their left hand doth They acknowledge little to come from them Matth. 25. they keep all to themselves When did wee see thee naked and clothed thee Hungry and fed thee Sicke and in prison and visited thee Why are you such strangers to your owne duties Then shall others be strangers to your joy onely your selves shall enjoy the priviledge of your own close walking For be yee sure God will not conceale it close love shall never want close peace unknowne welfare and comfort of heart prosperity in grace growth and experience You that walke in the regeneration of obedience with Christ shall not only sit upon Thrones hereafter in stead of your dust and ashes here But in the meane while you shall fare as Christ fared he who made it his meat and drinke to doe his Fathers will had meat to eate which no man knew of Joh. 4. Nourish thou a mourning heart for sinne thine owne and others a close heart to obey and no man shall bee able to judge what thy joyes are Prov. 10.29 Thy worke is also thy wages and yet the Lord shall besides support thee otherwise so that neither spirituall nor earthly requitals shall bee wanting till at last that life of thine which was hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 shall breake out before all Men and Angels Then shall close obedience bee swallowed up into exceeding glory and the garments of joy shall bee added to thy secret consolations in the day wherein Christ himselfe shall appeare in glory And so much also may serve for this Use and for this Doctrine Whereto I wish from my heart a blessing from God upon the Reader The next Branch of Naamans obeying was his closing with the promise The second branch arising from hence is that Naaman washed seven times according to the word of Elisha in respect of the promise added to his washing and that was That he should recover his flesh againe and be cleane This point I told you is as materiall as the other one cannot well goe without the other they are as twins which live and dye together The point I collect from it is this Gods promises must be beleeved according to the scope of promises that is according to the intent and extent thereof I say againe and marke well promises must bee beleeved according to that which is in them and that which they import neither must they bee shortned or straitned stretched or enlarged neither made lesse nor more then is in them Doctrine Promises must be beleeved according to their extent More then they are no man shall need to make them for all the store and fulnesse of God is in them Lesse then they are none may dare to make them That which the holy Ghost speakes in the conclusion of Revel 22. Hee that shall adde any thing or dâ—minish from the words of this booke the Lord shall adde to him all the plagues in this booke and diminish his name from the booke of life That I may say of the promises Let none make them greater then they are Opening of the ground of the poâ— nor yet lesser but let every one take understand and apply them to himselfe as they lye in the word not in the letter onely but in the spirituall meaning and purpose thereof Touching the ground of this point out of the Text it needs not many words to be spent about it It is evident that the obedience of Naaman in going to wash proceeded from no heat of sudden alteration of minde no pang or humour no blinde hope or had-I-wist as who say It 's but trying I will goe hit I or misse I it is but my journey No but as he was strongly held back before by a deep selfe-conceit so now hee is drawne forward by as deep an inspiration of God and a perswasion that the promise annexed to his washing was as certaine and undeceiveable as the charge was divine and absolute and therefore in obeying God commanding hee consents to God promising also in as full and absolute a degree and in all points and respects as the promise lay that is to say not that hee should perhaps be cured perhaps not but that the cure should bee whole and entire no manner of Leprosie should hereafter cleave to him any more but as now he was nasty and scurvie all over so then he should be healed by the healing of God better then if Elisha had laid his hand upon it that is as perfectly as if hee never had been Leper and his flesh should returne to him as the flesh of a little childe so clean should he become and return home and not repent him that he had beleeved the promise in the fulnesse thereof So much for the ground of the Text. Now as I noted in the former point here some may step in and object Object Why doe you ground a doctrine upon such a passage as this of Naaman Alas his washing was but an outward act and that occasionall and personall onely reaching to himselfe and determining with him Our case is otherwise and it must be a bottome of eternall truth which must ground a doctrine of this nature because it concerns the perpetuall practice of a poore soule in respect of pardon and sanctification To whom I answer in one word That the question is not here Answ what the particular of this promise to Naaman is or is not but what the nature of every promise requires whether it bee occasionall and temporall or spirituall and generall The point is this Every promise bee it what it will be whether for once and away or for adoe being from God requires an equall obedience and extent of faith to embrace it and cast the soule upon it as well as the moralest and generallest promise in the Word can doe The reason is plaine because in the one as well as the other is enclosed that power and truth of God which bindes the soule to an equall and uniforme obedience I speake now and marke well of such promises as require our faith for the performance for some promises are absolute in themselves and rest upon the naked word whether we beleeve them or not because they be universall Gen. 8.21 As that the rainebow shall be a sure signe of no more deluges That seasons of the yeare Summer and Winter sowing time and harvest shall continue That the Gospell shall bee preached to all Nations Mâ—tth 24.13 That there shall be a restoring of the Kingdome to Israel and Christ shall in this world bee knowne to bee Lord and King of his Church These promises though they deserve credit yet shall be performed howsoever being pitcht and appointed by God in their seasons But for personall promises not so That particular promise made to Abraham touching a sonne if yet it were particular or any other concerning a present mercy or deliverance Gen. 18.10 Esay 7.4 as that which was made to Ahaz of
NAAMAN THE SYRIAN HIS DISEASE AND CVRE Discovering lively to the Reader the spirituall Leprosie of Sinne and Selfe-love Together with the Remedies viz. Selfe-deniall and Faith Besides sundry other remarkable points of great use as you may finde them after the Epistle to the Reader With an Alphabeticall TABLE very necessary for the Readers understanding to finde each severall thing contained in this Booke By Daniel Rogers B. in Divinity and Minister of Gods Word at Wethersf in Essex LONDON Printed by TH HARPER for PHILIP NEVIL and are be sold at his Shop in Ivy Lane at the Signe of the Gun MDCXLII TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE THE Lady CECIL Countesse of Winchelsey late Wife and now Widow to the Right Honourable THOMAS Earle of Winchelsey deceased GRACE and PEACE Right Honourable THE graces of Selfe-deniall and Faith are like those two pillars of Iachin and Boaz 2 Chron. 3.17 erected at the beautifull entrance into the Temple for all men to cast their eyes upon and that worthily for most costly and pretious was their matter and most curious and artificiall was their workemanship For as those two Pillars led the way into a glorious Temple yet made with hands so doe these two stand in the porch of a better Temple even that of Grace here and Glory eternall in the heavens And as they so stood neare the gate of entrance that no man could enter in save by them although themselves never went in but alway staid without so these graces though they shall leave the soule in Heaven because she should not need them yet they shall not forsake her while she abides in the porch but shut heaven doore upon her ere they take their leave Moreover as the contriver and erecter of the former was that famous and cunning Artist Hyram of Tyre so 1 King 7.13 no lesse an artificer then Hyram nay a greater then Hyram is here I say the Spirit of the Lord Iesus is the framer and setter up of these in the Soules of Gods Elect. And these two graces good Madam with the discovery thereof are the chiefe frame of these my ensuing Lectures in which both when I preached them and now I write them I aime at this marke to withdraw the soule from the life of it owne hand to the life of the Lord Iesus Esay 57.9 and from an empty Religion to be acquainted with the mysteries of the Gospell the only manuduction to true godlinesse All profession being nothing else save a shadow and bottomlesse building which is not grounded and quickned with Selfe-deniall and Faith And indeed Right Honourable if ever any age of the Church did then doth this in which we live in my judgement require that the labours of us Ministers be improved about the urging of these whether we looke upon the times or turne our eyes to God himselfe in his administration and government we shall observe the former excessively overgrowne with an outward and formall Religion and for the latter when did the Lord so estrange himself from us and dwell as it were in the midst of a thicke cloud So that except by the lively practice of these two graces we do not stir up our selves to take hould of him how can our lives chuze but be sad and comfortlesse Surely if ever we had now need to prease upon more familiar acquaintance with God in all his graces and as David did to view his Temple well True it is that the old Iew had little knowledge of God save by the name of Iehova Alsufficient and a generall aime at the promise of a Messia the blessed seed to come Doubtlesse they lived at poore termes It was enough for them to cast an eye upon Gods Temple as Daniel in captivity and Iona in the Whales belly might do Dan. 6.10 Jona 2 7. Strange and deep was that mercy which would so far off behold such as so far off beheld him but now we the Church of the New Testament are come nearer to God Heb. 12.24 we are come to mount Sion to the heavenly Ierusalem to the Church of the first born to Iesus himself the Mediator of the Covenant and the bloud of sprinkling which speakes better things then that of Abel We are come now beyond the Porch and Sanctuary even to the Holy of Holies through his flesh that hath broken downe the vaile of seperation So that now we are past viewing of the Temple well for we had need become this Temple our selves 2 Cor. 3.18 Whose corner stone is precious Iesus and wee precious stones built upon him and rising up daily to a more lively and well proportioned building 2 Pet. 1.4.5 A little taste of the gift of God a few good reaches and affections after holinesse are not enough for us but to be grounded upon these foundations of Selfe-deniall and Faith 2 Pet. 11.1 which promise us an open entrance into that eternall Temple According therefore to those talents of Wisdome and Knowledge which the Lord hath long imparted to us by the blessed lights of his Ministers who sometimes shined in our Sphere but now in glory it is expected at our hands That we comprehend with all Saints that depth and breadth of love which is in Christ Eph. 3.17 18. that he may dwell in our hearts by faith Heb. 6.1 that forgetting our first elements we strive toward perfection so far as in this vaile of misery its possible to reach to I know your Honour hath long made this your marke and that leaving things behinde you have long looked forward to the prize of the high calling of God Phil 3.13 and to that end have I sent you this Booke that it may affoord you some succour and direction hereto in your private condition and sad widowhood These thirty yeares I have wholly intermitted any converse with your Ladiship an error scarce pardonable except your so farre distant dwelling from the place of your first nativity and education did plead some pardon for me being one whose age and occasions admit no travell to remote places Yet have I not wholy been unacquainted with your course and conversation in Gods waies nay I know through how many combats and fights of affliction God hath brought your Honor into the condition wherin you stand And besides Heb. 10.32 I may say of you as the Lord once said of Iehoshua Zach. 3 2. Is not this a brand pluckt out of the fire Hath not the Lord taken you as a dry branch and planted you in the Courts of his owne house to grow wel-liking and flourishing in goodnesse Sometimes the Lord abhorred a female out of that flecke which had a male Mal. 1.14 But now the males of your flocke are all gone the Lord hath left you as a female hope of recovering the honour of a collapsed family A great honour for to say the truth who hath beheld so deep an eclipse of such as have beene neare
this Selfe is Selfe-deniall the last and surest preparative of the soule to Christ for although all be good yet none so sure as this this being added to the rest argues a spirit of saving grace to be at worke and making way for Christ to cast out this strong man and take possession in the soule And of this Selfe and her opposite deniall of Selfe I doe chiefly treat in this Treatise following as thou shalt see at thy leasure although perhaps I trench upon Self by the way in other respects And so much for this third sense Branch 4 Yet a fourth and last difference remaines that is Selfe in sanctification Selfe in sanctification For whether we speake of hypocrites who deceive themselves in an opinion of it when as alas they are farre from it and in a perswasion of their faith because they have some seeming fruits of a change whereas they never came within the lists of conversion either by Law or Gospel and therefore walke in a covenant of morall workes abstinences and performances Or whether we speake of the truly sanctified even they may mistake the worke of sanctification in themselves when they turne aside resting upon workes without clasping and cleaving to their principle in all their course I say Selfe is not so quite defaced in a beleeving soule it selfe but that abundance of old dregs unmortified still remaine Touching the former the hypocrite how easily is hee mistaken by Selfe when he imagines himselfe an holy person when alas all he hath is drawn from a land-spring of naturall parts and gifts excellent affections a conscience onely enlightned to see and loath some sinne custome observation and example of the good not to be good but to be like the good only good education legall restraints or good Lawes of men and superiours here are deepe delusions And yet the wel-spring of Christ is wanting to make the streames naturall sweet and running equall uniforme lasting and constant sincere and entire And surely who so deceives himselfe in his conversion will easily deceive himself in his sanctification one Selfe will apply it selfe to all objects be they never so diverse But Selfe-deniall will not satisfie herselfe in such shreds A body of death the pollution and staine of nature are reall strong principles It must bee a second Adam which expels the first pangs and devotions imitations affections externall complements are not able to compasse so great a worke So much for this an argument well deserving the best service To this fourth Annex to this fourth is Selfe in conversation I annex the consideration of Selfe in point of conversation and practice And this is nothing else save the expression of it selfe in the way of common life a most endlesse and infinite object to think of Self in corrupt nature Selfe in the remedy Selfe in sanctification are three false principles if she passe through all these three unmortified and undenied shee will as a streame overflow all the life Hence all those usuall passages of self in the conversation of men The hollow hearts of most men in friendship especially if tried The self-love of men in their contracts bargaines buyings sellings The cousenages circumventions tricks and devices shifts and equivocations of men for their owne ends their unfaithfulnesse breaking daies promises yea oaths and vowes Selfe is at the end of all Hence mens endlesse adoring of the creature money is the man pleasure is our life preferment and honour is most mens Idol Whose God is their belly whose glory is their shame who minde earthly things Phil. 3.18 and the like we see in mens conversation in other kindes as if you crosse them in this selfe of theirs they are wilde Give mee my wil or else I dye take away my gourd and I am franticke So in their afflictions whither runne men save to their Idols of good workes their charity and almes what good have they done how moraly they have lived what credit they have had If controversies befall them how stiffe in their owne cause how inexorable in point of gain how hard to forgive wrongs and injuries how abounding in their owne sense and stiffe in their owne conceit One River in tract of ground hath divers names so one selfe wee see in divers objects puts on a diverse exception But contrary to all is self-deniall If any man will bee my Disciple let him deny himself else selfe will keep him far enough from God and Christ from faith from sanctification from duty And selfe-deniall in this kind is nothing else save integrity and uprightnesse of a mans way Prov. 10.27 And so much be said for thy better light in the distinct understanding of this Treatise Other weighty arguments are also treated of herein as the point of Faith obedience of Commands nature of the Promises but because they are more familiar objects I leave thee to the perusall thereof as they shall offer themselves to thy view That which I will further adde shall bee to thee good Reader to whose hands it shall be the lot of this Booke to come To wit that both thou and I and all Christians into whose hands the great depositum of Truth is put doe contend to our uttermost for the safegard and indemnity thereof that as we have received it entire from our predecessors so we may keepe and transmit it to them that shall follow us without impair or blemish Novelty prophanenesse and lukewarmenesse are the three epidemiall evils which as cankers in severall kindes and waies fret to the heart of our Religion So long as we can keep sound Doctrine on wing we shall hope to kill or weaken all three As David to Abiathar so may Truth say to Religion Abide by me he that seeketh thy life seeketh mine and with me thou shalt be in safety Doublesse if a man had three cankers in three severall parts of his body threatning the heart he would thinke it very much imported him to looke to himselfe the Holy Ghost himselfe hath warned us of all three of novelty Paul tels us 1 Tim. 4.1 Now the Spirit speaketh evidently that in the latter times men shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits speaking lies in hypocrisie c. of prophanenesse the same Apostle warnes us 2 Tim. 3.1 In the latter times shall bee hard daies c. mentioning eighteene of this rable all rife and ranke among us The three our Saviour Christ himselfe foretels to bee the disease of these times and that as a fruit of the former Matth. 24.13 For there having spoken of novelty and false Prophets verse 5. and verse 11. he subjoines verse 12. That iniquity shall abound marke error and prophanenesse concurre And what of both these Surely men beholding diversity in opinions through novelty and prophanenesse of life shall grow indifferent in point of their Religion not greatly caring which end go forward yea many zelots shall quaile for the love of many shall wax
thou hast excelled them all 2. Branch Prerogative of Faith And secondly the prerogative of faith is sutable to her nature for although many things are very pretious in nature as jewells which excell in lustre and brightnesse which yet equall not the price with any reall use Job 28.19 yet this pretious grace is as usefull also and therefore well might Salomon say and so Iob also She is more pretious then Rubies and the Topaz of Ethiopia shall not bee taken for her And that appeares by this that she is the doer of all in all in the soule both for light In sundry respects direction and strength First for light as the Sunne is first subject of naturall light in the world So is Faith in the supernaturall divine light in the soule And is to the whole man as our Saviour speakes of the eye if it be light then is the whole body light the hand Matth. 6.22 the foote the members are all light if the eye be cleare And as the Ephod or Urim were to the Priest so is faith to the soule even the oracle of it and conceives the deep things of God and reveals them to us to whom before they were hidden And if it be true as it s most true that we know no more in Gods matters then wee beleeve then surely faith is the key of all true and saving knowledge in the soule Then also she is the directresse of the soule As servants from the Master or Mistresse so doe all the graces of the Spirit receive direction from the gift of faith As in a ship each boy hath his taske some to row with oares in the boat others to climb the shreeds to pumpe to stop the leaks some to attend the steridge but all receive direction from the boatswaine he orders them and their works So Faith workes not every thing immediately in the frame of a Christian she hath abundance of workemen and as the Centurion said to his so Faith saith to hers Doe this suffer this conquer this come goe and they all obey If a crosse come goe Patience endure it If a blessing come Sobriety use it temperately as if thou didst not use it If any duty of mercy to soule or body to be done Charity and Liberality must doe them If any hard taske then Wisedome Diligence or Selfe-deniall must step forth and to these Faith gives their charge and orders their worke Thirdly she is the strength of all other graces of the Spirit As all sinewes are from the braine all Arteries from the heart all veines from the liver thence they derive their originall and all that activity which they exercise in the body So 1 Joh. 3.9 all the graces of the Spirit fetch their being and support from Faith Shee is the seed of God in the Soule and she is the strength of God also His seed because whatsoever divinenesse is in the gift of patience long-suffering thankfulnesse mercy love hope of salvation it comes from the fountaine of Faith She is the Merchant Royall all other Chapmen have their wares from her Store-house Then she is the strength also of God in all graces Whatsoever thou seest excellent in a Christians frame or graces if thou hadst an eye to see thou shouldst behold them all in one faith out of whole Forge and Anvill they are all formed For why Faith taking hold of Gods maine strength to save carries away all his strength to obey if God will save me surely hee deserves my love my patience and surely hee and his love will put mee forth and uphold me in doing for him in curbing my passions in mortifying my Giant-like corruptions the great sonnes of Anak those Emims and Zanzummims 2 Cor. 5.8 Esay 26.12 which are above all the rest in fiercenesse and strength So that now mark this Doctrine of Faith casting the Soule upon the Word and Promise for pardon and life argues the most excellent nature and prerogative of faith above all other It is evident by this whatsoever the Lord workes in man he workes by the Word and the Spirit and whatsoever these two act in the soule they act it by faith as their onely instrument so that Faith is the onely Intelligencer to the Soule from the Spirit and from Heaven and that grace which is maintained as agent for God in the soul No other gift is so As hee saith of the ship that there are in it many who do needfull works but the Pilot doth all in all he doth not so sordid works as they but he doth greater and better for he sits at the sterne and guides the course of the Ship into the Haven the other are but subordinate but shee is principall so I may say of Faith and other graces all of them conferre to the well-being of a Christian but faith to the being The Ship boyes stop leakes and row with Oares but they doe not the great worke of guiding the Ship by Card and Compasse till she come at land So all that which any grace of the Spirit doth that faith doth But faith doth somewhat which they doe not nor can doe Nay faith is faine to cover all the defects of other graces to save them harmlesse and to beare their chin above water from sinking As we see that the Shield is not onely armour to fence the body Ephes 6.16 but also to fence off blowes and affronts from all the armour it selfe so that the dint come not at the head-peece or corslet or the rest Onely faith brings the Lord Jesus into the soule to doe all her workes in her and for her and when all is done to pardon the wants and to cleanse away the spots thereof by cloathing her with that robe under which God seeth no deformity to impute or punish it To conclude I say brethren that I presse this purposely that as I have spoken much of those things in this Book which tend to faith so I would perswade you to thinke no paines too great to bestow in the getting thereof because this grace being once gotten to cast the soule upon the Word and Promise yea God himselfe in Christ By this meane she hath all because she encloseth him who is all in all in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdome who is the fulnesse of God in whom we are complete And so much may serve for this use Vse 2 Another use of instruction may be to give us some further light into the substance of this grace of faith Of Instruction Faith hath two parts 1. Self denial by shewing you of what ingredients the receit is made or of what parcels it consists And they are two The former deniall of our selves The latter resigning up of the soule to Gods Word For to cast the soule upon the promise implies both these Selfe-deniall then first is one parcell of this grace For why It is impossible that the soule should cast it selfe upon a Word
example remisse in our watch and bolder to trench upon those Commands of God which formerly wee durst not transgresse If with our yeares knowledge experience we grow more close carefull wary and punctuall with God rather then otherwise it is a sweet signe Age is proud of it selfe and gives large dispensations And it were to bee wished that our lamentable experience of all sorts did not too much approve it Triall 11 Eleventhly a true loyall heart rather strives to make up the breach of other mens rebellions It stops the disobedience of others then dares venture to break the least Command it selfe It hath abundance of mourning that others disobey God and that God is not generally obeyed rather then want of honesty and will to obey it selfe In 1 Chron. 12. the Text telles us that David fetcht home the Arke as in other respects of duty to God so in respect also of Sauls neglect who had not done it all his time And Iosia is said to pull downe all those Groves 2 Chro. 34.4 Images Idol-worships and Reliques of old evils which all his Predecessors had let alone Try we our selves then by this Whether our streame doe run so naturally to God that for the love and honour which we owe him we content not our selves with obeying him our selves except as farre as we can we fetch in others to doe his will at least that we have a large heart to wish that it may bee done in earth as in heaven Matth. 6.10 mourning for the narrow bounds of obedience both our owne and others and making amends for the defects of others to our uttermost This is a good signe Triall 12 Twefthly if we then obey Gods Commands when as yet wee are not like to enjoy any temporall fruit of our obeying It obeyes when there appeares no advantage for our obedience so that come of it what will we will cleave to obedience for obedience sake Thus it is said of Iosiah that he sent to Hulda for counsell what to doe when he had read the booke of the curses of the Law and stood convinced thereof When shee sent him word that God had decreed to bring misery upon the City and Nation although hee for his part should escape the sight thereof what did hee Give over the obedience of the Command No when hee fore-saw hee should not nor could prevaile for the whole land yet for meere conscience sake hee humbled himselfe more before God then ever any before him had done If then in desolate times wee can finde in our hearts to humble our soules to God whether the successe answer the expectation or not and give our service to God to requite it as he shall please it is a good signe that love to him prevailes against selfe-love in our obeying Triall 13 Againe true and close obedience is active and lively that is both living by the fruit of experience Three branches as also watching all occasions and opportunities in speciall to obey with reviving her selfe and renewing her Covenant zeale and spirit daily to obey better Branch 1 It is bettered by experience For the former of these Branches First it is experimentall that is whereas the obedience of an hypocrite is a dead thing theirs is lively An hypocrite followes meanes and duties apace but is never the better for them because he wants the life of grace to draw acceptance and blessing from God He layes heaps upon heaps yet dies of thirst As Iob speakes of the Estridge that shee layes her egges and hides them in the sand because God hath denyed her wisedome to brood them and so the feet of beasts crush them in peeces So Job 39.14 the Lord hath denied wisedome to the hypocrite hee suffers him to toyle himselfe and take paines to worship God and doe duties but he is as willing to forfeit them again comfort savour he wants he is as new to begin againe after them as before only from hand to mouth he pleases himself in his obeying But the close heart so obeyes that he feels peace thereby enjoyes his obedience feels the sweet fruit of it to encourage him the experience of it to ripen him to strenghthen him to better his resolutions and purposes in obeying for afterward Acts 11.34 that he may with closer consent of heart obey for time to come And withall being accepted in Christ having all his obedience dipped in his blood he is cheerfull lively and joyfull in his attempts growing by the experience both of his failings to make him humbler and wiser and of his vertues to make his obedience more setled rooted and fruitfull claiming in an holy manner his priviledge from God It is occasionall So Branch 2 also it is occasionall An hypocrite will heare and praise the closest and most spirituall Sermon of obedience say what you will of a close Sabbath compassion to the afflicted he yeelds to it but in particular and upon occasion he is no body When hee feares death none will make better covenants to obey closely then hee Compare Jer. 42.4 with cap. 44.16 But let him be up again and healthy he apprehends no occasions his silver then is drosse As Ecclesiastes saith The heart of the wise man is on his right hand but the fooles on the left Each hypocrite in his pangs and hot blood is very fervent in obeying 2 King 9.34 So Iehu marched fervently against Iehoram while the heat of selfe-love lasted but the motion soone quailed For when the heat was over the next we heare of him is that he departed not from all the sinnes of Ieroboam He rooted out Iezabels idols but set up Ieroboams Sure it is the obedience of hypocrites is dead ware there is no active principle in it to quicken it by each occasion offered to expresse it selfe or by each defect and decay to recover it selfe That it is it is by starts and pangs It is lively from a principle whereas the obedience of a Branch 3 close heart hath a principle alway maintaining it in life vigour cheerfulnesse integrity uprightnesse and unweariednesse Try we our selves also by this marke True and close obedience lies close to God as well in particular duties Triall 14 of our places and callings as in the generall course of Religion It obeyes as well in speciall duties of our calling as in generall of Religion You shall have many Magistrates who as private Christians walke religiously but in the acts of their Magistracie bite in their zeale so Ministers Parents Governours of Families A Christian is never searcht to the quicke till the tryall lye in his particular place It is not enough not to be a rotten and hollow Magistrate except thou also bee a faithfull one A rotten one will discover himselfe by his treachery siding with those sins sinners he should punish under one pretext or other declining the zealous pursuit of them But one that is not
beleeving ones and seale the soule of such a one through the faith of the word to a true ingrafting into Christ Affectation to allegorize the Scriptures a dangerous course and the new Birth Constantine the great and good Emperour being a leper and told that nothing else could heale him save bathing of his body in the bloud of infants ript out of their mothers wombe abhorred the speech of it as counting the remedy worse then the disease That which hee did mercifully in forbearing doe thou religiously in embracing The bloud and water flowing out of the pierced sides of the Lord Jesus and washing thy soul by faith sacramentally is only able to heal thy leprosie to make so perfect a cure as shall never need to be repeated Naaman and thou need nevere be washed the second time if once throughly cured and in truth it was this bloud which made Naamans cure so perfect Apply thy soule to it therefore to make a perfect cure in it better then all thine owne patcht and halfe cures Looke not at the outward water alone looke at the power and vertue of him whose bloud onely can heale both the water from her cursed barrennesse to make it fruitfull and seasonable seed of life and thy soule by water from guilt power and eternall curse due unto it Christ in the water is the power of it one droppe of his sides issuing out water and bloud is the efficacy of the Sacraments Mix all with faith to cleanse thy soul to purge thy leprosie it s shed to thine hand and powred out by himselfe most willingly for thee If thou refuse it thou art guilty of shedding it but not by beleeving and applying it Numb 19.4 No legall cleansings of the leper by Aaron can equall it he sprinkled the bloud and ashes of a Cow Christ sprinkles with his owne he often Christ once for ever he imperfectly so that the leprosie might returne Christ fully never to returne Hâ—â— 8.15 If then the bloud of an heifer could purge by ceremony a polluted body how much more shall this bloud of the eternall Covenant cleanse thy conscience from dead workes to serve the living God But beware thou do not goe and wash in Jorden with lesser faith then Naaman did doe as much for thy soule as he for his body else thou separatest the things which God hath united and destroyest the power of the Sacrament and the purpose of God for thy regeneration yea the very creature of water shall rise up in judgement against thee in the day of judgement for that it closed with Christ inseparably in his Ordinance but thou most prophanely didst warpe from him by thy unbeleefe So much also for this third Branch and for the second Doctrine and so for this Lecture Let us pray c. THE ONE AND TWENTIETH Lecture continued upon the 14. VERSE VERSE XIV Then Naaman went downe and washed himselfe seven times in Ioraen and behold his flesh came againe as the flesh of a little child and hee was cleane Then he returned and stood before the man of God c. The second head The cure of Naaman WEE noted Brethren two lesser Observations in the end of the last Lecture out of this last part of the verse viz. The successe of Naamans obedience Now leaving them and the expression of the cure wee come to the cure it selfe And saith the Text he was cleane No intermission of time passed between his washing and cleansing both went inseparably together The â—â—ine poinâ— flowing hence which we have reserved to this Exercise is That Gâ—ds promises are alway as good in the performing as in the making if not better for so falles it out with Naaman here The Prophet promised him cure of his Leprosie by washing himselfe And lo now he is as good as his word he washes and is cleane in body This is as much as was promised But moreover as appeares by the sequell he proves a cleane soule also and this was an over-plus to the promise It is a light thing for the Lord to heale his body except hee heale himselfe And in this respect I may well say as I said before That Gods cures are perfect indeed all perfect gifts are from above and all that are from thence are perfect to purpose Ere I come to handle the point this I would premise Brethren how fitly this point followes the other to make the heart and life of a poore beleever comfortable The former point told us that promises must bee interpreted aright and not mistaken not restrained but beleeved according to the utmost extent of the promiser But then comes in a doubt Though I enlarge them in their full reach yet God may restraine them to the shortest size True if thou stretch them upon thy carnall tentors But take them according to the word as indeed thou shalt not need to make them better then God hath made them and then this point will tell thee to thy comfort that God will performe whatsoever hath gone out of his mouth to the uttermost nay perhaps cast in such an over-plus as was neither promised nor looked for The Text is president enough for it if there were no more So that even in the entry upon the point we may set a starre in the margent and for our better encouragement both to beleeve and in beleeving to waite patiently may say these two points carry very sweet newes from heaven to a poore empty and hungry soule both that he will have it beleeve to the uttermost and when she hath so done God hath in store for her as much performance yea and much more then shee hath faith But let us come to the point The order I will observe in the point shall be this First I will prove it by Scripture Secondly by reason Thirdly I will cleare a maine doubt about the Doctrine And so lastly come to the Uses and first of the first Concerning which this I may say That the whole Booke of God Doctrine Gods performances alway as good if not better then his promises is nothing else but a very Theatre and open Stage wherein the Lord acts his part of performing of promises And not so alone But so curious the Spirit of enditing the word is in every Chapter and Verse lest the reader should spy any flaw or crack in the performance of promises that it steppes out of his tracke oft-times to reconcile and equall each performance to her owne promise And this both in the maine promise of Christs exhibition and in all secondary promises whether generall and concerning the soule of the whole Church and each member of that body or personall and temporary promises concerning this and that person And the greater distance there seemed betweene making and keeping of promises the more curious regard hath the Holy Ghost to expresse Gods keeping touch when his time was come For example Proofes and Instances God had promised to Abraham that
or the like comes from the not suffering the word to enter but holding it out at staves end Now then must not the word of promise beleeved become as contrary to her Why did Micaiah so scare Ahab Because he never spake well to him So why doth the grace of faith so scatter these distempers Because she speakes all against them overthrowes and resists them Contraries have mutually the same respect in their consequencies The distemper of an unbeleeving spirit alway beares downe the word till the word as the stronger man armed with the power of Christ doe foile her and strip her of all The weapons of our warfare are not carnall but spirituall able to cast downe strong holds of corruption Sinnes weapons are carnall Gods are spirituall Therefore there is no proportion in the contrariety God will divide the spoyles that is cease the distempers The reason appeares from that speech of Jonah Ionah 2.8 They that embrace lying vanities forsake their owne mercy But I will looke toward thy holy Temple and promise and thereby abandon them Each destroy the other Reas 5 Fifthly the promise drownes all former distempers because it performes that really which selfe and corruption beare the soule falsly and erroneously in hand withall These afford the soule a rotten peace a deceitfull content vanishing and ending in sorrow See Esay 50.11 But the word doth it really and surely no more to be infringed No more hungring or thirsting if once satisfied with this bread and water of life The text imports it Naamans servants here tell Naaman That which all thine owne discontents and humours could never minister unto thee that the obeying of the message will really afford thee See Act. 13.38 That from which you could not be justified from by the law of Moses by this Man every beleever is justified All at once set free from outward enemies and inward distempers Reas 6 Sixthly the experience of the Saints proves this who till they have cast anchor upon the word and settled upon this center could never find rest in all the circumference as I may call it of your owne best selfe your goodnesse affections gifts or duties Bellarmine himselfe confessing that in respect of the uncertainty of our good workes or else the perill of vaine-glory issuing from thence it is most safe for us to rely upon the sole and meere mercy of God the bare word of truth and promise How much more then shall Gods people say If it had not beene for thy word I had perished in my affliction This is to a poore soule as the chaire of Saint Peter is to a deluded votary the determining voyce All eternall immutable things comprehend and devoure the fading and changeable but cannot be comprehended by them nor resisted by their opposition Lastly the maine and chiefe reason of all is because the word Reas 7 and promise of God is not the bare letter of words or syllables Many branches but furnish'd with all the power and authority of God so that who so clings and cleaves to it is out of his owne keepe and under the Lords There is as our Saviour speakes spirit and life 105. in all which he speakes This may appeare to us in these foure specials First in the wisdome thereof This way of God crosseth all Branch 1 other wayes and hedges the soule out from all sound comfort by them only fastning it upon this 1 Cor. 1. As Paul cals the Gospel in this respect the wisdome of God casting downe all those devices of mans wit wil works or wayes by which flesh would set up a peace and ease of all distempers to her selfe There is no doubt but the errantest hypocrite living would gladly if he could by his smoothing with his owne false heart come to a kind of setling that he might no more be troubled But it is as the sowing of a new peece to an old garment and the rent becomes the worse Even as a short narrow Map of a Shire makes every petty cottingers lands to vanish and causes him to account himselfe a starke begger lord of a Mole-hill not worth the owning So doth this way of God force him who thought himselfe no meane man in his Religion and hopes to seeme a starke foole in his owne eyes For why hath the Lord revealed the way to life by the reall death and resurrection of his onely Sonne glory being made shame and holinesse sinne and eternity death to satisfie justice and shall I play the Mountebank and thinke to satisfie by mine owne trickes and devices Oh foole oh beast Secondly in the righteousnesse of God As the Sunne is able Branch 2 by his heat to licke up all the dew of the earth and scatter all the mists of the aire and the Sea is able to swallow up and devoure whatsoever is cast into it never to appeare more Even so the merit of Righteousnesse and Sanctification by our Lord Jesus compared oft to both these in Scripture is able to licke up and dispell all the most desperate feares doubts and distempers of the soule So Paul speakes Whom God set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousnes Rom. 3.25 What righteousnesse Surely the equalnesse of pardoning them who are of the faith of Jesus because he hath received a full ransome else saith he if he should not justifie such an one he should not be just So full a content hath Christ given his Father for sinne that if the Father should not acknowledge it sufficient he should doe Christ wrong and if he should not impute it to a poore soule that beleeves he should doe the poore soule wrong nay having freely yeelded his Sonne and received the price for that very end he should doe himselfe infinite wrong by unfaithfulnesse But there is no such feare The Judge of the world will not do unrighteously he will not condemne the righteous and the unbeleever alike For he hath accepted his Sons death as a ful discharge If we should receive a summe of money for the use of an Orphan and when the Orphan comes of age should detain it should he be righteous Mercy then is of free gift and faith is a free gift But justification of a poore soule for Christs merit is an act of righteousnesse So 2 Cor. 5.20.21 Be reconciled to God Why Because he hath made him sinne who knew none that we might be Gods righteousnesse Branch 3 Thirdly all other properties of the promiser are included in the promise as the truth faithfulnesse mercy love greater then that of the creation and all the rest scattered in the booke of God his eternity and unchangeablenesse and the like are all in the Word See 1 Tim. 1.15 Psal 25.10 1 Pet. 1.25 with sundry others So that the soules doubts and distempers may easily be cast upon such promises for so the Apostle cals them 1 Cor. 7.1 as are built upon such foundations Branch 4 Fourâ—hly
embrace their gods Bacchus Venus and the rest more strongly then ever Enough wee have who are of the spirit of Caiphas his Hall and those that spited scorned and spit at Christ crying Crucifie him not many whose spirits are towards him tender to his glory to his mercy and grace to his poore Church and people Oh the spirit of ambition selfe-love is now all in all What should I say to such except they be accursed by Gods owne mouth that never any good should seaze upon them let this point in Gods feare scare them Me thinkes thou shouldst not heare of such a spirit of Grace and tendernesse as I speake of but thy soule shoâ—ld tremble and thy heart throb in thy bosome to consider what a contrary spirit of corruption and hell thou walkest with Oh! if God should leave thee to this spirit of thine owne to be conceited of thy selfe to feare no danger to be carelesse what may betide thee and to adde drunkennesse unto thirst what shall become of thee what is wanting save hell it selfe to make up the woe of such a soule And yet I tell thee this is not farre off from thee Read Deut. 29. Deut 29.15 If any man hearing the words of this booke and the curses thereof shall yet say in his heart I shall have peace I shall fare well I feare nothing Especially if conceited of its owne welfare the wrath of God shall smoke out against such a man and God will not be entreated of him for why he is over head and eares in the spirit of gal bitternesse a thousand to one if ever he recover Therefore looke about thee in season As the Lord said to Elijah in the cave so say I to thee Up arise and goe forth for thou hast a great journey to goe ere thou come at the Horeb of God I wish thee to goe by mount Sinai and hath thy base spirit throughly with those terrours of God 1 Kings 19.7 which may gaster thee with some feeling of thy condition Sinne is got into thy spirit and hath seated it selfe deeply in the entrals of thy soule A great gulfe is set betweene thee and the spirit of grace therefore pull downe thy rebellious heart and as Peter said to Simon Magus try by all meanes whether this thy sinne may be forgiven thee The spirit of grace is joyned with the spirit of mourning Acts 8.22 Try whether God cannot bring thee out of one spirit of bitternesse into a contrary for he promiseth that all humbled ones shall be in bitternesse as a thing steept in vineger as he that is in bitternesse for the losse of his onely sonne Zach. 12.10 Bitternesse of a prophane and presumptuous heart must be turned into the bitternesse of a broken and subdued spirit Oh! that ever I should exalt folly so highly and disdaine mercy yea kill the Lord of life as I have done Read Acts 2. Acts 2. where this prophecy was fulfilled in such as crucified Christ himselfe and yet being pierced in heart for it the Lord powred the spirit of grace into them and annointed them with oyle of gladnesse and joy so that they who murthered him had the first hansell of life and pardon from him Oh blessed art thou if the like portion might befall thee who hast ventured as farre as they did So much for this Branch 2 Secondly it is terrour to all Neuters and Sceptiques whose spirit seemes not so ranke and cursed Indifferency Neutrality of spirit worse then prophanenesse Numb 23. 25. but yet is as deepe and dangerous because they maintaine a vile spirit of indifferency and mediocrity in stead of this spirit of grace They say as Balac did to Balaam Neither blesse nor curse In this respect they are worse then the former because they utterly abandon all sense of the Gospel and become fulsome Atheists upon point neither hot nor cold fish nor flesh They would seeme to hate open villanies But then they much more abhorre the spirit of the Gospel Their spirits are flat and flash whereas the spirit of the Gospel is tender Luke 14. ult zealous and powerfull Wofull ones hanging betweene Heaven and Earth cast downe from Heaven vomited up from the earth Salt which hath lost his savour good for nothing no not for the dunghill All their skill stands in selfe-concealments forsooth their religion and conscience may not be known What can you worke wonders can you carry coales in your bosomes and not be burnt Such have their Religion to chuse Doubtlesse the not burning of your bosomes by this fire argues that there is not one coale of the Altar fallen upon them you are Quench-coale no sparkle of grace can kindle upon your cold hearth you must needs be ashamed of the Gospel because the spirit of magnifying it and of justifying wisdome is not in you but rather an aloofe dead and Gallio-like spirit is in you Whether you serve Christ or Beliall whether you be Popish or Protestant who but God can judge And surely you lie fulsome upon his stomach Acts 18.15 as luke-warme water and that which makes you happy in your own conceit will prove you accursed in Gods It were better you were hot or cold then thus wambling and next to be vomited for ever out of the mouth of him Revel 3.19 who never returnes to his vomit Under pretext that thou darest not trust men thou betrayest God and the spirit of the Gospel a remedy worse then the disease To be as wise as a Serpent I disswade thee not But shall this destroy that naked simplicity and spirit of love to God and his truth which where it cannot goe will creepe and play at small game rather then sit out What Matth. 10. 2 Cor. 10.4 because we cannot expresse our selves in such acts and services as we would or have done shall we serve God with neither might spirit or courage at all Is that command dispensable and confined to this season or to that hath God no need of thee in dangerous times or because thou darest trust no man wilt thou therefore trust no God Shall the Gospel carry thee no further then ease and the serving of thine owne fleshly turne will concurre Wilt thou dare to doe any thing against the spirit of the Gospel because thou hast not elbow-roome sufficient to act that part as thou wouldest It is just with God to take it quite from thee because thou walkest contrary to it And to give thee over to a close spirit of thine owne that thou shouldest jeere and scorne the zealous as Micoll did David dancing with his Ephod before the Arke 2 Sam. 6.20 Was not the King a goodly foole to day How many of these Neutrall spirits have growne to it Let it gaster us from it and teach us to nourish such a spirit in our bosomes as the Gospel hath wrought if ever any such were wrought and to be farre from disdaining
sinfull wretch yea obey me punctually closely universally yea my very thoughts that he might be a servant according to mine owne heart and whether I give a reason or no of my charges I thinke it equall that my inferiour doe nothing at all swerve from my commands Oh! what shall become of me for my loose heart thoughts affections conscience What shall I answer for my dead hard lazy empty senselesse sensuall heart in point of a tender chearfull and upright walking with thee I see Sauls subjects being charged to fast 1 Sam. 14.30 trembled to see his owne sonne to touch a little hony so farre were they from tasting it and shall the awe of a man in a trifle saving the vow so absolutely surprise their wills and yet the eternall and righteous will of God not be able to prevaile over me O Lord I deceive all that know me when I doe the materiall part of a command the life of the duty is absent when I doe the morall part the spirituall is far off and although I see and know it thus I am so chained under the law of my corruptions that the integrity the scope the fruitfulnesse the large-heartednesse of my obedience is not to be seene Oh! I offer sacrifices halt and blinde wanting heart liver and reignes I am so fraut with my selfe Rom. 7.23 and the command of evill that good is seldome present A lust hath a principle in me causing mee to love it to serve it to use all means to fulfill it to shunne studiously whatsoever might crosse it But I feele not that spirit of grace which should cause me to obey from a principle of sweetnes still there is somewhat which me thinks I chuse rather to doe and to be swaied by then the law of love to God for his love to my soule Oh! herein the Lord my God be mercifull to mee that wheras I have found as much mercy as any yet I have bowed to this lust and that and worship my owne fancies and am as like to do still if the awe of God lie not more closely upon my soule Oh! that this fire might alway so burne upon mine altar as might consume my drosse and put some life and courage into into mee to get out of this Circle in which the Devill hath conjured mee to walke deadly and basely towards the Commands of God! Nay which is worse O Lord I am growne to this point even to lie as a beast in a slow groning under her burden so lie I in a fullen discontent of heart at the Lord himselfe that he enlarges mee no better when as yet I nourish my selfe all the while in my ease and carnall distaste of his streight Commands Oh! me thinks my cursed heart because it cannot have her will of him could even tell him to his face That he is an hard Master and gathers where he strawed not Alas I consider not that he hath mee at the vantage because I have lost the grace of my creation nay abused a better grace of Mercy and therfore may justly be punisht for the least Rebellion And not only thus but from this stubborne heart of mine it comes that I set my sayles abroad and commit my selfe to winde and weather am not smitten when I breake all cords in two as Samson I am loose in Sabbaths in the curbing of my passions my vaine thoughts have their through-fare and lodge in mee and yet I am not troubled I swallow every gobbet and let it go Once I could straine at a gnat but now I devoure Camels and heare no more of them Oh! Lord I picke quarrels with those lawes which have formerly been equall to mee And more then these Lord I am growne to this sad point that the sence of a bit and bridle is by custome of loosenes quite slipt out of my mouth I begin to frame God to be such an one as my base heart could be content he were even a God like to my selfe who will neither do good Psal 50. nor evill whose threats are as the clappes of thunder without any stroke following I hope to go on in a Round and way of easy Religion and doing of one duty after another successively without strayning of a joint But as for any sadnes of Commands to weigh downe my spirit to solid feare being thus accustomed to a slight and vaine course I feele it not God helpe mee In all these respects what shall a poore soule O Lord do Conclusion of this branch with it selfe What O my deer God shall bring me back againe after all these desperate revolts unto thee I wonder that I should not be wholy left to utter woe and open offences I know nothing in my selfe why Satan should not have mee at such a bay as to cause me to depart from God grossely and generally aswell as in these secret rebellions For I waxe weary of thy yoke and am content that others should abide the heate of thy worke and my selfe be released O Lord I am so farre from pleasing my selfe in this state that rather then I would be under the misery of my slightnesse I could wish thou woldst cast some other unpleasing chaines upon mee some stinging crosse some corrasive to eate out my dead flesh And as untoward as I am to suffer if I deceive not my selfe I could wish the sweet fruit or such a course with some pinch to my flesh rather then thus giddily to provoke thy Majesty by the transgression of thy Commands But thirdly and above all this is exhortation to all Gods people Branch 3 to sadden their hearts and to lie under the Authority of Commands for Conscience sake A most sollemne point above all that I can say to urgeit As before I spake when Iacob went to Luz God cast a feare upon the nations that they durst not stirre a joint against him Oh! Genes 35.5 such a feare shouldst thou beseech God to cast upon thy soule in secret Feare of God besetting the heart a great meane to keep close to God wheresoever thou becommest that it may hem in and compell thee to obey As it s sayd of the clowd which filled the Temple and caused the people to feare the presence of God who was in the midst therof so should this cloud alway lie upon thy soule to smite an awe into thy soule of offending Theris is a base spirit in us it is not love alone which can long hold us within bonds Heb. 12. end Therfore we had need as it is Heb. 12. end to hold fast such grace as may cause us to walke in reverence and holy feare Deut. 32.46 Moses summing up the contents of that Swans song of his in two words tells the people Set your hearts to all the words of this booke which I testifie to you this day that is the law of the covenant it s a sadde law sadly therfore set your hearts to it He whom wee have to do with
is one Heb. 4.13 to whom all things are open and manifest his word is quicke and as a two edged spirit dividing betweene the soule and spirit the joints and marrow the thoughts and intents of the heart Dally not therfore with him It s fearfull to fall into his hands He will not spare us but will punish our sins And Heb. 10.31 if we call him father who judgeth without respect of persons 1. Pet. 1.17 passe we the whole time of our dwelling here in feare For our God is a consuming fire This in generall In speciall The command of the Gospell to beleeve in Christ is most solemnly to be â—beyed make conscience of the most solemne command of the Gospel to beleeve in the Lord Jesus close with this command It is the most soveraigne and indispensable of all other Obey this and obey all for in this stands the obedience to all the rest The Lord hath ingaged all his glory and honour upon this one That the most vile miserable sinner living who is willing to come in with his load pinching him to hell shall finde ease Whether it seeme so or no this is the truth he hath purposed to magnifie all his Attributes in shewing mercy to such an one He will have it knowne that he can doe that which flesh cannot even love the most hatefull enemy in the world that is weary of his enmity This he hath set down with himselfe from eternity in time hath declared it to his Church by giving his justice a full discharge in the blood of his Sonne Hee is the upshot of promises and therfore looks that he be beleeved yea for a recompence hereof that he hath made all Yea and Amen in him 2 Cor. 1.20 Joh. 3.33 he desires but to be beleeved counting them that doe so to seale that he is true and calling the rest lyers Consult not now with flesh and reason Say not that this word is farre from thee Rom. 10.8 it is neere thee it is offered and pin'd to thy sleeve Esay 1. Luke 5.7 that thou mightst beleeve it consent and obey this and the worst is past As Peter sayd to Christ At thy command I will cast in though I have cast all night and catcht nothing So say thou I have long traded with mine owne inventions devotions and duties but now at thy command I will try what thy promise is worth and cast my selfe wholly upon it for pardon grace and life If I perish I perish Venture so and prosper Secondly proceed to other commands The same Lord of commands bids us love one another for love fulfilleth the Law Joh. 14. Jam. 3. 1 Tim. 1. All other commands issue from faith the end thereof being love out of a pure and good conscience and love unfained Feare this command also The person of man who is thy immediate object of love may perhaps seeme contemptible to thee for what can he doe unto thee whether thou love or love not But he that made thee and him too and hath planted you both in the body of his Church under Christ the head he it is who bids thee love thy neighbour love him by reproofe and murther him not love him by counsell example admonition compassion lowre not upon him curb selfe-love passion indignation wrath envie revenge slighting of him disdaining him Thinke with thy selfe it is not for nought that all the commands are said to bee done in this one of Love Thinke not that all shall be well if thou canst but beleeve in Christ Matth. 25. know that the Lord Jesus himselfe who will call for faith at his comming Luke 18.8 will call for love also The want of love and the due carriage of thy heart toward others is a spirituall solemne command of the Gospel as well as faith and one day will appeare to be so when God shall call thee to the Barre and convince thee how little fruit of love hath ever proceeded from thee Therefore close with this charge also look not upon man but upon that God who hath bound thee to him by this chain of love and who will hold himselfe wronged in the violation of it lay a more solemne charge upon thy spirit in this kinde then ever and feele thy soule to lye under the authority of this command as well as the former And what more should I say From these two well-springs proceed all the streames of Commands concerning God Man and thy selfe Hence issueth a Command of a close keeping the Sabbath ordering thy conversation aright Eph. 5.15 Jam. 1. ult hence comes that charge of walking circumspectly as wise keeping thy selfe unspotted of the world Hence it is that thou art forbidden to have thy course in covetousnesse to have any fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darknesse Hence also it is that thou art bidden Redeeme the season Heb. 13.5 Eph. 5.11.16 Mat. 16.26 1 Pet. 3.9 Walke wisely toward them who are without To take up thy crosse daily to deny thy selfe to live by faith to sanctifie God in thine heart and make him thy feare And the like I might say of the rest for it were endlesse to speake of all Conceive of them all as comming from one rule of righteousnesse And know it hee that requires one urges all Perhaps thou wouldst thinke it equall to obey the Magistrate obey thy Parents keep the Sabbath but know it the same God commands thee to preach in season and our to execute the righteous judgements of God to be subject to thy husband to teach thy children the feare of God These are speciall ones and lesse welcome but if thou obey not them thou doest but play fast and loose with God in the generals For all sound obedience to God is equall and uniforme I know what flesh will say T is tedious to be so tied and tasked to be held to it from day to day never out say not I could be content to fast and pray one day to redeeme liberty for many I could walk close for a Sabbath so I might be mine owne man all the weeke But know that the law of love takes no thought for continuance it is no violent compulsion as a slave to ply his worke but as naturall as for the fire to burne or the sparkes to flye upward Let the Law bee once written in thy heart Jer. 31.31 and it will teach thee holy wisedome love and delight to accommodate and apt thy selfe to each one in speciall equally and constantly Simile The Law and Art of musick in the minde acts the fingers ends to such a nimblenesse and presentnesse of service as is admirable And if the writing of letters and characters upon Fringes and Frontlets were so powerfull as to prompt a man to the obedience of each occasion what then is the law of grace written in each faculty of the minde and will in the reines and the spirit of the Soule But here I cease