the Scripture saith that he shall perish eternally if he be not new born and taken out of the first Adam and graffed in the second But some will object or demand Whether a soul thus convinced doth beleeve first or repent before it doth beleeve But for answer hereunto consider that there are three acts of faith viz. 1. The assenting act 2. The relying act or Faith of relyance 3. The Faith of evidence or perswasion Now the assenting act of faith is repentance and so godly sorrow is an effect of it so that this assenting act of faith leads a soul to an ordinance in Gods hand as to the first part of repentance consisting in conviction contrition and humiliation now the habit of faith and repentance are both together in the soul we only question which God doth give the soule power to act first and for the further clearing hereof consider That a soul cannot come to Christ till it goes out of its selfe now a soul will not goe out of its self till it doth see the danger of continuing in its self this danger workes fear this fear workes sorrow and this sorrow is humiliation and this cannot be without the first act of faith seeing we cannot dive into the dispensations of God by a bucket of reason It is true that the troop of Converts Act. 2. 37. they were pricked at their hearts and said unto Peter and the rest of the Apostles Men and brethren what shall we do and in Act. 16. 29. the Jaylor came trembling and fell at their feet and said Sirs what must I do to be saved So that repentance is the effect of faith and the cause must needs go before the effect only minde that repentance hath three parts to wit conviction contrition and humiliation or the turning of the soul from sin and the conversion of the soul to God and this cannot be done in Gods ordinary way before the habit of faith be wrought in the soul so that we may judge of the habit of faith by the acts of humiliation that it doth work in the soul The next thing to be considered is What is that conversion of a sinner so much spoken unto in the Scriptures For answer unto which it is most clear by Scripture and experience that the conversion of a man is as hard a thing as to turn the course of nature rewards and punishments proposed may turn mens actions but to turn the inclination of the heart is proper to the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 18. By the Spirit of the Lord we are changed into the Image of God and this Spirit will shew you the corruption of your understanding memory conscience will and affâ—ctions with thoughts words and deeds and actions omissions commissions and by a mighty power change all these into the Image of God There is no power below that power that raised Christ from the dead and that made the world that can turn the heart of a sinner we are as well able to turn a flint into flesh as to turn our own hearts to the Lord to raise the dead and to make a world as to repent Repentance is a flower that grows not in natures garden Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may they also that are accustomed to do evill do good Jer. 13. 23. Repentance is a gift that comes down from above men are not born with repentance in their hearts as they are born with tongues in their mouths the same power that formes the child in the naturall wombe for the child doth not forme its selfe and its father and mother are but the meanes I say the same power that gives it the first birth must give it the second birth or else it will not be borne again and if not it can never enter into the Kingdome of heaven Joh. 3. 3. No power but the power of the Almighty can convert a sinner or recover a backslider Turn thou me and I shall be turned saith Ephraim After that I was turned I repented saith he For as Mr. Thomas Brooks well observes repentance hath in it these three things 1. The act to turne from darknesse to light 2. The subject changed that is the whole man both the sinners heart and life first his heart then his life first his person then his practise it is a through change both of the mind and man 3. The termes of his change and conversion from what and to what the whole heart and life must be changed and that is from all sin to good repentance is not only a turning from all sin but also a turning to all good at least to love all good to a prizing of all good and to a following after all good Ezek. 18. 21. c. it is not enough that the tree beares not bad or ill fruit but it must bring forth good fruit else it must be cut down and cast into the fire true repentance strips a man starke naked of all the garment of the old Adam and leaves not so much as a skirt behind in this rotten building It makes a man poor hungry empty naked lost and blind c. these are those to whom the promises be made and these are those that Christ came to seek and save heal and pardon Object But say many sinners If this worke be such a mighty worke that none can doe it but the almighty power of God to what end shall I look or dive into my selfe and my lost condilion seeing I cannot recover my selfe out Answ It is the Pool of Bethesda appointed by God for a sinner to wait at and the way of God that he will be found in and the place in which he hath abundantly promised in his Word that he will manifest himselfe to us in he never said to any soul that doth wait upon him in the way of his ordinances seek ye me in vain but he saith seek ye me in this way and you shall finde me aske hear and you shall have for these ordinances are my Pipes of conveyance Object But why doth God promise eternall life onely to those that beleeve and threaten death to those that do not beleeve seeing it is not in a mans power by nature to beleeve Answ 1. That the Lord might by means of these promises and threats work us unto that which by nature we are averse unto 2 Cor. 11. 20 21. 2. That the grace of God might as well appear in giving power to beleeve as in giving Christ and in him forgiveness of sins to be beleeved Rom. 9. 16. So then it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy so again Rom. 11. 5 6 7. 3. That all men might appeare more and more inexcusable when neither promises nor threats will move them to embrace free mercy Acts 13. 46. Seeing you put the word from you loe we turne to the Gentiles and in the 51. verse so they shooke the
re-insnarement and re-intanglement in sinne and sinnefull courses as that he is thereby overcome and made the servant and slave of sinne again for of whom a man is overcome of the same is he brought into bondage to doe the will of sinne to obey it in the lusts thereof and to give up his members as servants to commit iniquity and that with greedinesse But I trust this is not thy state and if not consider that we have proved before that sinnes against light and checks of conscience have been pardoned and sins against experimentall tasts of Spirituall things have been pardoned and blasphemous thoughts have been pardoned and some fallen from their first love have been restored so thou hast no just cause to doubt of but rather to betake thy selfe unto Gods pardoning mercy freely tendred to thee in Jesus Christ XIV The fourteenth stumbling block Well say many misgiving hearts I could almost beleeve but that it is so difficult a thing to beleeve in health and prosperity is easie but to beleeve when tryals come O then O then the difficulty appeareth wherefore I would not have my wounded soul healed slightly as in Jer. 6. 14. Most men by their glossings and flatteries lull people asleep in security bearing them in hand that there is no such dangerous matter against them and so draw a skin over places full of corrupt matter which will cause the wound to fester the more inwardly to the patients greater and further evill I fear my graces are not true but counterfeit for all is not gold that glisters and that which men call faith is but fancie and that which they call zeale is but unnaturall heate and passion and that light men have is but common it is short of that many have attained to that are now in hell Answ If thou hast but the least grain of faith in thee it will lead thee to the Sunne of righteousnesse that ariseth with healings in his wings Mal. 4. 2. 1. This Physician will cure thee speedily Psal 46. 1. 2. He will heale thee perfectly Matth. 14. 36. 3. He will cure all thy diseases whatsoever universally Mat. 9. 35. 4. He cures every one he takes in hand freely Isa 55. 1. Revel 22. 17. 5. He doth heal those that come to him eternally Jer. 17. 14. And if any say their sins are great he saith his mercy is greater If thy sins be of diverse sorts he tels thee in his Word that in him there is multitudes of mencies If thou say thy sins have been repeated he tels thee his mercies are revealed and renewed every morning If thou say thou art unfit for mercy he saith in his Word if thou thoughtest thy selfe fit for mercy thou shouldest not have mercy We read in the booke of Martyrs of some that were so full of misgivings of heart and fears did doubt they should never hold out to suffer for Christ but when they came to the tryall they prayed earnestly and were strengthened immediately and suffered valiantly when some others that boasted of their strength had no strength to suffer We also read of some others that could not dispute for Christ and yet they would die for him one â—icely Ormes Martyr when she was brought to the stake layes her hand on it and sayes Welcome the Crosse of Christ and then kissed it and said Welcome the sweet Crosse of Christ Again we read of one Mr. John Bradford being brought to the stake took up a faggot and kissed it and turning his head to the young man that suffered with him said Be of good comfort brother for we shall have a merry supper with the Lord this night and imbracing the reeds said Straight is the way and narrow is the gate that leadeth to eternall salvation and few there be that finde it By all which we may see that many pretious soules have had true grace and yet have feared that they have had none true grace we see will inable a man to step over the worlds Crown to take up Christs Crosse to preferre the Crosse of Christ above the glory and bravery of this World One Godfry of Bullein first King of Jerusalem refused to be crowned with a Crown of gold saying that it became not a Christian to weare a Crown of gold where Christ had wore a Crown of thornes and we may see by dayly experience that there is many a poor questioning weake Christian will follow Christ through thick and thin whilest many of the great professors that did seem to be pillars in the Church doe fall away with Doctor Demas from Christ to imbrace this present World or else with the young man in the Gospell come and bid fair for heaven but when Christ sets his Crosse before him he steps over that to enjoy the Worlds Crowne when Christ bid him goe and sell all that he had and give to the poore he went away sorrowfull for he had great possessions if heaven be to be had upon no other termes Christ may keepe his heaven to himselfe hee 'l have none of it but true grace doth worke the heart to the hatred of all sinne and to the love of all truth it workes a man to the hatred of those sinnes that for his life he cannot conquer and to loathe those sinnes that he would give all the World to overcome so that he can say though there be no one sinne subdued in him yet every sinne is hated and loathed by him so that though sinne dwell in him yet it doth not live in him Now if thou hast any wisdome from Christ it will lead thee to center in the wisdome of Christ and that love the soul hath from Christ it leads the soul by degrees to center in the love of Christ and that righteousnesse the soul hath from Christ it lead the soul to rest and center in the righteousnesse of Christ the streame doth not more naturally lead to the fountaine nor the effect to the cause then true grace leads the soul to Christ But pretended grace leads the soul to rest and center in the promises of men or in the rewards of creâ—tures whereas true faith if it injoy Christ without honour it will satisfie the soul the injoyment of Christ without riches will satisfie the soul the injoyment of Christ without relations the injoyment of Christ without pleasure and without smiles of the creatures will content and satisfie the soul though honour is not and riches are not and health is not and friends are not it is enough that Christ is mine and I am his my being and well being consists not in honour for then Pharaoh had been blessed neither in wit naturall for then Achitothel had been blessed not in wealth for then Ahab had been blessed all these are but leaves that may grow on such a figge-tree as Christ hath cursed wherefore I would be such a tree that hath a root which is hope a heart which is faith a barke which is charity and branches which
saith the Lord in the furnace of affliction so that afflictions are a seal of adoption no signe of reprobation for the purest corn is cleanest fanned and the finest gold is oftnest tryed the sweetest grape is hardest pressed and the truest Christian heaviest crossed c. see Heb. 12. 6 7 8. X. The tenth stumbling block that a poor doubting Christian doth many timâ—s meet with is this Oh but I have been a blasphemer my self for many years and have caused others to blaspheme also and how do you think that I can expect pardon and mercy from the Lord whose name I have so frequently and fearfully dishonoured Answ Were there not a height and a depth a breadth and a length in Gods pardoning mercy and had he not pardoned others left upon record in Scriptures then there were cause to doubt and fear indeed that he would not pardon thee for thy blasphemies but thou hast no cause to doubt of thy interest in him and pardon from him and that for these two reasons 1. Because he hath promised to pardon thy blasphemies and all other sins Mat. 12. 31. 2. Because he hath left thee an example in his Word of one that blasphemed himself and compelled others to blaspheme and yet he received pardon and became a most glorious Saint see Act. 26. 11. compared with 1 Tim. 1. 13. It is said of Paul in Scripture that he punished the Saints oft in every City and compelled them to blaspheme and being exceeding mad against them persecuted them even unto strange Cities Act. 26. 10 11. and yet the Lord had mercy on him and called him when he was in his course of destroying his Church Act. 9. 1 2 3. 26. 12 13. Nay the persecutors and murtherers of Jesus Christ himself finde mercy and are converted Act. 2. 36 37. Oh let heaven and earth men and Angels admire this mercy he pityed him that was cruell to his Saints yea he pardoned them that crucified his Sonne who would despair when Christ opens to us such a doore of hope c. XI The eleventh stumbling block cast in a weak Christians way either by the World Flesh or Devill is this Oh saith the poor staggering sinner I fear I was never firmly built upon the true foundation Jesus Christ because I have fallen and fallen into one and the same sinne often so did not the Saints or children of God as I can finde I fear my heart is not right with God surely my estate is not good I should but flatter my self If I should think that ever God will eternally own and embrace such a one as I am who complaine against sinne and yet relapse into the same sinne who with tears and groanes confesse my sinne yet ever and anon fall into the same sin c. Answ I must confesse this is a sad condition It doth give Satan an advantage to triumph besides it doth raise such fears and terrours horrours and doubts in the soul that the soul can not be so frequent in duty as formerly nor so confident in duty as formerly nor so bold and familiar and delightfull with God in duty as formerly nor so constant in duty as formerly but for all this the soul hath no cause to distrust much lesse to despair of mercy for though grace doe free from the dominion of sinne and from the damning power of sinne and from the love of sinne yet grace doth not free any man from the seed of any one sinne and therefore it is possible for a soul to fall again and again viz. Lot was twice overcome with wine John twice worshipped the Angell Abraham out of fear did often dissemble and lay his wife open to adultery to save his life see Gen. 20. 13. Gen. 12. David was resolved to kill Naball and all his innocent family and a little after he fell into the foul murther of Vriah Jehoshaphat though a godly man yet joynes affinity with wicked Ahab and though he was saved by a miracle yet soon after he fals into the same sinne 2 Chr. 18. 1 2 3 30 31. and joyned himself with Ahaziah King of Israel who did very wickedly Sampson also fell often into one grosse sinne as is evident Judg. 14 15 and 16. Chapters Again Peter relapsed often and so did Jonah Our falling into sinne then should humble us but not utterly discomfort us for sinne shall never be our bane if it be our burden for those that were borne of God have relaps'd again and again Jacob twice told a lie for compassing the Blessing Gen. 27. 19 21. Lot twice made drunken committeth incest with both his daughters Gen. 19. Peter thrice denies his Master and every time worse then other Mat. 26. c. These are in record to caution them that stand that they fall not and to comfort them that have relapsed that they despaire not XII The twelfth stumbling block is this Sir saith the fearfull timorous drooping soul I have according the Apostles command 2 Cor. 13. 5. examined my self and put my self upon the tryall to see whether I were in the faith or no and whether Christ were in me or no but upon this tryall and examination I can finde no such thing in me and therefore by the Apostles verdict I must needs be a reprobate and so a castaway Answ None of the elect before their conversion can know by any search that they are in the faith or that Christ is in them for that cannot be known which is not yet manifested Again many are not converted untill they be thirty forty fifty years old or upwards and shall we say that such in their younger years were reprobates we might indeed say that they were in the state of damnation but cannot nor dare not say they were reprobates c. Again it is not proper for a man to conclude that he is not in the faith and not to have Christ in him because doth not know so much for many of Gods dear children may have faith and Christ and yet for a season not know so much as we may see by daily experience Again this text 2 Cor. 13. 5. Prove your selves whether you be in the faith examine your selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates This place is often mistaken for the thing now in question by the Corinthians was this whether Paul were lawfully called to the Apostleship and therefore they require of him to give them a proof of Christs speaking in him to which his answer is this or to this purpose I will goe no further to seek a proof of Christs speaking in me then unto your selves Hath not the Word and Gospell of Christ been powerfull by my Ministry to convert you and to beget faith and to forme Christ in you look into your selves examine whether you be not in the faith for if you finde this it need no other proof of my calling if you finde it not then you have
but a form of godlinesse or if ye be Christians in truth yet you are unexperienced Christians and without proof of the truth of it in your selves so the word here rendred Reprobate cannot be meant of such as be reprobates indeed but of such only as can give no proof for the present that they are in the faith or that Christ is in them and this is one great cause of a Christians dejectednesse and uncomfortablenesse that although they be in a state of grace yet they cannot discern themselves to be in such a gracious state as Hagar when her bottle of water was spent and her childe ready to die she sate down full of perplexity and yet there was a Well in the place the Well did not comfort her though close by her till the Lord opened her eyes to see it How pensive and sad were the two Disciples going towards Emmaus about Christs death though Christ risen from the dead was in their company and talked with them Luk. 24. 14 15. how did Mary Magdalen Joh. 20. 14. 15. stand weeking before Christs Sepulchre supposing that his dead body was thence stolen away though Christ revived and risen stood close by her Christ was present but she did not know him so there is many a poor soul that stands close by the Well of grace and is in the presence of Christ and yet complains for want of both 1 Sam. 12. 13. David was told by the Prophet The Lord hath put away thy sinne but because he had not the manitestation thereof Psal 51. 8 12. He groaned still under his broken bones It is true there be many men and women that do think they have faith and yet they have none and it is as true that many poor weak Christians doe think they have no faith and yet they have faith they have the assenting act but not the applying act they have faith of adherence but not the faith of evidence now the faith of adherence is wrought in the soul by discovering the necessity of Christ to salvation Acts 4. 12. and by displaying the sufficiency and alluring excellency of Christ for salvation Heb. 7. 25. XIII Well saith the weak timorous trembling Christian I did not think that all the Devils in hell had been cunning enough nor able enough to have cast so many stumbling blocks in my way but through mercy they be all removed and my heart cleared now I see that God is no hard taskmaster he takes not up where he layes not down no no none but a fleshly understanding can condemne God for a hard taskemaster Oh what love is that in the Father to choose me and to send Christ to die for me Oh what love was this that Christ should come from the bosome of his Father and that God should be manifested in the flesh the Creator made a Creature that he that was clothed with glory should be wrapped with rags that the God of circumcision should be cercumcised that he that binds the Devils in chaines should be tempted that the Judge of all flesh condemned and that for me that the God of life should be put to death that he before whom the Angels doe cast downe their crownes should be crowned with thornes and those eyes more pure then the sun put out by the darknesse of death and that for me his enemy Oh that those ears which heard nothing but Hallelujahs of Saints and Angels should now hear the blasphemies of the multitude that face that was fairer then the sons of men to be spit upon by those filthy Jewes that that mouth and tongue that spake as never man spake should be accused for blasphemy those hands that freely swayed the scepter of heaven nayled to the Crosse and that he should suffer all this for me and such vile sinners as I am when I was a slave to the Devill and a firebrand of hell even then did Christ rescue me from the power of the one and redeem from the plague and punishment of the other 2 Tim. 2. 26. Well I had not enjoyed this Heaven upon earth but a few months but I fell into some grosse sinne and God doth hide his face again and my soul is sore troubled and if I mistake not I see a greater stumbling block before me now then ever I saw before and I finde by Scripture the sentence of death and damnation put upon me Oh! I was enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and yet I am fallen away Oh! here is my state set forth in these three Scriptures Heb. 6. 4 5. For it is impossible that they which were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the holy Ghost if they fall away should be renewed again by repentance Heb. 10. 26. For if we sin willingly after we have received the truth there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sinne but a fearfull looking for of Judgement and violent fire 2 Pet. 2. 20. 21. They that have escaped from the filthynesse of the world if they be intangled again therein and overcome the latter end is worse with them then the beginning for it had been better for them not to have acknowledged the way of righteousnesse then after they have acknowledged it to turne from the holy commandements given unto them This is my state saith the soul I have fallen shamefully and sinned willingly and certainly I must never looke to repent nor to finde mercy with God but expect hell-fire hereafte and some fearfull end here c. Answ That place Heb. 6. 4 5. is not to be understood of one or more particular faillings but of an invincible apostasie and falling from Christ for the Apostle saith not if they fall but if they fall away utterly renouncing Christ not sparing what lyeth in them to crucifie him afresh That place Heb. 10. 26. is in like manner not to be understood of any one or more sinnes voluntarily committed for see even the best of Gods children after regeneration have sinned but to sinne wilfully that is spitefully and malitiously treading underfoot the Sonne of God and counting his bloud an unholy thing and even despiting the spirit of grace this I suppose every backslider doth not doe Again it is one thing to have the whole consent of the will unto some sinne stolen away by some particular temptation and another thing to be wholly addicted and devoted to the wayes of sinne to have a whole heart universally married to Iust and filled with Satan the dearest Saints have fallen in the former but not in the latter And as for that place 2 Pet. 2. 20. it is not meant of every re-insnarement and re-intanglement into sinne after conversion for which of all Gods children can so carefully looke unto himselfe but that some of Satans nets snares baites traps which he sets in a Christians way if God leave him never so little to himself Satan will re-insnare him but it is to be understood of such a
his eyes to question any thing they do is faction and to contradict them is heresie if you goe before them then you go too fast if you come after them you go too slow if you speake against them it is blasphemy 5. And as for gifts and seeming graces they abound with them it is said of Simon Magus that he beleeved Act. 8. 13. Again if we instance in repentance it is said of Judas that he also repented Mat. 27. 3. Shall we instance of hearing the Word with joy so did those cast-awayes we read of Mat. 13. Shall we instance in partaking of the heavenly gift and power of the World to come we finde men have had a taste of this and yet fallen away Heb. 6. 5 6. Shall we instance in sanctification it selfe it is said in Heb. 10. that they did trample under foot the bloud of Christ wherewith they were sanctified so that a Formalist may be said to repent to beleeve to receive the Word with joy and to be sanctified in a large sense c. And these be those men pointed to Galat. 6. 12. As many as desire to make a faire shew in the flesh constrain you to be circumcisâ—d 6. If most men under a forme did not rest upon a forme what is then the reason of that stupidity that neither mercies nor judgements will worke upon men but only present strokes or rewards What is the reason that men be so carefull about and taken up so much with present and future things that are temporall and so carelesse about present and future things that are eternall if we do not stick in a forme What is the reason that we be so apt to goe to Creatures for helpe and not to God Again What is the reason that we refuse crosses rather then sinne although we know that sinne is the greatest evill What is the reason that we be so fearefull to displease a potent enemy rather then God Again What is the reason that men make so many shifts and lies to cover their sinnes before men to make all things appear fair to them without respect to God so that most men will rather lay their folly open by multitudes of vaine excuses then to suffer the blemish of indiscretion to lie upon them 2. In the next place let me according to the measure of light in me give some Characters of one that hath the power of Godlinesse as well as the forme The power of Godlinesse in its highest excellency is but the fruit of grace grace is the cause of Godlinesse as fire is the cause of heat and yet as the cause is such is the effect for powerfull causes makes powerfull effects Godlinesse is the right exercising and acting of those graces which the soul hath received of the Spirit of God both to the glory of God and the good of man or the bringing forth of the fruites of grace in holinesse of life and conversation that is when he improves all his spirituall strength given unto him to the advantage of his Master Christ not only to improve but also to be glad of every occasion whereby he may advance the glory of that God that hath advanced him by the glory of his grace Oh the invincible power of grace to make such a change in man his eyes are now opened his understanding inlightned his judgement informed his affection turned he is not now the man he was Oh happy conviction Oh blessed change indeed for a man in one houre to have his night turned into day his forme into power his darkenesse into light his bitter into sweet Gods frowns into smiles his hatred into love his hell into heaven his bondage into adoption his taske into priviledge his greatest worke into the greatest pleasantnesse this man runs the wayes of his Commandements with delight Oh! what is become of those breathings and longing that were in the primitive Saints Again that man that hath the power of Godlinesse is not satisfied in the bare use of the forme when he goes to hear the Word preached unlesse it comes in with power and warme his heart he comes home unsatisfyed So again when he doth read and confer and meditate unlesse his heart be affected with and his soule refreshed by these Pipes of conveyance he remains unsatisfyed whereas the other that rests in the forme is quiet in the worke done and so we might instance in every ordinance he looks to God through them he dares not make Saviours of them but waits upon God in the use of them as the man at the pool of Bethesda or as a path that leads him to a rock that is higher then he where he hath private salutations interchangeable imbraces sweet fellowship refreshing familiarities infinite soul-satisfying communities this soul takes up his resting place be this side heaven and in the performance of any duty required by God the soul lookes to the principle manner how and to the ends why he doth it and if he finde not all clear then he looks upon his obedience as disobedience Again he that hath the power of Godlinesse will persevere in the use of all Gods ordinances he will pray again and again at all times with all manner of prayers and will not admit of a denyall he prayes and waites and prayes and waites and beleives saying hee will arise and give he will send me an answer of peace Now oh thou misgiving soul dost not thou finde truthes in thy inward parts and that although thou doest not make so fair a shew in the flesh as some others hast thou not some inward breathings and spirituall longings and soul-meltings doest thou not esteem one smile of Christ better then the smiles of all relations Doest thou not look upon all the formes of godlinesse as pipes of conveyances walks and paths wherein thou expectest to meet with thy Saviour and art not satisfied in the use of them unlesse thy soul meet with Christ in them XX. The twentieth stumbling block is this O sir I have no power to doe any of those things which you have laid before me is not God all in all will you put the creature upon acting doth not the Prophet Jâ—remiah say Jer. 10. 23. The way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps Doth not the Scripture say there is no power but of God now sure as you have laid before me my duty in all the forementioned things lay now before me or if you can give unto me a power to doe the thing or things required or else I shall sit still and not attempt to goe over this stumbling block Ans Shall we make account that God is like unto Pharaoh to command the full tale of brick and give no straw No farre be it from all men that have their eyes in their heads to have such hard thoughts of God the just and righteous Lord God to unfold this a little let us consider 1. That there is no