illimited desires toward Riches Pleasure Preferment And all that we have spoken is inclosed within the narrow compasse of mens abode here which is but for a moment so that if it were possible that all these forementioned desires and delights of men could attend any man for the space of an hundreth years though he had the concurrance of the streames of the Creatures to bring him in satisfaction though all the world should bow to him and be subject to the beck of his authority without stroak of Sword though all the Creatures should spend their strength and wit upon his satisfaction yet do but consider what that shall be within some few years when he shall be spoiled of all that attendance denuded of all external comforts when the fatal period must close his life peace health and all and his poor Soul also that was drowned in that guif of pleasure shall then find it self robbed of its precious Treasure that is Gods favour and so remain in everlasting banishment from his presence Do ye think I say that man were happy Nay O happy Lazarus who is now blessed in Abrahams bosom who enjoyes an eternity of happinesse for a moments misery But my beloved you know that it is not possible even to attain to that imagined happinesse here All the gain that is found is not able to quit the cost and expense of grief vexation care toyling and sweating that is about them But if you would be perswaded there is that to be found easily which you trouble your selves seeking elsewhere And believe me though the general apprehension of men be that peace plenty preferment and satisfaction in this life to compense their pains is more easily attainable then fellowship and communion with God Yet I am perswaded that there is nothing more practicable then the life of Religion God hath condemned the World under vanity and a curse and that which is crooked can by no art or strength be made straight But he hath made this attainable by his gracious Promises even a blessed life in approaching near to himself the Fountain of all Life And this is a certain Good an universal Good and an eternal Good It will not disapoint you as other things do of which you have no assurance for all your toylings This is made more infallible to a soul that truely seeks it in God It is al 's certain that they cannot be ashamed through frustration as that he is faithful And then it is an universal Good one comprehensive of all one eminently and virtually all things created to be joyned to the infinite all-fulnesse of God This advanceth the Soul to a participation of all that is in him This is health Psal 42. last Prov. 3. 8. This is light Jo. 8. 12. It is life Jo. 11. 25. Liberty Job 8. 36. Food and Raiment Isai 61. 10. And Jo. 4. 14. And what not It is profit pleasure preferment in the superlative degree and not scattered in so many various streames which divide and distract the heart but all conbined in one It is the true Good of both Soul and Body and so the only Good of man And lastly it is eternal to be coaetaneous with thy Soul Of all other things it may be said I have seen an end of them they were and are not but this will survive time and all the changes of it and then it will begin to be perfect when all perfection is at an end Now from all this I would exhort you in Jesus Christ to ponder those things in your hearts and consider them in reference to your own Souls that ye may say with David It is good for me to draw near to God That which all men seek after is happinesse and well being Men pursue nothing but under the notion of Good And to compleat that which may be called Good there is required some excellency in the thing it self and then a conveniency and sutablenesse to us And these joyntly draw the heart of man But the great misery is that there is so much ignorance and misapprehension of that which is truely Good And then when any thing of it is known there is so little serious consideration and application of it to our selves And this makes the most part of men wander up and down in the pursuit of divers things which are not that true Good of the Soul and set their hearts on that which is not until they find their hearts fall down as wanting a foundation and then they turn about again to some other vanity And so the wanderings and strayings of men are infinite because the by-wayes are innumerable though the true way be but one Yea the turnings and toylings of one man are various and manifold because he quickly losses the sent of happinesse in every way he falls into and therefore must turn to another And thus men are never at any solid setting about this great businesse never resolute wherein this happinesse consists nor perremptor to follow it But they fluctuat upon uncertain apprehensions and divers affections until the time and date of Salvation expire and then they must know certainly and surely the inevitable danger and irrecoverable losse they have brought themselves to who would not take notice of the sure way of escaping both wrath and attaining happinesse while it was to be found Well then this is the great businesse we have here to do yea to make the circle the larger it is that great businesse we have to do in this world to know wherein the true well being and eternal wellfare of our Souls consists and by any means to apply unto that as the only thing necessary in regard of which all other things are Ceremonies Circumstances and indifferent things And to guide us in this Examination and Application here is one man who having almost made shipwrack upon the Rocks which men commonly dash upon and being by the Lord led safely by and almost arrived at the Coast of true Felicity he sets out a Beacon and lights a Candle to all who shall follow him to direct them which way they shall stirre their course Examples teach more effectually then Rules It is easie for every man to speak well upon this Point in general and readily all will acknowledge that here it is and no where else But yet all this is outcryed by the contrary noise of every mans practice These general grants of Truth are recalled in the conversations of men Therefore they cannot have much influence upon any man But when we hear one speak and see him walk so too when we have the example of a most wise man who wanted not these worldly expectations which other men have So that he not only propones it to us but after much serious advisement after mature consideration of all that can be said of the wickeds best estate and the godlies worst setting down resolute conclusions for himself It is good for me to draw near to God Yea so determinate
own Consciences Yet for all that Thus saitâ— the Lord there is no peace to the wicked If God be against us what is the matter who be with us For he can make a mans friends his enemies and he can make a mans enemies to be at peace with him He makes peace and create trouble Isai 45. 7. Men can but destroy thâ— body but he can destroy both body and soul for ever O what a Potent and Everlasting Enemy is he There is no escaping from his All-seeing Eye and powerful Hand Psal 139 7 8. A man may fly from men but whitheâ— shall he fly from his Presence To Heaven He is there To Hell He is there The darknesse of the night hath been a covering under which many have escaped and been saveâ— in Armies but darknesss is no covering to him it is all one with Light He is near hand every one of us The Conscience is within us buâ— he is within the Conscience And how mucâ— God is above the Creature so great and dreadful a party is he above any enemy imaginable Therefore I conclude that that man only hath perfect peace who is at peace with God and with his own Conscience If a man be at peacâ— with God and not with himself he wants buâ— a moments time of perfect peace for or it be long the God of it will speak Peace unto him But if he be at peace with God and himself I know not what he wants of the perfect peace of the Peace Peace For it is a mans Mind that makes peace or warr it is not outward things but in the midst of peace he may be in trouble and in the midst of trouble in peace according as he hath satisfaction and contentment in his own breast For what is all the Grace of a Christian It is Godlinesse with Contentment It is not Godliness and Riches Godliness and Honour or Pleasure Godliness and outward Peace No no Contentment compenseth all these and hath in it eminently all the gain and advantage of these A man in Honour a Rich man having no contentment in it is really al 's poor al 's ignominious as the poor and despised man If Contentment then be without these things certainly they cannot be missed For where Contentment is not with them it only is missed and they not considered Contentment is all the Gain that men seek in Riches and Honour and Pleasure If a Godly man have that same without them he then hath all the Gain and Advantage and wants nothing but some trouble that ordinarly attends them Outward Peace cannot add to inward peace and so the want of it cannot diminish We must begin at the Original if we would know rightly this peace that passeth knowledge The Fountain head is peace with God a stream of this is peace of Conscience and peace with the Creatures There is a peace of friendship when persons were never enemies and there is a peace of Reconciliation when parties at variance are made one Innocent Adam had peace once with God as a friend Angels continue so to this day but now there is no such peace between men and God for all are become enemies to God and aliens from the common wealth of Israel That peace was brokeâ— by rebellion against God his Maker and all the posterity are born with the same enimity against God On our part are hearts desperatly wicked whose imagination is only evil continually One Gods part is holy and spotless Justice that is of purer eyes then to behold iniquity and therefore must destroy it or the sinner On our part are so many rebellions Adams actual transgression and all our own sins and breaches of the holy Law as so many breaches of peace On Gods part are so many Curses answerable to the breaches of the Law Cursed is every one that abideth not in every thing c. This Curse is even the proclamation of men to be traitors and an intimation of the righteous Judgment which will come upon them Adam was in a Covenant of peace with God Do and thou shalâ— live if not thou shalâ— die Adam brake this Covenant so the peace is dissolved and God is no more oblidged to give Life but to execute the pain contained in the Covenant And in signe and token of this look how Adam fled from Gods presence to hide himself when he heard his Voice it was a poor shift for whither should be go from his presence But alas seeking more Wisdom he lost that he had seeking Divine Wisdom he lost Humane Now there is no more making up this peace on such termes again We have no capacity to treat with God any more But blessed be his Majesty who hath found out the way of Agreement and Reconciliation Oh that ye were once perswaded of your enimity against God Ye are not born friends though ye be born within the Visible Church How dreadful a thing is it to have the most High and Terrible God against you to do to you according to your deservings Ye all know this we are enemies to God by Nature I pray you is it but a name Is it not worthy deep consideration But who considereth this matter If ye loss a friend ye will be troubled and the more behoveful your friend was the more troubled you will be If a great and potent Nation proclaimed Warr against us we cannot but be sensible of it But alas who considereth the great breach that is between God and all Men occasioned by the first mans transgression and rebellion It is one of the degrees of health to know the disease and I may call it a degree of peace a kind of preparation to peace to know the enimity and not generally to know it but to ponder it till the heart be affected with it To call a Council of all the Faculties and Affections of the Soul to consider the great imminent danger of mans common-wealth What is it I pray you that is the greatest obstruction of mens making peace with God that makes the breach irreparable and the wound incurable It is this certainly No man apprehendeth it aright We intertain good thoughts of our friendship with God or that it is easy to be reconciled Who seeth such a wide breach between God and man that all the Merits of Angels and Men could not make it up Who seeth the prâ—ce of Redemption so precious as it must cease for ever for all that Men and Angels can do Is not every man offering God satisfaction either his Tears or sorrow or amendment in time coming or all of them Do not men undertake to pacify God with External Ordinances and think it may suffice for their sins Certainly ye are ignorant of the infinite separation between God and man that imagines a Treaty with him your self or that ever ye can come in speaking termes And therefore is this Warr and Enimity perpetual therefore there is no peace when ye cry peace peace When ye have
but fall into the Lake that is below us if we were to aim so high But the Lord hath been pleased to descend to us in our mean capacity in the Flesh and fill up that immensurable gulfe of Justice by the infinite merits and sufferrings of his Son in our Flesh And now he invites us be requests us to come to him in his Son and have life VVe are not come to Mount Sinai that might not be touched that burnt with Fire and Tempest where there were terrible sights and intollerable noises I say such a God we might have had to do with â— consuming fire instead of instructing light A devouring fire instead of a healing Sun of Righteousnesse considering that there is nothing in us which is not fit and prepared fuel for everlasting burnings But we are come and that is the eternal wonder of Angels unto Mounâ— Sion to be Citizens in the City of God and fellow citizens with blessed Angels and glorified Spirits to Peace and Reconciliation with him who was our Judge And if you ask how this may be I answer because we have one Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant tâ— come to whose Blood cryeth louder for pardon of sinners then all mens transgression can cry for punishment of sinners Heb. 12. 18 19. 20. c. Let us then Consider the first step and deareâ— of Union with God it consists in Faith in Jesus Christ This is the first motion of the Souâ— in drawing near to God For as there is nâ— remission without Blood So no accesse to Goâ— without a Mediator For if you consider whaâ— is in Jesus Christ you will find that which wilâ— engage the desire of the heart as also thaâ— which will give boldnesse and confidence to acâ— that desire Eternal Life is promised and proposed in him he offers rest to weary souls anâ— hath it to give That which we ignorantly anâ—vainly seek elswhere here it is to be found For Personal Excellencies he is the chief infinitely beyond comparison And for Sutablenesse to us and our necessities all the Gospel an expression of it So that he is presented the most attractive drawing manner that can be imagined And then when the desires are inflamed yet if there be no Oyl of hope to feed it it will soon cool again Therefore take a view again and you may have boldnesse to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus There was some kind of distance kept in the Old Testament none but the High Priest might enter into the Holiest Place But the entry of our High Priest into it that is into Heaven hath made it patent to all that come to him and apply his Blood There is a new and living way by the holy flesh of Christ consecrated and made of infinite value and use by the Divinity of his Person And therefore having such a one of our kindred so great with God we may draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith having our consciences sprinkled c. Heb. 10 18. 19 20. c. Now since the way is made plain to you and the entry is opened up in the Gospel Do you not find your hearts stir with in you to draw near to him Do you not find a necessity of making peace by such a Mediator O! that you knew the great distance between God and your Natures and what the hazard is Loe they that are far from thee shall perish Then certainly you would take hold of this invitation and be easily drawn unto Jesus Christ But unto you who have adventured to draw near for pardon of sin in Christ I would recommend unto you that you would draw yet nearer to God After that the partition wall of wrath and condemnation is removed yet there is much darknesse in your minds and corruption in our natures that separats from him I mean intercepts and disturbs that blessed communion you are called unto Therefore I would exhort you as James draw near to God and he will draw near to you ch 4. 8. And that wherein this most consists is in studying that purification of our natures that cleansing of our hearts from guile and our hands from offences by which our Souls may draw towards a resemblance of God This accesse and drawing near to God in assimilation and conformity of nature is the great designe of the Gospel Be ye holy for I am holy Now ye are agreed walk with him Amos 3. 3. As Enoch walked with God Gen. 5. 24. That is labour in all your conversation to set him before your eyes and to study to be well pleased with him in all things and to please him in all to conform your selves to his pleasure in every thing And this Communion in walking especially consists in that Communication of the Spirit with God in prayer This is the nearest and sweatest approach when the Soul is lifted up to God and is almost out of it self in him And this being the ordinary exercise and motion of the Soul it exceedingly advances in the first point of nearnesse that is in conformity with God Drawing often near in Communion with him in prayer makes the Souldraw towards his likenesse even as much converse of men together will make them like one another Now for the commendation of this It is good What greater evil can be imagined then separation from the greatest Good And what greater good then accession to the greatest Good Every thing is in so far happy and well as it is joyned with and enjoyeth that which is convenient for it Light is the perfection of the Earth remove it and what a disconsolat and unpleasant thing is it Now truely there is nothing suitable to the immortal Spirit of man but God And therefore all its happinesse or misery must be measured by the accesse or recesse Nearnesse or distance of that infinite Goodnesse Therefore is it any wonder that all they that go a whoring from him perish as every mans heart doeth For we are infinitly bound by Creation by many other bonds stronger then wedlock to consecrat and devote our selves wholly to God but this is treacherously broken Every man turns aside to vanity and lies and is guilty of heart whoredome from God and spiritual idolatry because the Affection that should be preserved chast for him is prostitute to every base object So then this divorcement of the Soul from God cannot but follow thereupon even an eternal ecclipse of true and real life and comfort And whoever draw back from the Fountain of Life and Salvation cannot but find elsewhere perdition and destruction Heb. 10. ult My beloved let us set this aside all other things which are the pursuites and endeavours of the most part of men Mens natural desires are carried towards Health Food Raiment Life and Liberty Peace and such like But the more rational sort of men seek after some shadow of Wisdom and Virtue Yet the generality of men both high and low have extravagant
the bringing in of a better hope did by the which we draw nigh to God All the Sacrifices and Shadows that were under the Law did but point at this perfect Ransom and the way of accesse to God through a Mediator was not so clear but now the matter is made as hopeful as is possible the partition wall of the Lawes curses the hand-writting against us is removed one the Crosse the enmity slain the distance removed by the Blood of the Crosse being partly filled up by his descent into our Nature partly by his lower descent in our Nature to suffer Death And this is the savoury Oblation that we have to present to God and may have boldness to come nigh because of it And when once our accesse is made by the Blood of Jesus Christ then we are called and allowed to come still nigher to cleave and adhere to him as our Father to pray unto him to walk with him Then we should converse as Friends and Familiars together then draw nigh to his Light for Illumination and to him as the Fountain of Life for quickening to place our delight and desire in him to forsake all other things even our Wills and Pleasures and to lose them that they may be found in his to converse much in his Company and be often in Communication with him and Meditation upon him This is the very designe and substance of the Gospel it holds forth the way of making up the breach between Man and God of bringing you nigh who are yet afar off and nearer who are near hand Oh let us hearken to it SERMON VI. Prov. 27. 1. Boast not thy self of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth THere are some peculiar Gifts that God hath given to man in his first Creation and endued his Nâ—ture with beyond other living Creatures which being rightly ordered and improved towards the right Objects do advance the Soul of man to a wonderful height of Happinesse that no other sublunary Creature is capable of But by reason of mans fall into sin these are quite disordered and turned out of the right Channel And therefore as the right improvement of them would make man happy so the wrong imployment of them loadens him with more real misery then any other creature I mean God hath given to man two notable Capacities beyond other things one is to know and reflect upon himself and to consider what conveniency is in any thing towards himself what goodnesse or advantage redounds to himself from them and in that reflection and comparison to enjoy what he hath Another is to look forward beyond the present time and as it were to anticipat and prevent the slow motions of time by a kind of foresight and providence In a word he is a Creature framed unto more understanding then others and so capable of more joy in present things and more foresight of the time to come He is made mortal yet with an immortal Spirit of an immortal capacity that hath its eye upon the morrow upon eternity Now herein consists either mans Happinesse or Misery how he reflâ—cts upon himself and what he chooseth fâ—r the matter of his Joy and Gloriation and what providence he hath for the time to come If those be rightly ordered all is well but if not then woe unto him there is more hope of a beast then of him Mans Nature inclines to boasting to glorying in something and this ariseth from some apprehended excellency or advantage and so is originated in the understanding power of man which is far above beasts Beasts find the things themselves but they do not they cannot reflect upon their own enjoyment of them And therefore they are not capable of such pleasure for the more distinct knowledge of things in relation to our selves the more delight ensueth upon it Many Creatures have singular qualities and vertues but they are nothing the happier For they know them not and have no use of them but are wholly destinated to the use of man who therefore is only said to enjoy them because he only is capable of joy from them And this I suppose may give us a hint at the absolute incomprehensible Blessedness self-complacency and delight of God It cannot but be immeasurably great seing the knowledge of himself and all creatures is infinite he comprehends all his own Power and Vertue and Goodness And therefore his Delight and Rejoycing is answerable There is a glorying and boasting then that is good which man is naturally framed unto And this is that which David expresses Psa 34. 2. My Soul shall make her boast in God And Psal 44. 8. In God we boast all the day long and praise thy name for ever When the Soul apprehends that All-sufficiency and self-sufficient fulnesse of God What infinite Treasures of Goodnesse and Wisdom and Power are in him and so how sutable and covenient he is to the condition of the Soul What a sweet correspondence there is between his fulnesse and our emptinesse His Mercy and our Misery His Infinitenesse and our unsutablenesse that there is in him to fill and overflow the Soul The apprehension of this cannot but in a manner perfume the Soul with delight You find how the senses are refreshed when they meet with their sutable Object How a pleasant smell refresheth the â—ent How lively and beautifull colours are delightful to the eye But much more here God is the proportioned Object of the immortal Spirit he corresponds to all its capacities and fills it with unconceivable sweetness But my beloved boasting and glorying in him ariseth not only from the proportionableness and conveniency of him to our Spirits but this must be superadded propriety in him Things are loved because excellent in themselves or because they are our own But we boast in nothing we glory in nothing but because it is both excellent in it self and ours besides It is the apprehended interest in any thing makes the Soul rise and lift up it self after this manner to have such a one to be ours such a Lord to be our God one so high and sublime one so universally full to be made over to thee Here is the immediate rise of the Souls Gloriation And truely as there is nothing can be so sutable a portion so there is nothing that can be so truely made ours as God Of all things a believer hath there is nothing so much his own as God nothing so indissolubly tyed unto him nothing so inseparably joyned See Pauls Triumph upon that account Rom. 8. Nothing can truely be said to be the Souls own but that which is not only Coaetaneous with it that survives mortality and the changes of the Body But likewise is inseparable from it What a poor empty sound is all that can be spoken of him till your Souls be once possessed of him It cannot make your hearts leap within you but it cannot but excite and stirre up a Believers heart Now there
the ruines of other mens disadvantages as if it were any point of praise in us that they are worse like men that stand upon a height and measure their own Altitude not from their just intrinsick quantity but taking the advantage of the bottom whereby we deceive our own selveâ— I remember a word of Solomons that impoâ— how dangerous a thing it is for a man to refleâ— upon or search into his own Glory Prov. 2â— 27. It is not good to eat much honey So for me to search their own glory is not glory To suâ—fet in the excesse of Honey or Sweet thingâ— drives to vomite and cloyes the Stomach verâ— 16. Though it be sweet there is great need yea the more need of Caution and Moderation about it So for a man either to searcâ— into his own breast and reflect upon hiâ— owâ— excellencies to find matter of Gloriation or studiously to affect it among other and enquire into other mens accompt and steem of him it is no Glory it is a dangâ—rous and shamful Folly Now this is not only incident to Natural Spirits upon their coâ—siderations of their own advantages but â—ven to the most gracious upon the review â—â— Spirituall Endowments and Prerogatives It is such a subtil and insinuating Poyson thâ—â— it spreads universally and infects the moâ—â— Precious Oyntments of the Soul and as were Poysons the very Antidot and Couâ—terpoyson So forcible is this that was first dropped into mans Nature by Satans envy that it diffuses it self even into Humility and Humiliation it self and makes a man proud because of Humility The Apostle found need to caveat this Rom. 11. 18 19 20. Boast not be not high minded but fear thou standest by faith And Chap. 12. 16. Mind not high things Be not wise in your own conceits And 1. Cor. 8. 2. If any man think that he knoweth any thing he knoweth nothing as he ought to know All which gives us a plain demonstration of this that self gloriation and complacency in reflection upon our selves is both the greatest Ignorance and the worst Sacriledge It is an Argument of greater ignorance for a man to think he knows then not to know indeed It is the worst and most dangerous Ignorance to have such an opinion of our Knowledge Gifts and Graces For that puffes up swells with empty Wind and makes a vain tumor And then it is great Sacriledge a robbing of the Honour that is due to God For what hast thou that thou hast not received That appropriating of these things to our selves as ours is an impropriating of them from their right Owner that is God 1 Cor. 4. 7. For if thou did apprehend that thou receivedst it where then is glorying I would desire then that whenever you happen to reflect upon your selves and observe any advantage either natural or spiritual in your selves that you may think this word sounds from Heaven Let him that glorieth glory in the Lord. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom And so not the Learned man in his Learning nor the Eloquent man in his Speaking nor the Ingenious man in his Quicknesse nor the Good man in his Goodnesse All these things though sweet yet will surfeit Gloriation in them is neither Glory nor Gain neither Honourable nor Profitable Then the Stream of Gloriation flows in the Channel of Bodily Gifts as Might Strength of Body Beauty and Comlinesse of Parts and other such Endowments which besides that it is as Irrational as the former in Sacrilegious Impropriation of the most free and Arbitrary Gifts of God to our selves It is with all absurd in that it is not so truely our selves These bodily Ornaments and Indowments do not perfite or better a man as a man They are but the alterable qualities of the Vessel or Tabernacle of a man in which other-baser Creatures may far excell him How many comely and beautiful Souls are lodged within obscure and ugly Cottages of Bodies of Clay which will be taken down And the great advantage is that the Soul of a man which is a man cannot be defiled from without that is from the Body though never so loathsome or deformed The vilest Body cannot marre the Soules beauty But then on the other hand the most beautiful Body is defiled and deformed by the filthinesse of sin in the Soul And O! how many deformed and ugly Souls dwell into beautiful and comely Bodies which truely is no other thing then a Divel in an Image well carved and painted Christians you had need to correct this within you even a self-complacency joyned with despiseing of others in the consideration of these external Gifts God hath given you What an abominable thing is it to cast up in reproach or in your hearts to despise any other for natural Imperfections Such as Blindnesse Lamenesse Deformity or such like Let that word sound alwayes in your Eares Who made thee to differ from another Boast not thy self c. But there is as strong a Stream runs in the third Channel as in any Gloriation arising from these outward and extrinsick differences that the Providence of God makes among men such as Riches Honour Gain c. You find such men Psal 49. 6. Prov. 18. 11. And 10. 15. That which a godly man makes the Name of the Lord that is the ground and foundation of his confidence for present and future times that the most part of men make their Riches That is their strong City and their high Wall their Hope and Expectation is reposed within it This is the Tower or Wall of Defence against the Injuries and Calamities of the Times which most part of men are building and if it go up quickly if they can get these several Stones or peeces of gain scraped together into a heap they straight way imagine themselves safe as under a high Wall But there is no truth in it it is all but in their imagination and therefore it comes often down about their Eares and offends them instead of being a Defence Let a man câ—eep as it were from of the ground where the poor lie and get some advantage of ground above them or be exalted to some Dignity or Office and so set by the shoulders higher then the rest of the People or â—et grow in some more aboundance of the things of this life and strange it is what a vanity or tumour of mind instantly follows He presently thinks himself some body and forgeting either who is above him to whom all are Worms creeping and crauling on the Foot-stool Or what a sandy Foundation he stands upon himself He begins to take some secret complacency in himself and to look down upon others below him He applauds as it were unto himself and takes it in evil part to want the approbation and plaudite of others Then he cannot so well endure effronts and injuries as before He is not so Meek and condescending to his Equals or Inferiours While he was poor he used intreaties but now
he had reproved us for breach of Commands for Omission and Neglect of Sacrifices we would have taken with it But what means this reproof for well doing The Lord is a hard Master if we neglect Sacrifices and offer up the worst of the Flock he is angry If we have a care of them and offer them punctually and keep appoynted days precisely he is angry what shall we do to please him I think many of you are put to as great a Non-plus when your prayers and repentance and fasting is quarreled Do ye not say in your hearts we know not what to do Ministers are angry at us if we pray not and ouâ— praying they cry out against They command us to Repent and Fast and yet say that God will abhore both these This is a Mystery and we shall endeavour to unfold it to you from the World It concerns us to know how God is pleased with our publick Services and Fastings For the most part of people have no more Religion Ye all I know desire to know what True Religion is Consult the Scriptures and search them for there ye shall find Eternal Life We frame to our self a wrong Patern and Coppy of it and so we judge our selves wrong Our narrow Spirits do not take in the Latitude of the Scriptures Religion but taking in one part it excludes another and thinks God rigid if it be not taken of our hand so But I pray consider these three things which seem to make up the good Old Way the Religion of the Old and New Testament First Religion takes in all the Commands it is universal hath respect to all the Commandments Psal 119. 6. It carries the two Tables in both-hands the first Table in the right hand and the second in the left These are so intirely conjoyned that if ye receive not both ye cannot receive any truely Secondly it takes in all the man his Soul and Spirit al 's well as his Body Nay it principally includes that which is principal in the man his Soul and Spirit his Mind and Affections If ye divide these ye have not a man present but a body And what fellowship can bodies have with him who in a Spirit If ye divide these among themselves ye have not a Spirit indeed present If the mind be not present surely the heart cannot but if the mind be and the heart away Religion is not Religion but some empty Speculation The mind cannot serve but by the heart Where the heart is there a man is reckoned to be Thirdly it takes in Jesus Christ as all and excludes altogether a mans self He worships God in the Spirit but he rejoyces not in himself and in his spirit but in Jesus Christ and hath no confidence in himself or the flesh phil 3. 3 8. It includes the Soul and Spirit and all the Commands but it denyes them all and embraces Jesus Christ by Faith as the only Object of glorying into and trusting into All a mans self becomes dross in this Consideration Now the first of these is drawn from the last therefore it appears first I say an indeavour in walking in every thing Commanded of conforming our way to the present rule and patern is a stream flowing from the pure heart within A mans Soul and Affections must once be purified or it send out such Streams in Conversation And from whence doth that pure heart come Is it the Fountain and Original No certainly The heart is desperately wicked above all things and how will it cleanse it self But this purity proceeds from another Fountain from Faith in Jesus Christ And it is this that lies nearest the uncreated Fountain Christ himself it is the most immediat Conduit the Mouth of the Fountain or the Bucket to draw out of the deep Wells of Salvation All these are conjoyned in this order 1 Tim. 1. 5. The end of the Command is love Ye know Love is said elsewhere to be the fulfilling of the Law And when we say Love we mean all Duties to God and man which Love ought immediately to principle Now this Love proceeds from a pure Heart cleansed and sanctified which pure heart proceeds from Faith unfeigned So then we must go up in our searching from external obedience all alongs till we arrive at the inward Fountain of Christ dwelling in us by Faith And then have ye found true Religion indeed Now ye may think possibly we have used too much circumlocution What is all this to the present purpose Yes very much Ye shall find the Lord rejecting this peoples publick Worship and solemn Ordinances upon these three grounds either they did not joyn with them the observation of weightier Commands or they did not worship him in them with their Spirits had not Souls present or they knew not the end and use for which God had appoynted these Sacrifices and Ceremonies they did not see to the end of all which was Jesus Christ First then I say the people was much in exâ—ernal Sacrifices and Ceremonies Commanded of God but they were ignorant of the end of â—is Commands and of the use of them Ye now in themselves they had no goodness but â—nly in relation to such an end as he pleased they â—ould lead to But they stayed upon the Ceâ—emony and shadow and were not led to use it â—s a means for such an end And so though â—ey fancied that they obeyed and pleased God â—et really they wholly perverted his meaning and intention in the Command Therefore doth the Lord plead wâ—th them in this place for their Sacrificeing as if it had been Murther They used to object his Commands What sayes the Lord did I command these things Who required them Meaning eertainly who required them for such an end to take away your sin who required them but as a shadow of the substance to come Who required them but as signes of that Lamb and Sacrifice to be offered up in the fullnesse of time And for asmuch as ye passe over all these and think to please me with the external Ceremony was that ever my intent or meaning Certainly ye have fancied a new Law of your own I never gave such a Law Therefore it is said Psal 50. 13. God pleads just after this manner Will I eat the flesh of Bulls or drink the blood of Goats c. And Micah 6. 7. Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rammes or with ten thousands of rivers of oyl He who hath no pleasure in sinful men what pleasure can he have in beasts Therefore it was to signify to them who thought God would be pleased with them for their offering that he could not endure them it was worse to him to offer him such a recompense then if they had done none at all Hâ— is only well pleased in his well beloved Son And when they separat a Lamb or a Bullocâ— from the well bâ—loved what was it to him morâ— nor a dogs neck or swines flesh It was
his Creature as these are and no more Isai 66. 3. Noâ— that they looked never beyond the Ceremonies it is evident because they boasted in them theâ— used to find out these as a remedy of their sins and a mean to pacifie Gods Wrath Micah 6. 6. Paul bears witnesse of it 2 Cor. 13. 14. Moses had a Vail of Ceremonies over his Face and the Children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that Mystery Christ Jesus but their minds were blinded and is so to this day in the reading of the Scriptures And this Vail of hardness of heart shall be done away when Christ returnes them again Now I say it is just so with us there was never a people liker other nor we are like the Jews We have many external Ordinances Preaching Hearing Baptism Communion Reading Singing Praying in publick Extraordinary Solemnities of Fasting and Thanksgiving Works of Discipline and Government publick Reproof to sinners Confessions and Absolutions What would ye think if we should change the terms of Sacrifices and new Moons and speak all this to you To what purpose is the multitude of your Fasts and Feasts of your Preachings and Communions of your Praying in secret and in your Families of Conference and Prayer with others of running to and fro to hear Preaching â—o partake of the Lords Table I am full of them â— delight not in them When ye come here on â—he Sabbath who required at your hand to read my Courts Come no more to hear the Word run no more after Communions seek â—o more Baptism to your Children call no â—ore Solemn Assemblies it is all iniquity Oh â—ay ye that is a strange Preaching indeed must â—e Pray no more Hear no more Sing no more Did not God command these Why do ye discharge them We do not mean so that these should not be but they should be in another way All these want the Soul and Life of them which is Jesus Christ in them Do ye not think your selves religious because ye frequent these The multitude of the people think that these please God and pacifie his Wrath Ye have no other thing in your mind but these If ye can attain any sorrow or grief for sin or any tears to signify it presently you absolve your selves for your repentance The scandalous who appear in publick thinks the paying of a penalty to the Judge and bowing the knee before the Congregation satisfies God Ye miss nothing when ye have these I speak to the professors of Religion also who pretend to more knowledge then others when ye have gone about so many Duties ye are well satisfied if ye get liberty in them If ye can satisfy your self ye doubt not of Gods satisfaction And if ye do not satisfy your selves in your Duties ye cannot believe his satisfaction Ye get the Ordinance and misses nothing Now I say in all this ye do not reacâ— to the end of this Ministry Jesâ—s Christ ye dâ— not stedfastly behold him to empty your selveâ— in his bosom to turn over all the unrighteousness of your holy things upon him who bearâ— it That which pleaseth you is not he in whom the Father is well pleased but the measure oâ— your own Duty O! the Establishing of ouâ— own Righteousness is the ruine of the Visiblâ— Church This is the grand Idol and all Sacrifice to it Know therefore that the most part of your performances are abomination and iniquity because ye have so much confidence in them and puts them not upon Christ as filthy raggs or do not cover them with his Righteousness as well as your wickedness I know ye will say that ye are not satisfied with them and that is still the matter of your Exercise Well I affirm in the Lords Name from that ground that ye have confidence in them for if your diffidence and disquietness arise from it your confidence and peace must come from it also Is there any almost that maintains Faith except when their own conditions please them well And that Faith I may call no Faith at least not pure and cleanly entire Faith As for the multitude of you you must know this that God is not pleased with your prayers and fasting and hearing c. Because ye have such an esteem of them because ye can settle your selves against all Threatnings and never once remember of Jesus Christ or consider the end of his coming into the world Because ye find no necessity of pardon for your prayers and righteousness but stretches the garment of these over the uncleanness of your practices What delight hath the Lord in them when they are put in his Sons place Will he not be jealous that his Sons Glory be not given to another In the second place the Lord rejects their performances because there was nothing but a meer shadow of service and no worshipping of God in the Spirit Ye know what Christ saith God is a Spirit and he that worships him must do it in spirit and truth Jo. 4. 24. It is thâ— Heart and Soul that God delights into Mâ— son give me thy heart for if thou give not hy heart I care for nothing else The heart iâ— the whole man What a mans Affection is that he is Light is not so it brings not thâ— man alongs with it Christ Jesus hath giveâ— himself for us and he requires that we offer ouâ— selves to him If we offer a Body to frequenâ— his House our Feet to tread in his Courts ouâ— Ears to hear his Word what cares he for it aâ— long as the Soul doth not offer it self up in Prayer or Hearing And this was the sin of thiâ— people Isai 29. 13. They draw near with thâ— lips and their heart is far from the Lord. Now are not we their Children and have succeeded to this Is there any thing almost in our publick Services but what is publick Is therâ— any thing but what is seen of men Ye comâ— to hear ye sit and hear and is there any more The most part have their minds wandering no thoughts present for your thoughtâ— are removed about your Barns and Corns oâ— some business in your head And if any havâ— their Thoughts present yet where are Affections Which are the Soul and Spirit of Religion without which it is no true fire but wildâ— fire if it be not both burning and shinning Are ye serious in these Ordinances Or ratheâ— are ye not more serious in any thing beside And now especially when Gods Providencâ— calls you to earnest thoughts when it crys to alâ— men to enter into consideration of their owâ— ways I pray you is there any Soul-affliction in your Fasts even for a day Is there any real grief or token of it Not a Fast in Scripture without weeping We have kept many and have never advanced so far Shall the Lord then be pacified Will not his Soul abhore them How shall they appease him for your other provocations when they are as Oyl to
with their oath and curse and they never trouble themselves more Oh what mocking of God is this Now al 's long as it is thus there is no imployment for the Son of Gods Blood they can do their own turn Men will not come to Christ because it is the best way if they see any else beside None will come till he see it is the only way None can wash in Christ except they wash all If ye have any thing that needs not washing his Blood is not for you his righteousnesse is not known when ye establish all or a part of your own I fear the most part of you have no imployment for Christ Ye have extream need of him but ye know it not For there are many things which ye will not number among your sins your Prayers your Hearing Reading Singing publick and private Worship giving Alms c. How many of you were never convinced of any sin in these Do ye not conceive God is well pleased with you for them Your Conscience hath convinced you it may be of grosse sins as drunkennesse filthinesse swearing c. But ye are not convinced for your well doing Ye find not a necessity of a Mediator for these I think many of you never confessed any such thing except in a general notion Alas how ignorant are men of themselves We are unclean how can any thing we do cleanse us Are not we unclean and do not our hands touch our own works Shall not then our own uncleannesse defile our good Actions more then they can cleanse us Hag. 2. 13. The ignorance of this makes men go about to build up their old ruined righteousnesse and still seek something in themselves to make up wants in themselves Always when the Light of God hath discovered you to your selves so that ye can turn your eye no where but uncleannesse fills it though your Conversation be blamelesse in the world so as men can challenge nothing yet ye have found within and without nothing but matter of mourning I say this is an evidence that the Spirit hath shined and inlightened thy darknesse Now when thou hath fled unto Jesus Christ for a covering to thy righteousnesse al 's well as unrighteousnesse it remains that thou now put away the evil of thy doings Put not away thy doings but the evil of them We challenge your Prayers Services and publick Duties even as the Prophet did We declare unto you that God is as evil pleased with them as your drunkennesse whoreing intemperance c. The most part of you are no more acceptable when ye come to the Church then when ye go to the Tavern your praying and cursing is almost all one What shall we do then say ye Shall we pray no more and hear no more No say I put not away your Prayers and Ordinances but put away the evil of them from before his sight Rather multiplie your doings but destroy the evil and iniquity of your doings And there is one evil or two above all that makes them hateful to him Ye trust to much in them Here is the iniquitie ye idol of jealousie set up ye make your doings your righteousnesse and in that notion they are abomination There is nothing makes your worship of God so hateful as this ye think so much of it and justifies your self by it And then God knows what it is that ye so magnifie and makes the ground of your claim to Salvation it is even an empty ceremony a shadow without substance a body without a Soul You speak and look and hear you exercise some outward Senses but no inward Affections And what should that be to him who is a Spirit They did not observe the Iniquity of their Holy things and therefore are they marked by him they are in his sight They did not see so many faults in their Prayers and Services They wondered why God did chide them so much But God marks what we misse he remembers when we forget We cover our selves with a Vail of External Duties and think to hide all the Rottennesse of our Hearts but it will not be hid from him before whom Hell hath no covering all hearts are open and naked before him Your secret sins are in the sight of his Countenance Men hear you Pray see you present at Worship they know no more at least they see no more Nay but the formâ—lity of thy Worship the wanderings of thy Mind are in his sight And O! how excellent a Rule of walking were this to do all in his sight and presence Oh that ye were perswaded in your hearts of his All-seing All-searching Eye and All-knowing Mind VVould ye not be more sollicitous and anxious anent the frame of your hearts then the liberty of your speech or External gesture Oh how would men retire within themselves to fashion their Spirits before this All-searching and All-knowing Spirit If ye do not observe the evils of your hearts and ways they are in his sight and this will spoil all acceptance of the good of them If ye observe the evils of your well doing and bring these also to the Fountain to wash them and be about this earnest indeavour of perfecting Holinesse of perfecting well-doings in the Power and Fear of God then certainly he will not set your sins in the Light of his Countenance the good of your way shall come before him and the evil of it Christ shall take away Cease to do evil c. These are the two Leggs a Christian walks on if he want any of them he is lame and cannot go equally ceasing from evil and doing good Nay they are so united that the one cannot subsist without the other If a man do not cease from evil and his former lusts he cannot do well or perfite Holiness There are many different Dispositions and Conditions of men There are generally one of two Some have a kind of abstinence from many grosse sins and are called civil honest men they can abide an inquest and censure of all their Neighbours they can say no ill of them But alas there is al 's little good to be said He drinks not swears not whores not steals not Nay but what doth he well Alas the World cannot tell what he doth for he prays not in secret nor in his family he is void of some offences towards men but there are many duties called to towards both God and men he is a stranger to He oppresses not the poor nay but he is not charitable either to give to them He defrauds no man but whom helps he by his means Again there are others they will boast of some things done they pray they keep the Church well they do many good turns and yet for all that they do not cease to do evil They were drunkards so they are They can swear for all their prayers are given to contention to lying to filthiness c. Now I say neither of these Religions is pure and undefiled Religion
each striving for the place and were it not better to be under one settled Government If there be any tendernesse of God in your hearts or light it your Consciences they cannot but testifie againsâ— your lusts these strange Lords Your lusts again they drive you on against your Conscience Thus ye are divided and tormented betwixt two your own Conscience and Affections You have thus the pain of Religion and know not the true pleasure of it You are marred in the pleasures of sin Conscience and the love of God is a worm to eat that Gourd it is Gall and Vinegar mixed in with them Were it not more wisdom to be either one thing or another If ye will have the pleasures of sin for a season take them wholly and renounce God and see if your heart can endure that If your heart cannot condescend to that I pray you renounce them wholly and ye shall find more exquisit and sure pleasures in godlinesse at his Right Hand O what a noble entertainment hath the Soul in God The Peace and Joy of the Holy Ghost is a Kingdom indeed SERMON XII Isai 26. 3. Thou shalt keep him in perfect Peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee ALL men love to have priviledges above others Every one is upon the designe and search after some well-being since Adam lost that which was true happinesse We all agree upon the general notion of it but presently men divide in the following of particulars Here all men united in seeking after some good something to satisfie their Souls and satiat their desires Nay but they scatter presently in the prosecution of it because according to every mans fancy and corrupt humour they attribute that good unto diverse things And when they meet with disappointment they change their opinion of that but are made no wiser for they turn from one to another of that same kind in which their imagination hath supposed blessednesse to be And therefore they will return to that which they first loathed and rejected Is there then no such thing in the world as blessednesse Is it not to be found among men Are all mens unsatiable desires in vain Is a Creature made up and composed of desires to keep it in continuall torment and vexation of spirit No certainly it is and it is found by some All the world strive about it but the man only who trusts and believs in God he it is who carries it away from them who hath this priviledge beyond the world And why do so many misse it Because they do not see nor suspect that it is blessednesse indeed which he injoyes But on the contrair their corrupted imaginations represent godlinesse and a godly mans self-indigency and dependance on God as the greatest misery and shame The godly man hids not his blessednesse from the world No he proclaimes it when he hath found it He would that all enjoyed it with him And if there were no more to declare that it doth not consist in worldly things this might suffice they are not communicable to many without the prejudice and losse of every one But none will believe his report of his own Estate If ye would consider here is that which men toyl for compasse Sea and Land for here it is near thee in thy mouth It is not in Heaven that thou should say How shall I ascend to it It is not in Hell below that thou shouldest say Who shall descend It is not in the ends of the Earth No it is near thee in thy mouth It is not beyond the Sea but it is near in thy mouth even the word of faith which Christ preached Rom. 10. 6 7 8. And what sayes that word Believe with thy heart and thou shalt be saved Trust in God and depend on him and ye shall have peace and that perfect peace and this peace shall be kept by God himself Blessed then is the man that trusts in the Lord Psal 40. 4. Ye make a long journey in vain ye spend your Labour and Money in vain all the pains might be saved it is not where ye seek it ye travel about many creatures ye go to many doors and enquire for Happinesse and Peace but ye go too far off ye need not search so many Coasts it is nearer hand in this word of the Gospel the joyful sound It is this that proclaimes peace Peace is a comprehensive word especially in Scripture It was the Jews salutation Peace be to you meaning happinesse and all good things It is Christs salutation Grace and Peace Grace is Holinesse Peace is Happinesse and these are either one or inseparably conjoyned as one This was the Angels Song Glory to God peace on earth Luk. 2. 14. Bleslednesse was restored or brought near to be restored to miserable man by Jesus Christ and upon the apprehension of this Angels Sing It was this Christ came in the world with and when he went away he left this Legacy to his Children My peace I leave you Jo. 14 27. We lost happinesse and all men are on a vain pursuit of it since but it is found and found by one of our Kin our Lord Jesus our Elder Brother he hath found it or made it and brought it near us in the Gospel for the receiving and who so receives him by Faith and trusting in him receives that priviledge that peace He endured much trouble to gain our peace he behoved to undergo misery to purchase our Blessednesse and so it is his own and who so receives him receives it also The newes of such a peace might be seasonable in the time of warr and trouble if we apprehended our need of it It is not a peace from warr and trouble but a peace in warr and trouble My peace I leave you in the world ye shall have trouble Jo. 14. 27. and 16. at the end What a blessed Message is it that there is a peace and a perfect peace attainable in the midst of warrs confusions and calamities of the times publick and personal a perfect peace a compleat peace even compleat without the accession of outward and worldly peace that needs it not nay appears most perfect and intire in it self when it is striped naked of them all Behold what a priviledge the Gospel offers unto you Ye need not be made miserable but if you please This is more then all the world can afford you there is no man can promise to himself immunity from publick dangers or personal from many griefs and disappointments But the Gospel bids you reckon up all your troubles and miseries that ye can meet with in the world and yet in such a case if ye hearken to wisdom there is a peace that will make you forget that trouble Her wayes are wayes of pleasantness and all her pathes are peace Pro. 3. 17. I will undertake to make thee blessed says Wisdom the Fathers Wisdom When all the world hath given thee over for miserable when
Soul If he be one and the same in Peace and Trouble Prosperity and Adversity do not lament him in the one more then the other It is the Mind that maketh your Condition good or bad But yet I say the Beleever hath likewise peace with all the Creatures which the world hath not and even in this he is a priviledged man He is in league with the stones of the field and in peace in his tabernacle Job 5. 23. All things are his because he is Christs and all are Christs who is the possessor of Heaven and Earth at least the Righteous Heir of both 1 Cor. 3. 21. The Unbeliever hath no right to the Creature Though there be a Cessation for a time between them and him yet that is no peace for they will at length be armed against him they are witnesses already against him and groan to God for the corruption that mans sin hath subjected them unto His Table is it may be full yet it is a snare unto him He getteth ease and quietnesse outwardly Nay but it slayeth the fool and destroyeth him But the godly man is at peace thorow Christs Blood with all Crosses and Comforts The Sting and Enimity of all evils is taken away by Christ Poverty is made a friend because Chrisâ— was poor Hunger and Thirst is become a friend because Christ was hungry and thirsty Reproach and Contempt is at peace with him because Christ was despised Afflictions and Sorrows are reconciled to him because Christ was a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs In a word Death it self is become a friend since Christ subdued it by tasting of it I may say the worst things to a Natural man are bâ—come best friends to the Believer The Grave keepeth his Body and dust in Hope Death is a better friend then Life for it ministers an entry into Glory It is the Door of Eternall Life it taketh down the Tabernacle of Mortality that we may be Cloathed upon with immortality In Summe whatever it be Christ hath stamped a new quality on it it cometh through his hand and so if it be not good in it self yet it is good in the use and in his appointment Rom. 8. 21. If it be not good yet it worketh together for our good It contributeth to our good because it is in his Skilfull Hand who can bring good out of evill peace out of trouble Oh that ye were perswaded to be Christians indeed to love his Law and trust in him â—reat peace have all such This were more to you nor peace in the world Your peace should be as a River for abundance and perpetuity no drought could dry it up it should run in time as a large River and when time is done it would embosome it self in Eternity in that Ocean of eternall peace and joy which the Saints are drowned in above Other mens peace is but like a Brook that dries up in Summer SERMON XIII Isai 26. 3. Thou shalt keep him in perfeâ— Peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee CHrist hath left us his peace as the great aâ— comprehensive Legacy My peace I leaâ— you Joh. 14. 27. And this was not peace in thâ— world that he injoyed you know what his liâ— was a continual warfare but a peace above the world that passeth understanding In the world you shall have trouble but in me yâ— shall have peace saith Christ a peace that shaâ— make trouble no trouble You must lay you accompts to have such a life as the Forerunner had But withall as he hath left us hiâ— trouble so hath he left us his peace Thâ— trouble will have an end but the joy can nâ— man take from you We have this sure Promise to rest upon in behalf of the Church peaâ— shall be on Israel A peace that the worlâ— knoweth not and so cannot assault it or takâ— it away Oh that you would hearken to thiâ— word That you would trust in the Lord and staâ— upon your God then should your peace be as a River Isai 48. 18. There is nothing more desired in time of trouble then peace but all peacâ— is not better then warr Some necessary warr is better then evil grounded peace The Kingdomes have been long in pain labouring to bring forth a safe and well-grounded peace But alas we have been in pain and brought forth wind when we looked for peace no good came and for healing behold trouble But how shall we arrive at our desired Haven Certainly if peace be well grounded it must have Truth for its Foundation and Righteousnesse for its Companion Truth must spring out of the earth and righteousness look down from heaven This were the compendious way for publick peace if every man would make his own peace with God There are controversies with God between King Nobles and People and therefore God Fomenteth the warrs in the Kingdoms If you would have these ended make peace with God in Christ by flying in unto him and resting on him more trusting in God would dispatch our warrs Trusting in the arm of flesh continueth them Allways what ever be peace or warr here is the businesse that more concerns you your eternal peace and safty And if ye were more careful of this to save your own Souls you would help the publick more If you could be once perswaded to be Christians indeed we needed not presse many duties in reference to the publick and untill you be once perswaded to save your selves by flying from the wrath to come it is in vain to speak of pub lick Duties to you We do therefore declare unto you the way of obtaining perfect peace peace as a River if you will quite all self-confidences fly from your selves as your greatest enemies and trust your Souls unto the Promise in Jesus Christ and lean all your weight on him we assure you your peace shall run abundantly and perpetually Whoever trusteth in Creatures in uncertain Riches in worldly peace in whatsoever thing beside the only living and glorious Lord we perswade him that his peace shall fail as a Brook All things in this world shall deal deceitfully with you as a Brook which is blackish by reason of Ice what time it waxeth warm it shall evanish you â—hat looked and waited for water in it shall be confounded because you hoped and are ashamed because of your expectation Job 6. 15. c. The Summer shall dry up your peace and what will you do But if you pour ouâ— your Souls on him and trust in the Fountain of Living Waters you shall not be ashamed for your peace shall be as a River The Elephant is said to trust that he can drink out a River but he is deceived for he may drink again it runs and shall run for ever If any thing would essay to take your peace from you it is a vain attempt for it runs like a River it may be shallower and deeper but it cannot run dry because oâ—
the Living Fountain it proceedeth from There is no other thing can be made sure all besides this is uncertain and this only is worthy to be made sure Nothing besides this can give you satisfaction Are your hearts asking within you how shall this peace be attained If you desire to know it consider these words whose heart is stayed on thee because he trusts in thee It concerneth you much to know well what this is that your eternal peace depends on Trusting in God is the leaning of the Souls weight on God the Soul hath a burden above it heavy and unsupportable and this the truster casteth upon God And so he is a loadened and weary man whom Christ exhorteth to come to him and he shall find ease for his Soul Matth. 11. 28. Prov. 3. 5. Leaning to our self and trusting in God are opposed Psal 22. 10. Trusting is exponed to be a casting upon God Psal 25. 1. It is called a lifting up the Soul to him This one thing is included in the bosome of Trusting and Believing that a man hath many burdens too heavy for him which would sink him down The Believer is such a one as Jehosaphat 2 Chron. 20. 12. O Lord we have no might against this great company neither know we what to do O Lord I have an Army of iniquities against me a great company compasseth me about An Army of Cursâ—s al 's numerous as mine iniquities both are innumerable as the Sand of the Sea I have no might against them neither know I what to do Nay the Lord is against me his wrath is like the roaring of a Lyon what can I do agaiâ—st him The first beginning of trusting in God is distrusting our sâ—lves And untill a man see his duty and burden beyond his strength his burden greater then he can bear you will never perswade him to come to Jesus Christ and lean on him We will not preacâ— any such Doctrine as to discharge any to coâ— to Christ till they be wearied and loaden For when a man conceiveth that he wanteâ— that weariednesse whither shall he go to fiâ— it Is there any Fountain but one Jesâ— Christ both of Grace and preparations to it any such be But this we preach unto yoâ— that unâ—â—l you be wearied and loaden you wiâ— not cast your burden on Jesus We need nâ— discharge you to come till you be such for ceâ—tainly you will not come This is the desperâ— wickednesse of our hearts that we will neveâ— forsake our selves till we can do no better Utill men be as David I looked on the right hanâ— and there was none would know me refuge failâ— me certainly they will not cry to God Mâ— will look round about them before they wiâ— look up above them they will cast the burdeâ— of their Souls upon any thing upon their owâ— sorrow and contrition upon their resolution â— amend upon external Duties and Priviledge upon civil Honesty until all these succumb under the weight of their Salvation and then iâ— may be they will ask after him who bare oâ— griefs I would not willingly speak of preparations to Faith because it putteth men upoâ— searching something in themselves upon fashioning their own hearts and trimming them tâ— come to Christ wheras there is nothing caâ— be acceptable to him but what cometh froâ— him But I think all that men intend whâ— speak of preparations may be gained this waâ— by holding out unto men the impossibility oâ— â—oming to Christ till they be emptied of themselves Not that the one is a thing going before to be done by us but because they are all â—ne it is one motion of the Soul to come out of â—t self and in to Jesus It is one thing really to â—istrust our selves and to trust in him And by this means when the true Nature of Faith it â—elf is holden out men might examine themselves â—ather by it whither they have it nor by the preparations of it But to come to our purpose when the Soul is pressed under burdens of sin and misery of duty and insufficiency and inability to do it then â—he Gospel discovereth unto the wearied Soul a place of reposing and rest The Lord hath established Christ Jesus an ensigne to the people these who seek unto him shall find his rest glorious Isa 11. 10. When there is discovered in us all â—mptinesse and inability yea impossibility to save our selves or perform any duty then are we led to Jesus Christ as one who is come with grace and truth in whom it hath pleased the father all fulness should dwell And the turning of the Soul over upon him is trusting in him You would not mistake this trusting in the Lord in its first and most native acting is not always perswasion of his good-will and love in particular No the Soul meets first with a general promise holding out his good-will in general and the Soul closeth with this a thing both good and true as faithful in it self and worthy of all acceptatiâ—n This is it that we must first meet with an â—ll-sufficient Saviour able to save to the uâ—â—ost all that come to him and the Souls acâ—epting of that blessed Saviour on the termes he is offered this is believing in him and trusting to him as a compleat Saviour Now when the Soul hath disburdened it seâ— upon God and set to itâ— seal to the truth oâ— tâ— promises in the Gospel for Salvation If tâ— Light of the Spirit shine to discover this unâ— it that it hath laid hold on his strength whoâ— able to save to the utmost then it becometh peâ—swaded of his love in particular and this is râ—ther the Sealing after believing then believing â—self When once men have hazarded their Soâ— upon his word and trusted in him then thâ— may trust in him for all particulars He thâ— hath given his Son for us will be not with him gâ— all things This therefore is the continual â—course of a Believer from discovered emptineâ— and insufficiency in himself to travel unto tâ— fulnesse and strength of Jesus Christ that hâ— strength may be perfected in weaknesse Yâ— when all things seem contrary and his dispeâ—sation writes bitter things against us yet ouâ— we to trust in him Job 13. 15. There is a peâ— of wilfulness and violence in Faith that will loâ— allways towards his word whatever be threâ—ned to the contrary Now from this Faith in God floweth a câ—stant dependance and stayedness on him Tâ— are stayed on him because they trusted in him â— Faith discovereth in God such grounds tâ— it may lean its weight upon him without wâ—vering and changing It considereth his poâ—er his good-will and his faithfulness Hâ— able to perform he is willing to do it and he is faithful because he hath promised His greatness and power is a high Rock higher then we that Faith leadeth us unto His love and good will in Jesus Christ maketh an open entry and ready access to that Rock And faithfulness
ingageth both to give a shelter and refuge to the poor sinner Would a Soul be any more tossed would there be any place for wavering and doubting if Souls considered his excellent loveing kindness and great goodness laid up and treasured with him for these that trust in him Psal 36. 7. Who would not put their trust under the shadow of his wings and think themselves safe Again if his eternal power were pondered how he is able to effectuat whatever he pleaseth what everlasting Armes he hath that by a word supports the frame of the world what he can do if he stretch out his Arm And then if these two immutable things Heb. 6. 18. His Promise and his Oath were looked upon how he hath ingaged himself in his Truth and sworn in his Holiness Would not a Soul ly safely between these three what strong consolation would such a threefold consideration yield Would any wind or tempest blow within these Walls mounted up to Heaven Stayedness on God is nothing else but the fixedness of believing and trusting Psal 112. 7 8. His heart is fixed trusting in God hiâ—â—eart is established It is even the mature and ripe age of Faith Fâ—ith while it is yet in infancy in its tender years it neither can endure storms nor can it confirm us in them But when it hath sprung up and grown in that root of Jesse wheâ— it is rooted and established in Jesus Christ then it establisheth the Soul Faith abiding in him and taking root groweth confirmed as a Tree that cannot easily be moved and if you establish Faith you shall be established There are two particulars which I conceive the trusting Soul is stayed on First in the meditation of God Secondly in expectation from him of all good things When I say the Meditation of God I take in both Contemplation and Affection The most part of men have but few thoughts of God at all even those who trust in him do not consider sufficiently what a One he is in whom they believe If Faith were vigorous and lively it would put men to often thinking on him seeking to know him in his glorious Names the mind would be stayed upon this glorious object as the most Mysterious and Wonderful One How throng are mens minds with their vanities When they awake they are not still with God The Meditation of him is a burden to them Any other thing geteth more time and thoughts But Meditation addeth Affection to Contemplation Men may think long upon the Heavens and their Course but their Affections are not ravished with them But this is the Soul stayed on God when the Souls desires are towards the remembrance of his Name then Affection stayeth the mind upon what it pitcheth one And certainly the mind giveth but passing looks constrained thoughts where the heart is not Here is Davids Meditation Psal 1. My delight is in the law of the Lord. The Soul of a Believer should be constant and fixed in the consideration of God till he be wholly ingaged to admiration and wondering O Lord how excellent is thy Name Ps 8. 1. And who is like unto thee You all say that you believe in God and know his Power you know he is Good he is Merciful Just Long suffering Faithful c. But what is all this knowledge but ignorance and your light darkness when it doth not press you to put your trust in his Name You know Nay but you consider not what you know This is trusting when the mind is stayed on what it knoweth when all the scattered thoughts and affections are called home and united in one to be exercised about this comprehensive Object The Lord our God It is not want of knowledge destroyeth you but want of consideration of what you know and this is brutishness Mens hearts do not carry Seal and Stamp of their knowledge because thoughts of God and his word are but as passengers that go thorow a Land as lightning going thorow the mind but warms it not And so their practice carrieth no impression of it either How base is it for those who have God for their God to be so ignorant of him Would not any man willingly travel about his own possessions Have you such a large portion Believers and should you be taken up with other vanities Should your hearts minds be stayed on them more then the living God There is a great vanity and levity in mens minds The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men that they are vanity There is aâ— unsetledness of Spirit we cannot pitch upon that on which we may be stayed And so all the spirits of men are in a continual motion from one thing to another for nothing giveth compleat satisfaction and therefore it must go and try one after another to see if it can find in it what iâ— found not in the former And such is the inconstancy of the Spirit that it licketh up its vomit and what thing it refused it eateth it up as itâ— meat The time is spent in choosing and refusing rejecting one thing and taking another and again returning to what you have rejected Thus are men tossed up and down and unstablâ— in all their ways as a Ship without ballasting Now Faith and trusting in God is the ballasâ— and weight of this inconstant Ship It is the Anchor to stay it from being driven to and fro once men would pitch upon this one Lord wiâ— hath in himself eminently all the scattered perfections of Creatures and infinitely more if you would consider him and meditate on him till your Souls loved him would you not be ravished with him Would you not build your house beside him and dwell in the meditation of his Name This would fix and establish you in duties when I awake I am still with thee A little searching and experience discovereth emptiness in all beside and therefore is it that the Soul removeth sooner from such a particular Creature then it expected but here is one that is past finding out The more I search and find I find him the more above what I can search and find The Creatures are but painted and fair in mens apprehension and at a distance but the near injoyment of them discovereth the delusion and sendeth a man away ashamed because he trusted But the Lord God is and there is no other he is not as waters that fail no liar he is an everlasting Fountain the more you dig and draw it runs the faster he will never send any away ashamed that trust in him because they shall find more then they expected Therefore the Soul that is stayed on meditation of God and knoweth him certainly will be fixed in expectation from him Our expectation from the Creatures changeth because it is oft frustrat disappoyntment meets it it is above what is in the Creature and so it must meet with disappoyntment But as he is above our meditation so is he far above our expectation And if a mans experience answer
his hope he hath no reason to change his hope The Lord hath often done things we looked not for but we never looked for any thing according to the grounds of the word but it was done or a better then it He doth not always answer our limitations but if he give Gold when we sought Silver are we not answered Are we disappoynted There are three things that use most to disquiet and toss mens spirits sin and wrath future events and present calamities Faith establisheth the Soul on God in all these and suffereth it not to be driven to and fro with these winds It finds a harbour and refuge in God from all these If he be pursued by the avenger of blood Gods Wrath and Justice here is an open City of Refuge that he may run to and be safe If iniquities compass me about yet I will not fear but oppose unto that great company the many sufferings and obedience of Jesus Christ My coâ—science challengeth and writteth bitter things against me yet I have an answer in that blood that speaketh better things nor Abels If sinns prevail he will purge them away His Mercy is above all my â—â—n and his Vertue and Power is above my sin He hath promised and will he not do it Oftimes mens Souls are perplexed and tossed about future Events careful for to morrow this is a great torment of spirit it cutteth and divideth it putteth a man to his own providence as if there were no God But he that trusteth in God is established in this his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord he hath commited his Soul to him and why may he not his body He hath nothing but his promise for eternal Salvation and may not that same suffice for temporal He careth for me saith Faith why then should we both care about one thing He hath given his Son for me the most precious gift which the world cannot match and will he not with him give all these lesser things And thus the Believer incloseth himself within the fathers love and providence and iâ— fixed not fearing evil tidings For what tydings can be evil seing our Father hath the Soveraign disposing of all Affairs and knoweth what is best for us Present dispensations often shake men and driveth them to and fro their feet slip and are not established thou bid thy face and I was troubled But if you trusted in God and considered what is in him to oppose to all difficulties and calamities you would say I shall not be moved though the floods lift up their voice If you believed his love would not this sweetten all his dealing He maketh all work together for good Soveraignty Righteousness and Mercy are sure and firm ground to stand upon in all storms You may cast Anchor at any of those and ly secure It is the Lord let him do what be pleaseth This was enough to quiet the saints in old times Should he give account of his matters to us Sball the clay say to the potter why is it thus His absolute right by Creation maketh him beyond all exception do what he please But beside this he is pleased and condescendeth to reason with us and give account of his matters to testify to our Conscience that he is righteous in all his ways It was the ground of Jeremiahs setling Lam. 3. It is of the Lords mercy that we are not consumed It should have allayed and stayed Job know this thou art punished lesse then thy iniquities deserve who will set a time to plead with him Shall any be found righteous before him And this might stop all mens mouths and put them in the dust to keep silence seing he hath Law to do infinitely more then he doth why should not we rather proclaim his Clemency then argue him so very hard If to both those you shall add the consideration of his Mercy that all his pathâ— are Mercy and Truth unto you even when he correcteth most severely so that you may blesse him as well for Rods as for Meat and Cloathing and count your self blessed when you are taught by the Rod and the Word the one speaking to the other aâ— the other sealing its instruction If you believâ— that it were a fruit of his Love He chasteneth â—very son whom he loveth that because he will nâ— let you depart from him will not let you settâ— upon a present world and forget your Countreâ— above therefore he compasseth you about witâ— Hedges of Thorns to keep in your way And therefore he maketh this world bitter and unpleasant that you may have no continuing City If all this were believed would not the soul triumph with Paul What can separat me from thâ— love of God not past things for all my sins are blotted out and shall be remembered no more not present things for they work to good and are a fruit of his Love not things to come for that is to come which shall more declare his love then what is past Would not a Soul sleep securely within the compass of this Power this Love and Faithfulness of God without fear of dashing or sinking Now judge whither a perfect peace may not flow from all this may it not be a perfect calm when the Mountains that inviron go up to Heaven Not only doth the Soul trust in God but God keepeth the trusting Soul in peace He is the creator of peace and the preservator of it I creat peace I keep him in peace The same power and vertue is required to the preserving of a thing and the first beeing of it Our Faith and Hope in God is too weak an Anchor to abide all storms Our cords would break our hands faint and weary but he is the everlasting God who failâ—â—â— not and â—â—arieth not he holdeth an invisible grip of us we are kept by his power to salvation and we are kept by his power in peace Thy right band holdeth me saith David and this helpeth me to pursue thee What maketh believers inexpugnable impregnable is it their strength No indeed but salvation will God appoynt for walls and bulwarks Almighty Power is a strong wall though invisible this power worketh in us and about us Now Believers pity the world about you that knoweth not this peace when they ly secure and cry peace peace Alas they are a City open without walls as the plain field there is no keeper there nothing to hold off destruction Entertain your own peace do not grieve the Spirit who hath sealed it If you return to folly after he hath spoken peace to you I perswade you you shall not maintain this peace there may be peace with God but no peace in thy Conscience as long as the whoredoms of thy heart are to the fore Thou may be secure but security is worse then fear Know this that continuing in a course of sin entertaining any known sin shall trouble thy peace If God have spoken peace to thee thou shalt not lodge that enemy
it Zech. 13. 1. We all c. Mark Secondly sin hath gone over us all and made all mankind unclean Rom. 3. 22. and 10. Every one of Adams posterity is born unclean For who can bring an clean thing out of an unclean Job 14. 4 Consider first how sin defaced innocent Adam how one sin made him so vile and spoyled him of the Divine Nature and so the root was made unclean and the branches must follow the root and so are we all born and conceived in sin Plal. 51. 5. We carry in us Original Corruption flowing from the first actual sin of Adam and this maketh poor Children before they do good or evil to be abominably vile in Gods sight even as the Child is set out Ezek. 16. Every one cometh of evil Parents all come of Adam the Rebel What a loathsome sight would a Child be to us so described cast out in the open field to the loathing of its person in the day it is born And what must it all be before God who is of purer eyes then to behold sin Secondly Unto all this we have added innumâ—rable actual transgressions as so many filthy streams flowing out at the menbers from the inward puddle of Original Corruption And so how much more vile are we all nor infants can be or Adam was in the day he was cast out of Paradise And thus Rom. 3. from vers 10. are the Branches set down in Word Thought and Deed so that all the Incliâ—ations and Motions and Actions of the man are only evil continually Every man shall find his Compt past counting One days faults would weary you but what will your whole life do Known sins are innumerable what must unknown be Every mans heart is like the troubled Sea that casteth up mire and dirt dayly and cannot be at rest The heart is dayly flowing and ebbing in this Corruption it cometh out dayly to the borders of all the Members And there are some high spring Tides when sin aboundeth more When in one Member of the Tongue a world of evil is What can be in all the Members And what in the Soul that is more capable then all the world Well then every man hath sinned in Adam and hath sinned also in his own person and sealed Adams first rebellion by so many thousand Actions like it Every man hath approven the sin that first ruined man and made himself much more loathsome nor Adam was Therefore all mankind may say we all are as an unclean thing Now from all this we we would gladly discover unto you what yoâ— condition is by sin If the Lord would shinâ— how vile would you be Always we mâ—st declare this unto you in the Lords name you aâ— all unclean not only born in sin and iniquitâ— not only have you a body of Death Within youâ— that hath all the Members but all these Members have one time or other acted and brougâ— forth fruit unto Death How vile then muâ— you be in Gods sight It is a strange love thâ— you have to your selves that you cannot apprehend how God can hate you But if hâ— find sin in you wonder rather how he can looâ— upon you We would then have you to knoâ— this that there can be no fellowship betweeâ— God and you in your Natural Estaâ—e Amen cannot inhabit a vile persons house â— more can God enter in your Souls There is aâ— absolute necessity of washing before you can â—â— his House and Temple Hath that one sin oâ— Adam made that Glorious Person so deformed that he could not look on himself buâ— cover himself And hath it been of so defiling a Nature that it hath redounded in all thâ— Posterity And as unclean things under thâ— Law defiled all they touched so hath thaâ— sin subjected all the Creatures to Corruption O then imagine what an unspeakeablâ— defilement must be on us all who are noâ— only guilty of Adams sin but of many thousands beside If one sin have so much loathsomnese in it what must so many out â—â— number united in one person even as in uâ— all No unclean thing can enter in Heaven above Know this for a truth you cannot see Godâ— Face in the case you are born into You know nothing of sin who wonder that any should go to Hell No if you knew any thing of sin you would wonder that ever God should look on such cast out in the open Field in their blood Next You must know the insufficiency of all things imaginable to wash away sins filthinesse except the Blood of Christ Since you are unclean do you not ask how shall we be washed Indeed many have an easy answer and passe it lighty The multitude know no way to cleanse in but the Tears of Repentance and Mourning And so many think themselves clean when they run and pour out a Tear as Esaw did for the blessing But what saith the Lord Though thou wash the with Nitre and take thee much Sope yet thine iniquity is marked Can such an ingrained uncleannesse can such an infinite spot in the immortal Soul be so lightly dashed out Many think Baptism cleanseth them but was not this people Circumcised as ye are baptized And Peter tells us it is not the washing of Water 1 Pet. 3 21. Sacrifice and Offering will not do it This people thought sure they had satisfied God when they brought a Lamb c. but all this is abomination Would not many of you think your selves cleansed from sin if you offered all your Substance and the Fruit of your Body for the sin of your Soul Nay but you must see an absolute necessity of the opened Fountain of Christs Blood that cleanseth from all sin Then we would have you abhorre youâ— selves in Dust and Ashes see nothing in all the Creation so vile as you Look oâ— sin in the sight of Gods Face and how unholy will it appear There are many sins little ones that in our practice passe for venial and uncontrolled But look on the filthy loathsome Nature of all sin and hate the least offence for it hath a kind of infinitnesse in it and blotteth the Soul defileth the person How great a necessity is there of continual application to the Fountain of dwelling beside it that you may wash dayly Davids so often repeated and inculcated prayer Wash me cleanse me c. Psal 51. Declareth that he hath apprehended much uncleannesse in sin that it needeth so many applications of the precious Blood And you who have come to Jesus and are clean O how much owe you to free Grace that past by you in your blood and said Live it is a time of love How strange is it that Glorious Majesty cometh to own Deformity and cometh to cloath it with his own Garments Praise the vertue of that Blood that is more precious nor the Blood of Bulls and Goats that can so throughly purge as you shall have no more Conscience of sin Unclean sinners wash you make
people no doubt have said so in their heart and wondered what it meant Nay but here is the Mystery you go about these commanded Duties not in a commanded way and so the Obedience is but Rebellion You bring Offerings and Incense and think that I am pacified when you bring Alms you judge you have given me a recompense wheras all that is mine and what pleasure have I in these things I never appointed you Sacrifices for this end but to lead you in to the knowledge of my Son which is to be slain in the fulness of time and by one offering to perfect all I commanded you to look on Jesus Christ slain in the slain Lamb and so to expect Remission and Salvation in him But you never looked to more nor the Ceremony and made that your Saviour and Mediator And therefore it is all Abomination When you slay a Lamb and offer Incense it is all one thing as to cut off a Dogs neck or kill a Man So may the Lord say to this Generation I command you to pray to repent and mourn for sin to come and hear the Word but withal you must deny all these and count your selves unprofitable servants you must singly cast your Souls burthen on Christ Jesus But now saith the Lord who commanded your repentance for when you sit down to pray or come in publick to confesse sin before the Congregation you think you are washen When you have said you have sinned and if you come to the length of Tears and Sorrow Oh then sure you are pardoned though in the mean time you have no thought of Jesus Christ and knoweth no use of him Therefore faith the Lord who commanded you to do these things You think you have satisfied for your sin when you pay a penalty but who requireth this I will reckon with you for these al 's well as the sins you pray and mourn for because you do not singly look to Christ Jesus Now if he had never come to the world your ground of confidence would not fail you For you might have prayed al 's much mourned and confessed and promised amendment and so you past by the Son of God in whom only the Father is well pleased Think then upon this whatever you make your righteousnesse there needeth no other thing to make it filthy but to make it your righteousnesse Your confidence in your good heart to God prayer day and night and such like is the most loathsome thing in Gods Eyes Except you come to this to count your prayers as God doth among your oaths to count your solemn Duties among profane scandalous Actions as the Lord doeth Isai 1. and 66. 3. Then certainly you do adorn your selves with them and cover your nakednesse of other faults with such leaves as Adam did but you shall be more discovered Your Garment is al 's filthy as that it hideth even because you make that use of it to hide your sin and cover it Next The Lords Children have no ground of boasting either from their own righteousnesse The holiest Saint on Earth must abhore himself in Dust and Ashes and holy Isaiab joyneth himself in with a pâ—ofane people When he cometh to God to be justified he cometh among the ungodly he bringeth no righteousnesse with him he cometh in among them that work not Now you shall find good ground why it must be so First There are ordinarly many blemishes in our holiest Actions spots on our cleanest Garment often formality eateth up the life of Duties and presenteth a Body without a Soul in it You sit down to pray out of custome morning and evening And if there were no more to prove it this may suffice When pray you but at such times You have an ordinar and goeth noâ— by it no advantage is taken of Providence no necâ—ssity constraineth when occasion offereth and so it is like the worlds appointed houres How great deadnesse and indisposition creepeth in so that it is the ordinary complaint yea all prayers filled with it scarcely any room for other petitions because of the want of frame for prayer it self The word is heard as a discourse and on whom hath it operation to stirr up Affections either of joy or of trembling Christians you come not to hear God speak and so you meet with empty Ordinances God is not in them How often do crooked and sinister ends creep in and byass the Spirit Men ask to spend on their lusts and to satisfy their own ambition Some would have more Grace to be more Eminent or to have a more pleasant Life And this is but the seeking to spend on your lusts If Affection run in the Channel of a Duty it is often muddy and runneth thorow our Corruptions Liberty in Duties is principled with carnal Affection and Self-love Will not often the Wind of Applause in company fill the sails and make your course swifter and freer nor when you are alone And often much love to a partâ—cular maketh more in seeking it And that which is a Moth to eat up and consume all our Duties is conceit and self confidence in going about them and attributing to our self after them It is but very rare that any man both Acteth from Jesus Christ as the principle and also putteth over his work on Christ singly as the end Alas too often do men draw out of Christs Fulnesse and raise up their own glory upon it and adorn themselves with the spoyls of his honour For we use to pray from a habit of it and go to as men acquainted with it and when we get any satisfaction to our own minds O how doth the Soul return on it self and goeth not forward as it goeth It is so well pleased with it self when it getteth liberty to approach that it doth not put all over on Jesus and take shame to it self As long as there is a body of Death within holinesse cannot be pure and unmixed Our Duties run thorow a dirty Channel and cannot choose but contract filth While sin lodgeth under one roof so near Grace Grace must be in its exercise marred and therefore the holy Apostle must cry Rom. 7. 19. The good that I would I do not but the evil which I would not that I do And Verse 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Secondly Though there were not such blemishes and spots in the face of our righteousnesse yet it is here in a state of imperfection and but in its minority and so must be filthy in the Lords sight It was perfect Holâ—nesse according to the perfect Rule of Gods Law that Adam was to be justified by according to the Covenant of works exact obedience not one wanting or else all that can be done came short of righteousness One breach bringeth the curse on All obedience if there be a failing in a little will not bring the blessing on He that doth all liveth and he that doth not