the Spirit of God is set at peace and is fit for the praise of God and is fit to do good when it is a healthful soul. As in the body it is a sign it is sick when the actions are hindered so it is likewise with the soul. We should blesse God for ability to do good for any health in our souls more then for health of body Do but consider if hwe are to thank God for the instruments of good much more are we to thank him for the good things themselves If we should thank God for the Ministers for now I stand upon that many prayers and praises were given to God for Saint Paul much more should we be thankful for that which we have by the Ministery that is for all the blessings of God for grace and glorie for life and salvation It is the Ministery of life And the power of God to salvation We should be thankful to God for peace We are the messengers of peace We should be thankful to God for grace and for his holy Spirit the Spirit is given with it We should be thankfull especially for spirituall favours A man cannot be thankful to God for health and libertie unlesse first he know God to be his that he can blesse God for spiritual favours Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Ephes. 1. We should be thankful for Christ and all the benefits we have by Christ much more then for any other blessings whatsoever Therefore now seeing we are a Communion let praise be given by many We have greater matters then the health of a Minister or any particular person either our selves or others to be thankful for we have greater cause being to blesse God for the greatest gift that ever he gave even for Christ. The disposition in a feast is to be joyful and chearful to praise God now we are to feast with God and with Jesus Christ. Christ is not onely the food but he invites us he is with us What will we do for Christ if we will not feast with him What a degree of unthankfulnesse is it when we will not so much as feast with him when we will not willingly receive him What will he do for Christ that will not feast with him how unfit will he be to praise God and praise Christ that when Christ makes a feast of himself and gives himself together with the bread and wine representing the benefit of his bodie and blood broken and shed for us and all his benefits if we will not feed upon himself when he stoopes so low as to give himself for us and to feed us with himself what will we do How can we be thankful for other blessings when we are not thankful for himself And how can we be thankful for himself when we will not come and partake of him Let us stir up our hearts and think now to take the Communion As for matter of repentance and sorrow it should be dispatched before It is the Eucharist a matter of thanksgiving we should raise our hearts above earthly things We should consider that we are to deal with Christ and these are but representations When the bread is broken think of the body of Christ and when the wine is poured out think of the blood of Christ and when our bodies are cheared by these elements think how our soules are refreshed by the blood of Christ by faith If we should be thankful to God for bodily deliverance how much more should we thank him for our soules being delivered from hell by the blood of Christ which is the grand deliverance Let us dispose our hearts to thankfulnesse it is a fit disposition for a feast And as I said take heed of sin it choaks thankfulnesse therefore examine thy purposes how thou comest if thou come with a purpose to live in sin thou art an unfit receiver The place we stand in is holy the business is holy we have to deale with a holy God and therefore if we purpose not to relinquish wicked courses and to enter into Covenant with God to abstain from fin we come not aright When thou commest into the house of God take heed to thy feet saith the Wise man take heed to thy affections consider with whom thou hast to deale but if thou hast renewed thy repentance and thy purposes with God for the time to come come with chearefulness with a thankfull disposition thankfulness is a disposition for a feast if it be a disposition for bodily deliverance it is much more for the deliverance of the soule and much more for Christ and the blessings we have by him who is all in all That thanks may be given by many on our behalfe VERS 12. For our rejoycing is this the testimonie of our conscience c. SAINT Paul in these words doth divers things at once First He shews a reason why many should pray for him and give thanks on his behalf you have cause saith he for our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience c. therefore if many of you give thanks to God for me it is your duty my conscience beares me witness that I have carried my self well towards you you have cause to pray for us and to praise God for our deliverance for you have received much good by us God conveys much good by publick persons to those that are under rhem therefore there ought to be many prayers and many thanks for them And again they ought to pray and give thanks for him because they should not lose their labour they should not lose their prayers their incense because it should be for a man that was gracious with God that had the testimonie of his conscience that he walked in simplicity and godly sincerity as he saith Heb. 13. Pray for us for we are assured that we have a good conscience so they are a reason of the former Another thing that he aimes at is the preventing of some imputations he was accused in their thoughts at least and by the words of some false teachers that were his worst enemies as you have no enemy next to the divell to a Minister like a Minister If a man would see the spirit of the divel let him look to some of them Saint Paul had many enemies many false brethren that laid false imputations upon him to disparage him in the thoughts of others in the thoughts of his hearers They accounted him an inconstant man that he came not to them when he promised and that he suffered affliction and it was like enough for some desert they accounted him a despicable man he suffered afflictions in the World he wanted discretion to keep himself out of the crosse Nay saith he whatsoever you impute to me and lay upon me Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience c. Again he aimes at this to lay the blame upon those false brethren
fall into sin from this very ground for why do men fall into sin because at that time they stand not upon the Word of God revealed by conscience to be the Word of God Ask them why they sweat if they did believe the truth the Word saith I will not hold them guilâ—…lesse that take my Name in vain But I am not convinced by the Spirit assuring my soul that it is the Word of God if men did believe it would men bring a curse upon themselves And so whoremongers the Word of God saith Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge would men if they did believe this truth live in these sins But they have only an opinion of these things I hear that these things are divine perhaps they are not so and the knowledge that we have is not divine faith is not mingled with the Spirit Then again from sin we fall into despair for sin at last why because our knowledge of divine truthes is not spiritual nor from inward grounds of Scripture felt by experience the Spirit sealing the Scripture to my heart by some spirituall experience and thereupon men fall into despair for sin at length For Satan plies them with temptations from their own guilty conscience the grounds of their fears are present and the grounds of their terrours are present to their soules for they are there as it were sealed and branded in their very soules but their comforts are overly the promises are overly the Word is not rooted in their hearts by faith it is not sealed there by the Spirit of God the sanctifying Spirit never brought the Word and their soules together Hereupon they fall into desperation when their terrours are present and their comforts are overly If a man have never so sound a foundation if he stand not but float upon it he may fall and sink if a man be never so weak if he lie on a rock the strength of the rock is his so in our temptations if we have a strong foundation if we do not rest on it the foundation will not uphold us Now how can those rest on it that stagger in it that were never convinced by the Spirit that these things are so and that have had no spiritual experience Satan drawes thousands of soules to perdition because their terrours are present and their comforts are overly they are not built upon divine truth by the Spirit of God Again for Apostasie in the times of the alteration of Religion why do men alter as the State alters they are ready to have every Moneth a new faith if the times and Goverment alter why because they were never convinced by the Spirit of God of divine truths They had it from forreign arguments The former State of things countenanced this way now another State countenanceth another opinion therefore I will be of the safest This is because the soul was never convinced of the truth Therefore I beseech you labour to have arguments from the experience of the power of the Word in your soules and arguments from the Spirit of God to your spirits that it is the Word of God I will stand to divine truth I find such a majesty such a humbling pacifying satisfying power in it to all my perplexities and doubts that it cannot but be the Word of God it stayes my soul in all oppositions in all temptations and corruptions it gives a stay and foundation to my soul that no truth in the world else can do When the soul is brought to such a frame such a soul will not fall into grosse sins while it is in such a frame much lesse will it despair for sin and if there be altering of Religion a thousand times it stands as a rock unmovable because it knowes from inward grounds from the Word of God it self sealed by the Spirit to my spirit that it is the Word of God such a soul will hold out and only such a soul. We should labour therefore by all means to have our faith strengthened and amongst other meanes by the use of the Sacrament whereby God sweetly conveys himself to us by way of a banquet strengthening our faith in Christ he presents Christ to us as the food of our soules to refresh us even as the bread and wine doth Our blessed Saviour is wiser then we he knowes what we stand in need of that we have need to strengthen our faith For we have need to strengthen that that must be our strength which is faith And what is the Ordinance of God to strengthen faith is it not the Sacrament The proper use of the Sacrament is to strengthen faith which the Sacrament doth being a visible Sermon to us for here we see in the outward things Christs body broken and his blood shed it is a lively representation a visible crucifying of Christ a breaking of his body and pouring out of his bloud And withall here is an offer of Christ to us in the elements sealing of what it represents to our soules if we come prepared God feeds us not with empty signes but together with the outward things themselves he gives the spiritual to the soul that is a worthy Receiver Therefore come with a humble stooping to Gods wisdom in appointing these Ordinances to this end to strengthen faith And come with a desire to have faith strengthened that will uphold us against all temptations to sin or to despair for sin Oh beloved if we knew what good our faith must do us ere long we would labour to have it strengthened by all means What will become of us in the hour of death and in great temptations we shall be as chaffe driven with the wind if we have no consistence and stability in divine truth if our soules be not built on that if we have not faith whereby our soules may be rooted in Christ we shall be but a prey for Satan Therefore considering that faith is of such wondrous consequence it is the root of all other graces whatsoever as the Apostle saith here By faith ye stand He doth not say By patience or by hope or the like they are drawn from faith Strengthen that and strengthen all other that are infused from it As a tree we cast not water on the branches but on the root all the branches are cherished by the root so strengthen faith we strengthen love and hope and all if we strengthen faith and assurance of Gods love in Christ. Thus I have at length gone over this fruitfull portion of Scripture FINIS AN Alphabetical Table DIRECTING The Reader to the Ready finding out the Principal Points and Matters handled in this Book A. Achaia AChaia the Countrey wherein Corinth was Page 5 Acknowledge Acknowledge or Acknowledgment what p. 316 331 To acknowledge Christ what pag. 331 Christ acknowledged in the Minister p. 331 333 How to know whether we acknowledge the Minister p. 331 332 333 Action Three sorts of Actions good ill indifferent p. 254
all have interest alike Only the difference is in the vessels they bring if one man bring a large vessel a large faith he caries more and another that brings a less faith caries lesse but it lies open to all alike As St. Cyprian saith we carry as much from God as we bring vessels but all have Interest alike in divine comforts Therefore among Christians there is little envy because in the best things which they value best all may have alike and that which one desires another may have as much as he he knowes he hath never the lesse The point is comfortable to all even to the meanest and to them especially that howsoever there be a difference between others and them in outward things that cease in death for all differences shall cease ere long between us and others yet the best things are common In this life those things that are necessary they are common as the Light and the Elements Fire and Water c. and those are necessarie that are not common but especially in spiritual things the best things are common Let no man be discomforted if he be Gods Child comfort belongs to him as well as to the greatest Apostle The chiefest comforts belong to him as well as to the chiefest Christian. Therefore let us envy none nor despise none in this respect In the next place we may observe here hence that Though these comforts be common yet God derives these comforts commonly by the means of men This is Gods order in deriving these comforts to the soul he comforts one that another may be comforted Not that the comforts themselves that joyn with our spirits come from men but that together with the speech and presence of men whom we love and respect and in whom we discern the appearance of the Spirit of God to dwell together with the speech of persons in whom the spirit is strong and powerful the Spirit of God joyns and the Spirit raiseth the soul with comfort so the Spirit comforteth by comforting others that they may comfort us This is not only true of Ministers but it is true of Christians as Christians for St. Paul must be considered in something as an Apostle in something as a Christian in something as a Minister of Christ. As an Apostle he had the care of all the Churches c. As a Christian he comforted and exhorted others one Christian ought to comfort another therefore he would have done it as a Christian if he had not been an Apostle And in something he is to be considered as a Minister of Christ as a Teacher and Ambassador of Christ a teacher of the Gospel He was somewhat as an Apostle somewhat as a Minister somewhat as a Christian. Therefore it concerns us all to consider how to comfort one another as Christians We are all members of the same body whereof Christ is the Head therefore whatsoever comfort we feel we ought to communicate The Celestial bodies will teach us this whatsoever light or influence the Moon and the Stars receive they bestow it on these inferiour bodies they have their light from the Sun and they reflect it again upon the creatures below In the Fabrick of mans body those official parts as we call them those parts and members of the body the Heart and the Liver which are both members and official parts that do office and service to others parts they convey and derive the spirits and the blood to all other parts they receive strength partly for themselves first and then to convey it to other members The Liver is fed it self with some part of the blood and it conveyes the rest to the veins and so to the whole bodie The heart is nourished it self of the purest nourishment the spirits are increased and those spirits are spread through the Arteries The stomach feeds it self with the meat it digests and with the strength it hath being an official part it serves other parts and strengtheneth other parts and if there be a decay in it there is a decay in all the parts of the body So a Christian ought to strengthen himself and then strengthen others no man is for himself alone And although whatsoever the means be the comfort comes from God yet he will have comfort to be conveyed to us by men this way Partly to try our obedience whether we will respect his Ordinance he will have us go to men like our selves Now if we will have comfort we must look to his Ordinance we must have it of others and not altogether from our selves And that is the reason why many go all their life time with heavy drooping spirits out of pride and neglect they scorn to seek it of others they smother their grief and bleed inwardly because they will not lay open the state of their souls to others Although God be the God of comfort he hath ordained this order that he will comfort us by them that he hath appointed to comfort us he comforteth others that they may comfort us Though God be the God of comfort yet he conveyes it for the most part by the means of others I say for the most part for he ties not himself to means though he tie us to means when we have means Occasion may be when a man is shut from all earthly comforts as in contagious diseases and restraint c. A man may be shut from all entercourse of Worldly comforts but even then a Christian is never in such an estate but he hath one comfort or other then God comforts immediately and then he comforts more sweetly and strongly then the soul cleaves to him close and saith now thou must comfort or none now the honour is all thine Now the nearer the the soul is to the fountain of comfort the more it is comforted but the soul is never so near to God as in extremitie of affliction when all means fail then the soul goes to the fountain of comfort and gives all the glory to him But I say when there is means God hath appointed to derive his comfort by means when we may have the benefit of the Communion of Saints of the word c. God will not comfort us immediatly in the neglect of the means he comforteth us that we might comfort others And as he doth it to try our obedience So partly to knit us in love one to another For is not this a great bond to knit us one to another when we consider that our good is hid in another the good that is derived to us it is hid in others And this makes us to esteem highly of others how sweet are the looks and sight of a friend and more sweet the words of a friend especially of an experienced friend that hath been in the Furnace himself Thus God to knit us one to another in loveâ—… hath ordained that the comfort that he conveyes it should be conveyed by the means of others
uncharitable men judge amiss of the generation of the righteous Whereas they should set the Court in their own hearts and begin to censure there and to examine themselves they goe out and keep their Court abroad but I say passe not a harsh censure upon others or on thy selfe no not for extream dangers for God now is making way for great comfort let God go on his way without thy censuring of him Again This should teach us that we should not build overmuch confidence on earthly things on the things of this world neither on health of body or on friends or on continuance of life alas it is Gods ordinary course to strip us of all in this world we think of great reputation but saith God I will take that from you you shall learn to trust in me You think you have strong and vigorous bodies and you shall live long and therefore you will venture upon such and such courses I but God suffers his children to come to extream dangers and hazards that they think the sentence of death is passed upon them And since this is Gods course with the body and with the Members and with our head Christ himself shall we think to have immunitie and to escape and not looke to Gods order The Church is in great miserie and we are negligent in prayer we think there are many good people and there is strong munition c. As if when Gods people are in security and forget him and his blessings it were not his course to strip them of all to suffer them to fal into extream dangers have we not the Church before our eyes to teach us Let us trust therefore in nothing in this world So much for that point The second thing in the first part is this that As Gods Children are brought to this estate so they are sensible of it They are flesh and not steele they have not the strength of steele as Job saith they are men they are not stones they are Christians they are not Stoicks Therefore St. Paul as he was in extremity so he apprehended his extremity and with all his heart he would have escaped if he could he looked about to all evasions how he might escape death Gods children are sensible of their crosses especially they are sensible of death as he speaks here of himself We despaired even of life it self The word is very significant in the originall we were in such a strait that we knew not how to escape with life so that we despaired of life we would have escaped with our lives but we saw no way to escape To make this clear there are 3. things in Gods Children There is Grace Nature Corrupt nature nature with the tang of Corruption Grace that looks upward to glorie and comfort Nature looks to the present grievance nature looks not to things to come to matters revealed in the Word to supernatural comforts nature looks to the present crosse even nature without sin Corrupt nature feeles and feeles with a secret murmuring and repining and heavinesse and dulnesse as indeed corrupt nature will alway have a bout in crosses it will alway play its part first or last There are alway these three works in the Children of God in all extremities Grace works and that carries up up still trust in God it looks to heaven it looks to the end and issue that all is for good Nature it fills full of sense and pain and makes a man desire remedy and ease Corrupt nature stirs a man up to fret and say what doth God mean to do thus it stirs a man oft-times to use ill meanes indirect courses St. Paul was sensible from a right principle of nature and no doubt here was some tang of corruption with it he was sensible of the fear of death Adam in innocencie would have been affected and exquisitly sensible no doubt if his body had been wronged for the more pure the complexion the more sensible of solution as Physicians say when that which should be knit together if any thing be loosed by sicknesse or by wounds that should by nature not be hurt but continue together it breeds exquisite pain As to cut that which should not be cut to disjoyn that which should be together this is in nature The Schoolemen say and the reason is good that Christs paines were the greatest paines because his senses were not dulled and stupified with sensuality or indirect courses he had a body of an excellent temper and he was in the perfection of his years when he died therefore he received such an impression of grief in his whipping and when he was crowned with thornes that was it that made him so sensible of grief that when he sweat he sweat drops of blood and upon the crosse it made him cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Gods Children out of a principle of nature are sensible of any grievance to this outward man of theirs to the body especially in death as we see here St. Paul And there is most patience where there is most sense it is stupidity and blockishnesse else Why are Gods Children so sensible in grief especially in death Oh there is a great cause indeed in some regards they are not afraid of it for death is an enemy to nature it is none to Grace but when I speake not of Grace and Glory but of nature hath not nature great cause to tremble at death when it is an enemy to nature even to right nature It is the King of fears as Job saith it is that Tyrant that makes all the Kings of the earth to tremble at him when death comes it is terrible why because it strips us of all the contentments of this life of all comforts whatsoever we have here Nature without â—…n is sensible of earthly comforts that God hath appointed for nature and when nature sees an end of them nature begins to give in and to grieve Again death parts the best friends we have in this world the body and the soul two old friends and they cannot be parted without exquisite grief If two friends that take contentment in each other common friends cannot part without grief how shall these bosom-friends these united friends body and soul part without grief This marriage between the soul and the body cannot be disunited without exquisite pain being old acquaintance Again nature abhors death it hinders us of all imployment it hinders of all service of God in Church and Common-wealth And so grace which is beyond nature doth a little desire the continuance of life But nature even out of no sinful principle it sees that now I can serve God no longer I can do God no more service I can do good no longer in this World and therefore it takes it to heart Our Savour saith While you have light walke the night cometh when no man is able to work the night of sicknesse and death So
take away my sincerity saith he you would make me an hypocrite and thus and thus but my conscience tells me I am otherwise therefore you shall not take away my innocency from me And in Job 31. 35. Behold it is my desire that the Almighty would answer me and that my adversaries would write a Book against me I would take it upon my shoulder I would take it as a crown unto me Here was the force of a good conscience in Jobs troubles that if his adversaries should write a book against him yet he would bind it as a crown about him And so David in all imputations this was his joy when they laid things to his charge that he had never done he takes this for his joy the comfort of his conscience So St. Paul he retires to his conscience and being raised up with the worthinesse of a good conscience he despiseth all imputations whatsoever he sets Conscience up as a flag of defiance to all false slanders and imputations that were laid against him as we see in the storie of the Acts and in this place and others saith he in one place I passe not for mans sentence I passe not for mans day man hath his day man will have his Judgment-seat and will get upon the Bench and judge me that I am such and such I care not for mans day there is another Judgement-seat that I looke unto and to the testimony of my Conscience My rejoycing is the witnesse of my Conscience Holie men have cause to retire to their own Consciences when they would rejoyce against false imputations so holy Saint Austin what saith he to a Donatist that wronged him in his reputation Think of Austin what you please as long as my Conscience accuseth me not with God I will give you leave to think what you will If so be that a mans Conscience cleares him he cares not a whit for reports because a good man looks more to Conscience then to fame therefore if Conscience tell him truth though fame lie he cares not much for he squares not his life by report but by Conscience Indeed he lookes to a good name but that is in the last place For a good man lookes first to God who is above conscience and then he lookes to Conscience which is under God and then in the third place he lookes to report amongst men And if God and his Conscience excuse him though men accuse him and lay imputations upon him this or that he passeth little for mans judgment so the witness of conscience it comforts in all imputations whatsoever Again it comforts in sicknesse Ezechias was sick what doth he retire unto Remember Lord how I have walked uprightly before thee he goes to his Conscience In sicknesse when a man can eate nothing a good Conscience is a continuall feast In sorrow it is a Musician A good Conscience doth not onely Counsell and advise but it is a Musician to delight It is a Physitian to heal It is the best Cordiall the best Physick all other are Physitians of no value Comforts of no value If a mans Conscience be wounded if it be not quieted by faith in the blood of Christ if he have not the Spirit to witnesse the forgivenesse of his sins and to sanctifie and inable him to lead a good life all is to no purpose if there be an evill Conscience the unsound body while it is sick it is in a kind of hell already Again take a man in any crosse whatsoever a good conscience doth bear out the Crosse it bears a man up alway because a good Conscience being a witnesse with God it raiseth a man obove all earthly things whatsoever there is no Earthly discouragement that can dismay a good Conscience because there is a kind of Divinitie in Conscience put in by God and it witnesseth together with God so that in all crosses it comforts So likewise in losses in want in want of friends in want of comforts in want of liberty what doth the witnesse of a good Conscience in all these In want of friends it is a friend indeed it is an inward friend a near friend to us Put the case that a man have never a friend in the world yet he hath God and his own conscience where there is a good conscience there is God and his holy Spirit alway In want of liberty in want of outward comforts he hath the comfort of a good conscience A man on his death-bed he sees he wants all outward comforts but he hath a good conscience And so in want of libertie when a man is restrained his heart is at liberty A wicked man that hath a bad conscience is imprisoned in his own Heart though he have never such libertie though he be a Monarch a bad Conscience imprisons him at home he is in fetters his thoughts make him afraid of Thunder afraid of every thing afraid of himself and though there be no body else to awe him yet his conscience awes him Where there is a conscience under the guilt of sin unrepented there is the greatest liberty in the world there is restraint for Conscience is the worst prison Where there is a good conscience there is an inward inlargement A good man in the greatest restraint hath liberty Paul and Silas Act. 16. in the dungeon in the hell of the dungeon in the worst place of the dungeon in the stocks and at the worst time of the day of the naturall day I mean at midnight and in the worst usage when they were misused and whipped with all they had all the discouragements that could be and yet they sang at midnight these blessed men Paul and Silas because their hearts were enlarged there was a Paradise in the very Dungeon As where the King is there is his Court so it is where God is God in the prison in the noysom dungeon by his Spirit so enlarged their hearts that they sang at midnight Where as if conscience be ill if it were in Paradise Conscience would fear as we see in Adam Saint Paul in prison was better then Adam in Paradise when he had offended God Adam had outward comforts enough but when he had sinned his conscience made him afraid of him from whom he should have all comfort it made him afraid of God and hide himself among the leaves alas a poore shift We see then conscience doth witnesse and the witness of it when it is good doth cause the soul to glory and rejoyce not onely in positive ills in slanders and crosses but in losses in want of friends in want of comforts in want of liberty And so for the time to come in evills threatned a good conscience is bold It feares no ill tidings Psalme 112. My heart is fixed my heart is fixed saith David wicked men are like the trees of the forrest Isay 7. Wicked Ahaz his heart did tremble and shake as the leaves with the wind The noise of fear
good demand It is not baptisme but the demand of a good conscience When the conscience hath fed on Christ it demands boldly as it is Rom. 8. of Satan and all enemies Who shall lay any thing to our charge it is God that justifieth it is Christ that died or rather that is risen again It boldly demands of God who hath given his Son the bold demand of conscience prevails with God and this comes by faith in Christ. Now this is strengthened by the Sacrament here are the visible representations and seales that we are incorporate more and more into Christ and so feeding upon Christ once our conscience is pacified and purged from all dead works and we come to have a continuall feast Christ is first the Prince of righteousnesse the righteous King and then Prince of peace first he gives righteonsnesse and then he speaks peace to the conscience The Kingdom of God is righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost So that all our feast and joy and comfort that we have in our consciences it must be from righteousnesse A double righteousnesse the righteousnesse of Christ which hath satisfied and appeased the wrath of God fully and then we must have the righteousnesse of a good conscience sanctified by the Spirit of Christ we must put them together alway we can never have communion with Christ and have forgivenesse of sins but we must have a Spirit of sanctification There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared Where there is mercy in the forgivenesse of sin there is a disposition to fear it ever after Therefore if for the present you would have a good conscience desire God to strengthen your faith in the blood of Christ poured out for you desire God to strengthen your faith in the crucified bodie of Christ broken for you that so feeding on Christ who is your surety who himself is yours and all is yours you may ever have the feast of a good conscience that will comfort you in false imputations that will comfort you in life and in death and at the day of judgement This is our rejoycing in all things the testimony of our conscience first purged by the blood of Christ and then purged and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ that we have had our Conversation in simplicity and sincerity c. Our rejoycing is this that in simplicity and sincerity This is the matter of this testimonie of Conscience that is simplicity and sincerity Saint Paul glories in his simplieity and sincerity And mark that by the way it is no vain glorying but lawful upon such cautions as I named before but to add a little A man in some cases may glory in the Graces of God that are in him but with these cautions First if so be that he look on them as the gifts of God Secondly if he look on them as stained with his own defects and so in that respect be humbled Thirdly if he look upon them as fruits of his justification and as fruites of his assurance of his salvation and not as causes And then if it be before men that he glories not when he is to deale with God When men lay this and that imputation upon a man he may rejoyce as Saint Paul doth here in the testimony of his conscience in simplicity and sincerity The matter of the testimony of Conscience wherein he glories is simplicity and godly sincerity or as the words may well be read in the simplicity and sincerity of God such as proceeds from God and such as aimes at and looks to God and resembles God For both simplicity and sincerity come from God they are wrought by God and therein we resemble God and both of them have an eye to God a respect to God so it is in the originall in the simplicity and sincerity of God There is not much difference between simplicity and sincerity the one expresseth the other if you will have the difference simplicity especially respects men our conversation amongst men Simplicity hath an eye to God in all things in Religion opposite to hypocrisy in Religion Simplicity that is opposed to doublenesse where doublenesse is there is alway hypocrisy opposed to sincerity and where simplicity is there is alway sincerity truth to God But it is not good to be very exact and punctuall in the distinction of these things they may one expresse the other very well Simplicity Saint Paul's rejoycing was that his conscience witnessed to him his simplicity in his whole conversation in the world his whole course of life which the Scripture calls in other places a walking Saint Paul meanes this first of himself and then he propoundes himself an example to us How was St. Paul's conversation in simplicity Not onely if we consider Saint Paul as a Christian but consider him as an Apostle his conversarion was in simplicity It was without guile without seeking himself without seeking his owne for rather then he would be grievous to the Corinthians the man of God he wrought himself because he would not give any the least scandall to them being a rich people he had rather live by his own labour then to open his mouth he did not seek himself In a word he did not serve himself of the Gospell he served Christ he did not serve himself of Christ. There are many that serve themselves of the Gospell that serve themselves of religion they care no more for religion then will serve their owne turne Saint Paul's conversation was in simplicity he had no such aime he did not preach of envy orof malice or for gain as he taxeth some of the Philippian teachers Some preach Christ not of simplicity and sincerity but of envy c. Then again as an Apostle and a teacher his conversation was in simplicity because he mingled nothing with the Word of God in teaching his doctrine is pure What should the chaffe do with the wheat Jer. 20. What should the drosse do with the Gold he did not mingle his own conceits and devices with the Word for he taught the pure Word of God the simple Word of God simple without any mixture of any by-aimes So the blessed Apostle was simple both in his Doctrine and in his intentions Propounding himself herein exemplary to all us that as we look to hold up our heads with comfort and to glory in all estat es whatsoever so our consciences must bear us witnesse that we carry our selves in the simplicity and sincerity of God Now simplicity is when there is a conformity of pretention and intention when there is nothing double when there is not a contradiction in the spirit of a man and in his words and carriage outwardly That is simplicty when there is an exact conformity and correspondence in a mans judgement and speech in his affections and actions When a man judgeth simply as the truth of the thing is and when he affects as he judgeth when he loves
Christ. The best things are behind our chief rejoycing is behind our rejoycing now is our hope that we shall rejoyce then The Corinthians were S. Paul's joy now because he knew they should be his main rejoycing then If we rejoyce in any thing now let it be that our names are written in heaven in the testimony of our conscience that we are Gods that our hearts are wrought on that we have something that Christ will acknowledge when he sees his stamp and Image on us when he shall look on us and see his own Image upon our hearts there will be matter of joy in that day There will be joy in our selves and joy in all the blessed instruments that are under Christ the Ministers they shall rejoyce likewise in us and all of us shall joyn in joying in Christ all shall meet there For their joying in S. Paul and he in them it was that Christ was theirs And Christ shall come as it is in 2 Thess. 4. to be glorified in his Saints not onely in himself but in his believing members for his glory shall reflect upon them as the Sun reflects upon light bodies all light bodies are made light by the Sun So the Sun of Righteousnesse shall come and all them that have glory it shall be by reflexion from him they shall be glorious in him so he is both the Ministers joy and the peoples they shall all glory in Christ whose glory is their glory He shall come to be glorious in his Saints therefore frame your courses that way to have glory then to have comfort in the hour of death and at the day of Judgment And to end the point Let us labour to be acquainted with him now before that day we shall never have comfort in the day of the Lord Jesus except we be acquainted with him and acknowledge him in the Ministery now and in the Sacraments for none shall ever be acquainted with him there that have not been acquainted with him and known him in this world How do we come to be acquainted with Christ To be present where he is present and he is present where two or three are met together in his Name He is present now in our meetings he is present when we hear the Word He is present in the Sacrament more especially we have his very body and blood As verily as we take the outward signs so verily Christ is present to our hearts at the same time from heaven he reacheth us himself with all the benefits of his passion when the Minister reacheth the bread he reacheth his body As our outward man is refreshed with the elements so our soules are refreshed with the spiritual presence of Christ. Now he is excellently present in heaven he is present to our senses in the Sacrament and by his Spirit in the Word Would you have him then at his appearing come and own you and say then Come ye blessed be acquainted with him now upon all occasions hear the Word receive the Sacrament and come to the Sacrament as acknowledging him there How is that Why then you acknowledge the bread and wine to be Seales of him and of all the blessings by him when you come prepared when you come to them as his or else you do not acknowledge them you know them to be such and such things but you acknowledge them not to be set apart for such a holy use except you come with prepared hearts Will any body acknowledge him to go to a great person when he goes deformed and in rags do you know whither you go would some say to him He considers not whither he goes that comes to the Sacrament in his old sins Come acquainted therefore with Christ to acknowledge him that shall be your Judge at the latter day therefore come prepared And then because the Sacrament is a means to seal to us all the benefits we have by Christ and to incorporate us more nearly into Christ he that comes to the Sacrament as he should must come with joy Is it not a joyful thing to be united to Christ and to have further assurance of all the good things by him Yes it is a matter of great joy Therefore when you have repented of your sins come with joy And come with holinesse The things are holy as our Liturgy hath it let us give holy things to holy persons here is presented holy bread and wine and here you are to deal with Christ therefore come with holy reverence in the whole carriage of the businesse And come with faith and assurance and then you shall acknowledge Christ in this Ordinance in the Sacrament You shall acknowledge that he deales not complementally with you to feed you with empty signes but you shall have himself with his signs you shall have the Lord himself in the Word and in the Sacraments With the field you shall have the treasure in the field as the wise Merchant had With the Word you shall have Christ wrapped in the Word and in the Sacrament you shall have Christ and all his benefits Trust to it make it your weapon against Satan he will tempt you to doubt of your interest in Christ. Think with your selves Had I grace to receive Christ to be incorporate nearer into him why should I doubt to renew my Covenant And though I have fallen by weaknesse yet I have a gracious Intercessour in heaven that makes my peace continually Come in faith Know that God in good earnest here offers Christ with all his benefits And come with a purpose and resolution to be led by him You come to renew your Covenant here is the Covenant when Christ is given to you and you give your selves to Christ. Therefore as I said if you come with a purpose to live in sin come not at all Christ will not live in a heart where there is a purpose to sin therefore esolve to leave all sin or else you cannot receive him To move you to come and to come thus do but consider that it will be your joy in this world and in the world to come before Christ that you have been thus acquainted with him herc on earth acquainted with him in the Ministery acquainted with him in the Sacrament in private prayer and meditation in all the blessed means that he hath appointed and then he will look on you as upon his old friends But now he that is a Rebel that goes away or else comes not acknowledging with whom he hath to deal him that shall be his Judge ere long the Great God of Heaven and Earth that shall come in glory and majestie with thousands of his Angels Then he shall be Wonderfull indeed as his Name is Isai. 9. 6. and as the Apostle saith 2 Thess. 2. where he useth the word he shall be wonderful in his Saints Then all the world shall wonder at the glory of a poor Christian when he shall put down the Sun and all the