in judging of the goodness of the Truth so exhibited and accordingly commend it to the will for practice this is made by Information or drawing practical inferences from the general truth which are for our Instruction and this improvement may be made of every Gospel Truth 2. With the Will and Affections for goodness is the proper object of the will which exerts it self by the affections And here Application serves to Reprove us for our neglects by convincing us of them and shewing the sin and danger in them and rousing us to reform what is amiss Hence there are uses of Conviction and Reprehension It serves also to guide us to the right doing of Duty and keeps us from turning aside To Direct quicken and encourage us and finally to corroborate and animate us in our Serving of God and hence Consolation is hither to be referred and we shall find all these in the Word of God 2. That such Application is necessary to be used by such as teach others this will appear in these Conclusions 1. That all the truths of the Christian Religion are Practical The design of it is to teach men to live to God and so every Rule of it is a Rule of life this being the end of the Gospel every part of it must lead hereunto We have the design of it set forth T it 2. 11 12. Mans great end is to glorify God he must have a Rule to direct him how to do it and this is the Christian Religion and that consists in practice all the Theory of Divinity leads to practice 2. Hence Christians are no further profited by these Truths than as they apply them to practice That they may so do they must know them and its vain for men to pretend that though they know less than others yet they live as well for without knowledge the mind cannot be good but on the other hand if men only study to know that they may talk and be admired by their neighbours for men of understanding but lead a loose and ungirt life they deceive themselves and their knowledge will aggravate their Guilt and procure them the more wrath Luk. 12. 47. Hence that Joh. 13. 17. 3. Hence it is certainly the duty of every one that bears the Gospel to apply the truths of it to himself It is not enough for us to receive them into our heads but we must let them sink into our hearts there are many sorts of hearers but there is but one of them that get good by hearing compared to good ground and these bear fruit Mat. 13. 23. And we have a profitable hearer described Jam. 1. 25. 4. The end of teaching is to farther the end of the Gospel and that is practice God appoints some to teach others because he would have them Serve to farther the Gospel design if then that be appointed to lead and bring men to practice they are to design and seek how they may promove it hence they are said to Minister the Gospel Rom. 15. 16. 5. That men need the help of Application as much as of Doctrine For not only is our understanding dark and for that end needeth Illumination erronious and therefore needs to be better informed but our hearts also are corrupt our wills dead and our affections disordered yea and our practical understanding is indisposed to draw particular inferences from general truths so that these need to be roused quickned and drawn to their work there is an indisposition in all the parts and they need to be excited the Apostle thought it necessary to inculcate known truths for this end 2 Pet. 1. 12 17. 6. Hence the Word of God is suited for this end God hath not only delivered the Rule of Religion in general precepts as men use to do in the Systems of other Arts but hath accommodated the Scriptures to the ends of practical Holiness and we are told the usefulness of them 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. The perfection there intended consists in an universal respect to the will of God and conforming of the life according thereto this was it that David gained by the Word of God Psal 19. 11. 7. Hence this was the course taken by Gods Servants in Scripture record We shall find in all Pauls Epistles that though he begin with matters Doctrinal yet he ever descends to things practical we find that after the reading the Law in the Synagogues mere was a word of Exhortation Acts 13. 15. And Christ himself took this course Luk. 4. 20 21. And such direction Paul gave to Timothy 2 Tim. 4. begin Thus only are men like to be profitable Teachers Prop. 2. That this Application must be particular and that with respect to the matter that is to be applied and the subject to whom the application is made I will teach thee c. In the singular For a right taking of this up let us observe 1. As to the ground of particular Application respecting the matter it follows from the former Proposition For if all the Truths of Religion be for practice then every truth ought to be so applied for none of the counsel of God is to be shunned Acts 20. 27. And consequently all the Duties belonging to every part of that counsel are to be urged there is no duty but Christians are in hazard of forgetting or neglecting and we shall not be faithful to those with whom we are concerned if we neglect to stir them up 2. As to application to particular persons Though in private it is proper to apply things plainly and distinctly as Nathan did to David and indeed the ground of private application is mainly for this end that without reproaching mens persons openly we may convince them of their particular sins yet in publick teaching care and prudence is to be observed lest instead of doing them good we harden them in sin we should beware lest we give them occasion to think it is not their sins but their persons we seek to reproach Here then observe 1. If persons have been notoriously scandalously sinful their sins ought to be laid open that they may be ashamed others warned When their crimes are publick and they impenitent they are to be openly rebuked and others advised by their example 1 Tim. 5. 20. 2. It is our duty to speak to the whole as if we spake to every one personally Our manner of application ought to be as if we were talking with but one and so we are to call upon all to apply to themselves holy men therefore on Scripture record for the most part apply precepts and warnings in the singular number thus all the Commands in the Decalogue are delivered and innumerable instances of like nature might be produced 3. And we ought to apply Truths so as those that are specially concerned may understand that God is now speaking to them Though we ought not to vilify men or lay them open to the Assembly yet if we can wisely and closely touch their
appearance And certainly if mens Lives are full of Guile their Spirits are so too He that is an Hypocrite in his Life may well be presumed to be so in his Heart and how unprofitably doth such an one please himself with expectation to be forgiven Job 36. 13. But let all such know that their hopes will ere-long prove as the Spiders web and certainly perish Let me say to such if Piety be not a thing to be chosen why do you pretend to it And if it be why do you no more but pretend to it Think of this you that talk high of Religion and yet lead a Licentious Life You that study no more than to get mens good word and to baffle your own Consciences that they may not lead you a wretched Life 2. Learn hence one reason why so many Christians are in the dark about their state of forgiveness How often do they complain that they are full of fears and doubts and hurries in their minds concerning themselves afraid they are not in Gods favour that he hath not pardoned them And whence is his distress and darkness Far be it that I should Condemn the Generation of the just I know that God acts a great deal of his Sovereignty here they are not all Hypocrites that are in such a condition Isa 53. 10. How ever it is to be feared that too many give sad occasion for this by their own folly and provoke God thus to withdraw the light of his Countenance from them whiles they take too tittle heed to themselves and keep not a strict watch over the deceitfulness that remains in their hearts but suffer themselves to be trapanned by 〈◊〉 into carriages that are deceitful Was it not thus with the Spouse Cant. 5. begin And upon it her beloved Withdraws from her And when Gods Children turn Lawful Liberty into Licentiousness comply with the humours modes and customs of a vain world upon pretence of Civility whe◠they grow formal and slightly in the performance of Spiritual duties and admit of carnal pretence to intermit them c. They do in these things gratify the Guile of their worser part and if God upon it witholds the witness of his Love and darkens the evidence of it it is a Righteous dispensation and did they more carefully maintain an awful fear of God in their hearts it would not so frequently be so Psal 25. 24. USE II. Let it then be for EXAMINATION and this is the very design of the Text it being laid down to give the Character of a pardoned man Let us then prove our state by this are we such 〈◊〉 whose Spirit is no Guile To excite us to this Consider 1. It it of unspeakable moment for us to know whether we are Pardoned or no. This discovery wi◠give us light to know whether we are happy 〈◊〉 miserable If our Sins are pardoned then are we Delivered from our Judge then are we At Pea◠with God then our own Consciences have the foundation of Peace in them If forgiven then Justified then are we found Righteous and shall be adjudged to Eternal Life then out of danger of all our Accusers and we shall be able to stand 〈◊〉 the Judgment and what a Blessedness is this◠But if we are not forgiven then we are Condemn already and the wrath of God abides on us we have him for our Enemy and all the Curses in his book are out against us and pursuing of us to Everlasting Destruction and is not this a Misery indeed What case then can there be that calls more loudly for a through resolution of it You know that in your natural state you are Guilty and Condemned and till you are pardoned your own Consciences must say that you abide under the Sentence and what quiet or comfort can you have whiles it is so Can you but go in a fearful Expectation of the wrath of God to fall upon and devour you 2. This is a thing that may be known it is a case whereof a resolution is to be obtained God hath not left us necessarily in the dark upon this account but as he hath given us Directions in his word how to come by a pardon so he hath there afforded us Rules by which we may prove our Title to it And though our comfortable perswasion of it depends on the witness of his Spirit with ours yet the evidence of it is to be sought for and found in our selves There are those things which accompany it that are distinguishable from all other things and unto which the promise is firmly made which when the Spirit hath wrought in us he thereby leaves a pledge of his Everlasting Love from whence we may argue safely that we are pardoned and shall be Saved God therefore bids us to Try 〈◊〉 selves 2 Cor. 13. 5. 3. This is given for one Evidence by which to prove 〈◊〉 If we have the Grace in our Hearts which renders us Sincere if we have indeed made choise of Christ and him alone to be our Lord and Saviour and have heartily embraced and devoted our selves to his Service if we are Upright in our Profession it will be an undeceiving witness of a pardoned state When God giveth a New Heart he also giveth a Sentence of Absolution Repentance and Remission go together Act. 5. 31. 4. If there be Guile in our Spirits we cannot hide it from Gods All seeing Eye If we have dealt Hypocritically in our Profession and made a pretence of chusing God to be our God and devoting our selves to his Service a shew of Repentance and turning from our Sins of Faith in embracing Christ entring into Covenant with him and mean while Our heart is not right with him He is not mocked there is no blinding of him and he will find 〈◊〉 out our Guile will never hurt him but it will turn upon our own heads We may deceive others and our selves too but not God Let 〈◊〉 then be serious and earnest in this matter and 〈◊〉 Rules of Tryal 1. Were you ever convinced of your natural Guileful Spirit We all bring such an one with us into the World Psal 58. 4. And the Spirit of God in the work of Conversion makes men to see and confess it The Conviction of Sin that is his work Joh. 16 8. Carries this in it The Deceitfulness 〈◊〉 mens Hearts is one of the Great discoveries th◠God makes to them when he comes to do the◠good Jer. 17. 9 10. And indeed men would never seek to be delivered from it till they we◠made to apprehend it in themselves and how few are so perswaded how many plead for themselves that they always scorned Hypocrisy Cheating hath ever been odious to them and they love plain dealing and such men never knew their own hearts for though there be such a moral principle in some natural men with respect to their words and carriages to others yet towards God and their own Souls every unconverted man is a great
Consciences and make them know that their sin is now testified against it is very proper hence in laying open duties and sins very distinctly we may come so close to men that they verily believe that some body hath been babling something against them and acquainting us with such sins of theirs as we had not the least intimation of now the ground of this will appear if we consider 1. That we in our Application are but the Instruments of the Spirit of God Ministerial Teaching is no farther profitable than he is pleased to set in with it 1 Cor 3. 6. Our business therefore is to comply with him and endeavour in our place to promove his design Ministers are called Under-rowers 1 Cor. 4. 1. He is the Pilot and they are to endeavour to act according to his directions 2. It is certain that all the Spirits applications are personal When he comes to set home Gospel Truths and make them effectual he toucheth the hearts of men individually Hence it is that some are perswaded and won by the same means by which others are hardned and it must be so because every man must give an account of himself to God and the great Judgment will be a reckoning with individuals 3. And it is equally certain that moral application must needs determine here Moral applications are made to Causes by Counsel and are entertained by a rational consideration and answerable improvement and this no man can do for another Though counsels are given among many yet if they fix any where it must be upon these and those individuals Acts 13. 48. 16. 24. 4. Hence it is the duty of every one that hears to apply to himself This is the only way to get good by what we hear If men put these things from themselves they lose the benefit of them hence that Acts 13. 46. USE I. Learn hence that there is a great deal requisite to accomplish us to be profitable teachers of others The right and suitable application of truths as it is the life and spirit of teaching so it requires much skill and prudence Besides that it is necessary that we be acquainted with the principles of Religion from whence we are to fetch all without which we are more fit to be taught than to be teachers there is a great deal more requisite to accommodate us for this viz. 1. We we must be acquainted with all the Cases of Conscience that refer to these principles If Religion be practical it hath to do with mens Consciences and hence there are those practical enquiries which refer to every common place in Divinity which must be distinctly resolved for the illumination and direction of Conscience therein and if we are not skilled in them how shall we teach others 2. We must observe and acquaint our selves with the present state of Religion that is among a people There is no Truth of God but may at any time be suitably and profitably applied but there are the special concerns of a people which vary God would have us to suit our Ministrations to the occasion thus did the Prophets of old and thus did Paul in his Epistles All sins but more especially the sins of the times are to be born witness against c. 3. We must also study men personally All that we have to do with are not of the same temper not the same circumstances and so not to be applied to after the same manner Some are proud and profane and obstinate these are to be more roughly treated others are tender troubled apt to be discouraged another manner of application belongs to them Jude 22 23. 4. Hence there is a great deal of prudence necessary â—â— this affair It is is not enough to know what is right and what is wrong but much discretion is to be used in the manner of applying it the want whereof may make good designs to miscarry We see how Nathan used this in his addressing himself to David 2 Sam 12. begin 5. It requires courage also We have the corruption of men to deal with and may expect when we have done our best to meet with hard entertainment the lusts of men are not easily opposed but are apt to rise up against counsels reproofs how did Asa though a good man entertain the Prophet 2 Chron. 16 10. And see Jer. 1. 17 18. 〈◊〉 2. 6 7. And they most need that can least bear 6. It also calls for fidelity We must be faithful in God and to men too whose everlasting concerns are interested in our applying to them with whom we must deal plain and home Isa 58 1. â—â—â— which things shew how much is required to the right discharge of this duty USE II. To direct us how we may approve our selves for the best hearers of the Word of God Teaching and Hearing are correlates and from the Duty on one part we may argue to the Duty on the other Would we then be profitable hearers 1. We ought carefully to hearken to and get acquainted with the Doctrines of Religion To be well informed in the great truths of the Word of God And they that are negligent in this respect will never make good proficiency in any thing else Those that are not careful to furnish themselves with knowledge are never like to be firm fixt stable in the things of God The Apostle joyns these together grow in grace and knowledge c. 2 Pet. 3. 18. 2. But we must not rest here They that think all Religion consists in head knowledge usually deceive themselves we must be making Addition to this 2 Pet. 1. 5. c. we must endeavour to make particular application of these Doctrines to our selves personally without which we shall lose the benefit of the other and lay in a more fearful account they that take up Religion only to talk will find it a vain Religion when their knowledge will be an Article against them to aggravate the Guilt of their neglect For Direction 1. Let us be in love with practical preaching and the more particular and pressing it is let it please us the better Many love to hear learned and accurate Discourses on principles of Religion but when these Truths are brought home to mens Consciences and they search and make discoveries of their lives and practices now they care not for them but we ought to account this the life of preaching 2 Cor. 4. 2. 5. 11. 2. Let us our selves enquire what every truth saith to us If we hear any Gospel Doctrine laid open let us often be asking our hearts what doth this say to us What would God have me to learn by this Doth it lay open no Sin of mine Is not this a Duty that I have too much neglected c. This is better than to apply it to others and say there is a word for such an one 3. Beware of prejudice against the close application of truths Suppose they come home to us and make deep incision and
13. 48. 7. Hence the primary end of all the Gospel Ordinâ—â—ces is to help men in this And though eventually they prove a Savour of Life to some and of Death to others yet but for the former they had not been promulgated Though Christ proves a corner stone to some and a stumbling stone to others yet the direct end of his coming into the world was the former 1 Tim. 1. 15. There is a powerful providence in ordering the coming of the Gospel in regard both of times and places and we find not that God suffered it to come any where but where he had some to bring in to Christ it was that they might so come to know God and the way to life Besides the very nature of the Gospel Ordinances and of the work allotted to the Gospel Ministry shew what is the business thereof God tells us what Pastors after his own heart are to do Jer. 3. 15. Paul tells us what his Ministry was for Act. 26. 18. This is it that Christs faithful Servants travail for and if they miss in it they complain that they labour in vain 8. The Spirit of God sets in with these and effectually teacheth all those that are appointed to Salvation If it be asked why one that sits under the outward teachings remains untaught whenas another hears and understands and receives instruction and takes hold on the paths of peace it is not because they labour more with these or they are in themselves more tractable The natural reluctancy in the faculties of men to the things of God is alike in all and was there no more done for teaching this man than the other he would equally dy without instruction it must then be ascribed to the Spirit of God He indeed useth the means because God hath appointed them for this purpose but he comes in seeretly with them opens their blind eyes and causeth them to see the excellent way of life approve it consent to it and make choise of it and he undertakes to keep them in this way Isa 30. 21. Joh. 16. 13. So that on whomsoever the outward means have this efficacy it is an evidence that the blessed Spirit of God hath been there USE I For Information in three particulars 1. Here see Gods great kindness to those whom he favours with the means of Grace It must needs be a great priviledge because the proper design of them is to guide men into the way of life Hereby God opens a door of hope to men for by pointing them to the way and inviting them into it he testifieth his good will to them and the more because all the world do not share in this benefit and they that have it deserve it no more than they that are without it nor doth the Spirit afford his inward teachings but in and with the Gospel dispensations 2 Cor. 4. 3. What thankfulness then doth this call for at our hands whom God hath thus indulged Take heed of undervaluing this precious priviledge lest we provoke God to take it from us David maketh a singular remark on this Psal 147. 19 20. 2. This informs us of the woful misery of those that live without these teachings All worldly advantages crouded together will not compensate this want or make them less than miserable who suffer it We have a sad deseription of such a people Eph 2. 12. The whole race of mankind in their natural state are out of the way of life and running in the path of destruction and without these teachings can never find the way out of that path but must wander in it till they fall into irrecoverable ruine For a people then not to enjoy these priviledges is an argument that they are forsaken of God What compassion then should we shew to such and how earnestly should we pray to God to shew pity to the ignorant World that lies in wickedness and send them his teachings 3. Learn hence the danger of despising these teachings And all those do so who do not seek to learn by them nor hearken to the counsel and directions therein given them who are weary of the Gospel and though God affords them line upon line do yet hold on their course in the way of death and neither care to acquaint themselves with the Rules of life nor to regulate themselves by them And are there not many such who live under the clearest and most convincing Doctrinal teaching herein is their danger great because by so slighting Gods offered kindness they aggravate their Guilt and will come under the Condemnation of those Luk. 12. 47. What fearful woes doth Christ denounce against such Matt. 11. 20. c. Let these be advised to fear and tremble USE II. For Trial by this we may understand whether we rightly improve these Teachings We enjoy great plenty of Gospel teaching and God expects an answerable improvement which if we neglect we shall have a bad account to make another day Now we then only profitably improve them when we use them to the design that God appointed them for viz. When they help us into and guide us in our way If then sinners be not Converted under and by them and if they do not help the Children of God forward in their Obedience they certainly lose the proper end of them It will be but a vain brag that we have a respect for the Ordinances delight in waiting on them are constant in coming to the house of God and have made a good proficiency in literal knowledge if this be all we shall be inexcusable Let us then ask our own Souls solemnly say I go frequently to the house of God I attend on the means in season and out of season I gain knowledge and can discourse much on the points of Religion but how far hath all this advanced me in the way I ought to go in What sins are mortifyed by the word What acquaintance do I get with God how much nearer doth every Ordinance set me to eternal life Such reflections well resolved will be instructive to us and help us to make a right judgment of our selves USE III. For Exhortation Let us close in with this design and endeavour the promoving of it To move us Consider 1. This is the only way to give God his due acknowledgment for his kindness in affording us these Teachings All other talks of our being obliged signify nothing we are never righly thankful for a benefit but when we use it carefully for the end of its being bestowed on us Our teachableness under the means is the evidence that we prize them this is life thankfulness and that only pleaseth God 2. Thus alone will these means be profitable for us A thing is no further beneficial than as the end of it is advanced now it is eternal life we are all concerned for and there is but one way to it and these means are for our help in this way and only when they so help us do they profit