worke of Christ in any kinde and yet refuse it Friend how is it that Christ hath given thee a talent and thou wilt not occupy it for his use How is it that Christ hath given thee parts and set thee in place and afforded thee opportunities to serve him and yet thou wilt not worke Darest thou say either that he is a hard Master or that his work is unreasonable or his carriage unkinde Be convinced ye loyterers that will not labour for Jesus Christ At the day of account you will want an excuse when all the working members of Jesus Christ shall come and say The worke that we did for Christ was honourable the incouragement which we received from Christ was unspeakable and his carriage to us all along was passing sweet and amiable then will you be dumb and speechlesse as not having any thing to say for your selves why you stood out from his worke and service 4. The Doctrine speakes incouragement to all those who labour for the Lord who are at worke for Christ You that are in Christs Vineyard that labour though in the heat of the day who sweat in the service for your Saviour consider his carriage is and will be sweet towards you Goe on hold on give not out you are in his service who is very sweet what ever the carriage of the standers by be his will be like himselfe i.e. loving Ob. But yet will you say we find harsh usage in the world meerly for being in this worke We thinke wee should be dealt better withall by men if we did do so much for Christ Surely if we were onely Lambes our selves we should finde kinder carriage But this renders us hatefull and makes men harsh that we are Ewes big with young i.e. that we are indeavouring to bring forth somewhat for Christ that we would have others Lambes as well as our selves and that we can never be well but when at work Ans Well be it so yet be not discouraged It is your glory to be Christs Ews Christ hath dealt wel with you in making you able to work for him and he will carry himselfe kindly to you while you worke for him What though the travellers by the way curse and revile the labourers in the field so long as the Lord of the harvest Boaz like blesse you and speake kindly to them the Lord be with you Verily ye working Saints who are labouring for the Lord Christ you have no just ground of discouragement from all the unkinde usage of the creature so long as you have the kinde carriage of Christ Oh! be not discouraged so as to give out but be rather incouraged so as to goe on in the work of the Lord for as much as you know your labour shall not be in vaine and that Christs carriage to you-ward shall be sweet 5. Lastly the Doctrine speakes comfort to all the working members of the Lord Jesus You Ewes that are big with young here is a point big with comfort You goe on heavily you groan while in travell you cry out as the Prophet in another case My belly my belly well he of good comfort Christ is with you and will be sweet in his carriage to you while you worke Christ can not be away Christ is not absent and idle while you are travelling in his worke no he is present and will be helpfull he will be with you and lead you gently Q. What is thy worke O blessed Ewe what art ready to bring forth A. will some say my worke is wofull I am working too not to bring forth any great good but to cast forth great evill Christ hath set me on worke to cleanse a kennell to carry out a dunghill I meane to conquer corruption and to cast out lusts and the very smell of my lusts is ready to choak me and which is worse I can scarce master my worke nay it almost over-masters me yea and I have cryed more then once and againe thrice have I besought Christ and yet I labour in this worke and can doe but little at it Be it so O working soule yet Christ is and will be kinde His grace shall be sufficient for thee and his strength shall be perfected in thy weaknesse as 't is 2 Cor. 12.9 He will inable thee in time to master thy worke Sinne shall not have dominion over thee Rom. 6.14 Thou shalt be made Lord over thy lusts There is a blood of sprinkling which shall cleanse thy kennell Thou resistest thy sinne unto blood and thou dost bleed while at worke against corruption yet it remaines thou sayest But know still Christ is sweet and his carriage to thee shall be so And therefore though all thy blood and sweat will not cleanse thy soul nor do away thy sinne yet the blood of Christ shall as 't is 1 Joh. 1.7 Ob. But oh saith another soule I am at harder worke then this It s my worke to war with the Wolfe I am labouring against Sathan Many temptations daily beset me Not any messenger of Sathan but Sathan himselfe doth beset me Surely you will say my worke is grievous is it not Resp True but thy Lord is gracious Christ is with thee all this while O working soule He hath promised thee to make away for thy escape 1 Cor. 11.12 you may expect kinde carriage even while you are in this worke and know that he will helpe you to goe through with it The very God of peace will or shall shortly tread down Sathan under your feet Ro. 16.20 It may be Sathan doth stand ready to devour that blessed birth wherewith thou travellest but know Christ is near also and he will help thee Build upon it O thou working beleever Christs carriage shall be kinde unto thee Ob. Nay but saith another working soule I have been labouring a long while the work about which I have been set is almost over but first I want a little strength to perfect it and secondly I am in much feare whether when 't is done it shall be accepted Now this grieves me this troubles me Resp Well but hear O soul thou art at worke for a kinde and sweet Master who will helpe thee with strength to perfect thy worke and crowne thy worke with acceptation when perfected For helpe Know he will worke all our workes for us and in us Esa 26. 12. He will worke in you both to will and to doe and that of his good pleasure Philip. 2.13 yea the Spirit of Christ which is the power from on high shall helpe our infirmities Rom. 8.26 This is the sweetnesse of Christ whom ye serve that never did any servant faile in his worke for want of his helpe And For acceptance Be confident O beleever Christ will accept of every endeavour of thine in his worke It s Christs nature to accept of what we have and not to looke for what we have not Pigeons are welcome where Lambs are wanting Sighs are sweet and groans are acceptable unto
sinfulnesse in yours 3. You who mourne under the filth of sinne as much as under the guilt of it This comfort is yours you grieve to see your soules so defiled and you say what though I am free from damnation I am pestred with defilement I have a filthy hand and a more filthy heart My conversation is dirty but my disposition is more dirty Ah Lord will a pure Christ own such an impure wretch as I Q. Will the Lamb without spot owne me who am nothing as it were but a great scab and botch A. Yes O soule know thy Saviour is sweet He that loved Lazarus when he lay at the gate of Dives full of soares will love thee though thou hast been in thy blood and hee 'l wash away the filth of thy botches with the purity of his blood He hath loved thee and given himselfe for thee and he will sanctifie thee and cleanse thee by the washing of water and by the word that be may present thee glorious to himselfe not having spot or wrinckle or any such thing Ephes 5.27 Rouze up thy selfe oh beleeving Soule who groanest at the filth of sin Christ will be sweet in his carriage towards thee But 4. It s your comfort also who doe mourne under sins might who are afraid now sin hath you downe it will keep you under its dominion Jesus Christ will be sweet unto you And sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the law but under grace Rom. 6.14 Thou sayest Ah Lord I am afraid since my fall into sin that I shall get such a haunt as I shall never leave I question since I have been big with sin once that I shall be so ever And which is as bad if not worse I feare lest that since I have done evill I shall never learne how to doe well Say not thus O beleeving soule Jesus Christ is sweet in his carriage towards his sinning members Hee 'l not cut off his little toes because they have been out of the way but rather make them streight and keep them in the way Saints under sin remember this point for your comfort Christs carriage is sweet to his sinfull members Q. May not we mourne for falls into sin Is it not lawfull to be sorrowfull since we have been yea and are sinfull A. Yes you may mourne but not to desparation you may be sad but not over-sad There may be a failing even in mourning for sin Q. Why when doth the soule faile that way A. Then when it hinders us from seeing and tasting Christ as sweet So much sorrow for sinne said an experienced Preacher is sufficient as brings us to Christ Dr. Sibbs souls conflict p. 380. And I may say that which obstructs this is too much It s one of Sathans stratagems to make us pore so long upon sinne as to make us neglect looking to Christ sin is too bitter when it makes you forget that Christ is sweet That weeping is too much which makes the eyes blinde and dis-inables the soule from seeing Christs smiles Ob. Oh! but alas I may well give way to sorrow for my sin is of the greatest size Rep. Why what is thy sin O soule A. It s forsaking of first love wandring from my beloveds bosome Rep. But know though thou hast forsaken thy first love Christ keeps his He changeth not in his affection as men doe Having loved his own he loveth them to the end as t is Joh. 13.1 Ob. But alas I shame to speak out my sin for 't is worse Rep. Why what is it bleeding heart It s well thou art ashamed of it but yet speake what is it Ans Why Its adultery spirituall adultery I am guilty of going a whoring from Christ Alas sin hath conceived and I am big with young c. Resp Notwithstanding know O soule that Jesus Christ leads gently those that are thus with young His carriage hath been kinde to others in your case and it shall be so unto you Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers yet returne againe to me saith the Lord Jer. 3.1 You wandring Ewes hearken to this sweet call of your Shepherds pipe and goe returne unto him Oh. But alas if I could return with weeping and supplications it were somewhat Ans Why what were it O soule It were but sweet not satisfactory And Christ knows how to be kinde though you know not how to cry Hee 'l love you and that love shall melt you Besides what meane those sighs of thine those groans of thine these dolorous questionings of thine Surely they are the breathings of his Spirit in thee and surely Christ will be nay is sweet unto thee Thus you see how usefull for comfort this point may be unto beleevers overtaken with sinne Therefore 3. Let it be for incouragement unto you O beleevers who are weake by sinnings let it incourage you to goe unto Christ in consideration of the sweetnesse of his carriage to such as you Jesus Christ calls you and saith Returne unto the Lord your God for you are falne by your iniquities Hos 14.1 Go and say Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Jer. 3.22 What though you have sinned yet hee 's a Saviour As all your sinnes before conversion did not keepe Christ from comming to you so neither let your sinnes since keep you from going to him He is still the same in sweetnesse be you the same in faith Why tarry you O wanderers why enter you not the folds of Jesus call out some one that was once in your case and enquire whether Christ did deal kindly with him Doubt not Oh ye of little faith but he will be so to you He useth to be sweet to all the weake of his flocke and in particular to such as you who are weakned by sins Consider this your Saviours sweetnesse and be incouraged to goe to him O ye sinning souls Lastly Let this doctrine perswade Japhet to dwell in the tents of Shem my meaning is that those who as yet are altogether strangers unto Christ should come in unto him you who as yet never knew what it was to be infolded in the bosome of Jesus who as yet were never Lambs nor Ewes in Christs fold Consider the sweetnesse of this Shepherd and come into him Sathan deales seemingly sweet that he may draw you into sin but in the end he will be really bitter to you Christ indeed is seemingly bitter to keep you from sin hedging up your way with thorns But hee 'l be really sweet if you come into his flock even notwithstanding your sins Thou lookest into Christs fold and thou seest it hedged and fenced all about to keep you in from sin and this keeps thee from entring But oh let it not Christ indeed is unwilling that any of his should wander and if they be unwilling too it s well And if they wander hee 'l fetch them in it may be with his Shepherds dog some
members He is carefull to preserve their blossomes their buds Take us the foxes the little foxes that spoyle the vines Cant. 2.15 for the vines have tender grapes Cant. 2.15 Christ will have a tender care of cherishing the tender graces that he sees in weake beleevers But thirdly Christ discovers a sweet carriage not only in preserving the weake beginnings of grace in the hearts of beleevers but also in strengthning their weaknesse every day It s note-worthy that Christ doth not onely not breake the bruised reeds nor quench the smoaking flaxes i.e. cherish the faint graces which are in feeble Saints but he strengthens increases them He makes an augmentation brings forth judgement unto truth Esa 42.3 The meaning is saith Dr. Sibs sweetly That the gracious frame of holinesse set up in our hearts by the Spirit of Christ shall goe forward or increase till all contrary power be brought downe My feet saith the poore soul are so feeble that I am ready to stumble at every straw Sure I shall never be able to stride over a log to goe over a mountaine Doubt not O thou of little faith Christ will carry himselfe tender towards thee and though thy feet be now weake as Lambs feet that thou art scarce able to goe over a mole-hill without sliding he will make them strong as Hindes feet that thou shalt be able ere long to leap over a mountaine He maketh my feet like hindes feet saith David Psal 18.33 Christ is very carefull to carry on the soule from strength to strength Psal 84.7 He therefore gave some Apostles some Prophets c. that they might be for the perfecting of the Saints that weake beleevers who are but Infants may grow stronger and stronger till they come to mens age as t is Eph. 4.13 Ah saith the poore soule my light is but little will it ere be bright T is but as the dawning of the day I thinke the day of grace is risen in my soule but 't is but glimmering as the early morne will it ere shine gloriously shall it ever be noone shall it be in my bosome as the Sunne in the meridian will it ever rise so high Yes poore soule stay a little and it will be lighter The path of the righteous is as the shining light and shineth more and more to the perfect day Prov. 4.28 Christ will make it day and a perfect day in thy heart though it be morning now and but even Sun rising Oh how sweet is Christs carriage to his weake members that thus he strengthens their weake graces every day He will cherish thee O beleeving babe till thou grow bigger in his bosome Fourthly weake beleevers have found Christs carriage very sweet in that he hath borne with those many infirmities which he hath found in them Weak soules are apt to slip and Christ sweetly smiles notwithstanding those slips Lambs are feeble and sometimes they fall but the shepherd passes it by Christ rather pities his members for their weaknesse then casts them off Peter was weake in refusing Christs tender of washing Joh. 13. But Christ was sweet Ver. 7. he knew Peter was rather ignorant then obstinate Christ tells him and in that excuseth his weaknesse that he did not know what his intention was in that action What I doe thou dost not know and therefore though Peter carryed himself weakly in refusing the washing yet Christ carried himselfe sweetly and passing by that weaknesse comes and washeth his feet Cant. 1 2.3 'T was an infirmity of largest allowance in the Spouse to put off Christ with such a poore excuse after he stood so long waiting I have put off my coat Childish as if she could not put it on againe And because she could not rise to let him in Christ must go away in the morning though he had stood knocking all night Yet Christ bears all And though the Spouse might feare he would take the businesse so heynous as never more to come to her house he came againe afterward Indeed he permitted some lordly watchmen to whip her for her lazy weaknesse and it was kindnesse thus to fetch it out But carried himselfe tender still Chap. 6.2 3. and admitted her into his garden sweetly albeit she kept him out of her house sluggishly Surely Peter and James and John failed much to sleepe while their Lord sorrowed and not to regard his sorrow though he chose them out as it were on purpose to watch with him Indeed Christ sighs to see them so weake as not to be able to watch with him one houre yet he carries himselfe sweet and instead of chiding their unwatchfulnesse he excuseth their weaknesse Mat. 26.41 The spirit is willing saith he but the flesh is weake Our children sometimes doe faults break glasses c. but we say alas poore hearts 't was their weaknesse Christs children are as weake as ours onely he is kinder to his then we can be to ours He beares with more infirmities and passeth by more faults then we doe or can Poore Thomas is very weake hee 'l not beleeve except he may open Christs wounds afresh and put his fingers in the print of the nailes Christ is very sweet beares with all this and is willing to have his wounds opened afresh to helpe Thomas his faith Joh. 20. surely Thomas saw Christs heart through his wounds I will put in my fingers saith Thomas or else I will not beleeve v. 25. Ah poor weake soule come and thrust them into my side saith Christ Oh tender Saviour V. 27. surely Christ will punish me saith the poore soule I am so wicked No Christ poore heart will pity thee because thou art so weake Ah Lord how many frailties infirmities nay inormities dost thou passe by in thy poore weake Lambs verily thou carriest thy selfe like a tender loving sweet shepherd towards us Fifthly It s easie to discover in Christs carriage much sweetnesse and tendernesse to weake beleevers in that he puts them upon no duties above their ability As he will not permit them to be tempted above their abilitie 1 Cor. 10.13 so neither doth he put them upon any businesse which is above their power Though Christ hath many workes about which he will put his members yet he will tarry till they are able for them I have many things to say unto you but ye cannot beare them now Jo. 16.12 Because they were not able to beare Christ was not willing to speake Alas I see great works to be done hard lessons to be learned sure I shall never be able to doe that one or learn the other saith the weake soule at least not yet for I am but a babe very weake why Christ is content to stay till thou shalt be stronger As yet thou art unable and as yet he is unwilling Fasting it was a weighty worke and Christs disciples were as yet but weake He therefore forbears them and puts them not upon it And when some wondred
Apostle saith 't is good to be zealously affected alwayes in a good thing and in as much as experience seales to this Scripture truth that some have a zeale of God but not according to knowledge Therefore ere I proceed to presse this use I shall premise this that foure things are to be wisely heeded by all such as expect Christs sweetnesse in their sufferings If you therefore look to experience the truth of this doctrine in your owne soules minde them You must look in all your sufferings that 1. Your cause be good 2. Your call be cleare 3. Your carriage meek And 4. Your end be right 1. Looke that your cause be good It s not for every cause that a Christian should ingage unto sufferings Neither will Christ let forth sweetnesse to every sufferer Let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a theife or as an evill-doer or as a busie-body in other mens matters 1 Pet 9.15 To suffer in these or the like cases is not Christian neither will it be comfortable Some men suffer rather as malefactors then as Martyrs To suffer either for disturbing a States tranquillity or for endeavouring the introduction or setling a peoples slavery is so far from having a Divine that it wants a morall approbation And certainly such sufferers have little reason to expect Christs sweetnesse As ever therefore you would that in your sufferings you should be able to say Christ is sweet make sure of this that your cause be good 2. See also that your call be clear Christ calls not all to Martyrdome no more then he doth to Ministery The one is a gift as well as the other To you its given to suffer Philip. 1.29 As preaching so likewise suffering without a call will have little comfort I am perswaded both the reason why some have been in the Pulpit without successe by Christ and others have been in the prison without sweetnesse hath been this viz. want of call It s true sometimes one called to preach may want successe and also one called to suffer may not presently finde comfort as in godly Glovers case But certainly without a call either to the one or the other a soule hath no just warrant to expect comfort As false prophets of old ran before God sent them Jer. 29.9 So some false Martyrs of late have suffered ere Christ called them Be therefore wise to cleare your call If that be sure you need not doubt but Christ will bee sweet Indeed when truth suffers by our silence we are called to speake And when our life will be Christs deniall we are called to dye When I am before a Magistrate for Christs sake He then calls me not to be ashamed of him And when sin and suffering surround me so as that I am necessitated to take the one if I will leave the other then without doubt I may conclude that Christ calls me to suffering and that in it his carriage towards me shall be sweet But 3. Let your carriage be as your Saviours in your sufferings if you 'l have his sweetnesse i.e. let it be meek It s possible to be sinfull in ones carriage when one is righteous in his case And if so it s no wonder if Christ be not found sweet To be feirce and and raging to raile and revile in suffering hath more of a Beast then a Man Surely it s not beseeming humanity and unworthy of Christianity Christians should be as Lambs in their sufferings Sheepishnesse in this is Saint-ship It s true the Apostles rejoyced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Christs name Act. 5.41 But they never reviled the powers under which they suffered It becomes Christians to give blessings for curses all manner of evill speaking is to be put away Ephes 4.31 Satyricall invectives are not becomming Saints especially in sufferings Christ was a Lamb dumb before the shearers so saith the Scripture opened he not his mouth Act. 8.32 Surely the more we have the likenesse of his Spirit the more may we expect the tastes of his sweetnesse in all our sufferings for his sake and the Gospels 4. Lastly eye your end in all your sufferings If thy end be either selfe or Schisme how canst thou expect Christ should be sweet to thee in thy sufferings Some have dyed that their names might live Many I fear venture and act unto sufferings rather to maintain their own tenets then Christs truths Socrates dyed to justifie that there was but one God but whether he dyed not for his owne opinion rather then for Gods sake is no great scruple 'T is sure one may I wish none did suffer as much for selfish as sublime respects Some suffer as they doe i.e. for their own glory A Roman spirit can hold to suffering and death An opposing spirit will put on some to dye rather then to yeeld The Apostle hath left it a cleare thing that 't is possible to give ones body to be burnt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies strong love and sincere Charitas signifies spirituall love and sublime and yet to want true divine love for so I render that place 1 Cor. 13. I beseech you to minde Christs glory truths propagation the maintenance of equity and righteousnesse in all your sufferings if you expect Christs sweetnesse Having therefore premised these things let me onely intreat you to minde them Indeed it is and must be your wisdome to see your cause be good your call cleare your carriage meek your end right And if then go on fear not flinch not let sufferings come when where how they will Christ is and will be sweet unto you in them But If you draw back his soule will have no pleasure in you Nor can your soules expect any from him Certainly if you draw backe from persecution you draw on to perdition Christ is not so sweet in his dealing with Martyrs but he is as dreadful in his discoveries to Apostates Aske Spira how dolefull a condition denying is hee 'l tell you that he could feel no comfort enter into his heart and that there is no place there but onely for torments and bitter vexings of spirit Hee 'l sadly relate to you that he knew that justification was to be expected by Christ but he denied it to keep his fraile life from adversity his wife and children from poverty But now behold how bitter is this life to me c. There is no punishment so great but I have deserved it for this so heynous offence I assure you it is no small matter to deny Christ and yet 't is more ordinary then commonly men doe conceive it c. Well I beseech you beloved take heed of denying Christ for feare of sufferings 'T is sweet to suffer for Christ and if you doe you will finde it so Hee 'l as one said pour out love upon the soul when the body pours out blood upon the truth But in case the soule to keep its blood deny Christs truth