private when he finds an indisposition of mind unto it SUndry converts when they perceive the unfitnesse of their spirits to offer immediat worship to God in prayer praises or thanksgiving especially in private do fall in doubt with themselves whether it be better to delay the offer of their worship till they find themselves well disposed for it or to go on as they may albeit they apprehend their lips polluted and their hearts far away from God Their fear on the one hand is lest they should pollute the worship and take Gods name in vain on the other hand they fear lest they fall in the guiltinesse of omitâ—ing a prescribed duty The question shall be what the doubting convert should determine and do 2. For answer this case is spoken unto before 2. Book Chap. 17. in as far as the convert determineth not and doth not what is right but goeth wrong and pleaseth himself in his bad condition But here we speak to this case as the convert is in doubt only and desireth to be keeped from deceiving himself In which case we say that as it is the converts doubt so we must confesse that this case of indisposition and unâ—itnesse for spiritual exercises is very frequent and is ordinarily and oft-times a chastisement of us drawn on by our selves because we do not watch unto prayer we do not study to keep our hearts in the fear of the Lord all the day long we do not foster that tendernesse of conscience which might furnish us mater of humiliation and of thanksgiving to God upon observation of our faults against God and of Gods favours daily and hourly remarkably running toward us Hence it is when our ordinar time of secret worship doth come we find our vaiging minds hardly called home from their wandering our conscience challenging us for our loose and uncircumspect walking our affections dull and dead and all the powers of our souls taken as with a palsie that we cannot bestir our selves in worship as we should and would Therefore in this case let the convert be humbled and confesse his fault and take with this chastisement and â—â—ye unto Christ who heareth and taketh away the iniquity of our pollution of holy things and let him nor defer his worship till another occasion but wrestle against all impediments and follow out the work in hand blessing God for his pointing out unto him his wants and weaknesse his wandering and vanity of mind his slipping and sliding in his wayes and for opening unto him a â—ountain in Christ for washing his pollutions and healing his wounds And that the convert may be encouraged to aim at and follow on this way let him consider that the converts worship may be pleasant and acceptable to God when the convert is much displeased with himself in the discharge of it for there is a worshiping of God in faith without sense and feeling of the hearts inlargement and there is a worshiping of God with felt enlargement of heart The worshiping of God in faith is pleasant unto God albeit the worshiper in perplexity and wrestling with temptations and corruptions be much displeased with himself The worshiping of God with inlargement of heart is pleasant both unto God and to the worshiper also as Ps. 119. 32. David gives us to understand I will run the way of thy Commandments saith he when thou shalt enlarge my heart But when this inlargement by sensible assistance of the holy Ghost is not perceived the Psalmist is but a dead man in his own estimation yet he doth not forbear or delay to worship God as well in bonds as in freedom Quicken me saith he according to thy loving kindnesse Therefore let the convert in this case 1. follow the example of the Psalmist who Ps. 5. 3. resolveth to call on God with his voice that is to follow the work of prayer externally pre-suppose his spiritual powers were bound up and he unable to back his peâ—itions with suteable affections My voice saith he shalt thou hear in the morning O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up And Ps. 27. 7. Hear me when I cry with my voice have mercy also upon me and answer me 2. For his incouragement in this case to go on in his worship let him confesse unto God the truth as it is presenâ—ed unto him by his conscience and say O Lord my God these are my sins which I ought to acknowledge before thee with tears which for the present are dryed up c. These are thy favours and benefits wherewith I am loadenâ—d which I should acknowledge with joy and sense of thy goodnesse c. but thou Lord delights in truth in the inward parts Ps. 51. 8. This will be found our reasonable service which the Apostle calleth for Rom. 12. 1 2. The eight question is how to satisfie the convert doubting what is the sin which God pursueth by long-lasting affliction IT falleth forth oft-times when a true convert being a long time pressed under some lasting crosse or calamity doth inquire after the special causes of his affliction and when he cannot be clear what to determine doth doubt what to think of his condition for he acknowledgeth his sins common to him and other converts to be innummerable but apprehendeth that it is some special sin pursued by God which is the cause of his affliction which because he cannot condescend upon he is at a stand and doubteth what to think or do 2. For answer we say 1. such a case is more troublesom then dangerous for so long as he is observing his sins common to him and other converts and in the exercise of repentance is daily humbled before God for his known sins he must not be anxious albeit he know not the particular sin pursued as he apprehendeth for albeit the Lord afflict no man but such as have sin in them yet he doth not alwayes in afflicting of his children pursue unknown sin in them For sometime he afflicteth his child to preveen his sinning hedging up his way with thornes lest he should follow after beloved lusts Sometime he doth afflict him to try his faith to teach him patience meeknesse temperance and other virtues such as are dying to the world seeking after things spiritual compassion toward others in affliction 2. When the afflicted hath composed his mind to reverence Gods dispensation whatsoever it is or shall be then let him yet again look upon his affliction and it may be he shall read in the rod what is the Lords quarrel 3. Whether he shall find the special cause of his affliction or not let him turn all his indignation zeal and hatred against the body of death the bitter root and bulk of actual sins and watch diligently over the motions of original sin or concupiscence in himself 4. And let his whole exercise stir him up to have Christ in greater estimation to make use of Christs righteousnesse imputed to believers and
sin must be made manifest by the law and the merit of sin committed must be shown forth that the man to be converted may see himself in a lost condition and that he must certainly perish except he flee for refuge to Christ the Redeemer that by him he may have remission of sin And after a mans conversion the believer must by the precepts of the law be convinced of his duty and inability to perform obedience except by grace power be communicated unto him from Christ both to will and to do And when he hath gotten grace to give obedience in some measure yet must he examine his best works by the rule of the commands and acknowledge the imperfection of his service that he may be more and more humbled in himself and glory only in the imputed righteousness of Christ and withall give unto Christ the glory of any good thing which he hath in any measure done well 7. The threatnings also all of them must so be applyed in general as both converted and un-converted may be forced to run to Christ who only can deliver the un-converted from guiltiness and wrath and death eternal deserved by sin and who only can deliver those who are converted from the deserved punishment of their sins and from the execution of the sentence which the law pronounceth and who only can make them eshew and hold off the way which God hath cursed And it is easie to judge how much cause of humiliation the godly shall have by daily comparing their actings with the law and how dear and precious Christ must be to them who giveth unto them as many deliverances from death as they commit sins and do fail of their oblieged obedience to God 8. A sinner already convicted of sin and impenitency and hardness of his own heart and who is grieved for the same must not be skarred nor deterred from going unto Christ till first he attain such a prescribed measure of contrition as he conceiveth his sins do call for which measure un-skilfull Physicians do rigidly exact of sinners who are desirous of repentance pretending for their rigidity their fear lest if such sinners should be so easily admitted unto Christ the work of repentance should be marred in them and presumption should have way and be fostered in them this fear is needless because it belongs to Christ alone to give repentance and he came to call sinners convicted of sin and destitute of repentance in their own estimation and sense unto repentance that he may give them repentance We grant that there is a danger lest a sinner lightly touched with the sting of the conscience do not well weigh the weight of his sin and the merit of it and that he go to Christ with his lips only when his heart is far from him but on the other hand there is no less hazard left he who is destitute of repentance in his own sense and not permitted to go to Christ to have it may either be driven to dispair or conceive that by his own pains on his own heart repentance must be wrought before he go to Christ whom God hath exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance unto Israel and remission of sins Act. 5. 31. We must be wary therefore lest a burdened conscience in any measure being excluded from going to Christ till he be in such and such a measure humbled set himself so upon bodily exercise of ordinances without daring to go to Christ as that he put some merit in effect upon his bodily exercise which he useth to bring himself unto contrition or else turn desperatly careless and leave off all using of means We need not fear that instantly upon a sinners coming to Christ he shall find too soon consolation and so not be humbled as need were for Christ is only wise and can prudently deal with the sinner coming unto him he hath eye-salve to give his proud merchant to let him see his blindness poverty and misery as well as gold and garments to the poor and naked but if any be proud and rich in their own conceit and approach toward him without sense of sin he can suspend them from comfort till first he rebuke and chasten them and keep them off from felt access a while till they be truly humbled and thirst in earnest after pardon and imputed righteousness 9. As the narrow way to the kingdom of heaven must not be made straiter then God hath made it So neither must the way be made broader then God hath made it and reignies loosed to mens lusts as if believers sins were either none or but light ones for God is not a favourer of sin and whosoever do turn the grace of God into wantonness undoubtedly they are ignorant both of the Law and of the Gospel Wherefore the Law and the Gospel must be so tempered that on the one hand none who would be at Christ and through him at mortification of their sinfull nature be discouraged and on the other hand that no man boasting of his profession of faith be strengthened in his iniquity for this is the true sense and intent of God both in his threatnings and promises that none despair hearing threatnings but repent and live and that none presume to sin upon hearing his gracious promises but walk in fear before him Ezek. 33. 10 11 12. to v. 20. and Christ doth blot out from the number of the saved all them who break off and make void any of the precepts and do teach men so to do Matth. 5. 19. 10. Because God doth make use of the same arguments in his Word both for moral swasion and for effectual operation of saving faith and bringing forth fruits of new obedience therefore the force of God's arguments and inducements as occasion is offered must so be opened up and sharpned and pressed that the hearers being soundly convinced of the holiness equity verity and necessity of the Lords commands may at least be morally perswaded to yield unto them And to this end that hearers must be exhorted that they call to mind and weigh such and such arguments unto duties that by reasoning with themselves they may prevail by Gods blâ—ssing to believe the Word of God So did Paul directing his speech to the governour Felix brash the castle of his conscience with this engine that he near by took it in Act. 24. 25. and so did he deal with Agrippa whom he near-by perswaded to become a Christian Act. 26. 28. and this was his endeavour to perswade all his hearers to believe the truth he taught 2 Cor. 5. 11. Knowing therefore saith he the terror of the Lord we perswade men And the same Apostle hath taught all Christs disciples to exercise the faculty of reasoning in the mater of strengthening their faith and purpose of obedience that having set before them the arguments which the Word of God doth furnish they may sum up the truth in
is clear because the mercy of God the grace of God the good-will of God is put in Scripture for the only motive and impulsive cause of Redemption Ephes. 1. 7. 8. 9. In whom we have Redemption through his blood even the forgivenesse of sins according to the riches of his grace wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence having made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he had purposed in himself 3. The Scripture sheweth us that there is an innumerable multitude of redeemed persons and a sort of universality of them extended unto all nations and ages and states of men so that this hudge multitude for whose redemption Christs blood was shed Matth. 26. 29. is justly called by the name of a world an elect world Ioh. 3. 16. to be called out of that reprobat world for which Christ refuseth to interceed Ioh. 17. 9. the truth of this mater the redeemed do acknowledge in their worshiping Christ their Mediatour Rev. 5. 9. and they sang a new song saying Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kinred and tongue and people and nation These are the all men whom God will have saved and doth save 1 Tim. 2. 4. these are the all men of whom the Apostle speaks 2 Pet. 3. 9. God is patient toward us to wit his elect not willing that any of us should perish but that we all should come to repentance And this the Apostle giveth for a reason of the Lords deferring his coming till all the elect should be brought in of whom many were not yet converted in the Apostles time and many were not yet born and if Christ should not delay his coming till they were born and brought in to reconciliation with God the number of the elect should be cut short 4. In no place of Scripture is it said that all and every man are elect or every man is given to Christ or every man is predestinat unto life in no place of Scripture is it said that Christ hath made paction with the Father for all and every man without exception But by the contrary it is sure from Scripture that Christ hath merited and procured salvation for all them for whom he entered himself Surety Their sins only were laid on Christ and in him condemned satisfied for and expiat Isa. 53. for these and in their place he offered himself to satisfie Justice for them he prayed them only he justifieth and glorifieth for the sentence of the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. 15. standeth firm in Christ all are dead to the law for whom and in whose room Christ did die And therefore for these his people the law is satisfied from these the curse is taken away to them heaven and all things necessary to salvation are purchased and shall infallibly in due time yea invincibly be applied Christ hath not sanctified consecrat and perfected all and every one Heb. 10. 14. only for his sheep predestinat he laid down his life Iohn 10. 15. 16. 26. he did not buy with his blood all and every one but his Church called out and severed from the world Acts 20. 28. he saveth not all and every man from their sins but his own people only to wit whom he hath bought with his blood to be his own Matth. 1. 21. whom he hath purchased to be his own peculiar whom he doth purifie and kindle with a servent desire to bring forth good works Tit. 2. 14. Such as Christ hath redeemed he loveth them infinitly and counted them dearer to him then his life But many shall be found to whom Christ shall say I never knew you to wit with approbation and affection Matth. 7. 23. They for whom Christ hath died shall sometime glory against all condemnation but so shall not every man be able to glory Rom. 8. 34. 35. Christ never purposed to lay down his life for those whom going to die he refuseth to pray for only for those who are given to him out of the world will he pray and die and rise and will raise them to eternall life Ioh. 17. 9. So far is it from Gods purpose and Christs to redeem all and every man that he hath not decreed to give every nation so much as the externall necessary means for conversion and salvation Psal. 147. 19. 20. He sheweth his word unto Iacob his statutes and his judgements unto Israel He hath not dealt so with any nation and as for his judgements they have not known them And for this wise and holy course of hiding the mystery of salvation from many even wise men in the world Christ Jesus glorifieth and thanketh the Father Matth. 11. 25. I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight The second article AS to the second article of the Covenant of Redemption concerning the price of Redemption and the sitting of the Redeemer for accomplishing the work of Redemption God would not have silver or gold or any corruptible thing 1 Pet. 1. 18. He refuseth all ransome that can come from a meer man Psal. 49. 8. But He would have His own co-eternall and only begotten Son to become a man to take on the yoke of the law and to do all His will that He alone might redeem the elect who by nature are under the curse of the law He would have Him the second Adam to be obedient even to the death of the crosse that by His obedience many might be justified Rom. 5. 19. This is clearly confirmed by the Apostle Heb. 10. 5. 6. 7. 10. commenting upon the 7. and 8. verses of Psal. 40. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure then said Christ coming into the world Lo I come in the volumne of the book it is written of Me to do thy will O God by the which will we are sanctified by the offering up of the blood of Iesus once for all 2. By Christs obedience we understand not only that which some call his active obedience nor that only which some call his passive obedience for his active and passive obedience are but two notions of one thing for his incarnation subjection to the law and the whole course of his life was a continued course of suffering and in all his suffering he was a free and voluntary agent fulfilling all which he had undertaken unto the Father for making out the promised price of Redemption and accomplishing what the Father had given him command to do His obedience even to the death of the crosse did begin in his emptying himself to take on our nature and the shape of a servant and did run on till his resurrection and ascension As for these his sufferings in
their deserved punishment Now when we see that the vilest sinners as liars thieves adulterers cannot patiently hear themselves called liars or thieves nor bear the shame of the vilenesse whereof they are really guilty with what suffering of soul with what clouding of the glory of his holinesse think we that our Lord took upon his shoulders such a dunghill of all vilenesse then which nothing could more be unbeseeming his holy Majesty 6. Unto all the former degrees of suffering of his soul the perplexity of his thoughts fell on him with the admiration and astonishment of soul when the full cup of wrath was presented unto him in such a terrible way as made all the powers of his sense and reason for a time to be at a stand Which suffering of his soul while the Evangelist is about to expresse he saith he began to be sore amazed and also to be very heavy and to expresse himself in these words My Soul is exceeding sorrowfull unto death Mark 14. 33. 34. Obj. But did not this astonishing amazement of Christs soul speak some imperfection of the humane nature Ans. It did no wayes argue any imperfection or inlake of sanctity in him but only a sinlesse and kindly infirmity in regard of naturall strength in the dayes of his flesh for the mind of a man by any suddain and vehement commotion arising from a terrible object may without sinning be so taken up that the swift progresse of his mind in discourse may for a while be stopped and the act of reasoning suspended a while all the cogitations of the mind fleeing together to consult and not being able to extricat themselves in an instant may stand amazed and sit down a while like Jobs friends astonished Now our Lord taking on our nature and our common sinlesse infirmities became like unto us in all things except sin Daniels infirmity at the sight of an Angel was not sin Dan. 10. Obj. But doth not this astonishing admiration suddainly lighting upon Christs soul prove that something unforeseen of him did befall him Ans. Not at all for he knew all things that should befall him and told his disciples thereof and was at a point and resolved in every thing which was to come before it came But this astonishing amazement did only shew forth the naturall difference between things preconceived in the mind and these same things presented to sense for there is in the mind a different impression of the preconceived heat of a burning iron before it do touch the skin from that powerfull impression which a hot iron thrust into the flesh doth put upon the sense In regard of which naturall difference between foresight and feeling between resolution and experience this astonishment befell our Lord and in this regard Christ is said to learn experimentall obedience by these things which he suffered Heb. 5. 8. 7. Another degree of the suffering of our Lords soul is the interruption for a time of the sensible uptaking and feeling of that quiet and peaceable injoyment of the felicity of the humane nature given for the point of right unto it in its personall union with his God-head in so far that in the midst of many disciples Greeks and Jews looking on him the vehemency of his trouble did not suffer him to hide his perturbation for Ioh. 12. 27. our Lord cryed out Now is My Soul troubled and what shall I say and Mark 14. 34. made him declare his exceeding heavinesse My Soul is exceeding sorrowfull unto death In which words he insinuats that to his sense death was at hand yea that in no small measure it had seased on him and wrapped him up in the sorrows of death for the time as in a net of which he knew he could not be holden still Obj. But did not this hudge heap of miseries take away from the humane nature the felicity of its union personally with his God-head Ans. It did indeed hide it for a time and hinder the sensible feeling of it for a time as it was necessary in his deep suffering but it did not take it away nor yet eclipse it altogether for as a corporall inheritance hath a threefold connexion with the person owner thereof so a spirituall inheritance hath a threefold connexion with the believers soul. The first is of lawfull title and right the next is of possession of the inheritance according to the lawfull right the third is an actuall fruition and present feeling of the use of the inheritance The fruition and felt benefite and use may be marred or suspended the possession stand and the possession may be interrupted and suspended and the lawfull right remain firm Christ had not only an undoubted right to this felicity standing unto him by the personall union but also a fast possession of it in as far as the personall union was indissolvable But the actuall felt fruition in his humane sense and uptaking was so long interrupted as the humane nature was diverted from this contemplation for its present exercise and turned to look toward the sad spectacle of imminent and incumbent wrath especially when and how long it was as it were bound to the feeling of the present stroke which did fill the soul with sadnesse and grief anxiety and vexation without sin 8. Neither did the vindictive justice of God pursueing our sins in our Surety stay here but in the garden went on to shew unto Christ the cup of wrath and also to hold it to his head and to presse him to drink it yea the very dregs of the agreed-upon curse of the law was poured into his patient and submissive mouth as it were and bosome and the most inward part of soul and body which as a vehement flame above all humane apprehension so filled both soul and body that out of all his veines it drew and drove forth a bloody sweat the like whereof was never heard as when a pot of oyl boyling up and running over by a fire set under it hath yet further the flame increased by the thrusting of a firie masse of hot iron into it Hence came such a wasting and eating up of all his humane strength and emptying of his naturall abilities such a down-throwing of his mind such a fainting and swounding of his joy and so heavy a weight of sorrow on him that not only he desired that small comfort of his weak disciples watching with him a little and missed of it but also stood in need of an Angel to comfort him Luke 22. 43. It is without ground that some of the learned have denied the cause of this agony to be the drinking of the cup of wrath holden forth to him by the Father saying that the sight of it only and of the perill he saw we were into was the cause of this heavy exercise for the cup was not only showen unto him and the hudge wrath due to our sin set before him that he should see it and tremble at the apprehension of the
variable contingency or differency of mans will but can work upon the will of man and by the will of man what pleaseth him and by second causes whether working freely and contingently or by a naturall necessity can wisely holily and powerfully bring about his own purpose in his set time the dayes come saith he wherein I will make a covenant with the house of Israel Wherein he taketh upon him the effectuall work of covenanting promising not only for his own part but also for the elect of Israel and Judahs part for his promise is that it shall come to passe that by inclining their will unto reconciliation they shall willingly consent unto a covenanting with God for he saith I will make a covenant with them he saith not if they will but absolutely I will make them close a covenant with Me heartily 9. The party to be converted and to enter in covenant is not all men nor every society but the Church Gods own family not every nation but Gods people chosen out of all nations on the whole earth I will make a covenant with the house of Israel as it is also cleared Deut. 7. 6 7 8. 10. The Church of Christ under the Gospel as the Apostle looketh on this place is comprehended under the name of Israel and Iudah partly because Israel hath the priority of all other people in Gods covenant and partly because all the Christian Church of the Jews and Gentiles is comprehended under the name of the house of Iudah which is Christs tribe whereof he came who is the prince and head of all believers and confederat persons reconciled to God and partly because the Israelits or Jews have this prerogative above all other people and nations on the earth that of that race of people the posterity of Abraham Isaac and Iacob there shall be in all ages some elected persons till the great bulk of the now scattered people turn Christians and till the end of the world Rom. 11. 5. 11. No age old nor young no sex man nor woman nor any externall difference of men that can be put between one and another in this life doth exclude any man from the benefit of this covenant or commend a man to God that his person should be respected of God but all and every one whom God shall externally call may safely accept the offer of grace and joyn themselves to Jesus Christ for the grace of God here is extended unto all degrees and sorts of men from the least to the greatest 12. In the mean time God knoweth his own man be man both great and small and with the same love doth embrace them all for the promise is that all those elect who are known to God shall know him from the greatest even to the least 13. The great obstacle which may be supposed to exclude any from coming in to God through Christ is here removed to wit the greatness and multitude of by-gone sins cast up against the in-coming of some when they are called The mercy and grace of Christ the Testator taketh this doubt out of the way saying I will forgive their iniquity and their sins I will no more remember Jer. 31. 34. 14. This promised remission the Lord will not have limited nor abridged neither by the number of sins nor grievousness thereof nor kinds of sins but he purposeth and promiseth to take away all iniquity by forgiveness and to forget their by-gone sins ver 34. And confirmeth this by repeating the promise of not casting them off who shall acknowledge him ver 37. 15. From this promise the Apostle Heb. 10. draweth this consequence that under the Gospel or new covenant there is but one offering for sin which offering cannot be repeated in regard that full remission thereby is purchased For ver 14. he saith by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified and this he proveth from the words of the covenant ver 15 16 17. whence he concludes ver Now where remission of these are there is no more offering for sin 16. If any shall ask for the cause of so rich mercy and grace covenanted he shall find none in man at all The only cause is set down here to wit the will and good pleasure of God I will forgive their iniquity saith the Lord and their sins will I remember no more that is I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy 17. Because the Lord our God and Mediatour is here making his Testament wherein also he taketh upon him to be executor of his own latter will and to perform all that is promised therefore in confirmation he subscribeth and sets down his name Ier. 31. 35. Thus saith the Lord and that his subscription may be of weight with all men he designs himself by his stately stiles or titles taken from his creation and government of the creatures Thus saith the Lord which giveth the sun for a light by day and the ordinances of the moon and of the starrs for a light by night which divideth the Sea when the waves thereof roar the Lord of hosts is his name This he saith least the faith of his people should be shaken by their looking to impediments and difficulties and that they may gather strength and courage to go on in the Lords way constantly when they consider the power of God in the workmanship and government of the world 18. Unto his subscription he addeth both witnesses and pledges of his promises ver 36. If those ordinances depart from before me saith the Lord then the seed of Israel which comprehendeth the seed of Abrahams faith shall cease from being a nation before me forever ver 36. 19. Last of all least any man in the consideration of the grievousness of his sin or of the apparent impossibility of performing these promises should doubt of remission of sins to be granted to the confederat or of the perseverance of the true believer or of the perpetuation of the Church the Lord bids his people that come in to him be confident and quiet ver 37. saying If heaven above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done saith the Lord Now both these are impossible that we can measure the heavens or search the bottom of the earth Therefore it is impossible that this covenant and the promises made therein should fail The maner of dispensing the new covenant outwardly and inwardly AS to the dispensation of this covenant both outwardly and inwardly first this promise of a new covenant is a challenge against the mis believing fathers who slighted the offer of grace and followed after the covenant of works seeking righteousness by works which covenant of works they were not able to perform and it served unto them only for their condemnation This the Apostle doth collect from this place of Ieremiah Heb. 8. 8. He found fault with
the fathers Secondly the Apostle observeth the wonderfull mercy of God that while he is finding fault with the incredulity of the fathers who lived under this old covenant he will avenge this their incredulity ignorance foolishness and ingratitude by telling them that he will make a new covenant and give them that were then living a taste of it for recovering them finding fault with them he saith the dayes come that I will make a new covenant Thirdly this covenant of grace mâ—de with the Church is procured by Christ to this end that the covenant of Redemption might be brought unto a reall accomplishment by the covenant of Grace This observation is grounded upon this that Christ is called the Mediatour of this better covenant Heb. 8. 6. For he will draw up a clear covenant of grace with his people that the blessings purchased unto them according to the covenant of Redemption may be applyed unto them by this covenant of grace and reconciliation Fourthly the preaching of the promise of this new covenant is a most fit mean to draw on and close this covenant of grace between God and his people who are the called according to his purpose This observation is gathered from Ieremiahs preaching and Pauls preaching of this unto the hearers of the Gospel to this very intent and purpose Fifthly in the promising and preaching of this covenant of grace God will have all mens opinions thoughts and conceptions about this mystery limited unto and depending upon his mouth alone revealing the same in his Word This observation is gathered from the Lords invitation of all men to take heed what he is to say and what he is to let forth in this mater Behold the dayes come saith the Lord wherein I will do such and such things which now I fore-tell I will do Sixthly both the making and way of making a covenant with man dependeth absolutely on God either to make a covenant or not to make what covenant he pleaseth to make upon what conditions he pleaseth and with what persons he pleaseth to make his covenant No man ever preveened God desiring him to make a covenant but God did preveen all men he preveened Adam once before his fall and again by preaching the Gospel in his audience after the fall he preveened the fathers in the wilderness he preveened his posterity that have lived or shall live in the latter dayes promising to make a covenant with those who were not come into the world but were to come long after the promise Seventhly the Lord will have all men to understand that the end of his covenanting with men both in that old dark form and in the new clear form is his own glory For he hath made all things for himself even the wicked for the day of evil This observation is gathered partly from this that the Lord bringeth forth his soveraignty for a reason of his rejecting of the misbelieving fathers in the wildernesse I despised them I regarded them not I Lorded it over them as the originall may bear And partly from this that he bringeth forth his own will and pleasure for a reason of his shewing grace to their posterity I will forgive their sins c. 8. He sheweth also that in his works he doth not depend upon man but that all his works are known unto him from the beginning and that it is determined by himself what and how and by what means he will do every thing This may appear from this that he doth fore-tell what he is to do about the saving of his elect Jews and Gentiles being no lesse certain to do what he promised about the posterity to come then he was certain of what was past already about their incredulous fathers 9. The Lord will have us to know that laying aside the consideration of his decrees it is simply in the power of God to punish sin in whom he will and to pardon sin through a Mediatour to whom he will that is to have mercy on whom he will have mercy and to pardon whom he will pardon This is collected from this that the fathers do sin in the wildernesse and justly perish and the posterity do sin and are graciously pardoned 10. In all this proceeding no violence is used upon the will of men whether of them that perish or of them that are saved The saved do walk freely and willingly in the way of salvation as their hearty choise and these that perish walk willingly in the way of perdition God proceeds with both by a volunâ—ary covenant as this place doth shew 11. In them that perish the meritorious and culpable cause of their perdition is in themselves but in them that are saved no cause is found at all but the cause is found in Gods grace alanerly This is collected from this that the Lord giveth the reason of the perdition of the misbelieving fathers from their sins and transgression of covenant they transgressed my covenant and I despised them and of the salvation of their posterity no other cause but this their sins I will not remember any more 12. The Lords justice is cleared in the perdition of them that perish because he gave precepts and promises and other morall motives to hinder them from sinning and to move them to keep his wayes albeit he did not effectually impede their running on to sin according to their inclination and pronenesse to follow their own way This is collected from this that the Lord saith he made a covenant with their fathers and they did break it 13. It pleaseth God not only to give his precepts unto men concerning their duty but also to condescend so far unto them as to open up in a part his decrees and deep designs about mens salvation that they being admitted somewhat near to the treasures of His wisdom goodnesse justice and mercy might be so much the more wise and the more stirred up to discharge their duty and make use of his dispensation This we collect from his revealing of the decree of election of the posterity of Israel and drawing them effectually into a covenant of grace with himself 14. The Lord doth reveal to the world the doctrine of election unto life only in the general and doth not descend to the nomination of them in particular This is collected from this that he doth promise to convert and draw into a new covenant of grace the posterity of Israel and Iudah without nameing particularly these that were designed for that salvation 15. Albeit the Lord keepeth up the names of the elect except of some few before their conversion yet he giveth forth marks and evidences whereby after their conversion they may be known both to themselves and others This we collect from this that He sets down infallible marks of the elect who are to be Gods covenanted people or worshipers of God that they do know God and have his law written in their hearts and inward parts 16. As for the reprobation of
sins wittingly and from the slighting of the admonitions of the conscience arising up to the contempt of all accusations which the conscience can lay in against him and at last boldly rising up against the conscience as it were to be avenged of it for rebukeing him by committing these same sins most frequently for which he hath been oftnest reproved by his conscience The second cause may we reckon the devil who thinketh it too little to allure men to sin and harden their heart in it and spoil them of all sense of their sin except he also draw them to renounce God and bark against him and become like the devil himself so far as he can drive them The third cause we make the holy justice of God giving over the man who contemneth the light and checks of his conscience unto a reprobat sense that being deprived of common use of reason and judgment he may run mad in his sin like the devil for if God did punish the heathen so for this sort of sinning Rom. 1. 28. what wonder he punish seven times more them who thus rebell against the light of holy Scripture yea these that do not come to this hight are punished by giving them over to strong delusions 2 Thess. 2. 11. The last but sinless cause is the deep wisdom of God who suffering such wretches to fill up such a measure of sin doth make manifest to all beholders the power and poyson of in-born sin in man and draweth forth to light the natural enimity of man against God the seeds whereof is in all men and could hardly be believed to be incident to men except it were by experience seen and found in some men For remedy of this evil it is too little that such a monster should be driven from all Church-society and given over to Sathan it is the part of the Magistrate to bind beasts and mad devils and punish them as it becometh the bearer of the sword to do for avenging of evil-doers But if the Magistrate do not his part yet let the Pastor do what in him lyeth for albeit the Scripture giveth small hope of the recovery of such vile monsters because of the stupidity of their conscience that cannot be wrought upon by man yet seing such evils have been found even in some elect as Manasseh and some of the Corinthians before their conversion 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11. and because experience hath often found that some of this sort going to publick execution by the Magistrate have been converted and saved by faith in Jesus Christ a Pastor should not altogether despair of such vile men but essay what may be done by conference especially when God sends calamity on them or the Magistrate executs justice on them for any crime if possibly such miscreants being convinced of their perverseness may repent and flye to Christ the Redeemer of such as flye unto him For removing the fifth impediment 1. THe fifth impediment of self-examination is a false fear of no small danger to their souls if they should ripe up their conscience for by-gones for seing they feel themselves quiet they think it were unprofitable and dangerous to trouble their own peace Such persons will tell you that their faith is surely set on God and that they never had any doubt or suspicion of Gods love to them and therefore dare not trouble themselves with self-examination first because all Sermons bid them firmly trust in God Secondly because they know if they should trouble themselves with self-examination they might soon weaken their faith as they conceive Thirdly because they know the subtilty of Sathan as they say to whom if a door were opâ—ned by search of their old wayes they fear he should over-charge them with accusations and drive them to desperation as say they it hath befallen sundry who after wakening their consciences never rested till they put hand in themselves not being able to bear the torment of their conscience There are other some who nill they will they are drawn before the tribunal of Gods Judgment and their conscience beginneth to stir against them which so soon as they do perceive incontinent they interrupt the process Such a one was the heathen Governour Felix Act. 24 25. who after hearing for a little Pauls discourse of righteousness temperance and judgment to come did tremble and therefore desired Paul to forbear for the time Of this sort also are they who do with-draw themselves from Church-meetings and hearing of publick Sermons lest they should be troubled with the serious speeches of a faithfull Pastor Some are also of this sort who take the course that King Saul did take and call for a minstrel or for merry company to suppress the voice of their barking conscience or do by some such way divert their conscience from entering in judgment with them 2. The causes of this evil in the un-regenerat man may be found these four besides others more particular First ignorance of the duty of self-examination prescribed of God Ps. 4. 4. or a voluntar mis-kenning that such a duty is required of all The second cause is a fixed purpose to go on securely in their old wayes The third cause is the sense of the sweetness they imagine they do find and have found of a long time in the carnal rest and sleep of their conscience The fourth cause is a perswasion that they could not rid themselves out of the grips of their conscience nor endure the blind blowes which conscience set down on the tribunal should inflict on them which sorrow and vexation they conceive they cannot otherwayes eshew but by throwing down their conscience from the bench that he enter in no processe against them 3. When the Pastor hath to do with such a man his first care must be that this blind fear may be drawn forth to the light by shewing him that this his flying from the light and hiding himself in darkness is to no purpose and that there is no place for him to flye unto and hide himself from God Secondly let him presse the decree of God that all men must once die and then come to judgment wherein he cannot misse perpetual condemnation and endless torment from an angry Judge except he now judge and condemn himself and flye to Christ the Mediator while it is to day while Christ is exercising his Mediatory-office and is inviting all sinners to repent and calling all weary and heavy loaden to come unto him Thirdly let the Pastor shew to those fearfull persons that this their tear is groundlesse for if they minde to draw in to God they need not fear to confesse all their sins and flye to his grace which if they do not the sleep which they love to lye into is deadly because God hath said There is no peace to the wicked Isa. 48. 21. Fourthly let him presse the precepts for self-examination and judging our selves Ps. 4. 4. and trying whether we be in the faith or not
reason or common sense they are carried to destroy themselves some way Such persons can hardly be called voluntary and deliberat self-murtherers because they are neither able to observe and discern their own condition nor their danger wherein they are nor any circumstances which might hinder them from the mischief and therefore it cannot properly in this case be called desperation because the miserable person is not so much capable of reason as to consider the grounds and motives of hope or despair But voluntary self-murther proceedeth from properly called desperation because the wretch after deliberation how to escape from misery lying on and coming on when all reason of hope seemeth to fail him he casts away any further inquisition after the remedy and out of apprehension that he can be in no worse case after his death then he presently feeleth and that he can no other way be rid of his present torment then by death wittingly and willingly putteth hand in himself In this voluntary self-murther sometime the sense of wrath for sin committed doth predomine as in Iudas the traitour his desperation and self-murther sometime the apprehension of more worldly misery more bitter then death doth predomine as in King Saul who choosed rather to fall on his own sword then fall alive into the hands of the Philistines 1 Sam. 31. 4. and in Achitophels hanging himself when he foresaw what misery should come upon himself when his counsel was not imbraced by Absalom 2 Sam. 17. 23. 4. To speak of self-murther in general requireth a Treatise larger then our purpose doth permit it sufficeth us to speak a little to it as the temptation thereunto and desperation of finding Gods mercy is a hindrance of regeneration To this end where any fear or suspicion of any intention toward this fearfull sin doth appear all meeknesse should be used by all that have interest in the person suspected that may serve to save the vexed party from such a mischief God must be in-called and requested for relief unto the patient Physicians should be called and moe Pastors then one if they can be had the soul in danger must by friends be watched and waited on in a prudent maner night and day that he never be alone If the person be capable of reason he must be dealt with freely to confesse his temptation and purpose toward this sin the causes moving him must be inquired after and if they be other then sense of sin and fear or feeling of Gods wrath then course must be taken to make the party sensible of sin and to fear Gods wrath and to consider that if they give way to that sin they are tempted unto they do no lesse in effect then cast themselves in hell where the justice and wrath of God shall lye upon them without hope of ease or ending of their everlasting torment from which fearfull destruction they may be preserved both in soul and body if they shall acknowledge their sin and flye to God in Christ offering grace and pardon of sin and delivery from hell and right unto heaven promised to all and every one who shall imbrace Jesus Christ for their redemption And for these whose vexation is mainly from the conscience of heinous sins and felt wrath of God pursuing them the grace offered in the Gospel must be cleared unto them and inculcated if they can be moved to give reasons of their fear and to propone their doubts who knoweth what blessing may follow on their free dealing and from faithfull answers from Scripture returned unto them Conferences of experimented Christians may with profit be made use of in the patients audience whereby the party may receive both increase of knowledge and some beginnings of comfort Among other means godly persons who have in their own exercise had experience of such temptations and have gotten victory by flying unto Christ may serve much by their conference to encourage them In some of those tempted souls tokens of good hope will shortly appear in others it may be none can conjecture what shall be the event till the time declare it whether justice or mercy was intended of God for both in the elect who are cured of this disease and in the reprobat who perish in their sin the same symptoms may appear if the anxiety and expressions of the one and the other be compared Therefore care must be had of every one under such temptations whatsoever the event may be and the Lords blessing waited for in the use of the means Scripture sheweth us how hard exercises Gods dear children have been under Beside many other Saints we shall only name two witnesses the one is Heman the Ezrait that precious soul not much inferiour to Solomon in wisdom 1 King 4. 31. of whom no man could say he was a weak brain and hypochondriack or melancholious person whose sad exercise stands registrated Ps. 88. for many mans comfort The other witnesse shall be Iob. whose perplexities we read in his dispute with his friends and how he tasted of this bitter temptation also Job 7. 13 14 15. When I say my bed shall comfort me my couch shall ease my complaint then thou skarest me with dreams and terrifies me with visions so that my soul chooseth strangling Behold there is a very sad exercise of the most holy and righteous man on earth there is a sore temptation even unto self-murther but how is this temptation over-come first he doth not hide his temptation but openeth it up in the worst shape this giveth the temptation vent he will not conceal it nor be Sathans secretar in this and this is one mean to weaken the temptation Then he presenteth it before God and poureth out his complaint unto the Lord and this giveth him the victory So let all souls tempted unto desperation do and cleave to God in Christ and they shall be victorious also CHAP. XI Concerning them that absolve themselves without warrand THe third rank of those that impede their own regeneration remaineth to be spoken of Of this kind are all they who after they have slightly exmined themselves and are convinced of sin and of deserved death if they were dealt with in rigour of justice do unwarrantably absolve themselves deceiving their own conscience by a fallacy false sylogisme or captious reasoning and from the conscience as from a blinded or seduced Judge do draw forth a sentence of absolution to themselves which God doth not allow All such persons do either lay down some false principle or ground for absolution of sinners or if they lay down a true ground they make wrong application of that ground to themselves and so beguile themselves miserably The first sort SOme do grant themselves to be sinners but do perswade themselves that God is so mercifull as he will not destroy any man for sin which principle being once laid down no wonder such men go on in their own way and sing a requiem to their own souls Of this
and covenant of works for it is true indeed when God is dealing with those that are already justified by faith in Jesus and have renounced all confidence in their own works and fled unto Christ and have taken on his yoke the Lord doth take in good part the first fruits of the new creature and doth much esteem the tender fruits of the spirit as the places cited Isa. 1. and 2 Cor. 8. do shew But when the Lord hath to do with the proud natural man the unrenewed man the man that is not humbled for violation of the covenant of works he dealeth with him according to the rigour of the law according to the condition of the covenant of works pronouncing his curse against that man for every sin till the sinner be humbled and slye to Christ. 5. With the former we may joyn all these who believe they may wash away their sins partly by bearing such afflictions as are laid on them by God in this life partly by their tears prayers fastings pilgrimages penances and scourging of themselves and partly by their almes-deeds and other good works do believe they shall make amends for all their misdeeds and what they cannot perfect in this life for the mater of good works they will take assignation to the supererogation and superfluity of the merits of Saints made over unto them by the Pope And what for the mater of suffering is not endured in this life they will take upon them to endure in an imaginary purgatory and place of hell after this life and so poor souls they think they may absolve themselves at least from the sentence of everlasting condemnation by such poor shifts as those But the truth is so long as they rely upon their own sufferings and satisfactions they deny both the necessity and the worth of Christs sufferings and so long as they have confidence in their own works or works of other men they reject and disclaim the covenant of grace and yet behold how proud they prove themselves to be Isa. 58. 3. when they plead with God saying wherefore have we fasted and thou seest not wherefore have we afflicted our soul and thou takest no knowledge 6. Last of all unto the former sort we joyn these who please themselves in the composition of righteousness by works and righteousnesse by faith thinking to save themselves under the shelter of the one righteousnesse or of the other however God shall deal with them Such were the Seducers and seduced amongst the Galatians for refuting of whole errour the Apostle as it were travelled in birth till he brought them to take up the right frame of Christs way of salvation 7. The cause of all such mens deceiving of themselves in a false absolution of their conscience is their ignorance both of the righteousnesse of the law and of the righteousness by faith for such as think their sins are so few and light or their lives so innocent or their good works they have done so weighty and their purpose to do yet moe good works to be so holy or their pains taken in religion so considerable or their sufferings resolved upon so great and thereupon do absolve themselves consider not that the law or covenant of works doth require perfect personal obedience to all Gods law under the pain of Gods curse growing in Items as the law is oftener transgressed till they flye in to the perfect ransom of Christs obedience And as for the righteousnesse of faith in Jesus they consider not that his righteousnesse will not be bestowed upon any who do not renounce all confidence in their own or others works and betake themselves altogether to the only grace of Christ they consider not that if the worth of any work be relyed upon the bargain of free grace is spoiled and clear marred for if it he by works it is no more of grace and if it be of grace it is no more of works for these two are so opposit one to another in the mater of mans election and justification that they can no more consist together as causes pâ—ocuring or moving God then contradictory sentences can be both true as Paul teacheth Rom. 11. 6. 3 A third sort of self-deceivers and unwarranted self-â—bâ—olvers we reckon all persons poysoned with deadly herefies who being drawn away from the doctrine of Christ set down in the holy Scriptures turn after some false christ and false religion of mens or their own devising giving unto their Idol what worship what service what employment what power they please and making their own conditions of peace with God as they think good some denying the eternity of the Godhead of the true Christ some the reality of his assumed humane nature some evacuating so far as they can his three offices and the fruit of his execution thereof all of them promising to themselves salvation in another then in the true Christ described to us in Scripture who is Creator up-holder and Governour of all things very coeternal God with the Father and holy Spirit in the fulness of time made man ever-living Prophet Priest and King to his Church both before his incarnation and constantly since the way the truth and the life made of God unto true believers in him wisdom righteousnesse sanctification and redemption who walk among the golden candle-sticks and searches the wayes and hearts of every man as he holdeth forth himself in these Epistles unto the seven Churches of Asia Revel chap. 2. and 3. Of this danger of mistaking the true Christ and embracing a false in his room he himself doth carefully fore-warn his Disciples Math. 24. 4 5 24 25 26 Take heed that no man deceive you for many shall come in my name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many The proper remedy of this evil is this let every one that hath an ear hear what the spirit speaketh to the Churches not only in these seven Epistles but also in all the rest of the holy Scriptures which are the expressions of the holy Spirit but if any man receive not the truth in love set down by the Lords Spirit in the Scripture his punishment is set down by the Apostle 2 Thess 2. 11. and for this cause to wit because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lye that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse 1. The fourth sort of absolvers of themselves without Gods warrand are these who pretend unto true religion and deny the power of it of whom some are couvinced of their duty to repent their sins and to forsake their lusts and to endeavour a reformation of their life and this they do promise to themselves and purpose seriously to do as they think only they cannot presently and at once break off the course they are upon but do hope by little and little to come forward
measure of faith and repentance Neither need we in this case be feared least any such person go or be sent too soon unto Christ and that the teacher of this doctrine be found to foster presumption and to offer untimous consolation for it is one thing to direct a man to go to Christ for supply of whatsoever good is wanting in him and another thing to warrand a secure sinner to lay hold on the consolations of the Gospel which God hath reserved in his own hand to be dispensed in due time and order to the truly humble penitent The Lord knoweth how to deal with such as come unto him he can hold an unhumbled supplicant praying and knocking at heavens door without giving him a comfortable answer untill he be humbled and so prepare him by humiliation for consolation in due time True it is that many draw near to Christ with their lips while their hearts are far away and remain senslesse of their evil estate and condition and are far from the earnest desire of the remedy which is to be had in Christ and therefore it is not without cause that Pastors in their sermons require the sight and sense of sin and hunger and thirst for righteousnesse in them who come to Christ and desire to profit by their coming to him for albeit it be free to God without antecedent preparatory exercises to fall in upon mans heart suddainly and at one sermon both convince him of sin and lead him in to Christ as he hath sometime dealt with a multitude when Peter was preaching Act. 2. yet it is not free for men to neglect their duties when they are advertised that the order of Gods working ordinarily is to take a time for information of their mind concerning their natural misery and his gracious way of delivery and for a time to work on their hearts by the law before he give them the felt fruits of the Gospel Mean time this must be remembred that no man displeased with his disposition as not fitted for mercy and who doth regrate that he is a stupid sinner and so hard-hearted that he cannot repent should be keeped off and debarred from going to Christ till he discern in himself the contrition and humiliation of heart which he would have for this were as much as to say in effect that before a sinner may go to Christ he must seek not from Christ but out of his own strength and abilities to work up his own heart to the sense of sin and humiliation of heart and other such like dispositions as ordinarily go before the act and discerning of saving faith for if even Simon Magus discovered and found out to be in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity was exhorted to pray that God would forgive his sins and remove the perversenesse of his heart and save him from deserved wrath Act. 8. 22. How much more are they to be encouraged to go to Christ for relief from these evils which they feel and fear in whom not only this gall of bitternesse doth not appear but also some appearances may be marked by wise beholders of a begun work of grace in them albeit the man himself cannot perceive so much for the time 17. Seing it is certain that God doth prevein by grace every converted mans actions before the man do actually turn himself to God and that the Lord useth to open the eyes of the man whom he is converting to see such and such evils in himself before these evils be taken away and seing it is Gods usual way by preventing to give some measure of the good to be prayed for that the man may pray for more good upon the receit of some measure of that good already bestowed therefore all they who desire to approach to Christ must be taught to make observe and take notice of the least degree of good bestowed upon them of the smallest beginnings of illumination of the meanest degrees of conviction for sin of the least measure of estimation of Christ and his grace wrought already in themselves and to thank the Lord for so much eye-salve as hath opened their eyes to discern their own blindnesse and misery and Christ to be the remedy of all the evils they do see and after they have marked what is bestowed already on them and have blâ—ssed God for the gift they must be exhorted to request the Lord to make out and perfect the begun mercy that they may be sure of their own real conversion for so doth the new convert pray Ier. 31. 18. Convert me and I shall be converted and the humble soul Cant. 1. 4. draw me after thee and we will run after thee And this we speak not as if any unconverted man could in the sense of his sin and misery sincerely and heartily seek after Christ or for more grace from him But because some that are converted do not perceive that they are converted we frame our speech to their estimation of themselves that they may be edified who are brought unto Christ by the draught of effectual calling and have not as yet received the gift of the Spirit to perceive these things which are freely bestowed upon them 1 Cor. 2. 12. 18. As it useth to be in the sicknesse of the body So it falleth out in the sicknesses of the conscience that as there are some sicknesses simple and other some complicat when moe sicknesses concur together So in the conscience there are some simple some complicat ill cases Simple and single cases of conscience are these wherein the diseased soul is troubled with one doubt only for the present as for example when the party afflicted is doubtfull only of the will of God toward him and not of his power such was the case of the Leper Matth. 8. 2. Thou canst make me clean if thou wilt Complicat and involved cases are when many evils concur together and the conscience is troubled with many doubts In which case many questions may offer themselves in a throng together which the afflicted party cannot well distinguish and thereupon is driven to darknesse and confusion of mind In this case the Pastor or prudent christian friend must observe some order beginning with the most perilous doubt that it may be first solved which doubt being answered in the first place let him fall upon the answering of the rest of the doubts in order As for example if the party be afflicted with tentations unto desperation let him be cleared and led by the hand to see and acknowledge a possibility of salvation by Christ and then a probability and appearance that it shall be by an argument taken from his present exercise which putteth an earand in his hand and so a warrand to go to Christ and so peece and peece let him be dealt with to accept the general offer of grace in Christ and to believe in him Now that such may be the exercise of the child of God appeareth Psal. 42. 7.
Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy water-spouts all thy waves and billows are gone over me And Psal. 77. 7 8. will the Lord cast off for ever and will he be favourable no more Is his grace clean gone for ever and will he be favourable no more c. At last he discovereth his duty to believe in God and concludeth against himself that his giving so far way to the tentation was his infirmity 19. We must distinguish worldy sorrow and hypochondriack-passions and perturbations of mind from cases of conscience and spiritual exercise in the wrestlings of faith that for a natural disease and distemper a pertinent remedy may be called for from the bodily Physicians and to such as are under a spiritual exercise the doubts of their conscience may be prudently loused In such a case when both the bodily distemper and spiritual exercise are joyned circumspection is necessary that proportionable remedies be used by the Physician and the Pastor or prudent friend that bodily medicine and spiritual consolations may be each in their own time and order wisely made use of and because it useth to fall out that exercise of conscience and distemper of bodily humours are oftentimes joyned one with another let it be sufficient that a word is casten in here for advertisement 20. In curing cases of conscience it is not sufficient to louse some one doubt or other but after satisfaction given to the parties afflicted concerning the present case which hath troubled them they must learn to observe other causes which may trouble them afterward wherewith for the present they possibly are not troubled and must be directed to acquaint themselves with Christ that in him they may have relief from every sin and every sort of misery and to that end and purpose they must consecrat and devout themselves to him to depend upon him in all things and at all times whatsoever way he shall be pleased to exercise them for whosoever do come unto Christ must come of set purpose to abide in him and never depart from him but to live in him and draw grace after grace out of his fulnesse grace to mortifie sin grace to renew the acts of faith and repentance daily according as they find new guiltinesse contracted and weaknesse in themselves to do commanded duties for except the do so they shall easily slide back from their begun sanctification and furnish mater to Sathan for raising of new doubts in their souls and new tentations unto sins wherein they have not fallen before therefore must they keep the habits of faith and repentance in actual exercise daily 21. In dealing with a troubled conscience let not the comforter whether a Pastor or a prudent friend trust to his abilities or arrogat to himself above what is due to him but let him keep his eye upon the Lord and in his heart be praying to God to blesse the Word in his mouth giving glory to God expresly if he perceive the afflicted party laying hold on Gods Word delivered by him And let him also teach the afflicted to lift his eyes to the Lord when the Word of consolation is dispensed to him by the Minister or prudent friend that God may have the glory in his consolation and no more ascribed to the instrument then is due For the Minister may sow the seed and plant and water but God only can give the increase men are ready to fail in this point and mar the blessing for God is a jealous God and will not give his glory to another 22. In case the expected consolation be not found or the doubt propounded be not solved so soon as is desired let the afflicted be exhorted that he make not hast in seeking comfort but patiently submit himself to Gods will in exercising him for a while and humble himself under his mighty hand in meeknesse waiting for clearnesse and comfort in due time for affliction is sent to work patience and patience to work experience and experience to work hope which shall not make the patient man ashamed and it is far better for a soul to lye for a time in the bonds of affliction till it be daunted and subdued then before patience hath had the perfect work to seek to have its foolish wishes granted unto it for if once a soul heartily submit it self to God or strive to submit and patiently wait on consolation will be found not far off 23. In regard the work of the holy Ghost working the conversion of a man may begin before it can be marked it is the part of him who medleth with the afflicted conscience to deal tenderly with the afflicted and so to temper his speech as he may both further repentance and faith pre-supposing the parties exercise may prove a begun work of grace for it is better so to judge in charity of Gods dispensation then to foster sinister suspicions of the party afflicted which may readily break forth in some unhappy expressions to the hurting of the patient and hindering his profiting by what may be said beside 24. Because we have to do in this Book with the weak believers who in the sense of sin and deserved wrath are fled or flying unto Christ with a purpose of amendment of life but do fear they are not or shall not be admitted into that kingdom of our Lord Jesus for this and that pretended reason therefore it will be to purpose in comforting them to make use as of other Scriptures so in special of these two passages the one 2 Cor. 5. 19. the other 1 Cor. 1 30. the one serving to convince them that they are already in the state of grace and of the number of believers in Christ how strongly soever they are assaulted with fears doubts and suspicions that it is otherwayes for in this passage 2 Cor. 5. 19. the Apostle summeth up the whole Gospel in few words holding forth first that the fulnesse of God in three persons was in the second person of the God-head the Mediator Christ Jesus and is upon the work of reconciling the world to himself not imputing their transgressions unto them that receive the gracious offer of reconciliation tendred through Christ in the Gospel Secondly that God in Christ â—ath committed unto his Ministers the word of reconciliation that they with authority may offer reconciliation and friendship with God unto the hearers of the Word of the Gospel Thirdly that the Apostles and Ministers of the Gospel are sent forth and directed as Embassadors to exhort and request mâ—n in Gods name and in the name of Christ God Mediator manifested in the flesh to be reconciled unto God Fourthly that so many as do consent unto and imbrace the gracious offer of reconciliation are reckoned to be believers even all they who do acknowledge their natural enimity and sins against God and do welcom the message of reconciliation sent by the Ministers of the Gospel and do ingage themselves to hold fast this Covenant
the believer as may bestâ—erve the good of the believer and glory of God â—gracious dispensation and therefore Thirdly let the afflected person whatsoever crossedispensatiâ—n he meâ— with whatsoever distemper of soul he 〈◊〉 into vâ—aâ—soever grace or measure of grace he missâ—â— or coâ—â—eth short of seek his relief in Gods order 〈◊〉 is to say let him justifie the Lords wisdom and jâ—ice humble himself under his mighty hand renewâ—e acts of repentance in humility turn his face to 〈◊〉 Christ by the renewed acts of faith in him lay hâ—d on his right unto Christs person and benefits that â—â—may â—om to the sensible feeling of what he hath right â—to by the covenant of Grace And whatsoever dects transgressions temptations unto discouragment and â—isbelief do brangle his confidence let them humble himself indeed but so as they do not drive him from that Covenant but be made use of as spurres and forcible motives to lay the faster hold on Christ and his infinit grace contracted in that Covenant 17. The eight cause of disquietnesse is or may be this if the true convert daily lamenting his own sinfulnesse and daily troubled with suspicion of his own blessed estate by reason of his felt maniâ—old corruptions shall meet either with the calumâ—ies of men or coâ—forters like Iob's friends who in stead of healing his wounds in his affliction shall foster his suspicion of his estate by uncharitable censure of the poor mans complaint of himself in this case if the affâ—cted do not maintain his righteousnesse by â—aith in Christ as Iob did and his upright endeavour to please God which is manifest by his daily godly grief for his short coming in his aimed-at holinesse no wonder he be disquieted 18. For removing of this cause let the afflicted consider and distinguish what is right in him and what is wrong and beware to confound these For example 1. This is right that he doth not lean to the worth of his own works nor is pussed up with a vain conceit of himself before God 2. That he is sensible of his sinfull imperfections and corruptions and of the bitter root of original sin in him 3. It is right in him also that he aimeth toward perfection forgetting what is behind and pressing toward the mark and prize of his calling But this is wrong in him 1. that he fostereth suspicions unjustly of his own blessed estate 2. That he doth not observe the work of Gods grace in himself so carefully as he observeth his imperfections and corruptions 3. That he doth not so much the more make use of Christs imputed righteousnesse as he findeth the imperfection of his own inherent righteousnesse 4. That he measureth Gods estimation of him according to the estimation he hath of himself when indeed God in Scripture doth shew no lesse approbation of him in his wrestleing then he doth in the time of his victory and quiet condition 5. That he doth not observe the difference of the way he doth walk into which is good from the flidings imperfections errors and mistakes in particular actions and passages in that way 6. That he doth lay more weight oft-times upon the judgment of mistaking spectators of his course then he hath reason to do and doth not take heed to the sentence of the Lord in the Gospel concerning the poor in spirit the contrite the meek and lowly disciple These things let the afflicted consider and make good use thereof for his encouragment in the way of new obedience 19. The ninth cause of disquietnesse is or may be this if the true convert be not acquainted with living by faith for there are many honest and tender-hearted converts who in the sense of their sins are fled unto Christ resolved never to depart from him and carefull to lead a blamelesse life who notwithstanding whensoever they meet with changes of dispensation with variety of temptations fresh feeling of the power of sin in themselves or any crosse bodily or spiritual are disquieted and cast in suspicion of their state and albeit they neither will give over to follow after Christ nor will God suffer them to perish yet they make themselves an uncomfortable and miserable life by their leaning to present sense and feeling when they should remember the saying of the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. 7. we walk not by sight but by faith they are cast down do mourn and complain because it is not with them as they would and are most part male-content with their lot frequently regrating unto God their wants and imperfections and seldom are they praising or thanking God for what they have gotten of him 20. For removing this cause let the afflicted first consider what the Apostle speaketh to the afflicted Hebrews Heb. 10. 36. ye have need of patience that when ye have done the will of God ye may receive the promise for yet a little while and he that will come shall come and will not tarry Now the just man shall live by faith saith he Secondly let him consider that to live by faith doth require these six duties 1. That we renounce our own corrupt reason and sense lest we count that to be our life which may be seen or felt or that which may be altered and changed but reckon that to be our life which is hid with God in Christ and shall be revealed at the glorious coming of our Lord. 2. That the covenant of grace and rich promises of the Gospel be esteemed of us as our meet and drink whereby our hearts may be sustained in all adversity and our hope upholden in patience through the comfort of the Scriptures 3. That we make use of all Gods benefits bestowed upon us by vertue of that new right made unto us in Christ for being partakers thereof 4. That in all our actions we implore and seek our strength from Christ and give him thanks for the measure whatsoever he bestoweth So did the Apostle live Gal. 2. 20. The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God 5. That we rejoyce and glory more in Christ Jesus in the midst of trouble then we grieve for our troubles whatsoever whereby as with a sharp pinsell he is drawing in us the lineaments of his own Image and conformity with himself So did the Saints Rom. 5. 3 4 5. Last of all to live by faith requireth that in every condition we should keep faith and a good conscience in Christ Jesus and esteem our selves blessed of the Lord albeit we be tossed with troubles immediatly sent from God to exercise us albeit we do fall in manifold tentations be assaulted with doubtings and persecuted unjustly by men for it should and may suffice a believer in Christ if he be not distressed albeit he be troubled on every side he must not dispair albeit he be perplexed he shall not be forsaken albeit he be persecuted he shall not be destroyed albeit he be cast down 2 Cor. 4. 8 9. Upon
faith when the consolations are withdrawn from us and we are put to hard exercise wherein it is our duty to glorifie our God for his truth and grace whereof we have sometime had confirmations by felt consolation and patiently to wait till he restore unto us the joy of his Spirit for if in the want of sensible consolation we shall put aspersions upon the Lords work and graces bestowed upon us and call them in question we shall be found in so doing more carefull of self-satisfaction then to do the duties which God requireth of us Fourthly let the afflicted learn so to describe and define every saving grace of faith repentance hope love and mortification of sin as the description may take in the meanest measure of those graces for it is hard to say that there is no sound faith where there is not a full perswasion for the hungry looking of a trembling sinner unto Christ must not be excluded from being an act of faith it is hard to restrain the exercise of repentance to the sheding of tears for many other signs of repentance may be found where these are seldom such as is the hatred of sin striving against all tentations unto it and flying from all occasions which may insnare the believer in Christ in trespasses Fifthly let the afflicted distinguish between faith and sense of joy both are Gods gifts but the grounds of faith whereupon we are commanded to rest our selves should be rested on constantly whatsoever dispensation of joy or grief we shall meet with and this is our perpetual duty but sense is at Gods free dispensation to give and withdraw and restore at his pleasure and is a movable benefit which the Lord as his wisdom seeth expedient for our good doth give and continue withdraw and restore diminish or augment And therefore the afflicted is bound by duty still to believe and rejoyce in believing And to have the joy of sense also he may lawfully study but ought not to suffer his faith to be weakened by the want of it as the Prophet doth teach us Ps. 42. 11. and 43. 5. and 88. Last of all let the afflicted be posed upon his conscience if he dare condemn his flying to Christ in the sense of his sins as no act of faith or if he dar deny his hunger after renewed consolation and beholding of God with joy as reconciled in Christ to be an act of love to God and of communion with him Therefore let him confesse with the Psalmist Ps. 77. 10. This my doubting is my infirmity I will remember the years of the right hand of the Lord. CHAP. XVI Wherein is solved the true converts doubt of his regeneration because he seemeth to himself not to grow in grace by the use of the means appointed for his growth SOme true converts are brought to suspect their own regeneration because in the using of the means leading to sanctification and salvation sundry complain and say I do not perceive the Lords blessing on my pains and diligence I grow not in the knowledge of things spiritual my faith doth not grow by hearing nor reading of the Word of God nor by meditation of it I do not prevail in wrestling against my in-bred sin and corrupt nature neither by prayer nor fasting and therefore what shall I judge of my state but that it is like I am not converted and renewed For if I were indeed converted and reconciled with God I conceive it should fair otherwayes with me then it doth 2. In this case the true convert is in hazard of growing slack and careless in the use of the means and to grieve the holy Spirit by prescribing unto him and limiting of him unto such a measure of profiting in the use of the means and making him know how far he had profited and advanced in the course of sanctification Yea there is danger lest in this case the convert not only become cold-rife in the exercises of piety but also turn loose in his conversation and follow the allurements of the world having so far hearkened to the temptation as to think it in vain that he hath washen his hands in innocency as Ps. 73. befell the Prophet 3. For removing of this doubt the afflicted hath reason to check himself for hearkening so far unto the temptation as to joyn with hypocrits in his complaint Isa. 58. 5. Wherefore have we fasted say they and thou â—â—st not wherefore have we afflicted our souls and thou â—ikest no knowledge But because nothing doth more trouble the afflicted then his suspicion of his own hypocrisie let the causes be searched from which his suspicion doth arise One of them may be this that in the use of the means the eyes of the afflicted are more and more opened to perceive the power and poyson of his natural corruption more clearly then he perceived before And this deciphering of sin more and more doth hinder him to see the growth of his light and the growth of his hatred against manifested sin joyned with the overturning of his own high imaginations and native pride Another cause may be this that the true convert hath promised unto himself in the use of the means more and greater benefits spiritual from God then he doth by experience find which because he doth not find he thinketh he hath not profited A third cause may be this that the Lord is about the purging of him from practical errors such as are the high estimation of his own diligence in the use of the means as if there were some sort of merit annexed unto the works prescribed to the convert by the Lord or as if the use of the means had in them some force and efficacy in producing such effects in him as the convert hath expected or as if the Lord had oblieged himself to blesse sensibly diligence in the use of the means to the diligent mans satisfaction 4. Therefore first let the afflicted continue in his diligence and bewar of the foresaid practical errors let him humble himself before Christ that he may draw more vertue out of him by faith and by so much the more as he â—indeth sin himself and not profiâ—ing in the use of the means let him lay the faster hold on the covenant of grace and on Christ offered therein for giving righteousnesse and sanctification Secondly let him set upon the exercise of every duty with prayer that he may follow the duty in Christs name with his eye fixed on Gods grace and after the discharge of the duty let him look to Christ that from him he may have the blessing for without Christ we can do nothing acceptably nor with profit Last of all let him not esteem lightly of the effects of his diligence as if he did no wayes profit but when he hath rightly considered maters if he find the least fruit following his using of the means let him give the glory of it to God in Christ the giver thereof and humbly put up
being converted 2. This ground of judging of mens conversion by the maner of Gods exercising of them so as other converted Saints have been exercised before them and of judging the man to be unregenerat who is otherwayes exercised then they know any convert to have been exercised did deceive the friends of Iob who in Iobs face avowed this their error Iob 5. 1. Call now say they if their be any that will answer thee and unto which of the Saints wilt thou turn that is name any example of any upright man who hath been dealt with by God as thou art and what Saint or holy man can thou name to whom thou can compare thy self and say such a man hath suffered such things as I do This doubt doth arise from this error and mistake the afflicted doth without ground suppose that expresse examples of every particular case of the Saints is set down in Scripture It is true there are examples of many cases which may befall the godly but it is not to be expected that we shâ—ll find examples of every particular exercise of mind wherein the Saints may fall For as the Evangehst saith if all particulars were written the world could not hold or make use thereof It is sufficient that the Scripture hath set down rules whereunâ—o the Saints should labour to conform themselves and that it hath opened up the causes and remedies of all spiritual diseases and hath given so many examples as may clear the rule It is also a mistake to make the experience of the most exercised souldier a rule for every Saints exercises or to think that any man can know the variety of cases which befall the Saints for there are many whose cases are not revealed to any but laid open unto God only by prayer and are helped by faith in Christ. 3. Wherefore the afflicted must walk by rules set down in Scripture whether he find the practices thereof in Scripture or not Now this is the rule that whatsoever evil condition we fall into whatsoever tentation whatsoever pollution hath defiled our consciences we must humble our selves before God and flye unto Christ for remission of the guilâ—inesse for washing away the filthinesse thereof for breaking down the power of corruption and pulling out the roots thereof withall praising and thanking Christ who hath discovered unto us these evils and hath made them our affliction and not suffered them to break forth to the scandal of others And whatsoever calamity or temporal misery we shall fall into the Scripture hath given order unto us humbly to submit our selves to Gods dispensation and to make a good construction of Gods love and wisdom in exercising us so for by this rule Iob did walk defending his faith in Christ his living and loving Redeemer against Sathans temptations and his friends uncharitable wrangling disputations when the question was about his state whether he had ever been converted or not whether he was a wicked hypocrit or not and by so doing he over-came the temptation whereof we are now speaking And let not the afflicted lay it for a ground that by his hearing of the exercise of another like unto his condition he can be cured because no example of the exercise of another can be found so quadrant unto his condition as he could thereby take satisfaction For as in comparing of mens faces one with another such is the incomprehensible variety of the riches of Gods wisdom in framing them some difference and dissimilitude will be found betwixt face and face So in comparing of the cases of the Saints none of them can be found in all things so like one to another but some dissimilitude shall be found between them Wherefore the afflicted shall do well in every condition to draw near God and pour out his heart before him at all times for God is a refuge for us in all cases Ps. 62. 8. CHAP. XX. Wherein is solved the converts doubt whether he be converted because he doth not find in himself the infallible marks of regeneration SOme true converts sometime are in suspense doubting whether they be indeed converted because they do not discern in themselves the unquestionable evidences of their conversion and albeit they have the undoubted marks of regeneration to wit the daily conviction and acknowledgement of their sins and do flye daily by faith unto Jesus Christ and are endeavouring in some measure of sincerity to bring forth the fruits of new obedience with respect to all the Commandments concerning love to God and the brethren yet they dar not defend the sincerity of these evidences because of the discerned imperfection thereof for when they do compare these marks of the new creature with the rule they find much halting and short-coming therein In special they find their sense of sin to be but weak their faith in Christ to be weak and their failings and short-comings in the love of God and their neighbours to be many So that they scarcely dar allow these begun saving graces the name of saving graces And among other defects they reckon their not feeling of the spirit of Adoption whereof the Apostle speaketh to the converted Galatians Gal. 4. 6. Because ye are Sons saith he God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father And Ephes. 1. 13. In whom after you believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise Which Spirit of promise and of adoption sealing believers they conceived was known and discerned in the Apostles time by every believers feeling in himself 2. For solving of this doubt something is spoken before concerning the imperfect fruits of faith the budddings and blossoming whereof are not despised by Christ Cant. 2. 13. and 6. 12. But that this doubt may be more fully answered let us take up the causes thereof 1. one cause is or may be this that the afflicted albeit together with the endeavour to lead a blamelesse life he be indued with the grace of prayer and looketh on God as his father yet he doth not take up this work of God in him to be the work of the Spirit of Christ illuminating his mind about duties framing his will and affections unto new obedience stirring him up to prayer and helping him in prayer but in the earnest desire he hath to find the operations of the Spirit in a larger measure of evidence he doth not mark the present operation but doth slight it as nothing or doth not esteem of it as becometh and so in his advertance raiseth and fostereth doubts in himself which do keep his faith in chains for removing of which cause let the afflicted observe the operation of the Spirit of Christ in the meanest degree for the confirmation of his own faith and comfort and thanksgiving unto God as narrowly as he doth observe in himself the first motions of sin and stirrings of corruption for his own humiliation and exercise of repentance for wrong judgment under pretext of humility doth
not please God Now it is an act of injustice not to give unto God the praise of every good thing in a man especially when the man is found to be cast down in himself and to be thirsting in his soul for a more intimat communion with Christ as is presupposed in this case 3. The second cause is or may be this that the afflicted albeit he hath had oft times sweet and sensible consolation and confirmation of the promises of the Gospel and hath thereby been put out of doubt of his adoption for the time yet when new temptations do arise according to what was expedient for the exercise of his faith because the same sweetnesse is not felt but heavinesse for the while 1 Pet. 1. 6 7. he forgetteth the consolations he hath had or suffereth them to be called in question For removing whereof whensoever the afflicted is cut short in the point of sense or sensible consolation let him then strive to abound in the work of the Lord and not slacken his hand in the exercise of religion and of his lawfull calling and his indeavour to please God in all things for seing the covenant of grace imbraced is a firm and solid ground for â—aith to fix upon albeit full perswasion and victorious consolation were neither at all or but very rarely â—elt in this life the afflicted whom we have to speak to here hath no cause to stumble but reason to blesse God who hath in any measure at any time comforted him by the Gospel for that condition which the afflicted wisheth for is reserved unto us in heaven and promises such as are made to the meek and mercifull Mat. 5. which qualified promises they look upon as conditional excluding them as they conceive who do not find in themselves such qualifications and partly because they are not clear about their right to receive the offer of the Gospel because they want as they conceive fitnesse in themselves to receive the same and thus are they oft-times vexed with doubts whether they be in the state of grace or not 2. For lousing of this doubt sundry things are already said by the way in answering other doubtfull cases But because many do meet with this difficulty we shall speak a little more particularly to the case and first it is needfull that the afflicted be confirmed about that which is right in him that the thing which remaineth and is ready to die may be strengthened To this intent we commend the afflicted that being sensible of sin and feared for-wrath he hath fled unto Christ for refuge next we commend him that he hath begun to give new obedience to Gods Law and doth purpose to follow on as he shall be enabled and thirdly we commend him that albeit he cannot attain that near conjunction with Christ which he would yet he neither will nor dare forsake Christ not put himself out of the number of weak believers in Christ for he hath said in his heart with Peter Joh. 6. 68. To whom shall I go for Christ hath the words of eternal life Hitherto all is right and the afflicted must resolve to cleave close to this foundation because Christ hath said Ioh. 6. 37. These that come unto me I will in no case cast out 3. For his doubt arising from the nature of the promises absolute conditional and qualified looked upon by him as if they were conditional we answer â— That these qualified promises having some mark in them of true believers are not exclusive of these believers who find in themselves a defect of the qualification but they are inductive unto all believers to study the attaining of that qualification and are corroborative of these belivers who find in any sensible measure these qualifications For example promises made to the mercifull to the peace-makers to the upright in heart do not exclude these who find themselves short in these graces and yet are hungry and thristy for righteousnesse yet are poor and indigent of all good in themselves and daily beggers at the throne of grace for what they want Mat. 5. for these qualifications found in a weak believer are signes and effects of sound faith in them And we must grant that of these graces specified in these qualified promises some of them are more eminent in some of the Saints and other some of them more eminently seen and felt in other some of the Saints And in the same person one of these qualifications may sometime shine more clearly and at another time by some tentation or mistake be over-clouded and not shine so clearly as before yet the qualifications are comfortable to all them who find the same in themselves and are inductive to make every believer to aime to excell in these graces and so to confirm their own faith more and more as 2 Pet. 1. 4 5 6 7. we are exhorted Again these qualifications are signs of a believer already entered in the covenant of grace by faith in Christ and begun to bring forth good fruits but they are not the conditions of entering into the covenant for then none could enter in covenant till first these qualifications in exercise were sound in them and that were to dis-annull the covenant of grace and to set up a sort of covenant of works for there is not another condition of entering in the covenant but faith in Christ only whereby the humbled sinner renouncing all confidence in any good in himself or from himself doth betake himself wholly to the grace offered in Jesus Christ in whom perfect righteousnesse is to be found Now unto the man who shall believe in Christ all the promises of the Gospel are made upon this condition that he do believe in Jesus Christ which condition of presuppose the afflicted should have what he wisheth consolations alwayes running like a river where were place for trying exercising and training of him in his faith but let him work and wrastle on and among hands he shall have as much peace as may suffice a pilgrim 4. The third cause is or may be this that the afflicted hath grieved the Spirit of God either by ascribing his gracious operations to some other cause then grace or counting his consolations to be but flashes and like unto delusions or that the afflicted by corrupt communication or grosse offences hath provoked God to anger as befell David Psal. 51. For removing of this cause whether the sin of the afflicted hath been more or lesse provoking let him with David Ps. 51. renew the exercise of repentance and faith in Gods mercy who only can renew a right spirit in him or rather restore him to the formerly-felt consolation and joy of his Spirit and let him walk more warily hereafter that he provoke not to wrath so mercifull a father 5. The fourth cause is or may be this that the afflicted albeit he hath consented to the covenant of grace and hath embraced Christ Jesus offered in the Evangel yet he doth not
sorrow indeed Thirdly let difference be put between grief of mind or heavinesse in affliction and anguish of conscience for sin committed For a man may have a grieved mind and a quiet conscience at one time Fourthly let difference be put between our sinfull sicknesse of indisposition to spiritual duties for which we should be humbled and Gods dispensation for the time partly chastiseing us with a lesse and more sparing measure of ability for these duties and partly teaching us thereby to make better use of Christs offices for pardon of sin for helping and healing our infirmities then we have made Fifthly let difference be put between Gods part and Sathans the worlds and corrupt natures part and the part of the new creature Gods part is ever wise holy just and gracious tending to bring his children unto a good and better condition Sathan the worlds and the flesh or corrupt natures part is to procure and hold on and make worse an evil condition and the part of the new creature is variable as it falls forth in the battel against the flesh which lusts against the spirit and it against the flesh so that neither of them have the victory alwayes till the warfare be ended and grace be crowned with glory for and through Jesus Christ our Lord These differences being observed the conscience may discern between a good or evil condition so much the better 6. One and the same convert may observe in himself if not all yet the vicissitude of the most notable changes of a spiritual condition as may be seen in some especially of his Ministers of whose exercises he is to make use for the consolation of his afflicted people which Ministers may say with the Apostle 2 Cor. 1. 6. Whether we be afflicted it is for your consolation and salvation which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer or whether we be comforted it is for your consolation and salvation 7. Sundry converts may be diversely disposed and exercised about the same evil or spiritual disease for one under the observation of his evil case may wrestle against it and not call his own blessed state in question another under the same disease may fall in question and doubt whether he who is in such a condition may be a true convert or not and his person in the state of grace or not yea one and the same convert in the beginning of his ill condition while he first entereth in conflict with his evil condition may for a time look upon himself as a true convert notwithstanding of his present ill condition but afterward when he findeth his evil condition to remain and not likely to be removed he may fall in doubt about the state of his person whether he be a true convert or not In which case let him make use as is said in the former Book 8. The variety of changes of the conditions of the true convert ariseth from the variety of the causes thereof As for example 1. sometime in the warfare between the flesh and the spirit the new creature prevaileth sometime corrupt nature and both of them prevail sometime more sometime lesse whence vicissitude of changes of condition cannot but follow 2. Sometime Sathans temptations setting on in his assaults more or lesse furiously or more or lesse subtilly do make diversity of conditions as Sathan is more or lesse wisely resisted 3. Sometime the Lord hideth his countenance from his child more or lesse sometime in adversity sometime in outward prosperity as his wisdom findeth it meet for the welfare of his beloved children 9. Sometime the conscience doth discern an evil condition and doth give forth a right sentence about it In which case let use be made of the ordinar remedy of sin and misery As 1. let the afflicted search into the causes which have procured his evil condition as the Lord after prayer shall furnish light 2. Let him acknowledge his sin and ill deserving and the Lords holy wise and righteous dispensation 3. Let him grow in humiliation and in diffidence of his own wisdom ability and righteousnesse 4. Let him renew the exercise of his faith in Christ for pardon of sin for mortifying the roots of it and for letting forth his helping hand for ability to make him watch over his own heart and wayes and to bring forth good fruits 10. When the converts conscience faileth in right judging of its own ill condition 1 it either taketh an ill condition to be good and in this case it is silent and saith nothing but lyeth secure and well pleased without cause or 2. it judgeth a good condition to be altogether bad or at least not so good as it is indeed or 3. it doth not distinguish a good or ill condition simply from a condition partly good and partly evil or 4. it stands in doubt what to judge of the mans condition being uncertain what to pronounce of it till light dispell the mist and confusion wherein it lyeth for the time Let us instance some cases and examples in every one of these four kinds CHAP. II Wherein is handled the case of such as are fallen from their first love and are well pleased in this case The first rank shall be of some cases wherein the conscience of the convert is deceived by judging the mans evil condition to be good enough IT cometh to passe sundry times that the renewed man seemeth both to himself and others also to go on in bringing forth external fruits of new obedience when in the mean time his love to Christ is much abated and cooled toward him in comparison of the fervency which in his first conversion he had whence it cometh to passe that his works in his calling are discharged without that eye and affection toward Christ which sometime he carried toward him for in the beginning of his conversion when remission of sins reconciliation with God and the blessed change made in his state through Christ was green and fresh in his present sense how dear Christ was unto him cannot be expressed but this fervor oft-times doth cool when his wonted estimation of Christ is not entertained as appeareth in the Galatians who at their conversion were carried with such a measure of love toward Christ that if it had been possible they would have plucked out their own eyes and given them to the Apostle Paul for Christs cause Gal. 4. 15. and yet this love did soon cool both toward Christ and the Apostle It cometh to passe also oft-times that the renewed man contenting himself with the seal of the holy Spirit and the consolation which once he felt resolveth to go on in the discharge of Christian duties in his calling and either doth not observe this cooling of his love to Christ or layeth it not to heart but pleaseth himself in this condition as sufficient to carry a converted man to heaven And so usually three faults do concur in this sicknesse The first is
a notable defection from aiming at the measure felt in his first love at his conversion for we speak not here of daily distempers which the convert doth mark and mourn for and is about to have healed by bringing his wounds unto Christ to be cured in the exercise of faith and repentance daily The second is the not observing of this decay of love or the mans ignorance of his duty to entertain communion with Christ in the sense of his daily sins wants and wounds for the removing and curing whereof Christ is to be loved daily no lesse then at the man his first conversion The third is the mans being well pleased with this condition so long as his conversation is blamelesse whereof we have an instance in the condition of the Ephesians Rev. 2. whose labour in the work of the Lord zeal against hypocrits patience in troubles for Christs cause is commended by Christ. But he reproveth them first because they had left their first love and did not only come short of the measure of their first love but did not lay to heart this sin did not repent it or take course to have that measure recovered thou hast left or laid down thy first love that is 1. thou hast remitted and come short of that measure of love which formerly thou had 2. Thou hast not been displeased with thy self in this thy defection 3. Thou hast laid aside the care of recovering the measure of thy former love This condition is very dangerous as is manifest in the experience of the Galatians who falling from their first love did cast themselves open to superstitions and errours and in danger to be cut off from Christ by their defection from the faith of the Gospel once received The reasons for which we say this defection in love is dangerous are three the first is this the greatest measure of love to Christ and rejoycing in him is lesse then his excellency and merit at our hands doth deserve If therefore we shall slide from our duty in aiming to hold up this measure of love to him which we have once attained and cease to grow therein because his new mercies are daily letten forth upon us from day to day in effect we judge our first love hath been too too vehement and so Christ is lightly esteemed of as if he were not still to be loved withall our mind heart and strength The next reason is this when love to Christ to his Ordinances and sanctified ones beginneth to relent and cool incontinent the external exercises of religion and righteousnesse begin to fall short of this principle of love and to go on more and more slowly and so peece and peece to decay for as when a tree is smitten in the root it may retain for a time green leaves but after a time it withers and neither â—eareth ripe fruits nor leaves So also in the exercise of plety and righteousnesse if love toward God our Redeemer and delection in his service and obedience inwardly be diminished it may readily come to passe that the very outward works yea and the profession of duties due to Christ be taken away also and this is the judgment wherewith Christ doth threaten Ephesus I will come upon thee and remove thy candlestick out of his place except thou repent Rev. 2. 5. The third reason is because Christ who is altogether lovely and love it self the very Son of the Fathers love is a jealous God and cannot long indure not to be met with love from them to whom he hath manifested his love Therefore he doth make hast to correct this slighting of his love and to manifest his wrath against these that lye still well pleased with themselves under this condition I will come unto thee quickly saith he and remove thy candlestick Rev. 2. 5. 2. That the conscience of the true convert who is lying in this condition or is declining from his former measure of love may discharge its duty more easily and solidly it is needfull that the man being convinced of his fault first consider how reasonable it is that he should return to his first love or formerly felt measure of it for the forgivenesse of his manifold sins wherein he lay before his conversion for the translating of him from darknesse to the glorious light of Christs Kingdom should never be forgotten the proof which he hath gotten by his conversion that Christ hath loved him and given himself for him should be alwayes called to minde with hearty affection the great need of Christ wherein he standeth for renewed pardon of sins for furnishing him with his Spirit to mortifie the deeds of the flesh and to bring forth more ripe and abundant fruits of new obedience should bind him to abide and grow in his love Secondly let him consider how usefull and profitable unto us is fresh green and growing love unto him for love to him makes us frequently to think of him frequently with delight to speak of him to seek after more and more near-communion with him to have our conversation with him in heaven where he sits at the right hand of the Father and to live in heaven where our love is more then where we sojourn in this world Love makes us love what he loveth and hate what he hateth love sharpens our desires after God in Christ kindles and inlarges our affection toward him as the beginning of the 63. Psalm doth make evident And if the Lord shall seem to with-draw himself love makes the true convert follow hard after him Ps. 63. 8. Love makes â—old to encounter all difficulties and troubles which may meet 〈◊〉 in the course of following after him much water cannot quench love in Gods service love keeps a man 〈…〉 strong and stout against his enemies in 〈…〉 patient in profession sincere in pursuing duties 〈…〉 all conditions submissive and after evidencing of his affection with the Psalmist Ps. 116. 12. to â—ay with the same Psalmist What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me Ps. 116. 12. Thirdly 〈…〉 convert who is begun to cool in his love to Christ 〈◊〉 to remembrance what a felicity he felt when he entertained love to Christ when the loving kindnesse of the Lord was better to him then his life and sin was more formidable then death when Gods Commandments were not grievous but the joy of his heart when Gods Word seasoned and sanctified his bitterest afflictions Fourthly let him consider at what a losse he is of many spiritual comforts whereof he hath deprived himself and in how many sins of omission at least he hath fallen since his declining from his first love and what miseries he hath drawn upon his own spirit at least if not also temporal chastisements joyned therewith and after comparison of his condition when his love was servent with his present condition since his fall from his sometime-measure of love let him humble himself before Christ and flye in unto his rich
grace as a true penitent and let the fear of wrath in case he set not himself to recover what he hath lost hold him up to his duty for this is the remedy which Christ himself doth prescribe Rev. 2. 5. 7. CHAP. III. Concerning the converts sinfull conniving at and tolerating of the errors and transgressions of others THe Law of love toward God and our neighbour layeth a tye on us to procure and promove the well-fare and good of all men according to our place and power and to hinder the provocation of God and sins of our neighbour according to our place and power And to this end the Lord hath said Levit. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sin upon him â—ains answer to God saying Am I my brothers keeperâ—s doth not beseem the child of God and yet some of the Lords renewed children in some cases do seem to themselves to have done their duty sufficiently if they for themselves professe the truth and do in their own personal carriage what they conceive to be right albeit they toleart others to professe teach and practise what is false and dangerous and pernicious to themselves and others This fault may befall not only Magistrates and Pastors Parents and Masters of families Children and Servants but also be found in all and every one who do defend or excuse such an ungodly and dangerous toleration which may provoke God to wrath and insnare many in a course of sin The pretences excuses and deceits whereby men delude themselves in this sin are the same which the Patrons of loose and licentious toleration of every error in religion do make use of to wit that mens consciences must be free in the mater of religion and no wayes be urged to use all means which may give them right information and restrain their expression and practice which may infect pervert or insnare others among whom they live for say they Gods people must be a willing people and God only is Lord of the conscience and a curbing of mens profession and practice serves not to make men religious but hypocrits also and such like other pretences but no excuse of this sort can justly hinder any who is in any place of authority or power or relation to be active or concur to extinguish the incendiary fire which may devour the house of God and Kingdom wherein they live for whosoever have power over others and do not put forth their power to curb and represse those who lay a stumbling block before others do not only not impede the growing contagion and infection of the body wherein they live but also in effect do countenance protect and promove the spreading of the contagion of error wickedness which they do tolerat yea and private persons who do not lament the sins of such as do destroy themselves and infect others and do not mourn for the sins of them also who should represse the contagion do make themselves accessory to these spreading evils It is true many excuses might here be aâ—ledged which we leave to those who have answered the objections of ungodly toleration but the truth is the fear of wordly inconveniences oft-times doth more prevail for giving way to licentious toleration then the fear of sin and wrath of God doth prevail for dischargeing of duty This was the sin of the Church of Pergamus which did not take order with and represse the seducers of the Lords people and their followers within their jurisdiction Rev. 2. 14 15. I have a few things against thee because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam who taught Balack to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which thing I hate This was the sin which Christ did reprehend in the Church of Thyatira Rev. 2. 20. I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest that woman Jesabel which calleth her self a Prophetesse to teach and seduce my servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols 2. For remedy against this evil 1. let us verse our selves well in the Law of the Lord revealed in holy Scripture that we may know well what are the duties which God requireth of every man in his station and what vices he forbids lest we mistake vertue for a vice or vice for a vertue 2. Let us beware of rash censuring and licentious carping at mens infirmities as the Apostle Iames giveth commandment My brethren be not many Masters knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation for in many things we offend all 3. Let us earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the Saints Iude v. 3. lest seducers draw away the Lords people from the truth of Christ. 4. Let every one consider his station place and power given to him and prudently go about the amending of other mens faults and his own also for otherwayes a good duty may be marred in a mans hand by imprudent managing thereof 5. Let a man resolve to meet with difficulties in curbing false doctrine and scandalous practices and as a wise Wariour to behave himself so as he may obtain the promises which Christ hath promised to the victorious Rev. 2. 17. 26 27. For it is much better to displease man for his good and others then to displease Christ and make our selves partakers of other mens sin and judgment and the true convert will easily make the choice CHAP. IV. Concerning the case of the true convert falling asleep in carnal security under guilâ—tnesse of fleshly pollutions and dreaming himself to be in no ill condition SOmetime the flesh so far prevaileth against the renewed work of the spirit in converts that not only they are overtaken in a fault Gal. 6. 1. but also are as it were taken captive and led away for a time by the lustâ— of the flesh and nearby recalled unto the servitude of some wicked concupiscence In which condition it is possible they lye sleeping a long time till God waken them out of their deadly lethargy And this condition alas is very oft to be found to the dishonour of Christian profession in these that have begun to live blamelesly and have fallen back to the filthy pudle of their old conversation whereby they draw upon themselves and their families Gods wrath and sad â—udgments Of this disease we find there were not a few to be found in Corinth 2 Cor. 12. 20 21. 2. The causes of this fearfull condition are manyfold and cannot easily be condescended upon for many defects and wicked motions of the heart do usually concur with the neglect of duty and commission of actual sins against the diâ—â—ction of the conscience at least without the remorse of conscience and true repentance before this fearfull condition fix it self on a man
shall be made sensible of his injury done he may pretend that the glory of God requireth so much that sins should be punished the avenging whereof if it should be delayed longer then occasion of revenge should offer or till the Magistrat should take notice of it no punishment should fall upon the injurious at all and last of all he may pretend the good of the party injurer who by feeling the smart of his wrong done may be led to repentance and made to learn by his suffering the recompence of his injury done to carry himself more equitably toward his neighbours in all time coming All these pretenses may bear weight in the corrupt inclination of a convert and may harden him in his sinfull course of seeking a privat revenge on the person who hath injured him And his corrupt inclination may be observed by himself 1. by the stirring of his passion and wrath against the injurer whensoever he doth see the party injurer or call the injury to mind 2. By dissimulation and hiding from all men the sense he hath of the wrong received till he find an occasion offered to be avenged on him 3. By a stop made in his own prayer for remission of sins by his conscience telling him he could not subscribe the condition put in the prayer for remission of sin by Christ which is forgive us our sins as we also forgive them that sin against us The causes of this sinfull condition are 1. corrupt and unmortified carnal self-love with a too high estimation of himself in pride which maketh the injury seem so much greater as he hath a higher estimation of himself 2. A defect in his christian love meeknesse long-suffering patience and pity which should have their exercise specially in cases of provocation of our unmortified affections 3. The oblivion of the commands of God and of the manyfold sins daily committed against him whereof if there were a due estimation had the fountain and course of carnal revenge should soon be stopped that privat and carnal revenge should not break forth When these evils are found out and acknowledged by the convert in himself the main remedy thereof is in and by Christ who hath died for us when we were his enemies Rom. 5. 8. and for whose cause greater sins against God are daily forgiven to us then are the injuries done unto us by men 2. In this case also the grave admonition of the Apostle should not be forgotten Ephes. 4. 26 27. Let not the Sun go down upon your wrath neither give place to the devil Giving us to understand that if wrath which draweth with it the desire of revenge shall lodge all night with a man the devil will lodge with it also stirring the man up to pursue a revenge whensoever he findeth opportunity A third instance A third instance of this possible mistake of a convert may be found when he pleaseth himself in his carriage too much for his own carnal satisfaction in meat drink apparrel and recreations and here he may be hardened by sundry pretenses which he may have for his excesse in the use of things otherwayes lawfull As 1. that what he spendeth upon himself is of his own means 2. That his recreations are lawfull and allowed unto him of God 3 That in all this he hath a care of his health 4. That he doth not spend more upon himself then his rent and ability may well bear 5. That God hath said by the mouth of a wise King that this course which he doth follow in allowing on himself is the gift of God Eccles. 5. 19. And last of all that he might seem justly a nigard if he did not well to himself when he is able so to do and here are pretences abundant But if after examination of a mans own self he shall find the aboundance of earthly things weakening his desire after things spiritual or shall find the sense of his in-born corruption laid over to sleep in his prosperity or shall find his flesh wax wanton against the spirit and to prevail in the conflict or shall find his compassion toward the poor and afflicted to grow cold and his delight in things spiritual much diminished or shall find too great a share and portion of his time bestowed upon his body and but little time bestowed upon the care of his soul a wakened conscience may easily convince the convert that maters are not so right with him as he supposed The remedy of this evil is not for a man to turn unto another extremity and to a contrary vice as if there were no place for a wise moderation or as if at sometimes a more liberal use of the creature were not allowed unto men or as if a spiritual disposition of a mans spirit could not consist now and then with any banquet or festivity for it is plain from Scripture that there is a time to â—east and a time to fast a time to labour and a time to be refreshed both in body and mind after labour In which prudence the Apostle had not a little advanced when he saith Phil. 4. 12 13. I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and suffer need I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me But here is the remedy 1. that distrusting our selves and fearing the snares which Sathan layeth for us in all things we have our conversation with Christ and set our affections on things which are above as the Apostle giveth direction 1 Col. 3. 1 2. Next that we watch against the lusts of the flesh least at any time our hearts be suâ—fetted with meat or drink or any thing which is pleasant to the flesh Luk. 21. 34. Rom. 13. 14. For we are not debters to the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof Rom. 8. 12. but are bound so to care for our bodies so as our souls have no loss thereby for the lusts of the flesh do fight against our souls 2 Pet. 2. 11. And to this end let the admonition of the Apostle be well remembred 1 Cor. 7. 29 30 31. This I say brethren the time is short it remaineth that both they who have wives be as though they have none and they that weep as though they weept not and they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not and they that buy as though they possessed not and they that use this world as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away Many moe instances might be given but these may suffice our purpose who mind only to give some taste of cases of conscience in some examples which may give light unto other like cases as they fall in CHAP. IX Of the case of conscience dealing treacherously under pretense of liberty of conscience PRevarication or treacherous dealing is strictly taken when for a bud or bribe the conscience doth betray
sealed with the spirit of promise Ephes. 1. 11. As it is not sufficient to prove that wholsom water given to a feaver-sick person is not a wholsom drink because the cooling refreshment by it endureth but a short while So it is not sufficient to prove that consolation and joy given to a sorrowfull sinner seeking favour through Christ is not solid and true joy because it stayeth but a short while It is sufficient that it hath stayed so long as was needfull for after the word of promise was believed the joy was sent to ease the afflicted souls present grief and to give him earnest that full and lasting joy should be given in due time unto him When the messenger hath done his commission let him return to his master As the sheet let down in the vision from heaven to Peter after it had served for Peters instruction it was taken up to heaven again Act. 10. The Spouse in the Canticle knew by experience that her spiritual joyes would not last long and therefore chargeth the daughters of Ierusalem that they waken not her beloved till he pleased 5. Another objection is this If my joy had been solid saith the afflicted it should have brought forth better fruits then it hath done but joy spiritual as I then called it did degenerat into a carnal security and I was not the more holy by it To which objection the answer may be this the blame of this is not to be laid on spiritual joy but upon the abuse of this mercy by ingratitude for this gracious blink of felt favour negligence in the use of means to entertain this sense by sleepinesse of conscience and other sins and namely the laying too much weight upon this sense and not fixing the heart by so much more upon the word of promise when felt consolation may be withdrawn is a just cause for spiritual joy is not given to any to build upon its continuance but to make the convert hold the confirmed word of promise so much the faster when for the exercise of faith comfortable feelings are withdrawn The spouse in the Canticle after a feast of this kind falleth a sleep and giveth slight entertaining to the Bridegroom when called upon by his word for which she is chastised by his withdrawing of his comfortable presence Cant. 5. 1 2 3. c. But let us put the case that the felt joy of the spirit were not abused yet is it not unusual for God to withdraw consolation and to send trouble and anguish on the soul of his dear child to try his faith and train him on to hold the word of his grace in the hardest condition he can be into as he did exercise Iob and Ieremie the Prophet Ier. 20. and the Psalmist Ps. 77. In which condition to suspect that the consolation and joy of the spirit speaking to the heart by his word is not his gracious operation or is a delusion cannot but exceedingly grieve the Lord and give him cause to chastise this suspicion with desertion 6. But how may I know saith the afflicted that my joy was solid and was indeed the gracious operation of the holy Spirit For answer 1. If this joy was given to him when or after he was lamenting his sins and fearing wrath deserved and flying unto Christ offered in the Gospel he hath reason to reckon that joy to be such as the Word of the Gospel doth promise and approve 2. If during the time of his sweet feeling of peace and joy through Christ he found his faith in God and love to Christ confirmed and strengthned if the Word of the Gospel was in more estimation with him if his heart was inlarged to blesse praise and thank God for manifesting himself in Christ reconciled if the purpose of following after holinesse was renewed in him he hath no reason to suspect his joy and comfort 3. If after the removing of this sweet feeling he is going on in the study of holinesse believing in Christ how heavy in heart soever he may be by affliction and tentation he may be assured his sometime felt joy of the Lords Spirit was solid and his present suspicion thereof to be an evidence of his infirmity and of a tentation from Sathan This was the way how the Psalmist wrestled out of his sad condition Ps. 77. CHAP. XIV Of the converts suspecting that his zeal for God and against the sins of others hath been fleshly severity and imprudent temerity IT cometh to passe that they who love God sincerely and cannot endure the out-breakings of the wicked do sometimes transgresse the bounds of moderat zeal and being overtaken in some miscarriage for which being rebuked by their friends or by them in power censured or civilly chastised do in stead of moderating their zeal in time coming grow more slack and remisse in their zeal suspecting themselves inclined to unreasonable severity and rashnesse and ready to be esteemed haters of mens persons by those among whom they live as in some by-gone experience they have already felt And upon this occasion the tentation of Sathan falleth on tending to extinguish the fervency of true zeal required in all true converts And here there is danger lest true zeal grow cold and the convert become luke-warm both in curbing sin in others under his charge and in pursuing duties in his own person In which sicknesse he may be the better pleased with himself by so much as his friends and others do commend him for his moderation and prudence as they shall call it 2. As to the remedy of this evil there is no doubt but that may befall true zeal which is common to other vertues of which there is none so perfect but some in-lake or excesse may be observed in them And therefore as it is without reason to go back from pursuing duty in the exercise of other vertues because imperfections therein are remarkable from time to time So is it without reason to grow luke-warm in zeal which may render a man loathsome unto Christ Rev. 2. 3. Wherefore let the convert take heed what the Lords Word doth require of him in his calling and labour to discharge his duty towards others so as he may be found both zealous and prudent that in the expressions of his zeal against sin meeknesse and love to the offender may be manifested 2. To this intent let the convert carefully take heed to entertain these three properties of commendable zeal which are 1. The fear of God 2. Humility of heart 3. The love of his neighbour for the fear of God will not suffer the convert to depart from his commandments Humility of heart will make the man modest in his expressions and the love of his neighbour will make him mix meeknesse and compassion toward sinners with his zeal against offences This is the right seasoning of zeal which the Apostle calleth the zeal of God according to knowledge CHAP. XV. Of the converts suspecting his aiming at circumspect
if he find this sicknesse from day to day cleaving fast unto him he falleth in discouragement and in question with himself whether it be better to break off at least in secret such ragged worship or to go on to offer the sacrifice of a fool unto God for so he doth esteem of his devotion thus leavened with vaiging and vanity of his mind In this case the convert doth not only mis-regard what is right in his devotion or divine service but also by fretting discouragement and mis-behaviour of his spirit is ready to augment his sinfull condition and to provoke the Lord to be wroth with him indeed 2. For remedy of this evil let the convert judge wisely of his condition that he charge not himself with guiltinesse more then he ought to do and that he may take a right course to be free of guiltinesse and healed of this sicknesse where guiltinesse is found And to this end 1. let him put difference between vaiging of mind with interruption of worship and the natural course of his phantasie and understanding which may consist with the continued acts of worship for as the eyes of a man running to some place cannot choose but see every visible thing in his way and yet runneth on without staying till he come to the place he aimeth at So the phantasie and understanding cannot choose but take up and discern whatsoever is offered unto them in time of prayer from the outward senses or from the memory and yet make no interruption of prayer such is the natural agility of a mans mind and therefore this natural course of imagination or phantasie must not be charged as guiltinesse upon the worshiper who followeth on the work of worship notwithstanding 2. Sundry suggestions may be cast into the converts mind by Sathan to marr his worship which must be charged on Sathan chiefly and the worshiper not alway made guilty thereby 3. When the worship indeed is interrupted and the mind falleth off from the work of devotion or divine service and entereth upon discourses about vain vile or impertinent maters let the convert not only acknowledge guiltinesse here but also examine if this his vaiging of mind in prayer and divine service be not also a chastisement from God for his not acknowledging of God in his affairs and and for loosing reins to his mind to roave all the day which justly meeteth him at night in his devotion as a rod on his back for his voluntar vaiging from God in his former walking 3. These considerations being premised and the sins which have drawn on this evil being discovered and the power of indwelling-sin perceived and the power of Sathans temptations noticed and the Lords chastiseing rod justified and his own culpable infirmity acknowledged 1. Let him humble himself and flye to the rich grace of God offered in Christ and lay stronger hold on the satisfaction made by Christ imputed to all believers in him that guiltinesse may be by free pardon removed 2. Let him pray for more assistance of the holy Spirit in all the exercises of religion and expect a gracious granting thereof in Gods wise dispensation of the measure of his grace in the use of holy Ordinances 3. Let his heart be in the fear of the Lord all the day long making him lift up his eyes from time to time to God in the midst of his lawfull affairs how mean so ever 4. Let him gather his thoughts before every religious exercise by way of preparation lest he take the name of the Lord in vain by rash and unreverent rushing in upon divine Service 5. Let him thank the Lord for granting him grace to see his sinfull vaiging of mind and to be displeased with it and to confesse it 6. Let him be comforted in the Lord who gathereth the ragged and scattered honest desires of supplicants and taketh away the iniquity of the service of his clients as our high Priest bearing in his appearing for us as it were on his fore-head Holiness unto the Lord. CHAP. XXII Concerning the converts discour agment for felt want of ability to do the duties commanded whereunto his renewed will is very bent SUndry true converts finding a will to do that which is good but not finding power how to perform that which is good do fall in disquietnesse and discouragement when they should go and seek to make good use of their infirmity and go to Christ for remeed as the Apostle did Rom. 7. 18. The cause of this evil is the relicts of corrupt natural inclination to seek to be justified by works and to have in our hand ability to do the good which we would do for albeit the convert be forced to seek reconciliation with God by remission of sins in his conversion yet in his course toward heaven and salvation he desireth to have a store-house and treasure of strength in himself to be made use of as he willeth For it seemeth to him in his carnal wisdom a poor shift to be in every good action put to beg supply from Christ by prayer and to stand waiting on in a dependance on Christ till furniture come from heaven unto him Which furniture of strength because our Lord doth suspend to give till his infirm and humble child hold up his heart as an empty vessel to receive influence from him according to his wise pleasure the inconsider at convert doth trouble himself and falleth in a distemper 2. This case is not altogether evil as the convert doth take it but this much is right that he looks upon the Law as holy spiritual and good that he desireth earnestly to obey it and that he loaths himself for his felt unconformity unto it Yet this is wrong in him that he doth not humble himself but is cast down and discouraged that he doth not make Christ his sanctifications as well as his righteousnesse that he doth not consider of the furniture to be brought unto him from heaven by faith in Christ and that this grace is nearer and more ready to serve his turn then if it were in his own hand 3. Therefore let him renounce more and more all confidence in his own righteousnesse with the Apostle Phil. 3. 8 9. let him thank God in Christ in whom an out-gate is to be found in all difficulties Rom. 7. 25 let him trust Christ for supply in all service in whom if a man abide he shall bring forth much fruit and without whom he can do nothing Ioh. 15. 5. For if he depend on Christ in his emptinesse and weaknesse he shall find by experience that when he is weakest then is he strongest CHAP. XXIII Concerning the converts imprudent censure of himself for felt ingratitude SOme converts sometime do passe rash sentence against themselves for ingratitude namely when after receiving some notable benefit for which they had made earnest supplication to God and for which before the receiving of the benefit they had oblieged themselves by vow to a
these two help one another and therefore are joyned together by the Apostle 1 Ioh. 2. 16. All that is in the world is the lust of the eyes the lust of the flesh and the pride of life And when men are tempted by their own lusts the world doth furnish objects allurements and inducements to sin The third sort are the tentations from Sathan who beside that he is not idle to take advantage of concupiscence and the worlds inducements so is he chiefly busie to throw his fiery darts against the convert and to sollicit men to such sins as the convert doth most detest and abhor As for the first sort of tentations from God they are ordinarily by afflictions bodily or spiritual wherein oft-times the converts do not observe the Lords purpose and will revealed in Scripture or are forgetfull of the admonitions and consolations which they have heard from Scripture which was the case of the afflicted Saints Heb. 12. 5. and so they are more vexed then they should be and Ps. 42. 11. dejected and disquieted and do suspect that God is angry with them and with the way they walk in Heb. 12. 12 13. Of this sicknesse there may be three causes 1. the bitternesse of affliction for the present time wherein it is â—elt 2. The sense of by-past sin which the afflicted doth suspect God is pursuing and making hiâ— possesse the sins of his youth Iob. 13. 26. The third is the observation of in-born corruption discovered unto the afflicted much more then in prosperity 4. For remedy of this evil let the afflicted convert perswade himself from the Word of God that in all the afflictions of Gods children the Lord doth intend the tryall and exercise and increase of faith and other grace bestowed on them And upon this consideration the afflicted should rejoyce in this exercise Iam. 1. 2 3. Secondly let him remember that with the tryall of faith there is alwayes a discovery of infirmity and corruption of nature in the afflicted As in the purifying of gold both the good mettal and the drosse are discovered which as he should acknowledge that he may be keeped from fretting So must he still remember that the Lord doth intend the tryal of his faith that he may be constant in believing on Christ the only help and relief from sin and misery Thirdly in whatsoever condition he is in let him endeavour to go on in patience experience and hope which shall never make him ashamed for this doth the Lord teach us Rom. 5. 3 4. and Iam. 1. 4. As for the second sort of tentations from the concupiscence of the flâ—sh and from the worlds allurements and terror let the convert afflicted follow the same course which is prescribed in the remedy of the tentations of the first sort As for the third sort of tentations which are from the devil tempting men to atheism or blasphemy or dispair or self-murder and such like which even nature doth abhor whereof something is spoken elsewhere 1. let the afflicted convert put difference between the devils sin in tempting to vile sins and his own seeming feeble resisting wherein albeit he thinketh himself polluted yet his not yielding testifieth his dissenting from those fearfull sins whereunto Sathan doth tempt him 2. Let him put difference between the consent of his unmortified corrupt nature inclinable to every evil from the lust of the spirit which fighteth against the lust of the flesh which hindereth the adversary from getting the victory 3. Let him put difference between the sufficiency of Gods grace upholding him in the conflict and the full victory against the messenger of Sathan buffetting him for God useth to susspend the victory for a time and yet make his grace sufficiently uphold his souldier till the victory be given as Pauls experience 2 Cor. 12. teacheth us And indeed it is a pleasant spectacle to the Lord to look upon his weak child striving against the flesh the world and Sathan and standing out by faith in Christ against them all 4. Let him consider that by these tentations of Sathan unto vile sins God can and doth mortifie sin and make his child watchfull and strong against both the sinfull inclination unto these and all other sins In the mean time let him beware of a more slye and subtile tentation which Sathan useth to slide in at the back of these ugly and grosse tentations which is this when he hath pressed with all violence these fiery darts and vile suggestions upon the convert he chargeth the afflicted soul with a giving consent unto them and like a scolding calumniator impudently beareth guiltinesse upon him and all to make him apprehend his condition to be worse then it is and to suspect that God by this exercise is pursuing him in wrath and this tentation is not readily observed by the afflicted convert but yielded vnto more then to the grosâ—e tentation Therefore in the last place let the convert guard against this tentation which brangleth his faith and lay the blame with the Apostle on corrupt nature whatsoever guiltinesse is found Rom. 7. 17. Now then it is no more I that doth it but sin that dwelleth in me a speech beseeming a man free of out-breaking and prevailing corruption and striving against all inward motions of corrupt nature And for remedy of this and other evils let him renew the acts of his faith in Christ laying hold upon the covenant of Grace that he may more confidently draw near unto God reconciled in Christ and so no more doubt of Gods good will to him notwithstanding of his hard exercise under tentations for thus Sathan shall not only flye from the first tentation being resisted but also be disappointed of the successe he expected in questioning the coverts condition and weakening of his faith CHAP. XXVII Concerning the converts mistaking his condition when he doth observe some degrees of Gods deserting of him TO speak of the sorts and degrees of Gods deserting a soul requireth a large Treatise and the case and cure thereof is already publickly set forth by a learned and godly Preacher of the Gospel It shall suffice for our purpose to speak of it only so far as it concerneth the converts mistaking his condition when he apprehendeth himself deserted whether the desertion be reall or apparent only and falleth into suspicion of Gods love to him or that God is displeased with him because he findeth not such lively influence of Gods Spirit as he hath found and such assistance of his gracious presence as he did expect in discharge of religious duties or exercises wherein divine providence hath yoked him The Scripture and daily experience do furnish instances of sad complaints of the Lords hiding his face and withdrawing or with-holding of light or peace or consolation or strength and ability for spiritual duties c. 2. For remedy whereof 1. let the convert remember that God doth not leave a believer fled to Christ for relief from sin and misery alwayes
renew accusations against them and so order that mater as neither Sathan shall prevail nor his child suffer damnâ—ge by the means for there is a great difference between Sathans renewing of accusations for sins forgiven and Gods making null the remission granted the Lord can suffer the one to be but the other he will never suffer to be for when a true convert groweth negligent and falleth in such sins after conversion as he lived in before conversion no wonder Sathan be permitted to call his former conversion in question yea the Lord may justly cast up to his child his former faults to humble him and shame him from going on albeit he doth not disannull the formerly granted remission 3 When thanksgiving for remission of sin granted for Christs cause beginneth to cool in the heart of a convert what wonder the Lord not only suffer but also present the vilenâ—ssâ— of by past sins to make the convert sensible of the remission and to cause him renew the acts of repentance and godly sorrow for his sins by-past as Ezek. 16. 63. and 36. 32. Then shall you remember your own evil wayes and your doings which were not good and shall loath your selves for your iniquities and abominations When the convert â—roweth remisse in watching over his own heart wayes and is in danger of falling back into these sins which he had repented of before what wonder the Lord by remembring him of his natural inclination and former wayes do warn him of his danger to make him preveen his fall 4. Wherefore let the convert maintain the solidity of former remission of sins and make good use of his former sins which went before his conversion and let him follow the example of Paul who did not suffer his former siâ—s go out of his mind but did renew the confession of them upon all occasions for his own daily humiliation for the edification of others and for magnifying the glory of the grace of God and yet for all this did not suspect the remission of sins received For by this means the convert shall preveen accusations and stop Sathans mouth and make his accusations have no force By this means the convert shall possesse firm and stable confidence of Gods unchangeable grace and mercy and of the stability of the remission of sin granted The sixth question is of a convert casten not only in an uncertainty for the time of his conversion but also in a doubt whether he be elected or not and knows not how to do in this case SOme converts fall in Heman the Ezrait his exercise whereof we read Ps. 88. especially ver 14. 15 While I suffer thy terrors I am distracted saith he Counsell hath been offered by some to the afflicted to follow the practice and experience of some eminent Theologues who being brought to such straits with good successe have submitted themselves to God to save them or destroy them as he pleased after which submission they have felt the marvellous sweet embracements of Gods loving kindnesse making them sure both of their conversion and election Whether to follow this example and experience of some notable Saints is the doubt wherein the convert is not clear and knoweth nor how to carry himself toward God in this case 2. For answer to this question It is free for God to comfort a soul casten down when and how he pleaseth it is free for God to passe by the infirmity and error of a terrified soul coming to him not in the wisest way prescribed to him and to look to the necessity of the mans consolation and not to his way of seeking of it But howsoever it pleaseth God to comfort some extraordinarily yet this is not the duty of the afflicted to come with such an unrequired submission unto God for it limiteth the Lord in a manner either to comfort the man speedily or suffâ—r him upon apparent refusal for the time to dispair For Gods order is to bring the sinner under the sense of sin and acknowledgment of deserved wrath for sin and then to charge him to believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and after believing in Christ to seal the believer with the stamp of holinesse and the earnest-penny of the inheritance which is peace with God and joy in the holy Ghost shed abroad in his heart 3. Wherefore as for the conversion of a man straitned in the pains of the new birth and fear of everlasting wrath and tempted to suspect that he is not elected It is a more safe way to lay aside all disputation about Gods decree because secret things belong to the Lord and to look to the Lords command and to his own duty of flying unto Christ So for the recovery of a convert fallen in Ionahs case and made to suspect that he is a reprobat cast off of God it is a more safe way not to dispute for the time either his election or conversion whatsoever suggestions may be cast in by Sathan then to offer unto God an absolute submission to be saved or destroyed as he pleaseth and then to lye in sorrow till God give an answer of consolation for God doth not require such a submission but calleth for an act of faith and obedience for God hath declared in his Word that he delighteth not in the death of a sinner but that he should repent and turn to God and be saved Secondly in this submission the heart will be found deceitfull which neither will nor can submit to be destroyed Thirdly this offer of such a submission as this is Lord I know not whether thou hast chosen me or rejected me in thy decree but I submit my self to thee absolutely If thou wilt destroy me thou shalt be found to be just and I do confesse so much unto thee but if thou wilt save me I shall proclame thy grace such a submission I say is but in effect a tempting of God speedily to reveal his secret counsel either by consolation if the submitter be an elect or refusal of consolation if he be a reprobat The only safe way in the foresaid case is to be humbled before God and flye to Christ by prayer as Heman did Ps. 88. and as Ionah did who choosed to look again to his holy Temple where the Mediator sat upon the mercy seat between the cherubims and not suffer such a thought as reprobation Thus did Heman Ps. 88. 13 14. But unto thee have I cryed O Lord and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee Lord why castest thou off my soul why bidest thou thy face from me Let the command of God to every self-condemned sinner to believe in Christ prevail against all temptations to the contrair 1 Ioh. 3. 23. This is his commandment that we should believe on the name of his Son Iesus Christ. The seventh question is how to satisfie the convert doubting whether it be bâ—tter to forbear or go on in the outward exercise of religion at least in
4. They eat up my people as they eat bread and call not upon the Lord. They have a form of godlinesse but in their deeds they deny the power of it for they beleeve never a word of what is preached of things spirituall revealed in the word of God No wonder therefore that they will not examine themselves nor receive any accusation from their own consciences for any sin of this sort which concerneth godlinesse 2. The causes of such mens hardening of their heart may be four the first is the measure of worldly wisdom granted to them and others like themselves above common people with the conceit whereof they are so puffed up that they care for nothing save this present world they acknowledge no other holinesse but civil observance of humane laws as if Scripture and all Religious exercises were to be referred to this only end that men living according to the laws and customes received into the Societies they live into should study to make the best they can of this present world And this worldly and carnall wisdom is called Psal. 1. the counsell of the ungodly because all ungodly persons do think it shall be more safe to walk in the wayes of their wisdom then to be hemmed in by the laws of God The second cause of their obduration is carnall confidence in their worldly prosperity which they hope alwayes to enjoy and that by the principles of their own wisdom Psal. 10. 6. he hath said in his heart I shall never be moved I shall never be in adversity The third cause is the stumbling block of the cross and affliction wherewith they perceive the godly usually to be exercised Upon which offence they stumble the more readily because they judge that the greatest part of the affliction of the godly proceeds from their own imprudency and do ascribe their own prosperity to their own wisdom wherein they are so lifted up in their own estimation that they despise all men in comparison of themselves Psal. 10. 5. As for his enemies he puffeth at them The fourth cause is the not observing the slighting and despising of Gods Judgments concerning which they do not give credit unto God when he speaketh and therefore do not make use of the operation of his hands Psal. 10. 5. Thy judgments are far above out of his sight 3. Albeit there be very small hope of the conversion of any such because they cannot abide free dealing from any man in private for to give them any admonition is to them a reproach and they cannot endure it and nothing can cut them at the heart more then that any man should suspect them of hypocrisie and atheism yet because no Pastor may despair of any man or judge him a reprobat so long as the long-suffering patience of God inviteth him to repentance therefore the Pastor must deal with such men in the general in his sermons that from the Scripture he may convince them of their ignorance of Gods wayes and of their atheism To which end and purpose first he must point such men forth in their colours as the Scripture doth describe them yet so as he hold himself in generall in dealing with all such persons without particular description of any man by particular circumstances whereby such a man one or moe of the auditors may appear to be picked out and shot at Secondly he must denounce gravely and with compassion the heavy Judgments of God against them Thirdly he must pull the mask of civil honesty off their face and let them know the righteousness of Christ imputed to humble sinners flying to him to be the only garment to hide nakedness if possibly the hearer may conceive hope he may be forgiven his former hypocrisie and be allured unto Christ. Fourthly let him often against such persons make use of the Apostles admonition 1 Cor. 3. 18 19. Let no man deceive himself if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world let him become a fool that he may be wise for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God for it is written he taketh the wise in their own craftinesse Fifthly let the Pastor observe the occasion if at any time it shall please God to lay calamity on such a man and then let him wisely labour with all meekness and tenderness to awaken up his conscience to take notice of the sparks of wrath least he perish in Gods displeasure if he do not humble himself before God and draw in to Christ upon which condition let him make the fairest offers of grace and mercy that the Gospel can yield to him if possibly the Lord may give him repentance and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. For removing the fourth impediment THe fourth impediment of self-examination is the stupidity and senslesness of the conscience past feeling as it were burnt with a hot iron This disease may be seen in bâ—â—otted Epicures given to their brutish lusts who are so carried on after their furious beastly affections that they have no more power over themselves then beasts and such monsters of men by frequent sinning have extinguished all sense of sin for albeit by nature there is some remainder of light in fallen man whereby the work of the law may be found written in their heart as far as to make them inexcusable when they do contrary to it and albeit there is leâ—t in the natural man some natural power of the conscience to vex him that rebelleth against it to restrain him thereafter from doing the like yet some have so sold themselves to the lust and wantonnesse of their flâ—sh that they will not hear any admonition or check of the conscience which might make any remorse but do run madly after all sort of uncleannesse corrupting themselves as brute beasts The like disposition may be seen in openly profane persons who not only in their deeds have denyed the power of godliness but also renounce the profession of all form of godlinesse and shamelesly foam forth their ungodlinesse as an open rotten grave casts forth the stink thereof Of this sort are these who when they do blaspheme will not be reproved Psal. 12. 4. Our tongues are our own who is Lord over us and who as dogs do trample under-foot all holy things and rent them who reprove them and who insult over the godly in their affliction saying with Davids enemies where is their God and who openly scorn all religion like these desperat scoffers 2 Pet. 3. 4. saying where is the promise of his coming Such as these are practically atheists and in some sort also in their minds for albeit they have some natural principles of a Godhead imprinted on them yet they smother all knowledge of God and belch out their own shame against God and religion and all the godly 2. Of mens falling unto such a fearfull abomination four causes may be rendered The first is the mans violence used against his conscience frequently in committing of grievous