him the son of her vowes Pro. 31.2 she had beene wont to pray much for him They should not onely use these meanes but pray earnestly to God to give them wisdome to know what they may do to destroy corruption and breed grace in their children They should pray as Manoah did Iudg. 13.8 Lord teach me what I shall do to the child that thou hast given me We should do as the woman of Canaan did complaine to God of the corruption that is in our childrens natures and desire him to heale it Have mercy on me O Lord saith she Mat. 15.22 my child is miserably vexed with a divell And as Iob did Iob 1.5 offer sacrifice daily for them pray daily for them that God would forgive them their sins Now to conclude all this that I have said touching the Meanes that parents are to use for the restraining and weakning of that corruption in their children which they have infected them with and to breed grace in them Though I cannot assure you that if you use these meanes you shall see the effect and fruit of them in every one of your children but you may justly object that many parents that have been as carefull as is possible in the use of these means have had as ungracious children as any others for the Lord is the God of all grace and the onely author of it 1 Pet. 5.10 and he giveth successe and fruit to all meanes thereof 1 Cor. 3.6 and he worketh herein most freely according to the good purpose of his owne will as the wind bloweth where it listeth Ioh 3.8 he hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardneth Rom. 9.18 Yet have I two things to say for your incouragement and comfort that are Christian parents 1 None have more cause to expect and with patience to wait for a blessing from God in the use of the meanes of grace towards any then you have towards your children because of the promises God hath made to you concerning your children Gen. 17.7 Psal. 22.29 30. Esa. 44.3 And the fruit of your labour may appeare hereafter though it do not yet as experience hath proved in many good mens children that for a long time lived most ungraciously 2. Admit God be never pleased to vouchsafe a blessing to your labours in your children yet shall your labours and the fruit of them rebound into your own bosome Psal. 35.13 For 1 you highly please God in doing your duty and he accepteth your worke neverthelesse Esa. 49.4 2 Cor. 8.12 which will yeeld you unspeakable comfort 2 Cor. 1.12 2 You have hereby delivered your owne soules so as the sins and damnation of your ungracious children shall never be imputed unto you Ezek. 3.19 Lecture LVII On Psalme 51.5 May 15. 1627. WE have already heard that from these words being opened and cleared from the cavills of the Anabaptists these three doctrines do naturally arise 1. That every infant so soone as it is borne and conceived standeth guilty of sinne before God and is by nature the child of wrath 2. That this sinne that every infant standeth guilty of by nature and whereby it doth deserve eternall damnation is derived to it from Adam by the parents 3. That this sin which every infant is guilty of and which is derived to it from Adam by the parents is the chiefe sin and that which above all others may make us odious and abominable unto God The two former of these doctrines we have already finished it followeth now that we proceed unto the third and last of them We must therefore observe that David doth not mention heere the sinfullnesse and corruption of his nature wherein he was borne and conceived to lessen or extenuate the murder and adultery that he had committed as if his meaning had beene to say unto God Lord there is cause thou shouldst pitie me and have mercy on me and not lay these sinnes to my charge seeing I could do no otherwise I did but my kind the corruption of my nature which I received from my parents was the cause of it No no he hath no purpose at all heere to minse or lessen his sin to excuse or defend himselfe before God but for his further humiliation and abasing himselfe before God he aggravateth his sinne and ascendeth in his confession to an higher step and degree of it As if he had said I have not onely sinned against thee and done this evill of adultery and murder in thy sight but I have done it out of the corruption of my vile nature I was not drawne to it through the violence of any sudden tentation but mine owne filthy nature drew me to it I am not onely guilty of this adultery and murder but I am more vile then so for I have in me and had so soone as I had any being a fountaine of all sinne for which thou maiest justly abhorre me and I loath my selfe much more then for my other sinnes For when they are repented of and I am delivered from the guilt and power of them yet this cursed root of all sinne that is in me will never be destroied till I be destroied my selfe This is the meaning of David here And therefore 1. He doubleth the words of this complaint which he maketh here unto God of his originall sin the corruption of his nature I was brought forth in iniquity and in sinne my mother conceived mee 2. He setteth before this his complaint of the corruption of his nature this word of attention behold as if hee should say this this is it that humbleth me most of all And from these words then wherein David doth in this manner complaine unto God of the corruption of his nature we have this doctrine to learne for our owne instruction That our originall sinne that corruption of nature wherein wee were borne and conceived is the sinne of all others fro which the Lord may most justly abhorre us and for which we should be most humbled and abased in our selves See the proofe of both the branches of this doctrine distinctly First That this is the sinne for which the Lord may most justly abhorre us Man saith Eliphaz Iob 15.16 that is every man which must needs be understood in respect of his nature is filthy and abominable in his sight And the Apostle Ephes. 2.3 We are even by nature the children of wrath As if he had said If we had no other sinne but that the very sinfullnesse of our nature maketh us worthy of Gods wrath and odious unto him This truth the Lord shaddowed out to his people under the law by sundry ceremonies For whereas you shall find few or no lawes made for the shutting men out from the tabernacle which was a type of heaven for actuall sinnes there are many against them that were defiled with such impurities as did typify the corruption of our nature by originall sinne The leper though he were a King might not be
Get a true knowledge and sense of thine owne sinnes p. 265. This also the best preparative to the Sacrament Ibid. Lect. 53. 5 Get before a lively faith p. 266. the reasons of this the necessity of faith in this respect p. 267. rules to try our faith by p. 268. Comfort for such as have true faith though in the least measure p. 269. Lect. 54. 6 Get before hand a sound hope and assurance that when thou dyest thou shalt goe to heaven p. 270. Notes to trie true hope by p. 271 c. 7 Get before hand a good conscience and be carefull to lead a godly life p. 272. 8 Seeke this grace of God by hearty prayer p. 273. Lect. 55. The Text 1 Psal. 51.5 cleared against the Anabaptists by answering two questions p. 275. The youngest infant is guilty of sin and deserveth to be damned p. 277. In what respect infants called innocents holy Ibid. p. 278. and some also borne in the state of grace p. 279. How severe God hath beene in his judgements towards some infants Ibid Three waies they are guilty of sinne pag. 280. Therefore 1 Anabaptists erre grossely 2. Great need they should be baptized 3 Observe and take to heart Gods judgements on them 4. The sins of little ones not to bee neglected p. 281. Lect. 56. The sinne that is in infants is derived to them from their parents Though there bee three other causes of actuall sins p. 282. yet of originall sin this is the onely cause Ibid. Why the children of the holyest parents are borne in sin p. 283. yet this doeth not excuse or extenuate their sins nor give cause to deny reverence or duty to parents Ibid. Great is the duty that children owe to their parents p. 284. For they have all received that benefit from the parents godly or ungodly rich or poore which no duty of theirs can requite Ibid p. 285. No man hath cause to be proud of his parentage Ibid. Parents should be humbled for the sinnes of their children p. 286. Lect. 57. Our originall sinne is that for which God may most justly abhorre us and for which we should be deeply humbled p. 301 303. Lect. 58. Parents should use their utmost endeavour to breed grace in their children For 1 No. way like this can we shew we love them as we ought 2 Iustice bindeth us to it 3 It will be our chiefe comfort to see grace wrought in them p. 287. 4 They will bee more dutifull to us 5 This will give us assurance that there is truth of grace in our selves 6 God hath charged us and put us in trust with their soules p. 288. 7 The hope of the Church and propagation of the Gospel depends on this 290. Lect. 59. Meanes to destroy corruption to breed grace in our children are these Wee must 1 Maintaine our authority There is an honour due to us from our childe p. 291. This we must take heed we loose not Ibid. This many loose by neglecting 1 to feare God themselves and to give good example p. 292 2 to keepe their children in awe when they are young p. 293. Correction necessary for children and three great sins parents commit in neglecting this Ibid. 294. Lect. 60. Secondly we must instruct our children 1 By teaching them the principles plainely even whiles they are very young p. 294. 2 By acquainting them with the practise of religion 3 bringing them to Church even while young 4 examining them how they profit at Church p. 295. 1 Obj. Absurd to teach little ones religion Answ. 1. No for they are capable of the feeds of grace 2 child-hood the fittest age to be wrought upon this way p. 296. 3 Though it doe them no good for the present it may prepare them for grace and doe them good hereafter p. 297. 2 Obj. No heed to be taken to the good things seeme to be wrought in children for they will loose them againe Three answers given to this Ibid. Thirdly we must give good examples to our children great force in this p. 298. Fourthly wee must take heed how wee place them at schoole or in service or in mariage p. 299. Fiftly we must bee earnest with God in prayer for them Ibid. In using these meanes wee may comfort our selves though we see them fruitlesse oft p. 300. Lect. 61 Two rules to try all doctrines in religion That Doctrine cannot bee of God 1 that gives any thing to man in matter of his salvation any cause of boasting or confidence in himselfe 2 That is agreeable to naturall reason and grounds it selfe most upon that pag. 304. The Papists errour touching originall sin p. 305. How dead wee are by nature and void of all freedome of will unto good in foure points Ibid. Concupiscence without consent is sinne p. 306 307. Lect. 62. The knowledge of our naturall corruption is of great force to humble us p. 308. viz. 1 to keepe us from priding our selves in best duties we have done p. 309. 2 to humble us when we pray Ibid. Long prayers not unlawfull so it be with foure cautions p. 310. respect to be had to th' ability of them that joyne with us Ibid. 3 to humble us in our fasts Fasts are to no purpose if wee bee not humbled in them p. 311. 1 for Gods judgements upon ourselves and the Church Ibid. 2 for th'outragious sinnes committed every where that wee know or heare of pag. 312. 3 For our owne sins specially Ibid. 4 specially for our originall sin Ibid. Lect. 63. Every one should endeavour to be delivered from the danger of his originall corruption especially p. 313. Three motives to this p. 314. Meanes 1. Seeke to be justified from it by Christ. Labour to be in Christ and to know by faith that Christ is ours for then God cannot loath us for it Ibid p. 315. 2 Labour to finde that by the Spirit thou art delivered from the dominion of it and to cleanse thy selfe from it and to mortifie it This meanes more sensible then the first though not so perfect p. 316. Lect. 64. Meanes we must use to mortifie corruption in our selves 1 Observe the first stirrings of it and what sins thy heart is most inclined to p 317. 2 When thou discernest it set thy selfe against it viz. resist it hate and dislike it and grieve for it Ibid. 318. 3 Shun all occasions and provocations to it Be sober 1 in the use of the comforts of this life p. 319. 2 In following the businesse of our callings some part of every day to be spent in religious duties p. 320. Lect. 65. The fourth meanes to mortify corruption is a diligent and conscionable use of the exercises of religion p. 321. Great force in reading and hearing of the Word to mortifie corruption Ibid. Prayer hath great force to mortifie sin p. 322. The fift meanes of mortification is to beare afflictions willingly and patiently Ibid Great force in affliction this way p. 223.
479. Though it be the great sin of many professors of the Gospel that they give little or nothing to charitable pious uses yet the greatest work of charity mercy that can be don is to provide for a people able Ministers and to maintaine and encourage them Ib. 480. Parents and masters of families must use their utmost endeavour to bring their children and servants to knowledge and by what meanes p. 481. Ministers first and chiefe care must be to bring the people to knowledge Ibid. and therefore must 1 Catechise them 2 teach plainely 3 ground all their application upon sound doctrine 4 study for their Sermons p. 482. Lect. 97. All Gods people should seeke for knowledge 1 not resting in any good thing they seeme to have without this 2 not contenting themselves with every small measure of knowledge but seeke for a setled and well grounded knowledge and certainty in religion p. 483. Yet is there a kinde of knowledge in religion and divine things that 1 many hypocrites doe attaine unto Ibid. 2 and wherein they excell most Christians 3 yea which is the greatest barre and impediment to grace of all others p 484. The knowledge wee should labour for is sanctified knowledge such as Gods Spirit worketh in the regenerate Ibid. Wee should examine whether our knowledge be such or no. Signes of saving knowledge p. 485. 1 th' object of it is the Word 2 Specially such parts of it as are most usefull and most concerne us Ibid. 3 It s a cleere and certaine knowledge 4 There 's no fullnesse nor satiety in it but the more a man hath it the more he feeleth the want of it and desires it p. 486. Lect. 98. Saving knowledge may be knowne by the effects of it 1 It humbleth them that have it and puffs them not up p. 487. 2 It workes upon the heart to stirre up good affections p. 488. 3 It s operative and powerfull to reforme the heart and life of him that hath it p. 489 490. 4 It strengthens a man against tentations p. 491. Lect. 99. Motives to seeke knowledge 1 The matters we are exhorted to get knowledge in concerne all one as well as another for 1 all challenge an equall interest in God therefore it concernes one as well as another to know him his will p. 492. 2 all Gods people have equall interest in the holy Scripture one as much as another and therfore it concernes all to be well acquainted with them and expert in them p. 493. 2 Great is the necessity and benefit of knowledge and great is the danger and mischiefe of ignorance for 1 knowledge is a duty commanded a grace highly pleasing to God and such as hath a promise of blessing Ibid. Whereas ignorance is a sin which much grieveth and provoketh God yea such a sin as he hath revealed his wrath from heaven against by judgements both corporall spirituall and eternall p. 494. 2 Knowledge is a comfortable signe of a mans election and that hee is in covenant with God and that his heart is upright pag. 495. Whereas ignorance is a signe of reprobation and that one still remaines under the power of Sathan and hath a wicked and naughty heart p. 496. 3 He that hath knowledge will bee constant in religion and not be corrupted by any seducers whereas hee that is ignorant will easily bee drawne away from the truth hee professeth Ibid. 4 He that hath knowledge walketh boldly and comfortably in all his waies whereas hee that is ignorant must needs bee full of doubts and feares p. 497. Lect. 100. Meanes of sanctified and saving knowledge 1 None can attaine it that is not sensible of his owne ignorance p. 498. 2 nor he that hath not an heart truly humbled Ibid 3 nor that doth not attend diligently conscionably upon the sound ministery of the Word preached p. 499 502. 4 Reading of the Word is also a good meanes to confirme and establish the heart in knowledge So is 5 Meditation 6 good conference and 7 Prayer p. 502. Lect. 101. The Conversion of a man is to bee ascribed wholly unto God and the mighty working of his grace 1 of God it is that any man enjoyeth sufficient meanes of grace even a sound ministery in this Gods speciall hand and goodnesse is to be acknowledged p. 503. 2 This is no common favour but a speciall and rare favour of God p. 504 505. 3 The right use of the light of nature cannot deserve God should give his Gospell to any neither hath he respect to any goodnesse in man but is mooved to it onely by his owne free grace p. 506 507. Lect. 102. That the meanes of grace become effectuall to the conversion of any is to be ascribed onely to the Spirit of God not to the meanes themselves Why so much is ascribed in Scripture to the Word it selfe and to the ministery thereof p. 507 509. Powerfull and effectuall grace is not given to all men that enjoy the meanes to profit be converted by them if they will p. 510. The worke of grace in the conversion of man is most free it dependeth wholly upon the will good pleasure of God Ibid. 511 Lect. 103. No man is able to attaine to that knowledge of the truth as is sufficient to salvation by any ability that is in him by nature without the supernaturall worke of Gods grace p. 512. for 1 though the Scripture be plaine and lightsome and all truths needfull to be knowne are clearly and evidently delivered in it specially in the New Testament and more especially being interpreted to us in the ministery of the Word yet are we all by nature blind Ibid. p. 513. and void of capacity and a vaile is over our hearts which till God do cure and remoove we can make no use of that light p. 514. Proportionable to the work of the Spirit in opening our eyes and curing our blindnesse shall our knowledge be God perfects not this cure in any during this life nor doth hee so fully cure it in some of his good servants as in other some but in heaven this cure shall bee perfected Ibid. 2 Though some naturall men have attained to a great measure of knowledge yet not such as is sufficient to salvation for it is but literall and historicall it is not a full assurance of understanding it s not spirituall knowledge that none can attaine unto without supernaturall grace Ibid. p. 515. This supernaturall work of Gods grace as it is extraordinary and miraculous so is it rare and vouchsafed but to few Ibid. 516. Th' onely cause why God vouchsafeth it to one rather then another is his owne good pleasure and will nothing in man himselfe Ibid. Lect. 104. Every man by nature is dead in trespasses and our conversion is the reviving or raising of a dead man p. 516 517. From the Scripture similitudes doctrines may be taught and errors convinced p. 517 518. Though
unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established 3. They that pray not though they might be never so sure of these temporall blessings yet have they no just cause of comfort in them For they have them not with the blessing and favour of God 1. They come not rightly by them but like robbers breake into Gods storehouse and steale away his goods The richest man that is is bound to seeke even his bread of God every day Matth. 6.11 Give us this day our daily bread He hath no comfortable title to his food to his wealth that doth it not but is in Gods account a spirituall usurper and thiefe 2. Besides he can have no comfort in that he hath because it is not sanctified unto him it shall do him no good it shall do him much hurt rather A man may have these outward things without Gods blessing Hos. 13.11 I gave thee a king in mine anger and then they will be his bane it had beene much better for him to have beene without them Was not Goliahs strength 1 Sam. 17.9 Ahitophels wisdome 2 Sam. 17.23 and Herods eloquence Act. 12.23 so and yet all excellent gifts of God but they had them not with his blessing they were not sanctifyed unto them O that we had not too much experience of this daily in many that men may have abundance of these earthly blessings from God and have them with his curse as if God should have said as Pro. 1.32 The prosperity of fooles shall destroy them On the other side they that pray have just cause of comfort in these outward things be it little or much that they enjoy For 1. They have a blessed title to that they have they come honestly by it it is their owne they breake not into Gods treasury but by the key that God gave them they opened the doore and hold them by his gift 1 Cor. 3.22 All things are yours 2. That that they have is blessed and sanctified unto them 1 Tim. 4.4 5. Every creature of God is good to them that beleeve and know the truth for it is sanctifyed by the Word of God and prayer And thus have I answered the first reason Now to the second reason that it is needlesse to pray Because the good successe of all things depends upon and is to be ascribed not to prayer but to second causes and meanes God useth to work by and unto the reason will and endeavour of man The Lord say they hath set a constant course in nature and given a naturall force to sundry meanes and second causes to doe us good There is a covenant of God for the day and night mentioned Ier. 33.20 that they shall continue their courses which cannot faile So is therefore other ordinary meanes God hath given a naturall force to our meate to nourish us and to our cloathes to keepe us warme A good diet a good aire and exercise we see will keepe men in health though they never pray And as for wealth if men take paines in their calling and have also wisedome to order their affaires there is not one of a hundred but they prosper well enough In all labour saith Solomon Pro. 14.23 there is profit And Pro. 16.20 He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good Shall we thinke say some that the fasts that were kept so long and the prayers that were made were the cause why the plague ceased No no there is a naturall cause say they to be given of it till the aire was purged by the coldnesse of the season all your fasting and praying could do no good This reason and perswasion of the sufficiency that is in the meanes and in our owne endeavours hath in all ages marvellously prevailed to draw men from depending upon God and seeking unto him for helpe and comfort by prayer and doth certainly at this day And that not only with such as have beene infidells and openly wicked By the strength of mine hand have I done it saith the King of Assyria Esa. 10.13 and by my wisedome for I am prudent and Habac. 1.16 They sacrifice to their net and burne incense to their drag because by them their portion is fat and their meat plenteous But even such as have lived in Gods Church as we may see at large Esay 22.8 11 Yea Gods owne deare children have received much hurt by it as we may see in the example of Asa. 2. Chron. 16.12 In his disease he sought not to the Lord but to the Physitians For answer therefore unto it some things are first of all to be granted that is 1. That God useth not to helpe men without means as Iosh. 5.12 He fed them no longer with Manna from heaven when they came to Canaan where they might get corne So when God would deliver Peter out of the hand of Herod he caused the yron gate that lead unto the City to open of his owne accord and so he went out Acts 12.10 2. That God doth usually worke with and blesse the ordinary meanes Acts 9.19 When Paul had received meat he was strengthened And so are the places to be understood Prov. 14.23 In all labour there is profite and 16 20. He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good 3. That it is folly and sin for us to expect that God should helpe us when we neglect the ordinary meanes Matth. 4.7 Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God Exod. 14 15. The Lord said to Moses why cryest thou to mee Speake unto the children of Israel that they goe forward He blameth him for resting upon prayer with the neglect of the meanes Gods blessing may be confidently expected upon our endeavours in the use of lawfull meanes 1. Chr. 22.16 Arise and be doing saith David to his sonne and the Lord will be with thee But all this is no sufficient cause to keepe us from prayer For 1. God is the authour and giver of all meanes when he intends to helpe us and doe us good he will give us the ordinary meanes to receive good by when he intends the contrary he will withold the meanes Iob 38.28 29. Hath the raine a father or who hath begotten the drops of the dew Out of whose wombe came the Ice and the hoary frost who hath gendered it and Psal. 104.3 He walketh upon the wings of the wind It was he only that sent that goodly season in the beginning of winter which these men say was the cause why the plague ceased 2. The vertue that is in any meanes to doe us good commeth wholly from God He is the Lord of nature Though he have given to man the faculty of reason and freedome of will in civill and morall actions and to our food and other creatures a naturall vertue to do us good yet that we are able to use this faculty that we have or the creature to put forth that vertue that is in it to the good of man comes wholly of God He keepeth the raines
in his owne hand Ephes. 1.11 He worketh all things See this 1. In the use of our reason and will Prov. 21.1 The Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord he turneth it whithersoever he will No King can incline his owne heart which way himselfe listeth Man hath reason indeed but he cannot use it to his owne benefit Prov. 3.5 Leane not to thine owne understanding 2. In the senses Prov. 20.12 The hearing eare and the seeing eye the Lord hath made even both of them As the faculty that is in the eare and eye is of God so the ability to use and exercise it is of him also 3. In our labors and endevours they are to no purpose further then God is pleased to blesse them 1. Cor. 3.7 Neither is he that planteth any thing neither he that watereth but God that giveth the increase Psal. 127.1 2. Except the Lord build the house they labour in vaine that build it except the Lord keepe the City the watch-man waketh but in vaine It is vaine for you to rise up early to sit up late to eate the bread of sorrowes 4. In our food Matth. 4.4 Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God there is a secret word and commission God hath given it to nourish us or else it could doe us no good For the Lord can call in this commission when he will and restraine and with-hold the naturall force he hath given to the second causes when it pleaseth him as we see Hag. 16. Yee have sowen much and bring in little ye eate but ye have not enough ye drinke but ye are not filled ye cloath you but there is none warme Therefore all good successe is ascribed to God Ezra 7.6 7. The King granted him all his request according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him Nâ—he 2.8 The King granted me according to the good hand of my God upon me In these two respects we shall find that the servants of God have beene wont to depend wholly upon him and to seeke to him by prayer for his direction and blessing in all the actions and occasions of their life not in spirituall things only but even in such matters wherein all have freedome of will and wherein they wanted neither ordinary means to helpe themselves nor wisdome and understanding to use them well 1. In making of marriages Thus did Eleazar Abrahams steward though he were a wise man and was able to make such a report of his masters estate as he had small cause to doubt of good successe yet doth he most zealously seek to God for direction and successe by prayer Gen. 24.12 2. In taking of their journeyes then which what can be more in the power of mans will Rom. 1.10 Paul made request that he might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come to the Romanes yea see how servent he is in prayer in this case 1. Thess. 3.11 Now God himselfe and our father and our Lord Iesus Christ direct our way unto you 3 In receiving of their food though there be therein a naturall vertue to nourish us For this we have the example of our blessed Saviour not only when he desired an extraordinary and miraculous blessing upon the creatures as when he sed about five thousand with fiue loaves and two fishes Matth 14. â—9 and foure thousand with seven loaves and a few little fishes Matth. 15.36 But even when he desired no more then that which was naturall and ordinary as Luke 24.30 As he sate at meate with them he tooke bread and blessed it Where it is also to be observed that by the prayer we use at our meales our meate is blessed unto us it is not blessed otherwise 4. In entring upon their houses and dwellings Ps. 30. title A Psalme and song at the dedication of the house of David But what need wee instance in more particulars and stand upon examples in this point seeing we have so expresse commandements for it Prov. 3.6 In all thy wayes acknowledge him his hand his providence and so depend upon him and he shall direct thy paths And Phil. 4.6 7. In every thing by prayer and supplication let your requests be made knowne unto God and the peace of God shall keepe your hearts and minds This is the way to true peace to depend upon God by prayer for direction successe and for a blessing in every thing that we take in hand Lecture XIIII On Psalme 51.1 2. Ianuary 3. 1625. THE third reason they give why it is to no purpose to pray is taken from the nature of the Lord unto whom we pray 1. God knoweth well enough what our wants are and needs not to have them made knowne unto him by us Matth. 6.8 Your father knoweth what things you have need of before yee aske him 2. He hath appointed in his eternall decree what shall befall every one of us and what he will do for us which all the prayers in the world cannot alter Ephes. 1.11 He worketh all things according to the counsell of his owne will 3. He is of so gracious a disposition that he is apt enough of himselfe to give us what he seeth to be good for us without asking or seeking unto Our Saviour we know when he was upon earth healed and helped many that never sought unto him as you may see in the man that had the withered hand Mark 3.3 and in the impotent man Iohn 5.6 and in many other places And the Lord is pleased to compare himselfe for this to the father of the prodigall who prevented his sonne and before ever he made any suite unto him when he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his necke and kissed him as we read Lu 15.20 To this I answer that all these three things they speake of God are most true but that which they would inferre upon them is most weake and unsound and hath no coherence with them the premises or anticedent of their reason is good but the consequence is starke naught For 1. Though God know our wants full well yet his will is we should make them knowne and open them particularly unto him our selves Phil. 4.6 In every thing by prayer and supplication let your requests be made knowne unto God as when blind Bartimeus had cryed out earnestly and vehemently unto Christ Iesus thou sonne of David have mercy upon me he would have him speake and tell him in particular wherein he would have him to shew mercy on him Mar. 10.51 What wilt thou that I should doe unto thee Secondly As God hath determined in his owne counsell what he will doe for any of us so hath he also in his counsell determined that prayer shall be the meane whereby we shall obtaine it Ezek. 36.37 Thus saith the Lord God I will yet for thâ— be enquired of and sought unto
every mans conscience and men shall bee judged according to the things that are written in those bookes according to their workes Every mans owne booke his owne conscience will plead for God against himselfe at that day At that day it will appeare that not the Lord but every wicked man himselfe is the onely cause of his owne destruction that he is not saved because he had no desire nor will to bee saved hee did not his endeavour nor what lay in him to come to grace and salvation that the Lord was not wanting to him this way but he was wanting to himselfe In that day the Lord will say to every wicked man as hee saith to Ierusalem Matth. 22.37 O wretched man and woman how oft would I have gathered thee but thou wouldst not How oft would I have converted thee what meanes of grace did I give unto thee how often have I shewed my selfe willing by such and such a Sermon by such and such an affliction to have changed thy heart but thou wouldst not Certainely all wicked men perish wilfully they perish because they will perish they have no desire to be saved Why will ye die O house of Israel saith the Lord Ezek. 33.11 As if he had said Ye die because ye will die Now that men do perish thus wilfully that they have no true desire nor will to be saved appeareth evidently by these foure things that may be observed in them First They will use no meanes nor take any paines to escape damnation to obtaine grace and to get to heaven as they would doe to escape any great danger they desire to avoid or to obtaine any good thing they desire to have Salvation is farre from the wicked saith David Psal. 119.155 how should they come by it for they kept not thy statutes As if he had said They will not use the meanes nor labour to get it Secondly When they may have the meanes to bring them to grace and salvation without any labour or charge to them they flâ—ight and neglect them they account them rather a burden and trouble then any benefit or blessing unto them they shew no desire to them but say in their hearts to God as those wretches did of whom we reade Iob 21.24 Depart from me for wee desire not the knowledge of thy waies Thirdly When the Lord doth sometimes by his Word sometimes by his judgements force them to have some thoughts of heaven some good motions and desires they resist the spirit of God therein as Stephen saith the Iewes did Acts 7.51 They hold the truth in unrighteousnesse as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 1.18 They violently withstand and oppose these good motions and will not yeeld to them Fourthly and lastly which is the root of all the rest They doe in their hearts basely esteeme of and despise grace and salvation and the meanes thereof and preferre any trifle before them And as it is said of Gallio the profane deputy Act. 8.17 he cared for none of those things so may it be said of them the matter of religion and of their salvation is the least of their care when they have nothing els to doe or thinke of then they will thinke of heaven So that as it is said of Esau that he despised his birth-right Gen 25.34 because he sold it for one morsell of meat for one meales meat as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 12.16 so may it be truly said of all wicked that they despise grace and salvation because there be so many trifles that they preferre before it And so the Holy Ghost expressely speaketh Pro. 11.33 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his owne soule So that it is evident you see that every wicked man is utterly inexcusable he perisheth justly because he perisheth wilfully he hath no desire at all no will to be saved but an utter aversnesse and unwillingnesse to go to heaven or to walke in the way that leadeth thither Now if any man shall object against this and say How can this be seeing the spirit speaketh expressely in the holy Scriptures 1. That man hath by nature no freedome of will to any thing that is good but is dead in trespasses and sinnes as the Apostle speaketh Ephes. 2.1 He cannot desire to have grace or to be saved no more then a dead man can desire to live nay he cannot accept of Gods grace when it is offered 1 Cor. 2.14 The naturall man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him he cannot choose but be unwilling and averse from good things 2. That the matter of mans salvation dependeth wholly not upon the will of man but upon the will and free grace of God as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 9.16 It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth this matter dependeth neither upon the desire of man nor upon any endeavour neither that he can use but of God that sheweth mercy And verse 18. He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth And he worketh all things according to the counsell of his owne will saith the Apostle Ephes. 1.11 3. Gods grace is irresistible and able to overcome and subdue this unwillingnesse and aversenesse that is in our nature God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham as Iohn Baptist speaketh Matth. 3.9 And that in these three respects it should seeme that the wicked man is not the cause of his own destruction but the Lord rather To this I answer First That the Lord is not the cause why man is by nature dead in trespasses and sinnes but himselfe onely he killed himselfe and deprived himselfe of this spirituall life the Lord did it not God requireth nothing of man for not doing whereof the condemneth him but he made him well able to doe it God made man upright saith the Holy Ghost Eccl. 7.29 not the first man but man indefinitely mankind God made man upright And as in Adam all men were made upright so in Adam all men voluntarily and unconstrainedly sinned as the Apostle saith Rom. 5.12 killed themselves lost this spirituall life So that even in this respect that standeth good which you heard out of Hos. 13.9 O man thou hast destroyed thy selfe Secondly Though God be able to restore to every wicked man this spirituall life againe and to quicken him by his grace yet is he not bound to do it he doth no man wrong if he doe it not Is it not lawfull for me saith the Lord Mat. 20.15 to doe what I will with mine owne Who hath first given to him saith the Apostle Rom. 11.35 who hath made God a debter to him and it shall be recompensed to him againe Thirdly Though every naturall man be dead in trespasses and sinnes so as he can doe nothing that is spiritually good and pleasing unto God nothing that hee can save himselfe by Yet may every naturall man doe much more then he doth to
purpose in giving his Word to some is that some should be made inexcusable by it When the Lord sent the Prophet Ezekiel to preach he did not absolutely intend in sending him that all to whom he should preach should profit by him for hee telleth and assureth him of the contrary Ezek. 3.7 The house of Israel will not hearken unto thee for they will not hearken unto me for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted What was the Lords intent then in sending him unto them That is expressed Ezek. 2.5 Yet they shall know that there hath beene a Prophet among them As if he had said To make them without excuse to make their condemnation more just the Lord sent his Word unto them So when our Saviour saith Matth. 24.14 that before the destruction of Ierusalem the Gospell should be preached in all the world hee declareth that the intent of God in sending his Apostles to preach to all nations was for a witnesse to all nations that is to make them without excuse And our Saviour himselfe speaking of his owne ministery saith Iohn 9.39 For judgement am I come into this world not onely that those that see not might see but also that they which see might be made blind Thirdly and lastly It is expressely said that this grace of Gods spirit whereby men are made to profit by the meanes to repent and beleeve is peculiar and proper to the elect of God and not common to all men As many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved saith the Holy Ghost Acts 13.48 And Rom. 8.30 Whom he did predestinate them hee also called that is to say with an inward and effectuall calling And 11.7 The election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded And thus you have seene also the second point proved that every man to whom God giveth the ministery of the Word hath not so powerfull and effectuall grace given him as whereby he shall be converted Now let us come to the third and last point I propounded for the proofe of the Doctrine namely That the worke of Gods spirit whereby he maketh the meanes of grace effectuall to the conversion of any is most free it proceedeth meerely from Gods free grace and good pleasure The sonne quickneth whom hee will and whom he will he hardeneth Of his owne will saith the Apostle Iam. 1.18 begate he us by the word of truth So when our Saviour fell into an admiration at the worke of God in this case that he should hide the mysteries of his kingdome from the wisest men in the world and reveale them to babes Luke 10.21 hee could find no other reason of it but onely the good pleasure of God Even so ô father saith hee for so it seemed good in thy sight The conversion of a man you see dependeth wholly on the will and good pleasure of God upon the will of man it dependeth not at all They that beleeve in Christ saith the Evangelist Iohn 1.13 are borne not of bloud nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God This will appeare clearely to us in two points First Nothing that is in man before his conversion can moove or procure God to convert him Hee hath called us with an holy calling saith the Apostle 2 Timothy 1.9 not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace Even when wee were dead in trespasses and sinnes hee quickened us saith the Apostle Ephesians 2.5 and addeth these words upon it By grace yee are saved As if hee should thus say Nothing but Gods free grace could bee the cause of the conversion of a man that had no goodnesse in him to move God to it but was dead in trespasses and sinnes Secondly Nothing that is in man before his conversion can hinder Gods worke in his conversion True it is the best of Gods Elect have beene apt to draw backe and to resist Gods grace in the worke of their conversion and even of them the Lord may complaine as Rom 10.21 All the day long have I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and gaine-saying people But when God is pleased to convert them hee doth by his grace overcome this rebellion that is in their will that they resist no longer Yet doth hee not convert any man against his will nor force the will of man to obey his call but hee changeth the will of man and taketh from it that frowardnesse and rebelliousnesse that was in it by nature and maketh it heartily willing to yeeld unto God I will take the stony heart out of them saith the Lord Ezek. 11.19 and will give them an heart of flesh God worketh in us to will of his good pleasure saith the Apostle Phil. 2.13 This may fitly bee resembled by the change that God wrought in the heart of Esau toward his brother Iacob Esaus heart and will was most strongly bent against Iacob he came against him with a great power and with a most cruell mind Genesis 32.6 yet when hee met him hee had no power to hurt him what was the cause of this Did God by force restraine him or bind him from hurting Iacob No verily God changed his will and heart that he was naturally affected towards him Gen 33.4 Hee ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his necke and kissed him and wept in kindnesse over him And even so is it in this case The Lord in converting of a man doth not onely perswade him by effectuall arguments out of the word to repent and turne to God nor onely give a man so much grace as hee may bee able to repent and turne to God if hee wiâ—l himselfe but hee doth also infuse and worke the grace of repentance in him hee doth so change his will that hee doth most willingly repent and obey the call of God A new heart will I give you saith the Lord Ezechiel 36.26 27. and a new spirit will I put within you and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walke in my statutes and yee shall keepe my judgements and doe them And so saith the Apostle of Christ Act. 5.31 God hath exalted him to be a Prince and a Saviour not onely to perswade men to repent or to give them power to repent if they would themselves but to give repentance unto Israel to infuse this grace into them and to worke this change in their hearts So that you see the worke of mans conversion is wholly to bee ascribed to the grace of God to his will and good pleasure not to the naturall will of man at all It lyeth not in man either to further or absolutely to hinder it In which respect we shall find it is compared to the worke of creation 2 Cor. 5.17 and to the worke of raising men from death Iohn 5.25 and to the worke of generation Iohn 3.5 And what use had man of his owne will in any of these works What power
saith Iob. 32.8 There is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding Of this knowledge our Saviour saith to Peter Matth. 16.17 Blessed at thou Simon Bar-jona for flesh and bloud hath not reveiled it unto thee but my father which is in heaven Why what was it that Peter had the knowledge of Surely this as you shall find verse 16. That Iesus was Christ the sonne of the living God And could not this bee knowne without the inspiration of the Almighty Why Satan himselfe knew thus much as you shall find Marke 5.7 Yes but he knew it onely with a literall and historicall knowledge he knew it not with that full assurance with that spirituall understanding hee knew not the goodnesse the sweetnesse and power of that truth as Peter did So the Apostle saith Ephes. 4.20 21. No man hath learned Christ no man can know him rightly till he have heard him and beene taught by him Though he have heard and beene taught by the best preachers in the world if hee have not heard Christ by his spirit speaking to his heart if he have not had this inward and powerfull teacher hee can never know Christ aright And that is it which our Saviour also speaketh Iohn 6.45 It is written in the Prophets and they shall bee all taught of God every man therefore saith hee that hath heard and learned of the father commeth unto me and none but he And thus have I finished the first point I propounded for the proofe of the Doctrine No man is able without the supernaturall grace of Gods spirit to attaine unto that knowledge of the truth as is sufficient unto his salvation Now for the second point That this supernaturall grace of Gods spirit is not actually vouchsafed unto all that enjoy the meanes of instruction all are not thus taught of God is alas so evident in dayly experience that it were folly to spend time in prooving of it This as it is a miraculous and extraordinary worke of God God who commanded light to shine out of darkenesse saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 4.6 hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ As mighty a worke as the creating of light at the first when there was nothing but darkenesse upon the face of the deepe Gen. 1.1 2. as mighty and miraculous a worke as the opening of the eyes of them that were borne blind which could never be done but by the divine power Since the world beganne saith the man that had bin blind Iohn 9.32 was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was borne blind As I say it is a mighty and extraordinary and miraculous worke of God so is it a rare worke also To you it is given saith our Saviour to his Disciples Matth. 13.11 to know the mysteries of the Kingdome of heaven but to them it is not given Though the Lord command us to teach all men Matth. 8.19 he will not teach all men himselfe What man is hee that feareth the Lord saith David Psal. 25.12 him shall be teach the way that hee shall choose As if hee should say Hee will teach none but such as by his holy spirit hee doth also effectually convert and sanctifie such and none but such shall ever attaine to a certaine and spirituall understanding of Gods truth The secret of the Lord saith David Psalme 25.14 is with them that feare him and hee will shew them his covenant The mystery of God saith the Apostle Col. 1.16 is now made manifest as cleare as the light but to whom to his Saints saith hee and to none but them Certainly the Lord himselfe hath nothing so many hearers nothing so many schollers as we his poore servants have Many are called but few are chosen saith our Saviour more then once to his hearers Mat. 20.16 12.14 Now for the third and last point that I propounded That no cause no reason can be given why God by his holy spirit should teach and give saving knowledge to one rather then to another but only the good pleasure and will of God That he denyeth this mercy to the most yea if he had denyed it to all men there had bin cause and reason enough to be found for that in man himselfe But that he vouchsafeth it to some rather then to others of that no reason at all can bee found in man himselfe but of that we must say as our Saviour doth Mat. 11.26 Even so father for so it seemed good in thy sight And with the Apostle Eph. 1.9 He hath made knowne to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he had purposed in himselfe Lecture CIIII. On Psalme 51.6 Novemb. 25. 1628. NOvv it followeth that wee proceed unto the grounds and reasons of the Doctrine That it is so we have heard it proved sufficiently but now why it is so yea why it must needs be so that whatsoever goodnesse whatsoever soundnes of knowledge is in any man must be ascribed wholly to Gods grace and nothing to man himselfe that remaineth to be enquired into And we shall find in the holy Scriptures two principall reasons given of this the one of them respecteth man and the other the Lord himselfe For the first Every man by nature is not onely utterly void of all true goodnesse of all sound knowledge and understanding but unable also either to doe anything that might move God to give him his grace or to desire it or to receive and accept of it when it pleaseth the Lord to offer it unto him or to withstand and repell it when God is pleased thereby to enlighten and convert his heart For in all these respects hee is neither better nor worse then a dead man Thus speaketh the holy Ghost not only of such as have bin notorious and grosse sinners of such as by their lewdnesse may be thought to have extinguished in themselves that light and goodnes that was in them by nature Such a one was the prodigall of whom his father saith Luk. 15.24 This my sonne was dead And those widowes the Apostle speaketh of 1 Tim. 5.6 She that liveth in pleasure in wantonnesse he meaneth as appeareth ver 11. is dead while she liveth But of all naturall men indefintely the Holy Ghost speaketh so Let the dead bury the dead saith our Saviour Matth. 8.22 Even of them that God loved before all eternity and ordained unto life the Holy Ghost speaketh thus The elect Ephesians were dead men by nature Ephes. 2.1 And the elect Colossians were dead men by nature also Col. 2.13 Yea of them that have beene most civill and morall men that have lived most unblameably in whom the light of nature and the remnants of Gods image that any naturall man can have did most abound even of them I say the Holy Ghost speaketh thus that in their naturall estate they were no better
that he heard Iohn Baptist gladly Mark 6.20 O that many now adayes that say they are Christians and perfect Protestants were come so farre to heare constantly and with delight a faithfull minister And yet that is no great matter you see no man may rest in that Secondly Consider that God lookes for this at every one of your hands that enjoy his word that you should profit by it he looketh that his vineyard that he hath bestowed cost on should bring foorth grapes Esa. 5.2 And Luke 13.6 He came and sought fruit on his fig-tree yea verse 7. every yeare when the season served he came to looke for fruit yea he commandeth his servants also to require fruit of his vineyard Math. 21.34 O that Gods servants would doe this more would examine their people how they profite O that Gods people would endure them to do it and would not be like to those husbandmen Mat. 11.35 ready to offer violence to the Lords Bayliffes for demanding fruite But I tell you God looketh for this that you should profit by the meanes you doe enjoy yea that your profiting should be proportionable to the meanes you doe enjoy Proportionable to the excellency of them Thus Christ aggravateth the 〈◊〉 of the Iewes Matth. 1â— 41 42. A greater then Ionas is here a greater then SolomoÌ„ is here Proportionable to the variety of them Mat. 11.17 We have pipâ—d unto you and ye have not danced we have mourned unto you and ye have not 〈◊〉 Proportionable to the time wherein ye have enjoyed them Luke 13.7 These three yeares have I come seeking fruit of the figg-tree and find none cut it downe What sentence will God one day passe thinke wee on such a nation as ours yea on such a towne as this that hath enjoyed excellent meanes great variety of meanes for threescore and three yeares together Thirdly consider that it is no petty sinne nor matter of small danger to be an unprofitable hearer of the word Heb. 6.7 8 The earth that drinketh in the raine that commeth oft upon it and bringeth foorth herbs meete for them by whom it is dressed answerable to their gifts and their labours and their continuance receiveth blessing from God But that which beareth thornes and briers is rejected and is nigh unto cursing how nigh and what kind of curse even in this life God onely knoweth whose end is to be burned A fearefull sentence and such aone as mâ—thinks should startle us all that have bin unprofitable hearers so long Fourthly consider that if this ordinance of God cannot worke upon thy blind profane and hard heart there is small hope any thing els should be able to do it This this is the power of God unto salvation Rom. 1.16 And what hopest thou will convert thee will reforme thee if Gods power be not able to do it Luk. 16.31 If they heare not Moses and the Prophets neither will they bee perswaded though one rose from the dead Fiftly thinke seriously of this that the Sermons thou hearest if they do thee no good they will do thee harme if they do not enlighten and bring thee to saving knowledge they will make thee blinder if they soften not thy heart they will make it harder The word that goeth forth out of mâ— mouth shall not returne to me void saith the Lord Esay 55.11 So speaketh the Apostle 2 Cor. 2.16 To the one we are a savour of death unto death and to the other the savour of life unto life Sixtly and lastly consider the true causes why thou canst not profit thou canst remember nothing nor carry it away thou canst not heare with any cheerefullnesse thou canst not profit nor feele any power or comfort in any thing thou hearest 1. The chiefe cause is in thy selfe thou hast a naughty heart lâ—den with sins and lâ—ad away with divers lusts 2 Tim. 2.6 Thou canst have no certainer a signe of the naughtinesse of thy heart then this 2. The divell is busie with thee when thou art hearing and worketh effectually in thee Matth. 13.19 When one heareth the Word of God and understandeth it not then commeth the wacked one and catcheth away that which was sowne in his heart He is the cause why thou art so sleepy and so 〈◊〉 at the hearing of the Word why thou canst not marke what thou hearest not carry it away And wilt thou let the divell have his will of thee Resist him man and he will flie from thee 〈◊〉 4.7 Yea cry to God to rebuke him as Zâ—ch 3.2 The Lord rebuke thee ô Satan even the Lord that hath chosen Ierusalem rebuke thee 3. The Lord himselfe hath a just hand in this that thou canst not profit by his Word Ioh. 8.47 He that 〈…〉 heareth Gods Words yee therefore â—eare them not because ye are not oâ— God A fearefull signe he belongeth not to Gods election that cannot heare that is not heare with profit for otherwise they did heare Gods Word Ioh. 1â— 40 Hee hath blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts lest they should be converted and I should heale them I speake not this to drive any of you into despaire for though you have not hitherto heard profitably you may yet do it while it is called to day Heb. 3. â—â— but to awaken you out of your security to humble you for your unprofitablenes under the meanes and to increase your care to beare profitably hereafter And how you may do that you shall heare the next day in the use of direction which is the third and last use of this Doctrine Lecture V. On the Title of Psalme 51. November 2. 1625. FOlloweth the third and last use of the doctrine which is for direction even to direct us how we may heare the Word so as we may feele this divine power and efficacy of it in our own hearts Before we come to the direction it selfe consider I pray you the necessity of this use in three points First it is a great sin and matter of great danger to us as we heard the last day to be unprofitable hearers and to continue so This danger our Saviour implieth in that earnest charge he giveth to all the hearers of the Word Luk. 8.18 Take heed how you heare Secondly consider that there are few or none of you but you stand guilty of this sin you have long enjoyed this ordinance of God but have felt little power and efficacie of it in your hearts profited or thriven in grace little or nothing by it at all Little or no fruit can be seene now a daies of the Lords cost and paiâ—es any where where he hath sowed this precious seed most plentifully little or no increase can be seene So as that complaint is justly made now by many of Gods faithfull servants Esa. 53. â— Who hath beleeved our retort and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed I have my selfe knowne the time when it might have beene said in this and many other townes as Act. 2
throne from the wrath of the Lambe Of the Lambe Why what cause have any to feare the Lambe He is so called in reference to the sacrifice of his body and soule that he offered to his father for the sins of men Iob 1.29 Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sins of the world What need men be afraid of the Lambe of God O the more that Christ hath done for sinners the more indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish will be upon every soule that hath despised so great mercy and taken incouragement thereby to sin and hath not been brought unto repentance by it Say thou not then any more my sins shall never trouble me because God is so mercifull and Christ hath died for sinners but rather let the looking upon him whom thou hast pierced cause thee to mourne as one mourneth for his onely sonne and to be in bitternesse as one that is in bitternesse for his first-borne as the Prophet saith it shall be with all such as have the spirit and any true knowledge and assurance of Gods mercy Zach. 12.10 There is yet a third cause why men are not troubled for their sinnes noâ— will be disquieted in their minds with the remembrance of them and that is examples they have observed and experience that they have had of Gods mercy in others I have my selfe will many a sinner say knowne many that were worse men then ever I was that never had any trouble of minde for their sinnes in life nor in death in their healths nor in their sicknesse and yet God was mercifull unto them they lived in Gods favour for they lived in credit and were well thought of and well beloved of their neighbours and they dyed in Gods favour for they died most quietly they shewed no feare or unwillingnesse at all to dye and to goe to God but had marvellous peace in their consciences and shewed great comfort in the assurance of their salvation Now for answer to this plea I say in generall as our Saviour doth Mat. 18.7 Woe be to the world because of offences Yea woe be unto the world even because of this offence for thousands have stumbled at it even this that men notoriously wicked have died so peaceably hath hardened infinite numbers in their sins and made them to thinke there is no great danger in them But to answer this plea in particular First This is no good argument such sinners lived in Gods swear because they lived in credit and in the love of their neighbours For 1 the Lord seeth not as man seeth as he telleth Samuel 1 Sam. 16.7 Men are apt to applaud them that live wealthily and merrily whatsoever their life be Psal. 49.18 Men will praise thee when thou dost well to thy selfe But so doth not God For as our Saviour saith Luke 16.15 that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God 2. Men are bound in charity to judge the best 1 Cor. 13.5 Charity thinketh no evill and to be afraid of judging and censuring others Be not many masters controulers or censurers saith the Apostle Iam. 2.3 knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation and to thinke of others according to the profession that they make and that they know by them and not to take upon them to judge their hearts It was no fault in the Apostles that they thought so well of Iudas and suspected themselves as much as him when Christ said one of them should betray him Matth. 26 2â— 3. The man whom wee have knowne to have beene a notorious sinner it may be hath beene foundly humbled for his sinne and shed many a teare for it though we know it not For this may be done in secret Zach. 12.14 Every family apart and their wives apart Secondly this is no good argument such sinners dyed in Gods favour because they died quietly and without all feare and seemed very comfortable and to have great assurance of their salvation For 1. It is possible for most wicked men to die very quietly and without all feare For of most wicked men it is said Psal. 73.4 5. There are no bands in their death they are not in trouble as other men 2. It is possible even for most wicked men to be passing well perswaded of their owne estate and that God is their God Mic. 3.11 Yet will they leane upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us 3. God doth oft let wicked men scape scot free heere that he may reserve them to greater torment in hell 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord knoweth how to reserve the unjust unto thâ— day of judgement to be punished at that day he will manifest his wrath upon them 4. Though we may not presume to judge of the finall estate of any such man because the worke of God in the conversion of a sinner is oft times secret and wonderfull Ioh. 3.8 The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it commeth and whither it goeth So is every one that is borne of God And God is able to worke saving repentance in them even after they are speechlesse and cannot expresse their repentance unto men Yet is the example fearefull when such as have had many witnesses of their sinnes have had no witnesses of their repentance the example of such is worthy to have a marke set upon it for others to take heed by as in the case of Absoloms death they laid a very great heape of stones upon him 2 Sam. 18.17 For 1 God doth never pardon any mans sins in whom he doth not worke repentance Acts 5.31 Christ gives repentance unto Israel and forgivenesse of sins 2 He first gives men the spirit of bondage before the spirit of adoption Rom. 8.15 Yee have not received the spirit of bondage againe to feare but the spirit of adoption 3. God useth to worke in those whom he gives repentance unto humiliation proportionable to the measure of their sinnes as we see in the case of Manasses 2 Chron. 33.12 He humbled himselfe greatly And Mary Magdalen wept so that she washed Christs feet with teares Luk 7.38 4 Where sinne hath beene notorious there repentance also should be notorious yea the true penitent will be glad and desirous to have as many witnesses of his repentance as of his sinnes as we see in David heere And in Paul 1 Tim. 1.13 I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercy 5 No judgement of God is so dreadfull as when he punisheth sinners with hardnesse of heart This was the judgement whereby God plagued Pharaoh of whom it is said that God raised him up of purpose that he might shew his power on him Rom. 9.17 Lecture XVIII On Psal. 51.1 2. March 7. 1625. FOlloweth the second use of the former Doctrine and that is for exhortation to perswade and stirre us all up to do as David doth heere even to
such as love their sins Psal. 11.5 The wicked and him that loveth violence doth his soule hate Of such as goe on in their sins Psal. 68.21 God will wound the head of his enemies Who are these He answereth in the next words which are an exegesis or interpretation of the former such as goe on in their trespasses To such doe all the curses of the law all those sentences of the holy Scripture that set forth the severity of God belong not to such as feele their sins to be a burden to them and desire to turne unto God 1. Tim. 1.9 10. Know this that the Law is made the curses of the Law are written and appointed for the lawlesse and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners for the unholy and profane c. The second objection is this Though God be infinite in mercy and his common mercies be over all his workes yet his speciall mercy belongeth to none but to his elect and they are but a few Mat. 20.16 Many are called but few are chosen The greatest part of men are vessels of wrath as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 9.22 predestinated and ordained unto damnation Iude 4. And I have so lived as I see cause to feare I am of that number at least I cannot be sure that I shall find mercy with God though I should turne unto him I answer That though 1. the Lord did indeed in his eternall counsell predestinate some unto life and some unto perdition 2. and that the number of the Elect bee small in comparison of the reprobate yet hath no poore sinner that desireth to turne to God any just cause given him to be discouraged from it by this Doctrine This I will prove to you by three reasons First Because no man ought no man can say and conclude that he is a reprobate because of the life he hath lead That he is in the way that leadeth unto destruction he may know but that he is one of those that God did in his eternall decree appoint unto destruction he cannot know 1. Because God hath not by his word or spirit reveiled this to any particular man that he is a reprobate excepting only him that hath sinned against the holy Ghost which sin thou art farre enough from that desirest to repent and to turne to God Concerning the election of particular men God hath indeed given testimony both by his word 1 Thess. 1.4 5. and by his spirit also Rom. 8.16 The spirit it selfe beareth witnesse with our spirit that wee are the children of God 1. Iohn 5.10 He that beleeveth in the Sonne of God hath the witnesse in himselfe But Gods spirit never testified unto any man that he is a reprobate So that to every man that is so conceited we may say as Paul in another case doth Galat. 5.8 This perswasion commeth not of him that calleth you It commeth not of God And as our Saviour saith Matth. 5.37 Whatsoever is more then this commeth of the evill one Besides 2. God hath hertofore and may still call most wicked men at the very last houre of their lives and so declare them to be his elect who of all men in the world were most unlikely to be of his Elect as wee see in the example of the thiefe Luke 23.40 Secondly As no man can justly say he is a reprobate because God neither by his word nor spirit hath testified any such thing of him so such sinners as I now speake of have just cause to judge that they are not reprobates that God hath not appointed them to wrath but to obtaine salvation by our Lord Iesus Christ as the Apostle speaketh 1 Thes. 5.9 For those whom God hath made vessels of wrath are fitted unto destruction as the Apostle saith Rom. 9.22 They goe on still in the way that leadeth unto destruction and are hardened in their sins Though the greatest part of men shall not find mercy with God yet the cause of this is not in the Lord it is in themselves only because they seeke it not Hos. 13.9 O Israel thou hast destroyed thy selfe God sheweth himselfe ready enough to receive even such unto mercy but they care not for it So speaketh Christ even of Ierusalem though she had killed and stoned his Prophets Matth. 23.37 How often would I have gathered thy children together even as a Henne gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not That sinner therefore that findeth God hath wrought in him a desire to get under Gods wings a desire to repent and to turne unto God is in the way that leadeth unto life God is preparing and fitting him for glory and therefore he hath just cause to judge that he is no reprobate but a vessell of mercy Rom. 9.23 Thirdly and lastly No man is to judge of his present or future estate nor of Gods purpose towards him by the secret will of God but by his reveiled will Deut. 29.29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things that are reveiled belong to us and to our children for ever We may not in this case pry curiously nor enquire into the secret counsell of God but reverently admire it and cry with the Apostle Rom 11.33 ô altitudo ô the depth Remember what befell the men of Bethshemesh 1. Sam. 6.19 God smote aboue fifty thousand of them for looking into the Arke of God Looke thou enquire thou into the reveiled will of God and there thou shalt find enough to encourage thee to turne unto him and to assure thee that thou needest not doubt to find mercy and grace with him if thou canst now seeke it First God hath reveiled in his Word that he doth not desire nor take pleasure in the destruction of any wicked man no not in his temporall destruction Hee gave the old World warning of the Floud an hundred and twenty yeares before it came that by their repentance they might have prevented it as you shall see by comparing 1 Peter 3.20 with Gene. 6.3 He gave Pharaoh and the Aegyptians warning of the plagues they enforced him to bring upon them that by their repentance they might prevent them And in giving them warning of the fiery haile he expressely saith he did it to that end that they might save their servants and their cattell from that destruction Exod. 9.19 Send therefore now and gather thy cattell and all that thou hast in the field c. When his people had so deeply provoked him to bring them into miserable captivity and he had assured them by his Prophets that he would do it yet how oft was his heart turned within him and his repentings kindled together as the Prophet speaketh Hosea 11.8 How oft and how earnestly doth he warne them of it How many meanes doth hee use to perswade them that by their repentance they would prevent it See for proofe of this Ieremy 26.2 3. And 36.2 3 6 7. And if hee take no pleasure in the destruction
had not knowne sinne effectually for doubtlesse hee did by nature know many sins or to my good and comfort but by the Law The word is a lampe unto our feete and a light unto our pathes as David calleth it Psalme 119.105 It is a glasse that will discover unto us what manner of men wee are Iames 1.23 24. Let us therefore even for this cause desire not onely to live where wee may have this light but to increase also in the knowledge of the Word Let us therfore make this use of the light we live in and use the word as a glasse that we may know our sins better the more light wee have the better we may discerne what is amisse about us It is made the property of a wicked man to hate the Word for this and refuse to come at it because it discovereth to him his sins Iohn 3.20 Every one that doth evill hateth the light neither commeth bee to it lest his deeds should be reproved And on the contrary it is said of every one that hath grace that he loveth the Word the better even for this cause Iohn 3.21 He that doth truth that is practiseth what he knoweth and maketh conscience of his waies commeth to the light that his deeds may be made manifest Secondly He that would be able to confesse his sins unto God aright must observe his own waies well bethink himselfe well before hand or when he doth ought whether it be lawfull or no. He that never mindeth nor regardeth what he doth whether it please God or no how should he ever know his sins or confesse them aright unto God We are therfore oft commanded to set our minds and hearts upon that wee doe Pro. 4.26 Ponder the path of thy feet Hag. 1.5 Consider your wayes And the godly man is described by this property Pro. 14.15 The prudent looketh well to his going Yea this is spoken of as a speciall mean and help unto repentance Ps. 119.9 Wherwith shall a young man cleanse his way By taking heed thereto according to thy word ver 59. I thought on my wayes and turned my feete unto thy testimonies And on the other side this is made a chiefe cause why men commit many sins and never see them nor are troubled with them that they go rashly on in their waies at all adventures Keri Levit. 26.21 that they never consider what they do Esa. 1.3 that they despise their wayes regard them not as if they should never be called to account for them Pro. 19.16 And yet as light account as thou makest of them know God will reckon with thee for them one day Matt. 12.36 If men would thinke and consider what they do it would either keepe them from doing evill or when they had done amisse they would be able to discerne it and make their peace with God Solomon saith of the wise man Eccl. 2.14 that his eyes are in his head and in your worldly businesses when you buy or sell or do any worke in your calling you will mind that you goe about that you receive no hurt by your carelesnes and want of taking heed O that wee could learne to bee as wise for our soules to mind and set our hearts upon every thing wee doe least wee offend God by it This is required of us not only in our recreations and in the ordinary affaires of our calling but even in the services we doe unto God Take heed how you heare saith our Saviour Luke 8.18 Take heed to thy foote saith Solomon Eccle 5.1 when thou entrest into the house of God As if hee had sayd Marke what thou dost and consider whether thou performe thy service to God as thou shouldest doe and be more ready to heare then to offer the sacrifice of fooles for they consider not that they doe evill As if hee should say this is the cause why most men offer such foolish sacrifices unto God they consider not what they do Thirdly He that would be able to confesse his sins unto God aright must use to take a dayly account of himselfe and of his wayes This examination of our selves wee find oft prescribed in the word as a speciall meanes and helpe to bring us unto true repentance Lamentati 3.40 Let us search and try our wayes and turne againe unto the Lord. Psalme 4.4 Tremble and sinne not examine your owne heart upon your bed And on the other side the neglect of it is mentioned as a chiefe cause and signe of impenitency Ieremy 8.6 No man repented him of his wickednesse saying what have I done And as this examination of our selves is profitable and necessary so the oftener wee use it the more profitable it will be Three notable benefits wee shall receive by it if wee would accustome our selves to use it every day 1. It would be a good meanes to bridle us and restraine us from sin when wee considered this with our selves this I must account with God and mine owne conscience for before I sleep As the dayly thinking of the generall account wee must one day come to is most effectuall this way as is plaine in that speech of the Apostle 2 Corinth 5.10 11. so would the thought of this particular account wee bring our selves to doe us great good also 2. It would free us from the feare of sudden death which may befall any of us and we would be prepared for it when we suffer no sin to lodge with us all night that we have not repented of Watch yee therefore saith our Saviour Marke 13.35 36. for yee know not when the master of the house commeth lest comming suddenly hee find you sleeping When a man hath made his peace with God he may sleepe quietly he need not feare death Psal. 4 8. I will both lay me downe in peace and sleepe 3 By this meanes a man may remember his sins and the circumstances of them much better and so more fully and effectually confesse them unto God Whereas if wee suffer our selves to runne long upon the score wee shall bee apt to forget much and not bee so sensible as when our sins were fresh in memory In this case we may say as Iob. 13.12 though he speaketh it there in another sense our memories are like unto ashes Fourthly Hee that would confesse his sinnes in an effectuall manner unto God must not onely observe and call himselfe to an account for his daily sins which happily will not much affect him but keepe in mind and call oft to remembrance his old sins such as he hath most fouly offended God by in times past that he may renew his repentance for them Deut. 9.7 Remember and forget not how thou provokedst the Lord to wrath in the wildernes Thus doth David remember the sins of his youth Psal. 25.7 Fiftly and lastly He that would fully and effectually confesse his sins to God must beg grace and helpe of God to doe it For wee have heard it is a
also an offence against man I answer Ceatainely it was a grievous offence even against man and not against the Lord onely First Against himselfe against his owne body He that committeth fornication sinneth against his owne body 1 Cor. 6.18 Against his owne peace and the comfort of his life for because of these sins the sword neuer departed from his house God raised up evill against him out of his owne house as the Lord threatned by Nathan 2 Sam. 12.10 11. But chiefly against his owne soule Pro. 8.36 He that sinneth against me wrongeth his owne soule O what wounds did he give to his owne soule by these sins Secondly His sin was a grievous offence against his neighbour and that sundry wayes and not against the Lord onely 1. He wronged Vriah in an high degree by the adultery he committed with his wife He that committeth this sin doth his neighbour greater wrong then if he had robbed and spoiled him of all other his goods and possessions whatsoever In which respect the Lord hath in the Decalogue placed the commandement against adultery as a greater commandement before that against theft Exod. 20.14 15. And Solomon Pro. 6.30 35. maketh the adulterer a far worse man then a thiefe and giveth this reason for it among other that the thiefe may make satisfaction to a man for the wrong he hath done him so cannot the adulterer doe 2. He wronged the whole Common-wealth by endangering it and laying it open to the wrath of God by his foule sins For thus hath the Lord beene wont for the sins of Kings and Princes to plague all their subjects grievously See what a famine God brought upon the whole land for the sin of Saul 2 Sam. 21.1 So Ahaz by his sins is said to have brought Iudah low and to have made it naked because hee transgressed sore against the Lord 2 Chron. 28 19. So the evill that Manasseh did in Ierusalem is said to be a chiefe cause of the captivity Ier. 15 4. though Manasseh himselfe were dead and buried long before yea though he had unfeinedly repented before hee died But what need wee to seeke further for examples to cleere this point then to David himselfe What a plague did hee bring upon the whole land by a farre lesse sin of his then these were that he had now committed even by his commanding the people to be numbred 2 Sam. 24.15 And to these very sins that now he committed all the blood of his owne subjects that was shed and all the civill warre and sedition that was raised both in the rebellion of Absalom 2 Sam. 15.12 and 18.7 and of Sheba the son of Bichri 2 Sam. 20.2.14 was to bee imputed So great cause have all Gods people to pray heartily unto God for their Princes according to the example of the Church Ioh. 1.17 Psal. 20.1 4. and 72 1. and the expresse commandement of God 1 Tim. 2.1 2. And so great cause have we also to give hearty thankes unto God for giving us good Kings and governours that rule us in the feare of the Lord as Huram did for Solomon 2 Chron. 2.11 12. 3. Besides this he had by his murder in a higher degree wronged not Vriah onely and those that were slaine with him 2 Sam. 11.17 but all their friends also and kinsfolke that were left alive who were bound in conscience to esteeme this such a wrong as they might take no satisfaction for it as is plaine Numb 35.31 4 and lastly The sin that he committed reached not onely to the murdering of the bodies of many men but to the destruction of the precious soules of all them that were drawne into fearefull sins by his meanes 1. Of the soule of Bathsheba whom he drew to whordome 2 Sam. 11.4 2. Of the soules of all those servants of his whom he used as his panders and bawdes for the effecting of his lust 2 Sam. 11.4 3. Of the soule of Ioâ—b whom hee made his instrument for the murdering of Vriah and the rest 2 Sam. 11 15.16 4. Of the soules of those enemies of the Lord to whom he gave occasion to blaspheme his most holy name 2 Sam. 12.14 For though all these that by his meanes were drawne to these foule sins did not perish eternally for of Bathsheba it is certaine that shee repented yet was that no thanke to him who had given their soules a mortall wound and cut the throat of them though the mercy and skill of the heavenly Chirurgion kept them from perishing of those wounds Thirdly and lastly The sins that he committed were so farre from being an offence against the Lord onely that indeed they were not directly and immediately committed against the Lord but against man onely for they were sins not against the first but against the second table of the commandements of God Then the second question is this Did he then thinke that though by these sins if they had beene committed by an other person great offence had beene done unto men yet being done by him no man could complaine because a King hath that absolute power as whatsoever hee doth to men hee can doe them no wrong I answer No verily David was far from all such conceits Such thoughts might well beseeme such a Princesse as Iesabell was who though her husband Ahab was no King unlesse he might doe what he list unlesse he might by force contrary to law take away Naboths vineyard 1 King 21.7 Dost thou now governe the kingdome of Israel But David was not such a Prince He knew well enough the charge that God had given in his Law concerning the King that should raigne over his people Deut. 17.18 19 20. 1. He must have the booke of the Law ever with him and acquaint himselfe well with it 2. He must governe his subjects according to Law and not turne aside from it either to the right hand or to the left 3. He must take heede his heart be not lifted up above his brethren to despise them or thinke he might use them as hee listed He was not ignorant of that charge that God had given unto him in particular when that he was first made King which he mentioneth 2 Sam. 23.3 The God of Israel said the rocke of Israel spake to me he that ruleth over men must bee just ruling in the feare of God He knew therefore full well that notwithstanding any royall prerogative he had that which he had done to Vriah and the rest though they were his subjects was a shamefull wrong as Nathan also in his parable had shewed it to be 2 Sam. 12.4 The third question is How then if he knew his sin was a wrong and offence against man and not against the Lord onely did it not in that respect trouble him at all at this time now he seeketh pardon and peace with God or are these words thus to be understood as if he should say Against thee thee onely have I sinned as for
will is so Thus the Apostle proveth it was no unrighteousnesse in God to love and chuse Iacob and to hate and reject Esau before either of them had done good or evil even before they were borne because his holy will was so Rom. 9.14 15. What shall we then say Is there unrighteousnesse with God God forbid For he saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion And this is the first ground and reason of the Doctrine taken from the consideration of the Iudge himselfe The second respecteth them that are judged and corrected by the Lord. We must needs cleare the Lord from wronging any man in any of his judgements because he never judgeth nor punisheth any man before he hath deserved that and much more then that that God layeth upon him This reason Elihu giveth Iob 34.10 11. Hearken unto me ye men of understanding farre bee it from God that he should doe wickednesse and from the almighty that he should commit iniquitie for the worke of a man shall he render unto him and cause every man to find according to his wayes And the Apostle Rom. 3.19 That every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God As if he should have said Seing all the world is guilty before God and lyable to his curse for the transgression of his Law every mouth must needs be stopped if not yet certainly at the day of the Lord no man shall be able to open his mouth against or charge him with injustice in any of his judgements upon men Now this Doctrine serveth unto two uses especially 1. For instruction and the informing of our judgements 2. For exhortation and working upon our will and affections For the first This Doctrine serveth notably for convincing of an errour that hath too much place in the minds of most men All men by nature are apt at least secretly in their hearts to question the righteousnesse of God in many of his judgements When the Apostle had made this objection Rom. 3.5 Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance He addeth presently these words I speake as a man saith he As if he should say Every naturall man is apt to speake and thinke so This appeareth evidently by the generall opposition that is made against the doctrine of predestination which both our Church and other reformed Churches have long taught and received by cleare warrant of the word of God For not onely the Papist and the Anabaptist and the Pelagian but every naturall man in the world is apt to cavill against this Doctrine to account it a most absurd and unreasonable Doctrine and all because they cannot conceive how it can stand with justice that God should make such a decree as that is But the Doctrine you have now heard and the reasons of it being well understood and beleeved will stop their mouthes and convince their errour in this point This will be evident unto you if you will but observe these foure points First God had done no wrong if in his eternall decree he had chosen no man unto life but reprobated all men unto destruction For he is our absolute soveraigne Lord as we have heard and it was lawfull for him to doe with his owne what himselfe pleased And who hath deserved that God should choose him unto life As the Apostle speaketh in this very case Rom. 11.35 Who hath first given unto him and it shall be recompensed to him againe Secondly God never condemneth any nor did decree to condemne any but for sinne For he will render to every man according to his workes Rom. 2.6 So that if any man be damned the Lord is not the cause of it but himselfe Thou hast destroyed thy selfe saith the Lord to the wicked Iewes Hos. 13.9 And we have more cause to admire the mercy of God that he hath ordained to save any when he did foresee that all would cast away themselves then to doubt of the justice of God in appointing some to destruction which hee did foresee they would by their voluntary and wilfull transgression most justly deserve Thirdly Though God did foresee that such and such would by their sinnes and continuance in infidelity justly deserve eternall damnation yet it was not the end God aimed at and propounded to himselfe in the decree of reprobation that wicked men might perish for that is a thing God never tooke pleasure in As I live saith the Lord God Ezek. 33 11. I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked But the thing that moved God to make that decree and the end he intended and aimed at in it was the manifestation of his owne glory Pro. 16.4 The Lord hath made all things for himselfe yea even the wicked for the day of evill 1. The manifestation of his glorious justice and wrath against sinne upon the reprobate Rom 9.22 2. The manifestation of his glorious mercy towards his elect which could never have beene so glorious if it had beene common to all mankind And this reason also is gven by the Apostle Rom. 19.23 Fourthly The Lords decree as it is not the cause of the damnation of any but their owne sinne so neither is it the cause of their sinne It doth not impose a necessity upon any to sinne but notwithstanding this decree every man sinneth voluntarily and unconstrainedly neither is the Lord but his owne corruption onely and Satan the cause of his sinne Iam. 1.13 14. So that to conclude this first use Let every one of us strive to suppresse and to reject with detestation and trembling all thoughts that shall rise in our hearts to call into question the righteousnesse of God in any of his decrees or judgements According to the example of the Apostle Rom. 3.4 who when he had but by occasion of this doctrine of reprobation mentioned this objection Is there unrighteousnesse with God abhorreth it presently and rejecteth it in this manner God forbid saith he And if we be not able to comprehend how any thing that the Lord hath decreed or done can stand with equity and justice let us ascribe it rather to our owne weaknesse and shallownesse of understanding then impute the least shadow of injustice unto the Lord and check our selves in that manner that holy Iob did Iob 42.3 I have uttered that I understood not things too wonderfull for me which I knew not Lecture L. On Psalme 51.4 Febru 27. 1626. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the second use that this Doctrine serveth unto And that is to stirre up every one of us that we should strive and labour for this grace to be able to do as David doth heere when it shall come to be our owne case to yeeld this passive obedience unto God in all the degrees of it that we have heard of whensoever or howsoever the Lord shall be pleased to judge and correct us The necessity
and fell downe upon the ground and worshipped God Secondly True patience is a fruit of faith 2 Thess. 1.4 Paul gloried of the Thessalonians in the Churches of God for their patience and faith in all their persecutions and tribulations that they did endure And he desireth the Hebrewes Heb. 6.12 that they would be followers of them that through faith and patience inherit the promises And Iam. 1.3 The trying of your faith worketh patience True patience riseth out of this perswasion that the crosse that befalleth us is from God that he hath a speciall hand and providence in it This was the root of Davids patience 2 Sam. 16.10 The Lord hath said to him curse David Yea that this God that sendeth the crosse is our God and loving father in Christ and that maketh the child of God beare it patiently Iohn 18.11 The cup which my father hath given me shall I not drinke The man that wanteth this faith though he be never so quiet under any crosse yet if his quietnesse grow from this conceit it is but his ill fortune and destiny as the Philistines said 1 Sam. 6.9 It was a chance that happened to us hee cannot bee said to bee truly patient Thirdly True patience is a fruit of our obedience unto God and of an heart subdued and made able to yeeld unto God in all things yea it is indeed a chiefe part of our obedience unto him So speaketh the Apostle of the patience our blessed Saviour shewed in all his sufferings Phil. 2.8 He humbled himselfe and became obedient unto the death Because he knew it was the will of God he should suffer those things though he were deepely sensible of them how grievous and intollerable they were therefore he did so patiently endure them His patience was a willing subjecting of his owne will to the will of his father Mat. 26.39 O my father if it be possible let this cup passe from me neverthelesse not as I will but as thou wilt So then that quietnesse and temper that many shew in great afflictions which riseth onely out of a naturall courage and stoutnesse of heart and out of this manly resolution I see no way to avoid this crosse sorrowing and fretting at it is but a childish and womanish thing and will do no good at all and therfore I must and will endure it as the Iewes are said to speake Ier. 10.19 Truly this is a griefe and I must beare it this hardning of a mans selfe in sorrow as Iob speaketh Iob 6.10 this patience perforce as we use to call it without all reference to the will of God and respect of their obedience unto him deserveth not the name of true patience Fourthly True patience consisteth not in bearing of some crosses and afflictions but of those that the will of God is to exercise us by whatsoever they be We have a proverbe that beggers must be no choosers If we be truly patient we must learne to beare our owne crosse If any man will come after me saith our Saviour Luk. 9.23 let him denie himselfe and take up his crosse daily I have learned saith the Apostle Phil. 4.11 in whatsoever estate I am therewith to be content They therefore that will be their owne carvers and can say if my crosse were but as such or such a ones is I could well beare it but alas no man is in my case none could endure that that I do are farre from true patience He that is truly patient will do the Lord that honour as to judge that the fittest and best crosse for him which he thinketh good to lay upon him And resolve with Moses Deut 32 4. His worke is perfect it could not have beene better done for all his waies are judgement Fiftly True patience will make a man more desirous to profit by his affliction then to be rid of it it will keepe a man from desiring to shake it of till God have finished his worke that he intended to do upon him by it Let patience have her perfect worke saith the Apostle Iam. 1.4 We should be of Iacobs mind Gen. 32.26 we should be unwilling that God when he hath beene wrestling and striving with us by his corrections should depart from us till he have left a blessing behind him No wise man will desire to get from under the Surgeons hand till he be cured of his wound or past all danger That which the Prophet saith Esa. 28.16 He that beleeveth shall not make hast may fitly be applyed even unto this case This was Asas sinne 2 Chron. 16.12 he sought to the Physicians to be cured of his disease but not to the Lord to be cured of his sinne which was the cause for which that disease was laid upon him Sixtly True patience will make a man able so to depend upon the will of God in all his afflictions as he dares not ease himselfe of his crosse by any unlawfull meanes by any other way then such as the Lord hath appointed or permitted him to use The Apostle speaking of the faithfull that endured most grievous persecution under Antiochus in the daies of the Maccabees saith of them Heb. 11.35 that they would not accept of deliverance he meaneth upon unlawfull conditions that they might obtaine a better resurrection And we have a notable example of this in David 1 Sam 26.8 11. who when God had delivered Saul his enemy into his hand and Abishai offred him with one blow to have eased him of him and all the extreame miseries he endured by his meanes would by no meanes accept of it but answereth him thus verse 10 11. As the Lord liveth the Lord shall smite him or his day shall come to die or hee shall descend into battell and perish the Lord forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against the Lords anointed And what patience is there then in those men that how quiet soever they seeme in their afflictions will neglect no meanes that either themselves can thinke of or others shall suggest unto them though it be by a witch or wizard that is by the devill himselfe to helpe themselves by as Saul did who in the height of his impiety as the greatest sin that ever hee committed sought to the witch of Endors devill and familiar spirit for helpe and comfort 1 Sam. 28.7 Seventhly and lastly True patience whereby wee obediently submit our selves to the will of God in our afflictions will moderate our passions and make us more meeke spirited even towards men yea towards such men as have had any hand or beene any instrument in our afflictions This property of Christian patience is commended to us in the example of our blessed Saviour 1 Peter 2.23 Who when he was reviled reviled not againe when he suffered he threatned not but committed himselfe to him that judgeth righteously The Apostle perswading unto patience hath these words Iam. 5.9 Grudge not one against another brethren he saith not rage not raile not revenge not
lest ye be condemned behold the Iudge standeth before the doore See two notable examples of this in David The one Psalm 38.12 13 14. When they that sought after his life laid snares for him and they that sought his hurt spake mischievous things and imagined deceits all the day long yet was hee as a deafe man that heard not and as a dumb man that opened not his mouth hee was as a man that heard not and in whose month there was no reproofes The other example of his is that in Shemeies case 2 Sam. 16.10 11. O how meeke was hee towards that wretched man hee would not be revenged of him hee would not suffer him to be chidden or reproved for that hee did And what was the cause of this his mildnesse of spirit towards such enemies Certainly his patience and humble submission of heart to the will of God in these judgements was the only cause of it They therefore that pretend they acknowledge God to be righteous in all their afflictions and patiently submit themselves to his hand in them but they can beare nothing at the hands of men they are apt to breake out into choler and wrath into rage and fury against men that shall doe them the least wrong they give themselves liberty to nourish in themselves desire of revenge and implacable hatred towards them these men I say doe miserably deceive their owne soules if their hearts did indeed patiently submit themselves to the will of God in any of the crosses that are upon them they would then bee more patient towards men who are but the Lords instruments and rods whereby hee afflicteth them Thus spake David of the worst enemies he had Psal. 17.13 14. Deliver my soule from the wicked which is thy sword from men which are thy hand O Lord. Certainely it is the rebelliousnesse of our hearts towards God that wee cannot stoupe to him nor humble our selves under his mighty hand in his judgements that are upon us that maketh us so froward and impatient towards men so desirous to bee revenged of them that have done us any wrong And these are the properties whereby true patience may be knowne and discerned these are the notes whereby we may try whether wee have yet obtained this grace whether wee have yet learned to cleare the Lord when hee judgeth us Lecture LI. On Psalme 51.4 March 6. 1626. NOw for motives that may perswade us to submit our selves patiently to the will of God in all things that may befall us there be very many but I will insist but upon these three considerations onely 1. The unavoidablenesse of affliction 2. The hurt we doe our selves by impatiency and the good that commeth to us by patience 3. The hand that God hath in all our afflictions For the first Every child of God must looke for affliction even for much affliction it should not seeme strange to us when it commeth upon us it should rather seeme strange to any of us that wee have beene so long free from any great affliction This motive the Apostle Peter useth 1 Pet. 4.12 Beloved thinke it not strange concerning the fiery triall as though some strange thing happened unto you It cannot be avoided but if we belong to God we must endure affliction at one time or other in one degree or other This was the Doctrine that Barnabas and Paul taught in all Churches and whereby it is said they did confirme the disciples soules that is prepare them for trouble and arme them with patience to beare it when it should come Acts 14.22 that wee must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdome of God 1. The way to heaven is through tribulation 2. Yea through much tribulation 3. Yea wee must a necessity is laid upon us either that way wee must goe to heaven or wee shall never come thither And why must wee doe so 1. Because it is the immutable decree of God it should be so 1 Thess. 3.3 No man should be moved by these afflictions for your selves know that wee are appointed thereunto 2. Because it is the way that all Gods people have gone to heaven by 1 Peter 5.9 Knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world Yea the best and choisest of them and those that have bin most deare to God have gone to heaven through many tribulations Take my brethren saith the Apostle Iames 5.10 the Prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering affliction and of patience So that indeed we have so small cause to be dismayed with our afflictions which be they what they can be are but flea-bitings in comparison of those that the choicest of Gods servants have endured that on the contrary side we should have just cause to doubt and suspect our owne estate if we were not subject to them If ye bee without chastisement saith the Apostle Heb. 12.8 whereof all are partakers then are ye bastards and not sonnes As they that desire to find Christ in this life where hee seedeth where hee lyeth at noone must goe their way forth by the footsteps of the flocke as our Saviour directeth his spouse Cant. 1.8 So they that would goe to heaven must goe also by the footsteps of the flocke they must goe in that way that Christs faithfull flocke and people have troden and beaten before them or certainely they shall never come there 3. and lastly Because this is the way whereby Christ himselfe our head and Saviour went to heaven even the Captaine of our salvation as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 2.10 was made perfect that is brought unto glory through sufferings And God hath decreed that all his members should be conformed and made like unto him in this point as the Apostle teacheth Rom. 8.29 Whom he did sore-know he also did predestinate to bee conformed to the image of his sonne So that in these three respects it must needs bee that through much tribulation wee must enter into the kingdome of God The second motive is the consideration of this that we can no way ease or help our selves in any crosse by impatiency and fretting the way to make our crosse easie is to beare it quietly and patiently First Impatiency will not ease us at all but make our crosse more grievous unto us as striving and strugling doth with the foule that is in the snare and with the beast that is in the yoke There is no father but if he see his child shew stubburnesse and rebellion while he is in correcting him he will beate him the more and not give him over till he see him humbled And even so is it with our heavenly father No sin will provoke him more then our murmuring against his corrections When the people complained saith Moses Numb 11.1 it displeased the Lord and the Lord heard it and his anger was kindled and the fire of the Lord burnt among them And ver 10. Moses heard the people
onely to make knowne upon them his wrath against sin Gods people were wont in certaine extraordinary cases to bring their infants and sucklings with them and made them to keepe fasts 2 Chron. 20.13 Ioel 2.16 though these little ones were most unable and unfit to doe it that by beholding what was due even to the poore infants and what misery they were in through want of food themselves might be more affected with and humbled for their owne sins And surely this use should we make of the miseries we see poore infants in oftentimes For thus should every one of us reason with our selves if God be so angry for the sin of the infant alas what measure of wrath is due to me that besides the sin of my nature wherewith I am every whit as much defiled as it can be have so many actuall sins to answer for and have sinned in a farre more odious manner then this infant hath done If this bee done to the greene tree saith our Saviour Luke 23.31 what shall be done to the drye Fourthly and lastly this Doctrine serveth for reproofe of such as thinke it folly to be offended or troubled with the sins of little ones with their lying or swearing or cursing or profanesse in the time and place of Gods worship They are wise men say they that will bee troubled with childrens faults O beloved the very originall sin of the infant the sin of his nature before it doth thus burst forth deserveth damnation as you have heard and maketh him odious unto God how much more will these cursed fruits of the same doe it See in an example how odious the sins even of little ones are unto God in those forty that were devoured by Beares for mocking of the Prophet 2 Kin 2.23 14. Lecture LVI On Psalme 51.5 May 1. 1627. IT followeth now that we proceed to the second Doctrine that ariseth from the words of this verse for from this that David saith here In sin did my mother conceive me this Doctrine doth arise for our instruction That the sin which every infant is guilty of and whereby it is by nature made so loathsome a creature in the sight of God as we heard the last day is derived unto it from the parents The parents infected it Of the actuall sins that men and women commit there may be other causes assigned 1. Themselves may be said to be the causes of their actuall sins Iam. 1.14 Every man is tempted when he is drawne away of his owne lust and entiâ—ed 2. The world that is the evill examples and allurements they receive from other men is a great cause why men are so bad as they are 1 Iohn 2.16 The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world This is plaine by the Prophets complaint Esa. 6.5 I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell among a people of uncleane lips As if he should say How should I. how can I be better that live in such an age among such a people 3. Satan is a cause of their sins men could not be so bad as they are if they were not led to it by the devill if he did not raigne in them if they were not his captives and slaves It is he that now saith the Apostle Ephes. 2.2 of his time and so may we say of our age now and never more then now he worketh in the children of disobedience And as he saith â— Tim. 2.26 They are taken by him captives at his will they are wholly at his will and commandement or else they would never doe as they doe Yet of the Originall sin and naturall corruption that is in infants so soone as they are borne and conceived no other cause can be assigned no root no fountaine but this that they received it from their parents So speaketh David here In sin my mother conceived me And Iob when he would give the reason why man every man yong aswell as old is not only subject to so many troubles in this life but also so filthy sinfull alledgeth none but this Iob 14.1 Man that is borne of a woman he is born of a woman and therfore must needs be so So againe Iob 15.14 and 25.4 And though the mother only be named by Iob David yet is this corruption derived to the child not from the mother only but from the father as much as from the mother In which respect it is said Gen. 5.3 that Adam after his fall begat a son in his owne likenesse after his image sinfull and corrupt as himselfe was And the Evangelist making an opposition betweene the causes from whence corruption and grace commeth saith Iohn 1.13 the one commeth from blood and from the will of the flesh and from the will of man but the other commeth from God alone And from hence it hath come to passe that there was never any that had parents a father to beget him a mother to conceive him that was free from this original sin and corruption of nature no not such as had the godliest parents that ever lived Two evident demonstrations there be for this 1. That the most holy parents that ever were have had children that have bin most ungracious as Noah Abraham Isaack David Iehoshaphat 2. That the best of their children had need of circumcision Gen. 21.4 which signifieth the cutting away of the filthy fore-skin of their hearts this originall corruption as the Prophet expoundeth it Ier. 4.4 Insomuch as it was necessary that our blessed Saviour who could not have beene a fit high Priest for us if hee had not beene even in respect of his humanity holy harmlesse undefiled separate from sinners as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 7.26 it was necessary I say that he though hee were very man and the sonne of Adam as well as wee as the Evangelist calleth him Luke 3.38 yet should not become man in the same manner nor bee begotten and borne of parents as we are but conceived of the holy Ghost and by him made of the substance of the blessed Virgin as the Apostle speaketh Gal. 4.4 because otherwise though she was a most holy woman yet could he not have bin free from originall sin The reasons and grounds of the Doctrine are two First all parents are themselves tainted with sin they have a poisoned and infected nature and therefore cannot choose but infect the children that are begotten and conceived by them As the brood of vipers toades and spiders must needs resemble them and have poison in them A corrupt tree saith our Saviour Mat. 7.18 cannot bring forth good fruit Who can bring a cleane thing saith Iob 14.4 out of an uncleane Not one This reason our Saviour giveth why all that is in man by nature is flesh that is corrupt and sinfull because he is borne of the flesh that is of corrupt parents Iohn 3.6 That which is borne of the
this naturall weakenesse there is a sinfull weakenesse also in the best of Gods children even weaknesse of faith which maketh them subject not to naturall feares onely but to sinfull feares also There is much lacking in their faith as the Apostle said of the Thessalonians 1 Thess. 3.10 And this is a chiefe cause of all their feares Why are ye fearefull ô ye of little faith saith our Saviour to his Disciples Mat. 8.16 pointing at the chiefe cause of all our feare When are apt to doubt of Gods favour and of the pardon of our sinnes and who can choose but bee much disquieted in his heart with â—eare when he doubteth of Gods favour When the Prophet complained Psal. 88.15 While I suffer thy terrours I am distracted he telleth us verse 14. what was the cause of those terrours he felt in himselfe Lord why castest thou off my soule why hidest thou thy face from me Hee could not be perswaded of Gods love hee thought God had cast him of And can you wonder then though his heart were full of terrour The second cause of these feares is the Lord himselfe Certainely his holy hand is to be acknowledged in this kinde of affliction as well as in any other These feares are therefore called the Lords terrours Psal. 88.15 and 2 Cor. 5.11 because they come from him And the Lord seeth it to bee good and profitable many waies for sundry of his servants to bee much exercised by them 1. This maketh them carefull by repentance to purge themselves from all their knowne sinnes So the Lord speaketh of the feare which they that travell by sea are in when they see the strange breaches which the whale by his rising doth make in the sea Iob 4â— 25 When he raiseth up himselfe the mighty and most stout hearted are afraid by reason of his breakings they purifie themselves As wee see the mariners that carryed Ionah did Ionah 1.5 The mariners were afraid and cryed every man to his God Every one sought to make his peace with God in the best manner that he could This effect wee know feare usually hath even in all men but much more certainely in Gods children 2. This keepeth them humble fearefull to sinne tractable and willing to obey God in all things This is also a naturall effect of feare to abate the pride of mans heart and to make it humble and tractible Put them in feare ô Lord saith David Psal. 9.20 that the nations may know themselves to bee but men Certainely if the Lord should not now and then visit them with inward terrours and gripes there be many in the world would even forget themselves to be men But this effect it hath in Gods children especially O that there were such a heart in them saith the Lord of his people Deut. 5.29 that they would feare me keepe my commandements alwaies As if he had said Now they are fearefull to offend me in any thing now they are willing to doe any thing I would have them as they protested verse 27. But when was that Surely when by seeing the law delivered in that terrible manner they were brought into a wonderfull feare 3. Lastly This prepareth them and maketh them fit to receive comfort from God Thus the Lord hath beene wont to prepare his servants whom he meant to give most comfort unto Before the Lord delivevered that large and comfortable promise unto Abram Gen. 15.13 21. it is said verse 12. Loe an horrour of great darknesse fell upon him Before Elijah could heare that still and small voice that spake so much comfort unto him concerning himselfe and the whole Church the Lord first affrighted him with a great and strong wind that rent the mountaines and brake the rockes in pieces and then by an earthquake and after that by a fire 1 King 19.11 12. hee deepely humbled him by feare and terrour first that he might prepare and make him fit to receive that comfort You see then that this may bee the case of them that are most upright hearted and such as truly love the Lord they may bee much subject to these feares And this is the first thing I told you I had to say for the comfort of such poore soules The second is this That it is not onely possible that thou maist love God unfeignedly though thou be so subject to these terrours but even while thou art in this case thou hast evident signes in thee that thou dost so and if thou couldst observe thine owne heart well thou wouldst be able to discerne that thou dost love God indeed For First Thou desirest Gods favour above all things in the world and no crosse afflicteth thy heart so much as this that thou thinkest thou hast lost it thou canst not be assured of it this is a certaine signe thou lovest him When the Churches diligence in seeking after Christ when she had lost him is described Cant. 2.1 4. she expresseth the cause that moved her so to seeke after him by calling him him whom her soule loved and this title she repeateth in every one of those verses Certainely if her soule had not dearely loved him she could not in that manner have sought after him So that this griefe and trouble thy heart is in because thou canst not be assured of Gods favour argueth plainely that thou art sicke of love as the Church saith she was Cant. 2.5 and 5.8 Thy love to God is the cause of thy sicknesse and griefe O how happy a thing would it be with many if they were sicke of this disease Secondly Thou darest not doe any thing that thou thinkest would offend God but makest conscience to doe his will therefore thou lovest God Hee that hath my commandements and keepeth them saith our Saviour Ioh. 14.21 is hee that loveth me And 1 Iohn 5.3 This is the love of God that we keepe his commandements we could not els do it constantly nor conscionably Thirdly When thou hast through infirmity done any thing to offend God thou grievest unfeignedly and art troubled with it This argueth that thou lovest the Lord. It was love that made Mary Magdalen to weepe so abundantly for her sinnes as our Saviour testifieth of her Luke 7.47 And this was the onely thing whereby Peter did expresse that though he haâ— so shamefully denied Christ yet he loved him above all things when he had so offended hee went out and wept bitterly Mat. 26.75 Fourthly Thou lovest the Word and ordinances of God and the sincerity of his worship Therefore thou lovest God For the Lord calleth them that keepe the second commandement specially and above all others such as love him Exod. 20.6 And David professing himself Psal. 119 132. to be one of those that did love Gods name declareth it by no argument so much as by this throughout that Psalme even by that love hee bare unto and that delight hee tooke in the Word of God Fiftly thou lovest the children of God even because of the
of the Lord Iesus that is his quickning grace was mad manifest in their bodies In this respect also hee calleth the regenerate part Colos. 3.10 not a new mind nor a new will nor a new heart only but the new man Ye have put on saith hee the new man it is a compleat man it hath all the faculties and powers of a perfect man in it So speaketh hee againe 2 Corinth 5.17 If any man bee in Christ in the state of grace hee is a new creature old things are past away behold all things are become new Every one that is in Christ is become a new man every faculty every part of him is renewed In this respect also every upright-hearted man is called a perfect man Marke the perfect man and behold the upright saith David Psalme 37.37 because they have this perfection of parts they are sanctified throughout in all their parts And as the children that wee beget are perfect men and women so soone as ever they are borne because they have the soules and bodies and all the parts of men and women though in great weakenesse so is it with all the children of God much more Men may beget children that are defective and want some of their parts wee reade of some that have beene borne blind Iohn 9.1 and of some that have beene creeples from their mothers wombe Acts 14.8 and of some that have beene borne fooles But our heavenly father begets no such children all his children are perfect and have no such defect of parts in them Now before I make application of this point I must first give you three cautions to prevent the children of God from taking occasion of much feare and discomfort by the mistaking and misunderstanding of this point The first caution is this As the goodliest child that ever was borne is defective when it is an infant and new borne not onely in the stature and strength of every member of his body but even in the measure of his understanding also even so is it with the new man They that are sanctified in the best measure are yet in every part in every faculty of their soule in every sense and member of their body defective in the measure and degree of grace Paul telleth those worthy Christians the Thessalonians 1 Thess. 3.10 that hee desired to come to them to perfect that that was lacking in their faith Yea of himselfe hee saith Phil. 3.12 that hee was not perfect And if that great Apostle could say of himselfe and such as he was 1 Cor. 13.9 we know but in part then how great cause have the best of every one of us to complaine alas how little spirituall light and knowledge have I in my understanding how little sanctifying grace and goodnesse have I in my thoughts in my memory in my conscience in my will in my desires and affections How little inclination to any thing that is good in my eye or in my eare or in any other of my senses or parts of my body Secondly Though they that have truth of grace in them have every faculty and power of their soule and every sense and member of their body seasoned in some measure with the new leaven of sanctifying grace yet have they also much of the old leaven of their corrupt nature remaining still in every facultie of their soule and in every sense and member of their body Purge out therefore the old leaven saith the Apostle 1 Cor 5.7 As if hee had said This is a worke wherein we must alwayes be doing and which we shall never make an end of while we live here In which respect the regenerate man may fitly bee compared unto the ayre in the twilight in which there is no part but it hath some light in it neither is there any part of it but it hath some darkenesse in it also and unto the water that is luke-warme there is no part of it but it hath some heate in it nor any part but it hath some coldnesse in it too Therefore as the spirit the regenerate part in us is called as we have heard the new man so is the flesh and the unregenerate part in us called the old man likewise Eph. 4.22 because it goeth through the whole man as the other doth And this maketh many a good soule thinke there is no truth of grace in them because that throughout in their whole spirit and soule and body they discerne still so much corruption From the sole of the foot say they as Esa. 1.6 even to the head there is no soundnes in me This maketh them complaine with Iob 40.4 Behold I am vile What a deale of ignorance and blindnes have I in my understanding how vaine wicked are my thoughts for the most part how hardly can I forget any small wrong that hath bin done me and how apt am I to forget any good thing how hard a heart have I and unable to mourne for any of my sins how apt to be overwhelmed with griefe for the smallest crosse that befalleth me With what delight doe mine eares listen to any evill I can heare of my neighbour how dull of hearing is it towards any thing that is good how apt is mine eye to wander and to steale away my heart when I should attend to the word and how hardly can I keepe it fixed upon any thing that might bring good to my soule These we know are the complaints of the best soules And yet all this may be where there is truth of heart Thirdly and lastly Though where truth of grace is it diffuseth and sheddeth it selfe abroad throughout the whole man every faculty of the soule is sanctified and every part of the body also yet is not the worke of grace therein so sensible and manifest as is the corruption of our nature The workes of the flesh are manifest saith the Apostle Galathians 5.19 more manifest then the worke of grace is I cannot perceive saith many a good Christian any worke of Gods sanctifying grace at all in my memory in sundry of my affections in my joy and my anger much lesse in the members of my body and how can I say then that there is any truth of grace in mee To such I say there may bee some sanctifying grace in thee yea in every faculty of thy soule and member of thy body though thou perceive it not The little infant hath all the parts of a mans body though there bee sundry of them thou canst discerne no use he hath of them in any action yea hee hath a reasonable soule and all the faculties of it though it appeare not in any operation at all Three things thou hast in thee that shew thou hast sanctifying grace even there where thou perceivest it least 1. As thou hast in thy whole man in every faculty and part both flesh and spirit so hast thou in thy whole man a conflict between them The flesh lusteth against the
is but for a moment worketh for us a farre more exceeding and eternall weight of glory Rejoycing in hope saith the Apostle Rom. 12.12 patient in tribulation As though he should say The hope of this reward is able not onely to make you patient in any tribulation how great soever it may be but even comfortable and joyfull in it also O that all this that we have heard might through Gods gracious and mighty working with it become effectuall to make us all in love with Gods service O that we could count it our happinesse and honour to be admitted into it and thinke and say of it as David doth Psal. 65.4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy house and be one of thy houshold servants And 116.16 O Lord truly I am thy servant thy servant and the son of thine handmaid thou hast loosed my hands As if he had said I was a bondslave till I became thy servant but thou hast brought me out of that bondage and by making me thy servant hast loosed my bonds and made me a free man And then followeth verse 17. I will offer unto thee the sacrifice of thankesgiving As if hee should say I will praise thy name for this so long as I live Lecture XCII On Psalme 51.6 Iune 24. 1628. IT followeth now that we proceed to the third and last point which I propounded to handle in this first part of the application which concerneth those that refuse to serve God and to be religious and it is to shew the dangerous estate that they are in that doe so to reprove and terrifie all wicked men specially such as live in the Church and under the meanes of grace We have heard in the handling of this third and last note of an upright heart That if there be in a man but an unfeigned desire to be saved and to please God he is accepted of God he hath certainely truth of saving grace in him That no man is rejected of God no man shall perish that hath in him a true desire to be saved and to please God This point if it be well considered is of great force to humble all naturall men to take all excuse from them and to make them ashamed of themselves For what goodnesse can there be in that man that hath not in him so much as a desire to be good What can that man pretend why he should not be most justly condemned and cast into hell that never had in him a true desire to be saved and to flie from the wrath to come And surely thus it is with every wicked man that liveth in the Church and under the meanes of grace to that man I may boldly say thou canst not repent nor leave thy sinnes because thou dost not desire to repent and forsake thy sinnes thou hast no grace because thou dost not desire grace thou canst not beleeve because thou dost not desire to beleeve thou shalt perish everlastingly because thou hast no true desire nor will to be saved Wicked men are apt and ever have beene blasphemously to impute all this wholly unto the Lord and his will to cast all upon God and to say of their future estate I shall doe as it pleaseth God if it be the will of God and he have so decreed I shall be saved if it be otherwise how can I helpe it And of their present estate if God would give me the grace I should be better then I am and till then how should I mend Thus did our first father plead for himselfe so soone as ever he was fallen from God The woman saith he Gen. 3.12 which thou gavest to be with me she gave me of the tree and I did eate As if he had said I may thanke thee for that that I have done If thou hadst not given me this woman I had never sinned And thus did the unprofitable servant pleade for himselfe Matth. 25.14 I know thou art an hard maâ— reaping where thou never sowedst As though he had said Exacting fruit of holinesse and obedience where thou didst never bestow the seed of grace And thus the Apostle bringeth in wicked men objecting against the Lord Rom. 9 19. Why doth he yet find fault for who hath resisted his will As if he had said How can I justly be blamed or punished for being as I am if it be the will of God I shall be no better How can I be said to be the cause of mine owne damnation when it is the decree and will of God that I should perish But as I told you these are but the pleas and pretences of wicked men These pleas will not hold Certainely as God is not the cause of any mans sinne but himselfe as the Apostle teacheth us Iam. 1.13 14. Let no man say As if he had said I know men are apt to say so but it is folly and sinne for a man to say when he is tempted or moved to any sinne I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted of evill neither tempteth he any man but every man is tempted when he is drawne away of his owne lust and enticed So neither is God the cause of mans destruction but himselfe It is the fruit of his owne way as the Holy Ghost speaketh Pro. 1.31 And as of every temporall crosse that befalleth a man in this life of what kind soever it be a man may justly smite himselfe upon the breast and say to his owne heart as the Lord speaketh Ier. 2.17 Hast thou not procured this to thy selfe He may truly say Whatsoever hand God or man had in this evill that is befaâ—len me I am sure I was the chiefe cause of it my selfe so may it truly be said to every wicked man of his spirituall and eternall death and destruction as the Lord speaketh to Israel Hos. 13.9 O Israel thou hast destroyed thy selfe but in mee is thy helpe that is though thou canst not save thy selfe nor worke any goodnesse in thy selfe that must come wholly from my meere grace By grace are ye saved through faith saith the Apostle Ephes. 2.8 and that not of your selves it is the gift of God yet thou hast destroyed thy selfe thou art thy selfe the cause why thou hast no grace why thou canst not repent nor leave thy grosse sinnes why thou canst not beleeve nor take any comfort in Christ why thou shalt be damned and perish everlastingly Yea how apt soever men are now to plead thus for themselves and to impute all unto God there will come a day when as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 3.19 every mouth shall be stopped and all the world shall become guilty before God No man shall have any such thing to say for himselfe but shall cleare the Lord he shall cry guilty and acknowledge himselfe to have beene the onely cause of his owne destruction The bookes shall be opened as the Apostle speaketh Revel 20.12 the bookes of
and beseecheth him by us that hee would bee reconciled unto God Commandeth us to offer Christ to every wicked man that heareth us upon condition that he will beleeve and obey and to proclaime a generall pardon without excluding any Preach the Gospell saith hee Marke 16.15 to every creature And what cause then hath such a man that hath gone thus farre to doubt of finding mercy 3. Because God hath bin pleased out of his infinite goodnesse to shew respect even to such poore stuffe as naturall men out of the strength of nature have beene able to doe Christ loved the young man of whom we read Marke 1â— 21 even for that morality that was in him And God shewed much respect even unto Ahabâ— humiliation 1 Kings 21.29 and to Iehoahaz prayer that in the sense of his misery he made Iehoahaz besought the Lord saith the story 2 Kings 12.4 and the Lord hearkened unto him and to that prayer which Saul out of his legall humiliation before his conversion did make unto him Acts 9.11 Thirdly and lastly I may confidently affirme of all such as doe not their endeavour thus and what in them lyeth to escape damnation and to be saved these three things 1. That they are hereby made more inexcusable and do more evidently declare themselves to be the causes of their owne damnation 2. That they make themselves worse and worse thereby and more unable to repent As the Apostle plainely reacheth Rom 1. that the Gentiles by not making use of that light and freedom of will and of that power that was in them by nature because as he saith verse 18. they held the truth in unrighteousnesse and verse 21. when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankefull but became vaine in their imaginations therefore verse 4. God gave them up to uncleannes through the lusts of thâ—ir owne hearts 3. That their damnation shall even for this be farre greater in hell they shall become two-fold more the children of hell as our Saviour speaketh Matthew 23.15 This is plaine by that Christ saith of Capernaum Matthew 11. â—4 It shall be more tollerable for the land of Sâ—dom in the day of judgement then for thee Lecture XCIII On Psalme 51.6 Aug 5. 1628. IT followeth now that we proceed to the second branch of the application which is for the comfort of all such as do unfeinedly feare God For though it be the least part of them that heare us that have need of comfort the greatest part alas have more need to be humbled then comforted yea they will be in danger to take hurt by that which they shall heare spoken for the comfort of Gods people yet are we bound in our ministery of all other our hearers to have most respect to those few that are broken-hearted This was the first and chiefe charge that was given to Christ the chiefe pastor 1 Peter 5.4 when he came to bee a preacher Hee hath sent mee saith he Esa. 61.1 2. to bind up the broken hearted and to comfort all that mourne in Zion And this was the first and chiefe charge that Christ gave to Peter and so to all us his servants and ministers hee chargeth him indeed to feed all his sheepe but the first and chiefe charge he giveth him is concerning his lambs the weakest and tenderest of his flocke If thou love me Ioh. 21.15 feed my lambs He that prophesieth saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 14 3. speaketh to edification to exhortation and to comfort As if he had said No man prophesieth no man preacheth or divideth the word aright if hee omit this if he doe not apply his doctrine to the comfort of such as stand in need of it Therefore when the Prophet Esay beginneth to speake of the ministery of the Gospell hee bringeth in the Lord giving this first of all in charge to his servants and ministers Esay 40.1 2. Comfort yee comfort yee my people saith your God speake yee comfortably to Ierusalem As if hee had sayd Whatsoever yee doe else neglect not this duty of your ministery Now of all the things that doe deject the hearts of Gods poore people and cause them so to droop as they doe this is the principall that they cannot bee perswaded of the uprightnesse of their owne hearts they cannot be perswaded that they are any better then hypocrites Yea they are so farre from finding any comfort in those signes of uprightnesse of heart that I have given you out of Gods word that even from thence they are apt to conclude strongly against themselves that all the goodnesse that is in them is no better then hypocrisie And I nothing doubt but many of you while you have heard me speaking of them have beene apt to say within your selves alas I can take no comfort in any of these signes and notes that the Scripture giveth of an upright heart for I find no such thing in mee If these be the markes whereby the truth of the heart is to be knowne woe be unto me how farre am I from truth of heart what can I bee but an hypocrite For 1. The evill abstaine from and the good I doe I do it not in obedience to the word that is not the onely rule that I follow but I make custome and example my guide rather then it and for many things I doe I never enquire for warrant and direction from the word for them I never say to mine owne heart before I doe them as Luke 10.26 What is written in the law how readest thou What hath God in his word directed mee to doe in this case 2. I doe that I doe more out of a slavish feare of Gods wrath then out of any true love to God and am like to those of whom the Lord speaketh Iob 41.25 by reason of breakings they purifie themselves When my heart is broken with terrours then am I carefull to doe well but never else 3. I doe not that that I doe in faith out of a comfortable assurance of Gods love to mee in Christ. This could I never yet attaine to And without faith I know and have learned Heb. 11.6 it is impossible to please God 4. Gods grace where it is in truth is like to the leaven that leaveneth the whole lumpe Matth. 13.33 it sanctifieth the whole man the mind conscience memory will affections thoughts words and actions In such a one all things are become new as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor 5.17 But alas I can find no such totall change in me in some of these I can discerne no worke of Gods grace at all 5. He that hath an upright heart will be universall in his obedience he will obey the will of God in one thing as well as in another And thus wee have heard God describeth the uprightnesse of Davids heart 1 Kings 9.4 Hee walked in integrity of heart and in uprightnes to doe according to all that God commanded him Now alas saith the poore Christian I
The Lord hath forsaken me Thou art troubled with strong and fearefull tentations unto desperation Well for all this if thy heart bee upright though thou perceive it not nay if ever it were upright certainely they shall end in joy Marke the perfect man and behold the upright As if he had said It is our great sinne that we observe no better the manifold examples and experiments God giveth us of this for the end of that man is peace Yea proportionable to the measure of thy desertion and discomfort shall thy joy be in the end According to the comparison the Lord useth in this case Ps. 7.11 Light is sowen for the righteous and gladnesse for the upright in heart And 126.5 They that sow in teares shall reape in joy Proportionable to the seedâ—esse of their sorrow shall the harvest and crop of their joy be Now then to conclude all that I have said of these motives seeing there be so many promises made so many excellent priviledges belonging to them that are upright in heart let us not any longer content our selves with shewes of goodnesse with professing and thinking we are Christians we feare God we serve him But let us be ashamed of and bewaile and strive against our hypocrisie and our halting with God Let us labour to attaine to that uprightnesse of heart which we have heard at large described to us out of Gods Word and which the Lord our God so much delighteth in And for our helpe herein I will shew you some of the principall meanes which God hath in his Word directed us to use for the obtaining of it And I will passe over them as briefly as I can First It is not possible for a man to have an upright heart till his heart have first been truly humbled for sin Behold saith the Prophet Hab. 2.4 his soule which is listed up is not upright in him It must be humbled before it can be upright As when a bell is crackt it can never be mended till it have beene first broken in pieces and melted and cast a new so before the heart of man that is so full of cracks and unsoundnesse can be made sound and whole it must first be broken David could not rid himselfe of that guile that was in his heart till he tooke this course till with an humbled soule hee did acknowledge against himselfe his wickednesse to the Lord as is plaine Psal. 32 2-5 Secondly He that would have an upright heart must labour for a true faith for assurance of Gods fatherly love to him in Christ. Let us draw neere saith the Apostle Heb. 10.22 with a true heart in full assurance of saith For it is faith onely that purifieth the heart as the Apostle speaketh Acts 15.9 as from all other corruptions so from that falshood and hypocrisie that is in it by nature When David had professed Psal. 16. â— that he had walked in his integrity he nameth this to be the cause of it and the meanes whereby hee was brought unto and preserved in this integrity verse 3. For thy loving kindnesse is before mine eyes when wee once know that the service we doe is unto our father that hath so dearely loved us this will make us serve him heartily and unseignedly Thirdly He that would have and keepe an upright heart must take heed of living in any knowne sinne of doing any thing against his conscience Keepe thy servant from presumptuous sinnes saith David Psal. 19.13 let them not have dominion over me then shall I be upright The end of the commandement is love saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 1.5 out of a pure heart and a good conscience Purity and truth of heart can never be had or preserved without a good conscience Fourthly He that would have an upright heart must thinke oft of this and keepe it in his minde that Gods eye is upon him wheresoever he is and whatsoever he goeth about This the Lord himselfe prescribeth unto Abraham Gen. 17.1 as a meane to breed and preserve uprightnesse of heart in him Walke before me saith he and be thou upright By this meanes Paul kept his heart upright in his ministery and so may we do now from seeking his owne praise or advantage or the humouring of men As of sincerity saith he 2 Cor. 2.17 as of God in the sight of God so speake we in Christ. By this meanes Noah kept himselfe upright in a most corrupt age and so may we do now as bad as the times are Noah was a just man saith the Holy Ghost Gen. 6 9. and upright in his generations Noah walked with God He looked not to the practise of men but set the Lord alwaies before him and walked as in his sight and presence and that kept him upright By this meanes the Church and people of God kept themselves upright in times of extreame trouble and persecution and so may we doe when the like times shall come upon us All this is come upon us say they Psal 44.17 18. even all that they had mentioned in eight verses before yet have we not forgotten thee neither have we dealt falsly in thy covenant our heart is not turned backe Why What was it that kept them from halting with God in such a time as that was That they tell us verse 21. even the consideration of this thaâ— they could not hide themselves from God they were ever in his eye Shall not God search this out say they for he knoweth the secrets of the heart Certainely a secret Atheisme that lodgeth in our breasts whereby either we beleeve not or remember not that Gods eye is upon us is a chiefe cause as of all other foule sins according to that Ezek. 9.9 The land is full of bloud and the city full of perversenesse for they say the Lord hath forsaken the earth and the Lord seeth not so is it a chiefe cause of all that falshood and hypocrisie that is in our hearts Fiftly and lastly He that would have an upright heart must diligently observe the falshood and hypocrisie of his own heart how apt it is to halt and dissemble with God in every service he doth unto him and out of an humbled soule for it complaine much to God of it and beg helpe of him against it By this meanes David here laboureth to get an upright heart he complaineth to God in this verse of the want of that truth in the inward parts which God so much delighteth in for as we have heard he speaketh of that here for the aggravation of his sin and then he beggeth of God helpe against this falshood of his heart verse 10. Create in me a â—leane heart ô God and renew a right spirit within me And so doth he likewise Psal. 119.80 Let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I be not ashamed As if he had said O Lord give me a sound heart And certainely one chiefe cause why hypocrisie so much prevaileth that increaseth
draw a man unto obedience and to a conscionable practise of that he knoweth if his knowledge be sound and saving Give mee understanding and I shall keepe thy law saith David Psalme 119.34 yea I shall observe it with my whole heart 3. It will effectually restraine from sinne and reforme the life of him that hath it They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountaine saith the Lord Esa. 11.9 for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea As if he had said Where the true knowledge of the Lord doth abound it is not possible that any oppression or violence should reigne If yee have beene taught by him saith the Apostle Ephes. 4.21 22. as the truth is in Christ Iesus that yee put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts As though hee had said Whosoever hath beene taught of God to know Christ in truth must needs put off the old man Therefore also the Holy Ghost maketh ignorance the cause of all sinne calling all the sinnes which are pardonable and for which sacrifice was to bee offered by the law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ignorances Hebrewes 9.7 the lusts wee had when wee were in ignorance 1 Peter 1.14 and workes of darkenesse Ephesians 5.11 Yea hee ascribeth all the ungraciousnesse and wickednesse of men to their want of knowledge and understanding There is none that understandeth saith the Apostle Rom. 3.11 there is none that seeketh after God Why are men so profane that they never seeke peace with God Surely their brutish ignorance is the cause of it Why are men in their hearts and lives so alienated from all goodnesse The Apostle will tell you the true cause Ephes. 4.18 They have their understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindnesse of their heart If any man shall object and say That this is contrary to all sense and experience For all sin doth much more abound now in these daies of light then it did in times of greatest darknesse and blindnesse and in what places now is all outragious sinne so rife as in those where there is most teaching and where knowledge doth most abound To this I answer in the words of the Apostle Romanes 3.4 Yet let God bee true and every man a liar Certaine it is because God hath said it that not knowledge but the want of knowledge is the cause of all the wickednesse of these daies of these places of these persons that you speake of 1. Many that live in these daies of light and in places where the light shineth most bright are blind and receive no benefit by the light They are as ignorant as those that live in the darkenesse of Egypt They love darkenesse more then the light yea they hate the light as our Saviour speaketh Iohn 3.19 20. For this cause God giveth them up unto vile affections as the Apostle speaketh of the Gentiles Romanes 1.26 And marke what he addeth verse 28 29. As they regarded not to know God God gave them up to a reprobate minde to doe those things that are not convenient being filled with all unrighteousnesse fornication wickednesse covetousnesse maliciousnesse full of envy murder debate deceit malignity whisperers c. And if God were so severe against them that regarded not but despised the light of nature what must he needs bee against them that regard not but despise the light of his glorious Gospell Marvell not though such men be more outragiously lewd or at least more senslesse and obdurate more hardly moved and brought unto repentance then any other men in the world 2. Though it cannot bee denied but many a wicked man hath knowledge For so the Apostle speaketh of the hypocriticall Iew Romanes 2.18 Thou knowest his will and approvest the things that are more excellent being instructed out of the law and verse 20. Thou hast the forme of knowledge and of the truth in the law As if he should say Thou hast the knowledge of the will of God as it is revealed in his Word yea thou art expert in the whole body of true religion gathered out of the law of God and in thy judgement approvest of it yet of him wee may say as the Apostle doth 1 Corinthians 8.2 Hee knoweth nothing yet as hee ought to know Their knowledge is not true saving and spirituall knowledge They were never taught of him as the truth is in Iesus as the Apostle speaketh Ephesians 4.21 Their knowledge swimmeth in their braine it soaketh not into their heart In their hidden part God never made them to know wisedome as he did David heere But of this wee shall say more when we come to the uses of this Doctrine Lecture XCVI On Psalme 51.6 Septemb. 2. 1628. IT followeth now that wee proceed to shew you what uses this Doctrine may serve us unto And they are principally two First To exhort and stirre us up unto a duty wee owe both unto others and to our selves Secondly To reprove us for neglect of duty in this kind That which wee are heere to bee exhorted unto is First of all a duty that wee owe unto others Secondly a duty that every one of us oweth unto himselfe And for the first Branch of this Exhortation it concerneth three sorts 1. All of us in generall 2. Such of us as are masters of families 3. Lastly Such of us especially as are Ministers of the Gospell For the first Seeing as wee have heard knowledge is both the foundation and the seed of all other graces wee are bound to desire and procure so farre as in us lieth that all men may have the meanes of knowledge It cannot be denied nor doubted of but we are all bound to pity and commiserate the estate of all wicked men even of Turks and Indians of Iewes and Papists of the most dissolute and profane men we are bound I say to pity their estate and unfeinedly to desire and pray for their salvation I exhort saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.1 that first of all supplications prayers and intercessions bee made for all men And that prayer which the Church maketh Psalm 67.3 and to expresse the vehemency of her desire therein repeateth againe verse 5. should doubtlesse bee the prayer of every good soule Let the people praise thee ô God yea let all the people praise thee As if shee had said Oh that all people even the worst men that live upon earth might bee brought to honour and worship thee aright And the very summe and effect of all the three first petitions of the Lords prayer Matthew 6.9 10. is no more but this Oh that thy great name may be knowne and duly honoured every where that all that thou hast appointed to save may come in and become thy subjects and servants and so live as becommeth thy subjects and servants to doe So that
a slavish feare of Gods wrath is indeed a great bondage Feare hath torment saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.18 That which the Apostle saith of worldly and carnall sorrow 2 Cor. 7.10 may bee said also of worldly and carnall feare The feare of the world worketh death And from this feare the faithfull are freed But it is no bondage no enemy to the comfort of a mans life to live in a continuall feare of sinning of offending and angring our heavenly father The Churches walking in the feare of the Lord Actes 9.31 and in the comfort of the holy Ghost were multiplied As if the Evangelist had said This feare is no opposite but a great helpe and furtherance unto true comfort Happy is the man that feareth alwayes saith the holy Ghost Prov. 28.14 As if he should say It is an happines to a man to feare thus But what reason can be given will you say why the child of God should be more afraid to sin then any other man Which is the second generall point I propounded to handle in this first exhortation To this I answer There be two principall reasons of it First Because God will beare lesse with them when they sin and deale more severely and sharply with them then with any other in this life Beware of him saith the Lord of the Angel of his Covenant whom he sent to conduct his people to the land of promise Exod. 23.21 and obey his voice provoke him not for hee will not pardon nor winke at your transgressions Such sins as carnall men go cleare away withall in this life and never sinart for if Gods child commit them he may not hope to do so You only have I knowne that is chosen to be mine owne and loved with a speciall love saith the Lord to his people Amos 3.2 of all the families of the earth therefore will I punish you for all your iniquities Them whom he knoweth best and loveth best can have least hope of all other men to escape his correcting hand when they sin against him The Lord thy God is a jealous God among you saith Moses Deut. 6.15 And a small thing you know will much offend a jealous husband he cannot abide the least shew of neglect from his wife A sharp and heavy judgement we know fell upon the faithfull Corinthians even for going carelesly and unpreparedly to the Communion For this cause saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.30 many are sicke and weake among you and many sleepe O how often shall I put you in mind of this place before you will beleeve it and be moved by it And as the Lord is sooner provoked to anger by the sins of his owne children then of any other men so is his anger wont to be hotter and his corrections sharper on them then on any other When the Lord saw it saith Moses Deut. 32.19 that is to say that his own people fell to idolatry and other their grosse sins he abhorred them because of the provoking of his sons and of his daughters As who would not take the contempt and indignities that are done to him by his owne children a great deale worse then from any other man Secondly The child of God hath more cause to be afraid of sinning then any other because as we know the more any man hath the more fearefull he is to runne into the danger of the law so the child of God having more to loose then any man in the world hath besides hath even in this respect more cause to bee afraid of offending God then any other man hath Why will you say unto me what meane you by this What hath he to loose more then any other man I answer Every child of God hath received above all other men three inestimable jewels from God which by sinning against God he is in danger to loose First He hath the spirit of adoption which assureth him of his peace with God and that he hath his favour which maketh him able to call God father to go to him with boldnes in all his necessities We have received the spirit of adoption saith the Apostle Rom. 8.15 wherby we cry Abba father In Christ we have â—oldnes and accesse with confidence saith he Eph. 3.12 Now this is such a jewell as he would not loose for al the world Thy loving kindnes is better then life saith David Psal. 63.3 And this he knoweth he is in danger to loose if he give himself liberty to sin Indeed his adoption and son-ship and birth-right is of a stronger tenure The servant saith our Saviour Ioh. 8.35 abideth not in the house for ever but the son abideth ever Yet may he by his sin utterly loose this fruit and operation of the spirit of adoption he may loose the assurance of his fathers love his peace his joy his accesse with boldnesse and that not only by grosse and scandalous sins but even by his carelesnesse and negligence and carnall security as we see in that example of the Church My well-beloved had with-drawne himselfe and was gone saith she Cant. 5.6 And of this uncomparable losse the Church hath ever had many wofull examples Secondly He hath received the spirit of sanctification whereby there is an holy change wrought in his whole spirit and soule and body as the Apostle speaketh 1 Thess. 5.23 whereby he is made a vessell unto honour sanctified and meet as the Apostle speaketh 2 Tim. 2.21 for his masters use and prepared unto every good work Now he setteth as much store by this jewell as his life Psal. 51.11 Cast me not away from thy presence take not thy holy spirit from me and he may loose the comfortable sense and the vigour and operation of it and bee strucken with such a dead palsy in his soule as he shall have little or no use of that life of grace that is in him And this losse he may come to not onely by giving liberty to himselfe in grosse and scandalous sins but even by his carnall security and carelesse neglect of the meanes whereby he might grow and increase in grace Quench not the spirit saith the Apostle 1 Thess. 5.19 despise not prophesyings even by despising of prophesyings the spirit may be quenched Thirdly and lastly He hath received a greater Iewell then either of these he beareth Gods owne name And as it is said of the Apostle Act. 9.15 that God had appointed him to beare his name before the Gentiles So it is said of all the faithfull also Phil. 2.16 that they hold forth unto men by their profession and example the word of life The Lord hath committed unto us that are his children his holy name and religion to keepe and that with a charge that we should so hold it out to the world by our holy example that we may gaine honour to it And that charge which the Apostle giveth to Timothy 2 Tim. 1.14 though it be chiefly given to us Ministers yet it is given of God
set down in Psalme 6. For when hee made that Psalme it is evident that hee was in great anguish of heart by the losse of his assurance of Gods favour as appeareth by the seven first verses To recover his comfort hee falleth to servent prayer And before hee had ended his prayer hee was so filled with the assurance of Gods favour that he breaketh forth into these patheticall expressions of his joy Verse 8 9. The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping the Lord hath heard my supplication the Lord will receive my prayer The second experiment of this in him is in Psalme 31. Where wee finde that when hee had so farre lost his assurance that hee thought as hee saith verse 22. he was quite cut off from God as a dead and rotten branch he betooke himselfe to prayer hee cryed and made many supplication unto God and had such successe in this course that hee bursteth forth into these words verse 21. Blessed be the Lord for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindnesse as in a strong city And how falleth it out then wilt thou say that I have beene so long a suiter to God for this and cannot yet obtaine it I answer thee in the words of the Apostle Iam. 4.3 Ye aske and receive not because ye aske amisse Five defects there be in thy prayer that this is to be imputed unto First Either thou prayest not fervently and earnestly for this but there are some other things that thou dost more affect and more earnestly desire then thou dost this Whereas thou shouldst seeke and desire this above all things in the world and say of it as David doth Psal. 63.3 Thy loving kindnesse is better then life A second defect in thy prayer may bee this that thou livest in some knowne sin unrepented of If thou prepare thine heart saith Zophar Iob 11 13 14 and stretch out thine hand towards him if iniquity be in thine hand put it farre away and let not wickednesse dwell in thy tabernacles Hee whose conscience telleth him he doth somewhat daily and purposeth still to doe that he ought not or somewhat he daily omitteth to doe and doth not yet resolve to doe which he ought to do can have no hope to find comfort by his prayer A third defect in thy prayer that may bee the cause why thou speedest no better may bee that thou art not humbled enough in thy prayers for this I tell thee this is a suit worth the setting of a day apart and keeping of a secret fast for Of this spirit of infidelity that possesseth thee and whereby thy poore heart is so vexed and tormented it may bee Christ hath said as once he did of another spirit Mark 9 2â— This kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting Remember what I told thee out of Levi. 23.27 Of all the dayes of thy life the day of humiliation wherin thou afflictest thy soule in prayer and fasting will prove the day of atonement betweene God and thy soule thou canst use no meanes to get assurance of thy atonement and reconciliation with God better then that A fourth defect in thy prayer that may perhaps bee the cause why thou speedest no better is this that thou prayest not in faith for this blessing Thou usest to pray out of this perswasion that thy heart telleth thee that thou must doe it God hath commanded thee to pray thy conscience will checke and smite thee if thou doe neglect it But thou dost not when thou prayest set before thy mind the promises of God Such as that is Iohn 16 22. Verily verily I say unto you Whatsoever yee shall aske the father in my name hee will give it you And that Luke 11.13 If yee beeing evill know how to give good gifts to your children how much more shall your heavenly father give the holy spirit to them that aske him And this holy spirit is the spirit of adoption that witnesseth with our spirit that wee are Gods children as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8.16 These and those other promises we heard of before wee should thinke on when we pray and verily expect the performance of them Thus did David I prevented the dawning of the morning and cryed saith hee Psalme 119.147 I hoped in thy word As if he should say The gracious promises thou hadst made in thy word encouraged mee to it So dost not thou Thou prayest for comfortable assurance of Gods favour but thou dost not looke to obtaine it by thy prayer nay thou hadst no hope to obtaine it And so by this thy infidelity when thou prayest thou setttest up a wall of partition betweene God and thy prayer to keepe it from having any accesse unto him Let not that man thinke saith the Apostle Iames 1.7 that hee shall receive any thing of the Lord. The Lord useth to answer his people in their suites as hee did the two blind men Matthew 9.29 According to your faith bee it unto you The fift and last defect in thy prayer that may bee the cause why thou receivest no comfort by it is this that thou faintest in prayer Because thou hast so long sued to God for assurance and comfort and canst yet receive none thou hast beene weary of prayer and given it over and so hast limited the holy one of Israel as they did of whom the Prophet complaineth Psalme 78.41 whereas our Saviour hath taught us by the parable of the unrighteous judge and the widow Luke 18.1 that wee ought alwayes to pray and not to faint Blessed are all they that wait for him saith the Prophet Esa. 30.18 As if hee had said They that wait shall not loose their labour they shall certainly obtaine their suit in the end This is a blessing I tell thee worth the waiting for Many a Saint of God hath waited many yeares for this suit before they have obtained it and when they have obtained it at the last have thought themselves happy men And thus much shall serve to have beene spoken of the first sort of meanes the other we must leave till the next day Lecture CXXV On Psalme 51.7 Aug. 11. 1629. THE second sort of meanes which I call more inward and spirituall then the former are foure principally The first is care to keepe a good conscience in all things The second a diligent observation of our owne wayes The third a consideration of the experiments wee have had of Gods favour The fourth a renouncing of our selves and resting only upon the free grace of God in Christ. First Hee that would get a comfortable assurance of the favour of God in Christ and feele that the bloud of Christ is sprinkled by the spirit of God upon his heart hee that desireth to keepe and preserve in himselfe this assurance or to recover it when hee hath lost it must nourish in his heart a constant care to please God in all his wayes and a feare to offend him in any thing The worke
15. did me much evill the Lord reward him according to his works of whom he thou aware also for he hath greatly withstood our words And what was the cause of his falling thus fearfully That the Apostle hath told us he forsook a good conscience He gave liberty to himself to sinne against his conscience to live in some knowne sinne Corruption in manners will breed corruption in judgement A man that hath once knowne and professed the truth is seldome knowne to fall into Popery or any other heresie till he had first forsaken a good conscience and by living in knowne sinnes provoked God to give him over thus farre So among other judgements this is one whereby God threatneth to punish the disobedience of his people Deut. 28.36 Thou shalt serve other gods of wood and of stone thou shalt become a grosse and senslesse idolater And the Apostle speaking of them that in this last age should be drawne unto Popery 2 Thes. 2. he speakes of it Vers. 11. as of a fearefull judgement of God upon men for some sinnes they had beene guilty of For the cause saith he God shall send them strong delusiâ—â—s that they should believe a lie They shall be strongly deluded How By the learning or holinesse or miracles of their Priests No but by the most just hand and curse of God upon them God shall send them strong delusions that there shall be no errour in Popery so grosse no lie so palpable but they shall verily and undoubtedly believe it Marvell not then at their confidence For this cause saith the Apostle For what cause What is the sinne 〈◊〉 provokes God to plague men in this manner He nameth two one in Vers. 10 because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved the second Vers. 12. because they tooke pleasure in unrighteousnesse To conclude then this second direction what hope can there be that many common Protestants though they be willing to heare and make profession of the truth should ever be able to continue constant in the truth in the time of tryall but that they will be apt to turne Papists blasphemers and persecutors of the truth when a time of tryall shall come seeing 1 they beare no love to the truth at all take no delight in it love every trifle and vanity better than it 2 they give liberty to themselves to live in knowne sinnes and take pleasure therein 3 they content themselves with a forme of godlinsse as the Apostle speaketh 2 Tim. 3.5 but deny and renounce the power of it and hate it mortally wheresoever they see it casting the most odious aspersious upon it Lecture CXLIX On Psalme 51.7 Nouem 1. 1631. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the third Direction and that is this He that would preserve himselfe from falling quite away from the truth and forsaking his religion must take heed of declining from or forsaking of the least truth he must not give himselfe liberty to shrink and fall from the least truth that God hath revealed unto him and wherein his conscience hath beene convinced that it is indeed a truth of God Two things there be whereby men do falsly warrant themselves to take this liberty and they be both of them certaine and undeniable truths First That there be many good and worthy men that see not nor make any reckoning of such truths as themselves have been convinced in And indeed a man may bee a right good man and indued with a great measure of saving grace and yet he cannot see nor be perswaded of some truths that God hath taught us in his holy Word but his judgement is erroneous and unsound in some points yea though he hath had great meanes to informe him in the truth yet he cannot see it And that therefore difference in judgement in some things which cannot be without errour on the one side should not alienate the hearts of brethren one from another as I shewed you in my last lecture but two out of Rom. 14 1-6 Secondly That on the other side there be many in whom no life nor power of godlinesse can be discerned that busie themselves altogether and glory in these points And indeed it is an ill signe in any and a shrewd note of an hypocrite to busie his braines about truths of lesâ—e moment with neglect of greater when a man shall seeke to be expert and cunning in those truths which concerne the ceremonies and discipline of the Church and be stiffe in the holding and maintaining of them and yet be ignorant and void of all desire to learne the doctrine of faith and repentance of mortification and newnesse of life the meaning of the ten commandements and articles of our faith of the Lords Prayer and doctrine of the Sacraments For such persons are doubtlesse under that wo that Christ denounceth Mat. 23.24 against them that straine at a gnat and swallow a camell But though these two things I say be so yet for a man to be wilfully ignorant of the truth of God in any thing wherein he is pleased to reveale his will unto us in his holy Word or to forsake it when he hath once beene convinced of it out of this conceit that it is but a small matter a trifle a man may be saved though he never know nor hold such a truth is a very dangerous sinne Observe I pray you the proofe of this in three points First Though some truths of God be comparatively greater than others as our Saviour saith Mat. 23.23 some matters of the Law and Word of God are weightier than others yet is not any one truth of God to be accounted small or of little or no moment even of those points of the law which he cals but gnats in comparison of others our Saviour saith Mat. 23.23 these ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone even those small things ought not to be neglected ought not to be left undone I have written to them saith the Lord Hos. 8.12 the great things of my Law They are all great things that God hath written and revealed to us in his holy Word All the truths of God which the Apostles when the Spirit fell upon them in cloven tongues like fire did utter and teach are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 2 11. Magnalia Dei the great things of God Yea the least truth of God that he hath revealed in his Word is to be esteemed of greater moment and weight than heaven and earth and all the creatures contained in them It is easier for heaven and earth to passe saith our Saviour Luk. 16.17 than that one title of the law should faile It is therefore a great contempt done unto Gods Word to think so lightly of any thing he hath taught us in it as if it were not worth the knowing or not worth the holding and sticking to when we do know it When David hath professed his high esteeme of Gods Word