vain is the snare laid in the air to catch the bird the danger is when shee comes down to the ground The way of life is above to the wise to escape the snares of death below The Christian must bee an Amphibion not live wholly in one element but his body on earth his soul in heaven like the Eagle whose food is below neast on high shee comes down for necessity to bait and water and upon the wing again So should the Christian in using the world as not using it have to do with it for necessity then up again to 1 Cor. 7. 31. God again I am continually with thee Psal 73. 23. as the Dogs at Nyle or Gideons Souldiers at the Rivers side lap or sip and away Judg. 7. 7. or as Elias eat and drink a little then high us to Horeb the mount of God Hee is a poor Christian who like the Reubenites 1 King 19. 8. hath all his Inheritance and business on this side Jordan but hee happy who like the Manassites hath one half on this side the other half on the other side Jordan CHAP. IX Of the three Crowning Graces whereof the Hypocrite is ever found defective FOurthly The hypocrite is ever found wanting in the Crowning and perfective Graces whereof I shall name three Integrity Integrality and Perseverance The Scripture speaks of a threefold Perfection of Christians answerable to which are these three Graces 1 There is a perfection of hearts And Asahs heart was perfect This is the 2 Chron. 15. 17. perfection of Integrity 2 Perfection of parts as the body when it hath all the members Lev. 20. 21. So when wee are perfect and intire wanting nothing Jam. 1. 4. So that wee come behinde in no gift c. 1 Cor. 1. 7. This is the perfection of Integrality 3 When wee hold out to the end this is the perfection of Perseverance Both Hebrews and Greeks have one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies both the end and perfection There is no perfection at all if it endure not to the end The Apostle 1 Thess 5. 23. hath a most significant word The very God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body may be kept blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It signifies properly to sanctifie you totally and finally There is Integrity Integrality and Perseverance all three together 1 Integrity is the first Crowning and Gen. 6. 9. Job 1. 1. perfective grace it is often called our Perfection It is the shining grace and the varnish that sets off all other graces with a lustre It is that which constitutes a Christian and is of his very essence No sincerity no Christian It is not onely a grace but the Grace of all graces whence they all are denominated and grace is no more grace if sincerity bee wanting Faith is not faith if it bee not unfained faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor is love love if not without dissimulation 1 Tim. 1 5. 2 Tim. 1. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 12. 9. nor is holiness and righteousness any thing if it want Truth Eph. 4. 24. This makes a Christian currant though hee want some graines as Asa his heart was perfect 2 Chron. 15. 17. without this hee cannot pass An hypocrite wants many things but sincerity most hoc unum deest therefore hee miscarries The worm never breeds but in the sappy unsound wood The Apostle calls sincerity Incorruption Eph. 6. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Compare those two Texts Heb. 2. 4. and Heb. 10. 38. And you may collect this that hee whose heart is not upright in him is first lifted up then drawn back then God draws back too and hath no pleasure in him then God leaves him owes him a shame layes a stumbling Ezek. 3. 20. block in his way hee falls foulely and desperately at last as Judas Ananias Saphira Alexander the Coppersmith who had they been sincere they had never drawn back unto perdition It is a rule in Nature all corruption comes from composition therefore all sublunary bodies decay but what is uncompounded is incorruptible the heavens are such bodies a quintessence therefore decay not all corruption in a Christian comes from composition where the heart is not single but any mixture of guile such hold not out pray for sincerity rather than singularity for integrity of heart rather than eminency of parts 2 Integrity is ever accompanied with Integrality which is the best discovery of sincerity This is our next perfection The Christian must bee a compleat man his Armor is a compleat Armour and his obedience must bee compleat to stand Eph. 6. 13. Col. 4. 12. 1 Cor. 1. 7. compleat in the whole will of God Hee must come behinde in no gift grace or duty that hee may wait for the appearance of Christ Jesus Hee must bee perfect and intire wanting nothing His whole soul and body and spirit must bee sanctified Jam. 1. 4. 1 Thess 4. 12. wholly Universality is one of the best notes of a Christian though one of the worst of the Church Dolus latet in particularibus sinceritas patet in universalibus I may say here deceit lyes in particulars sincerity in universals Where you see one walk in all the Ordinances of God call him sincere as Zachary and Elizabeth where Luke 1. 6. you see halting in one as the young man hold him suspected yea where you see one do many things as Herod if not all one is none and many is none All or nothing See then that no grace want her mate as it is said Thou hast zeal it may bee but is thy zeal coupled with Es 34. 16. Rom. 10. 2. 2 Pet. 1. 5. knowledge knowledge thou hast but is it accompanied with vertue thy vertue with faith thy faith with love thy love with obedience obedience with conscience conscience with sincerity sincerity with integrality Then there is no danger but all is safe But wee may write of every hypocrite what wee do of some books that had been excellent if some peeces had not been lost desiderantur non-nulla some thing is wanting the book is imperfect and no body can tell what to make of it It is not Agrippas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his almost will serve or Herods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many things Mar. 6. 20. But Pauls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 4. 15. Grow up to him in all things and Christs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 15. 14. Yee are my Disciples if yee do whatsoever I command you yea Christ hath a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both Matth. 28. 20. Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I command you c. 3 Perseverance is the last crowning grace and is heir apparent to the Crown of glory These three graces last named are like King Davids three several 1 Sam. 16.
still as a Generation of Vipers and said who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come Were hee now alive hee would wonder as much to see so many Pharisees and Sadduces fly as fast from his Baptisme and would cry after them O Generation of Vipers who hath warned you in that way to fly from wrath to come Let there bee some better fruits of repentance for as neither Circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing so nor Baptisme nor Anti-baptisme not this or that Profession will stand before the Fan and the fire but sincerity and the New Creature it is not being of the Stock of Abraham will free from the stroke of the Axe but the good fruit when there shall bee a general conflagration it is onely the hanging out of this red line of sincerity will save us as Rahab once and gain us the benefit of the Articles of Peace and Covenant of Grace Those are sad and smart sayings of the Gospel they that are last shall bee first Ma. 20 16. and the first last Many are called few chosen and though the number of the children of Israel bee as the Sand of the Sea yet a Remnant only shall bee saved Rom. 9 27. It concernes thee therefore Reader to bee serious and to seek to produce a better Pedigree and Title than Profession Baptisme Possession Succession Church-fellowship yea or visible Saintship How far may the hypocrite go Who can count the number of this Beast or rightly discern this plague of Leprosie It may have brightness and whiteness and no black or blew spots at all appearing yet bee the infection Lev. 13. 2 3. I have for thy sake endeavoured the best I could to shew how far the hypocrite may go Hee may advance sixty steps as I have shewed and go up three long ladders towards heaven yet fall as Lucifer I therefore shoot a warning Arrow beyond thee as Jonathan did to David to hasten 1 Sam. 20. 38. thee to get further I have also to prevent thy danger endeavoured to make discovery wherein it is the miscarrying Professor is found defective and that I shew partly whence it is as to his state Chap. 4. as to his duties Chap. 5. and as to his graces Chap. 6. 7 8 9. I have also set thee two glasses to look into the former mentioned Chap. 16. I wish it as Daniel did the Dream to thine Dan. 4. 19. Enemies not to thee unless to undress by The other Glasse Chap. 17. I dare cornmend to thee upon my life that is for thee to dress by and I put it into thy hand upon my word I say not what is that worth in this case but upon the Word of God And now that it would please God to make this latter Glasse to every Reader and Beholder like Jacobs rods laid in the Gen. 30. 38. Gutters before the Flocks that they conceived thereupon and brought forth likecoloured young so that each beholder of himself in this Glass of sincerity may bee changed into the same Image by the Spirit of God Oh Sincerity Sincerity Thou fairest among women amongst all the grave where is the place of thy abode What Job said of Divine Wisdome I may say of this Divine Grace But where shall integrity Iob 28. 12 13 14. bee found And where is the place of Sincerity Man knoweth not the price thereof neither is it to bee found in the Land of the living The Sea saith it is not in mee and the depth it is not with mee it cannot bee gotten for gold neither shall silver bee weighed for the price thereof c. Death and destruction say they have heard the fame thereof as being long since departed Ver. 22. What the Platonists say of Verity I may say of Sincerity much more If God say they were minded to assume to himself a composition of body and soul Surely say they Light should bee his Body and Truth the Soul I may say if Religion or Christianity were to bee seen light should bee the cloathing and sincerity the soul It is so much the life and soul of Religion that take this away from any grace it withers yea becomes null and void so that without sincerity knowledge is not to bee acknowledged Repentance is to bee repented of hope it self were out of hope and faith could not trust God nor God love our charity all works were but dead works and splendid sins What therefore Jansenius that famous Bishop of Ipres said when asked which of all the Attributes of God hee did most admire Hee answered his Truth and would often in admiration thereof cry out O Veritas Veritas O Truth Truth For alas What comfort could the poor soul have not only in the knowledge wisdome power but in the mercy love promise and Covenant of God If all were not founded in his truth So I am sure of all the Attributes given to the Christian sinterity is the highest Noahs Jobs Asaes Attribute for what were all knowledge profession and holiness it self without this Therefore as a learned Doctor lately said in a like case I may say in admiration of sincerity vix me contineo quin Exclamem Salve Regina professionum In the whole D. Arrow smith visible world saith hee man is the most excellent piece in man the soul in the soul understanding in the understanding knowledge in knowledge Religion or the knowledge of God in Religion Christianity I may carry it one step further and adde in Christianity sincerity Wee had once our Chronicles tell us a disease very infective and destructive to the English called Morbus or sudor Anglicus the Sweating Sickness it raged more among those of this Nation than any where else there were two Dukes died of it there were also two Lord Mayors of London and six Aldermen died of it in eight daies space this is a worse disease with which the English are now tainted this may bee called Morbus Anglicus too properly Oh that as God was pleased to give a stop to that that wee now have no knowledge of such a disease so it may please him to heal the hurt of the daughter of our people that there may neither bee a Canaanite in the Land nor hypocrite in the Church that the remnant of our Israel may not do iniquity nor speak lies nor that a deceitful tongue Zeph. 3. 13. shall bee found in their mouths much less a deceitful heart Oh that it may never bee said of England or London what Epiphanius said once of Constantinople going thence Relicturus sum tria magna a tergo ingentem urbem ingens Palatium ingentem hypocrisim So here Relicturus sum ingentem Gentem ingentem urbem ingentem hypocrisim I am leaving a great and warlike people a great and populous City and a great deal of hypocrisie both in City and Nation What therefore Alexander said once to a Cowardly Lubber call'd by his name either change thy Name I
and to bee called Rabbi Rabbi The Doctors that had so much in them as Pareus notes vers 7. 7 They had long prayers and large consciences They made long prayers yet made no conscience of rapine and oppression They could precari praedari both pray and prey vers 14. 8 They were men of cruel and merciless dispositions to such as fell into their hands they made no bones or scruple to devour and destroy a family yea the house of a poor helpless widow adding extremity to affliction 9 The hypocrite is more zealous to make a Proselite to his opinion and to promote his private interest in Religion than to promote the power of godliness Vers 15. Identity in opinion is more looked at by him than sincerity His Pepuza is Jerusalem as Eusebius relates that Montanus called a paltry Viliage in Phrygia where his cursed doctrine was received And so hee becomes one of their way they care not what he is for his heart or life let him be double a childe of hell to what he was before they regard not Whereas the sincere desire that those who come in to them should first give themselves to the Lord and then to them according to the will of God as the Apostle 2 Cor. 8. 5. saith of the Macedonian Converts 10 The hypocrite never wants his distinctions and evasions to mince and extenuate some sins as to swear by the Temple or Altar lawfull by the gold or gift sinful Excellent Casuists Take an hypocrite without a distinction at any time and hang him up as wee say Hee can make one thing sinful at his pleasure and the like to it lawful ver 16 17 18 19. 11 He is a man of a more scrupulous than tender conscience stumbles at a straw leaps over a block kecks at a gnat swallows a Camel stands strictly upon tything Mint Annis and Cummin but Mercy Justice Honesty Love or to injure oppress defame slander are nothing with him vers 23 24. 12 He scruples eating with unwashed hands more than praying with an unprepared heart and makes more matter of observing that one tradition of washing the cup and platter than of the six Commandements of the second Table Lastly he is one who is all outside hee is like unto a whited sepulchre he prefers Cauté above Casté and had rather his dead soul should lye in a fair Sepulchre than a living soul in a homely outside v. 27. he crieth out Blessed is the man whose sin is covered but not he in whose spirit is no Psal 32. 1 2. guile SECT 4. Another Glass for the Hypocrite discovering him to bee made up of Contradictions and Divisions To discover the Hypocrite somewhat more fully here shall one Glass more bee set before him shewing him his face in his many Contradictions and Divâ—sions 1 He is made up of many Contradictions viz. 1 Hee is one of too much conscience and of too little 1 Tim 4. 1. The Apostle sheweth that in these last dayes many Apostates and Hypocrites should creep abroad Speaking lies in hypocrisie having their conscience seared with an hot iron forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meat which God hath created to be received c. First you see they have too much of conscience they scruple marriage and meats which others scruple not Yet secondly you may see they have too little conscience none at all unless a cauterized having their conscience seared and as much as they scrupled meats and marriages they made no scruple of Lying speaking lies in hypocrisie as in the Kidneys or Bladder oft-times an ulcer and a stone meet the ulcer soft the stone hard but between soft and hard the man dyes so this seared and scrupulous conscience often meet to destroy the soul 2 Hee is All-eye and No-eye Hee is All-eye Argus-eyed Hee can spy the least moat in anothers eye which a sincere eye cannot discern And he is no eye to see his own beam which he that hath Mat. 7. 3. but half an eye cannot but discern None so blinde as hee none so quick-sighted as hee 3 So is he all ear and yet heareth not Having ears yet heareth not Mat. 13. 14. Hee is the greatest hearer and the least doer The Popish Confession is onely Auricular to the Priest and his Profession is onely Auricular profession Hee heareth the Priest not God Isa 42. 20. Seeing many things but thou observest not opening the ears but he heareth not But Auricular confession and Auricular profession may go together they are both bad 4 Hee is the most faire and the most foule Christian most faire outwardly to man most foule inwardly as to God If you would see a Sepulchre you cannot desire a fairer if a course you cannot imagine a fouler 5 None is more desirous to be known none so afraid to be known he is desirous his words profession and some of his more publick acts should be known but he would not for all the world his heart his intentions ends aimes and private carriage should be made known His Rule is for the former Bene qui placuit bene vixit for the later Bene qui latuit bene vixit 6 He is the most desirous to please and the least desirous To please God is no part of his business which is the whole of a Christian Col. 1. 10. 2 Cor. 5. 9. But to please men is his whole business as to the Comedian Id sibi negotii solummodo imposuit sibi populo ut placerent c. 7 He is the most and least for self the greatest and least self-lover for his body name state advantage none truer to self-interest as to soul conscience heaven hell none is more regardlesse of self hee can trust God with his soul without any hesitation when hee will trust none of them all neither God nor man with his outward state 8 Lastly he is wholly made up of Contradiction his heart and life contradict each other his word and thought his saying and his doing his Church-carrtage and his Closet-carriage and his profession and conversation do all jar and contradict one the other Et sibimet disconvenit ordine toto he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 semper idem in the neuter not in the masculine gender He is alway the same thing h. e. an hypocrite not alway the same man Thus much for his Conâ—radictions now for his Divisions in the next place 2 He is made up of as many Divisions as he is of Contradictions As 1 Hee is a constant divider between the form of godliness and the power none hath more than hee of the former none 2 Tim. 3. 5. less of the latter 2 Hee divides between sin and sin some sin is venial some mortal Idols he abhorreth Sacriledge hee alloweth and Rom. 2. 22. committeth the one are Antichristian and Popish the other is Christianity and Piety with him Ahabs Prophets and Idols go to wrack Jeroboams Calves
Jo. 17. 6. 10 â—â— declared thy Name and these though Babes are children they have thy Spirit and Grace and Image on them Christs weaker ones are called Babes in a three-fold respect 1 They are the worlds Babes very children and weak in outward things compared with the men of the world who are much wiser in their Generations than these children of light their wisdome is foolishness to the men of the world who Luke 16. 8. through wisdome know not God They are above the Gospel and these acknowledge 1 Cor. 1. 21. the Gospel far above them yea look upon every man almost in the world as excelling them Wee are in their sight as Grashoppers and so were wee in our own Num. 13. 33. sight 2 They are God Almighties Babes who confess with Jeremy and with Solomon O Lord I am a childe a very Babe Ier. 116. â— King 3. 7. Teach mee to know thee They go to God and say as the Greeks to Philip Wee would faine see Jesus Reveal thou Father of lights thy Son to us children of darkness wee cannot know him except thou Io. 12. 21. reveal him 3 They are Christs Babes who like those children that followed Christ with Hosannaes of Acclamations when the Mat. 21. 15. great Rabbies refused and disdained him these cleave to Christ in simplicity Surgunt indocti of faith and obedience and catch away the Kingdome of heaven from the wise and prudent These bewayling their own ignorance and untractableness come to Christ as Philip once Lord shew us the Father and it sufficeth us Except Jo. 14. 8. the Son reveal the Father wee can never know him Mat. 11. 27. Now the least of these Babes is much safer than the highest flown hypocrite in the world It is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones should perish Matth. 18. 14. saith out Saviour 3 Whosoever hath Jesus Christ revealed to him so divinely immediately and prevailingly that hee is convinced of his undone condition without him happiness by enjoying him acknowledgeth him the Son of God relieth on him as an All-sufficient Saviour able to save to the utmost all that come unto God through him Heb. 7. 25. This man is safe for flesh and blood doth not reveal these things to the soul but the Mat. 16. 17. Father and all that have heard and learned this of the Father come to him and such will not hee ever cast out No man knoweth the Son but the Father neither Jo. 6. â—5 the Father but the Son and hee to whom hee shall reveal him As some man hath it may bee some rare receit which hath cost him dear and hee will not part with it for any mony and none knows it but himself hee hath some especial friend that is dangerously ill and to him hee saith I have that will do thee good and I will give thee my Receit which I will not impart to any other So is Jesus Christ Gods rarest Receit as I may say an unknown secret and mystery to the world But God saith of every Elect as hee did of Abraham Abraham is my Jam. 2. 23. especial Friend hee is not every body Shall I hide from Abraham any thing I intend Gen. 18. 17. to do So hee saith I have that will do every poor beleever good I will tell this poor soul of my Son I will give him my Receit I will reveal my Son to him I will tell him how hee is to use and apply this Remedy and hee shall bee safe 4 Such as are cast down and kept low by hard labour for their soules who are even weary spent and tired out in seeking the Kingdome of heaven these are called by Name vers 28. Come to mee all yee that labour c. I will give you rest It is meant of soul-labour Many have been brought up to sore labour all their dayes who are strangers to soul-labour The worldling all his labour is for his Belly saith Solomon The godly all his labour for Eccl. 6. 7. his soul and all little enough the one labors for the bread that perisheth the other for that which endureth to eternal life The Jo. 6. 27. one saith What shall I do to bee rich What shall I eat or drinke The other What shall I do to bee saved These who do not wish for heaven but worke and labour Act. 16. 30. and wait for heaven that do not play and idle away their salvation Phil. 2. 12. but worke out their salvation with feare and trembling These shall be safe 5 Such as are over-born and laden with the burden of sin Come to mee yee that labour and are heavy laden neither bodily-labor nor body-burden is here intended but both spiritual Hee that is laden with worldly cares or hee that is pressed down by bodily pains and hath his load of worldly crosses is not the man here called but hee whose back or heart rather is ready to break under the burden of sin the wrath of God sense of guilt that cryes out I have had my part of worldly cares and I have felt the burden of pains diseases reproaches c. These to some are heavy to mee light afflictions Sin is the burden Affliction I have 2 Cor. 4. 17. Psal 38. 4. born and had comfort under it I have been laden with reproaches and could rejoyce under them But my sin is greater than I can bear I am oppressed Lord undertake for mâ—e or ease mee as Hezekiah said Isa 38. 14. 6 And lastly Thou must know it is not all thy labouring be it never so hardly nor thy feeling thy burden bee it never so heavey that makes thee happy but coming unto Christ finding the disease and feeling pain is not health or the way to it but going to the Physitian and using the remedy In the last place therefore I say I shall secure and exempt all such poor soules out of this danger as do come unto Christ Jesus in a right manner which I shall a little more particularly infist upon after I have shewed how many miss of life by not coming to Christ or not coming in a right manner You will not come to mee Jo. 5. 40. that you may have life hee sadly complains 1 There are some that say flatly Wee will not come to thee for life upon thy termes as they say Jer. 2. 31. or as Corah Num. 16. 12 13 14 and his companions to Moses Wee will not come to thee Thou wilt put out our eyes Wilt thou if wee follow thee and wee must look for somewhat future and invisible Wee know not what that Land of Promise is wee shall have no present advantage of inheritances and estates And thou wilt bee a Prince over us to command us too No no Wee will not come up 2 There bee many that come to as little purpose 1 That come to him in words
said Psal 72. 16. There shall bee a mighty increase and rich return to such blessed souls Thou mayest perhaps Reader think mee to dwell long upon this point I answer with Davids words to his brother And is there not a cause I shall confess the truth I have a designe upon thee but it is an honest one The self-same design I would have thee have upon Christ I would not leave thee till by importunity I have prevailed with thee to go to Christ that thou mightest go to Christ and not leave till by thy importunity thou hast prevailed with him to come to thee Importunity prevailed once with a sterne and unjust Judge Luke 18. 5. And shall it not with a meek Saviour It fetched water out of a flint that was dry and shall it not draw milke out of breasts that are full Oh that thou wouldest hearken unto mee in this as Jotham said That God may hearken to thee Do but try and do thou shew the same unwillingness to part with Christ as once Elisha did to part with his Master Tarry thou here saith hee three 2 King 2. 2. c. times for I am sent to Bethel said hee then to Jericho then to Jordan and hee as often doth reply with a peremptory resolution As the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth I will not leave thee Do thou so and thou shalt not bee shaken off And bee confident it will bee said to thee as it was to him at last Then tell mee What I shall do for thee Elisha before I go aske what thou wilt then saith hee Let mee have a double portion of thy spirit A hard request said Elijah my only request said Elisha Do thou the like Lord if I may not have thy bodily presence let mee have thy Spirit and a double portion of it There is nothing hard with thee I know my request is great I confess not hard hard for mee to aske not for thee to grant and it is easier for thee to bestow than for mee to beleeve it so Persist and thou hast prevailed Take unto thy self words and if thou receivest a repulse sit not down by it but redouble thy importunity Take Jobs words If I hold my tongue I shall give Job 13. 19. up the ghost I must speak I must and will have an answer what ever come of it Take the Churches words Lam 3. 49. 50. Mine eye trickleth down and ceaseth not without any intermission Till the Lord look down and behold from heaven For the Lord will not cast off for ever But though hee cause grief yet will hee have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies vers 31 32. yea take the Lords own words and humbly retort them Hos 11. 8. How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel say thou Lord How shall I give thee up then How shall I deliver thee and part with thee then How shall I be made as Admah and set as Zeboim Oh let thy heart bee turned wthin thee and thy repentings let them bee kindled together 8 The eighth coming is to come to Christ with self-denial Matth. 16. 24. If any will come after mee let him deny himself c. Now there is a threefold self to be denied 1 An Evill 2 A Civill 3 Holy self 1 Evill self Nicodemus denied his evill self when hee came first to Christ by night Joh. 3. 2. to become his Schollar and to bee informed by him in matters of Religion hee denied his Civil or Secular self when hee openly avowed and pleaded for Christ Joh. 7. 50. But hee went further when hee owned a crucified Christ and joyned in the charge of his honourable burial Here was a Jo. 19. 39. totall self-denial or more plainly in Paul who denied his Evil self at the first call when hee said Lord what wilt thou have mee to do Act. 9. 6. his Civil self hee denied when afterwards hee said I am ready to bee bound and to dye for the Name of Act. 21. 13. Jesus but his denial of his holy and Religious self was highest when hee said I count all loss and dung even my righteousness and all that I may win Christ and bee found in him c. Phil. 3. 8 9. Wee come not to Christ at all if wee come not off from all things else and relye alone on him If our branches to allude to Ezekiels Parable when they grow up shall lean to any other Eagle any other Ez. 17. 6 7 8 9 10. prop to bee supported and nourished by that hee might water it by the furrows of her plantation Shall they prosper shall not the root thereof bee pulled up and all the fruit cut off and all wither when the East wind cometh yea they shall wither in the very furrows where they grow But the example of all examples in this As in all our other duties is Christ himself who bids us follow him and go no further than hee goes before us Hee had indeed no Evil self to deny but what a proof of high self-denial did he give in the first step of his humiliation When hee left a Kingdome and glory in heaven to become the Son of man and when hee refused a Kingdome on earth when offered Io. 6. 15. and almost forced on him was not here a mighty Civil self-denial as when hee refused all the Kingdomes of the world tendred by Satan upon base and dishonorable termes hee shewed hee had no Evil Mat. 4. 10. self to bee corrupted and wrought upon hee denied his Spiritual self when hee said I came not down from heaven to do my own will but the will of him that sent mee Jo. 6. 40. It is as if hee had said to his Father If I have a body or a soul If I have life limbs honour esteem all shall go to do thee service I am content to do thy Psal 40. 8. Mat. 20. 28. will I came not to be ministred to but to minister And to his Church hee said If I have grace spirit righteousness soul body bloud any thing that may do poor sinners good all shall go if you want righteousness merits comfort come to mee you shall never want while I have ought yea let me be taken so that these may escape Io. 18. 8 9. saith hee to his enemies and as Judah to Joseph Let mee bee bound and Gen. 44. 33. remain a Bond-man I refuse it not Let not my poor brother for whom I have undertaken suffer yea further said Christ Let mee bee poor so they may bee inriched 2 Cor. 8. 9. let mee bee a curse so they bee 2 Cor. 5. 21. blessed yea let righteousness and all go and let mee bee made sin so they may become righteousness before God I am content yea he did not onely deny a civil and an holy self but a Divine self when hee was content his glory should bee vailed as Moses his was
thumb of Exod 29. 20. Lev. 14 14 17. their right hand and the great Toe of their right foot all anointed to shew that not onely the ear is to bee consecrated but the hand with which wee work and the foot with which wee walk should all bee sanctified 3 I will not say but the hypocrite may search the Scriptures to see what hee can finde in them and if it may bee to finde eternal life by searching them but no hypocrite doth search his heart by the Scriptures hee doth not take this light and search and sweep this house hee is one of the Jewish searchers hee is none of the Berean searchers who searched the Scriptures daily to see if Joh. 5. 39 Act. 17. 11 these things were so so in their books and so in their hearts and lives The sincere soul searcheth first how the Sermon and the Scripture agree and then how his heart and life agree with the Scripture and Sermon The hypocrite censures the Preacher if hee wander from his Text and his Doctrine agree not with his Text or his Vse with his Doctrine but hee censures not himself when his practice wanders from Text and Doctrine and Use too Hee is very critical in hearing or reading an Author very hypocritical in reading his own heart and examining his own life hee notes what unsound Divinity is in anothers Sermon or Book not what unsound Christianity is in his own heart Hee is as Austin said more troubled at anothers incongruity of speech or impropriety of phrase than at his own solecismes absurdities and barbarocismes in manners 4 An hypocrite may I will grant keep his mouth with all keeping and caution but no hypocrite in the world doth minde that duty Prov. 4. 23. to keep his heart with all keeping to observe what stuffe is there and to bee troubled at his own vain unbeleeving thoughts and sinfull imaginations which are the greatest trouble and exercise of a childe of God to keep his heart clean 5 Every hypocrite doth talk of God no hypocrite doth walk with God setting Gen. 5. 24. 6. 9 God as David did alway before him hee is continually at my right hand therefore I shall not fall Psal 16. 6 No hypocrite hath his conversation Phil. 3. 20 in heaven hee may have heaven in his communication never in his conversation hee may bee high minded is never heavenly minded may bee heavenly-mouthed cannot bee heavenly-minded 7 Lastly No hypocrite can say Hee doth delight in the Law of God in his inner Rom. 7. 22 man hee may delight to hear or read it in many passages for the equity and justice that is in it but to delight in it in the purity spiritualness and latitude of it and that in the inner man with all the heart to like well of the Prohibitory part of it Thou shalt not lust and of the Mandatory part Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart and thy neighbour as thy self and so like the Law well when it rebukes and convinceth of sin and shuts up our mouths this is a rare act of sincerity To say of the Law in every precept and in every respect as Paul doth I consent to it I allow not any 1 Sam 6. 20 Rom 7. 12. disobedience against it it is all holy and just and good argues sincerity An hypocrite may say it is holy and so holy that hee likes it the worse again who can stand before this holy Law or before this holy Lord by reason of his Law Hee can say also It is a just Law too just but hee can scarcely finde in his heart to say It is good The promise is good hee saith but the Law hee could wish were repealed and were made a dead letter for it is to his lusts a killing letter an unpleasing curb and hee desires with Israel Heb. 12. 19 that hee may never hear more of it then hee shall live again otherwise hee concludes hee must needs dye The second thing wherein an hypocrite is tardy in matter of duty different from the godly is in his manner and way of performing it Hee falls not short so much in the matter form expression measure length and size of his duties as in the life holiness spiritualness and manner of his duties Manners do not only make a man as wee say not Mannors Means Lordships Habit c. but manners make the Christian also The Sioâ— and the Luke 8. 18. Mat. 6. 1. 5 16 1 Cor. 9. 24 26 Phil. 3. 17 1 Cor. 11. 28 Mat. 24. 46. Quomodo go a great way in a Christians work Take heed how you hear pray fast give alms rather than that you hear pray c. The So running So fighting So walking So eating and So doing are more commanded and commended than the bare actions The first failing in this kinde is that the hypocrite rusheth abruptly and unpreparedly upon his duties no preparation before no attention in no reformation after his duties hee comes from sin to duty and from duty to sin again as that Strumpet who had been seeking God by day at her peace-offerings at Prov 7. 14 night seeks out her wanton Mate or as Judas who came reeking from the High Priest into Christ his presence and from the Lords Table hee goes to the Table of Devils hee returns with his Sop to the High Priests again hee can lodge Christ and Belial both in a bed What an abomination was that the Lord complains of Ezek. 23. 39. When they had slain their children to their Idols they came the same day into my Sanctuary to prophane it and thus they have done in the midst of my house The hypocrites duties are but a short Parenthesis brought in I know not how between a many lines of sin going before and as many following after whereas the Lord will bee sanctified in those that draw neer to him The Lord requires Lev. 10. 3 to every solemn and extraordinary duty â—xtraordinary and suitable preparation when Aaron and the Priests were first to be consecrated because they were to enter upon a holy function they were to wait seven dayes at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation and not to go out for seven dayes you shall bee consecrated said the Lord. And when Israel Lev. 8. 33 was to appear before the Lord at Sinai to receive the Law they were to bee sanctified three dayes before-hand Exod. 19. 10 11. The Passover was not to bee eaten by any in his uncleanness hee Lev. 7. 20 did more sin in eating so than in a religious forbearance and as there was a preparation and purification of the Sanctuary to all that came to that Old 2 Chron. 30 Testament Sacrament so is the like required to our Sacrament Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. And as 1 Cor. 11. 28 there was to bee an extraordinary preparation upon
give any mony and bee at any cost and pains to purchase them as Magus was to Act. 8. 18 19 get the Holy Ghost and the gifts of it SECT 3. Contains five steps more 11 Hee may go yet further Grow up in time to bee an experienced Christian in a great degree and measure Here is a high step indeed The highest some think that an hypocrite may go The Apostle describes it thus Heb. 6. 4. a trying and shaking Scripture that hath made many an Oak and Cedar to shake They have been enlightned have tasted of the heavenly gift been made partakers of the Holy Ghost have tasted of the good word of God and of the powers of the world to come yet fall as the unripe figs fall off the Tree Here are five high steps 1 To have been much enlightned with the knowledge of the Scriptures and mysteries of ungodliness to see his own misery by nature and hope of help by Christ 2 To have tasted this word taste implies experience of the heavenly gift of illumination conviction humiliation sins bitterness promises sweetness graces amiableness and the mysteries of godliness 3 To have tasted also the good word of God to bee cast down by it gladded by it stung by it healed by it to like it to commend it to preach it to beleeve it 4 To have tasted the Powers of the world to come to have known the Terrror 2 Cor. 5. 11. Psal 90. 11. of the Lord and the powers of his wrath to bee amazed with the apprehensions of Hell Judgement and Eternity and again to have felt for a time the joyes of heaven and the felicity of the blessed hee hath travelled all the Regions of Hell and Heaven and seen the pains of the damned and hath passed the Suburbs into the very gates of heaven and seen the glory of the blessed and hee hath tasted the power of both to bee terrified or comforted 5 And all this by the help of the Holy Ghost whereof hee is made a partaker in these common gifts though in a more extraordinary manner yet hee falls at last Oh Lucifer what a fall was thine Oh hypocrites what a fall will this bee Bee not high minded but fear Many sad examples in this kinde our Land and this Age hath afforded never so many never so sad As it befell the Spies they had viewed the Land of Canaan Num. 13. they had been in it gone alâ— over it tasted the fruit shewed others of the clusters thereof they could discourse of the Land could commend it tell their own experiences yet this was all the part they had in it they never inherited it 12 Hee may come to bee very sensible of his spiritual misery and cry out how great his sin is how insupportable Gods wrath is hee cryes out of Gods hard dealing with him hee thinks himself the unhappiest of men and concludes there is no misery like that of being cast off by God as Saul 1 Sam. 28. 15. yea hee may in this case bee willing to run and ride to hear inquire and take any course for ease go with his flocks and herds to seek God Hos 5. 6. As Saul went from duty to duty to one Prophet to another Prophet hee tried Visions tried Dreams tried the Prophets tried all but could get no comfort yea when hee seeth his case is thus hee sheds many a salt tear and makes a bitter lamentation as Esau did Heb. 12. 17. as having his heart broken under sense of wrath not under sorrow for sin and yet hee perisheth His tears come too late or they are extorted not kindly penitential tears flowing from a heart full of contrition and detestation of sin The hard marble sometimes wee see standeth on drops and is all wet with tears but it is against some weather they are onely outward tears the marble is nothing softned when it weeps they are cold tears they are soon dried off again by change of weather such are the tears of hypocrites 13 Hee may have some remoter relation to Christ and interest in him as hee conceives by vocation imployment and adherence as the branch to the Vine where there is no real insition ingraffing incorporating into Christ no lively union with him seen in our shooting into him growing up into him Eph. 4. 15. and bearing of fruit according to such an union Hell is full of such branches they are cast into the fire Joh. 15. 2 6. Hee is to Christ as a branch or twig stuck into the bark of a tree but not put into the pith and bowels of it is not bound to gether closed that there may bee a coalition and may become one together These may bee green a while but shortly wither or as the Missletow or Ivy to to the Oak there they are and both are greener than the natural branches of the tree in Winter but have a root of their own bear no fruit nor timber at length are torn away But the soul that desireth sound peace must not satisfie himself in this that hee is one of the children of the Kingdome Matth. 8. 12. but one of the children of the King and bee able to produce an Authentick pedigree by the new birth and new life or hee may with those Priests who could not shew their Pedigree by a lineal and unquestioned descent from Aaron the High Priest bee debarred from the priviledge of holy things Ezra 2. 63. They must not content themselves to bee of the outer Court Rev. 11. but of the inner Temple nor to bee children of the Kingdome but of the Family yea of the Bride-chamber not to bee servants but sons The servant may bee cast out of the house the son abideth ever Joh. 8. 35. nor to bee Friends or Kinsmen to the Bridegroom but to have a propriety a Contract and Covenant-propriety and interest in the Bridegroom Hee that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom And shee that hath the Bridegroom is the Bride Rest not till thou canst say I am my beloveds and my â—eloved is mine And as Christ gloried in saying I and my Father are one Joh. 10. 30. one essentially So do thou when thou canst say Christ and I are one conjugally As hee said The living Father sent mee and I live by the Father Joh. 6. 57. So rest not till thou canst say The living Son of God who quickneth whom hee will hath enlivened mee and I live not but Christ liveth in mee and the life I live in the flesh is by faith of the Son of God who loved mee and gave himself for mee Gal. 2. 20. 14 Hee may do many remarkable services in the Church yea for the Church hee may preach profitably and powerfully Matth. 7. 22. Phil. 1. 15. hee may bee as the silver Trumpet call the Assembly Num. 10. 2. to God and not go himself bee a Bridge to others to pass over the water and lake of hell yet himself stand in it a door to let others
sleighted But the false Christs they were the men they had the spirit they shewed the signes and wonders and took upon them to foretell things to come These all magnifie but the few Elect Matth. 24. 24. The true Prophets were hissed at and disdained as a company of sowre and silly men Micaiah could say nothing but the word of the Lord The word the word but Zedekiah his Antagonist 1 King 22. 19 v. 11. hee gets him horns of Iron and layes about him like a Prophet indeed with more confidence and reputation too Hananiah the false Prophet in a Prophetical strain takes off Jeremies yoak and breaks it and prophesies upon it very lustily and plausibly and hee carries away the bell from poor Jeremy And Jer. 28. 10 11. when the true Apostles were obscured as despicable and inconsiderable persons counted no more of than the dust under our feet as the filth and off-scouring of all things The false Apostles were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 4. 13. the blazing stars Angels of light Men that had a better spirit more light a clearer Gospel-way and higher Revelations They were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apostles The grand and extraordinarily eminent Apostles 2 Cor. 11. 5. So that at any time the hypocrite may vye with the sincere man and out-go him and take up the Apostles challenge and say Are they Israelites So am I Are they Christians So am I Saints are they So am I Are they Stars I am a Planet bigger than any fixed star a blazing star that shews bigger and causeth more wonderment than stars or planets Are they Apostles I am an Angel of light yea I speak foolishly in this confidence of boasting I am more In labours more abundant in making Proselites more diligent and successful in duties more frequent in gifts more excellent in expressions more Seraphical in parts above measure and though in life more rude and dissolute yet in knowledge more admired my way more extolled my principles more imbraced my speakings more frequented my out-side more adorned my heart more elevated and on all hands more esteemed Well bee it so Wee must bee content to bee fools for Christ that these may bee wise as the Apostle 1 Cor. 4. 10. saith There are many strange and incredible things that some are said to have done beyond the vulgar Professors reach and the ordinary beleevers attainments Many stories of high strains wee read and as many and strange our Affrick quae quotidie aliquid monstri profert breeds and brings forth to the amusing and astonishing of many unsettled ones not onely do the Patists tell us of their St. Francis that hee was often in such extasies a whole day and night together that hee could not speak one word therefore gave charge to his Scholar Len that hee should not so much as call him off to prayers And of their Shee-Saint Clare they say that shee was in a trance and so continued thirty dayes together not so much as minding any earthly thing nor taking a bit of meat But St. Austin tells us what hee hath seen and known of his own knowledge I my self saith hee have seen a man that could bee all over in a sweat whensoever hee pleased And some others hee saith had tears at command and could weep abundantly at pleasure And hee Ipse sum expectus sudare hominem solere quum vellet c See l. 14. Civ Dei c. 24. tells of one Restitutus that when hee pleased could make dolefull lamentations with his voyce so that hee lay for senseless and for dead that pinch him prick him or burn him with fire hee felt nothing at present yea hee stopped his own breath so artificially that none could perceive that he took any breath yet could hee perfectly remember what was spoken by any in those fits 19 Here is a high step indeed hee is almost at the top hee may have the whole form of godliness to the full 2 Tim. 3. 3. There are three forms an hypocrite may have 1 The form of Knowledge Rom. 2. 20. 2 The form of sound words and doctrine 2 Tim. 1. 13. 3 The whole form of fair living and of an unreproved conversation 2 Tim. 3. 3. But there are three things hee wants Three forms 1 Christ to bee formed in him Gal. 4. 19. 2 His heart to bee moulded into the right form of doctrine Rom. 6. 17. 3 To bee transformed in the renewing of his minde that so hee might express Rom. 12. 2. the power of godliness as well as the form These three forms dant esse the other three dant apparere to the Christian they shew him like a Christian these make him bee one Oh it is hard to tell and sad to think how far an hypocrite may go in this road and perish Hee may bee a knowing man and perish a Professor and perish a Virgin and perish a child of the Kingdome and perish bee lifted up to heaven and perish bee called and perish beleeve and perish repent and perish love and perish seek heaven and perish run and perish Matth. 22. 14. Act. 8. Mat. 28. Rev 2. 4. Luke 13. 14. 1 Cor 9. 24. pray and perish weep and perish hope well and perish live well and perish have a Talent and perish keep his talent and perish bee a signet on Gods right hand and perish have the whole form of godliness and perish 20 Lastly and here you see him at the top of the Ladder to bee presently turned off and at the point of his execution Hee may after all this dye in peace The last Ladder brought one hypocrite to his end and that was more sad to dye penitently this brings another to his end who dyes as Agag more chearfully hee dyes in peace hee makes his Will and bequeaths his soul to God in full assurance of eternal life c. and then it must needs stand but both are alike dangerous Let Saul dye by the hand of a Philistine his enemy or by the hand of an Amalakite his friend all is one his life is lost Let the hypocrite dye more terribly and repenting more securely and beleeving all is one his life is lost without all recovery Now an hypocrite may go up to the top of this Pisgah and take a view of the land of promise before his death yet never come nearer it and see it no more And then may that doleful lamentation bee taken up for him that is threatned to Babylon The fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed Rev. 18. 14. from thee and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee and that which follows is most sad of all and will break thy very heart for ever and thou shalt finde them at all no more The voyce of Pipers and Harpers shall bee heard no more at all in thee the voyce of the Bridegroom and bride shall bee heard no more at all in thee nor so much as
and Priests are spared 2 King 10. 28. and 31. 3 Between duty and duty he divides The easier cheaper safer duty he performs the hard costly offensive and prejudicial he neglects Hee is no Vniversallist unless for universal Election universal Redemption universal Admission to Sacraments or universal Toleration But never for universal Obedience flying all sin and performing every duty Hee Malach. 1. 14. 1 Sam. 15. 9. hath a male in his flock but will not offer that but the vile and refuse he can afford God not the best but the worst is best cheap here 4 Hee divides between Gifts and Graces Gifts hee admires and desires the most that he may excell So did Simon Magus that he might be Simon Magus some great one Grace he desires less Hee is content others should be more holy not more honoured Gifts may make him more acceptable to men Grace more serviceable to God he prefers acceptable before serviceable Grace brings God more honour Gifts him more honour And proximus sum egomet mihi is his first Maxime I am first for my self 5 Between Grace and Peace Hee likes both well but peace more he had rather have peace without grace than grace without peace A quiet conscience is more desired than a pure conscience with him The godly saith rather give mee grace than peace if not both he saith give me Grace Grace and Peace are alwayes joyned by the Apostles in their salutations and prayers but Grace put first But the hypocrite saith Peace and Grace And he crosseth hands laying his right hand on Peaces head his left on Graces preferring the younger before the elder as Jacob did to the Sons of Joseph Gen 48. 14. 6 Between Grace and Grace Justifying grace he admires sanctifying he undervalues Free and rich and full grace he extolls Efficacious grace he disclaims Sin-pardoning grace is all in all with him but distinguishing grace sin-purging sin-subduing heart-renewing grace he is a stranger to 7 Between Promises and Precepts The one he likes the other he dissikes Hee likes Beleeve onely and bee saved Hee Luke 10. 28. Mat. 19. 17. likes not Do this and live If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandements and such like hard sayings 8 Between the Promises and the Conditions Hee likes the one not the other There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus This is a good saying worthy of all acceptation But that Rom. 8. 1. which follows Who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit This is an hard saying All things work together for good this he likes and repeats but leaves out To them that love God who are the called according to his purpose Rom. 8. 28. 9 Much more between the Promises and Threats Those he loves these hee trembles at If yee live in the flesh yee shall dye but if through the Spirit yee mortifie Rom. 8. 13. the deeds of the body yee shall live These conditional promises and comminations please him not whereas godly ones eye the condition as much as the promise and the commination too they dare not but minde 10 Between Priviledges and Duties To be justified to be the Sons of God by Adoption to be Heires of God 1 Pet. 1. 16. Rom. 12. 2. 13 14. Co-heires of Christ c. These are great things with him But be holy as God is holy Put on the Lord Jesus fashion not your selves to the world These please not Hee goeth away heavily when hee is told yet lackest thou one thing 11 Between purity of Ordinances and Consciences The one he stands up earnestly for the other he is carelesse of Hee looks to the washing of the cup not to the washing of his heart 12 Between faith and faith faith for soul and faith for body Hee can beleeve in God to save his soul without grace but he cannot rely on God to preserve him here without sin 13 Between Scripture and Scripture Hee studieth such Scriptures as may confute other mens errors but findes no Scripture to batter down his own corruptions Jehu could finde Scripture ready to justifie the murder of Joram of Jezabel of all Ahabs children and a first 2 King 9. 25. 36. 10. 10 Commandement to take away Baals house and Priests he could readily turn unto But hee could not finde the second Commandement to take away Jeroboams Calves And thus I have done with the first Glass CHAP. XVII The Sincere Christians Glass whereby the truth of Grace may be discovered I Come from the Hypocrites to the Sincere Christians Glass This is a better Glass and a more delightful not better for matter both being taken out of the Laver of the Sanctuary The Snuffers of the Sanctuary were of as Ex. 25. 38. good gold as the Incense-dishes though put to a meaner use The interpretation of the Bakers Dream was as good because true as that of the Butlers though not so pleasing because the Dream was worse and the event proved sadder The Butlers interpretation was called good because good Gen. 40. 16. to him So this will be a good glass to thee if thou canst see thy self in it otherwise we are to God as good interpreters of his revealed will and our Ministry as sweet a smelling savour in them that perish as in them that are saved though to the one wee are a savour of life to life to the other 2 Cor. 2. 15 16. the savour of death to death The former Glass I said was as well cleansing as discovering and I heartily wish that it may prove so to every one that looks into it and that this may as well be transforming as informing that whosoever as in a Glass beholding this Image of the sincere man may be changed into the same Image from glory to glory by the Spirit of God as the Apostle saith in another case 1 The sincere man is careful of the matter of duty and manner both but of the manner more our duties may be for matter good and commanded and for manner evil and condemned We may sin in doing good if not doing it well Amaziah and others did what was right in the sight of the Lord but not with a perfect heart And 2 Chron. 25. 2. 26 4. 27. 2 then it was ill Therefore remember the sic and quomodo Take heed how you hear as well as what you hear how you pray as well as that you pray c. The strange fire to a known God was greater sin in the sons of Aaron than a strange Altar to an unknown god to the men of Athens Act. 17. 23. And wee may observe the irreverent usage of the Ark by the men of Bethshemesh was more severely punished than the Philistims looking upon it as an Idoll and setting it up by Dagon fifty thousand Israelites slain at Bethshemesh 1 Sam. 6. 19. And most remarkable of all it is that when as the Philistims carried the Ark on a Cart it
wings a peece they had also hands under their wings and feet besides And it is said their appearance was like burning coals and their motion was like a flash of lightning Here was nothing but activity and readiness for service with the greatest expedition Let mee quicken you with a few Motives 1 Look you faile not of grace for if you do you will faile of glory and faile of Heaven Heb. 12. 15. you read of failing of the grace of God Rom. 3. 23. you read of failing or falling short of the glory of God It is the same word faile of grace and faile of salvation By grace you are Eph. 2. 5. saved The Schollar must bee at School fitted for the University or hee cannot bee admitted there is not the place to learn his A B C or his Eight parts of Speech and the Christian must bee in the School of the Church trayned up and made fit or meet for that heavenly society here practise the singing the Songs Psal 137. 4. Rev. 14. 1. 3. of the Lord in a strange land that hee may sing them the readier upon Mount Sion The childe usually lives not when borne that had not his due time and growth before borne if wee dye before the time before wee have had our due formation and qualification for our translation Christ formed in us there is no possibility of living there The stroke of death and bar of judgement fit no man for heaven There is not the time and place of conversion The stone and timber was hewed and fitted in Lebanon there was no hammer to be used in the building You must get your 1 King 6. 7. work done here in the Grave is no place of opportunity 2 If you faile of True grace the grace of God it is all one you will faile of salvation There is no base mettal currant in heaven but such as hath the Image or superscription of God upon it It must have solidity and weight The Lord weigheth the spirits They must have their weight Thou Lord hast pleasure in uprightness requirest truth in the inward Prov. 16. 2. 1 Chron. 29. 1â— Psal 51. 6. 1 Tim. 1. 5. Rom. 12. 9. Eph. 4. 24. 2 Cor. 1. 12 parts It must not bee the Kings stamp upon Adulterate Coyne It must bee faith unfained love without dissimulation holiness of Truth sincerity of God or nothing 3 If you shall faile in the number and measure of growth and degrees in grace I will not say but you may bee saved that is it is possible but you will have a hard bargain of it to bee as Peter saith Scarcely saved 1 Pet. 4. 18. or as Pauls phrase is to come off with some loss or difficulty and bee saved yet so as by fire 1 Cor. 3. 15. Whereas as Paul saith If you come behinde in no gift of grace you may with comfort wait for the appearing of Christ 1 Cor. 1. 7. And Peter saith If these bee in you and abound an abundant or open and easie entrance will bee granted to you into 2 Pet. 1. 8 11. the Kingdome of God 4 On the other side True Grace attained and maintained gives True peace of conscience and security to the soule in whatsoever distresses If pressed above measure even to despair of life the conscience is full of rejoycing upon the testimony of simplicity and godly sincerity that 2 Cor. 1. 12. not in fleshly wisdome but by the undoubted grace of God such have had their conversation in the world Such may say with holy Job Though hee kill mee I will trust in him but I will maintaine my wayes Job 13. 15 16. before him hee also shall bee my salvation for an hypocrite shall not come before him Such may as Peter saith When the heavens shall pass away with a hideous noise and the elements melt with extremity of heat and the 2 Pet. 3. 10 13. earth with all therein bee dissolved then mâ—y they according to the promise of God expect a new and better heaven and a new earth Yea such shall have a heaven on earth such shall see the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven Yea saith Rev. 21. 2. Christ to such I will make him a Pillar in the Temple of my God and hee shall go no more out And I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the City of Rev. 3. 12. my God the New Jerusalem which cometh down from my God out of Heaven and I will write upon him my new name 5 Which is more This is the onely way to glorifie God and his glory is much more to bee prized than our glory yea than our salvation To seek our own glory is no glory especially in competition with Gods glory Prov. 25. 27. and it is less sincerity Joh. 7. 18. God hath no glory at all upon earth but from a few sincere gracious souls of whom God saith This people have I formed Isa 43. 21. for my selfe they shall shew forth my praise And the godly have learnt to set a higher price on Gods glory than their own salvation as did our Saviour Joh. 12. 27 28. When hee first prayed for himself My soule is troubled Save mee c. hee gives that over with submission Thy will bee done I came therefore to this houre But bee I saved or not saved Father glorifie thy Name and in the Lords Prayer we are taught to pray first Hallowed bee thy Name and then Thy Kingdome come A godly soule like his Saviour Jo. 17. 4. Desireth first to glorifie God then that God should glorifie him True Grace doth not onely procure to the soule an heaven upon earth but to God an heaven on earth And hee doth seem to rejoyce more and so do the heavenly Rev. 11. 15. 12 10. host when the Kingdomes of the earth are become the Lords by a considerable increase and addition of new godly Converts then that the Kingdome of heaven is the Lords I read that Israel in the day of their solemn Thanksgiving and Rejoycing Exod. 15. 2. did proclaime God to bee their God and did promise to prepare for him an habitation It is more piety to prepare the heart for an habitation for God than to desire God to prepare heaven for an habitation for us 6 Lastly Bee diligent to get to keep to exercise to increase and improve Grace you will live usefully cheerfully fruitfully you will dye hopefully joyfully heaven-fully and enter into heaven with full assurance by a free and open passage 2 Pet. 1. 11. Now to conclude the Use with a few Directions 1 If thou wouldest not meet with Capernaums sad disappointment in the end Luke 14. 28. when thou first makest entrance begin and count the cost and resolve to goe through or never begin Resolve to regard neither winds nor clouds or never lay thy hand to the Plough nor go out Eccles 11. 4.
his Deity as it were laid by or not observed When it had been no robbery for him to bee equal with God yet hee made himself of no reputation Phil. 2. 6 7. but took upon him the form of a servant and humbled himselfe to the death of the Cross c. Here hee gave not as a King to a King as Araunah to David but as a 2 Sam. 24. 23. God to a God hee said as the Queen to the King Ahasuerus If it had been but Est 7. 4. for my self and my sufferings I could have held my peace But how can I indure to see the destruction of my people And therefore if I have found grace in thine eyes and am hee in whom thy soule delighteth Let my peoples lives bee given mee at my request and their deliverance procured by my intercession sufferings exinanition if the Deity be able to satisfie the Deity and all the Treasures of the Exchequer of heaven bee exhausted to redeem so many Captives I am content If my Person may satisfie I will offer and suffer to the utmost that they may bee saved to the utmost Here wee may justly stop and cry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not Oh Altitudo Oh the height but Oh the depth of the humility and self-denial of Christ In like manner the beleever cometh to Christ Oh Lord hast thou dyed for mee and shall I not dye and live for thee Hast thou denied thy self thy Civil thy Spiritual thy Divine self for mee and shall I not deny my self my Evil my Civil my sorry spirituall self for thee Vicisti Galilee Vicisti Christe Oh Lord thou hast overcome mee not by force but by irresistible love Oh Lord I lay all at thy feet and hee speaketh to Christ in that submissive language of Ahab to Benhadad It is true my Lord O King according to thy saying I am thine and all that I 1 King 20. 4. have is at thy command And afterwards a Covenant made between them that they should have streets in each others Royal Cities So saith the willing 1 King 20. 34. self-denying soule Lord make thee streets in my heart to command all in mee so I may have but a room a lodging room or one good thought in thy heart 9 The next right coming to Christ is a coming with a holy despair that is a despair in thy selfe and a despair in the creature the Minister and Ordinances This was the coming of the saddest soul that ever came to Christ that sorrowfull Father who came in behalf of his son so extremely tormented so long tormented Mar. 9. 22 23 24. even from a childe and no help could bee had from all the Disciples of Christ therefore it was a desperate case and if Christ could not help him hee was without all hope Therefore hee puts Christ upon it If thou canst do any thing more than another and hast any compassion upon a poor creature have compassion upon us and help us Oh Lord I see vaine is the help of man Not onely a horse but a Disciple yea an Ordinance fasting prayer is a vaine thing neither can they save any by their vertue or holiness Oh Lord I utterly despair of help if not from thee But is there any thing too hard for thee or canst thou shut up thy compassions on a miserable creature I cast my selfe upon Omnipotency and Omnimisericordy upon Almightiness and All-mercifulness with tears hee intreats Lord I beleeve help my unbeleef Do a worke like thy selfe like the Son of God if either thou canst which I doubt not of or ever didst shew pity to poor soules or hast any compassions left which I know endure for ever then help at a dead lift in a desperate case There hee prayes hee cries hee weeps hee fears hee hopes hee beleeves hee doubts he prevails So it will bee with the poorest creature that can bee the poor soul that seeks water and findes none whose soule faints within him and his tongue cleaveth to the roof Isa 41. 17 18. of his month then will Christ not forsake him but make springs break out in the wilderness When thou sayest I have waited Psal 119. 123. long and am not helped Mine eye fails for thy salvation my enemies are ready to say There is no help for him and Satan Psal 3. 2. adds No not in thy God pray no more trouble thy selfe no further see hath not God forsaken thee hee answers thee no more by Vrim or Prophets or any means 1 Sam. 28. 15. thou canst use and my mis-giving heart is ready as Saul to fall apeeces and Vers 20. to dye away with the news and to give assent to the Prince of darkness and to say I fear Satan it is too true I am cast out of his sight I am free among the dead I am clean forgotten I am in the belly of Psal 88. 5. Jonah 2. 2 4. hell yet I say look up to his holy Temple with a holy self-despair out of this hell there is redemption Say I will go to Christ what ever comes of it Who knows what the Lord may do The wounded spirit is the opprobrium medici Theologi is the Kings evil which onely Christ can cure I will go to him though I go upon the waters though I sinke as I go I will cry out Lord save mee I perish who Mat. 14. 30. knows but hee may reach out a hand of love and pity to mee though I cannot reach out a hand of faith to him I may bee comprehended by him though I can-not comprehend him I see love doth descend not ascend it doth so in men doth it not much more in God Why should I give over in despair I will hope in him if hee kill mee I hope God is not as man that hee should repent and deny his word and mercy promised I hope Job 13. 15. 1 Sam. 15. 29. hee will not set his purity against my impurity his holiness against my sin his wisdome against my folly his faith against my unbeleef Shall his faithfulness faile because my faith failes and his foundations bee destroyed because mine are The Lord is yet in his holy Temple and hath Psal 11. 3 4. said our unbeleef shall not make void his faith nor our sin his grace but if wee deny him and our selves hee cannot deny himself nor us if wee bee unfaithful hee Rom. 3. 3. abideth faithful Hold and hang here 2 Tim. 2. 13. 19 in hope above hope and against despair and all will bee well Vna salus in se nullam sperare salutem Wee safest are In self-despaire 10. Tenthly Another right coming to Christ is to take up his yoke and our cross I put them together the one being the description and badge of our active the other of our passive obedience To both which wee are called And hereof can no such pattern bee given as Christ himself was who said
another God is not called faith or Rom. 14. 22. hope but the God of them but hee is called Love hee is so Essentially There â— Joh. 4. 8. is little of this to bee found in the world much talk of faith little shew of love No unregenerate person doth love God hee may fear him c. doth not love him his minde is rather enmity no hypocrite can love God hee may beleeve in him cannot love him Many may fear God and perish beleeve and perish none can love and perish O yee of little faith Mat. 8. 25. 26. was the reproof of the weak Disciples once O yee of little love is the charge of the unsound Professors alwayes God hath three Churches or Families 1 The houshold of faith the Church visible wherein are hypocrites and sincere ones 2 The houshold of Truth the Church mystical wherein no hypocrite but all sincere though not perfect 3 The houshold of Love the Church Triumphant where onely sincere and perfected Saints inhabit They who have now truth of love shall triumph in love and become holy and unblameable before God in love Eph. 1. 4. Where their love made perfect shall not onely cast out fear and what hath torment but faith 1 Jo. 4 18. and hope and whatsoever implies a state of imperfection 2 This Love must bee a labouring not lazie love Labour of love once and again 1 Thess 1. 3. Heb. 6. 10. Faith hath his work 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but love his Labor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this word which signifies Labor signifies Extream hard and painful Labour Nothing takes so much pains as Love and nothing makes pains seem so little as Love Diligentia comes of Diligo and our best diligence comes onely from Love That is best love which is expressed in diligence that is best diligence which flows from love The Lord calls not for sacrifice but obedience nor obedience so much as love To them that love mee and keep my Commandements in the Law And in the Gospel God calls for no works so much as for Faiths and no work of faith so much as that which worketh by love and for love no such love again as that which Gal. 5. 6. hath life and spirit in it and will take some pains in the work of God nothing is so active nothing so co-active as love The love of Christ constrains Fear may 2 Cor. 5. 14. restrain an hypocrite Love constrains onely the sincere Christian Force doth constrain an unwilling minde Love doth sweetly set afire the willing minde There needs no Law bee given to compel the Ant and Bee to labour or the voluptuous man to pursue pleasures the worldly minded man spares no pains to serve his Mammon Hee that loveth learning gets up early sits up late to get it But there is a great deal of lame obedience in the world because so much lazie love Wee love an easie Religion and the cheap Gospel and a salvation which costs nothing But how can wee say wee love God where there is so little labour Love to the world wee know love to pleasure or learning wee know but wee may say How delleth the love of God in us 1 Joh. 3. 17. How sad a charge is that of Christ to some hearers I know you that you have not the love of God in you Joh 5. 42. There are four things remarkable in the beloved Disciple above all the rest 1 That hee lay nearest to Christs bosome at the Table Jo. 13. 23. 2 Followed Christ closest to the High Priests Palace Jo. 18 16 3 And stood close to him at his Jo. 19. 26 Cross 4 To him Christ commended the Jo. 19. 27 care of his Virgin-mother The Disciple of love is the onely one who holds out and to whom the whole charge of Christ and honour of Religion is committed 3 The last Nutritive grace is Hope backt with patience patience of hope 1 Thes 1. 3. where these two meet all is safe Hope is our Anchor patience is the Cable that Heb. 6. 19. holds it Hope makes not ashamed but it Rom. 5. 5. is not the hope of the hypocrite tyed to a Spiders weâ— but held fast by the strong Job 8. 14. rope of patience The good ground in the Gospel was sown in hope mixed the word with faith received the truth in love and therefore brought forth fruit Luke 8. 15. with patience There are many storms to bee endured by the Christian which were it not for hope would break the heart and hope is long held in hand by delayes the hope is deferred which were it not for patience would give up the Job 11. 20. Ghost But hold fast hope and patience and heaven is yours you shall inherit the promises Wee have as much need of patience a passive grace as of faith love and other active graces saith the Apostle Heb. 10. 36. Bee not yee therefore slothful saith hee in the same Epistle but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises Heb. 6. 12. Thus wee see the three great Nutritive graces wherein every hypocrite is defective Faith Hope and Charity These three must not bee idle nor solitary but must bee attended with their three seconds Faith and Work Love and Labour Hope and Patience Faith must work by Love Love by Labour Labour must plow and sow in hope and hope must reap with patience I might adde to these a fourth incremental and growing grace viz. Heavenly-mindedness which where ever it takes root causeth the soâ—â— to shoot with the increase of God When trees root downward and shoot upward too then they grow indeed when wee are rooted in humility self-denial and mortification as wee said before and shoot upward in heavenly-mindedness Then wee grow indeed from children to men Wee reckon a childe grown a man when hee hath put away minding childish things and when wee put away the minding earthly things and betake our selves to the minding of heavenly we are men indeed men of God The Christian is therefore described by such characters Hee walks with God dwels on high rides upon the high places of the earth savours Gen. 6. Isa 13. 16. Isa 58 14. Col. 3. 2. Phil. 3. 20. things above hath his conversation in Heaven These never fear them they never miscarry But no hypocrite is heavenly minded hee may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 12. 16. never 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 super sapere not quae suprâ hee may bee high-minded and high languaged never heavenly-minded heavenly-mouthed may bee but never heavenly-hearted Heavenly-mindedness is our onely Theatre or Jehovah-jireh in this Mount the Lord Gen 22. 14. will bee seen on this Pisgah of Divine Contemplation the promised Canaan is Deut. 34. 1. descryed afar off In this Mountain of Heavenly-mindedness is the souls transfiguration made No man perisheth that Matth. 17. 1 2. is heavenly-minded In