberties and recompence them with an hundred fold in a better kinde shee will never be perswaded to deny her selfe Shee sees her selfe warme in her nest feeles no want loves her ease and therefore will not out of her track And hence it is Psal 45. To be brought to an utter strait and a forlorne condition is one ingredient of faith that Salomon tells Pharaoh's daughter in the name of the Church that if shee will forget her selfe her Idols and heathenish heart her fathers house and contents her private wealth and honour that she may wholly bee his and according to his heart in her prizing him for himselfe and for his meere love above all other delights if she will bee subject to him and deny her owne name and will then she should bee a wife for him and hee would delight in her love not else So that resigning up her selfe wholly to bee at his dispose was one maine peece of the marriage Even so is it here That soule which will enter league with God and cast her selfe upon him for pardon and life must wholly cease to be her owne and come under both the name and authority of another or else shee equivocates and lies to the holy Ghost worse then Ananias did First that averse heart in generall to the match must be taken off that contrariety and distaste of conversion and Christianity must be abandoned Rebellion against the way of God must be abhorred then all quarrels against God the conditions of a regenerate person the difficulties the crosses annexed to it must bee devoured All the soules mixtures both in the way of beleeving and obedience afterward must bee pared away All her owne duties performances labours zeale devotion religion morality all her affections bred in her from her owne ends must bee forfeit She must be content that Grace honour her selfe with the only stroke in the worke of conversion if she beare not all the sway she will beare none at all Now if any of these sticke in her stomacke if she be willing to have the fat and sweet but shee will have none of the soure she is still within her owne bounds and cannot freely resigne up her selfe to the promise for Selfe and the Word are directly contrary No soule will cast her selfe upon a bare word of God but that which hath first renounced all that might really give her content without it And therefore to finish such a soule puts her selfe out of her owne dispose and submits her selfe to be at the dispose of God to doe with her as he pleases according to that which in his word hee hath revealed himselfe to be willing to doe She desires that she might bee more willing to have God glorified in his owne way and honoured in his mercy then to enjoy pardon and heaven in her owne way And although it bee not the case of every weake soule to come thus farre because that which drawes the soule first to seeke God is her owne pinch of guilt and curse and her desire of forgivenesse peace yet her entire desire is to cast her selfe so farre upon the bare word of God that if that can faile she is willing to perish and as she growes in light and strength she is glad to be informed what the scope and purpose of any truth of God is and being so shee desires to stoop to it most humbly and entirely that whatsoever become of her owne yet Gods will may be done in her and by her And this may serve briefly to shew what the first part of faith imports that is Selfe-deniall I have oft spoken of it before Thus much here may serve 2 Part. Resignation Resigning up of the soule to God is a second ingredient of faith The second thing in faith is Resignation of her selfe to God This is when God is fully and wholly that unto the soule which before Selfe was or any thing in the world wherein her content stood Consider good brethren I speake of a weighty thing and not for discourse sake Perhaps you may thinke I goe to deepe and indeed so I doe for a carnall fleet heart howbeit no truth of
you will be this That this selfe-resigning grace above all other Faith gâ—ves most glory to God gives most glory to God therefore it is worth the ensuing while we have time I thinke none will deny but that which ascribes most to God and least to man is the most worthy grace to lay in for But such is this It is wholly for God concurres with him in this point of his honour above all All our obedience to the Morall Law at once considered glorifies not God so much as this no although we could performe it exactly as wee cannot Partly because this grace apprehends the perfection of Gods righteousnesse which no holinesse or righteousnesse can reach to Faith though weake yet apprehends the perfection of God and thereby conformes us to bee like him Now that 's a great honour to God to resemble his perfection and to be perfectly righteous which only faith in this life apprehends Partly also for that faith onely acknowledges God in all those Attributes of his whereby he sets forth himselfe in the saving of his elect God aimed at more glory in Redemption then in Creation And Adam did not so much honour God in his integrity as a beleever doth in the act of his faith For Adam honoured Goodnesse but not Justice nor Mercy which the Lord meant especially to set forth in Christ Read Read Rom. 3.25.26 Oh! you may easily conceive how acceptable this work of faith is to God by a resemblance For take an ambitious man who stands more upon his honour then gaine Who doth most please such a man Hee that sends him gifts No he seeks to have all men bound to him rather then to be obliged to any That man is for his tooth who in great meetings trumpets out his praise tells of his breed learning bounty and generousnesse And if any lessen his praise by comparison with others will chalenge him into the field and spend bloud in the defence of it Oh! how deare is such an one to a man who stands upon it Even such a man is hee who dare cast himselfe upon a promise for hee equals God in a sort in his ends let God propound to himselfe in what he will bee honoured and faith instantly concurres and faith True Lord it is meet be famous in thy justice satisfying it self upon Christ be honored in the wisedome of thy eternall purpose and thy revealing it in time receive glory from thy poore creature for that gracious mercy of thine that love that power and all that unsearchable riches of thine past our finding out Oh! be glorified in all at the hands of him who yet cannot reach it Rom. 11. ult 1 Tim. 1.1.19 To the King immortall invisible and only wise God be all dominion and praise Faith then enlarging it selfe to all such qualities as God seekes to bee great in doth exceedingly honour him and therefore is a grace so much the more to be sought All seeke the face of the Prince Prov. 26.29 because greatnesse delights in it David having but a conceit of the contrary in Mephibosheth was implacable Get this grace then that so thou mayst set up the Lord and make him glorious in thine own heart 2 Sam. 19.29 and in the hearts of all others as neere as thou canst Secondly let this move thee When Christ shall come to judge Motive 2 the issue of his enquiry will be Whether faith or no faith Christs last inquiry will be for faith 1 Cor. 3.13.14 Matth. 25. I deny not but he will also examine and try every mans worke by fire and purge the good workes of his from all drosse which cleaves to them It is cleare by that in Matth. 25. that hee will take account of all the Talents that he hath lent out But this shall bee the maine issue of all how the maine Talent of the Gospel hath been improved that is whether it have been beleeved or no It is plaine by Luk. 18.9 Thinke you saith Christ that when the Sonne of Man shall come to judge the world he shall finde faith upon the earth That then shall bee his inquisition And no doubt that shall be then in as great request as now it is in little Then a world if we had it for a drop of this oyle but the market is over Well let us then make it the great issue of our inquiry if we be wise while it is called to day If we lay one issue Heb. 3.15 and God lay another what a wofull losse of the day shall wee sustaine Who shall recompence our losse God askes for faith and we bring him in our many Sermons hearing or prayers making our duties doing or Lord Lord have we not done great things in thy Name Then shall he answer Depart from me Matth. 7.22 Will not this bee our hell ere wee come at it But Faith will passe for currant in that day Therefore use all diligence to make that sure now It will bee in vaine then to say Alas I was not aware of this issue if I had I would not have been to seeke Thirdly God having found out who these are will set them forth in that day to bee wondred at before Men and Angels This is that Motive 3 which Paul speakes 2 Thess 1.10 when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints God will be admired in all and onely such as beleeve and to be admired in all them that beleeve in that day because our testimony was beleeved What is it to be admired in all that beleeve Surely then God shall make fully knowne the infinite riches of his mercy which he hath discovered in saving his beleeving ones when a world of others shall be rejected How few behold God admirable in the conversion of any Men have other objects of admiration now to occupy their affections as who is the eminent rich man in the Countrey who get the Kings favour or bee the greatest for their preferment These men doe admire But as for that grace which hath chosen some to be beleevers leaving thousands of great note and parts alas it is slighted as a fancie and control'd as a falsity Nay who are so scorn'd as such But in that day those great rich ones and gallants shall be despised and then shall the Lord be admired in beleevers Here they lye by as wonderments But there they shall reflect a glory upon God who hath bestowed such favour upon them as to give them faith Oh! happy then those who have kissed the Sonne Psal 2. ult It seemes that beleevers shall then bee Master-peeces when as the Lord himselfe shall bee glorious in them for his love to them How shall they then bee glorious in the sight of the world Numb 10.17 If Moses and Aaron were so glorified in the sight of Israel by reason of the government and Priesthood which God put upon them and that when as Kora and his fellowes had sought to disgrace them
their left hand doth They acknowledge little to come from them Matth. 25. they keep all to themselves When did wee see thee naked and clothed thee Hungry and fed thee Sicke and in prison and visited thee Why are you such strangers to your owne duties Then shall others be strangers to your joy onely your selves shall enjoy the priviledge of your own close walking For be yee sure God will not conceale it close love shall never want close peace unknowne welfare and comfort of heart prosperity in grace growth and experience You that walke in the regeneration of obedience with Christ shall not only sit upon Thrones hereafter in stead of your dust and ashes here But in the meane while you shall fare as Christ fared he who made it his meat and drinke to doe his Fathers will had meat to eate which no man knew of Joh. 4. Nourish thou a mourning heart for sinne thine owne and others a close heart to obey and no man shall bee able to judge what thy joyes are Prov. 10.29 Thy worke is also thy wages and yet the Lord shall besides support thee otherwise so that neither spirituall nor earthly requitals shall bee wanting till at last that life of thine which was hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 shall breake out before all Men and Angels Then shall close obedience bee swallowed up into exceeding glory and the garments of joy shall bee added to thy secret consolations in the day wherein Christ himselfe shall appeare in glory And so much also may serve for this Use and for this Doctrine Whereto I wish from my heart a blessing from God upon the Reader The next Branch of Naamans obeying was his closing with the promise The second branch arising from hence is that Naaman washed seven times according to the word of Elisha in respect of the promise added to his washing and that was That he should recover his flesh againe and be cleane This point I told you is as materiall as the other one cannot well goe without the other they are as twins which live and dye together The point I collect from it is this Gods promises must be beleeved according to the scope of promises that is according to the intent and extent thereof I say againe and marke well promises must bee beleeved according to that which is in them and that which they import neither must they bee shortned or straitned stretched or enlarged neither made lesse nor more then is in them Doctrine Promises must be beleeved according to their extent More then they are no man shall need to make them for all the store and fulnesse of God is in them Lesse then they are none may dare to make them That which the holy Ghost speakes in the conclusion of Revel 22. Hee that shall adde any thing or dâ—minish from the words of this booke the Lord shall adde to him all the plagues in this booke and diminish his name from the booke of life That I may say of the promises Let none make them greater then they are Opening of the ground of the poâ— nor yet lesser but let every one take understand and apply them to himselfe as they lye in the word not in the letter onely but in the spirituall meaning and purpose thereof Touching the ground of this point out of the Text it needs not many words to be spent about it It is evident that the obedience of Naaman in going to wash proceeded from no heat of sudden alteration of minde no pang or humour no blinde hope or had-I-wist as who say It 's but trying I will goe hit I or misse I it is but my journey No but as he was strongly held back before by a deep selfe-conceit so now hee is drawne forward by as deep an inspiration of God and a perswasion that the promise annexed to his washing was as certaine and undeceiveable as the charge was divine and absolute and therefore in obeying God commanding hee consents to God promising also in as full and absolute a degree and in all points and respects as the promise lay that is to say not that hee should perhaps be cured perhaps not but that the cure should bee whole and entire no manner of Leprosie should hereafter cleave to him any more but as now he was nasty and scurvie all over so then he should be healed by the healing of God better then if Elisha had laid his hand upon it that is as perfectly as if hee never had been Leper and his flesh should returne to him as the flesh of a little childe so clean should he become and return home and not repent him that he had beleeved the promise in the fulnesse thereof So much for the ground of the Text. Now as I noted in the former point here some may step in and object Object Why doe you ground a doctrine upon such a passage as this of Naaman Alas his washing was but an outward act and that occasionall and personall onely reaching to himselfe and determining with him Our case is otherwise and it must be a bottome of eternall truth which must ground a doctrine of this nature because it concerns the perpetuall practice of a poore soule in respect of pardon and sanctification To whom I answer in one word That the question is not here Answ what the particular of this promise to Naaman is or is not but what the nature of every promise requires whether it bee occasionall and temporall or spirituall and generall The point is this Every promise bee it what it will be whether for once and away or for adoe being from God requires an equall obedience and extent of faith to embrace it and cast the soule upon it as well as the moralest and generallest promise in the Word can doe The reason is plaine because in the one as well as the other is enclosed that power and truth of God which bindes the soule to an equall and uniforme obedience I speake now and marke well of such promises as require our faith for the performance for some promises are absolute in themselves and rest upon the naked word whether we beleeve them or not because they be universall Gen. 8.21 As that the rainebow shall be a sure signe of no more deluges That seasons of the yeare Summer and Winter sowing time and harvest shall continue That the Gospell shall bee preached to all Nations Mâ—tth 24.13 That there shall be a restoring of the Kingdome to Israel and Christ shall in this world bee knowne to bee Lord and King of his Church These promises though they deserve credit yet shall be performed howsoever being pitcht and appointed by God in their seasons But for personall promises not so That particular promise made to Abraham touching a sonne if yet it were particular or any other concerning a present mercy or deliverance Gen. 18.10 Esay 7.4 as that which was made to Ahaz of
handle him in this We look rather at our little sins in our beleeving then his great promises Oh saith one if my sinnes had not been so deep died so odious and long lien in I should hope well Rather thou shouldest say if mine heart were not so hardned that I am past all feeling and faith I should doe well If thy sinnes have not driven thee to be desperate in rebellion and contempt they are not surely too great for mercy to pardon Looke upon Manasse and Paul 1 Tim. 1.13 Though I were a persecutor a blasphemer and injurious Chron. 33.12 yet mercy and truth abounded in Christ Jesus He saith not sinne abounded beyond mercy Oh saith another But I have sinned since my first enlightning sin'd against the remedy adding drunkennesse to thirst What Dost thou so still and nourish a rotten peace and a secure heart still against the promise No but thou doubtest that thy abusing the meanes and hardning of heart will not be pardoned But know that the Lord Jesus his sufferings are of a deeper nature to merit then thy sinnes to destroy He was made all sinne 2 Cor. 5.21 satisfied for all sinne he was a nature of sinners not a sinfull person onely and therefore can pardon even them that murthered him and not in vain is that example set down in Acts 2.30 to prevent that feare They who come to Christ must come to him not as the greatest sinners onely but as to the greatest Saviour able perfectly to save all who come unto him The strongest eye must bee cast upon his strength Heb. 7.25 Esay 27.5 not upon thy deservings The mystery of mercy is to save to the uttermost that so the soul may break and God may be honoured to the uttermost Well but yet he pardons none save such as have faith and how shall I know that he will give it me I answer the promise that offers pardon workes faith to beleeve it and therefore it s said that it creates the fruit of the lips Esay 57.16 Matth. 11.29 which is peace it offers ease to him that is loaden if it offer the effect it must needs worke the cause But saith a poore soule this might be if mine affections would rise to it with some earnestnesse but I am dead and under infirmity Nay even then also can the Lord create this hand of faith in thee 2 Cor. 12.9 by the seed of the word how did Paul lie under sad buffetings yet this grace was sufficient for him In a word what ever the sense of thy weaknesse be yet its Gods strength which thou must take hold on to make peace and that comprehends thy weaknesse when thou canst not comprehend that strength So much for this Fifthly this reproves such as runne to promises without wisdome Branch 5 aptnesse Unapt appliers of promises or other parts of the word reproved and the particular necessities under which they live When they should runne to the promise for comfort they rather please themselves in running to the threats of the word for deeper humbling that pleases them better because they thinke it may better be felt but this course sutes not with the truth as it is in Jesus which requires that each malady apply it selfe to her proper remedy This causes the wound to rankle not to heale When men are called to doe some speciall service and duty they forsake that and rush themselves upon suffering promising to themselves that God will sustaine them and so provoke needlesse sorrow like Ionah to themselves and all by their rashnesse Others being called to suffer Jona 1.6 shunne that and promise to themselves strength in doing But this is to misapply promises for they alway attend upon commands and while we be in Gods way not our owne God payes no man wages for doing his own work Others promise themselves great blessings upon attempting difficult workes above their strength unto which they have no calling leaving their Ministery ere God knocke them off or thrusting themselves into trades in which they want skill leaving their owne and the like But the wiser way for them were to apply themselves unto promises which concerne those speciall callings conditions and waies unto which God calles them Branch 6 Sixtly and lastly those are here to be reproved who doe in any kinde goe to worke preposterously with the promises Preposterous appliers of promises reproved contrary to their nature and use or scope who separate them from their end which is to mortifie purifie and better the soule as well as to comfort and pacifie it Also all such as mistake discover darken stretch dis-joint the promises who take not such a due measure of the promises as they ought putting them on as they may best fit them and so never come to the kindly use and fruit thereof as the Lord offers them Of which I say no more this shall serve for this whole Use of reproofe Thirdly this point serves for Exhortation Exhortation to incite and draw all who Vse 3 would beleeve aright to beleeve according to the uttermost extent and purpose of a promise and not to defraud the soule of that due which the Lord allowes her This is the way to engage the soule in God to walke most comfortaly in the life and practice of faith God requires no small service and cost at his peoples hands which will hardly be except the soule be deep in Gods bookes and that cannot be till she come to beleeve promises according to their full extent To this end two things would be knowne First 2. Questions 1. How a promise beleeved what should the soule doe that she might beleeve a promise according to the reach of it Secondly how should she practise and set this grace on worke For the former of these three things would be done First 1. A promise must be sounded the soule must fathom and comprehend a promise truly Eph. 3.15.16 That you may comprehend with all Saints what is the length c. That which the woman John 4. tells our Saviour I may say of this The Well is deepe and there is nothing to draw with There is depth in a promise but few are men of understanding to fetch it out There may be enough in it for ought most men looke after their shallownesse discourages them from attempting it Vertue is gone out of the Lord Jesus into it both for life and godlinesse this and a better life in crosses and blessings for all turnes so that each idle cavill of a base heart ought not to elude it Hath God set it open for his whole Church to be filled with the fulnesse thereof and shall it not be sufficient for a poore members supply Accustome thy selfe to deal with a promise as the marriner doth with the sea whose depth he is ever and anon sounding lest his ship should runne a ground and be swallowed up Thy misunderstanding may eclipse the beauty of it
shall fall into some scandall 3. Fear of falling into some scandall and not persevering and never persevere but he who hath delivered will deliver from every evil way and work He wil preserve the souls of his Saints he wil write his law in their heart they shall not depart from his feare I am perswaded nothing shall separate c. He is faithfull who hath promised Sometime sicknesse poverty debt disquiets and how then In six troubles he will keepe thee and in the seaventh that it shall not oppresse Hee put his hand under my head and will make my bed in sicknesse when I was weake the Lord holpe me Againe the soule complaines 4. Sicknesse debt enemies unfaithfull friends and the like But I have enemies Well but if thy wayes please the Lord he can make them thy friends If not though an Army of them compasse mee about yet will I not be afraid But perhaps friends faile and turne unfaithfull Well yet Mica 7. When I dare trust no friend nor wife I dare trust the Lord. When my father and mother forsooke me but the Lord took me up Can a mother forsake the childe of her womb Yet will not the Lord. He will sustaine and redeeme thee In all their afflictions hee was afflicted Esay 63.9 Oh! but they prosper and I decay They beare all the stroke and my cause is sentenced Stay a while and their green Bay tree shall wither True it is it is long first Psal 73. Psal 37.6 But fret not thy selfe roll thy way on Jehova and be doing good and hee will effect it Hee will bring forth thy righteousnesse as the morning Hee will plead thy cause Mica 7. When there is casting down thou shalt see a lifting up and hee shall save the humble person Job 22.29 But thou wilt say My prayers be not heard Not presently but it is that thou mightst pray oftner and earnestlier that so God may deliver thee from that thou fearest and his grace may bee sufficient for thee Thou wilt still object 5. When prayer is not heard My troubles are as no bodies secret and stinging unknowne to any But not unto the Lord whose eyes are in every corner of the earth and knows the heart and reynes yea the most hidden sorrowes that he may be strong with the weak and contrite ones Oh! but I am darke for lack of faith Yet let him that is in darknesse and seeth no light trust upon God Esay 50. But I want meanes The Lord is my support Psal 23.3 leads me to the pastures and streames and when I am lost yet sustaines me So that although the Olive and Vine should faile though there should be no Calfe in the stall nor Sheep in the flocke Habak 3. yet will I make the Lord my salvation But my temptations and assaults by Satan are fierce to Atheisme to deny providence the Scriptures and such like molestings It they be tedious they shall bee short and faith shall quench the most fiery darts 6. Temptations and fierce assaults of Satan Matth. 5.12 1 Pet. 4. But he stirres up his instruments to vex and pursue Well they may cast thee into prison tenne dayes but hold out and I will give thee a Crowne of life Gods hook is in their nostrills Blessed art thou when thou art persecuted for the name of Christ The Spirit of glory shall rest upon thee Fear not man whose breath is in his nostrills Esay 40.7 But I feare evill times will plucke me from my stedfastnesse No Thousands and tenne thousands shall fall on both sides but thou shalt goe free in the midst Matth. 24. If possible the Elect should be deceived But it s not possible I have prai'd for thee that thy faith faile not The just shall have a shining light upon their pathes Luke 22.31 Oh! but perhaps I am in perplexing straits what course to take Well but a voice shal be behind thee and say This is the way walke in it Oh but my sorrowes are the miseries of the Church Esay 30. The gates of hell shall not prevaile against her Be of good courage I have overcome the world The ship that Christ is in Matth. 18. John 13. ult Mica 7.8 cannot be drowned He will rebuke the waves and cause a calme Rejoyce not over me O mine enemy for when I am down I shall rise Christ hath naild my enemies to his crosse led captivity captive Esay 26.1 Salvation hath the Lord set for walls and bulwarks Esay 13.5 God will defend Jerusalem Light is sowne for the Righteous Beare the yoke because thou hast sinned and the Lord shall breake the decree Mica last and tread them as mire in the streets In the meane time Jer. 46. I will correct them in measure and Esay 28. Did I correct him as I corrected them who afflicted him No but in measure But how shall I doe when the King of feares comes The sting of death is sin which being taken out thou shalt triumph 2 Cor. 15. O death where is thy sting But I have poore children to provide for Well Exod. 20. The Lord shewes mercy to thousands of them that love him And the children of the righteous inherit the earth Psal 25. But when I am dead what shall become of me Take no thought Esay 57. They shall rest in their graves perfumed and softned by the grave of Christ and be purged by it from corruption Their names shall be sweet on earth as the pretious ointment And their soules shall reigne with God in full perfection of happinesse above sinne sorrow and all enemies till it shall joine with the beloved body againe at the day of Christ to enjoy in heaven perfect consummation These and such like promises let every poore soule cull out for herselfe out of the treasury of the Scriptures and enlarge them to her owne use that it may goe well with her and that the promises may be beleeved according to their extent for this is the misery of the soule that God hath fulnesse for her in his promises but shee will not see it acknowledge it embrace it accommodate it but let them lye rusting there without regard as men use to suffer their Armour to doe because they have no use of it Thus much shall serve for a direction in this kinde and for this Use as also for the whole Doctrine and former part of this verse containing Naamans obedience Now I come to the latter part of the verse The last generall His successe Three things in it which containes the immediate successe of his washing And that is first the expression That his flesh came againe c. Secondly the cure it selfe He was cleane And thirdly now we heare no more of his former distempers all are vanisht and washt away with his leprous skin in Jorden These points I note here As for the remoter consequences following upon this cure afterward I shall come to them in
save draw the spirits of curious and distrustfull men to wofull Idolatry To put confidence in him under a Witch to expect successe from a cursed Principle to ascribe that glory which belongs to God alone to base means which all are reduced to the Divell their first mover Satan knowes he gaines more this way then he loseth by the truth he speaks or the good which followes He denies himselfe at no time save for wicked ends Beware therefore Dare not to confound those excellent wayes of God in his power providence and mercy to his creature with the Satanicall and Sorcerers courses of prophane beasts As for those miraculous operations of God in his Church throughout all ages of the Old Testament in the poole Siloam and the gift of ejecting Satan by some certaine persons there was enough to prove that they were from God John 5.4 Matth. 12.27 for the confirmation of Truth the strengthening of Faith the drawing of Proselites But as for all the other the Lord justly suffers Satan to deceive such as deceive themselves first and reject the truth as we see in Saul Esay 8.19 Should the living goe to the dead 1 Sam. 28.6.7 Jam. 3.15 and to them that whisper out oâ— the earth Geomanticks No but to the Law and to the Testimony if that favour not there is no wisdome in them save that which Saint Iames calls from beneath and divelish A most wofull thing that in a land where the Gospell hath beene preached this eighty yeares such abominations should swarme and that with impunity yea in some cases which I name not with Apology God amend it So much for this Branch Secondly Goodnesse of God in using weake and poore things to effâ—ct great is much to be admired hence acknowledge the infinite goodnesse of God in devising such aide and succour to poore creatures both their bodies and soules for the expressing of his tender mercies to us in this infirmity of our flesh That by a word speaking he should create the fruit of the lippes even peace Esay 57. by the Ministery of a sinfull man further off from power to convert a soule then Jorden to heale a leper and beget it to a lively hope and immortality and glory That thereby the word preached should carry with it the working of faith and regeneration As the Lord Jesus his own blessed words effected miracles in the speaking causing the dead to arise the lepers to be cleansed Marke ult the deafe to heare So the words of his Ministers by the same vertue from him should doe greater things then these even by instruments most weake how admirable is it To the end that our faith might not stand in man but in God! 2 Cor 4.7 That the deadly soule leprosie worse then Naamans bodily of infidelity pride hypocrisie selfe should be washt all away by the water of Baptisme through the word of the Covenant to which its annexed in all beleevers and these shall become sealing ordinances to ratifie the truth of regeneration to the soule and to confer the nourishing power of the Spirit unto life eternall how admirable is it It is the omnipotent power of God which causeth it which separates the silly creature of water bread and wine for the present from common use Sacraments how divinely appropriated to seale up to the soule strong assurance of salvation takes off the base outside of it casts an honourable mantle over it appropriates it to holy solemne and divine use and service unites the Lord Jesus himselfe with his whole merit and efficacy to it and all to effect this end to convey the Lord Jesus into the soule of the Beleever assuring it by vertue of this sealing ordinance that as verily as the body by vertue of appetite eates and drinkes the creatures so truly doth the soule take and eat the body and bloud of Christ to the souls nourishment by Gods command and promise This is a mystery and it should teach us that if God have assumed such poor creatures sacramentally into the partakership of himselfe therefore to take heed lest we vilifie the outward ordinance as pretending all the power to be from Christ but to acknowledge each part thereof to bee from him and one as true though not as effectuall a part as the other Ye parents make not Baptisme a common thing make not so solemne a thing to wait upon your leasure and complements when all your trinkets are ready then carry your childe to the Sacrament No let your bables attend it not it them Despise it not for the outside there is a blessing in it and under the basenesse of elements lies hidden a world of worth and honour Therefore not to be used as common things And you my brethren the people run not out from it so soon as the word is preached as if you discerned no Christ in and under it annexed to it for your owne speciall use and good I tell thee those silly creatures are essentiall parts of the Sacrament as well as the grace and ordinances of God to bee reverenced though I say not with our own invented yet with that esteeme with which God hath honoured them viz. to be channells and conveiors of that grace of the Lord Jesus for life and support else would he not have graced Sacraments with the like honor to Faith Except a man be borne of water and the Spirit John 3.3.4 Marke ult and He that beleeves and is baptised shall be saved God can worke without them when they cannot bee had but when they may he will have them share in point of honour with the graces sealed from which they cannot be severed nor may be rent So much for this second Use And lastly although I doe not here equall Jordens waters to a Sacrament Jordens waters a resemblance of baptisme nor dare I call it a type of Baptisme yet is there a cleere and lively resemblance thereof in it I speake not this to teach any to use their wits boldly to allegorize every thing as some have done In this its safest for us to captive our wisdome to God to bee no wiser then himselâ—e but where he pleases to expresse allusions there to follow with sobriety As in the allegory Gal. 3. end of Sina and Jerusalem to typifie the nature of bondage and of freedome So that of Noah's flood which Peter Epist 1. Cap. 3.21 tells us is semblable to Baptisme Else its best for us to forbeare types only we may make resemblances As here this healing of Naaman by Jorden and expressing of it by the flesh of a childe teaches us thus much That the Lord who occasionally used this water to such an end as to cure an incurable leprosie of an aliant and stranger from the Common-wealth of Israel doth assure us that much more by Baptisme as by an appointed and setled sealing way he is able to heale the fretting leprosie of sinne and curse in all his
faithfull ones of Christ may easily fall with Ieremy Chap. 12.1 and David Psal 73.5 to distemper our selves to charge God foolishly and to call him to our owne barre as if he ordered not matters so wisely as wee would have him Alas Those are ever most confident who usurp most 2 Sam. 15.4 Eccles 7.10.15.16 Absolom thought his policie and wisedome above his fathers in ruling of subjects but it cost him sorrow and ruine Let us not cavill against our owne dayes as the worst nor our owne lot as the unhappiest Let us know its folly wrap up all our own discontents in the field of Providence and Wisedome For why should we be desolate or hasten our owne ruine rashly before the time Let it be enough for us that wee beare witnesse to Jesus to his truth and serve our time But let us not breake out of our compasse in which God hath set us Nor let us think long or tax God for seeming to stop his eare from our praiers nor give over our waiting and wax froward with him but remember our Rule Acts 1.7 That in publicke promises still the time must be left to him who is the Soveraigne orderer of all times and seasons It is enough for us that in the worst and most degenerate times of all God hath not left his Church as an Orphan or desolate each member hath her owne particular faith and patience to set on worke To keep the soule from rusting from either tedious impatience or desperate carelesnesse Matth. 25. Ocupy these till God come and these will so allay thy spirit and exercise thy meeknesse patience and humility that Gods time shall not seeme over long faith shall not make over much haste Hab. 3. I doe not counsell thee to give over faith in performances But to apply faith to such promises in the meane while as may sustaine the soule with patient hope till Gods time is accomplished See Psal 135.14 The rod of the wicked shall not alway ly upon the lot of the righteous lest they should put forth their hand to evill The Lord will not alway bee angry Psal 125.3 lest flesh should faile Rather then such extremities should come God will put an end and say The day of my redeemed ones is come Esay 63.3 But if the Lord sustaine the whilest and the burning bush consume not is it not as good as if it burnt not Enlarge thy short and hasty spirit by this that each day of Gods delay shortens the trouble And remember that a thousand years with the Lord is as one day 2 Pet. 3.8 and God is a pure act incomprehensible not ruled by time I doe not by these passages choke the zeale importunity clamors and expostulations of the Church No that were another extremity and as much as to quash the Spirit of adoption and to abridge the priviledges of the Saints in their holy boldnesse in prayer For why Read the moanes of the Church in Psal 40. and Esay 63. and 64. the variety of her holy complaints arguments wherewith she laboureth to draw God on her side against his sworne foes to perswade him to be no longer darke but to cause the mountaines to flow downe before his presence And so Psalm 12. she cryes out for help because all went to wrack All this is lawfull and to pray against implacable incorrigible enemies Plead thus Lord although to thee a thousand yeares are as one day yet it is not so with us five seaven yeares are somewhat to us Lord wee are feeble and faint Psal 110. ult Therefore tarry not long Lord. But in all these remember to ascribe to God the glory of faithfull performance in his owne time and say thus Thou hast afflicted us on every side Psal 119. yet have we not forsaken thy Covenant the whilest we have not exasperated our spirits against thy delayes but turn'd the edge of our complaints against our selves who by our treacherous unfruitfulnesse have deserved these scourges our worst enemy is within us That sin of ours hath vexed thee more then our crosses and thy delayes vexe us Purge them remove the barre and we doubt not but thy performances shall breake out as the light when once our righteousnesse shall appeare and our filthinesse shall be cleansed nothing shall let thy promises from being fulfilled This for the second Limitation the third God keeps promise with them only that live by faith The third and last limitation is this That the Lord keeps his promises faithfully but yet upon condition to such as not onely are his own servants for what have dogges to doe with the childrens bread but such of his owne as abide so and feare him live by faith and keep his Covenant The sum of the point is that which David Psal 25.10 expresseth thus All the wayes of the Lord are mercy and truth But to whom Surely to such onely as keep his Covenant Israel was the Lords peculiar above all the earth but it was not enough for them to hold their name onely but to keep close to the Lord If Israel would have walked in my wayes then it should goe well with them and with their children for ever 1 Chro. 17.13 It was the Lords speech to David of Salomon Hee shall be my sonne and I will call him Iedidijah the Lord loved him And if he transgresse against me I will chastise him with the Rods of men but my loving kindnesse will I never take from him Marke Brethren there is a promise which the Lord will performe to all that are in covenant with him that is he will not finally forsake them But yet in the mean time if they venture so much hereupon that they break their league play the harlots and forsake their husband he will make them feele to their costs 2 Chro. 16.3.4 that he can also break with them and forsake them and so will he goe on with them till he have wearied them and by some adversity or other within or without sent them home with sorrow and shame to their first husband Men must not looke to be loose with God and yet binde him to be close to them Excellent is that of Oded the Prophet to Asa speaking of the revolted ten Tribes Of a long time was Israel without God or a Law or a Priest And why Surely because they had forsaken his Temple and Worship his Arke and Mercy seat and therefore the Lord plagued them with all adversity And so will he doe to you if yee cleave to him he will cleave to you but if you warp from him so will he from you Consider I pray you brethren and God give us understanding The Lord will keep promise with his but then they must not play their parts with him For why Shall the Father spit in his Daughters face Num. 12.14 and shall she not be separate from him seven dayes It was the Lords speech to Moses touching Miriam
done with ease Naamans worke was to beleeve But having so done all the thought is taken God lookes to the cure without his care Could any thing come between him and home betweene promise and performance Not possibly for who should hinder God Esay 43.13 Faith is the presence of God in the soule Heb. 11.1 by making an evidence of things not seen and a bottome in things absent grace for grace Ioh. 1.17 may bee grace of performing for grace of beleeving Let this use lead on anoâ—her then in the feare of God and teach us to try our faith by this excellent property of performing promises True faith is perforforming faith And how Thinke not thy selfe to have true faith except thou hast performing faith Men rest in a naked empty faith bearing themselves in hand that they have true faith and they looke at the faithfulnesse of God in promising but aske them of performances and then they know not what to say to the matter Alas poore soule Faith is no pang or passage of a mans spirit woulding this or that nor a looking at a promise of truth as a thing doubtfull to me ward but it is a bottoming grace concurring most holily and humbly with the Lord in his reall and faithfull performings also That heart which supplieth performances with conceits of things that are not with some carnall contents or other without the presence of the thing beleeved more or lesse is a dead faith and knowes not the kindly nature of faith Prevention of an offence My scope in thus saying is not to adde sorrow to sorrow and to pinch such poore soules as have sufficient griefe already for lacke of feeling But to convince all false hypocrites as rest in a faith of their owne not in the faith of God who as Esay 55.2 saith lay out their silver for no bread but in the meane time nourish in themselves a dismall faith which failes of the grace of performance I dare not say that all performances are alike sensible all hearings of our prayers are not alike manifest to our feeling all fruit of receiving Sacraments fasting and the like are not of one cize measure carry not the same evidence peace comfort But hence it followes not Faith when shee s at lowest is yet a performing â—â—ith that any true faith is or can be dead faith in point of performing Naamans cure here was a more sensible one then some spirâ—tuall cures of faith are because it was bodily But yet even when faith seemes poorest her performances are reall and she never truly resignes up herselfe to a promise but if she come short in feeling she hath a supply from the reall faithfulnesse of God who hath told her That such a corruption decayeth such a grace encreaseth such a good thing is cast upon her because God hath said it and this doth really stay and quiet her spirit in him As an ancient Christian being asked whether he grew all this while in grace answered that he could not much boast of that he felt howbeit he beleeved that he did for God had said it According to thy faith so be it unto thee And contrariwise hence learne the wofull misery and beggery of unbeleef As Salomon speakes of the field of the sluggard Prov 24.30 that the briars and brambles thereof argueth his sloth so I may say of unbeleefe that its the roote of all the rags and basenesse which men walke with The difficulty of getting over this steep hill of performances comes onely from hence 1 Sam. 14.13 Ionathan sought on the lower ground against the Philistins by faith as if he had had the vantage of the ground Many men have faire hopes and opportunities to get favours from God but it s not the price in the hand but the heart of faith to beteame it to the promise and to lay it out Unbeleefe bindes the armes of God from performing of promises Unbeleefe bindes the armes of mercy and grace in God behinde him If God be so faithfull a performer what hath stopt the fountaine all this while Why is it so little a seen upon thy soule How might this barren heath of thine heart ere now become a flood as Esay saith 43.20 if thy sinne had not dried it up Well as the sinne of an unbeleever shall not restraine the bounty of God from him that beleeveth so neither shall the faith of a beleever supply the lacke of it in one that wants it Thinke not poore soule that the Sacrament shall be ever the lesse savoury and effectuall to thee because of them who come in to it with a saplesse and gracelesse heart Doe not thou thinke ere the meanlier of thy faith because hypocrites lowre upon thee and discerne not thy priviledge Prov. 14.10 But looke the more narrowly into thy priviledge and solace thine heart in it for neither shall any stranger enter into thy joy nor yet shalt thou fare the worse for their beggery So much for this Seventhly this point affords Admonition to all who would rejoyce in effectuall Vse 7 faith and faith in performances Admonition To avoid le ts of performances 1. Let. Mistaking performances That they strive hard against every let in the way which might hold their faith in a barren and fruitlesse defect and unprofitablenes There is nothing so excellent but it hath some canker to fret out the pith of it to blast the beauty of it One barre is the mistaking of performances we frame to our selves such an Idea of Gods favours such a great measure of graces such a pitch of faith of mortification and holinesse that hereby our eyes are blindfolded from beholding such performances as the Lord bestoweth But consider Is God tyed to thy scantlings We see how they Mica 2.6 come in and complaine against God in this kinde But marke the answer of God Oh thou house of Iacob is my Spirit straitned Are not my words good to them that walke uprightly So say I is God false because thou overpitchest thy thoughts beyond Gods wisdome Thou aimest at another mans portion as they who gathered manna were too greedy But be content with thine owne If thou have enough to keepe thee in working case jealous of thy selfe and thy corruptions it s enough although thou have not all at once Thou wouldest have three or foure mens portions so much as perhaps the Lord sees would overthrow thee Alas what canst thou beare in this multitude of corruption If thou hadst thy fill it would cost thee much buffeting to keep thee from pride Know that the very meer worke of exercising thy faith is a reward of it selfe Secondly trust not to thy dead priviledge of being a Beleever 2. Carnality and deadnesse of heart and so commit all to winde and weather maintaine not a dull drowsie lasie heart of unbeleefe but hold quarter daily with the Lord in concurring with his promises see how his performances follow thy beleeving
now we enjoy in the season of the yeare How many have fretted the soule of God all this Summer 1631. by their wofull unthankfulnesse because that wee have had sad wets and not without cause for our drunkards sakes therefore many of us say Wee shall lose our Harvest to yeare What Canst thou not trust God in that promise of seed-time harvest which is absolute and depends not upon thy faith Well Gen. 8.22 now at the last God hath heard us when he had us at the vantage and this might occasion the recording of many former deliverances What hath been the cause of Gods detecting so many traytors to our Prince State and giving us their necks save the faith of Gods people which hath noted his mercies Thankfull and comforted by the faithful performing of promises Why should he else just in the nick of our enemies insulting pride in 88. and since in this hellish treason of the Powder step in stop that fatall hand Since how many droughts famines rumors of wars pestilence bad seasons hath the Lord turned away from us Should we confine our thanks to one day in the yeare And put case that still many Popish enemies lie at our root to kill it and to endanger our liberties say that many sorrowes are still upon us is it not because we have made wash-way of all sorts of performances and made them common things How hath God magnified his arme in those publick fasts of ours lately solemnized besides our private extraordinary praiers by our selves When met we but the Lord gave us in some answer more or lesse And how have we requited him for it Were it not just with him to give us quite over as them Judg. 10.13 for our Idols our covetousnesse I meane formality and hypocrisie Might he not as Ps 80.4 be angry with our prayers Might he not laugh at our misery and leave us to cruell enemies and forraine invasions who have been so weary of his own yoke Also humbled for their provokings of God to the contrary Oh! let us humble our souls to the very dust that we have requited him so basely and deserved that he should change his performances into revenges and penalties you poor heare who ere now said you could not chuse but starve this deer year how fare you now the danger is overpast God hath performed as much corn as can stand on the ground to rid you of fears will you now forget him as formerly Remember your covenants Oh that our powder were not danke and our hearts unfit to take fire and to burne out with praises nay hath not God betrusted many of us here with more then ever we looked for such wives such children such patience in our revolts such addition of life when we lookt to have beene cut off by violent feavers consumptions yet restored to live 7. 10. 20. years after with unlooked for liberty in our Ministery and Profession may we not say with David 1 Chr. 29.14 It was little to thee to build me a sure house but thou wouldst also take in my posterity to covenant for two or three generations If a Gentleman should give his poor friend a ring of 20 s. and put it into a pearl of 20 li. that friend would thanke him though he saw nothing but the gold only but when he sees the jewell too doth he not stand and wonder Shouldest thou do lesse to the Lord for those unexpected favours given thee as an overplus to his Christ What shouldst thou do but take up the cup of salvation praise him thy worst day is better then the best of such Psal 116.10 as I say not want these blessings but such as have them cast in upon them as common casualties not as performances I had rather be the scullion in a great house with poor blessings from a fountaine from faith in a promise then the Noble man himself without the favour of the giver had not Obadiah a better portion then his Master let thine estate be never so mean 1 Kings 18.3 yet if the Lord have granted thee this entercourse and intelligence with heaven thou hast great cause of thankfulnesse And to conclude Psal 122 ult let us all say as David did at the foot of his song Our trust standeth in the name of the Lord. For time to come shal I ever cavill against thee O Lord who hast beene so faithfull Shall I call thee to my tribunall if at any time thou shouldst try me with some darknes of promises am I not bound for ever to wait both in mine own behalf and the behalf of the whole Church to trust thee as a God that keepst touch nay who hast oftimes performed promises whenas I have but poorly concurr'd with them by faith put case thou shouldst do as Iacob did to Iosephs brethren lay thine hands a crosse the right upon Ephraim Gen. 48.18 the left upon Manasse say thou shouldst in particular crosse my own contents delay my praiers and estrange thy selfe for a while from me in wonted performances is it not enough for the cleering of thy faithfulnesse that thou hast so long bin faithfull Is not my experience sufficient to binde me to thy faithfulnes for ever So much shall serve also for this last Use so for the whole Doctrine and for this time THE TWO AND TWENTIETH LECTVRE Continued upon this VERSE VERSE XIV Then Naaman went downe and washed himselfe seven times in Iordan and behold his flesh came againe as the flesh of a little child and he was cleane THe last day Beloved as you may remember I made an end of the former Doctrine issuing out of the successe of Naamans washing To wit that Gods performances are alway as good as his promises if not better Now the last point of the whole verse and so of the third generall part of this text remaineth to be handled And that is grounded upon this That now after Naamans faith and fruition of the promised cure wee heare no more of his old distempers his cavils his rage and turning from the Prophet All is now quite changed with him as for sorrow and former trouble all is blowne away as if it had never been The point is of singular consequence and it is this The soule that can cast her selfe nakedly upon the bare promise of God may be sure thereby to lose all her distempers which under her unbeliefe assaulted her and to drowne them in the promise And this point I will first ground upon Scripture and reason Secondly answer a question or doubt Then come to some use For the ground of the text it is cleere For we see that according to the promise of Elisha so it came to passe After his washing himselfe we heare of no more distempers all are gone wee heare of the returne of his flesh as a childs we heare not of the remainder of his passions For other texts Take that place
or the like comes from the not suffering the word to enter but holding it out at staves end Now then must not the word of promise beleeved become as contrary to her Why did Micaiah so scare Ahab Because he never spake well to him So why doth the grace of faith so scatter these distempers Because she speakes all against them overthrowes and resists them Contraries have mutually the same respect in their consequencies The distemper of an unbeleeving spirit alway beares downe the word till the word as the stronger man armed with the power of Christ doe foile her and strip her of all The weapons of our warfare are not carnall but spirituall able to cast downe strong holds of corruption Sinnes weapons are carnall Gods are spirituall Therefore there is no proportion in the contrariety God will divide the spoyles that is cease the distempers The reason appeares from that speech of Jonah Ionah 2.8 They that embrace lying vanities forsake their owne mercy But I will looke toward thy holy Temple and promise and thereby abandon them Each destroy the other Reas 5 Fifthly the promise drownes all former distempers because it performes that really which selfe and corruption beare the soule falsly and erroneously in hand withall These afford the soule a rotten peace a deceitfull content vanishing and ending in sorrow See Esay 50.11 But the word doth it really and surely no more to be infringed No more hungring or thirsting if once satisfied with this bread and water of life The text imports it Naamans servants here tell Naaman That which all thine owne discontents and humours could never minister unto thee that the obeying of the message will really afford thee See Act. 13.38 That from which you could not be justified from by the law of Moses by this Man every beleever is justified All at once set free from outward enemies and inward distempers Reas 6 Sixthly the experience of the Saints proves this who till they have cast anchor upon the word and settled upon this center could never find rest in all the circumference as I may call it of your owne best selfe your goodnesse affections gifts or duties Bellarmine himselfe confessing that in respect of the uncertainty of our good workes or else the perill of vaine-glory issuing from thence it is most safe for us to rely upon the sole and meere mercy of God the bare word of truth and promise How much more then shall Gods people say If it had not beene for thy word I had perished in my affliction This is to a poore soule as the chaire of Saint Peter is to a deluded votary the determining voyce All eternall immutable things comprehend and devoure the fading and changeable but cannot be comprehended by them nor resisted by their opposition Lastly the maine and chiefe reason of all is because the word Reas 7 and promise of God is not the bare letter of words or syllables Many branches but furnish'd with all the power and authority of God so that who so clings and cleaves to it is out of his owne keepe and under the Lords There is as our Saviour speakes spirit and life 105. in all which he speakes This may appeare to us in these foure specials First in the wisdome thereof This way of God crosseth all Branch 1 other wayes and hedges the soule out from all sound comfort by them only fastning it upon this 1 Cor. 1. As Paul cals the Gospel in this respect the wisdome of God casting downe all those devices of mans wit wil works or wayes by which flesh would set up a peace and ease of all distempers to her selfe There is no doubt but the errantest hypocrite living would gladly if he could by his smoothing with his owne false heart come to a kind of setling that he might no more be troubled But it is as the sowing of a new peece to an old garment and the rent becomes the worse Even as a short narrow Map of a Shire makes every petty cottingers lands to vanish and causes him to account himselfe a starke begger lord of a Mole-hill not worth the owning So doth this way of God force him who thought himselfe no meane man in his Religion and hopes to seeme a starke foole in his owne eyes For why hath the Lord revealed the way to life by the reall death and resurrection of his onely Sonne glory being made shame and holinesse sinne and eternity death to satisfie justice and shall I play the Mountebank and thinke to satisfie by mine owne trickes and devices Oh foole oh beast Secondly in the righteousnesse of God As the Sunne is able Branch 2 by his heat to licke up all the dew of the earth and scatter all the mists of the aire and the Sea is able to swallow up and devoure whatsoever is cast into it never to appeare more Even so the merit of Righteousnesse and Sanctification by our Lord Jesus compared oft to both these in Scripture is able to licke up and dispell all the most desperate feares doubts and distempers of the soule So Paul speakes Whom God set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousnes Rom. 3.25 What righteousnesse Surely the equalnesse of pardoning them who are of the faith of Jesus because he hath received a full ransome else saith he if he should not justifie such an one he should not be just So full a content hath Christ given his Father for sinne that if the Father should not acknowledge it sufficient he should doe Christ wrong and if he should not impute it to a poore soule that beleeves he should doe the poore soule wrong nay having freely yeelded his Sonne and received the price for that very end he should doe himselfe infinite wrong by unfaithfulnesse But there is no such feare The Judge of the world will not do unrighteously he will not condemne the righteous and the unbeleever alike For he hath accepted his Sons death as a ful discharge If we should receive a summe of money for the use of an Orphan and when the Orphan comes of age should detain it should he be righteous Mercy then is of free gift and faith is a free gift But justification of a poore soule for Christs merit is an act of righteousnesse So 2 Cor. 5.20.21 Be reconciled to God Why Because he hath made him sinne who knew none that we might be Gods righteousnesse Branch 3 Thirdly all other properties of the promiser are included in the promise as the truth faithfulnesse mercy love greater then that of the creation and all the rest scattered in the booke of God his eternity and unchangeablenesse and the like are all in the Word See 1 Tim. 1.15 Psal 25.10 1 Pet. 1.25 with sundry others So that the soules doubts and distempers may easily be cast upon such promises for so the Apostle cals them 1 Cor. 7.1 as are built upon such foundations Branch 4 Fourâ—hly
God hath strength in his hand to doe this whatsoever Satan hell law or wrath should say to the contrary I say he hath enough to warrant that he hath done against all opposers See Esay 27.4 5. Anger is not in me why Lay hold upon my strength and make peace The satisfaction of Christ is the strength of mercy as truly as the law is the strength of sinne The arme of mercy is so strong through this that the strong arme of justice cannot pull it away from forgiving a poore sinner but mercy will still be above and will not be beaten downe but prevaile against justice yea triumph against judgement By this strength then which overcomes justice shall not the distempers of the soule much more be vanquished and overcome Branch 5 Lastly the intent and purpose of God is by his promise to doe this favour for the soule even to put it out of all doubt and question and to breed assurance in it Heb. 6. That by two things the word and oath of God wherein it was impossible for God to lie we might have full assurance and so twice more in that Epistle he speakes The meaning whereof is As surely as I from all eternity did intend it in the foundation of mine election that is my Sonne as verily as I accepted it at his hands when he offered it up by his eternall spirit as verily as I offer it to my Church under the word of truth which cannot lie and have pawned my Ministers credit upon it that except I speake truely they are errant dissemblers as verily as now my deare Sonne at my right hand in glory pleads for poore soules that they may partake it so truly and really without hooke or crooke doe I intend to shew them mercy Why should not every one then that needs it fasten upon it and drowne all his distempers in it decide all doubts and rest well satisfied Conclusion of reasons To these I might adde many mo As that the promise beleeved gives the soule a full requitall for all which shee forgoes As Peter said We have forsaken all and followed thee Lord what shall we have Our Saviour answers him An hundred fold here and after eternall life So perhaps thou hast forsaken thy old crasie props for Gods word what shalt thou have Even perfect peace that which they could never have bred thee Againe I might say That faith enlarges the hidebound and shrunk heart and makes it concurre with the Lord and equall his bowels I meane to be enlarged in her bowels toward him againe whereas before it was not so but she limited the holy one of Israel and restrained his compassions Besides this word of the promise sets up a light in the heart above all that light which was there before We know when it is dark we are glad of a candle But when the Sunne shines bright a candle is a poore needlesse thing and is drowned by a superiour light So here a blind dark deluded heart is glad of any dimme candle of its owne to make it thinke it sees but when the word comes that dimme light vanishes These and many more I might adde but these are sufficient I hasten to the question and objection and the answers of them Here then first it may be asked The Answer to a Question But may a poore soule truly loaden with her owne sinne and under a condition of a promise be subject to so many distempers I answer yea surely as in the wombe the woman that is conceived with child yet ere the fruit be perfected feeles abundance of inward griefes and pains strugglings and wrestlings ere the fruit be come to the full ripenesse But when it is once come to that the former distempers cease Even so is it here Till faith have formed the soule to a true quietnesse and setling there cannot chuse but be many feares and turne-againes although the seed be cast into the wombe really But what are these I answer In three kinds Such as these I may referre them to these three heads for order sake First erroneous conceits on the right hand proceeding from selfe-love flattering it selfe by her hopes her morall qualities her negative abstinences opinion of her religious duties her affections complaints her liking of goodnesse flashes of joy and the like Oh! how can she chuse but doe well how can she be out of the way Then must thousands perish if she be wrong She is not so sinfull that she should put Gods mercy too farre to straine it selfe Ah poore wretch thinkest thou to fare well by making God lesse work or by making thy selfe to need him above all sinners The Word goes not by thy small sinne but by the graciousnesse of the promiser So also of this sort are all mixtures of selfe and soderings against the Word hoping that such a degree of desire or sorrow or selfe-deniall will serve although it have no roote in the Word nor continue Seeking God so farre as will hold with such a lust liberty or evill custome To sticke to our old condition though we find it crasie by the Word and to be unwilling to goe any further and to strippe and bare herselfe of her owne bottome that Christ might come and take possession But desperately to venture and cast all upon hazard if I be not well let all goe I will take as I find but I will altar none of my course This for the first sort Secondly there are distempers on the left hand for the soule is hurried with extremities on both sides till she beleeve I meane with bondage as well as boldnesse Of this sort are all base feares and wicked conceits against our selves That we are the unhappiest of all men of more aversnesse to Gods will and way then any men or women living That our corruptions are baser then any our natures more crooked inconstant awk and perverse that such spirits as ours so sly subtill and lewd cannot belong to God For then some restraining grace or other would have kept us all this while Why oh poore soule is it not as much for the glory of mercy to save a crooked spirit as a streight dost thou so looke upon thine owne ends that Gods are forgotten Also a false opinion of Gods enmity toward us because we feele our selves as corrupt and hardhearted as ever little amendment in us but much what the same under long hearing many mercies patience crosses meanes of grace What should this argue but that our hearts are given over and left of God Surely if he had chosen us we should not be thus Some there must be after all costs and trials who must be left in their hardnesse of heart and none more like to be of that number then such as we feele our selves So tempted to vile thoughts to lewd lusts and affections So many backwarder and further off then we in shew yet have beene brought home to God before us Many of our time age and
condition battered broken and humbled but our hearts remaining as hard as ever and will not melt Wee have had more tendernesse then now we have and if then we could not beleeve how should we now We could have prayed fasted mourned better then now we can we are now tempted to give over all our hearings Sacraments we therefore feare all hope is past we neglected the special season of mercy by our dalliance and now it is too late So much for the second Thirdly from this longsomnesse and wearinesse the soule growes to disquietnesse of temper to tedious sorrowes bootlesse afflictings and baskings of it selfe and that by any occasions of another nature any accidentall crosses melancholy discontent and wearinesse of our selves of our lives wife children trade and converse with men conceiting our selves to have no right to any of these and therefore they will but encrease our judgement better it were therefore to make a â—iddance of our selves aforehand by violent drowning stabbing stifling of our selves then to beare it out to the uttermost Or else distemper may expresse it selfe otherwise by anger and vexation with our families and servants quarrelings with Gods Minister sometime bodily distempers grow upon such they cannot sleepe cannot follow their callings walke idly and joylesse mopish are afraid we shall be bereft of all we have and come to shame or at least die before ever we get grace or hold of the promise This also for a draught of the third Now I say for conclusion the word of Promise satisfies the soule in all respects both lesser and greater so that now the poore creature is like Peter Act. 12. out of his walking sleepe when the Angel was gone and came to see that cleerely which before was as a shadow So the beleeving soule by this light of the promise and by this sword of the spirit discovers and cuts off her annoyances here one there another as a strong man might cut off theeves assaulting him one by one at a narrow wicket And we might exemplifie all these by Scripture brethren if time would permit take one text for all Those in Hosea when once God humbled them and enlightned them they could cry out Ashur shall not save us we will not ride upon horses now we see that with thee the fatherlesse shall find mercy we will breake off all our false hopes and cast away our covers of shame and those props of our owne whereby we hoped to releeve our selves without thee now we will abandon and renounce them all A maine place for the proofe hereof And so much for the answer of the question Now also a doubt here ariseth which in a word I will resolve and then come to the use The question is If the Word cease all distempers how comes it to passe that the Saints are so molested with them after their beleeving for how many doubts and feares objections temptations and lusts befall the best I answer this will be resolved by like Scriptures He that beleeveth in me he that eates of my flesh and drinkes of my bloud Iohn 6. shall hunger nor thirst no more How is it then that our hunger abides all our life I answer He shall hunger no more deadly distrustfully mortally but hopingly beleevingly and savingly So here These distempers may now and then arise but not as formerly then they were generall reaching to our estate now onely particular about our actions our comfort as arising from ignorance errour or speciall distrust Againe then they came from our owne principle of heart and mind corrupted but now they proceed from concupiscence and the remainder of old Adam in us which cannot doe other Satan also incensing it and causing it to present it selfe so much the more rankly by how much he feares his owne dispossession But now faith our new principle causeth an holy Requiem in the soule so that it may say truly as he spake basely Soule take thine ease Thou hast goods laid up for many yeares So I say some bounsings and clatterings the Devill may cause at our doores but the peace of God which hath calmed all distempers before we beleeved shall also allay and scatter all our mists of darknesse afterward as they arise and maintaine perfect peace For why This is the first fruits of that peace which we have in our conscience toward God through justification even as the eares of corne which the Jewes brought to God was a pledge unto them that they should have the possession of the whole crop Lastly I answer that by this doctrine I meane not that a Christian doth cut off all distempers so that whether he beleeve or beleeve not sleepe or wake he is sure for ever after No in no wise But that so long as he holds close to the word there is power in the word to effect that continually which it effected at the first Christ and his promise is Yea and Amen yesterday to day and the same for ever but how provided that the soule lie still as close to the promise to day as yesterday that it see as much need of it to dispell unbeliefe feares unquietnesse this day as heretofore and waxe not loose and presumptuous which is the way to expose the soule to temptations or else to nuzzle it up in a rotten quietnesse for the tâ—me which will breake out againe after But as we say to a Tradesman or others Keepe your shop well and that will keepe you neglect it and that will give over you so here Tend the promise and you shall find sufficient in it to uphold you in peace and to keepe off those flies of Beelzebub which were wont to annoy you But if you cease your worke wonder not if your distempers returne for although there were no enemies without to molest there is enough from within a base heart to create pudder and unsettlednesse to the soule And so much for the Answer also to this Question Now I come to some use and indeed the use is very weighty and manifold Use 1 And first this point argues the sleightnes of such as being urged to beleeve Conflict answer thus So we would and should if we could be rid of our accusing thoughts fearfull distempers which do molest us As if a man waking at midnight should say If mine eyes were not shut it would not be so darke Whereas the cause is in the night not in the eye for if it were day the eye would see well enough They make the effect the cause and the cause the effect If thou couldest beleeve thy distempers would vanish therefore remove that first Take out the beame and thine eye will soone be lightsome The want of faith causeth such a multitude of distempers to annoy thee and the gift of faith would clense the coast Beginne then at the right end of the staffe and let not errour beguile thee Use 2 Secondly this doctrine may give us a good Receit against Melancholy Instruct A
the cost I remember how one of the poore Martyrs encouraged his fellow the one being a blind man and the other a lame being at the stake Be of good cheere saith the one to the other we have a sharpe breakfast but we shall have a sweete supper my Lord of London Boner shall heale me of my blindnesse and thee of thy lamenesse in a short space Could a poore blind creature encourage himselfe against the fire for the hope of freedome from his blindnesse and count a bloudy wretch a good Physitian in that respect What shouldest thou doe then for the hope of riddance from those distempers which have hindred thine inward peace and have held thee downe all thy dayes till now Oh! how good a Physitian should he be and how blessed a medicine should that be that should ridde thee from them Secondly how should thy loynes blesse the Lord for this mercy How precious was Elisha to Naaman for his cure how beautifull should the feete of them be that bring glad tidings of peace But especially what experience should this worke in time to come in all such as the Sonne hath thus freed What Giant shouldest thou feare having overcome the Lion and the Beare What after births and paines should affright thee having escaped the chiefe paines of travell and birth it selfe It is sweete to thinke how strong the Saints of God have beene by this experience and with what triumph they speake of this deliverance As Paul in 2 Cor. 1. Who hath delivered from so great a death who doth deliver and I am perswaded will deliver And yet who had such after reckonings as he had So often in spirituall desertions in soule-buffetings in perils by land sea enemies he was much in labour in travell often stoned imprisoned persecuted yet saith he out of all these the Lord delivered me yea and still will to his glory till my worke be finished Thus the Church speakes Psal 123. That if God had not beene of her side the waves had swallowed her up and yet God had broken the snare and her soule was escaped And what then Our helpe saith she stands in the name of the Lord. The poore lame and blind man in the Gospel being bidde to come to Christ was heartned on by the standers by Be of good cheere say they the Master calleth thee So say I Be of good cheere If when thou wert yet weake and unable to helpe thy selfe yet the Lord bare thee through eased thee of all thy distempers when thou saidst It shall never goe well Oh! what speciall lets by infidelity feare and tentation what speciall risings up and bubblings up of corruption can he not suppresse in thee Now he hath given thee strength and experience by his promise why shouldest thou distrust him One saith What can seeme great to him to whom the greatnesse of the whole world is knowne So what can seeme tedious to him to overcome who hath got the victory over his horrors of conscience and pangs of a froward sullen heart through unbeliefe Let us nourish this experience lively and effectually in our selves against straits either by inward desertings or outward enemies Our Lord Jesus felt both upon the crosse that we might trust him for freedome from both That Crosse to which he nayled all Devils and men enemies to his grace shall also overcome all their second assaults and affronts and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against us if we cast not away our confidence Yea this our freedome shall be our earnest-peny of that peace which the Lord shall settle upon our consciences for time to come a pledge of that eternall rest which one day when he shall cleare the coast from all tempests and blasts of this world with full serenity and calmnesse the Lord shall translate us unto hereafter If this Angel stand by us although we were in as deepe distresse as Paul when no Sunne Moone or Starres appeared for fourteene dayes we shall leape up as he did among a rout of Ruffians and Souldiers saying I trust God that not one haire of our head shall fall to the ground Oh! how well-pleasing to God is it that we give not over our hold and cast not away our Shield and Sword when we have greatest need of it And so much may serve for this Use Lastly this may serve for instruction to teach us the just proceeding of God against all Hypocrites who reject his Word in this respect loving their distempers so well that they care not Use 7 for getting faith to be rid of them The soule that longs for faith Instruct longs for peace and riddance of such slavish companions but they who withdraw from God and will not beleeve it is just with God to leave them and their distempers together till they cannot be separated Ezekiel speaking of the people of his time compares them to a seething pot whose meat liquor and scum sod all together till they with the pot it selfe were burnt all together So it is just with God that they who would not have the precious separated from the vile should have their owne faith still and be left to their staggerings unquietnesses false case deceits and delusions and never be purged from their defilements Peter excellently speakes to this purpose Epist 1. Cap. 2.6.7 of such as will not accept the Lord Jesus to be their corner-stone of safety Surely they find him a stone of stumbling and offence So I say to these Since you cared not to trust in Christ to ridde you of your corruptions dead hearts vanities lusts earthlinesse your unbeliefe false hopes feares your owne affections and wayes it is just with God to leave you still to astonishment and anguish of heart to sinke and perish to fall and be destroyed Esa 28. by this Rocke of offence Christ is either a Rocke to save or to crush in pieces And I have noted that many Pharisees and Hypocrites refusing Christ have turned cavillers against the way of God complainers murmurers against it as base tedious and difficult if not scorners and enemies So much for this Doctrine and Lecture THE THREE AND TWENTIETH AND LAST LECTVRE Vpon the fifteenth VERSE and so forward VERSE XV. to the XIX And he returned to the man of God he and all his company and came and stood before him and said Behold now I know that there is no God in all the earth save in Israel Now therefore I pray thee take a blessing of thy servant But he said As the Lord liveth before whom I stand I will receive none And he uâ—ged him to take it but he refused And Naaman said Shall there not then be given two Mules load of earth to thy servant c. In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant c. To whom Elisha said Goe in peace Entrance upon this 4 generall ALthough Brethren at my first entry upon this text I propounded no more Verses of this Chapter to treat upon save what
it He that cooles and checkes his own spirit from zeale and grace It commonly growes to open prophanenesse will in a short time be a secret discourager and checker of others How many are there of yeeres and discretion enough in other matters who will baite their children and servants from their diligence in hearing and zeale in profession How many will say I my selfe was as hot as you but now time and experience they should say time the Mother of truth which hath discovered their hollow hearts have made me wiser And I warrant you say they as hot as you seeme we shall have a cooling card for you and in time when children grow on and debts encrease and an hard world besets you you also will change your zeale into wisdome and become as temperate ones as we and abate your great resolutions How many are there whose great flames are now quailed and become as cold as ashes But woe be to such Satan hath entred into them againe though he seemed to be cast out at the first let none that have any dramme of this grace of the Gospel be damped for such as these For he that hath bred in them this spirit either can keepe them from such temptations or else can make their spirit rise above them and encrease Matth. 12.45 whereas the end of such revolters as these shall bee worse then the beginning So much also of this second sort Thirdly this is terrour to all Pelagian Popish and Carnall Branch 3 spirits Pelagian spirits farre from the true spirit of a cure which are as opposite to the Spirit of Grace and conversion as light and darknesse The spirit of a true cure of Jordan differs in all points from this spirit of selfe and free-will The one is for God and his glorious grace sets him up in the soule with admiration and thankes But the other is to set up and glorifie it selfe and the will of the flesh to make God stoop to man to fetch him from Heaven to the barre of humane censure there to answer for himselfe why he should not vouchsafe grace to this man as well as that both being equally disposed and if the Lord answer Because it is of my free love to shew mercy to whom I will Rom. 9.13 14 15. they strive with him and tell him This his pretended mercy is meere injustice and cruelty above the most mercilesse Tyrants to make a man and damne him when he hath done to prescribe him a rule which he never gave him power to performe and to require that of him which himselfe hath by an eternall fore-decree disabled him from O wofull pride Shall potsherds contend with their Maker Esay 45.9 If they will needs clash let them clash with potsherds and try which pot is stronger but to quarrell with the Potter how impudent and bootlesse is it And yet thus it is Note it who will The ancient spirit of conversion tender love and zeale to God and his truth never prospered since this bastard spirit of selfe and free-will came upon our stage It blasted all sincerity and gracious affections as sensibly as the East-wind blasts the tender buddes of the Spring What was Naamans spirit I pray so long as his Abana and Pharfar lasted Surely opposite to the Prophet to Jordan and the promise So is it with this Nothing will downe with the spirit of selfe save to pick quarrels with free grace it is no wonder that they are opposite to men 1 Thes 2.15 who are so contrary to God himselfe Tell me where will yee picke out a Pelagian spirit which ever was zealous for God tender to his glory jealous of offending him or carefull to please him The like I may say of the spirit of Popish devotion Popish spirits likewise standing in the bare letter of the Law of duties of outward ceremonies and performances putting a Religion into the worke wrought and deed done What doth all the dunghill and drosse of Popery seeke to establish save a carnall Religion What doth it so much abhorre as selfe-deniall except it be in some externals for the meriting of Heaven what is so odious to it as faith to justifie Alas That pleads for salvation by justice and not by grace It uses Christ onely for a meere formall person to beare her name Esay 4.1 2. but shee will beare all her charges her owne selfe And under a colour of some glorious ceremonies and outward worship what doth she but muzzle the mouth of conscience and nuzzle the soule in a rotten peace which either will carry her to hell laughing or else breake out into utter horrour and desperation I aske but this question When as once the Lord hath truly turned the soule to God what is more odious irksom to it then that which overthrows the Word and Promise and sets up in stead of it a Religion of mans braine and inventions garnisht and disht out with the shreds and dregges of flesh without a droppe of true bloud of Christ or one sparke of the spirit of grace Who wonders that wheresoever this trash becomes there the true preaching of the Lord Jesus the power of the Gospel the honour and esteeme of the Ministery of Reconciliation is trodden in the dirt and cast out as unsavoury But I cease and leave this Use of terrour and come to an Use of reproofe And that shall be of all such as in times past have seemed to be the first head of the Professors in this kind for their spirit of zeale and love to the Gospel but have now catcht a fall and Use 3 cannot get up on their legges againe Reproofe but remaine and welter in a lukewarme and degenerate estate boâ—h in the sight of God and his Church Brethren the time hath beene Revolters from their zeale and grace of the Gospel are in a sadde case in some of our memories that men have thought no Ministery zealous enough for them but wish'd with David Let the righteous smite me and it shall be as balme But now these men are growne weary of such loath reproofe and will teach Ministers what and how farre they shall order their discourse Each thing spoken in particular is spoken against them They who would have given their very eyes to Gods Minister and with Naaman here Psal 141.5 Gal. 4.15 thought neither gold nor silver nor changes of rayment good enough for him wil scarce give two brasse farthings to keepe them in their places At first who but they to get them in and now who but the same men to hunr them out What Are we become your enemies for telling you the truth is this your great spirit of the Gospel shall I say or of selfe-love The time hath beene when you came new minted as you thought out of Jordan that such tendernesse of conscience was upon you for God that you would scarce take up a pinne or a sticke of another mans lest
resist that spirit by which you speake and walke It is not your duties hearing Sermons which will serve turne except you get into the way of God and get your spirits whetted up to a lively temper of godlinesse you shall but adde heapes to heapes and die of thirst Rake up the ashes of your first sacrifice and see if there be any one sparkle alive Iudg. 15.16.18 to kindle that old fire in your hearts God hath now farre more need of it then he had then If you cannot find old sparks goe to Heaven for new for a double portion of it else you will hardly hold out in these cold times You young Novices here among us who in your youth have begunne well and honoured the labours of Gods servants by your zeale by your answering to Catechism by drawing on many to God be not discouraged that the same Grace which made you young Sts. can make you old ones I doubt it not but blesse God for the hope I conceive of your growth and fruit Esay 8.18 1 Iohn 4.4 though we are as signes both we and the children which God hath given us and wonders to the world feare not greater is he that is in us then with them You Magistrates hereabouts you Headborowes and Officers at home doe not play the cowards in the cause of God and the government of the Towne suffer not drunkards to fill up your Alehouses here upon the day of our Lecture and to rout in all cursed behaviour all the day after going together by the eares swearing and swaggering let not your Taverns and places of resort be more frequented then Gods house I see ruine before mine eyes and the young fry will prove worse then their Predecessors your glory is gone except you hold together and prevent sinne from flowing downe your streets and overthrowing all 2 Cor. 2.14 â—â— And in a word to all sorts I speake scatter the savour of this spirit of Grace all about the places where you dwell shine especially within your owne sphere and families lay in for grace and mercy for your husbands wives children kinsfolke and neighbours who have long beene ignorant profane or formall worshippers at the best pluck them out of the fire by violence Iude ult Perhaps some seed lies under a clod they are not so deeply sunk under the slavery of those Idols but that God may fetch out somewhat of them at the last and shall it die for lacke of stirring up Be earnest with God and strive hard for the whole corner this poore Countrey in which ancient zeale and the spirit of Grace decayes exceedingly Easie serving of God for fashion and this love of the creature hath eaten up all The last yeare we were almost starven for bodily bread but God be thanked better food did helpe well both to content the poorer sort and to uphold their spirits with patience yea and to perswade the richer sort to mercy and compassion Now we feare a worse famine if not want of the Word yet that the Lord for our wretched unfruitfulnesse may fill our mouthes with Quailes Mumb. 11.20 and suffer them to come out againe at our nostrils may fat us with meanes and curse us with leannesse in our soules Psal 106.15 Lord suffer not the child to die at the breasts for lack of milke nor having it to surfet Oh thou who hast bred us by thy Word with the lively spirit of Grace preserve us by the same nourishment whereby wee are begotten And so for such among us brethren as have continued constantly Branch 5 in this zeale of the Gospel Consolation to all such as walke in the comfort of the spirit of conversion I doe here reach out comfort unto them and say to them as Elisha to Naaman Goe in peace Though you and I should never heare the voyce nor see the face of other yet we shall do well as long as the peace of God is with us Nourish your hearts still till death in this love of the Gospel Make not shipwrack in the havens Thinke not now of any new way Turne not to the world for they care not for you you stink to them therefore hold to your old Master and be his servants for ever Let the Lord beate you out of his doores before you dare start from him you have beene his so long that as Peter said Whither should we goe Lord from thee Iohn 6.68 thou hast the words of eternall life Though there be neither Calfe in the stall nor Bâ—llock in the heard though the Olive cast her fruit and the Vine decay yet God shall be your salvation Though meanes faile Habac. 3.17.18 yet this spirit of grace in you shall be a lively immortall stock in you and preserve you by faith to the day of salvation 1 Pen. 1.5 These are times wherein sinne abounds it is the very houre of darknesse Revel 3.10 Pray that as you have kept the Word of Gods patience all this while so he would keepe you though all the world should be over-shadowed And although perhaps you take thought for your first edge which is blunted by long continuance and custome Ephes 3.16 17 yet so long as your metall holds good steele to the back and you grow rooted settled and stable in all faith love and fruitfulnesse feare not he that hath begunne will perfect his worke Faithfull is he who hath promised 1 Thes 5.24 To the worke of whose Grace I commend you which is able to sanctifie you throughout and both to keep your bodies soule and spirits 1 Thes 5.25 pure and blamelesse to his comming through the Lord Jesus to whom with the Father and the Spirit that immortall invisible and onely wise God 1 Tim. 1.17 be all honour and praise for ever Amen FINIS AN APPENDIX OR POSTSCRIPT TO THE READER ANd thus good Reader thou hast these Lectures penned to the uttermost wherein they were preached And as I inteÌ„ded to preach no more so neither doe I purpose to trouble thee with more then I preached The Verses following to the twentieth savour wholly of a spirit carried zealously towards God whose mercy cured both Naamans body and soule a draught whereof I gave thee in this last Lecture I grant there are some passages of obscurity attending the words next to them I have handled which some scrupulous Reader might thinke himselfe wronged if they should wholly be unsaluted Wherefore to give a very short touch of them thus conceive of the severals thereof THerefore take a blessing c. But he said Vers 15. end 16. As the Lord liveth Touching this Addition of his large gifts to his large heart I have already spoken of it in the servants arguments and shewed there the duty of the people to their Ministers And we must know it did not abhorre from the custome of those times either to offâ—r or accept gratuities by the Prophets But touching his refusall