David saith the Lord by his Prophet Isa 55. 3. And thus his onely Son verily verily I say unto you he that heareth my word and beleeveth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life John 5. 24. And fiftly we have no president or example of any that beleeved by reading But we find that many thousands beleeved by hearing Acts 2. 41. and 4 4. and 13. 48. and 17. 12. For it pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that beleeve 1 Cor. 1. 21. And you know that preaching hath its relation to hearing and not to reading But you will say to what purpose then do we bring up our children to reading or what do we with our Bibles and other godly books if reading in them be so unnecessary as you say it is Good Christians I pray mistake me not I do not say it is unnecessary But I say it is not so necessary or commodious for the getting of faith as hearing is The word which we read in the book is not so powerfull so full of spirit and life as that which we hear from God by the mouth of his ministers The words that I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life saith our Lord Christ Joh. 6. 63. Nevertheless I am so farr from condemning reading although it may be much abused as the best things too often are That I commend it for a beneficiall and a blessed excercise to all sorts of people both unbeleevers and beleevers For in relation to unbeleevers First it prepareth them for hearing by acquainting them with the history and making them familiar with the body of the Scriptures And you know that a man will more freely and willingly receive and entertain that which is familiar unto him then that which is strang or unknown unless he be of such an Athenian or Atheisticall spirit as to spend his time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing as Acts 17. 21. Secondly it inableth them to hear with the greater discretion and the more readily to find out the severall places of Scripture cited by the Minister either at the present or at their better leisure The Jews to whom Paul preached at Berea were commended for the more noble In that they received the word with readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so Acts 17. 11. Therefore many of them beleeved vers 12. And as for the true beleevers who are neither wedded to their own understandings nor captivated by their own corruptions For the Spirit of God is with them And where the Spirit of God is there is liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. To them I say reading is yet more profitable and proper For it serveth to assist their memories to improve their meditations and likewise to strengthen and confirm their Faith And questionless it was principally for these ends and purposes that the Apostles did write their Epistles to be read in divers churches or congregations which they dedicated to the Saints of God Such are were in Christ Jesus by faith whereunto they had been formerly converted by hearing the Gospell preached unto them either by the Authours of the same Epistles or by some other of the Apostles or Evangelists And therefore I say unto all men women and children concerning reading and hearing as Paul some time said to the Corinthians concerning spirituall gifts and prophesying 1 Cor. 14. 1. Desire reading but rather that ye may hear For faith cometh by hearing and hearing cometh by the word of God preached How can they hear without a preacher saith the same Apostle Rom. 10. 14. Now the reason why I have thus taken upon me to answer this question concerning reading is this Because many think to excuse themselves very well from attending upon God in his publick Ordinances by pretending that they do benefit themselves as much by reading good books at home But truely they do very mightily deceive themselves He that knoweth God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us hereby know we the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of errour Saith that loving and beloved Disciple John 4. 6. WE are now come to answer the fift and last Question compleatly pertinent to the examination of this Beleevers evidence which is this How shall a man know whether he hath this saving faith or not That we may possess our selves of a right understanding in a matter of such consequence let us exactly consider that place of the Prophet Jeremy Where he compareth or likeneth a faithfull person to a goodly Tree that is richly planted well rooted full of sap flourishing fair and fruitfull You shall finde in the seventeenth of the Prophesie of Jeremy at the seventh and eighth verses In these words Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is For he shall be as a Tree planted by the waters and that spreadeth out her roots by the River and shall not see when heat cometh but her leaf shall be green and shall not be carefull in the year of drought neither shall cease from yielding fruit First this Tree is richly planted For she is planted by the waters And Job telleth us That though a Tree be cut down and that the root thereof wax old in the earth yet through the sent of water it will bud and bring forth boughs like a plant Job 14. 7 8 9. Secondly she is well rooted for she spreadeth out her roots by the River she spreadeth out her roots and that by the River Not by filthy myery or muddy waters but by the pure and pleasant streams When the Lord had planted a Garden in Eden with every Tree that was pleasant to the sight and good for food He provided a River to water the Garden Genes 2. 10. And it was the first commendation of the land of Promise That it was a good land a land of brooks of water of fountains and depths that spring out of vallies and hills Deut. 8. 7. Thirdly she is full of sap The Trees of the Lord are full of sap saith the Psalmist Psal 104. 16. And how can she be otherwise seeing she is so richly planted and so well rooted And therefore she shall not see or be sensible when the parching heat passeth over her Fourthly this Tree is flourishing for her leaf shall be green Her leaf shall not wither saith the Prophet David upon the like occasion Psal 1. 3. Fifthly she is fresh and fair and so she shall continue For she shall not be carefull in the year of drougth she shall put forth beautifull buds and blossomes never the lesse Sixthly and lastly she is fruitfull very fruitfull For she shall not cease from yielding fruits But you will say what resemblance or likenesse is there between this flourishing Tree and a true believer I answer let this be alwayes considered that those things which are spoken
3. 13. And from the penalty thereupon depending For he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed Isa 53. 5. And moreover of guilty sinners we are become justified Saints For we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God Rom. 3. 23 24 25. In which words we finde the moving or procuring cause of our justification to be the free grace of God the meritorious cause to be Christ the Son the efficient cause to be God the Father the instrumental cause to be Faith in Christ and the final cause to be the glory of God The glory of his righteousnesse for the Remission of sins That he might be just in being the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus verse 26. For as it is just with God to punish the sins of a Reprobate that dieth in his iniquity So it is as just with him to pardon the sins of a believer for which Christ died And as the true believer is delivered from the guilt and punishment of sin by the merit of Christ So is he also preserved from the power of sin by the Spirit of Christ And this he doth By redeeming us from our vain conversation 1 Pet. 1. 18. By purging our consciences from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. By crucifying our old man the body of sin Rom. 6. 6. By freeing us from the Law the strength of sin 1 Cor. 15. 56 57. By delivering us through grace from the dominion of sin Rom. 6. 14. By strengthening us with might in the inner man Eph. 3. 16. And by making us partakers of the Divine nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. Who will not then conclude with S. Paul In all these things we are more then conquerers through him that loved us Rom. 8. 37. And thus you see that our Lord Jesus Christ by justifying us through his merit hath freed us from the condemning guilt punishment of sin And by sanctifying us through his Spirit he hath delivered and fortified us from and against the prevailing power and insinuation of sin And 〈◊〉 this means he hath redeemed us from 〈◊〉 and destruction being the just reward and recompence of sin And all this meerly and absolutely upon the account of this eternal Covenant of grace For God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life But have everlasting life THis is the blessed Inheritance conferred and confirmed by this Covenant according to this Copy Everlasting life or eternal salvation This is the glorious expectation and inheritance of the Children of God Blessed the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation saith St. Peter 1 Pet. 1. 3 4 5. If in this life onely we have hope in Christ we are of all men 〈◊〉 â—iserable saith St. Paul 1. Cor. 15. 19. 〈◊〉 are troubled on every side saith he yet not â—â—stressed we are perplexed but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed Alwayes bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body 2 Cor. 4. 8 9 10. For which cause we faint not but though our outward man perish yet our inward man is renewed day by day for our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory verse 16. 17 18. Truely it is this Assurance that supports and supplies the militant Members of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout their whole warfare It removeth all difficulties sweetneth all discomforts and relieveth all distresses Verily it elevateth the Soul beyond all expectation I take pleasure in infirmities in reproches in necessities in persecutions in distresses for Christs sake saith St. Paul 2 Cor. 12. 10. Good Paul were these thy pleasant recreations Truely it is not to be denied but that they are very profitable exercises For when I am weak saith he then am I strong When I am weak in the flesh then am I strong in the faith For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are nâ—t worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us Rom. 8. 18. What will not a true believer do or suffer in hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began Tit. 1. 2. But forasmuch as there must be a temporal life before there can be an eternal life Therefore as I have formerly set forth unto you the several sorts or degrees of death So I shall here endeavour â—o shew you the several sorts or degrees of life which I conceive to be likewise four That is to say The natural life The spiritual life The peacefull life and the eternal or everlasting life And secondly I shall apply my self to prove that every one of them as a Member or passage of or to this everlasting life is part or parcel of that eternal inheritance whereunto the Son of God hath intituled us by vertue of this Covenant The first I say is the natural life or the life of Nature That which we say we receive from our Parents And it consisteth in the union of the body and the Soul or of the flesh and spirit according to the vulgar sense But in the Scripture sense that is properly called the natural life wherein a man followeth Nature for his chief or onely guide And of such a one St. Paul sayes That the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2. 14. Now this natural life in either of these senses may be said to be the issue of the first birth or of the fleshly generation For that which is born of the flesh is flesh saith our Lord Joh. 3. 6. And they that are after the flesh do minde the things of the flesh saith St. Paul Rom. 8. 5. Verily whosoever liveth meerly this natural life or this life of Nature onely it were better for him that he had never lived at all that he had never been born For we are all by nature the children of wrath According to that of St. Paul Eph. 2. 3. Neverthelesse though accidentally by reason of the corruption of Nature this natural life tendeth
towards eternal death Yet originally and as it affordeth a being to the Creature without which he could not be capable of everlasting life So it may properly be said to be part of Christs purchase and included within the compasse of this Covenant of Grace The next is the spiritual life For that was not firsi which is spiritual but that which is natural and afterward that which is spiritual 1 Cor. 15. 46. This spiritual life is the fruit of that regeneration or new birth whereby we are said to be born of God John 1. 13. And this birth is perfected when the seed of the word is quickned by the Spirit in the womb of Faith First the seed of this new birth must be the word of God Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever saith Saint Peter 1 Pet. 1. 23. 2ly this word must be quickned by the Spirit It is the Spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I spake unto you they are spirit and they are life saith the Son of God John 6. 63. And thirdly this word must be quickned by the Spirit in the womb of Faith Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God saith S. John 1 John 5. 1. And this may really be called a life for it shall never be overcome of death If ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the spirit do morâ—ifâ—e the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 8. 13. Live eternally for none can live this spiritual life this life of grace but he that is raised from the death of sin Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection on such the second death hath no power but they shall be Priests of God and Christ and shall reigne with him a thousand yeaos Rev. 20. 6. A thousand years Not according to the Millenaries account who dream of an earthly Kingdom to continue for a thousand years contrary to that of Christ himself My Kingdom is not of this World saith he John 18. 36. But whilest they contend for this earthly Kingdom doth it not appear that Their wisdom is earthly sensual c. According to that of St. James Jam. 3. 15. But a thousand years The thousand years of the great Sabbath that eternal Jubilee that shall be celebrated by the Saints of God in that everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. 11. Verily this spiritual life is the greatest good that we can injoy in this World Whilest we live a meer natural life we live at the best but to our selves and we shall finde our selves but bad pay-masters He is an empty Vine that bringeth forth fruit unto himself saith the Lord by his Prophet Hosea 10. 1. But in serving our selves we commonly serve worse Masters then our selves For we serve sin also Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin saith our Lord Christ Joh. 8. 34. And the wages of sinne is death saith St. Paul Rom. 6. 23. Yea and in serving sin and our selves we serve the Devil too In time past ye walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the aire the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Eph. 2. 2. And from such a cursed Master we can expect but a sorry reward The Devils wages is a Mark Rev. 13. 16. But he that receiveth that Mark The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb Rev. 14. 10. But being by this new birth or this spiritual life delivered from these bad Masters we are sure of a blessing For being made free from sin and become servants to God Ye have your fruit unto holinesse and the end everlasting life Rom. 6. 22. And the end everlasting life You see here that the end of this spiritual life is everlasting life But in regard that many do dis-relish and dislike this spiritual life as disquiet and uncomfortable therefore I shall desire you to take the peacefull life in your passage St. Paul exhorteth That supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men for Kings and all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. I will not deny but there are many enemies both spiritual and temporal that do continually endeavour to infest and molest this happy passage towards eternity But what hurt or hinderance can it be to a well resolved spirit though the Devil with all his smoaky legions do thunder forth their phantastick false alarums The Lord will give strength unto his people the Lord will blesse his people with peace saith that man of War Psal 29. 11. Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you not as the world giveth give I unto you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid saith Christ to his Disciples Joh. 14. 17. And he that said it is well able to perform it For he is the prince of peace Isa 9. 6. This is the peace of God and it is more then an ordinary peace It is a perfect and a perpetual peace an infinite and an inward peace First it is a perfect peace Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee saith that Evangelical Prophet to his and our God Isa 26. 3. Secondly it is a perpetual peace The Mountains shall depart and the Hills be removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee According to that of the same Prophet Isa 54. 10. Not so perfect and perpetual that it shall never be interrupted but so perfect and perpetual that it shall never be utterly overthrown Thirdly it is an infinite peace it passeth all understanding And fourthly it is an inward peace It keepeth your hearts and mindes The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and mindes saith the Apostle Phil. 4. 7. Yea and it is an outward peace also when a mans wayes please the Lord. he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him saith that wise man Prov. 16. 7. Or if they will not it shall be upon their own peril For his heart is established he shall not be afraid untill he see his desire upon his enemies Psal 112. 8. This is the peacefull life or the spiritual mans peacefull passage to eternal salvation or everlasting life which is the fourth and last degree and that which is expressed here in this Copy as the onely intire happinesse and perfection of all the former For the matter what
evermore Psal 16. 11. As for profit although it be a lesson that she could gladly learn yet she will take it onely at Gods teaching I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit saith her beloved Isa 48. 17. For otherwise what is a man profited if he shal gain the whole world and lose his own soul Mat. 16. 26. And for worldly preferments experience tells her they are little worth But the word teacheth her by the mouth of her own Lord. That whosoever shall do the will of his Father which is in heaven the same is his brother and sister and mother Ma. 12. 50. And these are such perpetuall preferments as all the world cannot present her with And lastly when the dull flesh would detain her from her attendance on the holy word perswading her that she may slumber still and take her rest awile 't is yet two early by an hour or two and that the weather is foul and wet and cold with the like flatteries and indulgencies Neverthelesse she starteth up and saith my beloved speaks and says unto me Rise up my love my fair one and come away for lo the winter is past the rain is over and gone As Cant. 2. 10 11. Or be it ne'r so rainy cold or foul or full of lets and inconveniencies yet neither shall the flesh the World nor Divel prevent her from the search of her beloved till with that Propet she can safely say with my whole heart have I sought thee Psal 119. 10. And thus she is resolved when and where and How she is to seek her saving Lord. But seeing there are now such multitudes that cry up Christ lo here lo there is Christ and yet our Saviour saith believe it not Mat 24. 23. How shall the longing soul be sure to know when she hath found the Christ her Lord indeed In answer to this much materiall question She must consider that this Lord of glory is alwayes guarded by a glorious train of gifts and graces infinite for number with which he enters into every soul that is thus qualified and prepared But least my taske should be as infinite I shall describe but onely six of them As namely Life Light Humility Assurance Peace and Joy These alwayes are at hand if not in sight to give attendance to this royall Bridegroom And to confirm the Soul in this her search FIrst where this Prince of life is there is life He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life saith St. John 1 John 5. 12. And this life is evidenced by these four particulars namely Sense Motion Resolution and Action The first thing that appeareth in this spiritual life is Sense whilest we want this life of Christ we are altogether senselesse no better then dead dead in trespasses and sins Verily as the body without the Soul is dead so the soul without Christ is dead also She is alienated from the life of God and being alienated from the life of God she is past feeling saith the Apostle Ephes 4. 18 19. She perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2. 14. Ye she is altogether ignorant of her own wretched condition She knows not that she is wretched and miserable and poor and blinde and naked As Rev. 3. 17. But when Christ who is her life appeareth unto her he reviveth and quickeneth her For as the father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them even so the Son doth quicken whom he will John 5. 21. And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins saith St. Paul Ephes 2. 1. He gives the soul the feeling of her sins the sight of Gods fierce wrath and indignation and fearfull judgements thereupon depending And being thus made truely sensibe of her own miseries immediately she doth begin to stir and move her self towards the consideration of her present dangerous condition and the most probable means for her recocery Thus the Jews when they were pricked in their hearts at the relation of their former impieties they said unto Peter And to the rest of the Apostles Men and brethren what shall we do Acts 2. 37. And thus the regenerate Jaylour being awaked by the power of God in that great earth-quake feeling the foundations of the prison shaken seeing all the doors opened and the prisoners bands loosed and hearing notwithstanding all this that none of them were escaped immediately he called for a light and sprang in and came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them out and said Sirs what must I do to be saved Acts 16. 26 c. Nor will this motion admit of rest until it putteth on a resolution No sooner is the soul thus throughly troubled or moved with the sense of her own miseries but she will carefully resolve upon some way or other to work her release And in like manner this her resolution if it be firm and constant will endeavour to put it self into some suddain action All these four signs degrees or passages of a spiritual life do well appear in that story of those four lepers that sate at the gate of Samaria in the time of the famine the 2 of Kings the 7. beginning at the 3 verse For albeit their parly and proceedings were meerly rationall yet they may be applyed unto this our spiritual purpose First it appeareth that they became sensible of their present distresse for they said one to another Why sit we hear untill we die Secondly their thoughts were moved and stirred to work their deliverance If we say we will enter into the city say they then the famine is in the city and we shall die there and if we sit still here we die also Thirdly they took up a Resolution Now therefore come and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians if they save us alive we shall live and if they kill as we shall but die And what they did so purpose and resolve they fourthly forthwith did perform and finish They rose up in the twilight to go unto the camp of the Syrians c. And the successe was rich and admirable For they not onely relieved refreshed and inriched themselves but their whole city also No lesse remarkable to this very purpose is that Parable of the Prodigall by which our blessed Saviour himself intended a spiritual incouragement Luke 15. 17 c. First he came to himself that is he became sensible of his own calamity Secondly he was moved and troubled that his fathers hired servants should fare so much better then himself How many hired servants of my fathers have bred enough and to spare saith he and I perish with hunger Thirdly he resolveth to cast himself upon his fathers compassion I will arise and go to my father and say unto him father I have sinned against heaven and before thee c. And Fourthly he puts his resolution into action And he arose and came to his father And then
commend them for this Let all things be done decently and in order saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 14. 40. We do all strive to seem very spiritual But glorifie God in your bodie and in your spirit which are Gods saith the same Apostle 1 Cor. 6. 20. Glorifie God in your body as well as in your spirit if you will acknowledge that your body belongeth unto God It is a fault amongst us that in matters of religion we do commonly indeavour to make our out-sides seem better then our insides really are But if our insides be not much better then our out-sides in this particular we are in nothing so good as we ought to be Let the wife see that she reverence her husband saith this third rule But if she do not reverence him in her outward actions as well as in her inward affections who can see that she reverenceth him at all besides her self We proceed to the fourth rule Let every woman have her own husband 1 Cor. 7. 2. The Soul that 's married unto Christ must have none other husband but Christ wherefore she will not suffer her affections to run out towards her old acquaintance her old suter sin For she reckons her self to be dead indeed unto sin being alive unto God through Jesus Christ her Lord as Rom. 6. 11. And therefore she will love her Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity as Eph. 6. 24. That so in every case of dread or danger She may indear him with good Hezekiah I beseech thee O Lord remember how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart 1 Kings 20. 3. The fift Rule is this let not the wife depart from her husband 1 Cor. 7. 10. And therefore when the Soul is truely wedded to her dear husband Christ the flesh the Devil the world with all their provocations assaults allurements and temptations can neither draw nor drive her to depart or flee away from her beloved Lord they cannot make her such a wicked harlot as to forsake the guide of her youth and to forget the covenant of her God like that strange woman Prov. 2. 17. They peradventure may so over-power her that they may force her accidentally to slip aside or slide a little back But she remembereth immediately that gracious invitation of her Lord Turn O back-sliding children for I am married unto you Jer. 3. 14. Together with that excellent assurance I will heal thy back-slidings and will love thee freely Hosea 14. 4. And thereupon she makes a quick return she humbly sues unto her Lord for pardon which she through faith obtaineth and by love renews her covenant and so resolves to walk more wisely for the time to come She bears in minde that wholsome caveat Take heed brethren least there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God Heb. 3. 12. And she forgetteth not that woefull curse which doth attend on such Apostasie cursed be the man whose heart departeth from the Lord for he shall be like the heath in the desert and shall not see when good cometh but shall inhabit the parched places in the wildernesse in a salt land and not inhabited Jer. 17. 5 6. There is a fixth Rule yet And that she findeth implyed by St. Paul Tit. 2. 4. Whereby it doth appear that women ought to love their husbands And this in truth compleateth all the rest For first if the wife submitteth her self unto her husband and not in love all her submission is but constrained Secondly without love her obedience is but slavish Thirdly her reverence without love is hypocritical Fourthly if she keepeth her self to her own husband and not in the way of love it is but to avoid reproach or scandal or shame or some such inconvenience And Fifthly if it be not for loves sake that she departeth not from her own husband it is in reference to some self-ends some carnal or sinister by respects Wherefore the Soul that is married unto Christ will be exceeding carefull that this rule of love be well and faithfully observed ANd now the spouse being resolved to please her husband after these and the like Rules desireth to conceive a godly seed That she may be filled with the fruits of righteousnesse which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God as Phil. 1. 11. For as the foresaid tree that 's richly planted well rooted full of vegitable Sap will bring forth fruit as well as leaves and blossoms Even so the Soul that is by faith and love united unto Christ not onely will professe her pure zeal and prepare her self to entertain please her heavenly husband But likewife she is evermore in labour to bring forth fruit after her Lords own likenesse such as deserves the name of godlinesse And therefore she doth constantly endeavour to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitfull unto every good work as Col. 1. 10. If you demand how our imperfect works can gain the title of true godlinesse I answer thus every work or thing will passe before our God for godlinesse that is performed by a true believer according to these three ensuing Rules set forth unto us by the Apostle Paul where he implyes the power of godlinesse Remembering saith he your work of faith and labour of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes 1. 3. First our work must be undertaken by faith Secondly it must be laboured in by love And Thirdly it must be continued by Patience by Patience of Hope in our Lord Jesus Christ First I say it must be undertaken by faith Not onely such a faith as makes a man a true believer in the common sense A justifying and a saving faith For this is alwaies to be presupposed But we must undertake what we intend in order unto such a special faith as onely minds that very thing it self For in this sense we are to understand that place of our Apostle Paul whatsoever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14. 23. And this faith must be established either by precept or by president By the word precept I intend not onely an absolute command but every word of exhortation or incouragement and every necessary consequence provided they be clear and unsuspected proceeding freely from the word of Truth not forced fained doubted or desired nor flattering nor favouring the flesh but answering the dictates of the Spirit in the design of Gods eternal glory By the word president I understand the pure example of our Saviour and of the pen-men of his holy Spirit there where their words and works are paralels But where the word of God is not the Rule the surest Saints may prove no safe examples And he that shall examine all his actions and square them to this principle I doubt not but he is one step in the way to godlinesse For this is that obedience of faith for which Gods holy Gospel is made known as Rom. 16. 25 26.
of Grace I answer that as our Lord Jesus Christ did therein and thereby redeem us from all manner of death as it is a curse or a punishment for sin as I have already proved so I shall now endeavour to prove that he hath therein and thereby purchased and procured for us every sort or degree of life as it is a part of or a passage to eternal salvation And first concerning the first kinde being the natural life This Adam injoyed but conditionally In the day that thou eatest of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt surely die saith the Covenant of works But Adam eateth and must die therefore his present farewell to this natural life must be his welcome to eternal death When in that very instant Christ our Saviour appears for Man And by virtue of that precontract he stayes Gods justice and preserves mans life And by this means we all injoy our lives For had Adam then died according to his desert we had all died in him as the fruit dieth in the root It were little wisdom to expect a posterity from him that never did beget a Child And it appeareth that he had not begotten any before that great rebellion of his which called for present death But afterward in the time of his reprive Adam knew Eve his wife and she conceived and bare Cain Gen. 4. 1. And she again bare his brother Abel Gen. 4. 2. And Adam knew his wife again and she bare a son and called his name Seth Genes 4. 25. And the dayes of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years and he begat sons and daughters Gen. 5. 4. And whosoever hath lived heretofore do now live or shall live hereafter They did do and shall receive their natural life originally from that old feeble stock And therefore his life being preserved to a posterity by Christ in this Covenant of Grace It follows necessarily that we do all receive our natural lives meerly by virtue of that Covenant The second sort or degree is the spiritual life This as I said is the fruit of regeneration or of the new birth In our first birth we are born men In our second birth we are born Christians good men blessed men The first benefit that we received by this Covenant of Grace is our Election in Christ before the foundation of the world Eph. 1. 3 4. The second benefit is our natural life which we received in Adams reprive by virtue of the said Covenant Yet I dare not call this a benefit absolutely or otherwise then as it putteth us into a possibility of attaining unto this spiritual life And therefore the first Lesson that our Saviour taught unto Nichodemus was the necessity of Regeneration saying verily verily I say unto thee except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God John 3. 3. The next absolute and undeniable benefit proceeding from this Covenant is the spiritual life whereby we become the sons of God not according to any carnal condition but according to the Spirit of adoptition Rom. 8. 14 15. By this spiritual life we likewise become sensible of the first benefit conveyed unto us in this Covenant being our Election which cannot be perceived either in us or by us in the state of nature before we begin to live this life of grace And for this spiritual life also if we desire to know it either in our selves or others we shall finde that it consisteth in the putting off the old man and putting on the new Ye ought so to learn Christ that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts And be renewed in the spirit of yâ—ur minde And that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Ephes 4. 22 23 24. And to the Galatians walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh saith the same Apostle Gal. 5. 16. In this spiritual life it pleased the Father of our Lâ—rd Jesus Christ to communicate unto us his divine nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. His Image 2 Cor. 3. 18. And his spirit 1 John 4. 13. And by this means it cometh to passe that they which live this spiritual life Their eyes are opened they are turned from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgivenesse of sins an inheritance with them which are sanctified by faith which is in Christ Jesus Acts 26. 18. And all this we injoy in and through Jesus Christ our Lord. If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 10. I have not read of any whom I conceive to have lived this life of grace more fruitfully then St. Paul did Neither was he ashamed to confesse how and from whom he received it I am crucified with Christ saith he neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Gal. 2. 20. Likewise reckon ye also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord saith the same Apostle Rom. 6. 11. Verily our Lord Jesus Christ is not onely the procurer and purchaser of this spiritual life but also the Authour and the essence thereof The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live for as the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself Joh. 5. 25. 26. And again I am the Resurrection and the life saith Christ he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live John 11. 25. Though he were dead in sin yet shall he live by grace And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickned together with Christ having forgiven you all your trespasses saith St. Paul Col. 2. 13. And as this great benefit is conferred upon us in and by the Lord Jesus Christ so is it likewise confirmed unto us in and by this Covenant of Grace As for thy Nativity in the day thou wast born thy Navel was not cut neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee thou wast not salted at all nor swadled at all None eye pitied thee to do any of these things unto thee to have compassion upon thee but thou wast cast out in the open field to the loathing of thy person in the day that thou wast born saith the Lord by his Prophet Ezek. 16. 4 5. Here is the wretched estate of every Soul by nature in regard of sin delivered expresly concerning Jerusalem but is to be applied to Adam and all his posterity But when I passed by thee saith the Lord and saw thee polluted in thine own bloud I
doth or can make good our Title to eternal salvation That more then most excellent inheritance which the Saints of God do and shall injoy in the Kingdom of glorie And this in spite of the Devil and all his adherents is most manifest throughout the whole word of God Faith is the evidence of things not seen saith the Apostle Hebr. 11. 1. And eye hath not seen nor eare heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him 1 Cor. 2. 9. Verily Verily I say unto you he that believeth on me hath everlasting life saith our Lord and Saviour Joh. 6. 47. Ye are all the children of God by Faith in Christ Jesus saith St. Paul Gal. 3. 26. And if children then Heirs Heirs of God and joynt Heirs with Christ saith the same Apostle Rom. 8. 17. Thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 3. 15. Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in Faith and Heirs to the Kingdom which God hath promised to them that love him saith the Apostle James Jam. 2. 5. Ye are kept by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation saith St. Peter 1 Pet. 1. 5. And to confirm us yet more perfectly in this general truth we finde Faith to be the onely condition exemplified in this Copy of that Covenant whereby we stand intituled to everlasting life even from all eternity God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life ANd now concerning the right Heir to this inheritance you shall very hardly meet with any man or woman whatsoever but they will be ready to lay claim thereunto Yea and they will inforce their Allegations and produce their evidences such as they are And therefore to avoid confusion in this case I shall endeavour to reduce the multitude of Pretenders amongst us that will be called Christians unto these few heads As namely The obstinate Offender The ignorant Infidel The good honest Man The zealous Reformer And The legal Professour And in them I shall briefly consider their Actions their Allegations and their Evidences The first in this Catalogue is the obstinate Offender And by him I intend such a one as runneth on in his sins according to a Reprobate sense without contradiction or remorse of conscience I shall give you no other account of his actions then what I finde recorded by the Spirit of God Least by lighting accidentally upon the corruptions of some particular persons I be looked upon either as envious or injurious In the tenth Psalm beginning at the fourth verse the Prophet David describeth him thus First by his Pride The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts verse 4. Secondly by his Behaviour His wayes are alwayes grievous thy judgements are far above out of his sight as for all his enemies he puffeth at them verse 5. Thirdly by his Security He hath said in his heart I shall not be moved for I shall never be in adversity ver 6. Fourthly by his Subtilty His mouth is full of cursing and deceit under his tongue is mischief and vanity ver 7. Fifthly by his Treachery He sitteth in the lurking places of the Villages in the secret places doth he murder the innocent his eyes are privily set against the pâ—or He lyeth in wait secretly as a Lion in his Den he lieth in wait to catch the poor he doth catch the poor when he draweth him into his Net he crouhceth and humbleth himself that the poor may fall by his strong ones verses 8 9 and 10. Sixthly and lastly by his Blasphemy He hath said in his heart God hath forgotten he hideth his face he will never see it verse 11. These are his Actions Neither are his Allegations any thing unsuteable For let either Magistrate or Minister or any private friend reprove or admonish him concerning the evil of his ways or the sad condition of his poor Soul And they shall soon finde that he will return reproaches for reproofs and bad language for good counsel What do you think he knows not what he hath to do as wel as any foolish Hypocrite of them all Is there any man that doth not sin He that saith to the contrary is a lyar What are his offences but infirmities or humane frailties And he can say as much or more by other men then they can say by him These are his best thanks But commonly he is so throughly instructed by the Devil his Master that with lying accusations and scornfull Allegations he is able to silence the most confident Christian living But you will say dares any wicked wretch so odious in the sight of God and man lay claim unto this heavenly inheritance Yea verily dares he For if pride and contempt will afford him so much patience as to hear or discourse concerning the same he is ready presently to produce his evidence And commonly part of it will be this He believes that God is mercifull for did he not proclaim himself after this manner The Lord The Lord God mercifull and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin Exod. 34. 6 7. And what can any man desire more Why I desire that he would proceed a little further in that seventh verse And that will by no means clear the guilty But this is past his learning and contrary to his liking For by this it appears that this evidence of his is nothing worth For God is not so mercifull as to destroy his Justice Neither can he in Justice pardon sin without satisfaction But yet he is neverthelesse confident in his Title For this is but one clause of his evidence he proceedeth yet further and saith he groundeth his assurance upon that saying of Paul where he telleth Timothy That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom he is chief 1 Tim. 1. 15. Who doubts of that But he must know that the true saving Faith consisteth not in believing that Christ came into the World to save sinners But in receiving Christ and applying the promise to our own particulars whereby we get assurance that he is ours and we are his According to that of the faithful spouse My beloved is mine saith she I am his Can. 2. 16 And thefore the foresaid Apostle Paul Know ye not saith he that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates 2 Cor. 13. 5. But how shall a man know whether Christ be in him or not Why If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousnesse saith the same Apostle Rom. 8. 10. See how this miserable wicked wretch deceives himself to the dishonour of God and the destruction
that Apostles testimony Gal. 1. 29. Now if we shall apply our selves to the examination of this his evidence It will be necessary for us to propound and answer these five questions First what is this justifying and saving faith Secondly where or in what place hath this faith its residence or being Thirdly upon what foundation must it be built Fourthly how is it to be obtained And fifthly how shall a man know whether he hath this justifying and saving faith or not FIrst therefore if you ask what this justifying and saving faith is I answer It is that gift of God whereby we are inabled to believe the promises of God in Christ according to his Gospel to repose and rest our selves confidently thereupon and willingly and cheerfully to receive the same God in Christ for our Saviour and our Soveraign Lord. I conceive it may be worth our pains to consider this definition according to six particulars therein contained First this Faith is the gift of God It is not in the power of any man to believe effectually or savingly except it be given him of God To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit To another Faith by the same Spirit saith our Apostle 1 Cor. 12. 8 9. And in another place I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you not to think more highly of himself then he ought to think but to think soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith Rom. 12. 3. And thus the Son of God himself There are some of you saith he that believe not For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him And he said therefore said I unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my Father John 6. 64 65. Secondly by Faith we are inabled to believe the promises of God This is proved by the Apostle Paul in the example of Abraham Who against hope believed in hope that he might become the Father of many Nations according to that which was spoken So shall thy seed be And being not weak in Faith he considered not his own body now dead when he was about an hundred years old neither yet the deadnesse of Saras womb He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in Faith giving glory to God Rom. 4. 18 19 20. And in the eleventh Chapter to the Hebrews we see how the Patriarchs and other Saints of God did believe and adhere unto the promises of God by Faith throughout that whole Chapter Thirdly faith inableth us to believe the promises of God in Christ or As God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself as 2 Cor. 5. 10. If we look upon God out of Christ upon God essentially without a Mediatour As he is a great God a mighty and a terrible which regardeth not persons nor taketh reward as Deuter. 10. 17. As he is a consuming fire even a jelous God as Deut. 4. 24. who shall bring every work into judgement as Eccles 12. 14. And will by no means clear the guiâ—ty Ex. 34. 7. I say If we shall think upon God according to these truths we shall never dare to believe any promise that he hath made unto us for good we shall rather believe that he holdeth us for his enemies that he writeth bitter things against us Like patient Job in the extremity of his passions Job 13. 24 26. But if we shall consider God as he was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses Now we dare be bold to believe him For we can assure our selves by Faith that we are upon terms of peace and that he hath received us into favour Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ By whom also we have accesse by faith into the grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in hope of the glory of God Rom. 5. 1 2. But haply you will say How is it to be understood That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself Truely this is a question well worth the asking and answering For it is the great mystery of the Gospel and that which but few do rightly understand God was in Christ That is God did take unto himself the nature of man and so became God in Christ personally that so he might reconcile the world unto himself being still the same God essentially When we would meditate upon God according to his acting or working we must conceive of him as one God in three persons distinctly when we would consider him according to his essence or being we must conceive of him as of three persons in one God substantially and individually So then as God was reconciling the world he was Deus cum Deo God with God personally But as he was reconciling the world unto Himself So he was Deus in Deo God in God essentially And thus God was in Christ divers wayes or rather according to divers forms or kinds of administration For whatsoever was concluded or done either intentionally virtually or actually by the Son of God as Mediatour for mankind The same he did as he was God in Christ And therefore to passe by that infinite essence or being of the three Persons in the Godhead according to their incomprehensible co-existency as a secret too deep and intricate for the creature And therefore not revealed unto us by the Creatour either in his word or works We find that God was in Christ In the Covenant of Grace personally In the Creation apparantly In the Promise representatively In the ceremonial Law typically or figuratively In his Incarnation perfectly and compleatly In his Life obediently In his death passively and patiently In his Resurrection victoriously In his Ascension triumphantly And In his Kingdom gloriously First I say God was in Christ in the Covenant of Grace personally that is to say in the second person of the Trinity preparing a remedy against that ruine which he foresaw mankind would run into by Satans malice and their own rebellion And therefore Peter intimateth That Christ was fore-ordained for our redemption before the foundation of the world 1 Pet. 1. 18 19 20. And Paul That we are saved and called by God according to his grace given us in Christ Jesus before the world began 2 Tim. 1. 9. This Covenant of Grace was the first originall record that ever directed us to this personal distinction Secondly God was in Christ in the creation apparantly For so St. John In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God The same was in the beginning with God All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made John 1. 1 2 3. If you ask what this Word was I answer The same Word that was afterward made flesh
faith For unlesse the heart beleeveth unto righteousnesse the mouth cannot confesse unto salvation And therefore St. Paul hath put them both together Rom. 10. 10. And secondly this confession must comprehend the whole mystery of Christs incarnation As the Divinity of his generation the purity of his conception and the perfection both of his divine and humane nature together with his doctrine and miracles his sufferings and satisfaction his resurrection and ascension And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh according to all these truths is not of God 1 Joh. 4. 3. If you will proceed to a further triall of the spirits observe their fruit The fruit of the spirit of God is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse temperance Gal. 5. 22. And they that live in the spirit do also walk in the spirit not desirous of vain-glory provoking one another envying one another Galat. 5. 25 26. And whomsoever we do really find walking contrary to these or any of these we may say with St. Jude Though they separate themselves they are sensuall having not the spirit Jude 19. But how shall a man behave himself if he shall happen to be beset or tempted by these or the like evil seducing spirits Why I beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them saith St. Paul Rom. 16. 17. If any man consent not to wholesome words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godlinesse he is proud knowing nothing but doting about questions and strifes of words whereof cometh envie strife railings evil surmisings perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth supposing that gain is godlinesse from such withdraw thy self 1 Tim. 6. 3 4 5. They that have the form of godlinesse in profession and deny the power thereof in practice from such turn away 2 Tim. 3. 5. Their mouths must be stopped who subvert whole houses teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucres sake saith the same Apostle Tit. 1. 11. And thus that beloved disciple Whosoever transgressâ—â—h and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God he that abideth in the doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father the Son If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine receive him not into your house neither bid him God speed 2 John 9. 10. And therefore take heed what ye hear Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisie saith our Lord and Master Luke 12. 1. And so we proceed to his second Caution Take heed how ye hear Not negligently not deceitfully not despitefully but attentively reverently and obediently First take heed how ye hear the word of God negligently As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 2. 2. We must not look upon the word of God as a thing indifferent but we must desire it as babes desire milk their best-pleasing and most proper food and nourishment I esteemed thy word more then my necessary food saith holy Job Job 23. 12. And thy word was unto me the joy and the rejoycing of my heart saith the Prophet Ieremy to the Lord God of hosts Jer. 15. 16. If these be things to be neglected then may we also neglect the good word of God Neverthelesse we are sensible that the hearing of the word of God is very much damnified by the means of negligence And this negligence may be said to be three-fold First there is a negligence in coming to hear the word of God There are many men and women that think if they come to hear onely when their lazinesse or leisure will give them leave once or twice in a moneth or haply in a quarter is very fair But to day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts saith the Apostle Hebr. 3. 7 8. He that will not hear the voice of God from the mouth of his Ministers to day this day every day when it may be heard with any convenience It is a sore signe that his heart is either hardned or upon hardning A fearfull judgement And therefore the same Apostle in the same Chapter Take heed brethren least there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God But exhort one another daily while it is called to day least any of you be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sin Hebr. 3. 12 13. Secondly there is a negligence in hearing If the Devil cannot hinder a man from coming in at the Church door then commonly he endeavoureth to block up the door of his heart that the word may finde no profitable entrance And to further him in this his design either he disordereth the senses and disposeth them to slumbring prating gazing or the like ungodly ingagements or else he breedeth such a mutiny in the affections that they will by no means agree to give the word of God the least cordial entertainment As if the Lord had sent the same desperate curse among these negligent hearers which he sometime sent by his Prophet unto the Rebellions Israelites Go and tell this people hear ye indeed but understand not and see ye indeed but perceive not make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes least they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and convert and be healed Isa 6. 9 10. Thirdly there is a negligence after hearing and that appeareth in not practising the word when and after it is heard And I conceive that the parable of our Saviour concerning the Sower may not impertinently be applied to this purpose I pray observe his own exposition Luke 8. beginning verse 11. The seed saith he is the word of God Those by the wayes side are they that hear then cometh the Devil and taketh away the word out of their hearts least they should believe and be saved Here is the malice of the Devil They on the Rock are they which when they hear receive the word with joy and these have no root which for a while believe and in time of temptation fall away There is the infirmity of the flesh And that which fell among Thorns are they which when they have heard go forth and are choaked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to perfection Here are the cares and snares of the world These were all hearers but never a practiser The malice of the Devil and the infirmity of the flesh together with the cares and snares of the world will not leave them so much as one word as we say to blesse themselves withall And truely much of this through negligence When was it that the enemy came and sowed Tares among the Wheat but while men slept Mat. 13. 25. While they
were negligent and carelesse Be sober therefore be vigilant saith St. Peter because your adversary the Devil as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devoure 1 Peter 5. 8. And be ye doers of the Word and not hearers onely deceiving your own selves James 1. 22. Secondly take heed how ye hear deceitfully Thou son of man saith the Lord to his Prophet Ezekiel the Children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses and speak one to another every one to his brother saying come I pray you and hear what is the Word that cometh forth from the Lord. And they come unto thee as the people cometh and they sit before thee as my people and they hear thy words but they will not do them for with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousnesse Ezek. 33. 30 31. See how these Hypocrites do vilifie the Prophet of the Lord in private Neverthelesse they seem to be very zealous for the word of the Lord in publick and thereupon they come unto the Prophet and they sit before him as Gods own people and they do hear his words But here is the deceit they will not do them for they are Hypocritical and self-ended with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousnesse And may there not be deceitfull hearers in these our dayes that follow the word meerly that they may be accounted good Christians or because they think this to be the onely prevailing way both to make them capable of all manner of imployment though they be never so unfit and undeserving And likewise to countenance all their proceedings though never so corrupt and unconscionable And therefore if you observe it they will seldom or never hear the word though never so sincerely plainly and powerfully delivered but when they think it may conduce to their carnal profit or preferment The cry of their heart is who will shew us any good not Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us as Psalm 4. 6. Is not this to hear the word of God deceitfully Is it not a work of the Lord to hear the word of the Lord Truely it is such a work as doth very well manifest who is our Master He that is of God heareth Gods words Ye therefore hear them not â—ecause ye are not of God saith the Son of God to the unbelieving Jews John 8. 47. And cursed is he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully saith the Prophet Jer. 48. 10. Thirdly take heed how you hear despightfully Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed saith Salomon Prov. 13. 13. He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me saith Christ to his seventy Disciples Luke 10. 16. He therefore that despiseth despiseth not Man but God saith that Apostle 1 Thessa 4. 8. But you will say that there is no man so ungracious as to despise the word of God in the mouth of his Ministers No What think you then of those factions frantick spirits that wry the mouth at every Doctrine which agreeth not with their own erronious or peradventure blasphemous opinions Or what do you think of those foul stomacks that will by no means disgest the sincere milk of the word but will rather spet it out in reproches unlesse it be sweetned with faithlesse revelations flattering Prophesies fair promises false invectives fresh intelligence or the like frivolous extravagancies which taste like Sugar to their corrupted appetites Or what do you think of those preposterous hearers that come to Gods Ordinances Not with Davids resolution To hear what God the Lord will speak as Psal 85. 8. But with an Athenian prejudice What will this babler say as Acts 17. 18. Neither shall the Son of God escape better then his servants For some said he is a good man others said Nay but he deceiveth the people John 7. 11. Whereas in truth they deceived themselves Is not this to despise both Christ and his Gospel He that despised Moses law died without mercy under two or three witnesses Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the bloud of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despight unto the spirit of grace saith the Apostle to the Hebrews Hebr. 10. 28 29. Wherefore let the Preacher perswade you to keep your feet when you go into the house of God and be more ready to hear then to give the sacrifice of fools Eccl. 5. 1. That is keep or see to your affections which carry about the Soul as the feet do carry about the body and be more ready to hear then to give the sacrifice of fools what sacrifice is that why you know that under the Law they did use to offer beasts in sacrifice And these as natural brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed do offer themselves to speak evil of the things that they understand not and shall utterly perish in their own corruption according to that of Peter 2 Pet. 2. 12. But take heed that ye do hear the word of God attentively reverently and obediently First take heed that ye hear attentively We finde that the Lord commended Mary for attending to his Sermon when her sister Martha accused her for neglecting his service Luke 10. 39. c. Attention is the Lords own work for it was the Lord that opened the heart of Lidia that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul Acts 16. 14. And the Lord himself will reward it We are all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God saith that good Centurion to St. Peter Acts 10. 33. Here was a Testimony of their attention And the holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word verse 44. There was the reward of their attention They received the gift of the holy Ghost A gift so precious that it is impossible for any to value it but onely such as have truely received it Secondly take heed that ye do hear reverently Receive with meeknesse the ingrafted word which is able to save your souls Ja. 1. 21. And for this cause thank we God without ceasing saith Paul because when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God 1 Thes 2. 13. Contrary to these are they who proud of their own parts do creep into the sheepfold of Christ to put the whole flock into a confusion endeavouring not to obtain grace from Christ but to disgrace the faithfull Ministers of Christ And to that purpose where they cannot take occasions of offence they will be sure to make occasions of offence Neither can the most weighty and well-grounded arguments suffice to
we be planted or graffed into the good olive tree the ground and foundation of all our hopes and happiness which is Jesus Christ as that Apostle most excellently insinuateth Rom. 11. 17. to 25. And the roote whereby we stand is Faith saith the same Apostle in the same place vers 20. And to this purpose he likewise exhorteth the Colossians That they be rooted and built up in Christ and established in the faith Col. 2. 7. We may therefore conclude from the premisses that whosoever is desirous to assure himself that he is effectually planted into Christ according to the likeness of his resurrection And so consequently that he is an undoubted heir to that eternall Inheritance as it appeareth Revel 20. 6. He is First to examine himself whether he be well rooted in Christ by Faith Secondly whether he aboundeth with the Sap of Love Thirdly whether he flourisheth with the green leaves of a gracious Profession Fourthly whether he be full of the beautifull blossoms of blessed and holy desires And fiftly whether he be fruitfull in the good works of Godliness In the first place I say he must examine whether he be well rooted in Christ by Faith But you will say how shall we do that Truely the Apostle Paul hath left us a very good rule for this purpose Col. 2. 23. Where having certified the Colossians of some speciall benefits which they were to receive by Christ he propoundeth unto them this condition If ye continue in the faith saith he grounded and setled and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospell This is an excellent rule and it is an elegant expression called by the Rhetoritians Climax seu gradatio a mounting to these four degrees First we must continue in the faith Secondly we must be grounded in the faith Thirdly we must be setled in the faith and Fourthly not we must be moved away from the hope of the Gospell which in another place he calleth the word of faith as Rom. 10. 8. First it is a good evidence that we are well rooted in Christ by faith if we continue in the faith Our Saviour speaketh in his parable of the sower of some That receive the word with joy but they have no roote and therefore though for a while they beleeve yet in time of temptation they fall away Luke 8. 13. You see that these are said to beleeve for a while but they continue not in the faith because they have no roote But if we be rooted in Christ by faith we shall cortinue in the faith we shall not be like the waves of the sea driven and tossed with everystorm of temptation with St. James his double minded men that are unstable in all their wayes James 1. 8. Nor like Weather-cocks to turn our Noses into every puff of opinion with S. Pauls silly women laden with sins led away with divers lusts ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth 2 Tim. 3. 6 7. Neither shall we be any more like Children tossed to and fro and carried about with every winde of Doctrine by the fleight of men and cunning craftinesse whereby they lie in wait to deceive Eph. 4. 14. But building up our selves on our most holy faith and praying in the holy Ghost we shall keep our selves in the love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life Jude 20. 21. They that will believe according to the times or according to the men of the times may sometimes happen upon the right faith but they will hardly continue any long time in the faith Simon the Sorcerer believed and was baptized also Acts 8. 13. Yet when he failed in his ends his faith also failed Indeed who would not be believers or at least who would not pretend to be believers being invited thereunto by such plausible fair promises As that they shall dip their feet in the bloud of their enemies and tread them down like the mire in the streets That they shall ride on the high-places of the earth and be the onely men of command and authority That they shall purchase Lands and Lord-ships And that they shall build great and fair houses and injoy them peaceably powerfully and plentifully Would not the sweet expectations of these and the like glorious priviledges and prerogatives transport the Souls of sinners into the bodies of Saints And make them believe whensoever and whatsoever their Prophet pleaseth But how shall we continue in the faith when these hopes fail us Verily these inducements unto faith are so proper to the flesh that I cannot imagine how they should proceed from the Spirit Or how they should perswade to any other then a temporary faith being in themselves so temporary and uncertain But especially seeing they are so extreamly contrary to the lives and Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles For first our Lord Jesus Christ in the time of his temporal life was so far from the desire of revenge that he prayed for his greatest enemies Luke 23. 34. So far from ambition that he made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant Phil. 2. 7. So farre from covetousnesse that rather then he would once yield unto the Devil he refused all the Kingdoms of the world Mat. 4. 8 9 10. So far from the pleasures of a Pallace that he had not where to lay his head Luke 9. 58. And so far from outward Pompe That he was despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised c. Isa 53. 3. Neither were the lives of his Apostles much lesse inglorious or uncomfortable then that of their Master For I think that God hath set forth us the Apostles last as it were men appointed to death for we are made a spectacle to the world and to Angels and to men saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 4. 9. And in the same Chapt. Being defamed we intreat we are made the filth of the world and are the off-scouring of all things unto this day verse 13. And secondly concerning their Doctrine we finde that they directed the way by faith unto salvation through difficulties dangers and distresses and not through flattering and flesh-pleasing felicities Whosoever will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Crosse and follow me saith Christ our Lord Mar. 8. 34. Whosoever will come after Christ into his Kingdom of glory he must deny himself of all his conceited deserts and in all his carnal desires and he must take up his Crosse he must willingly submit to all manner of afflictions And he must follow Jesus his Lord general in his Kingdom of grace he must not fail or faint by the way but hold on his course with a constant and continual confidence And in the 24. of Mat. at the 9. verse and so forwards he acquainteth his Disciples with more particular ingagements They shall
shine unto them As in the 2 Cor. 4 4. And well may the Apostle call it the glorious Gospel not onely in regard that it bringeth us unto glory or for that God is so much glorified thereby But principally because that whatsoever God purposed or performed In by or cencerning his said Gospel he did it altogether in relation to the advance of his immortall glory And in testimony of this truth I beseech you let us First consider this glorious Gospel in the Originall thereof even in this eternall covenant of grace concluded and agreed upon between God the Father and his onely begotten Son for and on the behalf of mankinde before the foundation of the world By vertue whereof we were elected and predestinated before the world began And we shall finde that in this great design the Lord did wholy aym at his own glory Blâ—ssed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ saith St. Paul who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places in Christ According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that me should be holy and without blame before him in love Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his wil To the praise of the glory of his grace Ephes 1. 3 4 5 6. Secondly let us consider our redemption and see how that relateth to Gods glory The Son of God being about to suffer and so compleat the work of our Redemption Father save me from this hour saith he but for this cause came I unto this hour Father glorifie thy name glorifie thy name in the redemption of sinfull man even by the death of thine own sinless Son Then came there a voice from heaven saying I have both glorified it and will glorifie it again Jo. 12. 27 28. I have both glorified it from everlasting and I will glorifie it again to everlasting And excellent to this purpose is that of the Apostle Ye are bought with a price saith he therefore glorifie God in your body and in your Spirit which are Gods 1 Cor. 6. 20. Thirdly he created us for his glory Bring my Sons from farr saith the Lord and my Daughters from the ends of the earth even every one that is called by my name for I have created him for my glory Isa 43. 6 7. Fourthly it is for his glory that he preserveth us For my name sake will I defer mine anger and for my praise will I refrain for thee that I cut thee not off behold I have refined thee but not with silver I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction for mine own sake even for mine own sake will I do it for how should my name be polluted and I will not give my glory to another Isa 48. 9 10 11. Fifthly it is for his own glory that he calleth us Ye are a chosen generation a royal priesthoâ—d an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should set forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darknesse into this marvellous light 1 Pet. 2. 9. And whose offereth praise glorifieth me saith the Lord Psalm 50. 23. Sixthly he justifieth us for his own glory Thy people shall be all righteous they shall inherit the land for ever the branch of my planting the work of my hands that I may be glorified saith the same God Isa 50. 21. Seventhly he sanctifieth us for his own glory I am the true Vine saith the Son of God and my Father is the husband-man every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit John 15. 1 2. And in the 8. verse Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit And this I pray saith St. Paul that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement That ye may approve things that are excellent that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousnesse which are by Jesus Christ unto the praise and glory of God Phil. 1. 9 10 11. And lastly it is for his glory that he saveth us Father saith our Lord Jesus Christ I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me Joh. 17. 24. And this shall he accomplish most compleatly when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe 2 Thes 1. 10. See here how infinitely the glory of God is interessed in all his Evangelical actions and concessions As namely in his Election Redemption Creation Preservation Vocation Justification Sanctification and Salvation of the Sons of men And doest thou want a sure ground for thy faith Cast away all execrable opinions of humane perfections and performances As truely as I live all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord saith Almighty God Numb 14. 21. Ingage thy Soul therefore boldly upon this eternal design of Gods glory with this assurance that it can never perish so long as the God of all power and glory is able to preserve it This I am confident is the soundest and the most substantial foundation that any Christian can build upon having its Warrant from the manifold wisdom of God Ground thy self therefore firmly thereupon and then doubt not but thou art well rooted in Christ by faith Thirdly to be setled in the faith is a very good argument that we are well rooted in Christ by faith To be setled that is to be confirmed or established in the faith according to that of this Apostle Col. 2. 7. And this is done chiefly by observation and experience Doest thou desire to be setled in the faith Observe Gods mercy and loving kindnesse towards thee Prospering thine honest endeavours in the works of thy lawfull calling blessing thee in thy person and in thy posterity providing for thy necessities preserving thee from thine enemies comforting thee in all thine afflictions delivering thee out of thy distresses and graciously answering thee in thy fervent prayers and supplications But especially consider what great things God hath done to thy Soul In weaning it from the world redeeming it from the bondage of sin and Satan Translating it from darknesse unto light supplying it with good motions and godly desires fixing it firmly upon thy Lord and Saviour And working it to the willing obedience of faith and love If thou shalt thus apply thy self to see the good hand of God upon thee and to feel the sweet influence of his holy Spirit within thee Thou shalt come to know God experimentally Thou shall know that thou knowest him According to that of the Apostle 1 John 2. 3. With Job Thou shalt know that thy Redeemer liveth Job 19. 25. With David thou shalt know that God favâ—ureth thee Psal 41.
Leaf greenness In the blossom sweetness and in the Fruit juice So faith draws vertue from the Lord Christ Jesus and send it through the blessed soul in love to all the powers and faculties thereof thereby inriching every spirituall grace according to its proper use and action It maketh and preserveth faith unfained Hope unwearied charity open-hearted Humility undisguised Patience undistracted Prayer delightfull Thanksgiving cheerfull and obedience fruitfull To every grace it giveth life luster and sincerity which without Love are dull deceitfull and hypocriticall I cannot well tell where I should begin or how to end in the just commendations of this incomparable blessing There are many affections or strong and powerfull motions of the minde as joy grief Hope Fear Hatred and the like But when affection is simply and singularly nominated without any other addition you know we take it usually for Love By which we may conceive and understand that Love is the absolute affection It is also said that a good thing the more common it is the better it is And love is common unto every creature that onely hath the benefit of sense They do all generally love themselves their seed their food their fellows and their friends or whatsoever is most precious to their instinct or inclination Yet Love in man is of a nobler strain in regard that it proceedeth or should proceed from reason and discretion But when this Love extracted by true faith from God the onely substance of pure Love is placed upon God in Christ and the image of God in man The onely sound and unsuspected Objects Mat. 22. 37 38. Then verily it is of wondrous use First it becomes the nourse of pregnant faith to cherish and improve her precious fruit strengthening decking and beautifying every infant grace which would otherwise grow crooked deformed and contemptible 'T is faith that seales our interest in Christ But such a faith as works by Love saith Paul Gala. 5 6. Faith if it hath not works is dead saith James Ja. 2. 17. Yet Faith with works is nothing without Love as saith believing working loving Paul 1 Cor. 13. 2 3. True faith and Love have such a strict relation they cannot live the one without the other And therefore if our Love be not sincere we have great reason to suspect our faith And in the second place we finde that Love is Christ his cognisance or livery whereby he will have his Disciples known By this shall all men know ye are my Disciples saith he if ye have love one to another Jo. 13. 15. And it is a most compleat robe it hideth all our infirmities and deformities yea all our sins and transgressions Love covereth all sins saith Solomon Pro. 10. 12. And therefore blessed is the man that weares it Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is covered Psa 32. 1. This in all likeness is that wedding garment for want of which the Intruder was cast out of the bride chamber into utter darkness Mat. 22. 12 13. And it is an everlasting Ornament It never faileth 1 Cor. 13. 8. Our faith and Hope will help us into heaven and there they leave us but our endless Love will enter with us where it shall surpass in strength in sweetness and perfection as much as having exceedeth hopeing or injoying excelleth believing But every one that loves himself will say though Love be such a precious livery yet it is not so costly as 't is common I hope we are not so ungracious or so ungratefull but we love the Lord. Neverthelesse wise Solomon informs us That he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool Pro. 28. 26. And therefore let not us delude our selves in matters of such infinite concernment by trusting to our own deceitfull hearts without a serious examination We shall not finde it so easie a matter to lovc God really as most men unadvisedly imagine For first our Love is as narrow as Gâ—ds election Gods election is the first wheel that moveth in this great work It is he That hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love Ephes 1. 4. And therefore untill we have given diligence to make our election sure by inquiring into the soundness of our faith we have great reason to suspect our Love Secondly if we have not the Spirit of God we have not the love of God For Love is a prime fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. Thirdly if we do not love the children of God we do not love God For every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him 1 John 5. 1. Fourthly if we do not keep Gods words we do not love God For if any man love me he will keep my words saith the Son of God John 14. 23. Fifthly if we be not carefull to keep Gods commandments we do not love God For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments 1 John 5. 3. Sixthly if our hearts be not circumcised if our hearts be not broken and humbled for sin so that our carnall corruptions are mortified and our sinfull lusts and affections subdued in some good measure we cannot love God For the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul saith Moses that man of God Deut 30. 6. And Seaventhly if we do love the world we do not love God If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him 1 John 2. 15. Now it will be necessary for us to examine our selves in order to these seaven particulars And if we shall then presume that we love God we are in the next place to consider what manner of Love it is wherewith we do love him For we must know that there is a false Love as well as there is a true Love the love of an harlot as well as the love of a virgin The love of an harlot is First mercenary secondly hypocriticall thirdly inconstant and fourthly contemptible First I say the love of an harlot is mercenery when Tamar deceived Judah by playing the harlot she said unto him what wilt thou give me Gen. 38. 16. And probably there may be many that do seem even unto themselves to love God very dearly when as yet the secret inquisition of their heart is what shall we get by it what pleasure what profit what preferment They say with the wicked what can the almighty do for them Job 22. 17. Naaman the Syrian will go to the Prophet in Samaria 2 Kings 5. 9. But it shall be to be cleansed of his outward leprosie And being cleansed he will thenceforth offer neither burnt-offering nor sacrifice unto other gods but to the Lord vers 17. But in this thing the Lord pardon thy servant saith he that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there and he
Yet she must likewise perfect holiness in the fear of God And be renewed in the spirit of her minde And put on that new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse as Ephes 4. 23 24. Or she esteems her self unfit for Christ These are the beauties that her Lord delights in And therefore now she seeks to deck her self with these new ornaments Not with broyded hair or gold or pearls or costly aray as good St. Paul 1 Tim. 2. 9. And yet much lesse will she deform her self according to the fashions of this world But she endeavours to adorn her self in the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit which in the sight of God is of great price According to St. Peters exhortation 1 Peter 3 4. And being thus arayed and adorned with precious robes instead of specious rags beyond the power or police of nature and past the industry of humane art She seeks the good hand of her God upon her for which she humbly magnifies his grace saying as in Isaiahs Prophesie I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord my soul shall be joyfull in my God for he hath cloathed me with the garments of salvation he hath covered me with the robe of righteousnesse as a bridegroom decketh him self with Ornaments and as a bride adorneth her self with her jewells Isa 61. 10. And thus attired with all humility she waiteth to receive her soveraign Lord and panting for his most desired presence she sings as in the song of Solomon stay me with flagons comfort me with apples for I am sick of love Cant. 2. 5. Set me as a seal upon thy heart as a seal upon thine arm for love is strong as death Cant. 8. 6. Make haste my beloved and be thou like to a Roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices Cant. 8. 14. And now her blessed Lord who all this while from the first in stant of her new creation wrought secretly upon her sinful heart melting it in the furnace of affliction discovering the Agent cause and cure of all her miseries instructing her in her own sinfulnesse and wants and weaknesse disposing her to seek and find relief removing all occasions of offence and renovating her to his own likenesse And all this by the level of humility the first and fairest fruit of faith and love Now he appears to her more visibly For God who commanded the light to shine out of darknesse shineth in her heart to give the light of the knowledge of the glorie of God in the face of Jesus Christ as in 2 Cor. 4. 6. At which the poor Soul fares as one transported Not by the spirit of illusion of pride vain glory or Hypocrisie like those that labour to dishonour Christ in his eternal Mediatorship by their conditional Election that magnify the broken arm of flesh by their free-will and carnal confidence that wrest the word of God to overthrow Scripture by reason that will make the Law of none effect by their traditions that do despise rule order government and lift themselves above Gods Ordinances that make their Christian liberty the Cloak for their ambition avarice and envy that dare with shamelesse impudence proclaim themselves for Saints whereas their practice proves that they are altogether otherwise That say stand by thy self come not near to me for I am holier then thou These are a smoak in my nose c. saith the Lord Isa 65. 5. But in the spirit of a meek sound minde with upright Job she sayes unto the Lord I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee Wherefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes Job 42. 5. 6. And with that Evangelical Isaiah wo is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for mine eyes have seen the Lord of Hosts Isa 6. 5. And with that good Centurion she saith Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof Math. 8. 8. And thus the nearer that her Lord approcheth with his pure spotlesse glorious perfections the more unworthy she esteems her self untill she seems unto her self as nothing Yea worse then nothing All her braveries her beauties honours pleasures wit and wealth are lying Witches all her fair professions are painted Vizards of Hypocrisie her moral vertues and most precious parts are filthy garments spotted by the flesh For so she values them and casts them from her And having stript her self of all such rags she humbly layes her self at her Lords feet saying as Ruth did sometime say to Boaz I am thine handmaid spread therefore thy skirt over thine hand-maid Ruth 3. 9. And wheresoever this Humility hath wrought this work No doubt but Christ is there and brings assurance as his next attendant And so it followeth in the fourth place That wheresoever Christ is there is Assurance In him we have boldnesse and accesse with confidence by the faith of him saith St. Paul Eph. 3. 12. And that strong fortresse wherein this Assurance is to be lodged and established is the free promises of God in Christ according to the Covenant of Grace There are too many that do seek for this Assurance in their own sanctification And that in order to their victories over their sins their abilities to serve their God according to the rule of his Commandments And this I must confesse is a fair building but yet exceeding subject to the blasted in time of tryal and temptation when every filching undermining sin shall catch occasion to break in and shake or shatter all or part of their Assurance But that Assurance which is fortified by the sure promises of God in Christ is much more safe secure and satisfying Wherefore if thine Assurance steps aside and seems to slight thee fly unto the promises where thou shalt hear thy Lord returning him with this or the like comfortable language Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Math. 11. 28. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out John 6. 37. Verily verily I say unto you he that believeth on me hath everlasting life John 6. 47. He hath it already First he hath it of Christ by promise Secondly he hath it from Christ by purchace And thirdly he hath it in Christ by posession I say that every true believer hath eternal life And first of Christ by promise My sheep hear my voice saith he and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life c. John 10. 27 28 29. And therefore fear not little flock saith he for it is your fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom Luke 12. 32. Secondly he hath it from Christ by purchase by Christ his purchase and that under seal and in the earnest thereof After that
is plain that the Lord marrieth his church unto himself In regard that he calleth himself her husband and her his wife Thy maker is thy husband the Lord of hosts is his name and thy Redeemer the holy one of Israel the God of the whole earth shall he be called For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit and a wife of youth Isa 54. 5. 6. And fourthly it is manifest that he marrieth his church unto himself In respect that he will have her called after his own name we finde that his holy Spirit directeth us to call him by the name of The Lord our righteousnesse Jere. 23. 6. And this is the name wherewith she shall be called The Lord our righteousnesse saith the same Spirit by the same Prophet Jer. 33. 16. And in that it is said this is the name wherewith she shall be called it is evident that she was not so called formerly And we know that there is no ingagement no relation whatsoever that can make a woman capable of any other name then what she formerly had but that of marriage onely Again the soul demands this question How is it that our gracious Lord vouchsafeth so great an honour to his church to own her according to that high degree of marriage And after some expostulation she thus resolves her self Surely it is to evidence unto us that intire Union that exceeding nearnesse that is between the Spirit of our Saviour and the dear souls of his beloved saints There is a near relation among countrymen and kindred Insomuch that Paul professed he could wish himself accursed for his kinsmen according to the flesh Rom. 9. 3. Yet we see they little deserved it at his hands Acts 24. 1 c. Some what more near then that is the relation among brethren Behold how good and how pleasant it is brethren to dwell together in Vnity saith David Psal 133. 1. Yet we finde that Cain killed his brother Abel Gen. 4. 8. And Esau intended the like to his brother Jacob Gen. 27. 41. There is also a near ingagement among friends A friend sticketh closer then a brother saith Solomon Prov. 18. 24. Yet we know that there is falshood in friendship Joab slew his great friend Absalom 2 Sam. 18. 14. And Judas abused that sweet attribute most basely Mat. 26. 50. But very strict and very binding are those Obligations between the parents and their children lo children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man so are children of the youth Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them they shall not be ashamed but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate Psal 127. 3 4 5. And therefore St. Paul Honour thy father and thy mother which is the first commandment with promise saith he Ephes 6. 2. Neverthelesse our Lord acquainteth us That the brother shall deliver up the brother to death and the father the child and the children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death Mat. 10. 21. And have not we seen or credibly heard of the like unnatural actions performed in our dayes But so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies he that loveth his wife loveth himself No man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it even as Christ the Church saith Paul Ephes 5. 28 29. Here indeed is the right cordial relation that strict and strong Obligation that nothing should cancel but death He is not worthy of the name of man that forsaketh or abuseth his own wife No man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it There is the lovely shaddow of a tender compassion even as the Lord the church There is the true substance of a dear and dureable affection And therefore the main reason as the soul conceiveth why the Lord vouchsafeth this most acceptable expression of marriage is to shew us that integrity that exact and absolute Union and communion that is betwixt himself his church He that is joyned unto an harlot is one body saith the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 6. 16. Where Paul insinuateth that marriage is so strict a tie that the very abuse thereof is of an uniting quality But he that is joyned unto the Lord is one Spirit saith he verse 17. Now whatsoever is carnal is mortal and dubious but that which is spirituall is eternal and glorious O! saith that sweet and amorous soul that I were sure my Lord had such a love to me as that he would espouse me to himself I am perswaded now that he hath such a love unto his church in general But how shall I appropriate the same unto my self or how may I be sure that I shall thus in joy my gracious Lord For this is the circumstance wherein the soul desireth satisfaction And thereupon she listens to St. Paul The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Gala. 2. 20. True saith the tender soul if I were such a chosen vessel as was good St. Paul I might triumph with the like confidence yet after some debate within her self she thus replies why what had Paul but what he did receive Or what made him to differ was it not my Lord with whom there is no respect of persons as Paul himself saith Rom. 2. 11. Doubtlesse my God who onely can fit me for this preferment he looketh not upon the man but his Mediatour he regardeth not the metall but the stamp the image and superscription whose is that Surly if the image of Christ be graven in me it makes no matter either what I am or how I am called For there is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for we are all one in Christ Jesus Gala. 3. 28. And as neither nation nor sex nor any outward state or condition nor any other earthly distinction can make a difference in the sight of God so neither can sin exclude me from his favour For God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us saith St. Paul Rom. 3. 8. These things considered the Soul begins to be perswaded that her Lord both may and will love her as well as any other For now she sees ther 's no impediment that can destroy or contradict her hopes Yet still she 's sick of love nor can her minde receive or cure or comfort till she meets with such an argument of his affection towards her self in every degree as is both certain and infallible Therefore she cries and gives her Lord no rest until he openeth her understanding that she may learn this mystery of love That never any soul did love the Lord but the same soul was first beloved by him And this must
fully satisfied that now the match between her Lord and her is absolutely made and finished For as she apprehends his love by faith so she returns her love by resolution She hears him sing That he is overcome and ravish't with her beauties and her love Cant. 4. 9 10. And in consideration thereof she gives consent and so confirms the contract My beloved is mine and I am his saith she Cant. 2. 16. My beloved is mine or I know that my beloved is mine There is the consideration And I am his or I do freely give my self to be his There is the consent And from these deer conclusions they proceed to solemnize their heavenly nuptials He brings her unto the banqueting house and his banner over her is love Cant. 2. 4. And she holds him and will not let him go untill she hath brought him into her mothers house and into the Chamber of her that conceived her Cant. 3. 4. And now he weds and beds her For as the Bride-groom rejoyceth over the Bride so her Lord rejoiceth over her as Isa 62. 5. And the sweet Soul is made so sensible of her deer Lords embraces that she breaks forth into these the like sacred raptures A bundle of Myrrhe is my well-beloved unto me he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts As Cant. 1. 13. His left hand is under my head and his right hand doth embrace me Cant. 2. 6. And being thus become a married wife she studies how she best may please her husband And to that purpose she consulteth not with flesh and bloud but with his holy Spirit By whom she begs that she may be directed unto the knowledge of his blessed will according to the tenor of his word And first she findes this exhortation under the hand of his Apostle Paul Wives submit your selves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord Eph. 5. 22. Here is both a rule and an example She submitteth her self therefore unto God According to Saint James his exhortation James 4. 7. Yea she submitteth her self to every ordinance of man for her Lords sake whether it be to the King as supream or unto governours as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and for the praise of them that do well According to that of the Apostle Peter 1 Peter 2. 13 14. Secondly she findeth by St. Peter That wives ought to obey their husbands even as Sarah obeyed Abraham 1 Peter 3. 6. And thereupon she saith unto her Lord as the people of Israel sometimes said in the presence of Moses All that the Lord hath said I will do and be obedient as Exod. 24. 7. Yea she saith with the Propher David I delight to do thy will O my God Yea thy law is within my heart Psal 40. 8. Yet lest she should mistake in her accounts she oftentimes doth pray with the same Prophet Blessed art thou O Lord teach me thy statues Psal 119. 12. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts c. verse 26. And teach me to do thy will for thou art my God Psal 143. 10. She prayes that she may do as well as understand And as she prayes so she resolves to practice That so she may prove what is that good that acceptable will of God According to St. Paul his milde request Rom. 12. 2. From whom she likewise meets with this instruction This is the will of God even your sanctification c. 1 Thes 4. 3. c. And from St. Peter thus As he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation because it is written Be ye holy for I am holy 1 Pet. 15. 16. And therefore in obedience to his will She endeavoureth to cleanse her self from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God as in the 2 Cor. 7. 1. And for as much as she conceives that she cannot attain to that perfection of holinesse that will be requisite she calls upon her husband for supplies Who of God is made unto her wisdom and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. So that though she be a poor Soul yet she hath a very rich husband Thirdly she findeth that the wife must see that she reverence her husband Eph. 5. 33. And therefore this new-married Soul doth strive to raise her thoughts above the common rate and fix them on such venerable objects as may provoke to reverence and honour Doth Majestie require a reverence Why with her Lord is terrible Majesty Touching the Almighty we cannot finde him out he is excellent in power and in judgement and in plenty of justice Job 37. 22. 23. Is wisdom to be had in reverence Why in him are hid all the Treasures of wisdom and knowledge Col. 2. 3. Is it required that we reverence Age Why he is the ancient of dayes Dan. 7. 9. The eternal God Deut. 33. 27. Or do we reverence and honour goodnesse Surely we ought so to do Why there is none good but he Matth. 10. 17. If these or any other excellencies are to be reverenced in the Creature according to their limits or degrees By how much more must they be honoured and reverenced in the great Creator where they are matchlesse perfect infinite Therefore the Soul that 's married unto Christ considereth his might his Majesty his wisdom goodnesse and eternity with all his fulnesse and perfections that so she may have grace whereby she may serve him acceptably with reverence and godly fear as Hebr. 12. 28. And though she is not superstitious to place the strength of her devotions in outward forms bodily performances knowing That bodily exercise profiteth little as 1 Tim. 4. 8. And that God being a Spirit must be worshiped in Spirit and in truth as John 4. 24. Yet neither is she barbarous or rude to exercise such incivilities in the partaking of Gods Ordinances as she would fear to practice in the presence of civil persons or societies We know there is a reverence belonging to husbands fathers masters Magistrates chiefly as they are subordinate to God whom they do personate or represent according to their weak proportions And shall we honour these imperfect shaddowes more then we honour that most perfect substance for and by whom they are made honourable Do we conceive both cap and knee too little wherewith to reverence our superiours when we do meet them in their several stations And think we one of these to be too much to reverence the great King of Kings withall when we attend him in his Ordinances There are many in this time of pretended or inforced or desired famine of the word that will go as far to a Sermon if they like the Sermoners as to a Sias or Sessions I do not discommend them for that Yet they will not allow the least reverence to the word of God in the Sermon that they will afford to the word of Man in the Sessions I do not