of the soule is a power to move it selfe and in its place unto spirituall duties that is the true nature of the life of sanctification doe you therefore see a creature no further moving it selfe then according to its lightnesse You shall sometimes have men to move themselves out of their levity come to an eminent duty in the pride of their natures Note and will lift themselves up to some duties but this is not out of an inward principle but out of the lightnesse of their spirits desire to be above Lightness of spirit will move them to this and that duty and rather move from hence then from any inward principle of grace and so sometimes creatures out of their heavinesse and basenesse of minde will be doing spirituall duties but as the one doth them to be seen of men and performe the meere letter of the duty and in the pride of his heart not out of any inward affection to such duties so there be others that for profit sake will move themselves basely unto spirituall duties as Christ said of his Hearers they followed him for loaves Joh. 6.26 so that it is one thing to move to such or such a businesse or to be stirring about such duties out of an inward affection to the duty and inclination of heart and love of such a worke and another thing to be carried to such workes out of an inward levity of nature or because by such duties a man may excell others and goe beyond his neighbours and it is one thing to be acting and stirring in spirituall duties out of an inward love to them and another to performe them out of a base respect to the profit and pleasure that may be found in them in outward peace and rest as sometimes the case so stands that if a man doe betake himselfe to spirituall duties he shall perhaps finde the more favour in the eyes of men and to please authority if it take the better side and so from an heavie basenesse of their hearts to such regards they will have respect unto spirituall duties but these doe not move but as heavie things move downward and light things upward a stone will move downward and fire upward Absolom had a marvellous strong affection to be doing 2 Sam. 15.4 he tels them every man should have justice if he was but made King in the Land so all Israel desired after him but Absolom was now out of his place but as soone as ever he got into the place hee desired the first thing he intended was to cut off his Fathers life an act of the greatest rebellion that ever could be done so that men out of their places are apt to be stirring and moving but it is but either from the basenesse or lightnesse of their hearts Note this O that I were but in my Masters place saith a servant I would have duties performed in such time and place and when they come to be in place and might order and command their families then they grow as bad as their Masters and it may be worse but this are we apt to doe when we are out of our places apt to be moving but it s not true life because only that which moves in its place that only lives and yet further A thing may move in its place and yet move from some kind of outward respects as a Watch or a Clock it moves but it is from the weight that lyes and hangs upon it and so it is rather a violent motion then a naturall So is it many times with men the weight of the Law or the weight of the authority of Governours doth so carry them an end in those waies they walke in that they goe through with it and yet it is but from an outward principle from some outward weights that hangs upon them but yet suppose men should be doing in their places as Jehu was he was mighty in his place and was very much against Baal and destroyed the house of Ahab and his children and his friends but yet notwithstanding though this was all in his calling he had a speciall Calling given him of God to that end What required to a spirituall duty but though you should performe duties in your places as a tree though it move in its place upward yet it puts not forth so many a man may doe good duties in his place and yet be wanting in the graciousnesse and spirituality of them Now to make a duty spirituall requires not only that it should be for the better a good worke but that it should be wrought First in sence of our owne insufficiency without Christ and yet so as that by and from Christ we are able to doe it Secondly that we have some respect to the Word of God for our warrant Thirdly that in all we doe we have respect to the glory of God in all our performances I live by the faith of the Son of God Gal. 2.20 The just shall live by his owne faith As if he should say he no further puts forth a worke of spirituall life further then he denies his owne ability so farre hee lives by his faith and depends upon Christ for supply in every duty he goes about whether he pray preach or receive Sacraments or be diligent in his Calling or in his carriage towards any that stand in relation to him so farre as we are sensible of our owne failings and therefore doe depend upon him for strength these are not such as come from common graces Common gifts but doe accompany sanctification to life It is true if men be invested with common gifts they may be acted and moved to many duties in their places and put out very sweet affections to the duty and yet doe it rather out of the power of their owne strength and rather for their owne glory and applause then from any dependance upon Christ so that spirituall life hath the Lord Jesus for its root and the Word for its warrant and for its rule to walke by Psal 119.6 Then shall I never be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandements All such actions will be accpptable to God and serviceable to men and also aime at the glory of God for the end that is their last end and all such other ends as are sub-ordinate unto that the building up of Gods Kingdome Zach. 7.5 6 7. When ye did eate did ye it unto me saith the Lord nay did ye not doe it to your selves Hos 7.14 They have not cryed unto me with their heart when they howled upon their beds Did you desire in your prayers to bring in any service to God to tend to his honour and glory And did you debase your owne soules before him that you might finde help from him Or did you not this to your selves or for your owne deliverance and redemption and freedome from such bondage and other miseries that lay upon you so that if God see men goe
about such duties meerly for themselves they are wanting of this spirituall life So then doe but lay these things together doe you finde a man that is desirous to be doing good duties but is it to please others or is it out of the bonds of authority that lyes upon him Doe you see them have affection to duties but out of their place and calling or in their calling they doe such duties but rather out of their own strength then from the strength of Christ and not out of a conscionable respect to all the Commandements of God or if it be from outward principles and to wrong ends the glory of God not sought after nor tending to the building up themselves nor others in grace all these are such as men may be carried to doe from outward respects they may doe something that one would thinke would argue life but all the duties they doe by their owne strength is like a Spider that weaves a webbe out of her owne bowels we follow not the rule of the Word exactly but are ever wheeling about to our owne ends and to those respects that concerne our selves rather then to the glory of God and the Churches good it is true no man that hath common graces men that have gifts of preaching and gifts of praying may love to act and move them or any other zealous gift but yet notwithstanding you shal finde this to be true that till the heart be sanctified by the life of Christ we ever detaine all the graces of God in unrighteousnesse as the Romans and Gentiles did detaine the truth of God in unrighteousnesse Rom. 1.18 So we by a spirit of ypocrisie detaine all the graces of God in unrighteousnesse and in Hypocrisie whereas God hath given us every grace and the manifestation thereof to edifie himselfe and to glorifie God withall We wonderfully magnifie our selves withall and make our selves goodly in the eyes of men we are full of our selves and thinke we have this and that in us that will serve our turne and reach our owne ends this is not a life of grace but is indeed a dead worke all that we doe and therefore rest not in any such kinde of life and motion But if you finde an inward inclination of soule to Spirituall duties and to those duties in speciall that are pertinent to your place and if they be not within the compasse of your calling you dare not reach unto them and in your calling you do them not out of desire to be seen of men but you are doing good duties out of a sence of your owne inability to reach any duty in your calling much lesse of Gods service and in them all you observe every commandement of God and the ends you aime at are singly that God may be glorifyed and that God may see you and not man that good may be done by you in your places in Church and Family and Commonwealth and that thereby others might be brought on to God and his Kingdome increased this very motion and inclination of your hearts is an argument that you have a stirring spirit to spiritual duties and this is spirituall life in Christ And therefore by how much the more God shall give you an heart to bee doing your works and duties in this order so much the more comfort you shal gather to your souls that undoubtedly Christ hath shed abroad his spirit in you by which you are able to doe that which else you could not have reached unto Quest You say unto me may not a good Christian man have his heart so dead that he is unfit to pray or preach or to instruct his Family or for the duties of his calling fit and good for nothing And is a soule in such a case as this altogether void of spirituall life and sanctification is there not sometimes a kind of a coath come upon a Christian that so benumbs his spirit that he performes no duties at all but if he might have his owne mind he would not pray at all nor receive Sacraments Is not this sometimes the case of Christian and will you say that such an one is a dead soule because he is altogether listlesse and dead-hearted to move to any spirituall duty Answ It is true there may fall such a deadnesse upon the heart of Christian men that they are both unable and unwilling to any spiritual duty Which commonly God leaves his servants unto when he hath found them acting and moving in their own strength and upon their detaining of the graces of God in unrighteousnesse Causes of deadnes of heart and diverting them rather to their own praise in the world then the edifying of the people of God or the glorifying of his own name when God sees we are much of our selves and thinke we can doe much by the strength of grace we have received then God is wont to leave us cold and dead so as we know not in the world what to doe nor are we willing to do any thing The very presence of a duty and the thoughts of it is an horror to such soules in such cases we have been too busie in our own strength and too mighty in the grace we have received and rather aimed at our selves then at him and then no marvaile if God leave us to a world of deadnesse But when God hath thus by this meanes let us see that all our life is in him and that we are dead hearted further then we have life from him then God is wont not to faile but to help us thus farre at the least to looke with a wist and a sad eye upon the forlornnes of our estates and to cry out of our selves O what dead hearted Creatures and dull spirited things are we and bemoane our selves as Paul did Rom. 7.18 I see that in me that is in my flesh Remedies against deadnesse dwels no good thing Sometimes I have a minde to doe good duties but I finde that I have no strength to performe Paul comes to Macedonia and he had an open doore a faire calling to preach but he had no heart to it because he found not Titus his brother there Now when this is the case of a Christian man that he is strait and dead hearted he groanes under the burthen of it and he lookes at it with sad countenance and sees he is not well but is ready to complaine of it now this sence and complaint of deadnesse and using the best meanes to raise himselfe up out of this deadnesse this is an action of Spirituall life It is an act of Spirituall life for a man to be sensible of his owne deadnesse which in time workes the soule of a Christian to a more constant dependance upon Christ for life and makes him more observeable of the Word and more ingenuous and sincere in looking at the glory of God and the Churches good more then his owne and by how much the more we come to this passe and
as lets thee alone and only puffes thee up and makes thee to thinke goodly of thy selfe if that be all the worke of thy knowledge thou art a dead-hearted Christian if it cause thee to vanish away in empty contemplation and thou therefore talkest that thou mayest let others see thou hast knowledge as well as others and if it be dead and cold and empty and vanish away in empty notion and speculation and dead conference then thy knowledge is barren in goodnesse and that is an argument of no life in thy soule but if there be any truth of life in thy soule thy knowledge is warme and lively thy knowledge that is in thee hath some zeale and that sets an edge upon it and makes it serviceable to God and thy brethren I know not better how to expresse it then from Revel 1.14 15. in the description of our blessed Saviour His eyes were as a flame of fire It is true the eye is lightsome but it doth not burne they are not hot but the eyes of Christ is as a flaming heat and the meaning is Christ is described just according to the state of the Church to whom Iohn was to write as he had feet of brasse when he writes to a Church that though burned in the fire yet the more you burne it the lesse it wasts and the more pure it is and by degrees the more bright so where he speakes to a Church in persecution and it is not consumed then Christ hath feet like brasse but if he write to a Church of Thyatira a Church of a warme spirit then thus faith he that hath eyes like a flame of fire Revel 2.9 meaning the knowledge that that Church had which was full of zeale as wel as of light and according to the measure of its knowledge so it grew more in grace and therefore the workes were more at the last then at the first As their knowledge growes so growes their zeal so that if thou hast that life in Christ which accompanies salvation thy eyes are like a flame of fire full of burning light as well as brightsome knowledge Is thy knowledge such as suffers thee to sit downe barren and though thou knowest that thou oughtest to doe this and that yet thou doest it not then there is no heate and warmth in thy knowledge but if there be true life and warmth in thy spirit thy knowledge stirres thee up to be doing and stirres up others to be doing also and thy knowledge will not suffer thee to let them alone just as Peter and Iohn sometimes said to the high Priests We cannot but speake that which we know and have seene and heard Acts 4.18 19 20. And therefore though they threatned them is perrill of life to speake no more in Christs name yet say they that which we know to be the Truth of God that we must needs speake as Ieremie speakes chap. 20. I could not forbeare The light that was in him was a glowing and warme heate and the Word of God in him was as a mighty fire and it will not suffer him to rest and he must also stir up others So then examine whether there be any heate in thy knowledge if thy knowledge be not according to zeale it will but aggravate thy condemnation Againe examine thy breath whether doest thou breath or no Doest thou smell a good savour in Gods Word when thou doest read or heare it And doest thou smell a sweet savour in the conference of Christian men or doth it stinke in thy nostrils if it be sweet to thee it is well Doest thou pray to God with some kinde of panting after him and thy spirit is fit to faint within thee and thou canst sit downe and bemoane thy selfe to God that thou hast so lost thy selfe then there is breath in thee or canst thou bring out a word to edifie thy brethren it is well but if there be no breath in thee it is an evident signe thou art dead or at least in a deep sleep if thou hast no ability to pray and can relish no ordinance of God and have no kinde of aptnesse to edifie another then either there is no life in thee or else it is much benumbed and therefore either no life or none that is extant in thee And so how dost thou find thy warm affections stand to the Word hast thou a stomach to the Word And hast thou not so much profit by it as to see thou doest not profit and art ashamed of it but if not there is no life in thee And if thou lovest to be disjoyned from thy brethren you are never better then when you are falling off and sitting loose from your brethren if you love to be asunder there is no life in you no life of Religion there for Religion desires to preserve it selfe and love is a principall worke of Religion above all things have fervent love among your selves A man had rather cover a multitude of wicked practises then loose the fervency of his love one towards another And if therefore the Devill throw brands among you and you fal asunder one Christian hangs here and another there in the end while you lye so a sunder the fire goes out and men may bid one another good night and then may you all take your pleasure in sin the truth is then all the life of Religion goes out and every businesse in the Family drawes away and so rests till all the life be lost And therefore if you see men are willing to sit loose and fall off one from another then there is an end of the life and power of godlinesse a bidding of Religion good night And no more profit to be had while such distempers of soule doth last But if you see that men come together as in that ancient famous Vision Ezek. 37. every bone finds out his fellow and joynes with him and then there was a noise and a shaking if you see bones gather bone to his bone then at the next prophecying flesh will come and sinewes and the next prophesie will breath life into them so if men begin to annex themselves one unto another as living brands If one begin to seek out another and to draw together and to lye close together if bone begin to gather to his bone then there is hope of an Host of armed men to stand up for God in good ways then there wil be life and strength and power of godlinesse else make account of it that in very truth there is no life no power of Religion where there is no relishing no closing one with another if therefore you see men closing together and warming one another in the wayes of Gods grace and there is some sence of your owne unprofitablenesse under the Word and if you can digest it turne it into edification of your selfe and others then there is true life in you and having life you have Christ and in him you have life in
for it was at the same feast that Nehemiah speakes chap. 8. last It is said chap 8.4 to 8. there was a Pulpit of Wood and in vers 8. it is said They did read distinctly in the Law and caused the people to understand the meaning of it so that it was not a meere outward and bare reading of the letter but an opening of the sence and such a kinde of applying it to the hearts of the people that the people went away much rejoycing because they understood the Law that was read unto them and many of them could not but joy and rejoyce in it as you see from vers 8. to the end of the 12th and when they had so done the people went away rejoycing and he said to them Goe your way home eate the fat and drinke the sweet c. vers 10. So that this you shall finde to be true that God hath either never so farre forth blessed the reading of the Word as to bring on unbeleevers to Christ either never or if he have it is at some solemne extraordinary feast once in seven or once in fifty yeares which was their great Jubilee to make knowne to his Church what in after times it should be when they knew Christ Vse It may serve first to let us see a reason why so many Writings of godly men to so good purpose and by such holy men and so effectually by many have so little prevailed against the Papists and Hereticks in any kinde a man would wonder to read so many Writings of so many holy men and to see so few of the Church of God brought on to God by this meanes Why what 's the reason surely it is no wonder the Apostles themselves though they should never prosper in writing to men that beleeved not but to such as beleeved that they might have joy in beleeving they knew reading would not prevaile It is true it may be some meanes of conviction and leaving men without excuse and their Writings have not been in vaine to establish them in the truth that beleeved it before and for satisfying the judgements of them that are studious in the truth to seeke out the truth of Gods will but for men that are unbeleevers and setled in the dreggs thereof never any Writer in England France or Germany did any good some have come over that have pretended that this and that mans learned Writings hath been of much help to them but those who have professed such conviction have been but meer counterfeits and deluders of the State and did it only to provide for their honour and credit here in this Country and as little hath been done by the Writings of godly men against the adversaries in this kinde So in very deed The bane of congregations that have no meanes of preaching if you shall looke at all the good that hath been done by reading in poore Congregations that have had no meanes of preaching the people are as ignorant as those that never heard of the name of Christ as empty of faith and of the knowledge of Christ and of every grace of his as those that never heard of them Object But you say This is marvellous uncharitable to say that they who have but reading fall short of faith in Christ and of the fruits of faith that accompany salvation Ans Whether is it more uncharitablenesse to let such as live under such meanes know their danger that they might come to salvation then to flatter them with a false opinion of their owne safety to speake peace to them and yet they to live without God in the world Gods people are in an unsafe condition without God while they are without a teaching Priest 2 Chron. 15.3 A long time they had been without God why had they not the Word of God read in their Synagogues Doe you thinke Ieroboams Priests did not read the Law Was there no mention of the Law of God among them Had they not so much forme of godlinesse as to read the writings of the Law Yes sure their Civill Law in which their civill Government stood and by which they executed Justice was the Law of Moses and did they not then understand the letter of the Law doubtlesse these bookes being their Law they were knowne among the body of the people and what did the Priests if they did not read the bookes of the Law were they only to offer sacrifice to the Calves I doubt not the people did not doe it neither was it usuall to offer any of their Oblations in their Synagogues but at Dan and Bethel only and therefore they were not wanting to heare the Prophets read and yet notwithstanding all that reading it is said Israel hath a long time been without God they had a Priest to read but not a Priest to teach and so were without God and without the Law that is the sentence God gives of the people at that time and thinke not that God was uncharitable in so speaking of them for God expresseth his love in shewing the people their dangerous estate Ioh. 15.14 15. Quest But is it not said Act. 15.21 Moses of old time hath in every City them that preach him being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day and is not then the reading of him preaching Answ It implyes that when he is read he is preached for every Sabbath day when they read the Law they gave the sence and meaning of it that shewes what diligence the Priests did use when they did read they gave the sence and wisely applyed it to the edification of the people and not that reading was all the preaching they had or that this was any preaching that they only read the Word of God for if they had but Moses read and not preached they were then without the Law and without God in the world And you know what God himselfe threatens Amos 8.11 12 13. That he would send a famine of hearing the Word never was there a famine of reading the Word since there was any face of a Church at all but a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord that men should goe farre from sea to sea and from place to place to heare it but should not heare it And by that meanes the young men and the faire virgines should perish for thirst and none to satisfie them with the Word and those who were able to stirre would goe farre and neare to heare the Word and yet should not finde it and so shall perish for want of that knowledge of it which doth accompany salvation so then marvaile not that the Holy Ghost saith these things I write unto you that beleeve to Beleevers only was this written Note the Miserable case of Congregations that have but bare reading Wonder not then if so little good be done among the Papists or in any other Churches where there is only bare reading make account of it as the Lord saith My people are then destroyed for want
1.17 Gal. 2.20 A man doth nothing Christianly and spiritually but by his faith Faith profitable to all things now when faith must be the instrument to helpe us to work all our workes spiritually we had need to grow to some life and fruitfulnesse in faith and if our faith be not fruitfull we shall make but hard work of our daily imployments how shall we depend upon God and do all in the name of Christ and doe all in obedience to a commandement and live by a promise for Gods presence and blessing in it how shall a man do this if he have not faith yea if he have not some dexterity of faith A weake faith will then slug it when a man stands in most need to use it and therefore that a man may be ready to shew his faith upon every occasion in prayer in conference in every thing both concerning this life and another A man had need of a great deal of faith and therefore this is an evident signe that a mans faith is well wrought a sound and a lively faith if it be a growing faith But if you heare men saying they thanke God they have a strong faith and they alwayes beleeved on Christ and fie upon them that doe not let me say this is a presumption of faith but is no faith yea it is the badge of the want of faith when therefore you see the Apostle writes to them that beleeve that they may beleeve more certainly and more strongly that is a true faith and it will grow Vse 2 It serves to reprove the most sacrilegious and uncharitable faith of the Papists that take away these writings from the people John writes this Epistle to the intent that beleevers may beleeve you heard that the word dispensed in any ordinance is of mighty power to increase faith where it is begun and to beget it where it is wanting Take away reading of the Scriptures and conference about them Infidell practise of Papists and you take away all And therefore an infidell practise to go about to take away the faith of Gods Elect. God sent us the Scriptues to the end that we might beleeve and if this be the nature of faith to desire that themselvs and others might grow in faith what are they but Infidells in truth who as much as in them lyes lock up the Scriptures in a strange tongue that the people may not understand what is read unto them and as much as in them lyes drives the Bibles out of their houses And it is heretical presumption for such and such men to use the Scriptures this is infidelity and most sacrilegious to God And it is likewise uncharitable and injurious to the faith of Gods people An evident argument of infidelity how can you charge the wisdome of God of more folly and lightnesse God sends his word to his servants that they might be reading and hearing and conferring of it and that by beleeving they might beleeve These men to cast an imputation of folly upon God they are afraid that God did not consider the danger of it if beleevers should fall a reading and poore tradesmen a conferring about the Scriptures they are afaid they will be distempered with heresie and so trouble the whole Church do not they by so doing set the wisdom of God at naught and shew themselves sacrilegious against the truth of God Vse 3. It may serve to exhort us all since the holy ghost did write these things to the intent that you that beleeve on the name of the Sonne of God might beleeve First to you that beleeve and then to you that beleeve not You that have been diligent in hearing and reading the word be diligent in it stil and make it a point of your Christian practise not to faile to read some part of it every day unlesse you be necessarily hindred or if you have been necessarily hindred by busines from reading yet be sure nothing hinder you from meditating upon it the blessed man meditates on Gods word every night and every day though he takes the shorter time to it yet he must have some time for meditation upon the word upon something he heard this day or something hee hath sometimes read and you shall finde a mighty power in it to fructifie as if you were planted by the Rivers of waters Mighty power in meditating upon the word for the spirit of God breaathing in the word and your hearts sucking it up and by meditating upon it you grow in more knowledge in the object of your faith in the rootednesse in the sence and in the acts and fruites of your faith and this by hearing and reading and meditating read therefore the King himselfe must doe it daily Kings must read the Word of God daily who hath more businesse then any man Deut. 17.19 And if he doe so God will learne him the feare of his name now if God will not excuse Kings much lesse private men who have lesse affaires then Kings have and therefore be reading every day and when you cannot read be sure you meditate upon some part of Gods Word every day and every night As ever you desire to beleeve use the meanes that you may beleeve this being sanctified of God to that end then be not you wanting to use it and doe not only so but heare it likewise and conferre upon it and search it daily whether it be true or no use the meanes that God hath sanctified his Word to be dispensed in and by which he will blesse it to his people and then you shall finde this In beleeving you shall beleeve you shall grow from faith to faith and from sence to sence and in the fruits of faith till you be perfect in Christ Jesus be diligent in hearing Gods Word for it is the mighty power of God unto salvation and conferre of it there is a mighty power in the Word being conferred upon take heed ye neglect not occasions in this kinde and search the Scriptures and examine what you heare and you will finde a mighty power in it to increase faith Since therefore God hath given you his Word and shed abroad the water of his Spirit to run through every line of the Scriptures Note this so that the more you shall read and heare conferre and meditate and search the Scripture the more you shall finde the life of faith increased in you and therefore you must not wonder if you see Christian men that neglect these duties complaine of the deadnesse of their hearts Doest thou doubt in thy perswasion is thy confidence mixed with much diffidence then aske thy heart this question Whether hast thou used the Scriptures for those ends God hath appointed them and hast thou been diligent in conferring about them and searching of them whether what is delivered be suitable to them or no and meditated of them and brought them home to thy house and compared them together and meditated