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
freedome that needs no word nor promise to support them That presently they are past all doubtings and need no prayer for pardon being past all gun-shot of corruption or unbeliefe Divell or temptation But I have confuted these elsewhere in a Treatise for the nonce here I will passe them over Vse 2 Secondly this is for reproofe of all such as run into another extremity of errour about this point of preparation Of Reproofe Repentance goes not before Faith And because they heare that God usually workes the condition of faith ere hee worke faith it selfe therefore they say that the grace of repenting goes before the grace of beleeving Thus confounding the preparations of the Gospell with sanctification the fruit of faith Or making sanctification the generall and repentance and faith two specialls and presupposing a needlesse faith for what needs faith to such as have repented and are converted to God without it And yet aâ—â—â—surd as this error is it is strange to thinke what abundance both oâ—â—â—nisters and people are rooted in this error Nay and dispute strongly for it too Oh! say they Doth not the Scripture say Christ will not dwell with corruption Light with darkenesse Doth not Iohn Baptist bid them repent the first thing he doth And Peter Act. 2. Repent and beleeve Oh ye blinde guides See you not how under the pretext of your devotion you overthrow Christ Saint Paul saith 1 Tim. 4. ult That Christ is the mystery of godlinesse as if he should say there is no sea but water nor grace save Christ but you will make grace to stand in a repentance before faith No no repenting cannot be conceived of without purging of the conscience first Now faith is the first and onely purifier of the heart We cannot of our selves dispose our owne hearts to grace to purenesse Therefore amend your errors arising from the mistaking of the text Iohn Baptist calls legall humiliation repenting as is evident by the words following for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand by which he meanes the Gospell was approaching therefore it was not come already Saint Peter so places repenting before beleeving not as setling any order of the graces but as making both essentiall to conversion for in other Scripture we read otherwise Beleeve and be baptised and then repent Acts 16.31 2 Cor. 6.15 Touching the place of Paul it touches not the order of graces in conversion but speakes of them who were converted already saying That they sinned fouly in mixing Christ with Idolls that is offending weake consciences in their eating things sacrificed to Idolls and so partaking with heathens So much for these only I adde let no man thinke that I maintaine any succession of graces in conversion for all Christ is given at once to a beleever yet in an orderly understanding that which hath the nature of a forme first Note this and then that which is a formall consequent thereupon Thirdly this is also reproof and that sharpe 3. Branch Dall ers with the Gospell or attenders upon it for a season reproved to all such as although they affirm the same truth in doctrine with us yet deny it in effect and apply not themselves wisely and humbly to this way of the Gospell If this point be true that none save those who are under the condition of the promise may cast themselves upon it Then those are very faulty that dally with the Gospell in the offer of salvation feele no gracious preparations wrought in them thereby no sorrowes no desires no paines no love joy care to use the meanes no restlesse heart after faith But wanze away their pretious time as if one should set up a candle in a darke house to do no work by but to prate and jangle play and be merry and tell tales Others also who at the first newes of the Gospell were a little joyed and counted the feet of the Minister beautifull but neglecting that season of grace in which the Lord offered to worke in them and contenting themselves with knowledge or the good opinion of Preachers or some sparkles of their owne never proceeded further to try whence they came or whither they tended much lesse can prove that these were wrought in them by the promise or that they were truly loaden so that nothing else could ease them but Christ And therefore such are not willing 〈◊〉 â—ring their sorrow or desire to the touchstone but after a long pâ—â—â—sion when trouble comes or their Ministers are taken from them and so the sive is taken out of the water on the suddaine all which they seemed to have Luke 11.23 Matth. 25.29 wanzeth away They gathered not with Christ and therefore scatter as fast And in these that sad speech is verified To him that hath not shall bee taken away even that they seemed to have Dally not with the pretious things of God abuse not the Gospell and your hearings to please and pride your selves Consider well the scope and end of your trafficke It shall not be asked of you in the day of accounts how many Sermons you have heard or what affections you have had but what your selves are Be wise therefore amend both these errors First behold such pretious patterns of wisdome as God hath set before you of such I mean as began but ignorantly yet by their diligence have attained to much light and hope much godly sorrow unfained desire after Christ Tread in their steps and get you under the same condition of grace also and let your vanities pleasures base hearts be renounced with ease and love of your lusts which have hitherto kept you in slightnesse and saplessenesse and dalliance with grace learne to esteem matters of weight weightily 1. Thes 5.15 But as for the second To quench that Spirit of grace which formerly hath striven with you and stirred up motions in you to take hold of God beware of it if you be guilty labour to recover that Spirit againe ere it be damped lest your hearts be given over to such a frame as will not be softned nor wrought upon And try the soundnesse of such affections as the word hath wrought in you that you may not decay and lose your labour 2 Joh. 8. but get a full reward And so much for this Vse 3 Thirdly and lastly let this exhort all such poore soules as the Lord hath brought under the condition of the promise Blesse God for bringing us under the condition of his grace both to blesse God for it and to improve it wisely for their owne encouragement to proceed on to the grace of beleeving Be heartened to trust God who hath brought you thus far that he will not forsake his work till it be finished Many stops I told you of before in the first Doctrine upon this verse which assault poore Christians under the condition I will name them no more looke there and read them let none of them come
beleeving ones and seale the soule of such a one through the faith of the word to a true ingrafting into Christ Affectation to allegorize the Scriptures a dangerous course and the new Birth Constantine the great and good Emperour being a leper and told that nothing else could heale him save bathing of his body in the bloud of infants ript out of their mothers wombe abhorred the speech of it as counting the remedy worse then the disease That which hee did mercifully in forbearing doe thou religiously in embracing The bloud and water flowing out of the pierced sides of the Lord Jesus and washing thy soul by faith sacramentally is only able to heal thy leprosie to make so perfect a cure as shall never need to be repeated Naaman and thou need nevere be washed the second time if once throughly cured and in truth it was this bloud which made Naamans cure so perfect Apply thy soule to it therefore to make a perfect cure in it better then all thine owne patcht and halfe cures Looke not at the outward water alone looke at the power and vertue of him whose bloud onely can heale both the water from her cursed barrennesse to make it fruitfull and seasonable seed of life and thy soule by water from guilt power and eternall curse due unto it Christ in the water is the power of it one droppe of his sides issuing out water and bloud is the efficacy of the Sacraments Mix all with faith to cleanse thy soul to purge thy leprosie it s shed to thine hand and powred out by himselfe most willingly for thee If thou refuse it thou art guilty of shedding it but not by beleeving and applying it Numb 19.4 No legall cleansings of the leper by Aaron can equall it he sprinkled the bloud and ashes of a Cow Christ sprinkles with his owne he often Christ once for ever he imperfectly so that the leprosie might returne Christ fully never to returne Hâ—â— 8.15 If then the bloud of an heifer could purge by ceremony a polluted body how much more shall this bloud of the eternall Covenant cleanse thy conscience from dead workes to serve the living God But beware thou do not goe and wash in Jorden with lesser faith then Naaman did doe as much for thy soule as he for his body else thou separatest the things which God hath united and destroyest the power of the Sacrament and the purpose of God for thy regeneration yea the very creature of water shall rise up in judgement against thee in the day of judgement for that it closed with Christ inseparably in his Ordinance but thou most prophanely didst warpe from him by thy unbeleefe So much also for this third Branch and for the second Doctrine and so for this Lecture Let us pray c. THE ONE AND TWENTIETH Lecture continued upon the 14. VERSE VERSE XIV Then Naaman went downe and washed himselfe seven times in Ioraen and behold his flesh came againe as the flesh of a little child and hee was cleane Then he returned and stood before the man of God c. The second head The cure of Naaman WEE noted Brethren two lesser Observations in the end of the last Lecture out of this last part of the verse viz. The successe of Naamans obedience Now leaving them and the expression of the cure wee come to the cure it selfe And saith the Text he was cleane No intermission of time passed between his washing and cleansing both went inseparably together The â—â—ine poinâ— flowing hence which we have reserved to this Exercise is That Gâ—ds promises are alway as good in the performing as in the making if not better for so falles it out with Naaman here The Prophet promised him cure of his Leprosie by washing himselfe And lo now he is as good as his word he washes and is cleane in body This is as much as was promised But moreover as appeares by the sequell he proves a cleane soule also and this was an over-plus to the promise It is a light thing for the Lord to heale his body except hee heale himselfe And in this respect I may well say as I said before That Gods cures are perfect indeed all perfect gifts are from above and all that are from thence are perfect to purpose Ere I come to handle the point this I would premise Brethren how fitly this point followes the other to make the heart and life of a poore beleever comfortable The former point told us that promises must bee interpreted aright and not mistaken not restrained but beleeved according to the utmost extent of the promiser But then comes in a doubt Though I enlarge them in their full reach yet God may restraine them to the shortest size True if thou stretch them upon thy carnall tentors But take them according to the word as indeed thou shalt not need to make them better then God hath made them and then this point will tell thee to thy comfort that God will performe whatsoever hath gone out of his mouth to the uttermost nay perhaps cast in such an over-plus as was neither promised nor looked for The Text is president enough for it if there were no more So that even in the entry upon the point we may set a starre in the margent and for our better encouragement both to beleeve and in beleeving to waite patiently may say these two points carry very sweet newes from heaven to a poore empty and hungry soule both that he will have it beleeve to the uttermost and when she hath so done God hath in store for her as much performance yea and much more then shee hath faith But let us come to the point The order I will observe in the point shall be this First I will prove it by Scripture Secondly by reason Thirdly I will cleare a maine doubt about the Doctrine And so lastly come to the Uses and first of the first Concerning which this I may say That the whole Booke of God Doctrine Gods performances alway as good if not better then his promises is nothing else but a very Theatre and open Stage wherein the Lord acts his part of performing of promises And not so alone But so curious the Spirit of enditing the word is in every Chapter and Verse lest the reader should spy any flaw or crack in the performance of promises that it steppes out of his tracke oft-times to reconcile and equall each performance to her owne promise And this both in the maine promise of Christs exhibition and in all secondary promises whether generall and concerning the soule of the whole Church and each member of that body or personall and temporary promises concerning this and that person And the greater distance there seemed betweene making and keeping of promises the more curious regard hath the Holy Ghost to expresse Gods keeping touch when his time was come For example Proofes and Instances God had promised to Abraham that
conversion in the Soule These are some few of many Doctrines and Points handled in the ensuing Discourse A taste is sufficient Read and finde them out A Table of the principall things contained in this Book Alphabetically framed A. ACknowledgement and Revelation of truth is to be sought from God by payer pag. 6 Advantage which God hath us at in all respects should teach us to walke humbly pag. 22 Ascribing too much to the instrument makes God deprive us of so many promises The like effect of proud ascribing too much to our own parts ibid. pag. 69 Arts and learning must not bee pul'd downe because God uses poore helps pag. 72 All sorts must beware of carnall reason pag. 22 Advices for the well ordering of our course 3. Faith in God 2. Righteousnesse to Man 3. Contentation in our selves pag. 256 Admonition to all sorts Beware lest you claw this itch of Selfe in any Ministers and others take heed of it pag. 260 Assisting grace wherein it stands Sundry instances of it mentioned p. 282. It is the ground of great consolation to a poore soule by reason of the priviledges issuing thence ibid. It is a bottome of great confidence and experience to a poore soule and how ibid. It is encouragement to fearfull ones and how ibid. To Advise aright in spirituall distresses is no easie task Reasons why 321. Both in respect of the party counselling and counselled and that sundry wayes both for the dispositions and diseases ibid. Many particulars about both ibid. pag. 326 Anger must bee pacified with meeknesse 327. yet with exception ib. Administrations of God must not bee quarrelled pag. 352 Assurance cannot bee where faith is not yet faith may be where assurance is not pag. 480 Markes of Assurance pag. 513 Aequivocating with our conscience in point of Commands for the saving of our owne skin is abominable pag. 525 Accord of promises stands in two things either of promises to persons or of persons to them pag. 569 All sorts may not by and by beleeve promises but such are qualified ibid. Accord of promises to persons stands in sundry particulars 1. Promises must be conceived with reference to the truth in generall 2. according to Gods order which is first to beleeve the promises of being and reconciling and then of well-being and sanctifying 3. a promise must bee beleeved according to the intent of the promiser 4. when a promise is beleeved according to the extent thereof 5. when it is beleeved according to the peculiarity and speciall use thereof 6. promises made to the head belong to the members promises made to the whole body belong to each part promises belonging to any one member belong â—o the body and to any other member except there bee a restraint to the person 7 when they are beleeved according to the scope ibid. to pag. 574 Affectation to turne Scriptures to allegoricall and typicall senses is bold and dangerous pag. 593 Admonition to the people of God to nourish the Spirit of grace and conversion pag. 873 B. The Battery which God layes against the fort of a rebellious soule pag. 31 Bodily crosses can reach no further then to bodily ends to abase the outwâ—rd man pag. 62 Body of death not encountred by a few pangs and desires of conversion pag. 144 To be bottomed and grounded soundly is a singular favour of God pag. 253 Bad servants must not thinke it too late to repent pag. 312 Blesse God for bringing us under the condition of his grace pag. 490 Not to beleeve a promise according to the intention of it is sinfull How and wherein it may bee instanced pag. 581 A question how farre Bonds binde in conscience The answer to it and six reasons of the same ibid. 607 Breakers of covenant with God are in a bad condition pag. 605. 609 C. Calling to grace double unconditionall or conditionall both free pag. 10 Conditional call what and how free pag. 10 Cavillers against the free grace of God confuted p. 25. Five or six sorts of them ibid. 26. 27. Corruption is subdued in Gods people by peece-meale pag. 61 Charity in our judgement of men must not draw us to over-foolish credulity pag. 64 Corrupt fraile nature cannot beare any great measures of grace without swelling pag. 90 Christians must look for dâ—ff culties as well in their progresse as in their entrance pag. 94 Corruption how restrained by God pag. Civill men in how dangerous a state pag. 106 Carnally wise men scorne the simplicity of Christ pag. 107 Carnall worldling full of himselfe pag. 107 Carnality of good parts an enemy to Christ pag. 108 Carnall savour of superiority or greatnesse how prejudiciall to Christ pag. 109 Carnall persons admonished ibid. The Creature a dangerous object to tickle inchant a corrupt heart 10. It hath a peculiarnes of deceit in it 10. What an enemy it is to Christ 113. in three respects 1. It conceits falsly that God loves it 2. Nestles it selfe in her ease and welfare 3. Heare 's the Word preached without due respect if not with disdainâ— ibid. Remedies against this disease foure or five ibid. Constantines restoring the Church to her priviledges eclipsed her purenesse pag. 116 Crosses great meanes to let out Selfe out of the soule as a dropsie by incision pag. 150 Corruption of mans heart how fertile of shifts and tricks to hurt her self pag. 192 Cavils of a bâ—se heart against Religion and the grace of God pag. 193 Carnall reason a great enemy to faith 195. What it is ibid. Three steps or degrees of it ibid. What subjects I meane not prophane persons but Professors ibid. Sundry instances of Carnall reason pag. 197. 198. 199 Corrupt custome hath marred right reason in us pag. 202 Carnall reason justly infatuated by God pag. 203 Convincement of Carnall reason in sundry particulars pag. 204 Carnall reason described by the savour thereof ibid. and that in three or foure particulars pag. 205. 206 Carnall policy causeth jealousie among Christians pag. 210 Carnall reason eates up grace pag. 211 Christians of all other had need bee wisest Carnall men deale with God as they doe in common affaires pag. 225 Counsels against carnal reason foure pag. 229 Carnall reason must come in humbly and yeeld up her weapons to God pag. 230 Carnall reason wishes old wayes in stead of a promise pag. 231 Carnall policy unlawfull 239. In what particulars it appeares 1 politick shifts 2. politick neutrality 3. politick and Iesuiticall equivocations 4. Selfe love 5. Formality 6. Profanenesse 7. Religion 8 Blanching of evil ibid. Choicenesse which men use in things outward should teach them wisedome to be well principled in spirituall things pag. 256 Cavillers against God as if hee were in fault that they are no better convinced pag. 272 Close cleavers to the promise of God are in a blessed state pag. 355 Comfort to all fearfull ones in that Gods way is sweet and easie pag. 377 Common service in the season of speciall duty stinkes
in Gods nostrils pag. 396 Conversion hath many steppes and degrees ere it bee fully wrought though the act of it bee at one time and why Sundry instances of the point 443. And reasons why God takes this course ibid. Mâ—rkes by which the soule may know whether conversion shall be perfected ibid. to pag. 452 Censure neither our selves nor others touching our finall estates pag. 454 Cleare and justifie God in his delay of grace pag. 457 Consolation to all who have found God in the worke of conversion pag. 458 Christians of crabbed peevish and stubborne hearts wrong their souls of faith pag. 467 All such as are under the condition of mercy may and ought to beleeve 470. Reasons of it five or six what the condition of faith is viz. no procuring but a signâ—fying thing Why this condition is requisite Who is the worker of it It is a middle thing between meer corruption grace ibid. The steppes of it foure or five ibid. To cast the soule upon the promise what it is and wherein it consists pag. 504 The Commands of God are sad and solemne things 516. explication of it Reasons of it sundry 1. They were first given in a solemne manner 2. They borrow their nature from him and his greatnes whom they come from 3. From the proportion of the Commands of earthly Princes 4. The rewards which God crownes obedience withall are solemne and great 5. Because whatsoever is in God is eminently so and therefore his soveraignty in commanding 6. Else the subjects of God his Kingdome might give him Law rather then take Law from him 7. The Lord hath power to disanull and frustrate the strongest Lawes therefore â—lso to make Lawes sad and solemne ibid. to 521. Christ Iesus the Lord of the Sabbath translated the rest of the creation to the rest of Redemption pag. 527 The cunning and colours of hypocrites to shift off commands 533. Two instances thereof ibid. Christ at his comming will wash off all the colours of hypocrites pag. 536 Close obeyers of God in loose times shall have close comfort in Troubles pag. 549 The command of the Gospel to beleeve in Christ is to bee obeyed above all commands 559 All other commands issue from this pag. 560 Churches judgement must guide us but not principle us in the truths of Scripture pag. 576 Charmes and spells of good Witches what to be thought of pag. 590 Such as charge God for breaking of promises which hee never made very sinfull pag. 610 Claymers of performances of promises and yet want a promise sinfull ibid. How men deceive themselves herein three or foure wayes ibid. 1. By Gods forbearance 2. Their abstinence from open sinnes 3. By outward blessings 4. By their Religion ibid. Christ makes the soile of promises rich pag. 617 Each true Cure hath the spirit of the cure attending upon it 856. What is meant by the Spirit of the cure Explication of it with an illustration historicall Proofes of it and reasons six 1. For the manifestation of Gods worke in the soule 2. For their heartning against all future difficulties 3. To make them objects of observation in the world 4. From the irresistable power of grace in the soule 5. Because God is the God of Order 6. For the future convincement of the soule if she decline pag. 862 Counterfeit cures of soule common in the world but true ones rare pag. 363 Caveats against declining in sundry particulars pag. 874 Some carriages of an unsound heart discovered pag. 883 Consolation to all such as have gotten the spirit of conversion and stand fast therein pag. 891 D. Despised and meanes ones if godly may comfort themselves upon good grounds pag. 73 God Delayes the perfecting of grace in his people for speciall causes 1. To try all which is in their heart 2. To begin with them as he meanes to proceed 3 To teach them the price of his grace 4. To discerne them from such as are not of his number pag. 88. 89. 90. 91 Difficulties which Gods poore Novices meet with to their conversion manifold some eight or ten of them mentioned pag. 92. 93. 95 Degenerate basenesse of our nature discovered pag. 103 Duties of Devotion and Religion how prejudiciall to Christ pag. 116 What Degrees in Religion a man may attaine unto To how small purpose 117. Wherein they faile seaven or eight particulars ibid. Admonition against it ibid. Deniall of Selfe urged 119. Vpon what respects Many dangerous lets to hinder it ibid. and counsels to further it 162. Exhortation to it in two things 1. To doe all for God 2. Suffer all for him ibid. To dispute for God and the promise against seeming objections is great grace pag. 194 Despise carnall reasons double dealing as fast as she despises the simplicity of grace pag. 208 Deny self ease for Gods ease pag. 368 Deserters and dâ—scouragers of such Ministers of God as they are bound to are blameable 389. All partiall lovers passionate lovers indirect lovers vain glorious lovers false-hearted lovers second hand and pinching lovers of the Minister to be taxed ibid. Such as are at defiance and hatred of their Ministers are odious pag. 399 Dalliers with the Gospel or attenders upon it for a season reproved pag. 489 Delight in obeying the sad Commands of God affords solid comfort pag. 550 Dispensation against the power of truths is a great sin of our times 553. Sundry instances mentioned ibid Declining of the temper of our times in zeale to the Gospel justly to bee bewailed pag. 884 E. Earthinesse of our mould and nature one cause why God fills the Scriptures with strange and rare wonders pag. 2 One errour in a weighty businesse being admitted brings on many 248. Reasons and instances to clear the point ibid. One a pritch taken against the minister 2 Vnquietnesse in marriage 3. Neglect of debts at first 4. The not curbing of the tongue Objection against it and answer thereto ibid. Speciall errours to bee avoided pag. 255 The ease of grace how it is wrought and to whom it belongs Vide Obeying the Gospel The Ease of the first mercy ought not to beget slighting of it 370. But rather to binde the heart to God ibid. The Ease of mercy should for ever make Gods yoke seem easie ibid. And teach us experience for time to come pag. 372 Esteeme of Gods Minister ought to bee pretious Reasons of it 1. It is Gods charge 2. Both the message which hee brings and woâ—ke hee performes 3. Because hee is the pledge of publicke peace 379. Wherein this love and esteeme stands ibid. viz. in honour seâ—le of Ministery service Maintenance pag. 383 Examples of such as having long lyen under distresse of conscience yet at last were comforted pag. 459 Evangelicall preparations to faith of two sorts Negative or Positive Both of them treated of pag. 478 Exhortation to obey and consent to the command and promise of God by beleeving ibid. Extent of a command wherein it stands in
with such a hideous outside of apparrel camels haire course diet Luke 3. and also with the extraordinary spirit of Elia save that the people being taken at first by his guise and habit might be wrought upon the more easily by his Ministry preparing and levelling their rough and high spirits for their Lord Jesus And what other use had all those miracles wherewith the doctrine of Christ and all the preaching of the Apostles were accompanied save this that by and with them as by Tunnels the influence power and authority of truth might enter and prevaile with the mindes and consciences of the hearers ere they were aware That they being amazed and convinced by the greatnesse of those signes and effects which attended and followed the word might have no power nor spirit left in them to contradict him that spake thereby but yeeld and beleeve the truth for the workes sake The miracles themselves the healing of a leper the restoring of the lame the raising up of the dead the healing of the sicke the doing of the workes and benefiting of the persons was not the issue and intent of the worker but that the glory of that God the grace of that spirit which wrought such wonders might soke and sinke into the soules of men before and upon whose eies and persons those miracles were discovered That by this meane conversion from Idols and sinfull courses unto the living God might be effected through faith in the promise Witnesse that story of the woman of Samaria in the fourth of S. Iohn To whom the Lord Jesus did so expresse himselfe as to declare all the secrets of her heart to convince her of all the villanies that ever she had committed in all her seven husbands time and why Surely that she having her loade of heart within her might go into the City tell it her kindred and acquaintance draw them to Christ himselfe as being astonisht at his excellency and being once within his compasse might be easily pulled by his doctrine to a further pitch of grace and say Now we beleeve not because of the wordes which thou hast spoken but because we have heard him speake himselfe This should teach us a wide difference between Gods word and the writings and stories of Heathens Vse of instruct who to get themselves a name among men and to sute the eloquence of their stile either Greeke or Latine Poets and Historians have stuffed their writings with abundance of rarities and wonders for the procuring admiration of men and appetite of Readers Branch 1 curious of Novelties But alas their relations being justly suspitious Heathen stories unlike the Scripture and for the most part fabulous and vaine savoring of mans base spirit and lying invention doe as much dishonour their fidelity as they magnifie their language and skill in contriving they doe but Ape the Scriptures and steale away the minds of Students who although they may lawfully further themselves by the tongue and phrase yet ought to take heed how they bee taken too farre with them as some profane wits have beene who have not stuck to scorne some writers of Scripture in comparison of this or that Heathen writers No give all their due but reserve that preeminence of worth to the Scriptures which they deserve being as much beyond the most exact writer of Story for their Antiquity purity Majesty and authority as the Sunne is above the poorest starre in the firmament Branch 2 And secondly this observation might leave much instruction with us if we were willing to embrace it And first it might set a glasse before our eyes to behold in our nature that wofull insensiblenesse and unperceiving of holy things Rom. 8.6.7 The carnall man saith Saint Paul conceiveth not the things of God neither yet can do they are spiritually discerned by the power of another principle I say not that this course of miracles or wonderfull effects is able to overcome this stupor of our understanding no there must be a further progresse of the spirit of grace to effect that yet this externall and remote preparative may be enough to convince us what a spirit of old Adam dwels in us and what a curse lyes upon our nature for the resisting of that light of truth which was put into us in our creation And that is the losse not only of actuall light but even of disposition to apprehend the truths which are offred us for the cure of our disease Our faculty to understand is still left in us so that we are not meere blockes and beetles But in matters of God so originally are we blunted and dulled in our spirits and sences so disabled and so disguized so deeply also implunged into a life of sence and sottish sensuality that the mysteries of God are quite above us As the nature of sensible creatures in kind exceeds the vegetable and the reasonable goes beyond them so that each of them wants a faculty to reach the others object so doth the mystery of God of Christ of grace exceed the understanding of a meere reasonable creature I shall meete with a better ground of opening this point after here only let this suffice to abase us and hold us downe before God as degenerate and miserable creatures in respect of this our incapablenesse of holy things Jewes strangely insensible of Gods miracles We can cry out of the Jewes whom the Scriptures were written unto for that they were so dull and slow of heart to conceive the matters of God his workes and wayes when as yet they were beaten into every sence as it were with hammers of extraordinary and divine Prophecies Visions miracles and waies of revealing Oh! say men doubtlesse had we seene the standing up of the sea on both sides dry in the midst the returne of the waters upon the Egyptians the gushing forth of water from a Rock and the bringing in of such a number of quailes how would we have acknowledged the power and Majesty of God Had we seene the Law given by Angels with terrors and fire had we beheld with our eyes the person of Iohn a miracle without miracles and the wonders which Christ and the Apostles added to their Sermons how would we have beene ravished with them and beleeved I answer so should they have done indeed and you if you had beene in their places But alas as they did so should you have done without more grace and that appeares by this that now being under far greater convictions and a way of God as far exceeding the power of those outward signes as heaven exceeds earth yet you are as farre from conceiving and beleeving as they Thirdly it should scare and terrifie all of us who now injoy the body Vse 2 of Scripture compleate Humiliation together with all the helpes of those divine ordinances which are bestowed upon the Church of Christ both publicke and private for that notwithstanding all these the most people still remaine
unperswaded or halfe perswaded of the truth Hebâ— 2.2.3.4 Saint Paul to the Hebrewes Cap. 2. tells us if they who despised Moses Law upon two or three witnesses were condemned what shall become of them who despise so great salvation who still distrust that truth of God which was first spoken by the Lord of heaven and earth comming in the flesh Miracles serve to convince the soule of the truth sealed thereby afterward confirmed by such as heard him by miracles and the power of the word in those who were converted So may I say here this very text of Naaman shall stand up and convince all that maintaine selfe and selfe-love carnall and corrupt reason against the truth and power of the promise yea this miracle whereby the word was strengthned with all those miracles by which any truth of Christ hath since been justified shall rise up and convince all unbeleevers I meane such as live under meanes in that day For why Though they saw none of these miracles yet hearing the word beholding the seales receiving them into all our sences I say such a word as hath beene ratified by all the wonders of the Old and New Testament serving to beare down a base heart of unbeliefe about the truth power love al-sufficiency of God if they beleeve not by all these they shall be condemned justly by that authority which they have despised yea the very frame of the Scriptures and the expressions of so many strange and admirable passages serving to raise up a base and crawling spirit to heaven if we shall be found unbeleevers in that great day of Christ shall be brought forth as a witnesse against us for our horrible insensiblenesse and stupor of minde and heart Unbeleefe of Scripture and Truth of God after so many miracles very damnable For by these the Lord hath as it were striven to engraven in our spirits as with the pen of a Diamond the truthes of God and mystery of Christ If then our soules shall be found so hard and flinty that this point hath not pierced them if wee be still unconvinced and this instrument of gold hath no more left impression upon us then if a straw or rotten sticke had beene used to write in our tables of stone oh how fearefull shall our condemnation be If any man shall step in here and demand Quest Miracles how far ceased hard to say hath God so sufficiently confirmed his truth by miracles that there shall neede no more I answer I know its the opinion of many that they are wholly ceased and that because the use of them is ceased Answ For that spirit which attends the Ministry of the word carries a conviction of the truth into the mind according to all that is in the truth Now if it be so then that spirit perswades the soule of all the truth aswell in respect of the confirmation of it by miracles as otherwise but as I stagger much about this opinion so yet I am loth to affirme that the Church hath any warrant under faith to looke for the gift of miracles to be assuredly vouchsafed her although the ends thereof may seeme very weighty Who can or dare deny but that the calling of those Americans to the knowledge of the truth may seeme a weighty occasion to expect from God the gift of miracles partly by reason of their language almost impossible to be attained except by either a miraculous or at least a marveilous gift partly because there be poore inducements to draw such imperswasible and brutish spirits to cast so much as their eyes upon any meanes to induce them to beleeve In both which respects I dare not deny but that as Satan by lying wonders prevailes much with such as perish so the Lord may vouchsafe this spirit of miracles to his Church when his time is come to effect the conversion of such Only I adde that when his time is come he will grant his Church an instinct of spirit to aske it and joyne seriously in the meanes to attaine it which else he will not incline them unto his time not being come For wee must weigh the ends of our travell into remote parts whither for our owne ends or for publique If our owne respects be chiefe we have no cause to looke for miracles But I chuse rather to leave the thing in Gods dispose Vse 4 Lastly let it exhort us both generally and specially first to sue earnestly to the Lord Jesus our Prophet Exhortation the Word of the Father and the first inditer of all Scripture Spirit of acknowledgement of God in his word is to be sought by prayer the contriver of all the passages thereof the worker of all wonders and the Author of all grace and wisedome that he would vouchsafe us the spirit of revelation and acknowledgement of him as Saint Paul speakes Ephes 1.18 That we being enlightned in our mindes may conceive aright of the true scope and intent of the Spirit in the Scriptures Branch 1. generall and that he would intimate our hearts with the purpose thereof which is that our soules might be captivated under the power and authority of the speaker That we rest not in the outside of miracles wonders parables similitudes which we heare or read but considering their aime be carried downe the streame of the thing spoken yea the power To rest in the barke of the word or of miracles Parables Similitudes is dangerous soveraignty and faithfulnesse of the speaker Not only thereby conceiving more cleerely in our mindes of the Lord his Attributes and the truths revealed but much more ravished in our affections towards him for the good things whereof we have tasted Many chuse patheticall texts histories and accidents actions and speeches of speciall note to read and please themselves in some delight to read of the building of the Temple others of the passion of Christ others other parcells of Scripture to provoke admiration and discourse even as they might read any other booke of tales and wonders some also read texts of devotion and holinesse as the Psalmes or wise sentences as the Proverbs with a morrall spirit and scope only but never muse of the severall ends of such places nor the spirit of grace therein save onely to amuse their mindes and stirre up pangs of affection But by these to come neerer to know their owne base hearts or to close with the examples of such grace to feare the judgements of God the more deepely to beleeve the promises better to subject themselves more to the commands of God and in all to see his foote-steps and to adore the speaker few attaine it Therefore let us read these texts with prayer to God for sence and savor of their meaning and scope that we may attaine the spiritualnesse of them Else we shall answer heavily to God for making the solemne and reverend truths of God an occasion to nourish and maintaine that corrupt disposition
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
and the question might as well be made of any other period of number 3.4.5 as this of 7. Onely Popish superstition thinkes it hath never made her nose cleane save when it hath forced blood by wringing it too hard Forsooth they looke after mysteries in each corner and verse of the Scriptures and this period of seven is a very pretious number with them and hath a great deal of holinesse in it They say the holy Ghost useth it ordinarily both when he would determine an uncertaine number of many by a certaine Mat. 12. as seven spirits for many seven abominations for many and also when hee would set downe a voluntary period then he names seven as Elisha bids his servant goe looke upon the sky seven times 1 King 18.43 Jâ—sh 6.3.4 The number of 7. a great fancy with Papists the Lord bids Ioshua compasse Jerico seven times And it is true if in that respect they hold it a sacred number as used much by the holy Ghost I agree with them and I thinke the holy Ghost doth the rather use it because it is a modell and determining of the workes and rest of God after the creation of the world the circle whereof being the period of seven hath in likelihood occasioned this period of seven to become a stile of numbring with the holy Ghost yet when the seventh day was sanctified we reade not that the number was Number of 7. no holier then other numbers I passe by the favour which this number hath with Arithmeticians for the commodiousnesse and previledge of computation But as for esteeming of this number of seven to have any more holinesse in it then other numbers it is ridiculous and superstitious They must have theit seven sacraments for religion sake and their seven fold exorcisme and adjuration of Divells their seven Ave Maries their seven degrees of Angels seven penitentiall Psalmes and in a word wheresoever they goe they goe by sevens Seven deadly sinnes they will have and seven contrary vertues and seven steps to perfections as if they might go to heaven by a ladder of seven staires This number hath done them some pleasure for else they would no doubt have proceeded to sevenscore sacraments as well as to seven And seeing this number is more pretious to them then Gods two it is strange that they dip not the infant seven times instead of three counting it more holy then the Trinity we abhorre them and all their superstitious fopperies and mysteries more fit for inchanters and sorcerers to worke by then such as goe to worke on Gods name by the power of a word and ordinance See Joash his reproofe 2 King 13.19 The holy Ghost tyes not himselfe to this number as oft as he uses it but useth all other numbers as occasion offers it selfe indifferently As for Naaman here of the number of seven serves to teach any thing it teacheth the depth of infection in his body and much more in his spirit which needed such frequent washing one after another and all too little But as for any holinesse in the number as seven otherwise then the charge of God exactly required we put none at all in it We leave that superstitious holinesse to them who turned religion it selfe into a masse of superstitious judaicall pharisaicall heathenish and sorcerous vanities The true successors of Pharisees as our Saviour tells us That they put Gods service in washing pots and platters dishes and trenchers and sundry other toyes destroying substance for circumstance even so do these They place religion in old slippers shooes bootes and buskins rotten chips rotten garments in Crucifixes Images and rusty reliques and so in numbers yea asthe Pharisees would have the most holy sacrifices and Temple of God to borrow their holinesse from the gold of the Temple Mat. 23.16.17 and the altar of sacrifice so do these Forsooth the most holy Ordinance of preaching prayer sacraments if these Pharisees may bee beleeved must be holy because offered upon their altar or superaltar because made said or done in and upon their consecrated Temples Pulpits or Masse altars Oh ye fooles is the whether is the more holy the gold or the Temple Oh ye altar or sacrifice the Pulpit or the solemne ordinance of preaching the Church or the praier offered up A separation of place we acknowledge to be meet and fit common use for Gods but for inherent holinesse in it we abhor and renounce To conclude let us cleave to naked Scripture and not fancy to ourselves a Samuel wheresoever we see an old man in a mantle nor a mystery where there is no such matter and so leave the simplicity of truth for a novelty of superstition Ever since such scurfe tooke place in the Church substance decayed as the dog lost his flesh for the shadow such shells cost more the cracking then all the kirnell is worth The more we cleave to the sacred and pure truth of God the more we shall abhorre all such fooleries Give me one sacrament of Christs institution and let them take the seven One prayer made in faith and let them take their 7. Ave-maries one crosse and the power of one Christ and they their seven crossings and rowes of Beads And so much if not too much for this number of seaven The message it selfe The message it selfe followeth Naaman looked to be cured by great Elisha that worthy Prophet but the remedy which God makes use of is the washing of his flesh in Jorden seventimes A poore thing one would thinke to compasse such a great effect But so it is commonly the Lord effects those things which are of greatest consequence by poore and seely meanes such as the world would thinke most unlikely and contemptible Commonly I say so it is I say not alway For sometimes God useth to effect solemne things by see ly means the Lord chuseth great ones and wise ones and learned and valourous and experienced and in great esteem to be his instruments because he will be knowne in his owne gifts lest they should not be esteemed But when it is thus commonly the Lord shewes as great power in making such instruments great being of themselves before meane or despised at least he brings them low in their owne eyes and makes them rare patternes of humblenesse before he dare use them Esters hist cap. 2.3.7.8 c. 1 Sam. 16.12.13.14 2 Cron. 34.35 c. Ester was a great woman and effected a great deliverance But she was made so of a poore captive so that still God was as manifest in her another way So David yet made of a poore shepheard and therefore a mirror of as great providence Iosia effected great things but how Not by his greatnesse but by his extraordinary grace of melting and humblenesse If God use great ones either he makes them great of mean ones or mean of great ones And so many Preachers perhaps are used to doe God some glory But
is a better comming in place when all is done say of thy selfe as Luther of those devotions I count my selfe no nearer heaven by them then if I had plaied the Publican all this while nay in some regard further off The Divell else will cut thy veines in this warme water and cause thee to perish insensibly Consider that to have this selfe of thine may seeme somewhat But to cast all this off and be naked and nothing can onely prepare thee for that fulnesse and sufficiency of Christ which can onely save thee Which grace the Lord grant thee Thus for a more cleare handling of this argument I have digressed from the streame of my doctrine it is now high time to returne to it againe So much for this time Let us pray for a blessing c. THE FIFTH LECTVRE continued upon the eleventh Verse VERSE XI But Naaman was wroth and said Behold I thought thus in my selfe surely he will come forth and call upon the Lord his God and strike his hand upon the place and recover the leper VERSE 12. Are not Abana and Pharfar rivers of Damascus better c. HAving in the former Lecture beloved made way to settle this maine Doctrine of close Selfe upon her bottome Returne to the maine scope of the point of mixt selfe by severing from it some kindes of self more grosse and palpable I must now taking it for granted that you remember what I have said of it already proceed to the handling of the point And lest any should thinke there is no finer spunne selfe then that I have spoken of First I will mention some branches of this roote mixing themselves with the soule in her strife after faith and as the Ivy about the bow twining about the best endeavours of the poore soule to hold it off from the promise This being done I will prove the doctrine by Scripture and reasons Thirdly I will lay downe an answer to a question for the opening of the dangerous nature of this enemy And lastly come to some use of the doctrine First of the first First then that you may perceive brethren what manner of thing this mixt selfe is Mixt selfe wherein it discovers it selfe I will name some of the chiefe instances wherein this disease discovers her selfe The which I mention without any curious order and leave them to the godly wise to consider of every one to single out his owne annoyance The first is selfe error 1. Error imagining that the Lord in his promise and offer of Christ doth not so offer him as therewithall conveying power and efficacy of perswading and inabling the soule to accept and beleeve it of it owne power thereby creating in the soule the fruit of lips Esay 57. Jam. 1.16 but rather upon some condition of our owne strength mixed with the Lords goodnesse to concur of our selves with the promise Secondly selfe-conceit 2. Self-conceit such as Naamans here was fancying a way of our owne speedier and quicker then we have warrant for to wit that if once the soule bee under a condition and prepared for Christ by sorrow desire and diligence the worke of beleeving is as present as the grinding of the corne when the upper milstone runnes upon the nether whereas faith is the stampe of the spirit which bloweth when it listeth 3. Self-preparins at his pleasure Thirdly selfe-preparations that is a taking up of a rest in the soule that if she can but attaine to these she need goe no further for these can be wrought in no other then in such as shall be saved whereas first the question is whether they be truly wrought or from selfe-love and although they proceed from the promise yet happinesse consists not in them but in the omnipotent power of God carrying the soule by them into the streame of the satisfaction of Christ the onely blood whereof is sufficient to save it by faith 4. Selfe-bondage Fourthly selfe-bondage which is when the soule is so extreamly oppressed with the reliques or returnes of slavish feare through corruption and guilt too deeply apprehended that it is dazeled and held under from beholding the free and cleare truth of the promise to set her at liberty yea if melancholy and frowardnesse of will be added hereto mixed with the ill custome to conceive so deepe enmity in God against the sinfull creature that she will hold her owne peevishly against all the light of the word or counsell and perswasion to the contrary viz. that God the offended judge is the first mover in this frame of conversion and hath cut off his plea willingly and intended the way of reconciliation himselfe The fifth is selfe-love 5. Selfe-love when the soule so lookes at the promise as an object of immediate good to herselfe and for her owne ends and welfare not subordaining her owne salvation to the glory of God and the declaration of the depth of his wisdome 1 Thes 1. and the riches of his grace that he may be admired in them that beleeve 6. Sloth The Sixt is selfe-sloth when the soule hath a wambling and fulsome aime at the promise not indeed seriously and sadly digesting the ground of Gods so free offering the inestimable jewell of Christ to her for pardon and peace called in Scripture the strength of God Esay 27.5 I meane the full appeasing of his justice by the paiment of a price nor yet with how faithfull an heart full and free grace he offereth but loosely forgetting that all is yea and amen in Christ and looking at the promise as at a thing naked and unfurnished hath a strong consolation and refuge Heb. 7. Heb. 6. penult The Seventh is selfe-treachery and doubtfulnesse whereby the soule having the generall offer of God to all under the condition 7. Treachery yet because she is not named in the word therefore doubts that in speciall she is not intended in the offer and so growes to thinke that she may separate the things which God hath joyned whereas she should rest in this That the Lord debarres no soule from grace which debarres not herselfe Esay 55.1 saying Ho every one that thirsteth come c. and the particular is included in the generall and if every poore soule should thus goe betweene barke and tree and cavill who should ever come to beleeve Eightly 8. Infidelity selfe-infidelity which is a deadly dart of Satan piercing the heart even when the fruit is comming to the birth tempting thus why art thou so bent to cleave to the word How knowest thou whether it be Gods word or no If it be how canst thou prove it If not whereupon dost thou build thy great confidence And this dart often so prevailes that all the former witnesse of the spirit touching the truth of God by many evidences seemes to be lost Ninthly selfe-cavilling 9. Cavilling when the heart is set upon excepting against the promise either from her
heare that cleaving to a promise should be of greater account with God or the deniall of our owne best duties and devotions then outward reall forbearances of sin abstinence from liberties or services of Religion carnall reason saith so much as thou esteemest thy selfe others will Seventhly let us see what carnall liberty judges of lawfull liberties Instance 7 Surely thus She puts no difference betweene the one and the other Lawfull liberties thinking all to be lawfull to them at all times in any measure with any circumstances without respect of offence or expediency nay rather such liberties games pastimes they count lawfull as their carnall sway leads them to except some great let hinder them they looke neither at rules nor ends but thinke all serve for mans content and can goe as well from one as other to their devotions sobriety and mediocrity they regard not And lastly for their common converse with men in buying selling Instance 8 Conversation with men eating drinking and other passages of life and conversation carnall reason either thinkes them quite besides the bounds of Religion at all or else goeth to worke by no rule in them but conceives in these each man left to himselfe without any controll their tongues their passions their trades and all their civill dealings they count arbitrary matters and so that they be not debauched in any notorious kinde as in oppressing wronging or foule excesses they suppose it is free for every man to get what he can to shift for himselfe and to seeke for the best gaine who shall be jolliest bravest and live at the best tearmes for the flesh This be spoken for the first generall to shew what this taint of carnall reason is how bad and incompetent a judge it is in Gods matters forestalling the soule from cleaving to his truthes As the oile in the hand cannot be hidden so it is easie to discover the nature and behaviour of this humor as she told Peter so I may say to every rationall and carnall man thy very speech thy garbe and outside bewray thee what thou art Matth 26.73 for thou wilt have one finger in each of Gods dishes his word sacraments or whatsover I come now to the second generall Proofes of the doctrine to prove the point by some texts both of truth and examples and then by reasons For the former note that 1 Cor. 2.14 The carnall man savors not the things of God for they are spiritually discerned Such as the man is such is his reason And againe The wisdome of the flesh is enmity with God It is not subject to Gods matters neither indeed can bee They that are after the flesh minde the things of it And to be carnally minded is death and so many more might be added So for examples the Scripture is full of them both of grosser and finer spunne stuffe in this kinde When our Saviour Ioh. 3.5 â— discoursed to Nicodemus of being borne againe what said he Shall a man then goe againe into his mothers wombe and be born a second time And yet what a great Doctor of Israel was he His great Mastership could read no lecture against carnall reason So againe read the example of the people which came to chuse Saul King 1 Sam. 10.27 when they saw what he was for meane breed and parentage the text tells us they despised him Shall such an one reigne over us Can hee save us So the Prince whose arme the King leaned on when he heard the promise of God that within one day the famine should be turned to plenty made this answer If there were windowes made in heaven could this be 2 King 7.3.4 I will never beleeve it It repugnes to sense and the present state of things So those Jewes who saw and heard our Saviour preach and doe miracles despised him Shall this man save us When the Messia comes no man shall know whence he is But as for this man we know him and whence he is Joh. 7.27 a poore man Ioseph and Maries sonne of no breed training or outward glee to the world-ward So those false teachers of whom Paul writes in all his Epistles were carnall ones and led by the reason of the flesh despised Paul for his meane preaching without eloquence 2 Cor. 4. 5 chap. and for his meane presence and person being as it seemes to outward appearance of no great stature nor glorious utterance And those Corinthians although not so deeply tainted yet had a dregge of this poyson when they esteemed of Preachers according to the fancie of the man 1. Cor. 3.4 some would cleave to Paul some to Cephas some to Apollo some to others as their humour led them Who cannot by these examples perceive what an ill judge carnall reason is in cleaving to the truths of the word As Naaman here was held from Gods purpose to heale him by his Abana and Pharfar so each of these examples were hindred from embracing one truth or other by the obstacle of their owne reason Nay the Scripture rests not here alone but brings in the Saints themselves with infamy for their being fore-stalled against the truth hereby Moses is taxed for distrusting God at the waters of Meriba See Texts before Gideon for cavilling against the Angels message Samuel for inclining to Eliab Sara for laughing which I named before all of them being letted by this enemy from cleaving to the truth because they felt nothing within to favour it carnall reason foisting in this cavill Tush What likelihood or proportion is there between this truth and thee Thou give sucke and bee a Nurse at ninety yeares old and so of the rest So much for proofes Reason 1 Reasons follow First the soul is stript and bereft by the sin of Adam from that holy purity of Reason Soule bereft of the puritie of reason in her first creation whereby it could conceive digest and understand the matters of God as their proper object without mistake or errours as the eye or eare can discerne colours or sounds This holy power of created nature is now turned to a meere privation sinking paper being as able to containe the distinct impression of the letters written thereon as corrupt reason can distinguish or discerne the stampe or notions of holy things It cannot reach them for it faileth as the short arme of an infant cannot reach a thing above it it cannot retain them for it vanisheth in them as sense doth in dreaming They are above the capacity of the soule as she is even as Hebrew is above the reach of an ideot no man wonders that he rejects it with indignation as exceeding his faculty Gods matters are reached by a superiour power to that which a naturall man hath as a tale told is reacht by a faculty above that which the beast hath The substance of the understanding is as it was but the excellencie of her faculty is lost Reason 2 Reas 2.
it is lofty and proud So saith Salomon Prov. 21.24 Proud and hauty is his name c. For the while that a distemper lasteth the veriest underling thinkes himselfe somebody when as in truth he is lesse then himselfe How much more then when state is joyned with it as here Distemper of spirit lookes at no reason arguments carriage for the present Elisha himselfe in a lawfull distemper yet being transported 2 King 3.15 was faine to call for a minstrell by the harmony of whose musicke his sicke spirit was a little brought to it selfe This for the Text. But now for the generall much more may be said for the proofe and explication thereof Proofes Take some Scriptures first and then some Reasons See Act. 9. Paul then Saul was in a deadly distresse of spirit after his casting downe the Lord bids Ananias arise and go to counsell him But what saith Ananias Oh Lord I have heard say of this man hee hath beene such and such a one a persecutor blasphemer q.d. If he now be to be dealt with it exceeds my ability I know not but he may doe me hurt for my love No faith the Lord he is a chosen vessell to beare my name goe and be not afraid Well he went and how doth he encounter him Very mercifully and respectively Even as Naamans servants here doe alleniates his distemper grates not upon his sad heart addes not sorrow to sorrow opposes him not upbraids him not for his former cruelties qualifies his feares eases him of those aggravations of horror which had sunke him brought him to the cleare sight of the promise and mercifully reaches him out the hand Brother Saul receive thy sight both of soule and body Was there not some difficulty in the harping upon the right string if God had not guided his hand So Paul in the case of the excommunicate Corinthian how wisely tenderly and seasonably is he faine to carry himselfe 1 Cor. 6. with 2 Cor 6 7. 2 Cor. 11.29.30 He was at first very violent with him After seeing how he humbled himselfe how wary he is lest he overdrive and so put him into an extremity Oh! saith Paul he hath beene cast downe sufficiently I dare not use mine office to destroy but to save Therefore rather comfort and encourage such a one then adde sorrow to sorrow See Esay 50.4 The Lord Jesus was annointed by God his father as with the oile of gladnesse beyond measure so in speciall of Prophesie The Lord God saith he hath given me the tongue of the learned that I might speake a word in season to him that is weary So saith Iob or rather Elihu Job 33. If an interpreter one of a thousand be sent unto him c. The worke of a man who is one of a thousand is no common work Read also Elihu his breaking in upon Iob an ancient man himselfe being yong he comes in with his preface to avoid envy confesses his youth and unfitnesse of himselfe to deale in the matter But seeing God had set him on what doth he He tells him that he will not be as his three friends had beene an accuser and censurer of him nor yet an excuser of his errors and misbehaviour but he would be to him an equall and impartiall judge and as his owne soule and as in the sight of God hee would wish him to bee No easie matter it is then to bee an Elihu to an afflicted Iob. Paul speaking to Timothy how a Minister of God ought to carry himselfe toward the distempered 2 Tim. 2. saith He must not be prejudicate and rash but patient and long suffering towards sinners waiting if at any time the Lord will give them repentance to life Esay 42.3 It is said of the Lord Jesus that hee was the beloved of God in whom he delighted and whom he qualified for the nonce to preach glad tidings to relieve the poore prisoners and captives c. And what did hee Surely he would not breake the brused reed nor quench the smoking flax His voice was not heard he cried not in the streets he was a lambe dumbe before the shearer That is a most compassionate and tender helper who by his owne afflictions had learned to be full of sympathy and to be afflicted in all the afflictions of the people But I hasten to Reasons The first is this It is no easie thing to carry Reason 1 our selves wisely toward them who are but naturally distempered as with wrath discontent and passion in common and outward respects not onely if the parties be meerely carnall but also although Religious For anger is a madnesse and who should deale with mad men Doe they not thinke that their rage becomes them Doth not the foole cast arrowes and deadly darts and say he is in sport That is doth hee feele or understand himselfe to be as hee is Who should deale with a mad man who is so wise in his owne opinion that for the time present he thinkes he can bee mad with reason Thus was David 1 Sam. 25. in the case of Nabal he was so enraged thinking he had some cause of it that without any more adoe hee would needs command all his men to gird on their swords and to dispatch him and all his house both guilty and innocent And had not the Lord encountred him by a rare person how hardly had he beene disswaded from his attempt Well then if meere naturall distemper of wrath be so hardly cured how much more spirituall distempers which lye farre deeplier seated in the spirit and are of a farre more intricate nature Such was Naamans here with Elisha though the disease were bodily Secondly it appeares to be a difficult worke because it hath posed Reason 2 the wisest men to performe it well Even one part of it is hard and how much more all I meane to discerne of the cause of the distemper We see it in Iobs three friends very wise men and full of very sage and profound divinity yet in Iobs case meerely mistaken and tooke a false cause for a true esteemed him to suffer for his sinne when yet he suffered in his innocency So we see that Peter discerned not the state of Simon Magus but thought him a beleever as others did till afterward he discovered himselfe What shall we say of Pauls not seeing the state of Alexander Demas and others If when the spirit of discerning flourished in the Church it were a thing of such difficulty how hard is it like to be in these times Thirdly this is much more true in spirituall cases of conscience and Reason 3 that in two respects First of the counselling party Secondly the party counselled For the first such as are to counsell others doe rarely exercise themselves in such things as concerne this cure Both in respect of 1. Them who give counsell They doe not judge it an equall object to their endeavours thinking that it is sufficient to study
the vile that is the worke of his owne convincing spirit from the worke of their owne rebellious nature their discontent their fullennesse melancholy feares and other extremities that cleave unto them Also that he would shew them what hee hath done for them already that they may not provoke him by unthankefulnesse and what is yet to be done and at what especiall knots and objections they sticke what their chiefe barres and lets are which most hold them downe and if they cannot feele themselves rid of these confusions of spirit yet that the Lord would take away that wilfulnesse of stomacke that crossenesse that waywardnesse which makes their disease so ranckle in them and send them to seeke advice with a minde desirous to subject it selfe to God and to his ordinance and to mourne when it cannot being held in the chaines of it owne horrors or rebellion And secondly let them commend the enterprise in hand to God for successe that the Lord would bee pleased to dispose of the understanding of him that is to advise them that he may bee as from God unto them like Elihu that he may discerne of their complaints rectifie their errors meet with their corruption shew them their state and wants and comfort them at the heart as God allowes them That if they cannot at the first finde stay and support yet if they see but a little light at a crevis they may be glad of a little and not be dismaid that they may seeke still after counsell till the worke by degrees be perfected that they may not lay stumbling blocks in their owne way to fall by but hold the measure of light so farre as they are come waiting till God reveale the rest and not defiling their consciences the whiles Phil. 3.15 and so make the worke new to beginne Thirdly that the Minister of God may be wise as an Angell of God as well to find out apt and meete Scriptures to encounter the soule as the need thereof requireth either threats or promises or other sentences and when they see that these are urged not by the authority of a man but of God whom they only must look at in this case and not man that then their base hearts may no further kick cavill and gainesay and so put the Minister of God to a double toile not only to conflict with their reall distresse but also with their wilfull and accidentall sullennesse pride and rebellion Fourthly let them crave of God a wise utterance of their estate to the Minister of God or at least an inckling thereof that it may not be mistaken for a crooked rule being put into a mans hand will force him to make a wrong line though his skill be good enough to draw a right one Fifthly chuse thee out a faithfull interpreter one of a thousand for love lenity skill patience long suffering bowells of compassion and experience For such a mercury is not made of every blocke thou maist else light on miserable comforters Sixtly above all other things let such persons beware of any base motive or principle leading them to aske advice let them not affect any sinister respects nor aime at any base ends to bee noted for zeale to thinke themselves safe because they have taken counsell to choake and smother the accusations of conscience to make them bolder in sin to pretend and alledge the counsell and comfort of such a Minister to harden themselves against any just reproofes which after may bee urged upon them and the like base ends whereof the bouget of mans vile heart is fraught and full especially in this formall crafty age wherein every one will be Religious and Satan transformeth himselfe into an Angell of light For by this meanes that uncleane spirit will returne with seven worse then himselfe and defile more dangerously But let thy aimes in this worke be honest simple and sincere to goe forward with God according to thy light cheerfully and humbly and so looke to prosper Secondly for the Minister of God let him be exhorted also first 2. Branch to Ministers 3. Things Abhorre error and prejudice 1. Error to cast out all bad principles perverting the spirit of counsell and crossing the gift of restoring the weake And these are first a prejudicate sowre heart enclined to sinister thoughts of the afflicted conceiving them according to carnall reason and not discerning the worke of Gods spirit in such This is no common grace to have a cleere spirit this way For the spirit that is in us lusts after envy We are all a kinne to old Eli who seeing poore Hanna sitting sad with her lippes moving and no voice thought her drunke But when he perceived her to bee a woman of a troubled spirit 1 Sam. 1.13.14 powring out her soule from a full heart to the Lord and understanding the cause he became a Prophet of God unto her for her satisfaction and comfort 2. Error 3. Error Beware therefore of a base heart of prejudice error misprision rashnesse And yet take heed also that love and pitty make us not too hasty in comfort Also ease unmercifulnesse unbeteamingnesse sullennesse uncharitablenesse wearinesse and loathnesse to be enlarged in our bowells as the Lord allowes us of which disease Ionah was sicke 4. Error Also waspishnesse suddennesse and hastinesse whereby as Physitians cutting off their patients in their complaints they are impatient to heare and so discourage them I confesse that the talkatives and vanity of many weake ones in their complaints who in stead of inclining their eare and hearing that their soules might live are swifter to jangle to neglect that which which is spoken then to marke and have never done with idle repetitions may sometimes cause a wise counsellor to chide and reprove them justly yet with tendernesse and meekenesse And the like I may say of those endlesse answers which many make when they are demanded how counsell hath prevailed and they rather bewray themselves worse and worse then better and better for though it be not in our power to settle the spirit sooner then the Lord please yet it behoves not any distressed soule so to nourish themselves in their lowring and distempers as to dismay the Minister but rather by wise concealement or desire of new satisfaction to draw his heart to pray for them more earnestly and waite more patiently till the spirit shall blow peace upon them The second duty Practise This preparation being made the next exhortation is that the Minister of God do first meekly then wisely speak to the heart of the afflicted For the first of these it is a duty much pressed and exemplified in Scripture I say a mercifull and loving heart of fellow feeling and tendernesse to the heavy Fot hereby the Minister of God conveieth the heart of the Lord Jesus into the soul of the afflicted of whom it is said He had learned compassion towards them by his owne sufferings Heb. 2.18 that so
could doe all things yet seeing the stone to be rolled away Iohn 11.22.39 where Lazarus her brother was laid cryes out Lord by this time he stincketh hee hath beene buried foure daies but her carnality and contrariety so stancke in Christs nostrills that he is faine to checke her even before he did the miracle Said not I unto thee if thou wouldest beleeve thou shouldest see the glory of God as if he had said why dost thou so crosse me in this my attempt Were it not just to deprive thee of the miracle seeing thou preferrest thy sense before my power So Peter when hee being bidden to come to Christ on the water Matth. 14.35 attempted to come and by the way funke through carnall sense which told him that the waters were not things to goe upon but the firme earth what saith our Saviour to him Oh thou of little faith Is it not all one for my power to support thee upon the waters as upon the dry land Why didst thou stagger from my word And many more might be heapt up to this purpose all to convince that although we might thinke it veniall for weake flesh to cleave to her owne carnall conceits because Gods matters exceed her much yet God having once testified his pleasure by his word lookes that flesh lay hold upon her mouth stoope to the Lord and when it doth not he may justly rebuke her As Sarah for her laughing was checked and Zachariah for his distrust Luke 1.20 was not onely so but stricken dumbe for three quarters of a yeares space and all to teach them to preferre the word before their owne sense So that even as Paul seeing Elymas to crosse his Ministery Act. 13.10 and to harden Sergius Paulus in his infidelity sets himselfe tooth and naile against him and looked stedfastly upon him saying Oh! thou full of all subtilty and mischiefe sonne of the Divell wilt thou not cease perverting the wayes of the Lord Even so the Lord seeing this sorceresse of carnall reason standing at the elbow of the soule to disswade and hold it off from beleeving doth with indignation cut her up and say Oh thou full of all venome and poyson darest thou thus pervert the truth and faithfulnesse of the promise And our Saviour did the like to Nicodemus caviling against the mystery of Regeneration and Baptisme what saith he Art thou a great Doctor in Israel Joh. 3.5 and yet such a dunce and ideot in the matters of God What a shame and as it were a box on the eare was this for such a Rabbi And although he seemed to deale somewhat more fairely with Thomas in his refractory stoutnesse of carnall reason Except I see the print of the speare in his sides and nailes in his hands I will not beleeve yet we shall see hee gave him a shrewd touch upon that mercifull conviction Be faithfull saith he not incredulous Blessed are they that see not and yet beleeve Joh. 21. I tell thee it is small thanke to thee to beleeve having seene So much for proofes Reasons of the point are many First this It is the chiefe marke of all Reason 1 other in Gods eye and a duty of the greatest import when the soule breaking through the misty aire and foggy clouds which doe beset the clearesky even as carnall reason overwhelmes the cleere promise shall pierce and behold the word in her brightnesse and true colours Oh! how it speakes to the heart of God to be trusted upon his bare word when the soule makes a tush of carnall objections and saith the word is against it Examples we have of this also in Scripture See Numb 14.5 where the ten spies bringing a verduict of sense by the terror of Anakims and chariots of iron to their brethren and dismaying their hearts from going to Canaan Lo those two worthies Caleb and Ioshua cleaving to the word made a tush at the other objections If the Lord love us say they he will bring us into this land as for these Giants they shall be but meat for us What are they to a word of an omnipotent God What came of it Surely the Lord tooke it so kindly as he scarce knew how to expresse it twice or thrice after he tells Moses Caleb and Ioshua have honoured me before this people and borne downe their wretched partners Therefore of all the rest who shall leave their bones in the wildernesse these two shall inherit this good land So David when all the body of the people were scared and ranne from the Philistin onely cryed why Who is this uncircumcised Philistin what make yee of him I make but a dead dog of him a railer upon God and his hoast 1 Sam. 17. And what came of it God enclosed him by his faith into his hands and as Heb. 11.34 he was made strong of weake and put to flight an Army by that meanes Paul also Act. 27. when all were against him both Pilate Centurion and Souldiers they all thought that there was no way for them but to perish contrary to their feares Paul is confident that not an haire of their head should fall to the ground For why Saith he although I see as much against it in shew as you doe yet an Angel of God stood by me this night and told me so and I beleeve God Oh! how did the Lord honour him with the safety of all in the ship Now to conclude if the Lords heart be so set upon beleevers How must he needs cast a sad countenance upon them that overthrow his promise and will beleeve no more then they see Contrary objects to those which are most desireable must needs be most unwelcome And if the one provoke esteeme how can it chuse but the other must cause indignation Reason 2 Secondly it must be needs a very reproveable evill which causeth such a fulsomenesse and wearisomenesse in Gods stomacke Now wee shall note it in the Scripture how loathingly God speakes of carnality and a sensuall spirit in his matters See Psal 92. The Lord tells us that he led the Israelites in the wildernesse as shepherds lead their sheepe Esay 63. and all that they might see his workes and know him and trust him the better But saith he forty yeares long have I beene vexed with this generation They have tempted me proved me and wearied me Therefore I sware in my wrath they should not enter into my rest Why Because all his miracles and deeds before their eyes could not draw them to trust him but as if heathens they would cleave still to their fleshly reason Surely he that sweares in his wrath to destroy and is vexed with people hee doth more then reprove This for the second Reason 3 Thirdly for our selves how can it bee in us but a most damnable sinne much more reproveable For as it resists the whole method of God through the whole world so it sinnes against almost every Chapter and line of
in as much as thou art become a sonne of Abraham Luke 19.7 Thy Regions are white unto harvest thy staffe stands next doore to grace and thy redemption is neer nay the day of the Lords redeemed is come Esay 63.4 Oh! thou mayst lift up thy heart unto God and say How is it that the Messenger of the Lord is come unto me Lo on the sudden I feele mine heart so strangely thawed and teachable over it was wont to be that I can give no reason of except the Lord meanes to save me I therefore interpret it as a signe of favour yea thou mayst be sure of it and therefore repent thee not of all thy paines which thou hast taken for it seeing thy reward will abundantly answer thy travaile And so much briefly may serve to have said of this use and of the Doctrine The chiefe doctrine of the whole verse opened at large I hasten now to the point it selfe of Naamans obedience The greatest and chiefest of all other which I aimed at in the handling of this Scripture Then saith the Text hee went and washed himselfe seven times in Iorden What was this A common act as others were No other then the former to come out of Aram to goe to the King of Israel or to stand at the doore of Elisha Oh yes those were his own this is Gods those he made no bones of but this was that which had made all this pudder it was the Lords owne way and device for the triall of his faith in the miracle and the subduing his heart to the naked obedience unto him And lo now his stomacke is come downe the let is removed and therefore he doth as he is bidden and goeth and washeth seven times in Jorden Marke the point it will cost us some time to handle Doctrine The point is Every one who is able to prove himselfe Every soule within the condition of mercy ought to beleeve within the condition of the promise may and ought to cast himselfe upon it obey the command of God and beleeve For the proofe of the point it will be expedient that first we cleare the ground of it out of the example of Naaman in generall and then by some evident texts of Scriptures with a briefe reason or two And having so done we will proceed to the explication of the contents of the Doctrine For the generall correspondence of Naamans case with this point some may doubt how it may be said of an Heathen in the point of curing of a bodily disease how he can be said to bee under the condition of a promise and so to believe For answer Answer whereof I say as before that although the worke of grace were a stranger unto him in respect of his owne feeling untill the time that the Lord wrought indeed grace in his heart yet forasmuch as the Lord over-ruled all the occurrents in the businesse by his owne hand for the effecting of that which he intended and swayed his heart to those preparations which were fit to lead to such an effect Therefore I do not see why on Gods behalfe those severall dispositions which were in Naaman may not be proportionable unto those which are wrought in such as are converted to God That Naaman was truly brought home to God besides the sequell in the Chapter mee thinkes this is sufficient that not onely God would chuse him as the onely Leper whom Elisha should heale but also would order the circumstances thereof in so set and solemne a manner that all men may behold a gracious worke as well as a miraculous For I demand what should need so many interruptions and defeats in the miracle such a trying and searching of a mans Spirit and such a purposed drawing of him to see more then an externall hand in the thing except more then an outward cure had beene intended by God A very small and short matter might else have been made of it if the Prophet had been used onely to heale his body and as Naaman thought the bare comming out and laying his hand on or speaking two or three words might have served the turne But now the Prophet must not bee seen Naamans weaknesse must be discovered to himselfe and hence it appeares that the Lord would have his Spirit and Soule acquainted with God as well as his outward man So much for the answer of the doubt And so I come to shew what conditions were wrought in Naaman before his cure and then how his obedience must be an act of faith issuing thereupon respiting proofes and reasons till the Doctrine be suted to the Text till which it will not be seasonable to settle it upon her bottome But this wee will referre to the next Lecture THE SEVENTEENTH LECTVRE upon the fourteenth VERSE VERSE XIV Then he went downe and washed himselfe seven times in Iorden and his flesh came againe as the flesh of a little child and he was cleane I Having shewed you beloved in the end of the former Exercise that Naamans example may wel yeeld us the consideration under our hand referred the particulars unto this Sermon Naaman then may be conceived under the condition of mercy in the purpose of God sundry wayes In respect of the order that God tooke with him both in preventing him and assisting him before the cure In the former we saw how the Lord by a bodily disease made him in the generall case of one needing ease for he abased his person in the midst of sundry other happinesses with the noysome disease of Leprosie which was in it selfe a marvellous yoke and as God guided it a very pinching one unto him burdening him more then in a common manner How Naaman was under the condition of of cure If this had not been the first ground of the worke had been removed Next hereto the Lord prevents him very sweetly with the newes of one who in such a desperate case is credibly reported unto him to be a man like to heale him and this comes to him by a speciall providence appointing a skirmish between Aram and Israel wherein a Damosell might be taken prisoner and such a one one of a thousand who had taken notice of Elishâ—'s worth in this kinde and this being by Naaman apprehended tooke off utter despaire of incurablenesse and put him into some hope of a possible cure Thirdly hereupon he slackens no time but addresses himselfe in the best manner to use the most apt and likely meanes for the commending of his businesse to the Prophet and for the bringing of him to the speech of the Prophet having no doubt a speciall desire to obtaine that really whereof hee saw possibility before Fourthly by his travell and furnishing himselfe with gifts attendance comming to the King of Israel with his message wherein he was greatly defeated he is by the Lord so mercifully assisted that he ceased not till by the Prophets owne intimation and further light and assurance not only
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
the Doore-posts of the Israelites houses with the blood of the Lamb which was to be the Passeover I confesse the Sacrament was for continuance but the sprinkling was but for the present Howbeit had the charge beene broken how sad the effect had been Numb 20.8 all know Moses his striking the Rocke was the obedience onely to an occasionall command in respect of the act done at that time but the neglect of the due manner of doing of it though through infirmity onely cost him the losse of that type of entring into Gods Rest that is the promised Land And lest any perhaps might except against this instance take others of meere occasionall nature That of the young Prophet charg'd to goe and denounce against Bethel 2 Kings 13.3.4 and not to eate or drinke in the place was a thing in it selfe neither good nor bad yet God having positively set it downe for a rule to curb him we see the transgression of it cost him his life whatsoever colour hee might pretend from the old Prophets reasons or person to induce him to it So might I say of all other It was but an occasionall thing that the Lord charged Saul 1 Sam. 13. to stay for Samuel and not to adventure to pray and offer sacrifice himselfe before the battell 1 Sam. 15.2.3 It was but occasionall that he was charged to destroy all Amalek branch and rush man and beast yet what his dispensing and paltring with God in both cost him wee all know Briefly I say of all such incident and occasioned commands whether for the temporarinesse of them or for the indifferency of the things urged they are as sad things for the necessity and penalties for doing or for not doing as the morall Ceremonies in their nature had nothing in them to force obedience Numb 15.32 howbeit hee that transgressed one of them as in gathering of sticks upon the Sabbath offering a beast with any blemish in it staying up the Ark contrary to the charge 2 Sam. 6.7 or the like wee see had fearfull punishments annexed as to be stoned to be stricken dead to be cut off from his people And why Because during Gods pleasure they were in as great force and bound the conscience as much as the morall whereof they were but as shels and whereto they onely served as fences and fortifications So that still the Doctrine holds firme That Gods commands are sad things Doctrine Gods Commands are sad things not to be dispensed with at our pleasure or by our distinctions But indispensable unappealable unavoidable and therefore to be obeyed according to the intent and the extent length and breadth thereof For the prosecution of which point first I will prove it by Scripture secondly I will reason it thirdly shew both what the intent of a command is Proofes of it and what the extent is and so come to Use For Proofes wee may remember what phrases the Lord uses to make good this truth Deut 12.8 He tells us he will not have us to doe that which seemes good in our owne eyes but obey his voice He bids the people to obey the Prophet which he should give them the Lord Jesus the word of the eternall Father and heare his voice for he saith he will not pardon your transgressions Deut. 18.18 Deut. 30.15 if you run after your owne devices Againe he tells us That the obeying of his commands is life or death I set before thee this day life or death Deut. 11.26 a sad point And the Epistle to the Hebrewes tells us Heb. 2.3 That the breaker of Moses Law under two or three witnesses escaped not How oft have we this phrase continued in Deutronomy Deut. ubique they did according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses in every thing done still the rule and the extent of obeying are added Num. 9. According to the command of the Lord they pitched and removed they attended the pillar of fire by night and of cloud by day And againe Do all according to the patterne shewed thee in the Mount Adde not to this Law nor detract from it but doe all that is written turning neither to the right hand nor left to this purpose is that phrase Walke narrowly Eph. 5.15.16 a word taken from them that work by line rule as if the workman cut or saw his timber or boards besides his chalke or marke we know hee spoiles his work but if he hew or saw it even narrowly carrying a steddy eye from going out or in he makes good worke of it So the word of commands must be closely clave unto without warping or swerving Thence it is that we are so oft called to a due beholding of the person commanding us Heb. 4.13 He saith the Apostle whom we have to deale withall beholds all things as open and naked noting that in commands we have not to deale with a man like our selves whose edicts we can pick holes in and picke quarrells against but a sad and solemne Majesty who will not be dallied withall Heb. 12. ult For our God is a consuming fire and so also weare oft pinched with the authority and power of the word The word of God is piercing and sharpe as a two edged sword dividing betweene the joints and the marrow Heb. 4.12 and discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart Men of place dare avow any thing which they command to their inferiours by the place which they are in Smite him saith Absalon to his servanrs concerning Ammon for lo have not I commanded you 2 Sam. 13.28 how much more shall the Lord beare himselfe upon his royall Authority and soveraigne Power in the things which he commands As we read often in Scripture that hee urgeth men to obey by this argument Have not I commanded thee So we see againe that Moses having uttered the song to the children of Israel concludes thus Deut. 32.46 Set your hearts unto all the words which I testifie among you this day which you shall command your children to observe and why Marke For this is not a vaine thing unto you because it is you life and hereby you shall prolong your dayes in the land which you goe to possesse When he tells them it is not a vaine thing hee meanes the greater by the lesse that is It is a sad and weighty thing as much as your soules and salvation come to make not therefore vaine matters of my commands nor strange things of the great things of my Law When Samuel encounters Saul in those two eminent Chapters the 13. and 15. vers 13. and 14. touching his fulfilling the charges which God had enjoyned him marke how he opposes still the commands of God to Sauls slightnesse sweeping downe his cobwebs with the besome of Gods commands Hath the Lord more pleasure in oxen then in hearing his voice Thou hast done foolishly thou hast
thee The third examples Psal 16.2 Psal 119.4 Thirdly its excellent for us to turn our eyes off from all slighters and paltrers with God abhorring their declinings Psal 101. But to bend the eye of the soule towards them that are singular in grace and close obeying So David tells us That he set such before his eyes till hee was ravisht with them Doubtlesse saith he they goe not astray from any commands As if he should say oh that I were such an one With the base and formall a man should soon learne that trade But the watchfull the wakefull the close the conscionable will soone teach us their practise so that it will be a shame unto us to be otherwise and it will fixe the naile of commands deep into our hearts as with an hammer Eccles ult The fourth prayer Psal 119.27 The fourth is Prayer which is the constant helpe which Gods people have alway used to ease themselves by at this pinch David prayes God to teach him his Law graciously marke graciously that is in the sweetnesse ease delight and reward of it not in the toile and difficulty thereof Psal 119. So againe Oh that mine heart were directed to keepe thy commands They that feele the true weight of them will groane under their owne weaknesse and pray for strength Hence that holy prayer of Saint Augustine Give strength to doe what thou biddest and bid what thou wilt Turne all Gods promises and covenants into prayers for there is no one command urged upon the soule but it hath a promise annexed Oh Lord thou hast said thou wilt encline me to keep thy Law Thou hast promised to write it and engrave it in my fleshly tables to cause me to walke in all thy Statutes Oh doe it Lord Open mine eyes that I may see the wonders of thy Lawes their perfection and excellency then take the stone out of my heart and make it tender they may pierce into it with feare and awe Helpe Lord my fruit is come to the birth and there is no strength to bring forth Fifthly get humblenesse of spirit and that will equall Gods righteousnesse Murmure not fret not at the closenesse of them for that satisfies not God But be as a worme before him The fifth rule Humility and tremble at his voice as we see the poore wormes come shaking and trembling out of the earth when they feele the feet of any treading the earth Esay hath this speech in one place You have made me to serve by your rebellions A proud heart makes God serve base flesh An humble heart which knowes it selfe serves God and is glad that it may be accepted In Psal 2.12 we see how base men take upon them But whence is it Oh pride makes them cast away all the cords of God from them Pride makes them to say Our tongues are our owne what Lord shall controll us A swelling proud heart will not endure any pinch of Law more then it selfe likes But the humble wil take Law at Gods hands gladly and concurre with him Hast thou O Lord bidden me deny my selfe Abstaine from fleshly lusts Possesse my soule with patience my vessell in holinesse and honour It s just Lord thy will is a rule I desire not to see beyond it Proud servants love a faire Livery and great wages better then close commands But the humble will take any worke upon them and say it s their object Beware then of a sullen queazy coy and proud heart Sixtly marke closely the threats of God against each rebellion The sixt rule Observe Gods Judgments and the verifying thereof in experience both in Scripture and daily This will cut the combe of presumption For who have offended God and prospered It s a maxime lot upon it whether thou see it so or not be sure it will be so As that old Prophet told his sonnes 1 Kings 13. Bury me in the grave of the man of God for all which hee hath said against this place shall surely come to passe To get a weighty heart under threats giving them a being in the soule through faith is the onely way for Commands to take effect For God hath fortified the one with the other if the fence be broken down the corne lieth open to the stroyance of all beasts Observe closely how God plagues drunkards swearers adulterers Sunday breakers and the like and adde the patternes of the Scripture oft pressed by Peter and Iude that wee may not thinke their damnation sleepes else we will bee Atheists 2 Pet. 3. Epist Jude Psal 50. and frame God like our selves But this will awe us Such and such ventured so and so but they paid sweetly for it if we be content to share with them wee may side with them but not else For Gods wrath will not rot in the sky Eccles 7. Deferring of judgement sets the heart of a sinner yea hardens it to rebellion but beleeving it workes feare and prevention as in Noah Heb. 11. Heb. 11. Seventhly deny thy selfe The seventh rule Selfe-deniall Selfe and God will runne in a stream a while as filthy dung and pure apples in a river till the one be scattered from the other So our own ends and Gods make a poor shift to go together a while till trouble and losses reproach and pursuit divide them but then they sever Sure it is That man who hath no other obedience for God save that which will goe in his owne streame of ease safety content quiet and welfare will abandon God when he is tried Therefore he that meanes to walk closely with God let him shake off such weights as these The like I may say of such Heb. 12. as dare adventure to suffer in Gods cause upon hope to lick themselves whole by carnall supplies No no All such build upon the sands of their owne false hopes the Lord will scatter them I deny not but that God is all-sufficient to all his and hath promised not to faile them yea to give them an hundred fold requitall But this is to them that walke uprightly Mal. 3. Gen. 17.1 not to hirelings who obtrude their service and know no requitals but carnall Such it is just with God to leave to their owne shifts 1. Pet. 3. even to cry a confederacy to feare the feares of the wicked and to put forth their hand unto evill because of their afflictions They will buy out the aire of a prison but their owne aire shall choke them onely they who can trust God in his promise and are content to take his pay in good worth what ever it bee such God will not forsake And such onely are meet persons to obey because they are armed 8. Rewards Lastly digest truly the reward of close obeying not onely in heaven when it shall be knowne to men and Angels who they are though unknowne to the world But even here alas Gods peoples right hand knowes not what
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
his seed should be set free after it was a stranger in an heathen land for four hundred and thirty yeares and so it fell out Gen. 15.13 Exod. 12.42 when the time came that God delivered them what saith the Text That selfe same day of that terme expired the Lord brought forth Israel with her armies So in the Gospell marke how curious the Holy Ghost is in expressing of the faithfulnes of God in each passage of Christ his nativity his parentage his dwelling his person life betraying passion death buriall See throughout the Gospell Mat. 1.2 c. Forty severall times one or other of the Evangelists refer the passages that fell out to the promises themselves That it might be fulfilled which was said And thou Bethlem are not the least of the Cities of Juda That it might be fulfilled Rachel lamented for her children and would not be comforted c. That it might bee fulfilled Out of Egypt have I called my Sonne He that ate with me in the dish he betraied me And he was counted among transgressors Marke 15.28 And upon my vestures did they cast lots Matth. 27.35 And he shall make his grave with the rich And he shall be as one of no beauty like a withered branch with a great many more Not so much as his riding to Jerusalem is omitted Behold thy King commeth lowly and meeke riding upon an Asse the fole of an Asse Why is all this To let us to understand that he who would be so punctuall in all petty passages belonging to the great promise of the Messia Matth. 21.4 would be as faithfull in performing all other promises consequent upon his merit and satisfaction And the like speeches are used to this purpose in the personall promises made to the Patriarkes as to Abraham concerning Isaac to Rebecca concerning the elder serving the younger to Iacob that God would be with him in his journey and bring him backe and deliver him from Esau To the Church in the wildernesse concerning the possession of Canaan Ioshua tells them Josh 21.45 after the conquest nothing failed of any one particular promise which God had made concerning the giving of the land of Canaan to the seed of Iacob Infinite many more instances might be alledged as the fulfilling of the seventy yeares captivity and the returne of the Church backe againe to their City and Mountaine as Esay 57.13 All being pledges put into one bosome touching the maine fidelity of God in making good the promised Seed and Messiah so oft made and renewed to Adam Abraham David Ahaz and his people which though it were kept in the bowells of time for foure thousand yeares yet at last Gal. 4.4 When the fulnesse of time was come was accomplished And hence all other promises tooke their originall 2 Cor. 1.20 and derived their issue So saith the Apostle All the promises of God are in him Yea and Amen to the praise of his glory that is Luke 1.45 firme and inrepealable Thus saith Elizebth to Mary A performance shall be from the Lord of whatsoever hath beene said unto his handmaid Faithfull is he who hath promised who will also fulfill it The Lord is faithfull Heb. 6.10 and will not conceale the labour of your love 1 Tim. 5.15 This is a faithfull saying and by all meanes to be beleeved c. endlesse it were to reckon up all and as for the addition of the point that sometimes he fulfills them for the better we see what Paul saith Phil. 4.19 Our God is able to doe for us more then we can aske or think When Salomon chose to aske a wise and understanding heart to goe in and out 2 Kings 3.11 lo saith the Lord I have given thee it and moreover I have given thee such wealth honour and wisdome as never any had before nor shall have after thee Matth. 6.32 And so saith Christ Seek the Kingdome of Heaven and the righteousnesse of it and other things shall be cast in So that it was not Naamans case onely but by consent of Scripture we see that his particular case is made the case of each beleever more or lesse so farre as is meet This for proofes Reason 1 Reasons are First the name of Gods essence Jehovah argues that he performes all the promises which he makes Because he is Jehovah For as hee is an absolute and infinite being in himselfe giving to all other depending creatures their beings So by vertue hereof he vouchsafes a being to all his promises which are the most excellent parcells of all his Scriptures He gives the like substance and beeing to all his commands and threats to all other sorts of truths but especially to these being his chiefe truths Gen. 17.1 Exod. 6.3 And as he said to Moses I was not knowne to them before the flood nor to Abraham by any other name save El-shaddi alsufficient but not by the name of Iehovah this name is a more reall name and gives a reality to my promises and causes me to performe them So now may we say I was not knowne by the name of the Father of Christ Jesus in former times as I am now for in him I make good all my word he hath sealed up all my truthes my love in him is attended with all my other attributes wisdome justice and faithfulnesse all my strength and power assists that so that whatsoever I have promised I will performe for I can doe it I will doe it and I am true in promising therefore I must fulfill it God then is Jehovah the being of all his promises our God in Christ Second Reason God is faithfull in performances in respect of his Reason 2 owne honour For his owne honour He knowes that except he should keep touch with his Church and maintaine the glory of his keeping promise with her hee should destroy the credit of his Ministers the faith of his elect and in a word the hope of drawing any out of the common course of the world to the Kingdome of grace So that his unfaithfulnesse threatning utter ruine to the whole art and way of Religion either in faith or obedience and shaking the very pillars of the Churches confidence it must needs stand the Lord in hand to see his promises fulfilled Thirdly forasmuch as whatsoever is in God is eminently in him and Reason 3 by way of excellence as before I noted in the point of commands Because whatsoever is in God is eminently in him therefore his truth in fulfilling promises must also be singular and eminent It must become that excellency of his truth not onely to content himselfe with such a performing as the poore creature can expect and concur withall but such an one as is above whatsoever the soul can aske or imagine that is rather to be over then under his promises better rather then worse this makes much for the adoring of his faithfulnesse and the
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
Esa 26.2 Salvation will God appoint for wals and bulwarkes Esay 26.1 2 3. What is that The Church under the Gospel should fasten upon the promise for salvation and this should fence out all her troubles and former enemies as a Wall or a Bulwarke keepes out any affronts and vers 3. Thou wilt keepe him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee As the needle of the Diall set just on the North point settles and shakes not and as the Anchor holds in the Ship from floating up and downe so the promise fastned upon stablisheth the soule from her former wanzings and unsetlednesse And the reason is more fully set downe in vers 4. Trust yee in the Lord for ever for the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength that is he is reall in all his promises and gives a being to them as being strong enough to doe it Hence it is Esa 55.4 That the Lord Jesus in the offer or promise is called a Witnesse Behold I have given him for a Witnesse to the people And in Revel 1. That faithfull and true Witnesse Why because he is Yea and Amen all the promises of God in him become so Now as a Witnesse in the Court who is sworne and without exception decides the Controversie betweene two at oddes so the promise beleeved quits the soule and puts an end to strife So in the Hebrews the promise beleeved is compared to a City of refuge which rescued the poore man-slayer whose heart was full of feare and distresse because of the pursuer but there he was free even so the oath and promise of God received into the soule determines all doubts betweene the Lord and her It is said of Hanna that ere Eli had resolved her from God of a sonne shee was full of trouble in spirit But when once hee had satisfied her lo then shee was cheerefull and look'd no more heavily even so is it with the promise fastning upon the soule it causes the waves and stormes of an unquiet heart to turne to a calme Hezekiah was mightily troubled upon the message of death but no sooner came Esay backe againe with the newes of his recovery and the signe of the Suns going back but Hezekiah's moane was turned to a song So is it here For is there not more in a promise of Christ and preach'd to the soule in his name then in all the promises of speciall deliverances which were more darkly derived from him Yes verily Hence it is that the Prophets never describe the power of Christ in his word but they runne very much upon the description also of this effect of chasing away of all spirituall distempers Upon all the glory shall be a defence and there shall be no more weeping nor mourning upon his mountaine In stead of the Bramble Esay 55. ult shall be the Myrtle and in stead of the Thorne shall come the Firre What 's that all shall bee new the face of things shall be changed Teares shall be wiped from all eyes with many such phrases as come not to mind each chapter is full of them So Job 22.29 When men are cast downe then thou shalt say There is a lifting up and hee shall save the humble man Lo consternation and terrors cease by beleeving So Psal 32.6 For this cause shall every good man pray in a time of finding The flouds of great waters shall not come neare him And examples are as evident as other Scriptures How was Cornelius by Peter the Eunuch by Philip the Jaylor by Paul and Silas freed from their doubts and demurres and set at liberty Reasons are many and weighty First this appeares by proportion Reas 1 if we compare the priviledges of Beleevers together we shall find that there be as many as concerne them in point of freedome from their inward distempers as outward enemies But the beleever is really set free from enemies Devill curse law wrath of God an evill world the gates of hell else whence come those triumphs O death where is thy sting O hell where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law incensing sinne But thankes be to God c. Now if redemption deliver us from enemies so that they shall not hurt us from all crosses straits tribulations so that they shall not separate us from the love of God shall not then Justification free us from inward horrours feares guilt doubt of conscience rebellion of sinne cavils prejudice and distempers Shall not reconciliation ridde us of our enemy and that shame and confusion which sinne brought upon us Yea much more for both come from faith Secondly the contrariety of estates proves it before and after Reas 2 faith The condition of the wicked is That they can have no peace there is none to them Esay 57. ult because as the winter aire is never temperate by reason of those moist and cold vapors which annoy the aire with winds tempests frost and snow and the like so the coast of their spirits can never be cleare because of the guilt of their consciences they may now and then please themselves with a little truce but still warre returneth the dint of their feares is not broken So on the contrary There is no warre to the soule that beleeves As the aire perfectly clensed in the summer is setled and affords a continuall calme so doth the conscience of a beleever Now and then may be over-castings of clouds but the dint of guilt and wrath is gone Thirdly else we should ascribe more to particular promises Reas 3 and the effect thereof which are weaker then to the maine promise which is the Reuben the first borne of God and the sonne of his strength But we see what particular promises have done to them who have beene under sad distempers by affliction Of Hanna and Hezekiah I have spoken before Adde another The Lord promised the Israelites that upon the sprinkling of their door-posts with the bloud of the Passeover Exod. 12. the Angel of the Lord shall passe over their houses and smite none of them Did they find any distempers possesse them when there was out-cry throughout all Egyt in every family No surely they slept sweetly in their beds Did they doubt of the victory against Ai when as they had received a promise of victory or were they afraid as at first when thirty of them were slaine No. When the promise was made of the fall of the wals of Jericho by the sounding of Rams hornes and compassing the City seven times did the people stagger at it were they not resolved And shall not the maine promise of God remove distempers within as well as afflictions without yes and much more Reas 4 Fourthly the contrariety of corrupt infidelity and the power of the promise doth evince it The strength of infidelity stands in bearing downe the word Whatsoever distemper of heart can be mentioned either selfe carnall reason rebellion
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
conversion first that they make no other account before hand but to finde difficulties and affronts in their way although perhaps they set forward at first with faire winde and great hopes yet that both winde and tide may turne against them before they have done Let not him that puts on his harnis boast as he that puts them off Rather make account of the hardest before and be armed against it be not discouraged nor faint in the onset for I tell thee the worst of Gods way is easier then the best of thy former course of lust and ignorance the pathes whereof are pleasant yet going downe to hel And being warned thus it will be halfe an arming to thee it will coole thy carnall heat send thee to God for strength and make thee out of savor of thy selfe-attempts Secondly when thou shalt meet with such hardnesses in the way wonder not nor shrinke backe say thus I entred upon regeneration with this proviso and laboured to cast the hardest If easier termes be offred by Gods providence if Satan be kept off or corruption held under or the work made sweeter then I feared let me count it my gain and a portion which many of my brethren want But if I meet with brunts let me not desist and goe backe to Egypt but proceed on towards Canaan hoping that yet the issue shall be good Say thus now the Lord is trying of me of what mettle I am made even as he tryed those souldiers that sooped water Judg. 7. or lapped it now is the season for me to looke about me now let me abhorre to play the timeserver hypocrite staggerer and revolter from Gods way because I meet with offences in it If now I turne away and be distempered vowing that I will never goe on one step further nor strike one stroke more I shall shew my selfe and the mettle I am made of but if I shall meekely devour and digest these affronts then I shall shew a patient wayting heart upon God and one that esteemes grace above all my labour and a rich bargaine upon the price If Naaman had beene aware what God intended him before hand hee had said no lesse God tryes me by this delay God make me meek and keep me from rage But because he was yet ignorant therefore hee must bee conceived as one whose passions and anger the Lord meant to cover and pardon in due time and therefore now over-ruled for his good afterward Quest What difficulties are they which Gods travellers endure But some may aske what difficulties doe ye meane I answer such as these Many enter upon conversion upon great hopes and affections stirred up by the Gospell But after a while perhaps it pleases God to shew them their faces in such a glasse of terror and confusion that their hopes are turned into horror for some good space together Answ Manifold 1. Inward And in this condition they are tempted perhaps to avoide wounds of conscience by making away themselves if God staid them not Others feel a raging heart against the Law and Minister for searching their sores and convincing them so deeply if God turned it not to good after and thereby tawed them not more throughly by their owne corruption Others are in consult with themselves whether they were not better abandon all hearing and praying any longer and returne to their joviall company and pleasures of sinne againe that so they may shun this sharpe Schoolemaster by playing the trewants and so be at some ease except God shew them that this discipline as untoothsome as it is yet is wholesome Others stick long at this knot having a slavish sad melancholy spirit delighting in fullennesse and feare especially if sad crosses mixe themselves with inward heavinesse as ill marriage debts pursuits ill successe and the like They thinke God frownes more upon them then in the former daies of their ignorance Others are as much amazed on the other side because their terrors were never so great as others nor were their consciences so deepely affrighted with wrath and hell and therefore not duely humbled Others feele a great measure of unmortified lust and filth to dwell in them as wrath pride hollownesse revenge and to dog them so that they cannot thinke that such poyson and mercy to pardon can possibly stand together Others mistake the doctrine of preparation to faith thinking it to stand in the greatnesse of measure deepe sorrow breaking of heart deepe streights and being at a deepe losse great longings and thirstings after mercy and so of the rest It is long ere they come to see that there must bee a seed of the Gospell wrought ere these be or that they serve rather for marks of the spirit of grace then any furtherers of it from any thing in themselves Others feeling these wrought in them yet when they heare that faith only can put them into a safe estate they begin to feare that although they are prepared by the condition yet the Lord will not performe the effect of faith for them forgetting that Gods meaning in the one was to worke the other or at least thinke it will be a long time first and they shall be out of all heart ere then or they may dye ere the Lord make an end of his worke Others conceive amisse of the promise thinking it to be offred to such as can take hold of it by themselves not knowing that the strength is Gods and not theirs Esay 27.5.6 and that the offer comming frō the strength of a satisfaction to justice doth strengthen the Lord to make and tender it to a poore soule that needs it and concurs with that soule strongly to fasten it thereon as the due portion belonging to it Others are marvailously disquieted about their Election doubting that all their mournings and travailes are to no purpose because they strive against Gods will not remembring that secretes are for God not for for them and their surest markes come from the obeying of the revealed will Others when the fruit is come to the birth have no strength to bring forth it seemes impossible or hard or unlikely that such base ones should ever beleeve it were too good for so unworthy ones and in truth men looke wholly at their owne ends so much and so little at the glory which the Lord chiefly seekes to his grace that they little muse of the worke as becomming the omnipotency and free bounty of a reconciled God but of that scurffe they feele in themselves These are inward Others are outward affronts which meet with the soule 2. Outward some are molested grievously with sad motions and temptations and conflicts from Satan buffeting of them and stopping of their way by thoughts of feare injected into them as by Atheisme doubting of God of the truth of Scripture or with such qualmes and combats as doe arise up as sparkles from the over deepe terrors of conscience or the endlesse risings of their corrupt hearts
casting up mire and dirt in them and in the face of the truth and this irksomnes abides long if God see good to enlarge Satan according to his malice Others are discouraged through want of Ministry to follow on that little seed of grace which is cast into them which is ready to dye for lacke of quickning and advice and so living in desolate places and destitute of powerfull meanes are long ere they come to any setling and strength in a promise not knowing that where ordinary meanes faile God himselfe will not bee wanting to perfect what hee hath begunne Others meet with discouragements from such as should encourage them and so they fall the more sadly upon them When the Spouse had dallyed with her beloved through ease and carnalll tendernesse security and selfe-love lo in following after him she was met by the Watchmen Cant. 5.6.7 who buffetted her These should have encouraged her Even Ministers are oft great affronts in the way of poore soules rating and scorning them for their singularity especially when they through errour light upon such as thinking better of them So doe Parents Guardians Masters lay offences in the way of their children orphans servants some threatning to dis-inherit them or to disgrace them others by their snibbing and chiding or over-bearing them doe blast that bud which else would blossome and beare Others also hoping to see examples of many others as zealous as themselves to encourage them and finding that the Gospel prevails little in these dayes the Spirit growes straitned people wax dead and sottish and all their devotion stands in hearing Sermons Alas they quaile and pull in their horns like snails and are afraid they have been too forward and therfore wax as lazie and loose as others except God rouze them up by some sad crosse and make them to see that there must be more resolution in them if they look after salvation each tub must stand upon his own bottome Others resting upon their good duties and performances and thinking religion to consist therein chiefly when they feele small inward life from thence but ebbings and flowings grow at last to suspect their bottome but alas how long is it ere they can reforme their error and take a right course So that by these few instances it may appeare that the difficulties of many who begin fairly are very tedious so that they finde not the worke of conversion so easie as they expected Conclusion of all with admonition I conclude therefore as before let not such be dismaid nor give over the work of God but remember God is now trying them whether there bee soundnesse or no in them to continue and if they will wait meekly his leasure after hee hath taught them to deny themselves he will be found of them as here of Naaman and reveale himselfe to them at last more then at first Vses 2 Secondly this should also teach those who have obtained mercie already Instruction Christians must looke for difficulties as well in their progresse as in their entrance much lesse to wonder if they meet with sundry affronts in their course of Christianity For if this be done in the green tree how much more in the dry If novices who are so unfit for trials meet with so many rubs to keep them from faith how much more must they looke for them whose strength is greater Therefore consider I pray you and know God will try all upon whom he hath bestowed any speciall favours and blessings One way or other sooner or later the Lord will lay stops and blockes in your way to try what is in you and whether all that hee hath done for you can prevaile so farre with you as to think him worth the cleaving and clinging unto with faith and confidence Gen. 22.2 Esay 38. Job 1. Gen. 39.7 2 Sam. 16.5 25. Matth. 26.69 Abraham must be tried by Isaac Hezekiah by the Embassadours Iob by losse of all hee hath Ionah by the errand to Ninivee Ioseph by Putefâ—rs wife David by Shemei by Nabal by Mephibosheth Peter by the Damosell and others of the Saints by other trialls whether God be above their carnall delights whether their hearts be lowly whether they can deny their wealth their will whether they be that in secret which they are openly what meeknesse patience equality of heart is in them Professors in their novicery looke not to meet with many troubles whether they bee sound and resolved to stick to God or no. None shall want their trials Alas many a poore soule entring upon profession lookes but from hand to mouth how he may hold fast the promise and live according to knowledge but lo in a short time after troubles arise in the married estate sicknesse losses enemies pursuits wrongs such as hee expected not On the other side A none of them the Lord perhaps armes some strong corruption to pinch and gall him which he knowes not how to be rid of or stings him by unthankfulnesse of such as owe most love by unfaithfulnesse and aloofnesse of such as have been greatest friends by the sad revolts and scandals of such as for their owne ease and private ends renounce that love to Gods cause and that zeale to the truth which they have testified Sometimes by false aspersions and reports staining them and unjustly depraving them behind their backes otherwhiles by bad times frowning upon them and turning their prosperity into affliction Againe perhaps the Lord tries others by some hard duty beset with great difficulties so that either they must forfeit conscience or else some desirable thing which they are loth to forgoe Oft-times the Lord tries some by company pleasure liberty occasions of sudden wrath distemper worldlinesse and infinite it were to mention all By these he would let men see all that is in their heart he will either discover their grace that he may trust them for ever after or else their halting self-ends hollownesse pride love of themselves strong poysons of heart breach of covenant and so humble them subdue their sinnes for them in due season that they may not deceive and destroy their owne soules And what wonder Doe wee thinke that God is willing to lose his cost or to harbour such under his roofe as he knowes not what to make of Such as under colour of Religion maintaine a great deale of loose scurfe within them Is it for the glory of God to owne such No surely he will put them to it one time or other that hee may by this meane separate the pretious from the vile and their owne hay and stubble from his owne Pearles and Jewels I grant we thinke otherwise and hope to escape in a mist and to carry our course even and faire God will try his to separate the pretious from the vile without any great trials or affronts and the rather because perhaps wee have long made a shift to goe on smoothly with praying in
and his labour is with God if then for conscience he seekes their welfare and counts it his crowne if they obey Esay 49.4 its equall and righteous that they requite love for love duty for duty That they set his crowne upon his head by their faithfull obedience The businesse concernes themselves very sadly for the Minister preaches not comforts not exhorts not for his owne ends but for theirs If then he be for them and not himselfe shall they be able to answer it if they be not for their owne soules Alas what shall the discouragement they afford to the Minister hurt him Shall it not redound to them See Heb. 13.17 That were smally to their comfort He is from God and as in the stead of Christ doing his Embassage As Ieremy speakes to those rebells Chap. 44. Lo I am before you you may answer me as you will But know that he who sent me will not be so easily answered 2 Pet. 1.16 he will pay ye home for your rebellion If the Minister be bound to follow God and not cunning devises and fables of his own head and must give a strict account thereof to his Master Woe be to them that perceive not nor lay to heart What a solemne account will lye upon them if they dispise that message which he delivers upon such tearmes He hath saved his soule but thy bloud shall be upon thine owne head True love then is judicious see 2 Cor. 5.14 and as in all other things so in this she is loath to offer any measure to the Minister which she is loath God should offer herselfe Reason 3 Thirdly love is marveilous tender He then that loves his Minister is very sensible of that griefe and discontent which must needs smites his heart when he sees his labours slighted 1 Cor. 13. especially if he be a man wholly set to seek Gods ends in preaching A good heart will say I warrant you it stings the heart of him who teaches us soundly to behold in us slight acceptance Oh this will breed bad bloud This will load him with sorrow and he hath no whither to goe for ease but to him who set him on worke And the Lord will take his wrongs to heart and count them his owne and that will prove sad for us Oh! let us not provide so ill let us not cut downe the onely prop we stand on let us condole him in his heavinesse and remove the cause of it that so his heart being joyed may procure a good errand to heaven in our behalfe and bring downe a blessed answer from God unto us Reason 4 Fourthly love is given to esteem highly of that which it loves unites it and strengthens it selfe in the object delighted in she sets it up in her heart exceedingly and good cause why for love proceeds from some convinced amiablenesse and worth in the thing loved and that reflects backe honour and esteeme Now if it be so then love of a Minister will breed honour to him under God neither under his worth nor above it but sutable to it contrariwise if there be small or no love what will the answer be Tush what is he He is but a man as others yea and perhaps a weake one a man of passions and frailties So then marke A lovelesse heart despiseth a Minister shames him is as rottennesse to his bones thwarts the doctrine makes all that behold him in the mirror of such people to thinke they have a Minister of like disposition to themselves else for shame they would not be so base I conclude then true love will devise with her selfe what will grace and magnifie the Minister and his labours and finding that nothing will do it so much as the obeying of his voice they will force and compell themselves out of the meer nature of their love to obey him to the uttermost cost it them never so much the setting on as face answers face in water Proverb so doth the life of an hearer who loves his Minister answer his labours Love must needs destroy it selfe if it should disesteem her object therefore she honoureth that as she would support herselfe So much for Reasons This point first affords Terror to all basely minded men who live Vse 1 in the utter hatred and scorne of their Ministers thwarting Terror Two or three Branches vexing and crossing them to the uttermost in stead of obeying Such as Jer. 44.16 openly tell him The word of God which thou spakest unto us we will not heare it Such as live at open defiance with the Minister asking Shall this fellow reigne over us No Shall we be tyed to his girdle We scorne it Let us cast his cords from us Psal 2.12 What Lord shall controll us Our tongues our spirits and wayes are our owne Shall he teach us to marry to buy sell keep company use our liberties Shall he come among us to forestall our pleasures our wills and lusts They that live at open defiance with their Ministers are odious Cannot wee tell as well as he what is good for us He serves us and lives upon us and shall we maintaine our servant to be in our tops Oh base wretch He is thy servant for thy good but made so by God not a slave but a free honourable Minister of reconciliation not to serve thy humours but to controll them And as I said before then they will runne and ride and lay their purses together nay set on all the mastives of the Country against them to worry them out But oh wofull creatures Reproach of Ministers shame and spots of assemblies you need not to hunt them out Read but that in Mica 2.6.7 and there you shall finde God himself will doe it for you You say prophesie not But I say Ezek. 3.26 they shall not prophesie unto such lest they take shame I will not suffer their faces to be covered with such confusion as to be plagued with such I will rid them from among such and carry them to a people that love them As for these haters of them when as once their shepheards are gone I will come in among them and worry them that worried these And I will let in a flood upon them of woe when my Noa's are taken into mine Arke That which they sought for revenge of my Minister I will inflict as a revenge upon them and when they see themselves left to be consumed by those lusts of theirs which they scorned to be rooted out by him then they shall roare for very anguish some here under penury rags shame diseases and impenitency some in hell but then one houre of a faithfull Minister shall not be given them if they had the world to give for it Beware lest seeing the fearefull examples of vengeance in Scripture for contempt of the Minister besides daily experience of the sudden end of scorners and persecutors will not draw you from your trade God make you examples for
others to take warning by See and tremble at the examples of Ahabs ruine upon contempt of Micaja Those Jewes in Egypt for despising of Ieremy 1 King 22.32 Jer. 44. the whole Nation of them both then and after for rejecting the Prophets Christ and his Apostles and rather make use of such to prevent destruction Briefly peruse these Texts Jer 26.18 Josh 22.17 c. A second branch of Terror may reach to such 2. Branch as will first qualifie their Minister in his charges counsells and then they will obey him but not till then It is irkesome unto them to obey him in the Lord in matters of conscience For why Their hearts are licentious carnall and prophane There be other Ministers which will do the like to their people till they have made them like to themselves And yet they thinke it a disgrace to live otherwise then lovingly and curteously with their Minister What course then take they Surely this they will first try whether they can by policy by kind offices feasting and entertaining of him pull him into their company and draw him into the fellowship of their pleasures games and merriments These they thinke will be least suspected and having snared him by these then they seeke by degrees to fetch him into the Ale-house People that will seem to love their Minister that they may luâ—ke in their sins odious to drinke and be a good fellow Then they inject a suspition and jealousie into his minde against such as feare God and oppose them in their base evills Then to whet his tongue in the pulpit against them to flesh and encourage themselves in their liberties and lusts And so by these meanes having baned him and made him for their turne they will obey him good reason For they have first made him sure enough and for their tooth they have taught him to be a meet Cooke for their appetite and to dresse their meat their owne way with the sawce that likes them best therefore they may well venture to eat of it Oh base creatures Doe ye first crooke the rule by which you are to write and doe ye then write after it Thus it was with him 1 King 21. who being sent for Micaja to Ahab would needs teach him his lesson by the way Let I pray thee thy words be sutable to the words of the foure hundred Prophets and then my Master will surely doe as thou biddest him Doe thou flatter and claw him and then he will obey thee So doe many to their Ministers Note They will prescribe him what truths hee shall teach them and what he shall balke they will tell him what method he shall use be much in discourse and little in application preach smooth and pleasing things and then they will heare him But oh wofull people Is this to heare him or to obey your lusts When Iehoiada was dead the Text tells us that his Princes came to Ioash 2 Chron. 24.17 and finding him a facile and flexible man they ingratiated themselves with him by gifts and rewards by praises and flatteries till they had drawne his spirit away from God to Idolls and to serve their own base turne Oh say they We are all thy loyall subjects and friends willing to be thy servants But we see that except thou hearken in the point of Religion to thy people they will scarce continue in their loyall obedience Wherefore it is much for thy safety and honour to yeeld to them and else it will create much trouble in thy Kingdome And even thus fares it with people of this ranke towards their Minister For the love of their lusts what will they not doe Oh Sir say they we see you are a man of worth and learning and you make us good Sermons we should be glad to live and love together and we hope you will be faire and curteous to us We love to keepe our Church and live honestly Indeed we are shy of them that are so zealous and precise in their preachings as to scare their good people we would be loath the hearts of your Parish should be alienated from you which we see will be if you be against our liberties pleasures and good fellowships Hitherto we have lived well and like kinde neighbours and we hope you will further rather then hinder it and so doing we shall live in peace and good will with you Oh how such smooth persons fret like a canker How easily doe they prevaile with such as are not armed with prevention Alas they are taken and snared by such baites and that little sparkle of good which seemed to be in them is soone quenched But to finish this Use beware O Minister of God lest thou be deceived with such cunning of men and as for them that do so entice them that they might the more securely live in their lusts Woe be unto them they may seeme to make a league with hell to provide a safety and immunity to their lusts But the Lord will breake their league and put a spirit of division betweene them so that they shall be as bitter enemies as ever they were friends and all because their union was cursed and tyed by the band of their lusts As Sampsons Foxes were tyed by their tailes with firebrands to doe mischiefe but not with the band of grace and love which would have held for continuance So much for this point of Terror Now a second Use may be Reproofe of sundry sorts And first Vse 2 of all such hearers as professe to love the Minister of God Reproofe 1. Branch Lovers of the Minister in generall yet conâ—ealing their doubts and cases from them reproved and comply with him in generall but still hold off aloofe in point of counsell and advice concerning their particular actions Doubts they have many touching their estates to Godward also many difficulties they meete with in their course in matters of weight but they will never acquaint their Minister with any of them he shall bee one of the first of them that shall bee last acquainted wiâ—h them Partly through folly strangenesse and darkenesse of their spirit partly through base feare lest their wants should be discovered and especially because in truth they are not willing to bee eâ—sed thereof but still to stagger and are resolved to consult with flesh and bloud rather then to be ruled by knowledge Such as these the Minister shall never heare of till sorrow and repentance compell them to utter their folly when they see they have overshot themselves in their bargaines or marriages till conscience beginne to sting them for their unjust and unwarranted courses or God crosse them with losses shame enemies then too late they come for counsell which if they had sought for in season all this had beene prevented Others when they have taken their owne course and bound sure 2. Branch such as first vow and then enquire doe badly then for fashion they will