thou art that art most bitter and violent of either side then art thou certainly thy selfe most wilfully blinde And I doe assure thee in the name of the Lord and by good warrant out of his word that if thou canst not unfeignedly love every one that truly feareth God whither he conforme or not conforme if thou canst not bewaile and strive against these hard conceits thou hast beene wont to entertaine against such thou canst have no comfort at all in thine owne estate before God Let there be no strife I pray thee saith Abraham unto Lot Gen. 13.8 betweene mee and thee for we are brethren And it is noted by the Holy Ghost Verse 7. for a circumstance that did much aggravate the sinne of Lot and the griefe of Abraham for that variance that the Cananite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land Certainely all that truly feare God are brethren And have not we Cananites and Perizzites enough in our land Papists and Atheists and profane persons that doe mortally hate us all that have any true feare of God in us and rejoyce much in our variances Or is the number of them that truly feare God so great that we must dishearten and weaken one another by nourishing heart burning and discord among our selves But the time will not permit me to enlarge my selfe in this point as I desire to doe I will therefore conclude my speech with the words of the Apostle Iam. 5.9 Grudge not one against another brethren lest yee be condemned Lecture CXLIV On Psalme 51.7 August 2. 1631. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the second of those foure effects and fruits whereby a man may certainly know whether he hath the spirit of Christ and consequently whether he hath Christ and is by his death and obedience perfectly justified in the sight of God and that is constancy in Religion This is then the Doctrine that I am now to insist upon That he that hath the spirit of Christ in him will be constant in his Religion above all things Now before I give you the proofe of the point I must explaine first and prevent the mistaking of it by answering three questions and removing three doubts that may rise in your mindes against it First You may aske me Is it a certaine note of a man that hath the spirit of Christ to be constant in his religion I answer No unlesse it be the true Religion that he doth professe It is indeed a morall vertue and one of the best things that are to be found in a naturall man to be constant in his Religion be it true or false And so the Lord noteth it to be Ier. 2.10 11. Passe over the isles of Chittim and see and send unto Kedar and consider diligently and see of there be such a thing and to be found even among them hath a nation hath any nation changed their gods As if he should have said Hath not even the light of nature discovered thus much unto all nations that it is a shamefull and odious thing for a people to be variable and unconstant in their Religion But my people have changed their glory their Religion he meanes For this constancy in a mans Religion which he is perswaded is true though it be false argueth a zeale of God in him though it be not according unto knowledge And that the Apostle speaketh of you know Ro. 10.2 as of a good thing iâ— it selfe as of one of the best things that can be in a naturall man But yet this is no signe of grace no fruit of the spirit of Christ to be constant in an erroneous and false way It was no commendation either to Ieroboam himselfe or to Iehu or to any other of the Kings and people of Israel that they abode even to the dissolution of that state in that Religion that Ieroboam did at the first establish and would by no meanes be drawne to forsake it The children of Israel saith the Holy Ghost 2 King 17.22 walked in all the sinnes of Ieroboam that he did they departed not from them This constancy in their Religion is oft mentioned in the story to their great shame and reproach It is no praise at all nor signe of grace in a Papist or any other Heretick or Schismatick whatsoever that they have beene constant in their Religion even unto death It is not the punishment that a man indures but the cause for which he suffers that maketh him a Martyr It is not constancy but obstinacy in a man to abide so resolute and unmoveable in any errour as he will admit of no meanes that may informe him better to be like the aâ—afe Adder Psal. 58.4 5. that stoppeth her eare which will not hearken to the voice of the charmers charming never so wisely Yea it is not only a great sin but a fearefull judgement and curse of God too He hath blinded their eyes saith our blessed Saviour Ioh. 12.40 and hardned their hearts that they should not soe with their eyes and understand with their hearts and be converted and I should hâ—â—le them So that when I say constancy in Religion is a note of him that hath the spirit of Christ I meane constancy in the true Religion It is the cleaving to the truth of God that is such a note But then you will aske me secondly How shall I know in that great difference of opinions in Religion that is in the Church and that even among learned and good men too which is the truth Whether that that I hold and professe bee the truth that so I may constantly hold it and cleave unto it When our Saviour had said Ioh. 18.37 38. and it was that good confession that the Apostle 1 Tim. 6.13 saith he witnessed before Poncius Pilate to this end was I borne and for this cause came I into the world that I should beare witnesse unto the truth Pilate said unto him what is truth And certainly wee have many now that were borne and bread in the Church that know no more what the truth is then Pilate did but like men utterly ignorant and unsetled in Religion are as ready to say as he he was What is truth Now to these men I answer with the words of our Saviour Ioh. 17.17 Sanctifie them with thy truth thy word is truth If that Religion that thou professest be no other then that which God hath taught thee in his holy word then is it doubtlesse the true Religion If thou holdest nothing in Religion but that thou canst warrant and prove by Gods Word then holdest thou the truth and thou must hold it fast and cleave constantly to it It is the word of truth Eph. 1.13 it can never deceive thee Thy testimonyes are very sure saith David Psalm 93.5 This sacred booke of the holy Scriptures and writings of the Prophets and Apostles is the foundation upon which God buildeth his Church as the Apostle teacheth us Eph. 2.20 If thou
thy God to wrath in the wildernesse And to this end Moses spendeth a whole chapter Deut. 9. in calling to the peoples minds and bringing into their remembrance their old sins which he would never have done if he had not knowne this profitable and needfull for them that their repentance for them might bee oft renewed But further then the knowledge of our sins serveth for one of these foure ends it is no benefit it is a judgement and correction of God upon us Therefore it is threatned as a judgement to wicked men Psal. 50.21 I will reproove thee and set thy sins in order before thee Therefore Iob complaineth of it as of a judgement Iob 13.26 Thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possesse the sins of my youth And Paul prayeth against it 2 Cor. 12.8 I grant indeed it is such a judgement and correction as God useth most to exercise them by that are dearest to him and seeth it to bee most necessary for them as is plaine by the example of Iob 13.26 and of Paul 2 Cor. 12.7 But herein his mercy appeareth that as it is said of all other corrections upon his Church Esa 27.8 In measure thou wilt debate with it so it is in this 1. The Lord doth not let any of us see all our sins but so many of them as he seeth will be sufficicient for us to see for our saving humiliation and repentance Dealing with us in this case as Balak did with Balaam Num. 23.13 Thou shalt see but the utmost part of them thou shalt not see them all And 2. those that he is pleased to discover to us he doth not let us feele the full weight of them nor let us fully see the loathsomnesse of them Oh if the Lord should breake up the sinke that is in every one of our hearts and let us fully discerne and feele how much filth is in them we were never able to abide our selves but should every one of us become a Magormissahib as Ieremy calleth Pashur Ier. 20.3 4. a terrour to our selves If the Lord should let us feele the full weight of our sins certainely we were never able to beare it but should be overwhelmed by it See this not only in the sin of Cain and Iudas that were castawayes Gen. 4.13 Mat. 27.5 but in the sins also of Gods own people Heare what David saith of his sin Ps. 38.4 It is a heavy burden too heavy for me to beare And heare what Paul saith of the incestuous person 2 Cor 2.7 he was in danger to bee swallowed up with overmuch sorrow 1. Thinke of this thou wretched man to whom many foule sins seeme as light as a feather drunkennesse swearing whoring c. when the Lord shall but let thee throughly to see what thou hast done when he shall lay but any one of these sins unto thy charge and cause thee to feele the full weight of it hee shall need to inflict no other punishment upon thee but even to let thee see feele what thou hast done Ier. 2 19. Thine owne wickednes shall correct thee and thy back-slidings shall reprove thee Wickednes will burne like the fire Esa. 9.18 Hell it selfe hath no greater torment then that And this thou hast cause to looke for and knowest not how soone Num. 32.23 Thou hast sinned against the Lord and be thou sure thy sin will find thee out 2. Let us therfore beloved acknowledge it for a mercy of God that he doth give us the sight and sense of our sins so farre forth as is necessary to our saving humiliation and repentance but let us acknowledge it for as great a mercy that hee doth not let us see and feele our sins to the full so as we should be overwhelmed by it Lecture LXIX On Psalme 51.5 Septemb 18. 1627. THe second thing wherein the admirable goodnes of God appeareth unto us is this If we could rightly weigh what we were by nature we would see just cause to wonder at the power and goodnesse of God in this that there should bee any truth of grace in any of us Let us consider this first in generall in the whole worke of our conversion and of that change that is wrought in our hearts by the grace and spirit of God Secondly In every particular act of grace that we do discerne in our selves And for the first wee shall find the Apostle maketh this use of the Doctrine of originall sinne Ephes. 2.4 5. God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith hee loved us even when wee were dead in sinnes hath quickened us together with Christ by grace yee are saved As if hee had said this was nothing but meere grace this argued the riches of Gods mercy the greatnesse of his love to doe this When the people beheld the mighty workes that Christ wrought in giving sight to the blind and hearing to the deafe and speech to the dumbe and life to the dead it is said they were all amazed at the mighty power of God Luke 9.43 and as it is said Matth. 9.8 they marvelled and glorified God And the party himselfe whom Christ had restored to sight admired the worke of God upon himselfe and said Iohn 9.32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was borne blind But the worke that God hath wrought upon our hearts whom he hath converted and begun saving grace in is though not so sensible yet a farre greater demonstration of his power and goodnesse then any of those was and such as wee have much more cause to admire and glorifie God for Certainely it is as possible for a blackmore to change his skinne or a leopard his spots as the Prophet speaketh Ieremy 13.23 for a Camell to goe through the eye of a needle as our Saviour saith Luke 18.25 as for us to have a change wrought in our hearts But blessed bee God that the thing which is impossible with men hath beene possible with God as our Saviour there speaketh Luke 18.27 This admirable power of God is sensible and apparant in the conversion of some men of such I meane as have beene prepared for their conversion with legall terrours such as having beene notorious sinners before have beene by some strong hand of God changed suddenly In the conversion of such as Paul was that of a bloudy persecutour was of a sudden made not onely a disciple but a zealous preacher also Where hee that was even now a Wolfe and a Leopard was so chaunged that hee dwelt with the Lambes and lay downe with the Kids as the Prophet speaketh Esa. 11.6 All men will bee apt to take notice of and to admire the power of God in the conversion of such a man as Paul saith of himselfe Galathians 1.24 that the Churches glorified God in him But the worke of Gods power in the conversion of most men of such as have beene bred in the Church and
estate and thou shalt finde thou art not void of grace now by five notes p. 150. From this foure conclusions may bee gathered for our comfort p. 151. Lect. 30. Take the helpe of some faithfull Minister or other friend for recovering of thy comfort p. 151. 5 Fly to God by prayer and waite on him p. 152. Five motives and encouragements to seeke to God by prayer in this and in all other afflictions p. 153. 6 Meditate of the goodnesse of God 1 towards all creatures p. 154. 2 towards thy selfe when there was no goodnesse in thee 3 towards thy selfe even now and in that state thou art now in p. 155. Lect. 31. He that truly repents cannot hide nor cloake his sin but will be ready to confesse it p. 158 This willingnesse to confesse sin will give a man great hope and assurance of mercy and pardon Ibid. p. 159. Gods servants have beene wont to confesse even the sins of others that they have prayed for p. 160. Why confession so necessary p. 161 162. Lect. 32. How far forth confession of sin in private to a Minister or other friend is not necessary p. 163 164. How farre forth it is profitable and fit Ibid 165. Lect. 33. What manner of men Ministers had need to be p. 166 167. Gods people bound to reverence our calling and take heed nothing move them to despise it p. 167. Resolve never to live without the benefit and comfort of a faithfull ministery p. 168. They that do enjoy it must labour to make their full use of it 1 by admitting that spirituall authority God hath given us over you 2 by making use of us in private and seeking resolution in your cases of conscience 3 in approving your repentance and spirituall estate unto us 4 resting upon that wee shall teach by warrant of of the Word p. 169. The peoples great neglect of the ministery Ibid. Lect. 34. David made publike confession of his sin profession of his repentance why p. 170 They whose sins are publike scandalous must be willing to make publike confession profession of their repentance p. 171 c. Three cautions to be observed Ibid. The reasons that moved Gods people to publish their repentance for publike sinnes p. 173. Lect. 35. Three great mischiefes of this that scannalous sins abound so where the Gospel is preached 1 it maketh the preaching of the Gospel odious to worldly men p. 175. 2 it hinders the successe fruit of all endeavours that the state or Gods people can use for the good of Church nation Ibid. 3 It threatneth great plagues yea a generall dissolution Great cause we should all take to heart the great increase of al grosse sins among us for they will bring Gods plagues on us And this stands well with Gods justice because we are accessary to those sins p 178. We make our selves guilty of other mens sins 1 by applauding liking them the better for them 2 by maintaining voluntary familiarity with them p. 179. 3 If we doe not professe our hatred of these sins 4 If wee be not grieved and troubled to see and heare of theÌ„ p. 180. Yet may we not absent our selves from Gods publike worship for any sins they are guilty of that joyne with us in it p. 181. Lect. 36. 5. If we neglect to do what lies in us to bring these foule sinners to open shame This is the great fault of officers that are bound by oath to detest present infamous persons They sin â— against the places they live in 2 against these lewd men themselves p. 182. 3 against God and their own soules in the light account they make of an oath When a man hath bound himselfe by oath to do that which is lawfull let him take heed how he breake that oath p. 183. The great sin of Christians in nor furthering the execution of good lawes for the detecting and punishing of lewd men Proleps Every man hath a calling 1 to oppose himselfe against sin and do what he can to suppresse 2 to reprove sin 3 to beare witnesse being required before a Magistrate against grosse sinners p 185. 4 to enforme and complaine of an offendour that 's incorrigible yet with foure Cautions p. 186. Foure true causes why men will doe nothing for the punishment of lewd men Ibid. p. 187. Lect. 37. The sinne of those that keepe men from publike penance p 187 188. The sin of such as shun and refuse publike profession of their repentance p. 189 191. Lect. 38. Confession of our sinnes to God is of all kindes of confession most necessary and usefull p. 191 192. Specially in secret for 1 that 's necessary 2 in secret we may doe it both more freely and fully and with more expressions of griefe then in publicke p. 193. 3 This most beneficiall to us for 1 it will give us best assurance of our uprightnesse p. 194. 2 it will give us best assurance to finde mercy with God p. 195. Lect. 39. The meanes whereby we may be enabled to confesse our sins aright unto God are five 1 Get knowledge in the Word p. 196. 2 Observe well and consider thine owne waies p. 197. 3 Take a daily account of thy selfe and of thy Waies p. 197. 4 Call oft to remembrance thine old sins 5 Beg grace and ability of God to do it p. 198. Lect. 40. Five properties there be of sincere confession of sin 1 It must be particular p. 198 â—99 2 It must be free and full without cloaking or extenuation p. 200. 3 It must bee hearty with feeling and affection p. 201. 4 It must be honest joyned with an unfeigned hatred of sin and resolution to forsake it Ibid. 5 It must be â—iliall not slavish out of love of God and hope of mercy p. 202. Lect. 41. Davids sin was ever in his sight They that have truly repented cannot forget but are apt oft to thinke of their sins and to be much troubled with them p. 203. for â— their conscience set in them by God to be both a register a witnesse and a censurer of their actions p. 204. 2 They more subject to affliction then other 3 This is the Lords doing for their good p. 205. Six benefits God procureth to his people this way p. 205-207 Lect. 42. Therefore be afraid to sin in any kinde or degree for 1 thy conscience will say thy secret sins in thy dish one day p. 207. 2 It will smite and wound thee for it 3 How soone it will begin to do this how long it will do it and in what measure God onely knoweth p. 208. 4 The bitternesse of this will farre exceed the pleasure of any sin p. 209. The most never troubled for any sin but strangely hardned but such have no cause to blesse themselve in their estate Ibid 214. Lect. 43. Davids sin was not against the Lord only but against himselfe and other men sundry waies p. 215. The wrong that David
by his sin did to men even his owne subjects and servants though he were a King did ought to trouble him p. 217. Even the consideration of the evill consequents and punishments of sin should make us feare hate and mourne for sin p. 218. and the consideration of the hurt we have done to other by out sin specially by making our selves guilty of the bloud of their soules which is done three waies p. 219 Yet the consideration of the offence and dishonour done to God by it is the chiefe thing should make us hate and mourne for sin Ibid p. 220. Lect 44. For 1 Every sinne is a transgression of the law of God an offence against him p. 220. 2 By every sin we despise the Lord and do an injury and contempt unto him p. 221. 3 The Lord whom we do this offence unto 1 is present every where and privy to all our waies 2 Infinite in holinesse and hatred of sin p. 222. 3 Infinite in greatnesse and majesty p. 223. Lect. 45. 4 Infinite in goodnesse and bounty towards us This expressed six waies in the things that concerne this life p. 224 225. and three waies in the things which concerne our soules viz our redemption conversion perseverance p. 225 226. The sinning against so good a God should most trouble us p. 227. Lect. 46. No sinne is small or lightly to be accounted of as appeares 1 By the father that begets and engendreth it in us 2 By the punishment that the righteous God hath inflicted upon the least sin p. 228. 3 By the price whereby we were redeemed from the least sir. â— By the person whom by the least sin wee doe contempt unto p. 229. Yet are some far greater then others viz. as are most directly committed against God p. 230. 1 Sins of the highest degree against the first Table 2 Sins against knowledge p 231. 3 Sins of such as are of speciall note for profession p. 232. Sincerity of repentance to be judged by 1 our sorrow for and forsaking of sin chiefly for this cause because God is offended and dishonoured by it 2 When our sorrow for sin and forsaking of it groweth from faith Ibid. Lect. 47. Take heed of giving liberty to our selves to commit any sin or making light account of it when wee have committed it upon this conceit that it is but a small sin three Motives to this p. 233 234. Yet doth not this precisenesse make the yoake of Christ intollerable p. 235. None are to be blamed for being precise in small matters 1 Though there be a precisenesse in small matters that is to be blamed as a certaine signe of hypocrisie p. 236. 2 Yet all precisenesse even in small matters is not to be blamed Ibid. for 1 We may not commit the least sin for preventing the greatest danger 2 Nor for the preventing of a far greater sin 3 We may not dare to do ought that we see cause to doubt God hath forbidden p. 237. How to carry our selves towards them whom we thinke too precise in trifles Ibid. Lect 48. The Lord must be justified in whatsoever he hath spoken How the Lord speaketh to his people and how he is justified therein p. 238. 1 We must undoubtedly beleeve and give credit to every thing God hath spoken p. 239. 2 We must also approve it as most just equall without all murmuring against it 3 We must receive take to heart and submit our selves to â—t p. 240. Because 1 of the authority of the Speaker 2 because all spoken for our good p. 241. Though it be not a signe of a faithlesse heart 1 Not to beleeve that which the best man teacheth till we have tryed it Ibid. 2 to make questions and mooâ—e doubts of something wee read and heare 3 to have sometime thoughts of infidelity and atheisme p. 242. yet it s a dangerous signe 1 not to bee able to beleeve the Word nor troubled with infidelity Ibid. 2 to gaine say and dispute against the Word 3 not to endure the word of reproofe p 243. 4 to take nothing to heart that they heare p. 244. Lect 49. Davids meaning in these words That thou mightest bee cleere when thou judgest p. 244. The humbled sinner will cleere in Lord from all aspersion of injustice or extreamity in any of his judgements inflicted on himselfe or others p 245. Foure degrees of this passive obedience 1. We may not in word or thought murmure against any of them p. 245. 2 We must give testimony to the righteousness of them 3 We must bee willing to beare them patiently p. 246 247. 4 Even in those wee can conceive no just cause or reason of p. 247. Reasons of this 1 respects the judge himselfe Ibid. 2 them that are judged and corrected by him p. 248. Lect. 50. We have all need to seeke the grace of patience for 1 Crosses daily to be looked for 2 we in this land have cause to looke for evill times 3 a very difficult thing to the flesh to beare crosses well p. 250. Notes of true patience 1 its a fruit effect of repentance and humiliation 2 and of faith 3 and of our obedience p. 251 4 It maketh us willing to beare that crosse whatsoever it be that God seeth sit to exercise us by 5 It maketh a man more desirous to profit by his affliction then to be rid of it 6 It maketh a man unwilling to ease himselfe of his crosse by unlawfull meanes 252. 7 It will moderate our passions and make us meeke spirited even towards men p. 253. Lect. 51. Motives unto patience 1 Every childe of God must looke for aâ—â—liction even for much affliction no possibility of going to heaven but this way p. 253. 2 We can no way ease our selves by impatiency but make our crosse more grievous but the contrary by patience in three respects p. 254 255. 3 God hath a speciall hand in all our crosses this consideration hath great force to preserve from feare of troubles and to keepe us from fainting under them p. 256. For he doth afflict us alwaies in love as appeares in five points 1 He doth it not willingly but when need requires 2 The end he aimeth at is to doe us good yea some speciall good that could not otherwise be done p. 257. 3 He will recompense whatsoever loffe wee sustaine by it p. 258. 4 He moderates all our afflictions both for time and measure 5 He will bee with them in their affliction to strengthen and comfort them p. 259. Lect. 52. Meanes 1 Thinke often of the evill day and prepare for it p. 260. These thoughts would 1 keepe us from surfeting of our pleasures 2 restraine us from sin 3 make affliction lesse bitter to us when it shall come p. 261. A great mercy that God giveth us such warnings p. 262. 2 Weane thy heart before hand from the love of earthly things Ibid. 3 Acquaint thy selfe well before hand with the Word p. 263. 4
Get a true knowledge and sense of thine owne sinnes p. 265. This also the best preparative to the Sacrament Ibid. Lect. 53. 5 Get before a lively faith p. 266. the reasons of this the necessity of faith in this respect p. 267. rules to try our faith by p. 268. Comfort for such as have true faith though in the least measure p. 269. Lect. 54. 6 Get before hand a sound hope and assurance that when thou dyest thou shalt goe to heaven p. 270. Notes to trie true hope by p. 271 c. 7 Get before hand a good conscience and be carefull to lead a godly life p. 272. 8 Seeke this grace of God by hearty prayer p. 273. Lect. 55. The Text 1 Psal. 51.5 cleared against the Anabaptists by answering two questions p. 275. The youngest infant is guilty of sin and deserveth to be damned p. 277. In what respect infants called innocents holy Ibid. p. 278. and some also borne in the state of grace p. 279. How severe God hath beene in his judgements towards some infants Ibid Three waies they are guilty of sinne pag. 280. Therefore 1 Anabaptists erre grossely 2. Great need they should be baptized 3 Observe and take to heart Gods judgements on them 4. The sins of little ones not to bee neglected p. 281. Lect. 56. The sinne that is in infants is derived to them from their parents Though there bee three other causes of actuall sins p. 282. yet of originall sin this is the onely cause Ibid. Why the children of the holyest parents are borne in sin p. 283. yet this doeth not excuse or extenuate their sins nor give cause to deny reverence or duty to parents Ibid. Great is the duty that children owe to their parents p. 284. For they have all received that benefit from the parents godly or ungodly rich or poore which no duty of theirs can requite Ibid p. 285. No man hath cause to be proud of his parentage Ibid. Parents should be humbled for the sinnes of their children p. 286. Lect. 57. Our originall sinne is that for which God may most justly abhorre us and for which we should be deeply humbled p. 301 303. Lect. 58. Parents should use their utmost endeavour to breed grace in their children For 1 No. way like this can we shew we love them as we ought 2 Iustice bindeth us to it 3 It will be our chiefe comfort to see grace wrought in them p. 287. 4 They will bee more dutifull to us 5 This will give us assurance that there is truth of grace in our selves 6 God hath charged us and put us in trust with their soules p. 288. 7 The hope of the Church and propagation of the Gospel depends on this 290. Lect. 59. Meanes to destroy corruption to breed grace in our children are these Wee must 1 Maintaine our authority There is an honour due to us from our childe p. 291. This we must take heed we loose not Ibid. This many loose by neglecting 1 to feare God themselves and to give good example p. 292 2 to keepe their children in awe when they are young p. 293. Correction necessary for children and three great sins parents commit in neglecting this Ibid. 294. Lect. 60. Secondly we must instruct our children 1 By teaching them the principles plainely even whiles they are very young p. 294. 2 By acquainting them with the practise of religion 3 bringing them to Church even while young 4 examining them how they profit at Church p. 295. 1 Obj. Absurd to teach little ones religion Answ. 1. No for they are capable of the feeds of grace 2 child-hood the fittest age to be wrought upon this way p. 296. 3 Though it doe them no good for the present it may prepare them for grace and doe them good hereafter p. 297. 2 Obj. No heed to be taken to the good things seeme to be wrought in children for they will loose them againe Three answers given to this Ibid. Thirdly we must give good examples to our children great force in this p. 298. Fourthly wee must take heed how wee place them at schoole or in service or in mariage p. 299. Fiftly we must bee earnest with God in prayer for them Ibid. In using these meanes wee may comfort our selves though we see them fruitlesse oft p. 300. Lect. 61 Two rules to try all doctrines in religion That Doctrine cannot bee of God 1 that gives any thing to man in matter of his salvation any cause of boasting or confidence in himselfe 2 That is agreeable to naturall reason and grounds it selfe most upon that pag. 304. The Papists errour touching originall sin p. 305. How dead wee are by nature and void of all freedome of will unto good in foure points Ibid. Concupiscence without consent is sinne p. 306 307. Lect. 62. The knowledge of our naturall corruption is of great force to humble us p. 308. viz. 1 to keepe us from priding our selves in best duties we have done p. 309. 2 to humble us when we pray Ibid. Long prayers not unlawfull so it be with foure cautions p. 310. respect to be had to th' ability of them that joyne with us Ibid. 3 to humble us in our fasts Fasts are to no purpose if wee bee not humbled in them p. 311. 1 for Gods judgements upon ourselves and the Church Ibid. 2 for th'outragious sinnes committed every where that wee know or heare of pag. 312. 3 For our owne sins specially Ibid. 4 specially for our originall sin Ibid. Lect. 63. Every one should endeavour to be delivered from the danger of his originall corruption especially p. 313. Three motives to this p. 314. Meanes 1. Seeke to be justified from it by Christ. Labour to be in Christ and to know by faith that Christ is ours for then God cannot loath us for it Ibid p. 315. 2 Labour to finde that by the Spirit thou art delivered from the dominion of it and to cleanse thy selfe from it and to mortifie it This meanes more sensible then the first though not so perfect p. 316. Lect. 64. Meanes we must use to mortifie corruption in our selves 1 Observe the first stirrings of it and what sins thy heart is most inclined to p 317. 2 When thou discernest it set thy selfe against it viz. resist it hate and dislike it and grieve for it Ibid. 318. 3 Shun all occasions and provocations to it Be sober 1 in the use of the comforts of this life p. 319. 2 In following the businesse of our callings some part of every day to be spent in religious duties p. 320. Lect. 65. The fourth meanes to mortify corruption is a diligent and conscionable use of the exercises of religion p. 321. Great force in reading and hearing of the Word to mortifie corruption Ibid. Prayer hath great force to mortifie sin p. 322. The fift meanes of mortification is to beare afflictions willingly and patiently Ibid Great force in affliction this way p. 223.
hath given to them that cleave constantly to his truth p. 769. The faithfull themselves have found much comfort in this p. 770. Lect. 145. The Spirit of God wheresoever he dwellâ— will teach and effectually perswade the heart in the truth of religion p. 771. No man can grow to certainty in matters of religion by any other meanes but by the teaching of the Spirit and proportionable to the measure of the Spirit of sanctification that a man hath shall his certainty be p. 773 774 Yet is not this to be accounted every mans private Spirit p. 775. The Spirits teaching to be judged by the Word Ibid. The ministery of the Word is the meanes whereby the Spirit useth to teach men p. 776 They whom the Spirit hath once taught and perswaded will certainely persevere in the truth Ibid. Lect. 146. Th'exhortation to constancy in the truth is very needfull and that even in these daies p. 777. by reason 1 that Papists increase 2 the multitude of other erroneous spirits 3 the generall decay of the zealous love of religion and of the life power of it p. 778. 1 Motive to constancy Corruption in judgement is the most dangerous corruption of all other p. 779 780. 2 Motive He that falls from the truth and embraceth errour was never taught of the Spirit p. 780. Though in some things of smaller moment the faithfull may be subject to errour and errors of that nature should not alienate Christians one from another yea in fundamentall points for a time Ibid. 781. Lect. 147. Though our perseverance in the truth be to be ascribed to the Lord alone yet he worketh it by meanes and will have us to bee agents in this work our selves p. 782 783. 1 We must carefully shâ—n all things whereby we may be in danger to be corrupted and drawne from the truth viz. 1. We must shun the hearing and conferring with them that are hereticks and seducers and the reading of their books We should not long to heare what they can say for their errors or against the truth p. 784. 2 Wee must take heed of affecting the knowledge of intricate curious and unprofitable points p. 785. There is a desire of knowledge which is commendable and no Minister should mislike in his hearers p. 786. Yet is there a desire of knowledge that is most dangerous Ibid. 1 When wee desire to know more of Gods matters then hee hath pleased to reveale in his Word Ibid. 2 When neglecting other things we seeke the knowledge of those high points onely that are above our capacity to understand and busie our selves in matters of controversie p. 787. 3 When wee desire knowledge onely for knowledge saâ—e without respect to the use and profit we may make of it for our edification in faith and holinesse p 788. Lect. 148. He that desires to hold fast his profession must use the meanes whereby hee may bee established in the truth and preserved from falling away from it foure directions are given us in Gods booke for this p. 788. 1 Hee must ground himselfe well in the knowledge of the truth and labour to bee assured upon good grounds that it is indeed the truth he holdeth Ibid. 1 Hee must acquâ—â—nt himselfe with the maine principles of religion and seeke to be perfect in them p. 789. 2 examine by Scripture what ever hee heareth or readeth and labour to get good proofes of Scripture for whatsoever he holdeth p. 790. 2 He must labour to take to heart that which he knoweth love it and make conscience to practise it He that by reading or hearing seeketh knowledge with an honest and good heart shall hold fast that which he professeth and none but he p. 792 793. Lect. 149. 3 He must take heed of declining from or forsaking the least truth his conscience hath beene convinced in Two things there bee that deceive men in this case p. 793 794. Though some truths be of greater moment then others yet it s a dangerous sin to be willfully ignorant of any truth God hath revealed or forsake it when we know it upon conceit that it is but a trisâ—e for 1 nothing that God hath revealed is of small moment or lightly to be accounted of 2 a man may make himselfe abominable to God by forsaking wittingly the least truth or receiving the least errour p. 794. 3 the best way to keepe us from falling from the truth in the maine points is to make conscience of falling from the least truth p. 795. 4 He must be constant in a conscionable use of all Gods ordinances 1 the ministery of the Word p. 796. 2 the Sacrament of the Lords Supper 3 prayer p. 797 798. Lect. 150. Every one that hath the Spirit of Christ will take to heart the cause of God and his holy religion p. 798. 1 No man can have the Spirit of Christs unlesse he love God unfeignedly above all things els Ibid. 2 He that doth thus love God must needs be zealous for God grieved and troubled to see him dishonoured 3 He that hath any true zeale to God in him will shew and expresse it principally towards the house and worship of God p. 799. More particularly 1 He that hath the Spirit of Christ must needs rejoyce to see or heare that the true religion of God doth prosper and that the purity of it is restored or set up any where p. 800. 2 He that hath the Spirit of Christ will rejoyce in the frequencie and fullnesse of Church-assemblies 3 In the plentifull and free preaching of the Word p. 801. 4 Hee will rejoyce to see and heare that the ministery of the Word is fruitfull among them that enjoy it and powerfull to reforme their hearts and lives p. 802 803. Lect. 151. Three Reasons and grounds of the former doctrine 1 He that hath the Spirit of Christ cannot but love the persons of all men and we love no man unlesse wee love his soule and unfeignedly desire his salvation grieve to see his soule in danger of perishing p. 803. He that desires the salvation of all will joy in the plentifull and sound preaching of the Word p. 804. Though God can save men without preaching yet he doth not ordinarily without it and its a fearefull signe hee meaneth not to save them he denieth preaching unto Ibid. 805. Though all bee not saved that have preaching yet it s a cause of comfort to see sound preachers abound p. 805. A man that hath no truth of grace in himselfe may yet be a meanes of conversion to others Ibid. 2 The respect wee have to the state and Church wherein we live which we are bound to love p. 806. 1 Nothing will make the state and Church so honourable as the liberty of the Gospell 2 nor so strong and peaceable 3 nor so prosperous and plenteous in blessings p. 806 807. On the other side nothing will sooner deprive it of all blessings then the neglect and opposing of religion p.
reverence all men that go under the name of ministers For I know there be too many such whom 1. for their gifts as the Lord speaketh Ier. 23.21 I have not sent them yet they runne I have not spoken to them yet they prophecy 2. For their lives the Lord hath most justly made contemptible and base before all the people as he did the Prophets in Malachies dayes Mal. 2.9 Fourthly Neither doe I perswade you to that slavish subjection to the ministry which the Synagogue of Antichrist have brought the people unto They appropriate to themselves onely the title of the Church the people they say have no further to deale with matters of Religion then this to beleeve as the Church beleeveth to receive whatsoever the Priest teacheth or enjoyneth never make any question of it For to such Gods people may justly say that which Korah Dathan and Abiram did speake most wickedly and rebelliously Numb 16.2 Yee take too much upon you seeing all the congregation are holy every one of them and the Lord is among them wherefore then lift ye up your selves above the congregation of the Lord You may and ought to judge of the Doctrine that is taught you and not to reverence the best minister in the world so much as to receive any doctrine upon his credite till you have examined and found it to be agreeable to the Word Paul himselfe bids the Corinthians judge of that he said 1. Cor. 10.15 and the Bereans are commended for this that they examined by the Scriptures those things that Paul and Sylas taught Acts 17.11 Fiftly I deny not but you may in your esteeme put a difference even betweene Gods faithfull ministers For there are diversities of gifts 1. Cor. 12.4 And it is no fault but a good grace of God to esteeme best of the best gifts of God That may by good consequence bee concluded from that speech of the Apostle 1. Cor. 12.31 Covet earnestly the best gifts And I will tell you what ministry you should most prize and esteeme of First you may and ought to esteeme of that ministry best not which tickleth the eare best nor of that which hath most learning but that which is most fit to edifie and to work upon the conscience which made Paul say 1. Cor. 14.5 Greater is he that prophesieth then he that speaketh with tongues and 4.20 The kingdome of God standeth not in words but in power Secondly you may and ought to esteeme of that ministery best that doth most good that God blesseth most and so giveth greatest testimony unto This is mentioned for the cause of the reverence the conuert spoken of 1. Cor. 14.25 did shew to that ministery because he found that of a truth God was in that ministery And thus Paul challengeth esteeme and reverence to his ministry 1. Corinthians 9.2 because God had set his seale unto it Thirdly you may and ought to esteeme most of that ministery that your selves have received most good by So Paul prooveth the Corinthians ought to esteeme more of him then of others because he had begotten them to Christ. 1. Cor. 4. â—5 And in this respect certainely your owne Pastors should bee more esteemed then strangers 1. Thess. 5 12. Wee beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you All this notwithstanding you must hold your selves bound to esteeme reverently of the meanest of Gods faithfull ministers and may not admire and praise one with disparaging and making light account of another This is taxed by the Apostle as a foule sinne 1. Cor. 3.4 When one saith I am of Paul another I am of Apollo are ye not carnall Now for to helpe and strengthen thee against this corruption consider these sixe points First The ministery of one man is Gods ordinance aswell as anothers 1. Cor. 16.10 11. Timothy worketh the worke of the Lord as I also do let no man therefore despise him And the word is the same the treasure as precious in one vessell as in another 2. Cor. 4.7 Secondly The difference of gifts is the Lords doing and for the benefit of the Church It is not alwayes the fault of the minister that his gifts are meaner then another mans Many times indeed it is his owne fault because he will not study nor stirre up Gods gifts in himselfe but alwayes it is not so But this is the Lords doing who divideth to every one severally as he will 1. Cor. 12.11 Yea in this difference and variety of his gifts in his ministers the goodnesse of God to his Church is greatly to bee admired All this is done for the benefit of the Church 1. Cor. â— 22 One kind of gift is fitter for some to profit by and another for other some Mat. 11.17 19. Thirdly He that receiveth a meaner gift then he whom thou most admirest in one kind may yet excell him in some other gift that is also usefull and beneficiall to the Church As the Apostle sets it forth by a fit comparison the hand hath as excellent a gift in his kind as the eye and the foote as the head 1. Cor. 12.21 Paul had a better gift in speech then Barnabas Actes 14.12 yet was Barnabas also a good man and full of the holy Ghost and had excellent gifts in his kind Acts 11.24 Fourthly Thy profiting by the ministry of the word dependeth not so much upon the gifts of the man that preacheth as upon the blessing of God upon his owne ordinance 1. Cor. 3.5 The Preachers are but the ministers by whom wee beleeve even as the Lord giveth to every man Fiftly God sometimes workes most mightily and giveth the greatest blessing to the weakest meanes No man doubts but Peters gifts were farre inferiour to Christs yet wonne he more to God by one Sermon Acts 2.41 then Christ did by all his as may appeare Acts 1.15 Sixtly If thou refusest to receive and esteeme duly of the meanest of Gods faithfull servants that are sent by Christ thou receivest not Christ but in the ministery of the Word respectest more the gifts of men then the ordinance of God Iohn 13.20 Verily verily I say unto you he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me Lecture IIII. On the Title of Psal. 51. Octob. 26. 1625. SEcondly This Doctrine should perswade us of the necessity of this ordinance yea how necessary it is for every one of us to live under the ministry of the word and provoke us to resolve with our selves that we will never live without it This was Davids resolution Psal. 23.6 I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever Yea he prayeth that he may be so happy Psal. â—7 4 One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seeke after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life Wee should be content to bee at cost and to straine our selves to get it home to us rather then we would
4â— The Lord 〈…〉 the Church daily such as should be saved And as Maâ—th 11 12. The kingdome of heaven suffered violence and the violent tooke it by force In those cases 〈…〉 have beene said of us as Esa. 32.20 Blessed are yee that sow beside all waters that send forth thither the feet of the Oxe and the Asse Men might have called us blessed and happy men in the fruitfulnesse of our ministery the ground God gave us to till and husband was a most fruitfull soile But those daies are gone no such thing is to be seene now we now plow and sow in stony and thorny and barren ground you heare still but with no such affection love and delight as once you did you feele no such power in the Word to reforme you and draw you unto the practise of that you learne as once you did So that I may say to many of you as the Apostle doth Heb. 10.32 Call to remembrance the former daies Thirdly consider well what may be the causes of this that though there bee as much preaching and hearing as ever there was yet men profit now adaies nothng so much in the life and power of godlinesse as once they did First it cannot be denied but that one cause why the ministery of the Word is so weake and unprofitable is the want of that due inspection that Christ hath lest to his Church to make it fruitfull and effectuall The Minister is by Gods ordinance not onely to teach but to oversee his slocke Act. 20.28 Take heede to the slocke over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers Heb. 13.17 Remember them which have the rule over you who have spoken unto you in the name of the Lord. They have authority from God not only to teach you his will but to oversee all your waies at home and abroad to observe how you profit by that which you heare to require at your hands the practise of that they teach you Matth. 21.34 The Lord sends his servants to demand fruit of them that occupie his ground The Guides of Gods Church have also authority from God not onely to admonish and reprove you if you be unfruitfull but also to correct you by executing the censures of Christs Church upon you Paul speakes of a rod that God hath committed to his servants to that end 1 Cor. 4.21 Shall I come to you with a rod Certainely Gods vineyard and garden hath need not onely of such as plant and water it but of such as take continuall care of it to looke unto it to dresse and husband it Luk. 13.7 8. If it be not pruned nor digged no marvell though it beare briers and thornes rather then any thing that is good Marke that curse Esa. 5.6 I will lay it wast it shall not be pruned nor digged but there shall come up briers and thornes And surely this is a great cause why the ministery of the Word doth so little good 1. That Ministers take so little care of their people how they live whether they profit or no by that they heare but thinke if they preach constantly unto them they have done asmuch as God requireth of them Whereas it is a chiefe part as I have told you of the Ministers office to oversee the flocke 1 Pet. 5.2 Taking the over-sight thereof and to take care of them 1 Tim. 3.5 If a man know not how to rule his owne house how shall he take care of the Church of God 2. That the people generally are sonnes of Belial will not beare Christs yoke but conspire together against it and say Psal. 2.3 Let us breake their bands asunder and cast their cords from us They will be content to heare us now and then in our publique ministery but if we offer to deale with them in private and come in our Masters name to demand fruit of them they will be ready to offer all violence and despite unto us as they did Matth. 21.35 Secondly another cause of the unfruitfullnesse of the ministery is this that the Lord for the contempt men have shewed unto the Word doth denie to give his blessing unto it in their hearts Even as if he should say of many places as Esa. 5.6 I will command the clouds that they raine no raine upon it And as Matth. 13.14 By hearing ye shall heare and shall not understand and seeing yee shall see and shall not perceive Many aone there is and would to God there were none such among you that seemed once to be fruitfull and to profit much by that they heard that are now growne so senselesse so sottish so hardened in their evill courses as if for their apostacy God had pronounced of them in his decree as once he did of the figtree Mat. 21.19 Let no fruit grow on thee hence forward for ever Thirdly but the chiefe cause sure why we profit no more by the Word is in our selves Esa. 59.1 2. The Lords hand is not shortned that it cannot save but your iniquities have seperated betweene you and your God And as the Apostle saith of praying Iames 4.3 Ye aske and receive not because ye aske amisse so may I say of hearing ye heare and heare often but receive no profit at all because you heare amisse It is therefore necessary for you all to be directed how you may heare to profit by your hearing how you may heare so as your hearts may feele the divine power of God in this his ordinance This direction then consisteth of three parts For such as would profit by their hearing must do something before they come to heare something during the time that they are in hearing and something after they have heard the Word For the first As Physicians before physicke use to give somewhat to prepare the body that their physick may worke the more kindly so must the soule be prepared for the receiving of this heavenly physicke or it will never worke kindly upon it But you will object There is no such need of this The Word hath wrought mightily to the conversion of some that never prepared their hearts to receive it as in that convert mentioned 1 Cor. 14.24 25. Yea in some that came with that in their hearts as might utterly have hindred the saving operation of it even with hatefull hearts and with full purpose to cavill and oppose it As in the case of the pursevants that were sent to apprehend Christ Ioh. 7.32 46. And in those Iewes that immediatly before Peters sermon mocked him and the rest of the Apostles and said they were full of new wine Act. 2.13.37 And in those Athenians who when they came to beare Paul esteemed him no better then a babler Act. 17.18 34. To this I answer 1. That I speake not now to the unconverted for such I know can do nothing to prepare their owne hearts seeing they are dead in their sins Ephes. 2.1 but to Gods people and such as are regenerate 2. I speake of the
and your labour for that which satisfieth not 3. The more we have of them with the more difficulty shall we be saved and goe to heaven Lu. 18.24 How hardly shall they that have righâ—s enter into the kingdome of God Secondly our sins doe not trouble us more then any thing els we count them not our greatest evils or greatest miseries The evill of punishment seemes far more intollerable to us then the evill of sin There be many things that trouble us much more and we can worse beare then our sins A little want a little sicknesse a little trouble in the world disquieteth our hearts much more then ever our sins did And it may be said to every one of us as Elihu speaketh Iob 36.21 Thou hast chosen iniquity rather then affliction Thirdly The greatest part of men count sin no evill no misery at all are never troubled with any of their sins past not afraid to commit any sinne that they are moved unto They can goe away as lightly with their sins as Sampson did with the gates of Gaza Iudges 16.3 Sin is no burden to them at all they are never disquieted in their minds with remembrance of their sins but are fuâ—l of admirable peace peace in life and peace in death Psal. â—3 5 Thou are not in trouble at other men Luke 11.21 The strong man armed keepeth his palace and his goods are in peace Nay none are so merry as they yea their sins make them merry and they are never so jâ—â—and and light hearted as when they have sinned most Ieremy 11.15 When thou dost evill then thou rejoycest Surely the cause of this is worthy to be enquired into these men certainly have diseased and distempered soules and the best way to cure this and every other disease is to find out and remove the cause of it Let mee therefore enquire into the causes of this distemper and to that end demand a question or two of these men First Ioseph was afraid to commit sin though he were strongly tempted unto it and could have done it secretly enough Gen. 39.9 How can I doe this great wicked us and sin against God And it is made a note of a godly man that be feareth an oath Eccles. 9.2 And why art not thou afraid to sin to lye to sweare to be drunke to deceive thy neighbour to commit any sin Secondly Peter was so troubled for his sins that he wept bitterly Mat. 26.75 〈…〉 for 〈◊〉 while that Christ was faine first to appeare to 〈…〉 to take great paines to comfort him Iohnâ—1 â—1 1â— 17. And 〈…〉 here and Psal. 33.4 Minâ— iniquities are as an heavy burden 〈…〉 me to beare And so was the incestuous person 2. Cor. 2.7 ready 〈…〉 up with overmuch sorrow And why art not thou troubled in the mind at all for any of thy sins Why countestâ— thou them no burden at all Thirdly David hath never done crying to God here for the pardon of his sins ver â—â— O Lord blot out my transgessions wash me throughly from mine iniquity and clense me from my sins and ver 9. Hide thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities And why dost thou never use to cry heartily unto God for the pardon of thy sins nor seeke after it First thou wilt say thou hast no such cause to be troubled as David had thy sins are not so hainous as Davids were thou werr never murderer nor adultery â—â— either thou thankest God This was the cause why the Pharisâ—e when he came to pray made no suit at all for the pardon of his sins they were no trouble to him Lu. 18.11 I thinke thee ô God I am not as other man extertioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publican But to this I answer 1. Thou hast cause enough to be troubled for thy sinnes for all that For 1 others of Gods servants have beene greatly troubled for small sins Are thy sins smaller then Iobs were and yet he was marvellously troubled and afflicted in mind for his sins he even abhorred himselfe and repented in dust and ashes as he professeth himselfe Iob 42.6 Are thy sins smaller then those that Paul speaketh of Rom. 7.15 that which I do I allow not for what I would that do I not but what I hate that do I And yet see what a burden even this was to him it made him cry out verse 24. O wretched man that I am Seest thou not daily how heavily many of Gods best servants doe walke how they complaine and cry out some on their death beds some continually almost and what be the sins that trouble them so Are they grosse sins Are they more heinous then thine No no. They are even such as those of Pauls were the very combat betwixt their flesh and spirit they find in themselves puts them to this paine and maketh them to cry as Rebecca Gen. 25.22 If it be so why am I thus In her passion she was ready to say it had beene better for me to have beene barren still And so are many of Gods poore servants in their passion apt to say O it were good for us to observe well this trouble of mind that many of Gods deare ones are subject unto and to be among these mourners Eccl. 7.4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning For when we see such examples we should lay them to heart and say to our selves Lord if the sins of such a one be so heavy a burden what will mine be Luk. 23.31 If this be done to the greene tree what shall be done to the dry 1 Pet. 4.18 If the righteous scarcely shall be saved where shall the ungodly and sinner appeare Secondly as small as thy sinnes seeme to be thou art under the curse of God as well as David was and that is such a burden as no creature can beare Gal. 3.10 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the law to doe them And hast not thou then cause to be troubled Hast not thou cause to seeke earnestly for the pardon of thy sinne Wouldst not thou count that malefactor a mad man that being condemned to die should say I have no such need to sue for a pardon as such and such my offence was neither treason nor murder as theirs was I am condemned but for a burglary or for a robbery c. Thirdly thy sins are not smaller thou hast as much nay more cause to be troubled for thy sins then David had For 1. He committed these sins but once the sins that thou standest guilty of thou hast committed oftentimes How oft hast thou blasphemed and beene drunke and uncleane and lyed and deceived thy neighbour I tell thee smaller sinnes being multiplied and oft committed will make as heavy a burden as the heinousest sinne that is but once committed Ier. 5.6 A lion out of the forrest shall slay them because their transgressions are many
go into that dungeon must he be cast whence hee shall never get out till hee have paid the uttermost farthing as our Saviour speaketh in another case Matth. 5.26 With such men hell followed death at the heeles Rev. 6.8 The rich man so soone as he was dead went into the torments of hell Luke 16.22 23. Now how soone or how suddenly death may seaze upon us none of us can tell All men lye not long sicke before they dye nor are sicke at all Eccl. 9.12 Man knoweth not his time as the fishes that are taken in an evill net as the birds that are caught in the snare while they are playing and skipping and earing merrily so are the sonnes of men snared in an evill time when it falleth suddenly on them In which respect they that have not their sinnes pardoned must needs live in a continuall feare of death whensoever they thinke seriously upon it As the Apostle saith Heb. 2.15 Christ came to deliver them who through feare of death were all their life time subject to bondage Whereas the man that hath gotten his pardon need not feare death at all but may die in peace and say with Simeon Luke 2.29 Now Lord lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seene thy salvation Yea may even looke him in the face when he commeth and insult over him as 1 Cor. 15.55 O death where is thy sting Secondly In respect had to the afflictions of this life For 1. Till our sins be pardoned there is no judgement we see or heare of but we have cause to feare it and to live continually in a certaine fearefall expectation of judgement as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 10.27 We have cause to looke for the curse of God in our selves and in our children and in our goods and in our good name in our bodies and in our minds For so hath God threatned by Moses Deut. 28.19 If thou wilt not observe to doe all his commandements and his statutes all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee 2. Till our sins be pardoned every affliction and judgement that doth befall us will be intollerable unto us will vexe and disquiet us so as we can with no patience and comfort beare it Sin is like unto old age that maketh a man so weake as even the grashopper will be a burden unto him as Solomon speaketh Ecclesiast 12.5 Or like a bile upon a mans backe or shoulder that maketh him unable to beare any thing This is the true cause of mens extreame impatience in every affliction not the burden or extreamity of the affliction so much as their owne galled backs the biles and sores that they have upon themselves their owne sins that are unpardoned and unsubdued in them And that which the Apostle speaketh of death 1. Cor. 15.56 the sting of death is sin may be said of every affliction and crosse sin is the only thing that maketh it sting and paine us so much as it doth Whereas on the other side when once we have gotten our pardon 1. We may be secure and void of the slavish feare of Gods judgements before they come As David when he had lifted up the light of his countenance upon him saith Psal. 4.8 I will both lay me downe in peace and sleep and 91.5 6. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terrour by night nor for the arrow that flyeth by day nor for the pestilence that walketh in darknesse nor for the destruction that wâ—isteth at noone day 2. When judgements and crosses doe come we shall be able to beare them with patience and comfort Prov. 18.14 The spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmitie Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith wee have peace with God And then followeth verse 3. wee glory in tribulations also The third and last motive is from the respect had to the comforts we enjoy and desire to enjoy in this life For 1. Till our sins be pardoned we can have no assurance to obtaine of God any of the good things of this life Esa. 59.2 Your iniquities have separated betweene you and your God and your sinnes have hid his face from you that he will not heare 2. Till our sins be pardoned we can have no sound comfort in any of these blessings that we doe enjoy for we have them with Gods curse Vnto them that are defiled and unbelieving saith the Apostle Titus 1.15 is nothing pure Pro. 1 32. The prosperitie of fooles shall destroy them 3. Till our sins be pardoned nothing that we doe can please God Heb. 11.6 Without faith it is impossible to please God 4. Till our sins be pardoned there can be no grace nor goodnesse in us Ezek. 36.25 I will sprinkle cleane water upon you and ye shall be cleane from all your filthinesse then followeth verse 26. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh and verse 27. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walke in my statutes And these five motives are in themselves effectuall and forcible enough to worke in every one of us a care to seeke and sue for the pardon of our sins and to seeke it earnestly and to seeke it speedily if God shall be pleased to worke with them For that is an undoubted truth confirmed by infinite examples in dayly experience which our Saviour teacheth Iohn 6.44 No man can come to me except my Father draw him And I may say to you as he doth in the next verse 45. Every one therefore that hath heard these things and hath learned of the Father will come to Christ the only purchaser and disposer of Gods pardons to get his pardon And now having finished the motives I come to shew you the meanes how this pardon may be obtained which is the second generall point I propounded for the enforcing of this exhortation And the meanes we must use are principally foure First The man that would obtaine of God the pardon for his sins must first bring his heart to a sense of his sins this is that that prepareth a man and maketh him capable of a pardon Thou that hast lived the civillest life that a man can lead till thou canst bring thy heart to be troubled and pained with feare and heavinesse for thy sins canst have no hope to get thy pardon Christ promiseth refreshing nor indeed calls nor giveth incouragement to any to come to him but onely to such as are weary and heavy laden Matth. 11.28 And he prosesseth that he was sent to proclaime the Lords Iubile and time of generall pardon and release to none but to the broken hearted and mourners Esay 61.1 3. And comparing himselfe to a good shepheard he saith Ezechiel 34.16 his office was to binde up that which is broken and strengthen that which was sicke but to destroy the fat and
all thy getting get understanding For riches and honor are with her yea durable riches and righteousnesse Pro. 8.18 and 2. thou that hast ever felt the worke of grace comfort of Gods spirit in thy selfe mayest boldly from thy former experience conclude as David doth Psalme 23. â— Surely goodnes and mercy shall follow mee all the dayes of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever Iohn 8.35 The servant abideth not in the house for ever but the sonne doth Though my love to God be changeable yet Gods love to me is not Esa. 64.5 In those is continuance and we shall be saved Though therefore the comforter have withdrawne himselfe from thee for a time be sure he will returne againe and therefore wait for him And that which the Prophet saith of his vision may fitly be applyed to this purpose Hab. 2.3 Though it tarry wait for it for it will surely come it will not tarry hee meaneth one moment longer then the appointed time the fittest time Resolve with thy selfe as the Prophet doth Esay 8.17 I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Iacob even from his owne chosen people sometimes and I will looke for him Certainely of this sicknesse of thy soule I may say to thee as Christ did of Lazarus Iohn 11.4 this sicknesse is not unto death thou shalt surely recover it thy sorrow shall be turned into joy as our Saviour hath promised Iohn 16.20 The third direction is this Thou must well examine thy present estate and thou shalt find that though the spirit of adoption seeme to be gone and thou canst not find that worke of the spirit in thy selfe yet the spirit of sanctification abideth still in thee and if thou wilt well examine thy selfe thou shalt find that worke of the spirit in thee 1 Iohn 2.17 The annointing which ye hâ—ve received of him abideth in you and 3.9 Whosoever is borne of God doth not commit sinne that is as other men doe or as himselfe did before for his seed remaineth in him Examine thy heart well and thou shalt find evident notes of this First Thou art afraid to doe anything that thou knowest would offend God and whence commeth that from flesh and bloud No no of every naturall man the Apostle pronounceth Rom. 3.18 There is no feare of God before his eyes Secondly Thou lovest all that feare God and this is a certaine signe Gods spirit abideth in thee 1 Iohn 3.13 14. Marveâ— not my â—rethren though the world hate you wee know that wee have passed from death to life because wee love the Brethren Thirdly even in this case wherein now thou art thou prayest still and darest not neglect that duty as David did Psalme 31.22 I said in my hast I am cut off from before thine eyes neverthelesse thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cryed unto thee Even then I plyed thee with supplications and 61.2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed And whence commeth this I pray you Surely these prayers of all others proceed from the spirit as the Apostle teacheth Romans 8.26 The spirit helpeth our infirmities for wee know not what wee should pray for as wee ought but the spirit it selfe maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot bee uttered Fourthly thou lovest God though he doe hide his face and frowne on thee yea this very sorrow and anguish thou art in is a certaine Symptome and signe of thy love to God that is the cause that is the roote of it thou couldest not bee troubled as thou art with this that thou wantest the sense of Gods love if thou didst not dearely love him Certainely thou art sicke of love as the Church was Canticles 2.5 When Christ withdrew himselfe a while from her and shee sought him so carefully shee bewrayeth and could not conceale this to be the cause of her griefe Cant 3.1 2 3. I â—ought him whom my soule loveth I will go into the city and seeke him whom my soule loveth I said unto the watch-men saw ye him whom my soule loveth And whence came it that Mary wept so Luke 7.47 She loved much And whence commeth this I pray thee that thou so lovest the Lord From flesh and bloud No no this can come from nothing but from Gods spirit saving grace as is plaine by that question thrice moved to Peter Ioh. 21.15 17. Dost thou love me And by that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.3 If any man love God the same is knowne of him Fiftly and lastly Thou dost at the least unfainedly desire to feare God and to love him and to call upon him and to love his children and it is a great griefe and trouble to thy heart that thou canst not doe it better To will is present with thee as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 7.18 Certainely this change that is wrought in thy will these unfained desires of grace doe prove evidently that the spirit of God dwelleth in thee Phil. 2.13 It is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe of his good pleasure And Nehe. 1.11 Nehemiah proveth himselfe to be Gods servant even by this note because hee desired to feare Gods name Now from these five notes of Gods spirit dwelling in thee thou mayest infallibly inferre these conclusions for the recovering of thy comfort 1. That thou hast faith and art thereby united unto Christ. 1 Iohn 3.24 Hereby we know that hee abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given us And 4.13 Hereby wee know that wee dwell in him and he in us because hee hath given us of his spirit As the naturall spirit is in no member that is not united to the head so can the spirit of sanctification bee in none that is not by faith knit unto Christ our head as the Apostle applyeth this comparison Ephesians 4.16 And our Saviour Iohn 15.4 As the branch cannot beare fruit of it selfe unlesse it abide in the Vine no more can yee except ye abide in me 2. That thou hast just cause to bee comfortable thou hast the roote and ground of sound comfort in thy selfe Psalme 32.11 Bee glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart 3. That it is thy great sin for which thou hast just cause to checke and blame thy selfe that thou art not more thankefull that thou rejoycest no more in thine estate Is it thinkest thou 〈◊〉 blessing or a common blessing to have Christ to have Gods spirit dwelling in thee to have this blessed change wrought in thy soule Paul giveth thankes for this Romans 6.17 God bee thanked that ye were the servants of sinne but ye have obeyed from the heart that forme of Doctrine that was delivered unto you And 1 Thessal 3.9 What thankes can we render to God againe for you for all the joy wherewith we rejoyce for your sakes before our
hold upon mee because of the wicked that forsake thy law 2. They are of a contagious and infectious nature and if they be not publikely repented of they will increase unto more ungodlinesse and spread over the whole body of the congregation like a Gangreene This the Apostle putteth the Church of Corinth in mind of 1 Cor. 5.6 Know yea not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lumpe And alas a wofull experience have we of the truth of this both in this towne and in many other places 3. They put the whole congregation in danger of Gods wrath and heavy judgements Did not Achan the sonne of Zerah saith Phinehas Iosh. 22.20 commit a trespasse in the accursed thing and wrath fell on all the congregation of the children of Israel and that man perished not alone in his iniquitie So that you see by these kind of sins there is an offence and wrong done to the whole congregation where they are committed And when by our sins we have offended and wronged men it is not sufficient to confesse our sins unto God and seeke reconciliation with him but wee must endeavour to give satisfaction unto men whom wee have wronged To God wee can make no satisfaction to men whom we have offended wee may wee must make satisfaction yea without willingnesse and desire to doe it there is no hope of finding mercy with God This is evident by those two Lawes Levit. 6.5 6. and Numbers 5.6.8 where God plainly taught his people that their trespasse offering which they brought to him to seeke pardon of any sin whereby they had wronged any man should not be accepted till they had first made satisfaction to the party to whom the wrong was done And lest we should thinke those lawes concerned the Iewes only our Saviour himselfe giveth this in charge Matthew 5.23 24. If thou bringest thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee leave there thy gift before the Altar and goe thy way first bee reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift And if there be such necessity of making satisfaction to any one brother that hath ought against us before we can get assurance of our reconciliation with God what necessity is there of making satisfaction to a whole Church and congregation that we have given just cause of offence unto In this case it is not sufficient to approve our repentance and truth of heart to God we must bee willing also and desirous to appoove it to the congregation and Church of God that wee may say as the two Tribes and halfe said Iosh. 22.22 The Lord God of Gods hee knoweth and Israel bee shall know Lecture XXXV On Psalme 51.3 Octob. 3. 1626. IT followeth that wee make some application of this point For it serveth for the just reproofe of three sorts of men 1. Of such as neglect to doe what lyeth in them to bring open shame upon open and scandalous offendors by detecting them unto such as have authority to censure them 2. Of such as having authority to censure such offendors when they are detected neglect to enjoyne them publike repentance for the satisfying of the congregation 3. Of such as being for publike offences enjoyned to give publike satisfaction to the congregation refuse to doe it In the first of these rankes come to be reproved not those officers only which every congregation hath and who stand bound by oath to doe this but many others also Many are guilty of this sin This is a point so needfull in these dayes and in this place to be insisted upon that I have willingly suffered my meditations to enlarge themselves in it and pray you to give diligent and conscionable attention to that which I shall say It is the generall complaint of all men that sin did never more abound then it doth now That in these times of so great light and in the places where the Gospel is most plentifully preached blasphemy drunkennesse whoredome and such like grosse sins are more common and growne to a greater height then ever Three great mischiefes grow from hence First It maketh the preaching and professing of the Gospel odious to Papists and worldly men As Iacob saith of Simeon and Levi Genes 34.30 Yee have made me to stinke among the inhabitants of the land Secondly It hindereth the fruit and successe of all the endeavours that either the state or other of Gods people do use for the good of our Church and nation Never had nation more experience of the benefit of fasting and prayer then wee have had the last yeere in the marveilous staying of the pestilence and this yeere in the no lesse marveilous stay of unseasonable weather and preventing the dearth that was generally feared But the fasting and prayers of Gods people had certainely prevailed much more had it not been for this that these foule sinnes doe so much abound every where There bee many good things Gods people cannot yet obtaine many great evils they cannot yet get remooved Yea though Noah Daniel and Iob were in this land to fast and pray for it it is much to be feared they should not bee able to prevaile for it as the Lord speaketh Ezek. 14.14 And why so The Lords hand is not shortned that it cannot save as the Prophet speaketh Esa. 59.1 2 neither is his eare heavie that it cannot heare but our iniquities have separated betweene us and our God and our sinnes have hid his face from us that hee will not heare This huge increase of grosse sins every where standeth up as a wall of partition betweene us and our God that the prayers of Gods people cannot fully prevaile with him Though Ioshuah himselfe pray for the good successe of Gods people in their battels against such enemies as were under Gods curse and pray never so fervently fast and pray as we see he did Iosh. 7.6.9 yet received hee this answer from God verse 13. O Israel thou canst not stand before thine enemies till ye take away the accursed thing from among you Thirdly It threatneth grievous plagues to every place yea a generall and universall destruction to our Church and nation The plentifull preaching of the Gospell in this land and the worthy young men that God daily raiseth up in all parts of it is in it selfe surely an excellent blessing but when wise men consider what fruits follow the Gospell in all places they see just cause to feare that this plentifull preaching in such variety and excellency of the gifts of Gods servants is but a signe and fore-runner of some fearefull judgement and destruction intended against us A little before the destruction of Ierusalem and that whole nation the Gospell was more plentifully preached then ever before Mat. 24.14 This Gospel of the kingdome shall be preached to all the world for a witnesse unto all nations and then shall the end come And Revel 6. before the red blacke and pale horses which
had not knowne sinne effectually for doubtlesse hee did by nature know many sins or to my good and comfort but by the Law The word is a lampe unto our feete and a light unto our pathes as David calleth it Psalme 119.105 It is a glasse that will discover unto us what manner of men wee are Iames 1.23 24. Let us therefore even for this cause desire not onely to live where wee may have this light but to increase also in the knowledge of the Word Let us therfore make this use of the light we live in and use the word as a glasse that we may know our sins better the more light wee have the better we may discerne what is amisse about us It is made the property of a wicked man to hate the Word for this and refuse to come at it because it discovereth to him his sins Iohn 3.20 Every one that doth evill hateth the light neither commeth bee to it lest his deeds should be reproved And on the contrary it is said of every one that hath grace that he loveth the Word the better even for this cause Iohn 3.21 He that doth truth that is practiseth what he knoweth and maketh conscience of his waies commeth to the light that his deeds may be made manifest Secondly He that would be able to confesse his sins unto God aright must observe his own waies well bethink himselfe well before hand or when he doth ought whether it be lawfull or no. He that never mindeth nor regardeth what he doth whether it please God or no how should he ever know his sins or confesse them aright unto God We are therfore oft commanded to set our minds and hearts upon that wee doe Pro. 4.26 Ponder the path of thy feet Hag. 1.5 Consider your wayes And the godly man is described by this property Pro. 14.15 The prudent looketh well to his going Yea this is spoken of as a speciall mean and help unto repentance Ps. 119.9 Wherwith shall a young man cleanse his way By taking heed thereto according to thy word ver 59. I thought on my wayes and turned my feete unto thy testimonies And on the other side this is made a chiefe cause why men commit many sins and never see them nor are troubled with them that they go rashly on in their waies at all adventures Keri Levit. 26.21 that they never consider what they do Esa. 1.3 that they despise their wayes regard them not as if they should never be called to account for them Pro. 19.16 And yet as light account as thou makest of them know God will reckon with thee for them one day Matt. 12.36 If men would thinke and consider what they do it would either keepe them from doing evill or when they had done amisse they would be able to discerne it and make their peace with God Solomon saith of the wise man Eccl. 2.14 that his eyes are in his head and in your worldly businesses when you buy or sell or do any worke in your calling you will mind that you goe about that you receive no hurt by your carelesnes and want of taking heed O that wee could learne to bee as wise for our soules to mind and set our hearts upon every thing wee doe least wee offend God by it This is required of us not only in our recreations and in the ordinary affaires of our calling but even in the services we doe unto God Take heed how you heare saith our Saviour Luke 8.18 Take heed to thy foote saith Solomon Eccle 5.1 when thou entrest into the house of God As if hee had sayd Marke what thou dost and consider whether thou performe thy service to God as thou shouldest doe and be more ready to heare then to offer the sacrifice of fooles for they consider not that they doe evill As if hee should say this is the cause why most men offer such foolish sacrifices unto God they consider not what they do Thirdly He that would be able to confesse his sins unto God aright must use to take a dayly account of himselfe and of his wayes This examination of our selves wee find oft prescribed in the word as a speciall meanes and helpe to bring us unto true repentance Lamentati 3.40 Let us search and try our wayes and turne againe unto the Lord. Psalme 4.4 Tremble and sinne not examine your owne heart upon your bed And on the other side the neglect of it is mentioned as a chiefe cause and signe of impenitency Ieremy 8.6 No man repented him of his wickednesse saying what have I done And as this examination of our selves is profitable and necessary so the oftener wee use it the more profitable it will be Three notable benefits wee shall receive by it if wee would accustome our selves to use it every day 1. It would be a good meanes to bridle us and restraine us from sin when wee considered this with our selves this I must account with God and mine owne conscience for before I sleep As the dayly thinking of the generall account wee must one day come to is most effectuall this way as is plaine in that speech of the Apostle 2 Corinth 5.10 11. so would the thought of this particular account wee bring our selves to doe us great good also 2. It would free us from the feare of sudden death which may befall any of us and we would be prepared for it when we suffer no sin to lodge with us all night that we have not repented of Watch yee therefore saith our Saviour Marke 13.35 36. for yee know not when the master of the house commeth lest comming suddenly hee find you sleeping When a man hath made his peace with God he may sleepe quietly he need not feare death Psal. 4 8. I will both lay me downe in peace and sleepe 3 By this meanes a man may remember his sins and the circumstances of them much better and so more fully and effectually confesse them unto God Whereas if wee suffer our selves to runne long upon the score wee shall bee apt to forget much and not bee so sensible as when our sins were fresh in memory In this case we may say as Iob. 13.12 though he speaketh it there in another sense our memories are like unto ashes Fourthly Hee that would confesse his sinnes in an effectuall manner unto God must not onely observe and call himselfe to an account for his daily sins which happily will not much affect him but keepe in mind and call oft to remembrance his old sins such as he hath most fouly offended God by in times past that he may renew his repentance for them Deut. 9.7 Remember and forget not how thou provokedst the Lord to wrath in the wildernes Thus doth David remember the sins of his youth Psal. 25.7 Fiftly and lastly He that would fully and effectually confesse his sins to God must beg grace and helpe of God to doe it For wee have heard it is a
of this exhortation will appeare to us in three things First There is never a one of us can assure our selves for any one day that we shall be exempted from crosses and afflictions in one kinde or other in one degree or other God judgeth the righteous saith the Prophet Psal. 7.11 and is angry with the wicked every day And our Saviour Mat. 6.34 Sufficient for the day is the evill thereof Every day for the most part bringeth with it some evill and affliction some crosse and occasion of griefe or other Specially this falleth out to be so with them that live in the Church of God and professe his truth The just God saith the Prophet Zeph. 3.5 is in the midst thereof every morning doth he bring his judgement to light he faileth not Yea the better proceedings that any of us have made in Christs Schoole the more grace is in us the more sure shall we be to meet with crosses every day All the day long saith David Psal. 73.14 have I beene plagued and chastened every morning So that in this respect you see this exhortation unto patience and submitting our selves humbly to the will of God in all his corrections is of daily use for every one of us Secondly Admit we were for the present never so free from troubles and crosses yet have we all cause to looke for troublesome and evill times We I say even we in this land if ever people in the world had cause so to doe We have enjoyed a long summers day of light of peace and prosperity but if we consider our great sinnes to us may now be applyed that speech of the Prophet Ier. 6.4 Wo unto us for the day goeth away for the shadowes of the evening are stretched out Many signes there be that our day will not last long that our night approacheth apace In the morning saith our Saviour Mat. 16.3 ye say it will be soule weather for the skie is red and louring O ye hypocrites ye can discerne the face of the skie but can ye not discerne the signes of the times Certainly our skie is now red and louring and he is a senslesse and secure hypocrite that doth not expect some great storme and tempest In this respect therefore wee have also need of this exhortation every one of us It is wisdome in summer to provide for winter as the Lord teacheth us by the example of the Pismire Pro. 6.8 She provideth her meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvest and to get our weapons in a readinesse and skill also to use them well before the time of warre do come as the Apostle teacheth Ephes. 6.13 Take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may bee able to withstand in the evill day Thirdly and lastly The necessity of this exhortation will appeare if wee consider well how hard a lesson this is to learne how prone the best of us all are to impatiency and murmuring against the corrections of God Affliction is in its owne nature as bitter as any gall to flesh and bloud our nature abhorreth nothing more No chastening saith the Apostle Heb. 12.1 for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous It is no easie thing when we shall feele Gods stripes to smart indeed to keepe downe our unruly passions and to beare them without some repining and murmuring against God Our afflictions are called our infirmities 2 Cor. 11.30 the best are apt to bewray weakenesse in them Even where the spirit is most ready the flesh will shew it â—elfe to be weake as our Saviour speaketh Mat. 26.41 Specially it will be hard for such as we are that have enjoyed so long peace and ease and prosperity to endure any sharpe affliction such as our poore brethren in the Palatinate Bohemia Germany and France have done This made the crosse a great deale heavier to the Church then otherwise it would have beene as she complaineth unto God Psal. 102.10 Thou hast lifted me up and cast me downe As if she had said If thou hadst not lifted me up so high with many favours and blessings of thine that I did enjoy my fall would not have beene halfe so painefull unto me as now it is We have therefore all need of this exhortation to patience under Gods corrections of what kind soever they shall be in these three respects as you have heard yea we have need to have it pressed upon us in the most forcible and effectuall manner that may be And to this end I will endeavour to force it upon my selfe and you all 1. By shewing the notes and properties of true patience whereby it may be discerned from that that is counterfait 2. By giving you certaine motives that may stirre us up and perswade us to seeke for this grace 3. By directing you to the meanes that are to be used for the attaining to it For the first then I must give you seven notes whereby we may know what true patience is and whether we have yet obtained this grace First True patience is a fruit and effect of repentance and humiliation for sinne So it was heere in David If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled saith the Lord Levit. 26.41 and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity It is not a signe of true patience to be unsensible under Gods judgements though many please themselves greatly in this they have had such and such crosses and they never murmured they thanke God nor were disquieted with them This is a great sinne not to take notice of Gods judgements when they light upon us Esa. 42.25 He hath poured upon Iacob the fury of his anger and the strength of battell and it set him on fire round about yet he knew it not and it burned him yet he laid it not to heart When God sheweth himselfe to be angry with us by smiting and correcting us shall we thinke this a vertue in us not to be affected with it Oh no this is a grievous sinne Ier. 5.3 Thou hast stricken them but they have not grieved If our mortall parents should shew themselves displeased and angry with us would it not trouble and humble us Num. 12.14 how much more when God sheweth himselfe so This is an extreame height of rebellion to despise Gods judgements Esa. 22.12 14. The man that is truly patient is very sensible of Gods strokes and of his sinnes that made God to strike him and yet he beareth them patiently and therefore he beareth them patiently because he knoweth his sin is the cause of them See an example of this in the mirrour of true patience blessed Iob even when he shewed his patience most and could say Iob 1.21 Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord Yet was hee deepely humbled with the strange judgements of God verse 20. He rent his mantle and shaved his head
but I give my selfe unto prayer saith he Psal 109.4 Nay this was the way whereby our blessed Saviour sought strength to beare his extreame sufferings Heb. 5.7 He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared though the cup were not removed yet strength was given him to beare it with patience Let me apply this in a word or two 1. Would you know the true cause you have so little patience surely it is because you do pray so little 2. Let the signes God giveth us every day of marvellous troublesome times that are at hand make us all more frequent and fervent in prayer 3. We should call upon and exhort Gods people to fasting and prayer Is there any such meanes either to stand in the gap and keepe out Gods judgements or to prepare us with patience and strength to beare them as fasting and prayer is Well take this for a conclusion to your comfort which you shall read Act. 2.20 21. When the Sun shall be turned into darknesse and the Moone into bloud when the darkest and saddest times shall come that can come yet it shall come to passe that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved He that can pray shall doe well enough LECTVRES ON PSAL. LI. 5. Lecture LV. On Psalme LI. 5. April XXIIII MDCXXVII Behold I was borne or brought forth in iniquity and in sinne did my mother conceive me WE have already heard that David in suing unto God for the pardon of his sinnes doth make confession of them unto God And not content to have done it generally in the 3. verse he doth it in the former verse in this that I have now read and in that which followeth more fully and particularly I have done this evill that Nathan hath charged me with Yea he amplifieth and aggravateth his sinne by these three considerations 1. Of the person against whom he had sinned in the fourth verse Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight 2. Of the fountaine and root whence these his sinnes did spring in this verse 3. Of the knowledge and truth of grace that he had received from God before he fell into these sinnes in the verse following Now for the better opening of the words of this verse that so the Doctrine contained in it may more naturally arise two questions are to be moved and resolved concerning this what David meaneth by the iniquity and sinne that he heere complaineth he was borne and conceived in For the Anabaptists and such others as gainesay the Doctrine of originall sin and deny that infants stand guilty of any sin in the sight of God object two things against the proofe that is brought out of this most pregnant place against them First The word iniquity say they that David saith he was borne in is not to be taken properly in this place for sinne but for the punishment of sin and his meaning is no more but this as if he should have said I was borne in thy displeasure and in the punishment which thou didst justly inflict upon all women for the sinne of Eve Gen. 3.16 I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children in this punishment in this sorrow was I borne And two reasons may be pretended for this interpretation 1. That the word iniquity and sinne is oft in Scripture taken not properly but by a metonymie for the punishment of sinne as Gen. 19.15 Least ye be consumed in the iniquity of the city that is in the punishment of the city And Numb 14.33 Your children shall wander in the wildernesse forty yeares and beare your whordomes that is the punishment of your whordomes 2. That the word Cholel that David heere useth signifieth to bring forth with paine and trembling and commeth of the root Chol which signifieth to sorrow and tremble whereby it may seeme that David had in this word respect to the paines and sorrowes his mother felt in her travell when he was borne rather then to any iniquity that himselfe then stood guilty of Now for answer unto this cavill I say First That though the word iniquity be sometimes taken in Scripture not for sin but for the punishment of sinne yet it followeth not that it is so taken heere but by that that you shall heare in my further answer to this cavill and in the handling of the Doctrine it shall appeare unto you it cannot be so taken in this place Secondly Though the word Cholel that David useth heere do in the primitive sense signifie a bringing forth with sorrow and trembling such as women have in their travell yet it is farre more often and commonly used in the Scriptures to expresse any kind of making or bringing forth of things even without such sorrow or paine at all As Iob 26.13 His hand hath formed the crooked serpent And the son of God speaking of his eternall generation saith Pro. 8.24 25. When there was no depth I was brought forth before the mountaines I was brought forth So Deut. 32.18 Thou hast forgotten God that formed thee And Psal. 90.2 Before thou hadst formed the earth And when the birth of man is spoken of without all reference or respect to the sorrow and painefullnesse of his birth Iob 15.7 He saith Wast thou made before the hills And Esa. 45.10 Woe to him that saith to his mother what hast thou brought forth So that it may well be that David heere speaketh of his birth without any respect at all to his mothers paines and sorrowes in it Thirdly The iniquity that he speaketh of heere he mentioneth for his further humiliation before God that is the scope he aimeth at in this place as we have heard Now he would never have mentioned the sorrowes and paines his mother endured in his birth as a punishment and signe of Gods displeasure upon that sex for the sin of Eve for to further his humiliation before God at this time The mentioning of those judgements God by Nathan threatned to bring upon himselfe had beene much more effectuall to that end then those that were upon his mother specially so ordinary and common to all women as that was yet forbeareth he in this Psalme to speake of them at all Nothing but sin troubled him at this time he complained not of any punishment he knew to be due to sin but of his sin onely Fourthly and lastly The iniquity he speaketh of here he confesseth unto God and craveth mercy of God for the pardon of it he desireth God to wash him throughly and to cleanse him from it It is therefore certainely the sin he was borne in and not any punishment of sin that he complaineth of in this place The second question rising from a second objection of the Anabaptists against this place is this
onely to make knowne upon them his wrath against sin Gods people were wont in certaine extraordinary cases to bring their infants and sucklings with them and made them to keepe fasts 2 Chron. 20.13 Ioel 2.16 though these little ones were most unable and unfit to doe it that by beholding what was due even to the poore infants and what misery they were in through want of food themselves might be more affected with and humbled for their owne sins And surely this use should we make of the miseries we see poore infants in oftentimes For thus should every one of us reason with our selves if God be so angry for the sin of the infant alas what measure of wrath is due to me that besides the sin of my nature wherewith I am every whit as much defiled as it can be have so many actuall sins to answer for and have sinned in a farre more odious manner then this infant hath done If this bee done to the greene tree saith our Saviour Luke 23.31 what shall be done to the drye Fourthly and lastly this Doctrine serveth for reproofe of such as thinke it folly to be offended or troubled with the sins of little ones with their lying or swearing or cursing or profanesse in the time and place of Gods worship They are wise men say they that will bee troubled with childrens faults O beloved the very originall sin of the infant the sin of his nature before it doth thus burst forth deserveth damnation as you have heard and maketh him odious unto God how much more will these cursed fruits of the same doe it See in an example how odious the sins even of little ones are unto God in those forty that were devoured by Beares for mocking of the Prophet 2 Kin 2.23 14. Lecture LVI On Psalme 51.5 May 1. 1627. IT followeth now that we proceed to the second Doctrine that ariseth from the words of this verse for from this that David saith here In sin did my mother conceive me this Doctrine doth arise for our instruction That the sin which every infant is guilty of and whereby it is by nature made so loathsome a creature in the sight of God as we heard the last day is derived unto it from the parents The parents infected it Of the actuall sins that men and women commit there may be other causes assigned 1. Themselves may be said to be the causes of their actuall sins Iam. 1.14 Every man is tempted when he is drawne away of his owne lust and entiâ—ed 2. The world that is the evill examples and allurements they receive from other men is a great cause why men are so bad as they are 1 Iohn 2.16 The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world This is plaine by the Prophets complaint Esa. 6.5 I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell among a people of uncleane lips As if he should say How should I. how can I be better that live in such an age among such a people 3. Satan is a cause of their sins men could not be so bad as they are if they were not led to it by the devill if he did not raigne in them if they were not his captives and slaves It is he that now saith the Apostle Ephes. 2.2 of his time and so may we say of our age now and never more then now he worketh in the children of disobedience And as he saith â— Tim. 2.26 They are taken by him captives at his will they are wholly at his will and commandement or else they would never doe as they doe Yet of the Originall sin and naturall corruption that is in infants so soone as they are borne and conceived no other cause can be assigned no root no fountaine but this that they received it from their parents So speaketh David here In sin my mother conceived me And Iob when he would give the reason why man every man yong aswell as old is not only subject to so many troubles in this life but also so filthy sinfull alledgeth none but this Iob 14.1 Man that is borne of a woman he is born of a woman and therfore must needs be so So againe Iob 15.14 and 25.4 And though the mother only be named by Iob David yet is this corruption derived to the child not from the mother only but from the father as much as from the mother In which respect it is said Gen. 5.3 that Adam after his fall begat a son in his owne likenesse after his image sinfull and corrupt as himselfe was And the Evangelist making an opposition betweene the causes from whence corruption and grace commeth saith Iohn 1.13 the one commeth from blood and from the will of the flesh and from the will of man but the other commeth from God alone And from hence it hath come to passe that there was never any that had parents a father to beget him a mother to conceive him that was free from this original sin and corruption of nature no not such as had the godliest parents that ever lived Two evident demonstrations there be for this 1. That the most holy parents that ever were have had children that have bin most ungracious as Noah Abraham Isaack David Iehoshaphat 2. That the best of their children had need of circumcision Gen. 21.4 which signifieth the cutting away of the filthy fore-skin of their hearts this originall corruption as the Prophet expoundeth it Ier. 4.4 Insomuch as it was necessary that our blessed Saviour who could not have beene a fit high Priest for us if hee had not beene even in respect of his humanity holy harmlesse undefiled separate from sinners as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 7.26 it was necessary I say that he though hee were very man and the sonne of Adam as well as wee as the Evangelist calleth him Luke 3.38 yet should not become man in the same manner nor bee begotten and borne of parents as we are but conceived of the holy Ghost and by him made of the substance of the blessed Virgin as the Apostle speaketh Gal. 4.4 because otherwise though she was a most holy woman yet could he not have bin free from originall sin The reasons and grounds of the Doctrine are two First all parents are themselves tainted with sin they have a poisoned and infected nature and therefore cannot choose but infect the children that are begotten and conceived by them As the brood of vipers toades and spiders must needs resemble them and have poison in them A corrupt tree saith our Saviour Mat. 7.18 cannot bring forth good fruit Who can bring a cleane thing saith Iob 14.4 out of an uncleane Not one This reason our Saviour giveth why all that is in man by nature is flesh that is corrupt and sinfull because he is borne of the flesh that is of corrupt parents Iohn 3.6 That which is borne of the
him the son of her vowes Pro. 31.2 she had beene wont to pray much for him They should not onely use these meanes but pray earnestly to God to give them wisdome to know what they may do to destroy corruption and breed grace in their children They should pray as Manoah did Iudg. 13.8 Lord teach me what I shall do to the child that thou hast given me We should do as the woman of Canaan did complaine to God of the corruption that is in our childrens natures and desire him to heale it Have mercy on me O Lord saith she Mat. 15.22 my child is miserably vexed with a divell And as Iob did Iob 1.5 offer sacrifice daily for them pray daily for them that God would forgive them their sins Now to conclude all this that I have said touching the Meanes that parents are to use for the restraining and weakning of that corruption in their children which they have infected them with and to breed grace in them Though I cannot assure you that if you use these meanes you shall see the effect and fruit of them in every one of your children but you may justly object that many parents that have been as carefull as is possible in the use of these means have had as ungracious children as any others for the Lord is the God of all grace and the onely author of it 1 Pet. 5.10 and he giveth successe and fruit to all meanes thereof 1 Cor. 3.6 and he worketh herein most freely according to the good purpose of his owne will as the wind bloweth where it listeth Ioh 3.8 he hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardneth Rom. 9.18 Yet have I two things to say for your incouragement and comfort that are Christian parents 1 None have more cause to expect and with patience to wait for a blessing from God in the use of the meanes of grace towards any then you have towards your children because of the promises God hath made to you concerning your children Gen. 17.7 Psal. 22.29 30. Esa. 44.3 And the fruit of your labour may appeare hereafter though it do not yet as experience hath proved in many good mens children that for a long time lived most ungraciously 2. Admit God be never pleased to vouchsafe a blessing to your labours in your children yet shall your labours and the fruit of them rebound into your own bosome Psal. 35.13 For 1 you highly please God in doing your duty and he accepteth your worke neverthelesse Esa. 49.4 2 Cor. 8.12 which will yeeld you unspeakable comfort 2 Cor. 1.12 2 You have hereby delivered your owne soules so as the sins and damnation of your ungracious children shall never be imputed unto you Ezek. 3.19 Lecture LVII On Psalme 51.5 May 15. 1627. WE have already heard that from these words being opened and cleared from the cavills of the Anabaptists these three doctrines do naturally arise 1. That every infant so soone as it is borne and conceived standeth guilty of sinne before God and is by nature the child of wrath 2. That this sinne that every infant standeth guilty of by nature and whereby it doth deserve eternall damnation is derived to it from Adam by the parents 3. That this sin which every infant is guilty of and which is derived to it from Adam by the parents is the chiefe sin and that which above all others may make us odious and abominable unto God The two former of these doctrines we have already finished it followeth now that we proceed unto the third and last of them We must therefore observe that David doth not mention heere the sinfullnesse and corruption of his nature wherein he was borne and conceived to lessen or extenuate the murder and adultery that he had committed as if his meaning had beene to say unto God Lord there is cause thou shouldst pitie me and have mercy on me and not lay these sinnes to my charge seeing I could do no otherwise I did but my kind the corruption of my nature which I received from my parents was the cause of it No no he hath no purpose at all heere to minse or lessen his sin to excuse or defend himselfe before God but for his further humiliation and abasing himselfe before God he aggravateth his sinne and ascendeth in his confession to an higher step and degree of it As if he had said I have not onely sinned against thee and done this evill of adultery and murder in thy sight but I have done it out of the corruption of my vile nature I was not drawne to it through the violence of any sudden tentation but mine owne filthy nature drew me to it I am not onely guilty of this adultery and murder but I am more vile then so for I have in me and had so soone as I had any being a fountaine of all sinne for which thou maiest justly abhorre me and I loath my selfe much more then for my other sinnes For when they are repented of and I am delivered from the guilt and power of them yet this cursed root of all sinne that is in me will never be destroied till I be destroied my selfe This is the meaning of David here And therefore 1. He doubleth the words of this complaint which he maketh here unto God of his originall sin the corruption of his nature I was brought forth in iniquity and in sinne my mother conceived mee 2. He setteth before this his complaint of the corruption of his nature this word of attention behold as if hee should say this this is it that humbleth me most of all And from these words then wherein David doth in this manner complaine unto God of the corruption of his nature we have this doctrine to learne for our owne instruction That our originall sinne that corruption of nature wherein wee were borne and conceived is the sinne of all others fro which the Lord may most justly abhorre us and for which we should be most humbled and abased in our selves See the proofe of both the branches of this doctrine distinctly First That this is the sinne for which the Lord may most justly abhorre us Man saith Eliphaz Iob 15.16 that is every man which must needs be understood in respect of his nature is filthy and abominable in his sight And the Apostle Ephes. 2.3 We are even by nature the children of wrath As if he had said If we had no other sinne but that the very sinfullnesse of our nature maketh us worthy of Gods wrath and odious unto him This truth the Lord shaddowed out to his people under the law by sundry ceremonies For whereas you shall find few or no lawes made for the shutting men out from the tabernacle which was a type of heaven for actuall sinnes there are many against them that were defiled with such impurities as did typify the corruption of our nature by originall sinne The leper though he were a King might not be
this originall corruption of nature did not reigne neither why were they so humbled for that neverthelesse And why must we in the daies of our humiliation when we are to renew our repentance remember and bewaile our originall sin Surely because First That was the cause of all the foule sins that ever we committed and consequently of all the sorrowes and miseries that ever we felt or stood in feare of Iam. 1.14 Every man is tempted when he is drawne away of his owne lust and enticed And Mar 7.21.23 from within out of the heart of men proceed evill thoughts adulteries fornications murders c. all these things come from within and these defile a man Secondly Because though all other sins that we have committed be repented of and done away yet this root of bitternesse remaineth still in us and is ever sprouting and putting us in danger to do as badly againe as ever we did And may fitly be resembled by that comparison of a tree that Iob useth Iob 14.8 9. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth and the stocke thereof die in the ground yet through the sent of water it will bud and bring forth boughs like a plant He therefore to conclude that bringeth unto God in the fast an heart humbled onely for some grosse actuall sins that he hath committed but was never humbled for the vile corruption of his nature could never feelingly confesse that unto God nor bewaile it before him hath just cause to suspect the truth of his repentance and humiliation for sin Shall Iob and David and Esay and Paul cry out so much of themselves for this and dost thou thinke thou art in a good case that art never troubled for that untowardnesse thou findest in thy heart to any thing that is good for those vile motions and inclinations thou findest in thy selfe unto all evill This God complaineth of as of a thing that did much provoke him against his people Ezek. 16.22 In all thine abominations and thy whordomes thou hast not remembred the dayes of thy youth when thou wast naked and bare and wast polluted in thy bloud Lecture LXIII On Psalme 51.5 Iuly 10. 1627. THe third use that this Doctrine serveth unto is for exhortation to stirre up in every one of us a care to be cured of this loathsome leprosy to be delivered from the danger of this poison this fountaine of all sin this root of all bitternesse that is in the nature of every one of us This use the blessed Apostle did make of this Doctrine Rom. 7.24 For having bewailed greatly this corruption he felt in his nature and professed that he was deepely humbled in himselfe for it which made him cry out O wretched man that I am As if he had said O what a wretch am I that have such a deale of corruption remaining in me which was the former use that I told you this Doctrine serveth unto and handled by me the last day immediately he bursteth forth into these words Who shall deliver me from the body of this death As if he should have said O how may I be rid of it and delivered from the danger of it Now for the better enforcing of this exhortation 1 I will give you certaine motives to provoke you unto this care to seeke to be freed from the danger of this sin 2 I will shew you the meanes whereby deliverance from the danger of this sin is to be obtained And for motives I shall not need to give you any other then such as you have already heard in the proofes and reasons of the Doctrine 1. This is the fountaine and cause of all other our sins and consequently of all our woe and misery as wee have heard out of Iames 1.14 And it is a point of wisedome in this case to lay the axe unto the root of the tree Matth. 3.10 2. This is an universall leprosie that is gone over the whole man the whole spirit and soule and body and is therefore called the old man Rom. 6.6 3. This is such a cursed root and fountain of all evill as will never cease sprouting boyling and bubling up one corruption or other Fitly resembled Esa. 57.20 to the troubled Sea that cannot rest whose waters cast up myre and dirt continually So as when we have repented and made our peace with God for our actuall sins that wee know by our selves yet this is still apt to defile us againe and cast filthy dirt upon our best actions yea to bring us into danger of falling againe into the same or fouler evils and so apt ever and anon to interrupt our peace with God and to minister unto us matter of new doubts and feares continually It therefore standeth us upon to enquire how and by what meanes wee may bee delivered from the danger of this sinne especially And this is the second thing I propounded for the inforcing of this exhortation to shew you the means how wee might bee delivered from it And those we may best learne of the blessed Apostle who when hee had professed this desire that I now exhort you to Rom. 7.24 Who shall deliver mee c. In the words following hee answereth himselfe and giveth full satisfaction to his owne conscience in this weightie question which is the answer also that I must give to every one of you in whom the Lord hath wrought that care and desire that was in Paul as doubtlesse hee hath in every good heart here that knoweth the viâ—enesse of his owne nature and doth remember and beleeve that which I have taught you at large touching originall sin he answereth himselfe I say by telling us who delivered him from the body of this death how hee was freed from the checks and accusations of his owne conscience for it 1. By Iesus Christ who delivered him from the guilt of it that it should never bee imputed to him unto condemnation verse 25. I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord. And 8.1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus 2. By the spirit of God who freed him from the power and dominion of his corruption and did mortifie it in him Rom. 8.12 They that are in Christ walke not after the flesh but after the spirit for the law the commanding power of the spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the law the commanding power of sin and death The same answer he also giveth 1 Corinth 6.11 Yee are washed yee are sanctified yee are justified in the name of the Lord Iesus and by the spirit of our God Here are therefore beloved you see two wayes and other way then these two there is none whereby wee may bee delivered from all the hurt and danger that may come to us by the Originall corruption of our nature 1. By Iesus Christ that hath justified us and delivered us from the guilt and punishment of it 2. By the spirit of Christ
directed us unto for the mortifying of our flesh is to take up our crosse that is to beare willingly the afflictions God is pleased to exercise us by A Christian is not bound to desire affliction I have not desired the wofull day thou knowest saith the Prophet Iere. 17.16 But when hee seeth once it is his crosse the crosse that the Lord hath appointed and thinketh fit for him the cup that his father hath given him as our Saviour speaketh Iohn 18.11 then must he even take it up and undergoe it willingly This meanes our Saviour prescribeth Luke 9.23 If any man will come after mee let him deny himselfe and take up his crosse dayly these two goe together There are sundry strange things spoken in the Scripture touching affliction As 1. That Gods people have borne it willingly Lev. 26.41 They shall accept or suffer willingly the punishment of their iniquity 2. That they have professed it was good for them that they were afflicted as David did Psal. 119.71 3. That they should rejoyce when they are abased and made low Iames 1.10 Yea that they should count it all joy exceeding joy when they fall into divers tentations that is afflictions Iames 1.2 4. That they have just cause to doubt their estate if they bee without affliction Hebr. 12.8 If yee bee without chastisement whereof all are partakers then are yee bastards and not sonnes These are strange Paradoxes to flesh and bloud and yet undoubted truths And surely a chiefe reason of all this is because of the great force that affliction hath in Gods children to mortifie their lusts and to subdue sin in them By this shall the iniquity of Iacob bee purged saith the Prophet Esa. 27.9 and this is all the fruit even the taking away of his sinne Hee reapeth no fruit by his affliction profiteth not by it in whom the strength of corruption is not in some measure abated by it Affliction therefore is compared to baptizing and washing that takes away the filth of the soule Marke 10.38 39. to a winnowing that bloweth away the chaffe that is in it Amos 9.9 to fire that refineth and purgeth away the drosse that is in it Zach. 13.9 In a word that which the Apostle speaketh of the shame that is brought upon men by the censures of the Church 1 Cor. 5.5 the same may bee said of that humiliation that God bringeth his servants to by any affliction it is most effectuall to the destruction of the flesh to the mortifying of that sinfulnesse and corruption that is in their hearts If then thou desire to have thy lusts and corruptions mortified thou must bee content to beare afflictions willingly even thine owne crosse When the Apostle had exhorted Gods people to cleanse their hands and purge their hearts that so they might draw neere unto God Iames 4.8 Hee directeth them to this meanes verse 9. suffer affliction mourne and weâ—pe Yea if thou have no afflictions of thine owne it is profitable for thee to communicate in an holy sympathy with the afflictions of others specially of Gods Churches and people and to make them thine owne Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them saith the Apostle Hebr. 13.3 and them which suffer adversity as being your selves also in the body This is that which the holy Ghost teacheth us Eccle. 7.2 It is better to goe into the house of mourning then into the house of feasting Alas wilt thou say I love not to goe to them that are sicke or in any great misery it will make my heart so sad and heavy O but saith the holy Ghost that sadnesse is profitable it is good for thee to have thy heart made heavy sometimes this way Sorrow saith hee verse 3. is better then laughter for by the sadnesse of the countenance the heart is made better Corruption is weakened and destroyed by it And hee that cannot endure any affliction cannot abide to bee sad at any time certainly hath no desire to mortifie sin in himselfe he knoweth not what mortification and consequently not what true repentance meaneth The sixt meanes of Mortification is this He that desireth to have sin mortified in himselfe must be willing to dye and in his heart subscribe to that sentence of the holy Ghost Eccle. 7.1 The day of a mans death is better then the day of his birth No man may impatiently desire death wee may not desire death out of discontentment of mind because wee are weary of the miseries wee are subject unto in this life It was the sin of Moses to pray thus to God Numb 11.15 If thou deals thus with mee kill me I pray thee out of hand if I have found favour in thy sight and let mee not see my wretchednesse Nay wee may not desire death out of a longing to bee rid of our sins and to bee with Christ absolutely or impatiently but under correction as we say and with a submitting of our wills to the will of God if hee see it good for us Wee like souldiers in the field must bee content to keepe our stations wherein the Lord hath set us till he shall bee pleased to dismisse and call us away Lord now lettest thou thy servant to depart in peace saith good Simeon Luke 2.29 Though Paul knew it were farre better for him to dye then to live as hee professeth Phil. 1.23 yet durst he not desire it absolutly but was in a straight as hee saith and submitteth himselfe wholly to the will of God in it Yet is it not an unlawfull thing for a Christian to desire death in this manner yea it is a good thing and a grace wee should all strive to attaine unto not onely to bee willing to dye when God shall call us but even to desire death also Paul professeth of himselfe that hee did desire to bee dissolved Phil. 1 23. And hee speaketh thus in the name of all the faithfull 2 Cor. 5.2 In this wee grone earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon with our house which is from heaven And verse 6. Knowing that while we are at home in the body wee are absent from the Lord. And though there bee many other reasons which should make Gods people willing to dye which out of my respect to the time I will not now mention yet this is a principall that when death commeth once we shall sinne no more While this life lasteth we shall never give over sinning against God Hee that hath entred into his rest hath ceased from his owne workes saith the Apostle Hebr. 4.10 but till then no man can quite cease from his owne workes but is in continuall danger of falling Nay no man can tell how farre hee may fall and admit that the Elect cannot utterly apostate from God of whom let it bee said that hee hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life Iohn 5.24 Yet may such fall fearefully yea are in continuall danger of falling
fearefully so long as they live How fearefull falls have many of Gods worthies taken in their latter times Davids first wayes are commended 2 Chron 17.3 which implyeth that his last dayes were not so good No no in his latter time hee fell as wee have heard fearefully The like is noted of Solomon 1 Kings 11.4 And of Asa 2 Chron. 16.10.12 And of Iehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20.35 For 1. while wee are in this world we are never out of Satans danger For hee is the prince of this world Iohn 14.30 2. That fountaine of corruption that is in our vile natures will never be drawn dry while we live here this root of bitternesse will never be stocked up nor killed there can never be a perfect cure made of that filthy leprosie that is run over our whole nature so long as this life lasteth Therefore are the corruptions of our nature called our members that are upon the earth Col 3 5. and worldly lusts Titus 2.12 because while wee are here upon the earth while wee live in this world we can never be rid of them The Apostle compareth himselfe and the best of Gods servants to earthen vessels 2 Cor. 4.7 And the earthen vessells that were defiled with any legall pollution could not bee sufficiently purged till they were quite broken in pieces as you shall see Levit. 11.33 and 15.12 To teach us that wee can never bee perfectly cleansed from the filthinesse of our nature till we be broken in pieces by death We have a double righteousnes by Christ as we had a double unrighteousnes from Adam the one imputed to our justification and by that wee are already perfectly cleansed from all our sins as the Apostle speaketh 1 Iohn 1.7 the other inherent in our sanctification and that is not yet perfect as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 5.49 As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners How Not by imputation only for of that hee had spoken verse 18. so by the obedience of one many shall bee made righteous They are not yet but they shall bee When shall they be so Surely after this life is ended As the Apostle calleth the faithfull departed Hebr. 12 2â— The spirits of just men that are made perfect The best mans sanctification is not perfect here the holiest man that is is not perfectly cleansed while hee liveth but hath much filthinesse remaining in him Prov. â—0 9. Who can say I have made my heart cleane I am pure from my sinne We may doe much in the worke of mortification by such meanes as I have told you Gâ—â—s spirit in the word hath directed us unto wee may keepe it from reigning in our mortall bodies as the Apostle exhorteth us Rom. 6.12 but so long as these mortall bodies have life in them so long will our sins have life in them Though it raigne not in us as a King so as wee obey it willingly yet it keepeth us in bondage as a tyrant doth his captives and slaves as the Apostle complaineth Rom. 7.23 It brought him into captivity Now when death commeth it and nothing but it will set us free from this bondage Hee that is dead saith the Apostle Rom. 6.7 is freed from sinne Death will free us from all danger and possibility of offending God and falling away from him then may it bee said of our sins as Moses saith of the Aegyptians Exod. 14.13 Yee shall see them againe no more for ever And what child of God is there that would not even in this respect bee willing to dye When Ioseph was in prison though he wanted nothing there but had all at command Gen. 39.22 23. yet see how earnest he was with Pharaohs chiefe Butler to helpe him to his liberty Genes 40.14 Thinke on me when it shall bee well with thee and shew kindnesse I pray thee unto mee and make mention of me unto Pharaoh and bring mee out of this house I know well there may bee in the dearest of Gods servants an unwillingnesse and feare to dye as there was in Ieremiah Ier 37.20 Our Saviour fore-warning Peter of the manner of his death telleth him Iohn 21.18 he should be carried whither he would not Whereby it appeareth that even in the blessed Martyrs there hath beene some unwillingnesse to dye Though Lots righteous soule was vexed day by day while he lived in Sodom 2 Pet. 2.8 yet ô how he lingred when God would take him from thence Gen. 19.16 Even the Saints of God who while they live in this world this Sodom are dayly vexed and disquieted with their owne corruptions are not so willing to leave this world as they should bee When Cyrus made proclamation for the Iewes that who so would might returne from the land of their captivity it is said Ezra 1.5 none were willing to leave Babylon but those whose spirits God had raised up to goe Though we know this world is as Babylon to us the land of our captivity and bondage yet till God raise up our spirits by his grace we can never be willing to leave it but shall rather be desirous still to serve in this bondage as wee may also see Exodus 14.12 And great reason there is for this 1. Death is a parting of two most deare and inward and ancient friends When David and Ionathan were to depart one from another for a while ô how grievous was their parting 1 Sam. 20 41. But the soule and the body have bin more inward and ancient friends then ever Ionathan and David were no marvell therefore though their parting be painfull and grievous 2. The best of Gods children doe beleeve but in part Though the spirit be ready the flesh is weake as our Saviour speaketh Matth. 26.41 But though there be some unwillingnesse in the best to dye yet they know it is their fault and sin to be so they know they ought to be willing upon this ground even in this their spirit in them lusteth against the flesh as the Apostle speaketh Galat. 5.17 Yea they overcome this unwillingnesse in the end according to that promise Psal. 29.11 The Lord will give strength unto his people the Lord will blesse his people with peace And certainely hee that desireth not that striveth not to be willing to dye even upon this ground because death and nothing but death will perfect the worke of mortification in him hath just cause to suspect that there is no truth of saving grace in him no sense of the vile corruption of his nature it is no bondage unto him Lecture LXVI On Psalme 51.5 August 7. 1629. THe seventh and last Meanes of Mortification is this He that desireth to mortifie and subdue any corruption that is strongest in him must flee to Christ by faith for strength against it he must exercise and make use of his faith for the mortifying of it and he shall find great force in it this way All other meanes we have heard of are in vaine without this and this will do the deed
now is the acceptable time now is the day of salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 The master of the house hath not yet shut his doore upon thee but how soone it may bee shut thou knowest not Thirdly If this be so then let every one of us that feele any truth of grace wrought in our hearts rejoyce in our estate and magnifie the power and goodnesse of God towards us Indeed it behoveth us to try well whether we have it in truth 2 Cor. 13.5 and how that may be done you shall heare out of the next verse But if thou hast but the least measure of grace in truth thou hast just cause to rejoyce in this more then if God had made thee the greatest prince in the world Let the heart of them rejoyce that seeke the Lord Psal. 105.3 And the Apostle Iames 1.9 Let the brother of low degree rejoyce in that he is exalted Whatsoever men thinke of thee or thou art apt to thinke of thy selfe he that cannot deceive thee hath pronounced of thee that if thou have but any one grace in truth thou art a blessed man happy art thou that ever thou wert borne If thou canst beleeve in Christ heare what he saith Mat. 16.17 Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona for flesh and bloud hath not revealed it unto thee but my father which is in heaven As if he had said Thou hast more in thee then flesh and bloud If thou dost feare to displease God hearken what the Holy ghost saith of thee Psal. 128.1 Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord. Nay if thou canst but unfeignedly desire to beleeve and to feare God remember this was all that Nehemiah could say of himselfe Neh. 1.11 that he desired to feare Gods name Remember what Christ pronounceth of thee Matth. 5.6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousnesse for they shall be filled Nay if thou have but so much grace as to feele the want of grace and unfeignedly to bewaile it hearken what thy blessed Saviour saith of thy estate Matth. 5.3 4. Blessed are the poore in spirit Blessed are they that mourne for that poverty Make thy calling and conversion sure and thou hast made thine election sure as the Apostle speaketh 2 Pet. 1.10 If thou have but the least grace in thee in truth thou hast Gods seale upon thee whereby hee hath marked and will owne thee for himselfe by the print and stampe of that seale According to that speech of the Apostle Ephes. 4.30 Grieve not the holy spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption Wherefore let me say againe unto thee as I began in the words of David Psal. 32.11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye righteous and shout for joy all yee that are upright in heart And 33.1 Rejoyce in the Lord ô ye righteous for praise is comely for the upright O it is a seemely sight to see an upright hearted Christian cheerefull and comfortable Say not ô but I have so much corruption in me that I cannot take notice of nor rejoyce in any goodnesse that I have For 1 I bid thee not rejoyce in any corruption but dislike and bewaile it still but rejoyce in the Lord Phil. 4.4 In the very same action thou maist have just matter of mourning in respect of the worke of thine owne corruption in it and of joy in respect of the worke of Gods grace in it Rejoyce in trembling Psal. 2.11 Regard not so much thine owne corruption as to neglect altogether the grace of God in thee 2. By how much the more corruption thou findest in thy selfe by so much the more cause hast thou to rejoyce in and to admire Gods mercy that to such a wretch as thou art he should give the grace to make conscience of any sin to do any duty in truth of desire to please God Wicked men thinke it strange as the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 4.4 that we do not as they doe that we run not with them into the same excesse of riot They thinke it strange yea impossible that any man should be in deed and truth so changed in heart as Gods people in their outward conversation would seeme to be they esteeme all profession of holinesse to be no better then hypocrisy and therefore speake evill of us But we that know our owne hearts have more cause to wonder at this our selves and to praise God for it Lecture LXXI On Psalme 51.5 October 2. 1627. THE third point wherein the admirable goodnesse of God appeareth unto us who are even by nature so vile as wee all are is in the worke of his confirming grace If wee could rightly weigh what our nature is and what a strength and power of corruption there remaineth still in the best of us we would see cause to wonder that any of us after we are converted and have some measure of saving grace begun in us should stand for any time We read in Scripture of a three-fold standing and in every one of these kinds every Christian hath cause to admire Gods power and goodnesse towards his soule 1. There is a standing in the faith and in the profession of the truth Of this the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 15.1 I declare unto you the Gospell which I preached unto you which also you have received and wherein yee stand 2 There is a standing in the state of grace and in a comfortable assurance and feeling of Gods favour Rom. 5.2 By Christ we have accesse by faith into the grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God 3. There is a standing in a Christian course of life and conscionable practise of godlines This Epaphras begd of God for the Colossians Col. 4.12 That they might stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God Now that any of us should bee able to stand stedfast and persevere any of these wayes that is to say either in foundnesse of judgement and profession of the truth or in the comfortable assurance of our salvation and of the favour of God or in a conscionable care to please God in our whole conversation is certainely a matter of greater wonder and admiration then the most of us doe conceive of This we would all easily discerne and acknowledge if we would but seriously consider of these foure points First what a world what an age and time we live in wherein by reason of the continuall discouragements goodnesse doth find every where and the manifold allurements and tentations unto evill by examples and other wayes wee have unto sinne it is as strange any of us should continue in the state of grace as it is for a man to keepe his health that liveth in a Towne where every house and every person and the very ayre it selfe is infected with the plague That which David saith of wicked men that live in the greatest prosperity Psalm 73.18 may truly bee said of all Gods children even of those whose soules
prosper and thrive most in grace Surely thou hast set them in slippery places Surely the times and places wee live in are so slippery as it is strange any of us should hold our feet or keep our selves from falling fearefully This made the Prophet complaine so Esa. 6.5 Woe is me for I am undone because I am a man of uncleane lips As if hee had said My speech is too uncleane too prophane to bee a Prophet and how can it choose but be so I dwell saith he in the midst of a people of uncleane lips Secondly Consider what the malice and subtilty and power of Satan our enemy is and wee shall see just cause to wonder that any of us should bee able to continue in the state of grace for any time When our first parents were created after the image of God in holinesse and true righteousnesse his eye was evill toward them hee could not endure they should continue in that blessed estate for any time And his envy and malice is still the same towards any in whom he seeth this image renewed he cannot rest till he have defaced it againe as our Saviour speaketh Matth. 12.43 When the uncleane spirit is gone out of a man he walketh through dry places seeking rest and findeth none And the old Serpent hath a thousand waies to worke his owne ends in this Yea his envie and malice is most bent upon them whom he discerneth the greatest measure of grace in Sathan hath desired to have you saith Christ to Peter of himselfe and all the elect Apostles Luke 22.31 that he may sift you as wheat And there is no faithfull soule that observeth himselfe well but he may oft say of this his enemy as David did of his Psal. 118.13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall but the Lord helped me This made the Apostle so jealous and fearefull of the Thessalonians that made so great proceedings in grace 1 Thess. 3 5. he sent Timothy to them to confirme them lest by some meanes the tempter might have tempted them and his labour amongst them should have beene in vaine Thirdly Consider how fearefully many others have fallen some to scandalous and foule sins some to popery and other heresies some to profanesse some to worldlinesse some to an utter hatred of all religion that were once farre before us in knowledge and profession of zeale and piety How many there be in whom we may see that fulfilled which our Saviour speaketh Matth. 19.30 Many that were the first the forwardest in their love to the Word and in every good duty are now become the last the backwardest of all others How many there be that with the dog are fallen againe to the vomit that once they had cast up and with the sow lie wallowing in that mire that once they were washed from as the Apostle speaketh 2 Pet. 2 22. And shall we not then see cause to wonder that our selves have been preserved in the state of grace thus long When we have seene so many to fall on our left hand and so many on our right hand as the Psalmist speaketh Psalme 91.7 have wee not cause to wonder that our selves stand still in any measure of uprightnesse and truth of heart But fourthly and lastly The greatest cause of all that we have to wonder at our perseverance is the state of grace is the consideration of the naughtinesse and corruption of our owne hearts For if we had better hearts of our owne then other men have had or were better by nature then they it were nothing strange that we should stand when they have fallen that we should overcome all those tentations of Satan and the world that other have bin so foiled by But alas if we know our owne hearts well if we have well observed this Doctrine of originall sinne as it hath beene delivered unto us we cannot but acknowledge we have as bad hearts as any other have had 1. We are by nature as weake as water as unable to stand against the strength of those mighty enemies we are daily in danger of and have cause to cry with Iehosaphat 2 Chron. 20.12 We have no might to withstand this great company that commeth against us 2. We have no corruption in us that we are more strongly inclined unto then to inconstancy in goodness and pronesse to decline and fall away from God to be quickly weary of well doing In respect whereof the best of us have cause to complaine of our selves as the Lord doth of Ephraim Hos. 6.4 Our goodnesse is as a morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away This people is of a revolting heart saith the Lord of Israel Ier. 5.23 And none of us all are any better then they were in that point 3. There is such a deale of corruption remaining still in every one of our hearts of pride and infidelity and hypocrisie and malice and worldlinesse that it is certainely as great a miracle that grace should live and grow and continue in such hearts as ours are as to see a candle or fire continue burning in the water That this fire of God that came downe from heaven should burne in water as that did that consumed Elias sacrifice that lay soked in such abundance of water so as the water ran round about the altar and the trench was also filled with water as we read 1 King 18.35 38. this is doubtlesse the wonderfull and miraculous worke of God onely Our Saviour tells us Mar. 4.19 That the cares of the world and lusts of other things will choake the Word and make it unfruitfull And what heart of all ours is there that hath not in it these cares of the world and lusts of other things And is it not then strange that any grace should live and grow in us and not be quite choked with all these thornes The nature of sinne is to grieve the spirit of God and to quench grace If he see any uncleane thing in thee saith the Lord to his people Deut. 23.14 he will turne away from thee And is it not then strange that the spirit of grace should abide in us and not forsake us utterly in whose hearts he seeth so much uncleannesse as he doth in every one of us That he that once said Gen. 6.3 My spirit shall not alwaies strive with man for that he also is flesh should yet strive with us though we be flesh And whereunto then shall we ascribe this that any of us do persevere in the state of grace Surely to the Lord alone The admirable worke of God is to be acknowledged in this that the best of us have not fallen totally and finally long before now First His admirable power is the cause of this For nothing but a divine power could uphold us against such enemies and such assaults as we are subject to Be strong in the Lord saith the Apostle Ephes. 6.10.12 and in the power of his might For we wrestle against
principalities and powers and against the rulers of the darknesse of this world against spirituall wickednesse in high places Nothing but a divine power could keepe grace alive in such hearts as ours are Wee are kept saith the Apostle 1 Peter 1.5 by the power of God unto salvation Secondly His admirable goodnesse is the cause of this and the unchangablenesse of his love to them whom he hath once effectually called called according to his purpose and eternall counsell as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8.28 Hee never loved any thus farre as to call them effectually and to worke truth of grace in their hearts but he loved them to the end Having loved his owne which were in the world saith the Evangelist of our blessed Saviour Iohn 13.1 he loved them to the end I have loved thee saith the Lord to his Church Ier. 31.3 with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindnesse have I drawne thee Them whom he hath shewed such loving kindnesse unto as to draw them to himselfe by an effectuall calling he loveth with an everlasting love The Lord advanced Saul to be King over his people and gave him his spirit that is such gifts of his spirit as might fit him for that calling As soone as Samuel had anointed him the spirit of the Lord came upon him as the Text saith 1 Sam. 10.6 9 and he was turned into another man God gave him another heart But this favour and love God shewed to Saul was not an unchangable and everlasting love It repenteth me saith the Lord 1 Sam. 15.11 that I have set up Saul to be King And 1 Sam. 16.14 The spirit of the Lord departed from Saul hee had received excellent gifts of Gods spirit and lost them quite againe But if God have advanced any of us to this dignity to be a true Convert to be effectually called Ioh. 1.12 he never repenteth him of it this favour and love of God is unchangable and everlasting The gifts and calling of God are without repentance as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 11.29 In respect of this good and perfect gift the Apostle calleth the Lord Iam. 1.17 the father of lights in whom is no variablenesse neither shadow of turning And were it not for this that Gods love to such as he hath once regenerated and given saving grace to is constant and everlasting if any thing could have changed or altered him alas there is none of us all but we have done enough a thousand times to have lost him for ever and to have caused him to depart quite from us and to have stripped us of all grace long ago Before we passe from this point let us apply it to our selves in a few words that is in five First Seeing sanctifying grace is of such constancie and a fruit of Gods everlasting and unchangable love ô how carefull should we be to get grace if wee want it and to get assurance that we have it in truth if we thinke we have it 1. All other blessings and good things wealth and pleasure and honour and health are of no continuance And that that Paul saith of Riches 1 Tim 6.17 may be said of them all they are uncertaine riches uncertaine good things But true grace is durable riches as Solomon calleth it Pro. 8.18 These are the sure mercies of David as the Holy Ghost calleth them Esa. 55.3 2. No other good thing we can enjoy is any certaine argument of Gods speciall love and favour No man knoweth either love or hatred by any thing that is before him saith Solomon Eccle. 9.1 Esau of whom it is said God hated him Mal. 1.3 yet did enjoy all worldly blessings in greater measure then Iacob did as is plaine by that speech of Moses Gen. 36.31 But true grace is a certaine argument of Gods love yea of his speciall and everlasting love According to that speech of the Lord Ier. 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindnesse have I drawne thee Secondly So many of us as have by the mercy of God beene preserved any time in the state of grace let us blesse God for it let us admire and magnifie the power and goodnesse of God towards us in this behalfe It hath ever beene esteemed in Gods Church a great honour to a man to be an old Disciple The Holy Ghost maketh an honourable mention of Mnason of Cyprus for this Act. 21.16 And Paul saith of Andronicus and Iunia Rom. 16.7 that they were of note among the Apostles and honoureth them for this that they were in Christ before him If any of us have found mercy with God to be old Disciples Nay if we be of any standing in Christianity and keepe our standing let us give God the glory of it thinke of it often and never thinke we can be sufficiently thankfull to God for it O blesse our God ye people saith David Psal. 66.8 9. and make the voice of his praise to be heard which holdeth our soule in life and suffreth not our feet to be moved Praise God for keeping and preserving the life of grace in thy soule all this while Say with David Psal. 116.7 8. The Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee for thou hast delivered my soule from death mine eyes from teares and my feet from falling Praise God for keeping thee fom deadly and irrecoverable falls Yea take thou up that thanksgiving which of all the formes of thanksgiving that we read of in Scripture hath been most in use with Gods Saints as if it were not for spending of time I could give you many instances of I meane that Psal. 106.1 Praise ye the Lord ô give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever God is more to be praised by us for the unchangeablenesse and constancy of his love to such wretches as wee are then for any other of his mercies how great so ever they bee Thirdly Let none of us be proud of our standing in the state of grace but let us give God all the glory of it Let us all say with the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.10 By the grace of God I am that I am And that which the Apostle there speaketh of his labours we must say in this case It is not I that have held out all this while not I but the grace of God which was with me It is the Lord as Annah speaketh 1 Sam. 2.9 that keepeth the â—eet of his Saints for in his owne might shall no man be strong It is not by any strength of our owne that we have stood all this while but by the strength and free grace of God onely Fourthly Seeing our perseverance in grace dependeth wholly upon the power and goodnesse of God let none of us be secure but watchfull and wary and fearfull to offend God who if he do but let go his hold and withdraw his hand we cannot stand one moment longer no more then a child of a yeare old or the staffe ye walke
can do it no better wil be ready to helpe us and make that easie to us by his helpe which was full of difficulty and impossibility before Arise and be doing saith David to Solomon 1 Chron. 22.16 and the Lord will be with thee If we draw neare to God do our best endeavour God will draw neare unto us as the Apostle speaketh Iames 4.8 LECTVRES ON PSAL. LI. 6. Lecture LXXIV On Psalme LI. 6. Novemb. 6. MDCXXVII Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part thou hadst made me to know wisedome WEE have already heard out of the former verses of this Psalme that David in seeking to God for mercy in the pardon of his grievous sins doth make confession of his sinne and accuse himselfe before God and that not only in grosse and generall verse 3. but more fully in these three verses following For 1. Hee acknowledgeth his sin in particular that very sin that Nathan charged him with verse 4. I have done this evill in thy sight 2. The fountaine and root from whence this his sin did grow even his vile and cursed nature verse 5 Behold I was borne in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me 3. From the consideration of that uprightnesse and truth of heart which the Lord so much desireth and which he found his corrupt heart so farre from specially in the committing of this soule sin For oh what a deale of fraud and cunning did he use in this matter to hide and cloake his sin 1. Hee sent for Vriah home and perswaded him to goe and lodge at his owne house 2. Sam. 11.6 2. When perswasion would not serve hee made him drunke in hope that that would provoke him to lust verse 13. 3. When all this would not serve nor hee could get Vriah to father the child hee procureth him to bee made away that so by marrying of his wife he might cloke his sin the better ver 15. in the beginning of this sixt verse Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts 4. From the consideration of that measure of saving knowledge and grace which hee had received from God before hee fell into this sin in the last words of this verse And in the hidden part thou hadst made me for so I read it and not thou shalt make me to know wisedome And thus you see the scope and drift of this verse and what coherence and dependance it hath on that which went before The words divide themselves naturally into two parts as they doe containe two arguments and considerations whereby David doth amplifie and aggravate his sin 1. What a one God would have David and all his children to bee that is to say Vpright in heart 2. What a one David was before hee fell into these foule sins that is God had wrought soundnesse of grace in his heart In the hidden part thou hadst made me to know wisedome In the former part three points are to bee observed 1. The thing the grace that God desired that God would have to bee in David and all his children Truth thou desirest truth that is sincerity and uprightnesse which is opposed to guile and hypocrisie So is truth taken Iosh. 24.14 Feare the Lord and serve him insincerity and in truth And 1 Cor. 5.8 Let us keepe the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth And Iohn 1.47 Behold saith our Saviour of Nathanael an Israelite in truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in whom is no guile 2. The subject the place where God would have this grace to be in the inward parts that is in the heart For so wee find this place interpreted by Iob 38.36 Who hath put wisedome in the inward parts or who hath given understanding to the heart And by our Saviour Marke 7.21 From within out of the heart of men proceed evill thoughts And by the Apostle Ephes. 3. who when hee had prayed for them verse 16. that they might be strengthened by Gods spirit in the inner man He expoundeth himselfe thus verse 17. that Christ might dwell in their hearts by faith The heart is the proper seat of this truth and sincerity For then a thing is said to be spoken or done in truth 1. When that which is said or done agreeth with the heart and proceedeth from it As a good man is said Psal. 15.2 To speake the truth in his heart He speaketh the truth in his heart because he speaketh as hee thinketh 2. When the purpose and intent of the heart is upright in that which a man speaketh or doth My father saith Solomon in his prayer 1 Kings 3.6 walked before thee in truth and uprightnesse of heart therefore in truth because in uprightnesse of heart Therfore also is this sincerity called singlenesse of heart Acts 2.46 When a man in that which he saith and doth hath but one heart not a heart and a heart a double heart Psalm 12.2 one heart for that which hee pretendeth and another for that which he intendeth It is said that the Zebulonites that came to make David King 1 Chron. 12.33 were not of a double heart And that is expounded verse 38 that they came with a perfect or an upright heart A true heart is called a whole heart also Psal. 119.10 a false heart is called a divided heart Hosea 10.2 3. and lastly The note of observation that David prefixeth before this Behold As if he should say this this is that which I cannot but take notice of and thinke much upon that whereas I am by nature so filthy and corrupt and have so much falshood and hypocrisie in my heart which hath beene the maine cause of this my fearefull fall thou art a God that lookest for and requirest yea desirest above all things and delightest in the truth and uprightnesse of the heart and where that is wanting all that a man can doe is nothing in thy sight Now all this cunning and falshood he had used doth greatly augment his griefe and shame when he considereth how much the Lord delighteth in truth and abhorreth hypocrisie Then the Doctrine that wee are to learne from the first part of the verse is this That truth and uprightnesse of heart is that which God highly esteemeth of and desireth and delighteth in above all things Observe the proofe of this Doctrine in five points and degrees First The Lord would have all his servants upright in heart hee would have that obedience and service that is done unto him to bee done in truth and sincerity that is that that hee looketh for at our hands which hee greatly desireth and longeth for Hee cannot abide hypocrisie that wee should counterfeit and halt with him My son saith the Lord Prov. 23.26 give me thine heart that is it that I looke for So Ioshua 24.14 calleth upon the people Now therefore feare the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth Are not thine eyes upon the truth saith Iere. 5.3 As if he should say Is
pray as he doth Psal. 141.5 Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindnesse and let him reproove me it shall be an excellent oyle As if he had said give me such friends and teachers as will helpe to search me and to discover to me that unfoundnesse and corruption that is hidden from my selfe But of all other places this most plainely appeareth to have beene in him when he made that prayer that we reade verse 10. of this Psalme Create in me a cleane heart ô God renew a right spirit within me Was David an hypocrite when he said so No no. Certainely he had at this time as cleane a heart and as right a spirit as ever he had in his life as by many passages in this Psalme is most evident But he could not perceive nor discerne it in himselfe at this time and therefore prayeth that God would create and renew it in him as if it had beene quite gone The other example is that of the elect Apostles Matth. 26.21 22. When our Saviour had said all the twelve being then together that one of them should betray him though he had plainely said it was but one of them all that should have an hand in that foule sinne yet did every one of them suspect himselfe to be that one man and out of this selfe suspition were exceeding sorrowfull and began every one of them to say unto him Lord is it I They knew no such falshood and treachery in their owne hearts nay it is certaine they were most free from it for so our Saviour himselfe saith of them all Iohn 13.10 Yee are cleane yet were they exceeding apt to suspect themselves of it And as the man whose heart is upright indeed is apt to doubt himselfe and carefull to have his heart well examined that he be not deceived So the man whose heart is most unsound and farthest of from truth of grace never suspecteth himselfe is never troubled with any such doubts but alwaies confident in this point The foole is confident saith Solomon Pro. 14.16 Many a most wicked man that hath no feare of God before his eyes yet flattereth himselfe saith David Psal. 36.1 2. in his owne eyes perswadeth himselfe verily he hath as true an heart to God as any man No affliction that God can lay upon them no mortall sicknesse can make them doubt of this or once call in question the truth of their hearts but even upon their death bed they are as Iob speaketh Iob 21.23 wholly at ease and quiet Nay it is a death to him to have any such doubt to rise in his mind He cannot abide that in his sicknesse any thing should be spoken to him that might move him to doubt of his salvation but is ready to say with that miserable man Luke 4.34 Let me alone what have I to doe with thee art thou come to torment me He cannot abide in his health to heare such preaching as by the searching power of it is wont to worke in him these doubtings of his estate and to trouble his mind thereby but shunneth it as Ahab did the ministery of Micajah I hate him saith hee 2 Chron. 18.7 for he never prophesied good to me but alwaies evill I never heare him but he troubleth and disquieteth my minde This quietnesse and peace that wicked men have when Iob did meditate and consider of he did tremble at as at a most fearefull signe of Gods wrath upon them Even when I remember it saith he Iob 21.6 I am afraid and trembling taketh hold on my flesh A godly man cannot choose but tremble to thinke how quietly many passe away without the least trouble or doubt of their estate either in life or in death Let us therefore beloved begin the examination of our hearts if we desire to know whether they be upright or no at this first note and signe 1. Art thou apt to doubt and suspect thy selfe much lest thou shouldst bee no better then an hypocrite Thinke not the worse of thine own estate for this so long as thou yeeldest not to these doubts and jelousies but art thereby made carefull to looke up thine evidences and to find in thy selfe more sure markes and notes of the uprightnesse of thy heart Remember what Christ saith of such as thou art Matth. 5.2 Consider that as thou thy selfe shewest most tender care and kind affections towards thy children that are very young and little ones specially if they be also sicke then towards all the rest so doth the Lord to his children when they are such weake little ones as thou art Psal. 103.13 Like as a father pitieth his children so doth the Lord. Remember what care Iacob had of his little children and of the lambs that were yet in the bellies of their dams Gen. 33.13 14. and know that was nothing to the tender care that the Lord who is thy father yea another manner of father more fatherly in his affection and more kinde then any upon earth ever was Matth. 23.9 and thy shepheard also Psal. 23.1 hath of his little ones of his lambs as the Prophet also describeth him Esa. 40.11 He shall feed his flocke like a shepheard he shall gather the lambs with his arme and carry them in his bosome and shall gently lead those that are with young 2. Wert thou never troubled with doubts of this kinde Never so poore in spirit Certainely thy heart is unsound And I may say to thee as our Saviour doth Luke 6.24 Wo be to you that are rich for you have received your consolation Wo be to you that are so confident for you shall see cause of despaire one day The second note to try the truth and uprightnesse of our hearts by is the conscience we make the obedience we yeeld unto the commandements of God And this is yet a more sure and sensible marke and signe of sincerity then the former is This is that which Solomon teacheth in his speech to the people at the dedication of the Temple 1 King 8.61 Let your heart be perfect with the Lord your God to walke in his statutes and to keepe his commandements As though he had said In this consisteth the soundnesse and perfectnesse of the heart by this it is to be discerned It is a mans doings the life and conversation that he leadeth that will best discover unto him the truth and uprightnesse of his heart Thus shall we find the true hearted Christian described Psal. 15.2 He walketh uprightly and worketh righteousnesse And by the Apostle 3 Iohn 4. I have no greater joy then to heare that my children walke in truth that they shew the truth of their hearts in their conversation It is not the perswasion that we have of our selves nor the good words we can speake nor the good profession we make but our doings our conversation that will shew what our hearts are Even a child saith Solomon Pro. 20.11 is knowne by his doings whether his worke be pure
and blind devotion in both these yet what great hurt was ther in them Had they not a shew of holinesse and mortification Surely if you weigh the matter well for as much as you may bee sure that neither Christ nor the Apostle could be thus vehement without just cause you will find that to be strict and precise in the observation of any thing as a part of Gods worship that God in his Word hath given us no direction for though it seeme to tend never so much unto holinesse and mortification is a most heinous sinne For 1 it is grosse Idolatry and high-Treason against God to give to our selves or to any creature this divine authority as to make him a law-giver to our conscience For this is the Lords royall prerogative in which he will endure no partner There is one law-giver who is able to save and to destroy saith the Apostle Iam. 4.12 I am the Lord saith he Esa 42.8 that is my name and I will not give my glory to another 2 This will quite steale and turne away the heart from God and his Word and breed a light account of the Word of the commandements and ordinances of God This is one reason our Saviour giveth for his vehemency against the Pharisaicall purifyings Mat. 15.6 Ye have made the commandement of God of none effect by your traditions And Mar. 7.9 Full well ye reject the commandement of God that ye may keepe your owne tradition Ahaz we know 1 brought his altar into Gods house and offered on it 2 King 16.12 13. 2 He set it cheeke by jowle as we say by the Lords owne altar verse 14. 3 He brought it in further and placed it above Gods altar verse 14. 4 He used it onely in the ordinary offerings and sacrifices with neglect of Gods altar verse 15. The more zealous any are for the religious observation of such things as God never commanded the lesse conscience we shall find they make of any commandement of God the lesse account they make of Gods Word When Ephraim had multiplied altars in a will worship being more abundant in sacrifices then God required Hos. 8.11 12. the great things of Gods written law were counted by him as a strange thing not belonging unto him Yea this will-worship will breed in the heart a hatred of God and his ordinances which is the cause why the Lord calleth the transgressours of the second commandement such as hate him Exod. â—0 5 And the Apostle saith Tit. 1.14 that the giving heed to the commandements of men in this case will turne men from the truth This experience hath proved most true not only in the Papists but in too many other fondly superstitious 2 Can any of you find in your selves a high and reverend esteeme of Gods Word doe you love it and delight in it do you depend upon it onely for direction in all your waies despising and rejecting all other rules besides it Canst thou say with David Psal. 119 113. I hate vaine inventions but thy law doe I love Certainely how ever thou maist be slouted and hated for this in the world this will one day even when thou shalt have most need of it yeeld a comfortable testimony to thee that thy heart is upright with God Remember as thou hast now heard what comfort Iob found in this Iob 33 10-12 Remember how oft David calleth him a blessed man that can doe thus Ps. 1. â— 112 1.128.1 Remember that our blessed Saviour accounteth such Luke 8.21 in respect of his deare and tender affection and respect unto them as his brethren and sisters and mother And that for this cause he professeth of Mary Luke 10.42 that she had chosen the good part which should not bee taken away from her Lecture LXXVIII On Psalme 51.6 Ianuary 22. 1627. IT followeth now that wee proceed unto the second property that is necessarily required in true goodnesse and righteousnesse it must have a good root We must therefore know that nothing that we can do is truly good and pleasing unto God unlesse the inward principle the root that produceth it and moveth us to doe it be good We read of holy Iob. 9 28. that he comforteth himselfe against the censures of his friends that judged him to be an hypocrite by this that the root of the matter was found in him he knew he had in him the root of true righteousnesse and goodnesse and therefore he was no hypocrite therefore his heart was upright And on the other side in the parable of the sower our Saviour giveth this for the reason why the hearer that is resembled to the stony ground fell quite away and so shewed himselfe to bee an hypocrite and that his heart was never upright Matth. 13.21 because hee had no root in himselfe Now if you aske me what is this root of true righteousnesse and goodnesse that a man must have in himselfe or els his heart cannot be upright I answer it is that which the Apostle speaketh of Gal. 5.6 In Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith that worketh by love Faith that worketh by love is that root from whence all true goodnesse and righteousnesse doth spring Here are you see two graces grow together in this root faith and love 1. Nothing that we doe is truly good and pleasing unto God neither will the doing of it argue the uprightnesse of our hearts unlesse we doe it out of love to God 2. The love that wee beare to God is not sound nor such as will argue the uprightnesse of our hearts unlesse it proceed from faith that assureth us of Gods speciall love to us in Christ. For the first The love of God is the root of all true obedience and that heart that truly loveth God is certainely an upright and true heart Two branches you see there are of this point which I will severally and distinctly consider of 1. The love of God is the root of all true obedience 2. The heart that truly loveth God is an upright heart First Nothing that we do is good in Gods sight unlesse we do it out of love unto him This is the root of all true obedience God hath chosen us saith the Apostle Ephes. 1.4 in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love When our Saviour giveth the summe of all the foure commandements of the first table he giveth it us in these termes Matth. 22.37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soule and with all thy soule and with all thy minde Then onely wee pray well and and heare well and preach well and receive the Sacrament well and keepe the Sabbath well yea then onely we put our trust in him aright and serve him aright when we doe all this out of love to the Lord our God So for the duties of the second table then onely we performe the duties of righteousnesse and
art Iohn 5.42 But I know you that ye have not the love of God in you 1. If thou be a profane person and goest on in a course of sinne thou canst not leave thy drinking nor thy swearing nor thy whoring then the Holy Ghost pronounceth of thee that thou lovest not God thou hatest him and art an enemy unto him Psal. 68.21 God shall wound the head of his enemies hath God any enemies So it appeareth Why who are they That he telleth you in the next words and the hairy scalpe of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses 2. If thou be a superstitious person and such a one as dotest upon any will worship that is of thine owne or of any other mans devising whatsoever thou thinkest of thy selfe then the Holy Ghost pronounceth of thee that thou lovest not God but thou hatest him in thy heart For so the Lord speaketh of the transgressours of the second commandement Exod. 20.5 Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate me 3. Nay if thou be but a meere naturall man unregenerated unconverted there is no love of God in thee but thou hatest him in thy heart For so saith our Saviour Iohn 15.18 of the whole world of all men in their naturall estate Yee know that the world hated me before it hated you And verse 23. He that hateth me hateth my father also Neither is this the state of the reprobate in the world onely but even of Gods elect also while they are of the world before they be regenerated they cannot love the Lord but hate him in their hearts This is plaine by that promise God maketh to his elect Deut. 30.6 The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart Till God circumcise our hearts and take away the hard fore-skin that is upon them we can never love the Lord with all our heart that is unfeignedly And the Apostle speaking to the elect Colosians putteth them in mind of this Col. 1.21 You were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mindes As if he had said you were not onely void of the love of God but you were quite alienated from him and enemies in your mind you hated him in your hearts Six evident demonstrations there be that may convince every naturall man that there is no true love of God in his heart First He loveth not God because he loveth other things more then God For so speaketh the spirit of God expressely 1 Iohn 2.15 If any man love the world the love of the father is not in him Secondly He loveth not God because he doth not desire to enjoy him to be where he is to have any communion with him neither in heaven nor in the assembly of his Saints and use of his ordinances For this hath beene the voice of such as have loved God 2 Cor. 5.8 We are willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. And Psal. 42.1 2. As the hart panteth after the water brookes so panteth my soule after thee ô God my soule thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appeare before God And 26.8 Lord I have loved the habitation of thy houses and the place where thine honour dwelleth And can he then have any love to God that cannot abide to thinke of death that if he might have his will would never go to God Can he have any love to God that careth not how seldome he commeth to Gods Sanctuary where of all places in the world the Lord sheweth himselfe to be present with his people in the most gracious and comfortable manner Thirdly He loveth not God because hee hath no delight to doe that that might please him nor feareth to doe that that he knoweth will offend and displease and dishonour him The carnall mind is enmity against God saith the Apostle Rom. 8.7 For it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be He that hath my commandements and keepeth them saith our Saviour Ioh. 14.21 is he that loveth me and none but he Fourthly He loveth not God because when he knoweth he hath offended him and lost his favour hee is not troubled with it nor seeketh in any good earnest to be reconciled to him againe I love them that love me saith the Lord Pro. 8.17 But how shall that be knowne That he telleth you in the next words and those that seeke me early shall find me As if he had said Those that love me will seeke peace with me when they have offended me yea they will doe it early they cannot rest they cannot sleepe till they have made their peace with me and thus will I shew my love to them againe I will be found of them I will be easie to be intreated by them Fiftly They love not God because they love not them that feare God Every one that loveth him that begat saith the Apostle 1 John 5.1 loveth him also that is begotten of him Nay there is a certaine signe they hate God because they beare a mortall hatred to all such as in whom they see any life or power of religion for that cause onely because they beare the image of God they reproach them nickname them slander them use them with all the despite they can He that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked saith Solomon Pro. 29.27 Like the Leopard and Tiger of whom we read that they doe so hate man that they will expresse their hatred to the very picture of a man wheresoever they see it Sixtly and lastly They love not God because they have no assurance of his love to them in Christ and of the forgivenesse of their sinnes We love him saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.19 because he loved us first And it is no more possible there should be any true love in the heart of man towards God till then then it is possible there should bee heate in the pavement before the sunne in his strength have showne upon it Now then to conclude this first part of my application let no man bee too confident that he loveth the Lord but let every one examine himselfe by these sixe arguments and if thou find by them as I dare say many of you may that there is no love of God in thee but that thou bearest in thy breast such a canckered and malicious heart against God 1 Bewaile thine estate 2 Thinke not so well of thy selfe as thou hast done but loath and abhorre thy selfe for it 3 Admire the patience and goodnesse of God towards thee 4 Let this drive thee to Christ who is our onely peace as the Apostle calleth him Ephes. 2.14 and who by his crosse hath slaine the enmity that was betweene God and us as hee saith verse 16. 5 Let This patience and bountifullnesse of his move thee to turne to
him and cry to him that is the God of love 2 Cor. 13.11 that by that blessed spirit of his which is the spirit of love 2 Tim. 1.7 hee would give thee an heart to love him And if thou canst seeke to him this way thou hast no cause to despaire For he that commandeth us Matth. 5.44 45. Love your enemies blesse them that curse you c. will doubtlesse love thee if in truth of heart thou desire to love him Lecture LXXIX On Psalme 51.6 Ianuary 29. 1627. NOw it followeth that we proceed unto the second part of this application and so unto the second grace whereof the right root of all true righteousnesse and goodnesse doth consist namely a lively faith I told you the last day that if God should move to every one of you particularly that that was moved unto Peter Iohn 21.15 as who knoweth how soone it may be moved to us either by the Lord himselfe when he shall wrestle with us as he did with Iacob Gen. â—2 or by Satan our adversary there is many a one among you that doe unfeignedly love the Lord would make a very doubtfull and fearefull answer unto this question because though you doe indeed love him yet you doe not feele or perceive in your selves that you doe so But you are ready upon the hearing of the former Doctrine to say Have none upright hearts but such onely as doe love the Lord Alas then I feare I am no better then an hypocrite for I am exceedingly subject unto slavish feare I cannot thinke of death but I tremble I cannot heare of any danger of an invasion or such like troubles but I am ready to quake for feare I cannot heare or see any great thunder or lightning but I am exceedingly distempered with slavish feare And can there be any true love of God in such a heart Now to these poore soules that object thus against themselves I have three things to say 1. Thou maist have the true love of God in thy heart though thou be subject unto these feares 2. Thou hast in thee evident signes that thou hast the true love of God in thy heart though thou bee so subject unto these feares 3. Yet thou must strive against these feares and labour to rid thy heart of them For the first I say It is possible for one that truly loveth the Lord and that hath an upright heart to be much subject to these feares This I will make evident to you 1 by some instances and examples that will make it plaine unto you that it may be so 2 by certaine reasons that will shew you why it may be and is so For examples we read Iob was subject to these feares even before the time of his great affliction while he enjoyed much prosperity and outward peace For whereas he saith of himselfe Iob 3.26 that in those daies I was not in peace neither had I rest neither was I quiet he telleth us in the former verse 25. that it was feare that did thus disquiet him David also oft complaineth of this Psal. 119.120 My flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am afraid of thy judgements This may seeme to bee more then a child-like feare to offend God that he could not see nor heare of any strange judgements of God but his flesh trembled at it And Psal. â—â— 4 â— My heart is â—ore pained within me with what with feare as appeareth by the next words and the terrours of death are fallen upon me fearefullnesse and trembling are come upon me and horrour hath overwhelmed mee What poore Christian is there in the world can say more of his feares And yet Heman the Prophet goeth further Psal. 88.15 While I suffer thy terrours I am distracted and verse 16. Thy terrours have cut me off As if he had said For feare and terrour I know not what to doe I have no use of my understanding I am become even as a dead man Take another example for this in the Apostle Paul who professeth of himselfe 2 Cor. 7.5 that while he was in Macedonia he found no rest in his flesh but that as he had fightings without much opposition and trouble raised against him by men so he had terrours within Certainely he was much subject to these feares we speake of But what speake I of particular examples this is the condition of most Christians that at one time or other they are subject unto them Yea they are more subject unto them a great deale then the lewdest men are who have much more just cause to feare then they have as wee see the trees that have life and sap in them are shaken too and fro with the winds when those that are dry and dead are not moved at all but strand stone-still In which respect the Lord speaking to them to whom the promises of the Gospell do belong calleth them Esa. 35.4 such as are of a fearefull heart and chideth them for this Esa. 51.13 Thou hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressour Now if you would know the reasons why Gods most faithfull and upright-hearted seruants may be so subject to these feares and why they are so I find two principall causes of this First Their owne weaknesse When the Apostle speaketh of those feares he was subject to among the Corinthians he imputeth them to his owne weaknesse I was with you saith he 1 Cor. 2.3 in weakenesse and in feare and in much trembling And there is a double weakenesse in the best of Gods servants a naturall weakenesse and a sinfull weakenesse and so there is a naturall feare and a sinfull feare in them Our blessed Saviour that had no sin in him yet when he was in the garden was sore afraid and being to pray durst not be alone but got three of his Disciples to be by him yea charged them to keepe themselves awake too as you shall find Mar. 14.32 34. Through this naturall weakenesse it is that the best man that is may feele in himselfe some feare of death and when he seriously thinketh of his appearing before God or when the Lord doth by any extraordinary worke as thundring and lightning and earth-quakes c. manifest unto him his glorious power he cannot choose but feare and tremble I remembred God and was troubled saith the Prophet Psal. 77.3 and that hath oft beene the case of many a good soule When God shewed his glory in the delivering of the law by darknesse and tempest by thunder and lightning it is said by the Apostle Heb. 12.21 that the sight was so terrible that Moses himselfe said I exceedingly feare and quake Yea when Christ did shew his divine and glorious power even in goodnesse by bringing such a multitude of fish to the net that it brake withall it is said Luk. 5.8 9. that Peter was so astonished with feare that he fell downe at Iesus knees saying depart from me for I am a sinfull man O Lord. But besides
usefull not fit to edifie himselfe in faith and obedience unto God For as it is an argument of a vaine and unsound heart in a Minister to teach any thing that tendeth not to the edifying of the people in faith and godlinesse as the Apostle telleth Timothy some did in his time 1 Tim. 1.3 4. This the Apostle saith was the rule that he followed in teaching Acts 20.20 he taught them not all that he was able to teach but he kept backe nothing that was profitable for them So it is a signe of a vaine and unsound heart in an hearer to desire to know more in religion then may be of use unto him for his owne practise The wisdome of the prudent saith Solomon Pro. 14.8 is to understand his way how hee may walke to please God This was the knowledge that David desired Psal. 119.66 Teach me good judgement and knowledge As if he had said such as may doe me good and make me better Now the upright hearted man to the end he may not offend God in any thing but obey his will in all things he desireth to know the whole will of God so farre as it concerneth him and may be profitable for him to know it I opened my mouth and panted saith David Psal. 119.131 for I longed for thy commandements as if he had said to know them that I might not breake them And thus he saith Psal. 18.22 23. that he approved to his owne heart his uprightnesse and integrity For all his judgements were before me and I did not put away his statutes any of them from me I was also upright before him As wee see it is with wise men specially with justices and officers they will acquaint themselves well with the statutes that they may doe nothing in their office that is against law and so bring themselves into danger So is it with the wise and prudent hearted Christian in this case I am thine save me saith David Psal. 119.94 for I have sought thy precepts And indeed how is it possible for him to be afraid to offend God in any thing or desirous to doe the will of God in all things that is not carefull to enquire and know what the will of God is in all things So it is said of Ezra 7.10 that hee had prepared his heart to seeke the law of the Lord and to doe it Thus David charged his Princes and Nobles and Commons in that great Parliament and common Councell that he summoned not long before his death 1 Chron. 28.8 Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the Congregation of the Lord and in the audience of our God keepe and seeke for all the commandements of the Lord your God As if he had said You cannot keepe them unlesse first you seeke to know them If this be so then is there certainely no truth of grace no uprightnesse of heart in many men First What truth of grace can there be in them that professe to all men by their despising the meanes that they desire not the knowledge of the will of God of which sort notwithstanding there bee many that are passing well perswaded of the uprightnesse of their owne hearts Of these men the Holy Ghost hath given sentence long since Iob 21.14 They say unto God depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy waies As though he should say They that doe not desire the knowledge of his waies how honest men soever they seeme to be do certainely in their hearts say unto God depart from us they would have nothing to doe with him by their good will And Ps. 119.155 Salvation is farre from the wicked for they seeke not thy statutes As if he should say They that never seek to know what God hath either forbidden or commanded them in his Word are farre from salvation Secondly Such as though they seeme to love the meanes and so to desire knowledge of Gods will yet never seeke to know the will of God in those cases that concerne their owne practise in particular It is the ordinance of God ye know Mat. 2.7 that his people should seeke his law at the mouth of his messenger And Iohns hearers did so his ministery wrought feares and doubts in them and both the people and the Publicans and the souldiers came to him as you may see Luk. 3.10.12.14 to be resolved in their doubts and said unto him What shall we do But our hearers have no doubts no cases of conscience to be resolved in No man ever asketh the question whether that that he hath gotten by usury or by gaming or by filling in of pots to men till they be drunke and have made themselves beasts be lawfully gotten or no. No man asketh is God pleased with the gaine that I get thus Will God blesse it to me and mine Thirdly and lastly Such also have cause to suspect the truth of their owne hearts that wittingly and purposely shun the knowledge of some parts of Gods will that concerne their owne practise because if they should know them and not doe accordingly their conscience would be disquieted and if they should practise them they must incurre danger and trouble and it is good sleeping thinke they in a whole skin Let none that are such flatter themselves in this that they thanke God they doe nothing against their conscience they doe nothing that they know to bee evill and displeasing to God For if thou wilfully close thine owne eyes against any part of Gods will that thou mayest not see it as those Iewes did that our Saviour condemneth Matth. 13.15 if there bee any truth of God concerning which it may bee said of thee as the Apostle speaketh of some wicked men in his time 2 Peter 3.5 this thou art willingly ignorant of certainely thy heart is unsound and the Lord will judge thee as one that hath sinned not out of ignorance but wilfully And so much shall serve to bee spoken of the first of these three points that I propounded touching the equall respect that the upright-hearted man beareth to all the commandements of God He desireth to know the whole will of God in all things that concerne him in one point as well as in another Secondly Hee maketh conscience of every sinne that God hath in his law condemned of one as well as of another It is no argument of sincerity to make conscience of and to hate some sinnes The Pharisee you know could say Luke 18.11 God I thanke thee I am not as other men are I am not so bad as such and such are I am not extortioner no unjust man in my dealings with men no adulterer But this is oft made in Scripture a note of uprightnesse to make conscience of every knowne sinne of one as well as of another Thus David describeth them that are undefiled in the way Psal. 119.3 They also doe no iniquity As if hee had said Not wittingly as giving themselves liberty in any sinne By
drudgery in the world But alas beloved this is but a false slander that is cast upon the wayes and service of God And wee must say of it as our Saviour doth of the tares that were sowed in Gods field Matth 13.28 The enemy hath done this The devill hath raised this slaunder and suggested it into the minds of men to terrifie them from Gods service by it There is no truth in it at all For though indeed wee must goe under the yoke if wee will bee his servants and obey his commandements wee may not be allowed to live as we list yet if wee can once humble our selves to beare this yoke of Christ wee shall never have cause to complaine of the hardnesse or uneasinesse of it Take my yoke upon you saith our Saviour Matth. 11.29 30. even to the humbled sinner who was like the bruised reed who was already weary and heavy laden and therefore unable to beare any heavy burden or to weare a yoke that would pinch and gall him even to this man saith Christ take my yoke upon thee feare it not for my yoke is easie and my burden light If this yoke doe pinch or gall any man the fault is not in the yoke but in himselfe because hee taketh it not upon him but like an untamed and unruly bullocke strugleth with it and is unwilling to beare it If any of Christs burdens seeme intollerable to any man the fault is not in the burden but in himselfe hee hath some bile or corrupt sore upon him that maketh him unable to beare the lightest burden that can bee laid upon him And thus speaketh the Apostle Iohn also of all Christs burdens and commandements 1 Iohn 5.3 This is the love of God that we keepe his commandements if wee bee his servants and beare any love to him wee must indeed keepe his commandements but his commandements are not grievous it is no bondage to bee tyed to keepe them In which respect also the Apostle calleth it the law of liberty Iames 1.25 It is the greatest freedome and liberty in the world to bee obedient unto God Certainely no man hath just cause to complaine of the hardnesse of Gods service nor to bee afraid of it There is no life under heaven so pleasant as the life of Gods servant there is no service in the world so easie and comfortable as the service of God is If men obey and serve him saith Elihu Iob 36.11 they shall spend their dayes in prosperity and their yeares in pleasure This I know will seeme to many of you a strange paradox but if you will marke well what I shall say I will make it evident that it is so and that in three respects Lecture LXXXXI On Psalme 51.6 Iune 17. 1628. FIrst I will shew you that religion doth not so abridge men of their liberty in lawfull delights as is pretended Secondly That the taskes and duties that it imposeth upon men are nothing so hard as Satan would make us beleeve Thirdly That the service of God is so far from being a bondage and drudgery that it is in sundry respects the most comfortable life in the world For the first Though God doe indeed restraine his servants from licentiousnesse and liberty to doe what they list his servants must live under a law under government they must beare his yoke Yet is his yoke even in this respect a most easie yoke to all that can once humble themselves to beare it For hee doth allow to his servants liberty enough even in the comforts and delights of this life Nay no man under heaven can with that freedome of heart and true delight use any of the creatures of God any of the comforts of this life as the servants of God may That which the Apostle saith of marriage and meates 1 Tim. 4.3 may likewise be said of all other lawfull recreations and delights God hath created them to be received with thankesgiving of them which beleeve and know the truth As if he had said For their sakes they were ordained they are the people that have just title unto them God hath called us to peace saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.15 that is not an hard a troublesome and rigorous but a free and comfortable condition of life even in respect of these outward things And in this respect among others the Apostle saith Gal. 5.13 Brethren yee have beene called unto liberty onely use not your liberty as an occasion to the flesh Religion doth not forbid the use of any lawfull delight but the abuse of it onely Secondly The taskes that God sets to his servants the burden he layes on them I meane the duties and services that hee requireth of them are not hard and heavy nay they are certainely light and easie to bee borne and in this respect also the service of God is no bondage nor drudgery it is the most easie and comfortable life in the world and it is nothing but the deceitfulnesse of Satan and of our owne naughty hearts that causeth us to judge otherwise of it Now if any man shall object and aske mee Are all Gods commandements easie indeed Is it a matter of no hardnesse or difficultie to observe them For answer unto this I will shew 1. How and in what respect they are hard and difficult 2. How and in what respect they are light and easie to be peformed For the first The commandements of God and burdens he layeth upon men are hard and heavy in three respects First To every wicked and naturall man the commandements of God are not onely hard but impossible hee can doe nothing that God requireth in that manner that God requireth I know well that many things which such men doe may seeme to other men and to themselves also to bee very good workes All these things saith the young man Mat. 19 20. have I kept from my youth up But indeed this is utterly impossible every unbeleever is reprobate unto every good worke Titus 1.16 How can yee being evill saith our Saviour Matth. 12.34 speake good things that is constantly and conscionably Can the Aethiopian change his skinne or the Leopard his spots saith the Lord Ieremy 13.23 then may yee also doe good that are accustomed to doe evill And that which our Saviour saith of the covetous man Luk. 18.25 may also truly bee said of the fornicatour and of the drunkard and of the proud man and of every wicked man It is easier for a camel to goe through a needles eye then for such a one to enter into the kingdome of God or to keepe any of those commandements that are against his sin Secondly To every regenerate and godly man the commandements of God are not onely hard but impossible to bee kept in that manner that the law requireth In that respect the Apostle Peter professeth Actes 15.10 that the law was svch a yoke as neither their fathers none of the holy Patriarches nor prophets nor they none of the
in those torments where the worme shall never dye and the fire shall bee never quenched as our Saviour speaketh oft Marke 9.44.46.48 2. Though the ignorance of that man that wanted either meanes or capacity may find some mitigation of torments in hell yet is there no hope that thy ignorance that is willfull should doe so Secondly Knowledge I meane sanctified knowledge such as you heard described unto you the last day is a certaine signe a man is the elect child of God and in the state of grace To speake distinctly of this point 1. It is a signe of a mans election So Ananias speaketh of it as of an high favour of God unto Paul and signe of his election Actes 22.14 The God of our fathers hath chosen thee that thou shouldst know his will And so doth our blessed Saviour also unto his disciples Matthew 13.11 To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdome of heaven but to them it is not given As if hee had said It is a speciall favour and gift of God And verse 16. Blessed are your eyes for they see and your â—ares for they heare Surely it is a great blessing of God or else Christ would not have said so Yea hee rejoyceth in his spirit on their behalfe for this and said Luke 10.21 I thanke thee ô father Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast reveiled them unto babes even so ô father for so it seemed good in thy sight Certainely it is a singular favour and blessing of God that our blessed Saviour made such high reckoning and account of 2. It is a signe a man is in covenant with God reconciled to him in Christ. So wee shall find it promised as a favour peculiar to them that are in covenant with God Ieremy 24.7 I will give them an heart to know mee that I am the Lord and they shall bee my people and I will bee their God And 31.34 They shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know the Lord. As if hee had sayd They shall not bee taught of men onely nor rest upon this outward and ordinary meanes of knowledge I will bee their teacher my selfe for they shall all know mee from the least of them to the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sinnes no more It is a signe that God hath received thee into covenant that he hath forgiven thee thy sinnes and is reconciled to thee in Christ when hee hath given thee an heart to know him to understand what thou hearest and readest in the matters that concerne God and their owne salvation 3. It is a speciall signe of an honest and good heart a false and naughty heart cannot attaine to this What man is hee that feareth the Lord saith David Psalme 25 1â— him shall hee teach in the way that hee shall choose So speaketh the wisedome of God likewise Proverbs 28.5 Evill men understand not judgement they have no judgement in the things that belong to God and their owne salvation but they that seeke the Lord desire nothing so much as his favour and to know how they may best please him understand all things So that if God have given thee an heart to understand his word to carry away what thou hearest to profit in knowledge and to have a cleare and setled judgement in religion it may bee a comfortable testimony to thy conscience that thy heart is upright and that thou dost indeed seeke the Lord and feare him in truth On the other side 1. It is a great judgement of God and signe of his reprobation when having the meanes of knowledge hee can learne nothing nor profit by them This our Saviour giveth for the reason why many of the Iewes profited not either by his miracles or ministery Iohn 12.40 God hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart and bee converted and I should heale them A signe it is God never decreed to save them whom hee so blindeth that they cannot understand and learne nothing 2. This is a signe of a man that remaineth still under Satans government and is in his power to bee led which way pleaseth him For hee is the ruler of the darkenesse of the world as the Apostle calleth him Ephes. 6.12 Therefore the Lord telleth Paul he sent him to open the eyes of the blind and to turne them from darkenesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God Acts 26. â—8 Therefore also you shall find in the parable of the sower Mat. 13.19 that of all the three sort of bad hearers hee that understandeth and learneth nothing is the worst and most under the power of Satan The wicked one commeth and catcheth away that that was sowen in his heart 3. Lastly This is a signe of an ungracious and wicked heart when a man under good meanes can learne nothing nor get any knowledge None of the wicked shall understand saith the Prophet Daniel 12.10 hee meaneth feelingly and savingly And the Apostle speaking of certaine women 2. Timothy 3.7 that were ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth giveth this for the reason of it verse 6. that thâ—y were laden with sinnes and led away with divers lusts A wicked and naughty heart is certainely the chiefe cause why many enjoying excellent meanes and frequenting them also diligently yet can never attaine to any cleare and certaine and savoury knowledge of the truth Thirdly He that hath knowledge and a well grounded and setled judgement will bee constant in religion and not wavering hee will hold fast the truth and not hearken unto or bee seduced by new opinions and doctrines of men The Apostle having prayed for the Collossians Col. 2.2 that God would give them all riches of the full assurance of understanding giveth this for the reason of it verse 4. This I say thus I pray for you lest any man should beguile you with entising words As if hee had said The onely meanes to preserve you from being beguiled by false teachers that will seeke to draw you from the sincerity of Gods religion and worship is to get knowledge and to ground your selves well that way On the other side They are children in understanding are apt to bee tossed too and fro as the Apostle speaketh Ephesians 4.14 and carried about with every wind of Doctrine And what kind of persons have the seducers in all ages beene wont most to prevaile withall and to lead captive That the Apostle will tell you 2 Tim. 3.6 7. silly women that were never able to come to the knowledge of the truth Such as are ignorant and have not grounds in themselves for that which they hold and professe in religion will bee apt to pinne their conscience upon other mens sleeves and to bee carried
the eyes of our understanding as the Apostle speaketh Ephes. 1.18 all the light and clearenesse that is in the holy Scripture will doe us no good at all An this is therefore spoken of as a principall worke of the spirit of Christ in our conversion Esa. 35.5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the eares of the deafe shall bee unstopped then and never till then that we be converted and regenerated by the spirit of God That which the Apostle saith of the Iewes 2. Cor. 3.15 16. Even unto this day when Moses is read the vaile is upon their heart neverthelesse when it shall turne to the Lord the vaile shall be taken away may be sayd of every man while he is in his natural estate when the word is read or preached unto him the vaile is upon his heart and till he be regenerate and converted the vaile will never be taken away A little child that wanteth capacity though you teach him any thing never so plainely cannot possibly learne And such are wee all by nature wee have no capacity for heavenly and spirâ—tuall things The naturall man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2.14 hee is not capable of them for they are fooliâ—hnesse unto him neither can bee know them because they are spiritually discerned Till the Lord doe renew us in the spirit of our minds as the Apostle speaketh Ephes. 4.23 give us new minds till hee give us an understanding that wee may know him that is true as the Apostle 1 Iohn 5.20 saith wee have no capacity at all in us for these things Therefore the holy Ghost commending the word of God for this property among others even for the perspicuity and lightsomnesse of it telleth us who they bee to whom it is so cleare and easie to bee understood Proverbes 8.9 They are all plaine to him that understandeth saith hee A strange manner of speech this is but the meaning of it is no more but this The Scriptures are plaine indeed but to whom are they plaine Not unto all but to them onely whose eyes God hath opened from whom God hath taken the vaile that was upon their heart whom hee hath by his spirit given capacity and an understanding heart unto and to no other man Yea proportionable to the measure of this grace of this worke of Gods spirit in the opening of our eyes and curing our naturall blindnesse in the renewing of our minds and enlightning of the eyes of our understanding shall the measure of our knowledge in heavenly things bee shall the meaning of the holy Scriptures bee plaine and easie unto us For wee must understand that this cure of our naturall blindnesse is not perfected in any man in this life The best of Gods servants may say with the Apostle 1 Corinth 13.9 We know but in part Hee that hath the clearest sight in spirituall things shall have cause while hee liveth heere to cry unto God with David Psalme 119.18 Open thou mine eyes Wonder not that every one of Gods servants doth not see the truth in some points that to thee are most cleare and evident though they heare as much as thou hearest and read and study as much to understand the truth as thou dost To every one of us saith the Apostle Ephes. 4.7 is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. So much light and understanding in heavenly things as Christ by his spirit is pleased to give unto us we shall have and no more When we shall come to heaven our blindnesse shall be perfectly cured the darknes that is in our understanding shall be fully done away as the Apostle teacheth â— Cor 13.12 All good men shall be of one mind and of one judgment in all things but never till then The second objection that may be made against this truth is this That common experience proveth that many a naturall man hath attained to the knowledge of the truth yea unto a great measure of it also so as they have beene able soundly to teach it unto others The Scribes and Pharisees sate in Moses chaire that is taught the doctrine of Moses so soundly and substantially that our Saviour commandeth the people Mat. 23 2 3. to observe and doe whatsoever they sitting thus in Moses chaire did bid and teach them to observe And the Apostle speaketh of knowledge 1 Cor. 8.1 as of a common gift that all that live in the Church under good meanes of instruction though they have no grace may easily yea cannot choose almost but attaine unto We know saith he that we all have knowledge To this I answer That a naturall man may indeed understand the literall sense and meaning of the holy Scriptures so as hee may bee able soundly to discourse dispute and write of them But this knowledge is not sufficient there is another manner of knowledge then this that is necessary to the salvation of every man Such a knowledge as you heard described to you when I delivered â—o you the properties and signes of saving knowledge 1. Such a knowledge as hath in it full assurance and undoubted perswasion of the truth full assurance of understanding as the Apostle calleth it Col. 2.2 2. Such a knowledge as is spirituall Paul prayeth Col. 1.9 that they might bee filled with the knowledge of Gods will in all wisedome and spirituall understanding Such a wisedome as worketh upon the heart and breedeth love and care to practise that wee know This was that knowledge of Christ that Paul so much desired and made such reckoning of Phil. 3.10 That I may know him saith hee and the power of his resurrection And thus wee should all desire to know every thing that we know in religion to know not onely the cleare and certeine truth of it but to know it with an experimentall knowledge to know the goodnesse the sweetnesse the life and power of it also A man may have the literall and historicall knowledge of the truth and yet want this saving and sound knowledge 1. He may be void of assurance and full perswasion of the truth of that he knoweth as they that are compared to the stony ground were Marke 4 17. 2. He may be void of spirituall understanding and have no feeling no love no conscience of the practise of that hee knoweth but scorne that and hate it and count it foolish precisenesse 1 Cor. 2.14 2 Tim. 3.5 And such is the knowledge that all naturall men have they are not fully perswaded of the truth and goodnesse of that they know their knowledge is not spirituall they feele no sweetnesse no life and power in it Now this assurance of understanding this spirituall knowledge which only deserveth the name of true knowledge and which onely is sufficient unto salvation no man with the best abilities he hath by nature without the supernaturall grace of Gods spirit is able to attaine unto Of this knowledge Elihu
at in all his counsels and workes is the glory of his mercy Hee delighteth in mercy saith the Prophet Mic. 7.18 Hee hath predestinated us to the adoption of children by Iesus Christ unto himselfe saith the Apostle Ephes. 1.5 6. according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace So even in his denying of the meanes of conversion and the grace of conversion to many people hee hath had respect to this even to glorifie his mercy the more towards his owne people The Apostle telleth us 2 Thess. 1.10 that at the day of judgement God shall bee made marvellous in all them that beleeve As if hee had said His mercy toward the faithfull in electing them to life in redeeming them in calling them effectually in justifying and sanctifying them shall bee admired and wondred at by men and Angels at that day When they shall see how many God hath denied this mercy unto yea to how many that were in many respects farre better then themselves then will this mercy of God towards them seeme as it is indeed admirable in their eyes If this mercy had beene universall to all men God could not have beene so glorified in it in this world if the Lord should have given this grace or meanes alike to all men the glory of his speciall mercy and free grace had not beene so manifested as in this it is Thus the Apostle speaking Romanes 9.22 23. of the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction and of the ends that the Lord aimed at and had respect unto in it hee doth not say that hee did it onely to shew his wrath and to make his power knowne upon them but that the Lord even thereby might make knowne the riches of his glory upon the vessels of mercy The reprobates are fitted to destruction effectuall grace is denied unto them that the riches of Gods grace and mercy towards his elect to whom hee vouchsafeth both might be set forth the better by this comparison and glorified the more And this was the true cause of that joy our Saviour expressed Luke 10.21 In that houre saith the Evangelist Iesus rejoyced in spirit and said I thanke thee ô father Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes Did hee rejoyce in the judgement of God upon the wise and prudent No verily but so farre forth onely as it served to set forth the mercy of God towards those babes This made him to admire and magnifie the mercy of God towards those babes so much the more when he considered what manner of persons that mercy was denied unto when he considered that it was no common but a rare mercy that God had vouchsafed unto them Lecture CV On Psalme 51.6 December 9. 1628. IT followeth now that wee proceed unto the uses that this Doctrine serveth unto And they are principally two First For instruction to establish our judgements in the truth and confirme us against those errours which in this great worke of mans conversion do derogate from the glory of Gods free grace and give too much unto man himselfe Secondly For exhortation to worke upon our affections and stirre us up unto sundry duties For the first This doctrine serveth notably to establish our hearts in the truth of that holy religion which wee doe professe and to assure us that it is the onely true Doctrine and religion of Christ. Yea it may serve for a touchstone to try all other Doctrines in religion by and to discover to us the falshood and vanity of all other Doctrines and religions whatsoever how faire a shew soever of truth and holinesse they doe beare or whatsoever the persons be that doe hold and professe them That Doctrine and religion that doth derogate never so little from the honour of God that doth not give the whole honour and glory of mans salvation unto him alone but giveth some cause of boasting and glorying unto man himselfe certainely that cannot bee the true Doctrine and religion of Christ. It is not that wisedome that Doctrine and religion that descendeth from above as the Apostle speaketh Iames 3.15 See this distinctly proved unto you in these three points 1. All the glory of mans salvation is due to God alone and no part of it unto man 2. All the glory of mans salvation is to be ascribed onely to the free grace and mercy of God and not unto any thing in man himselfe that might move God to it 3. The ascribing of the whole glory of mans salvation to the Lord alone and to his free grace is the chiefe rule whereby the true Doctrine and religion of God is to be tryed and judged of For the first This hath ever beene the profession of Gods true Church and servants to give all glory to God alone specially in this great worke of the salvation of man This was the song of that heavenly host the blessed Angels that came to bring the glad tidings of the birth of Christ Luke 2.14 Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good will towards men As if hee had said It is enough for men that through Christ their peace is to bee made Gods good will and free favour is to bee purchased for them though they have no part of the glory of this worke ascribed unto them that is wholly due unto the Lord alone Glory to God in the highest This was the profession of the whole Catholike Church Revel 4.9 11. When those foure beasts representing the whole Church under the New Testament gave glory and honour and thankes to him that sat upon the throne the foure and twenty Elders representing the whole Church under the Old Testament fell downe before him that sat on the throne and cast their crownes before the throne saying thou art worthy ô Lord to receive glory As if he should say Though they had crownes and Christ had made them Kings and Priests unto God to reigne evâ—n on the earth that is to vanquish and overcome their owne corruptions and the tentations of Satan and of the world as themselves say Rev. 5.10 yet they cast downe their crownes they disclaime all honour that may seeme to be due unto themselves they ascribe all the honour and glory of whatsoever goodnesse was in them unto him that sat upon the throne unto the Lord alone Al the glory of mans salvation you see is due to the Lord alone Secondly All the glory of mans salvation is to be ascribed onely to the free grace and mercy of God This hath also ever beene the profession of Gods true Church and people Thus the blessed Apostle though hee had doubtlesse as great helpe from nature as ever man had If any other man thinketh saith he Phil. 4. â— that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh I more yet professeth 1 Cor. 15.10 By the grace of God I am what I am So the
they were distempered in their braines either with melancholy or Satans tentations as experience sheweth us dayly that many good soules are which made them judge worse of their estate then they had just cause to doe If they had beene their owne men and in their right minds they would easily have discerned they have no reason to be so troubled seeing they being once regenerate were not under the law but under grace and consequently their sinne whatsoever it were how hainous soever could not have dominion over them Rom. 6.14 They had not sinned nor could possibly sinne as other men did with the full sway of their soule the full consent of their will For the seed of God remaineth still in them as the Apostle speaketh 1 Iohn 3.9 They should not be damned for any sinne that they had committed or could commit For there is no condemnation to them that are once in Christ Rom. 8.1 It is not possible they should dye in their sinnes but they shall certainely be renewed by repentance No sin they can commit is able to separate them from the love of God or cast them out of his favour For whom Christ ever loved he loveth to the end Iohn 13.1 To these men that shall thus object as doubtlesse too many are apt to doe too many are apt to thinke that all Gods people whom they see humbled and much perplexed in mind for their sinnes are distempered in their braines or at least are but silly weake creatures voyd of all judgement to these men I say that those three persons whom I have brought for witnesses to confirme this truth were all in their right minds they were not mad they were not distempered in their braines either through melancholy oâ— tentation though I confesse many of Gods people are so often times they judged not otherwise of their falls then they had just cause to doe they were no more troubled for their sinnes then they had just cause to be And to prove this I will produce my second witnesse that I told you I would bring for proofe of this truth The Lord himselfe who is greater then the conscience doth thus judge of the foule sins that regenerate men fall into For notwithstanding all that hath bin sayd or can possibly be said out of Gods word touching the unchangeablenesse of Gods love to all that are in Christ or touching the perpetuity of their happy estate that are once truly regenerate yet the Lord hath both by his word and works given two testimonies in this case whereby he hath clearely declared how hee judgeth and esteemeth of the sins that his owne people fall into And the two testimonies God hath given concerning this matter are these 1. That he can no better brooke the sins of the regenerate then of other men but hateth sin as much in them as in any other person 2. That he hateth sin more in them then in any other Observe the proofe of the first of these two testimonies in three points First Of the sins of the regenerate of Gods owne people it is said that God will not pardon them Hee is an holy God hee is a jealous God saith Ioshua to Gods owne people Iosh. 24.19 hee will not forgive your transgressions nor your sinnes And even of Christ Iesus the Angel of the Covenant the Lord saith to his people Exod. 23.21 Obey his voice provoke him not for he will not pardon your transgressions and marke the reason God giveth for it For my name is in him As if he should say Because he is God therefore he will not pardon your transgressions he were not God if he should doe it What will you say cannot the sins that a regenerate man falleth into be pardoned Are all their falls impardonable sins No verily for I proved to you the last day that no Elect child of God can possibly commit the unpardonable sin that all their sins shall upon their repentance certainly be forgiven The blood of Iesus Christ his sonne cleanseth us from all sinne as the Apostle saith 1 Iohn 1.7 But in those fearefull sentences that I mentioned to you two things are to be understood 1. That God will not winke at Christ himselfe because he is God cannot brooke nor beare with the sins of his people he cannot count them innocent nor thinke well of them till they have repented 2. That though ever since they first beleeved and were converted they have had a pardon upon record in heaven that can never be revoked nor cancelled yet if they fall againe into grosse sins they shall haue no comfort at all of that pardon but be as if they had no pardon till by renewing their repentance and faith they have sued out their pardon and be able to shew and plead it in the Court of their owne conscience Secondly Of the regenerate of Gods owne people it is said that though they be not eternally damned for their sins yet the Lord will take uengeance of them and plague them for them in this life as grievouslly and sharply as any other men in all the world The Lord our God knoweth well how to love the person of his child and yet to hate his sin neverthelesse how to continue his fatherly affection towards him and yet to shew extreame detestation to his sin If they breake my statutes and keepe not my commandements saith the Lord Psalme 89.31 34. then will I visite their transgression with the rod and their iniquitie with stripes neverthelesse my loving kindnesse I will not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulnesse to faile my covenant will I not breake nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips And againe Psalme 99.8 Thou wast a God that forgavest them though thou didst take vengeance of their inventions Though the regenerate man hath a generall pardon and all his sins be so forgiven him as they shall never be imputed to his condemnation yet if he give himselfe liberty to sin he cannot hope to be exempted from any of Gods judgements and plagues that ever fell upon sinner in this life He may be plagued as much as ever man was in his estate in his name in his posterity in his body yea in his mind and conscience also And who can tell in what kind and in what measure God will plague him how heavy and sharpe or of how long continuance the judgement shall be wherewith he will afflict him The Lord we know hath great store and variety of judgements to punish sinners with He hath an armoury full of the weapons of his indignations as the Prophet speaketh Ieremy 50.25 O how terrible hath the Lord shewed himselfe to many of his deare servants this way He is apt indeed as we heard the last day to passe by the frailties and infirmities of his servants such as they discerne and bewaile in themselves but wilfull sins scandalous sins nay sins of negligence and carelesnesse such as themselves make no conscience of he
points it appeareth what pleasure lewd men take in the falls and sins of Gods people But ô that thou wouldest see thy sin and danger that art of this humour First This argueth that there is no love in thee to Gods people nay this argueth the height of malice against them to rejoyce in their sins Charity rejoyceth not in iniquity saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 13.6 And what comfort canst thou have either in life or death what hope canst thou have in God if thou be void of charity if thou nourish malice in thy heart specially toward them thou art most bound to love He that loveth not his brother saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 3.14 abideth in death in the state of damnation And verse 10. In this are the children of God manifest and the children of the divell whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God neither he that loveth not his brother And so he proceedeth to shew to the end of verse 15. that the chiefe fruit of righteousnesse that manifesteth a man to be Gods child is the love of the brethren and the chiefe sinne that manifesteth a man to bee the child of the divell is the hatred of the brethren But secondly which is worse this argueth that thou rejoycest in the dishonour that is done to God and in the shame that is cast upon his holy name For the Lord is more dishonoured as we have heard in the Doctrine by the sinnes of his owne people then by the sinnes of any other men And if thou canst rejoyce in the shame and dishonour that redoundeth to God be thou sure God will also rejoyce in thy confusion I will also laugh at your calamity saith the Lord to such men Pro. 1.26 and mocke when your feare commeth But let us leave them to God Let us that feare God learne That it is our duty out of these two respects to mourne when we see or heare of the falls of any of Gods people Paul blameth the Corinthians 1 Cor. 5.2 because they did not all mourne for the incest that one of that Church had fallen into See how himselfe was affected with it 2 Cor. 2.4 Out of much affliction and anguish of heart saith he I wrote unto you with many teares Nay we should bee grieved at the heart to heare the slanders to heare of the faults that Gods people are even unjustly charged with Remember Lord the reproach of thy servants saith the Psalmist Psal. 89.50 51. how I beare in my bosome the reproach of all the mighty people wherewith thine enemies have reproached ô Lord wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine Anointed Observe five points in the words 1. The mighty men men of chiefe place and power in the country were wont to reproach and slander and cast odious aspersions upon Gods servants Gods anointed ones nay all the mighty people did so he was not counted worthy the name of a Gentleman if he could not doe this Princes did sit and speake against me saith David Psal. 119.23 2. They that did so were Gods enemies though they pretended to dislike onely a sort of precise fooles that will needs be holier then all their neighbours and not for their holinesse neither but for their hypocrisie yet in very deed they that take such pleasure in reproaching Gods servants beare more spite to God then they doe to them they are Gods enemies Ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake saith our Saviour Matth. 10.22 The name of Christ the religion of Christ the spirit of Christ that is in them is the true cause of this hatred whatsoever els is pretended 3. Remember Lord saith he the reproach of thy servants The Lord taketh notice of he will remember he will not forget the slanders and reproaches that are cast upon his servants 4. The Prophet did beare the reproaches of Gods servants in his bosome he tooke them to heart he was much affected and troubled with them 5. Lastly he desireth the Lord to remember him for this hee tooke comfort in this even before the Lord that hee could doe so and doubted not but God would take notice of it and reward him for it And this is the first sort that are to bee reproved by this Doctrine The second are worse then these And those are they that impute all the sins of Gods people to their religion and take occasion thereby to insult against religion and to hate it the more If the weakest the meanest person that professeth religion doe but swerve from their duty any way though but a woman though but a servant as I shewed you the last day out of 1 Tim. 6.1 and Tit. 2.5 the name of God and his doctrine shall straight-way bee blasphemed by these men These are your professours will they cry this is their religion there is none of them any better they are all such kind of persons fie upon such a religion as this is Three things there be that may discover unto these men their sin and their danger too First If malice had not blinded thee thou wouldst never impute the faults of professours unto their religion nor blame their religion for it For 1. All professours are not such persons But there are many thankes bee to God yea and many that thou knowest that shine as lights in the world as Paul saith of the Philippians 2.15 2. Admit all professours were naught yet is the religion that they professe pure and undefiled it alloweth of none of those faults that thou usest to blame them for For it hath no other rule or ground but Gods Word and that alloweth of no sin All the words of my mouth are in righteousnesse saith the Lord Pro. 8.8 there is nothing froward or perverse in them If any professour be covetous or malicious or proud or censorious or unfaithfull or idle blame not his religion for it it teacheth him no such thing it teacheth him the contrary it teacheth him as the Apostle saith Tit. 1.12 To denie all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world No professour of the Gospell dares justifie himselfe in the least of his corruptions much lesse in grosse crimes by the rules of his religion but will bee ready to cleare his religion and lay all the blame upon himselfe as the Apostle doth Rom. 7.12 The law is holy and the commandement is holy and just and good And verse 14. Wee know that the law is spirituall but I am carnall sold under sin Secondly I must say to thee that railest thus against religion that hatest it thus for the sinnes of them that professe it as Gamaliel spake to the Councell Acts 5.39 take heed wha◠thou dost for if this way be of God in hating it in railing on it thou wilt be found a fighter against God And as the Lord saith to Sennacharih Esa. 37.23 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed and against whom hast thou lifted up thy voice Even
us to judge surely for these and these sins God hath thus and thus plagued them Thus David saith Psalme 52.6 7. that when the righteous should see the strange judgements of God that should fall upon Doeg and his posterity they should say Loâ— this is the man that made not God his strength but trusted in the abundance of his riches and strengthened himselfe in his wickednes As if they should say He thought that so long as he was in such place and authority and favour with Saul he need not care what he did against David or against the Lords Priests but see now the end of this persecuting wretch The judgement of God that followed him kept his sin in their remembrance and made them oft to talke of it And doubtlesse so should the judgements of God that we see upon such as have bin notoriously wicked for whoredome for oppression for hatred of religion the judgements I say that we see upon them and their families should keepe their sins in our remembrance and cause us oft to thinke and speake of them Nay for as much as those poore Churches of Christ in the Palatinate and Germany and Rochel have bin notoriously knowne to offend generally in the ordinary profanation of the Sabbath the sin that God saith was a chiefe cause of the Iewes captivity Ezekiel 20.13 In the contempt of the ministery of whom the Lord hath said Deut. 12.19 Take heed to thy selfe that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth Forasmuch as I say they have bin notoriously knowne to offend generally this way besides the loosenesse of their lives in drunkennesse and lasciviousnesse professing outwardly religion having a forme of godlinesse as the Apostle spreaketh 1 Tim. 3.5 but denying the power thereof it is not unlawfull for us to impute all this marvailous severity of God towards them unto these their sins But then I answer secondly that there be two wayes whereby wee may offend greatly in this case First When only for the afflictions that they endure and the judgements of God that we see upon any we judge them guilty of some great sin though we know no sin by them nor can justly taxe their conversation any way As it was in Iobs case This I say is a great sin For it is evident by the scripture that the holiest of all Gods servants have bin most sharpely afflicted Such as of whom the world was not worthy as the Apostle speaketh Hebr. 11 37 38. were stoned and sawne asunder were tempted were slaine with the sword they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins being destitute afflicted and tormented And God doth not alwayes in afflicting his children correct them for sin but he doth it sometimes only to try their faith patience and to make them examples of faith and patience unto others You are in heavinesse saith the Apostle 1 Peter 1.6 7. through manifold temptations that the tryall of your faith being much more precious then gold that perisheth though it be tryed with fire might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Iesus Christ. And sometimes he doth it for other causes which he keepeth secret unto himselfe and which the wisest and holiest men under heaven have not beene able to conceive yea this maketh much for his glory that he doth so as we read Prov. 25.2 That the Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his workes every faithfull man hath ever beene ready to acknowledge Psalme 145.17 Ieremy 12.1 But the wisest and holiest of Gods servants have oft beene astonished at the beholding of his judgements and unable to discerne his meaning in them but have beene constrained in a holy reverence and admiration to cry out as Esa. 45.15 Verily thou art a God that hidest thy selfe And Romanes 11.33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out As if he had said His judgements are so deepe and unsearchable that no man is able to found them to find out the ground and reason of them The second way wherby we may much offend in this case is when though we know sins and great sins too in them whom God thus afflicteth we do by reason of the greatnesse and strangenesse of their afflictions judge them to be no better then hypocrites or greater sinners then our selves or other men whom the Lord doth not so plague as he hath done them For we have heard in the Doctrine God doth use to affliâ—t his owne deare children for sin more sharply in this life then he doth any other It was a strange judgement that fell upon old Ely that he should with a fall breake his necke and dye 1 Sam. 4.18 and doubtlesse his sin in bearing too much with his children in their profanesse was the cause of it yet he were a mad-man that would doubt whether he were a good man and dyed in Gods favour for all that or that would thinke he was a greater sinner then any other in Israel because of that So it was a strange judgement that befell the young Prophet 1 Kings 13 24. and certainely his sin was the cause of it And yet the old Prophet by his mourning for him and charging his sons verse â—9 31. that when he dyed they should bury him in his grave declared that he was undoubtedly assured that he was Gods deare child dyed in his favour for all that O take heed therfore of judging of those poore Churches that have so strangely perished or of any other persons to have beene hypocrites and void of true grace or to have bin greater sinners either then our selves because of the miseries that they have endured Take heed of despising or thinking the worse of any for their afflictions and miseries This is a corruption too strong in all men by nature Prov. 14.20 and 19.17 Eccles. 9.15 16. This is the first sin that is taxed and reproved by the Doctrine that we have heard And there be three things that may discover to us both the folly and the wickednesse and danger also of this humour First That God hath expresly said in his word that we may not judge them the greatest sinners that are most afflicted No man saith the holy Ghost Eccl. 9.1 knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before him that is by any outward thing that doth befall men as he expresseth himselfe verse 2. Suppose ye saith our Saviour Luk. 13.2 3. and to shew the certainty and necessity of this truth he repeateth it againe and giveth another instance of it verse 4 â— Suppose yee that those Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they endured such things They were murdered by Pilate even while they were sacrificing and serving God a strange judgement and yet heare what Christ saith I tell you Nay As if he should say you may not judge so you sin
bond-slaves that is to say To them that by the spirit of bondage are troubled with feares and terrours in their hearts And as he useth not to sprinkle Christs bloud upon any heart that was not first troubled with these feares and terrours so they whom he hath thus besprinkled are never perfectly freed from these doubts while they live here The flesh lusteth against the spirit as the Apostle speaketh Gal. 5.17 And they have in them a combat oft times betweene faith and infidelity The spirits indeed of just men that are translated into heaven are made perfect as the Apostle teacheth us Heb. 12.23 But the regeneration of the justest man while he is upon earth is not so perfected but that even after the spirit of God hath sprinkled the bloud of Christ upon him and given him a comfortable assurance of Gods speciall love to him in Christ yet there will be doubting and infidelity remaining in him still Yea hee is subject also oft to such spirituall desertions that he looseth the sense of his assurance and is visited ever and anon with his old feares and terrours and troubled with them againe David was so when he cryed Psal. â—2 1 that God had forsaken him And Heman was so when he complained Psal. 88.15 that by suffering these terrâ—urs he was even distracted And Paul was so when he said 2 Cor. 7.5 Without were fightings that is strong and violent oppositions of persecuters and hereticks and within were feares through the doubting and infidelity that he found in his own heart Finally the Church the deare Spouse of Christ was so more then once when Cant. 3.1 She sought him whom hee soule loved she sought him but she found him not and againe when Cant 5.6 Her beloved had with drawne himselfe shee sought him but shee could not find him Let us then make application of this and try our assurance by this first note Many men there bee that never doubted of their salvation in their lives were never acquainted with these feares and terrours that you have heard of They are and ever were most confident that God is their God they are in his favour they wonder to see many Christians so full of doubts and feares this way and are apt to conclude from thence that certainely they are hypocrites and guilty of some grosse sinnes according to that complaint of Iob 12.5 Hee that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease To such men I may fitly say of their freedome from all doubtings and feares as the Apostle speaketh to them that are free from all affliction Hebrewes 12 8. If yee bee and ever have beene without doubtings and feares whereof all are partakers thou are yee bastards and not sonnes If thy assurance of thy salvation was bred and borne with thee and thou wert never without it if it bee so perfect that thou hast no doubts no motions of infidelity this way then thou hast just cause to judge thy assurance not of Gods making it is but a counterfait assurance and a very delusion of the divell and I will apply to thee that saying of Eliphaz Iob 15.31 Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity for vanity shall be his recompence Secondly By the grounds upon which our assurance is built wee may judge whether it be sound or no. That assurance of Gods favour which the spirit of God worketh in any heart as it is wrought by the Word so it is grounded onely upon the most sure and infallible testimony of Gods holy Word The testimony that a false and erronious spirit giveth is to bee discerned from that which the spirit of God giveth by this note If they speake not according to this Word saith the Lord Esay 8.20 it is because there is no light in them Whatsoever is wrought in us by Gods spirit is agreeable to Gods Word The spirit and the Word goe alwaies together My spirit which is upon thee and my words which I have put into thy mouth saith the Lord Esa. 59.21 shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed So that that assurance of Gods favour that is wrought in any heart by the spirit of God is grounded upon the Word of God onely In which respect the Apostle calleth it the Word of faith Romanes 10 8 because all true faith is grounded upon it and upon it alone I trust in thy Word saith David Psalme 119.42 As if hee had said Vpon that doe I build that confidence that I have in thy mercy The Papists tell us that no man can bee sure certitudine fidei with the assurance of faith of his owne particular estate of grace Because faith must have the Word to ground it selfe upon and no particular man hath any Word of God to assure him that hee is in Christ. And indeed if this were true that they doe assume that no particular man hath any Word of God to assure him that he is in Gods favour their argument were unanswerable But blessed be God that every true Christian hath Gods expresse Word to assure him in particular that he is in the state of salvation I cannot now stand upon all those grounds that he hath in the word to build this assurance upon I will mention but foure onely First The Scripture expresly saith that whosoever hath truly repented and leadeth a new life how lewd soever he was before he shall certainly be saved If the wicked will turne from all his sinnes that he hath committed saith the Lord Ezek. 18.21 and keepe all my statutes and do that which is lawfull and right he shall surely live he shall not die Secondly the Scripture expresly speaketh that whosoever loveth the Lord obeyeth and serveth him out of love shall certainly be saved If any man love God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.3 the same is knowne that is approved and beloved of him Thirdly the Scripture expresly saith that whosoever loveth the godly because they are godly shall certainly be saved Hereby we know that we are of the truth â—aith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 3.19 and shall assure our hearts before him Fourthly and lastly The Scripture expresly saith that whosoever with an humbled soule that despaireth of all helpe by any other meanes believeth and putteth his affiance in Christ alone resteth and relyeth wholly upon him shall certainly be saved Whosoever belieueth in him saith our Saviour Iohn 3.16 shall not perish but have everlasting life Two things I know are objected against this First That these are generall speeches and here is no word of God brought to assure such and such a particular of his personall estate I answer That because these speeches are so generall therefore every particular man that findeth himselfe thus qualified may assure himselfe even by the certainty of faith that he shall be saved as verily as if God should have said to him by name as once Christ
Nehemiah knew that God was his God and would remember him in goodnesse as is plaine by his prayer Neh. 13.22 because he had shewed such zeale in punishing the profanation of the Sabbath day And what shall we say then of such Magistrates as having good law and authority to punish swearing and whoring and profanation of the Sabbath have no zeale at all for the execution of such lawes but when any come to them for justice against such offences they are ready to put them off as much as is possible and to extenuate such faults and to say with Gallio Acts 18.15 I will be no judge of such matters and verse 17. Gallio cared for none of those things Certainly these men whatsoever they say have no true assurance that Christs bloud was shed for them if they had they would shew more love to God and care of his honour Lecture CXXIIII On Psalme 51.7 August 4. 1629. NOw concerning the meanes whereby we may attaine to a particular assurance of the pardon of our sins we must first understand that this is a supernaturall worke of the spirit of God and that no man is able of himselfe and by his owne endeavour in the use of any meanes whatsoever to attaine unto it It is the spirit that beareth witnesse saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 5.6 And againe The spirit it selfe saith the Apostle Paul Rom. 8.16 beareth witnesse with our spirits that we are the sons of God Yet doth the spirit worke this assurance in the heart of man not by immediate and extraordinary inspirations and revelations but by ordinary meanes And he that shall with an honest heart use these ordinary meanes hath no cause to doubt but that the Lord will be pleased by his holy spirit to work it in him And these meanes we find are of two sorts The first are more outward and bodily the second more inward and spirituall The first are those ordinances of God and exercises of his holy religion which he hath appointed and sanctified which as they were all ordained for this end principally to bring us unto salvation and to worke in us a comfortable assurance of it so he that useth them diligently and conscionably may obtaine it by them Of them all in generall specially of all the parts of Gods solemne and publique worship it is to be observed that David professeth this to be the cause why he was so in love with it why he desired the comfort and benefit of Gods worship and ordinances more then he did any thing in the world besides why he resolved to make this his only suit unto God that he might never be deprived of them One thing saith he Ps. 27.4 have I desired of the Lord that will I seecke after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life It is to be observed I say that he professeth this to be the chiefe cause why he was so highly in love with Gods house and ordinances That I may behold saith he the beauty of the Lord and visit his temple And what meaneth he by beholding the beauty of the Lord That he expoundeth himselfe in Ps. 48.9 We have thought of thy loving kindnesse O God in the midst of thy temple The loving kindnesse of God and his speciall mercy to his elect in Christ his favourable and cheerefull countenāce upon his servants that is the Lords beauty that is it that maketh him amiable to his people and that Gods people do behold they do think and meditate upon it farre more cleerly and comfortably in his house and temple in the use of his ordinances then any where els or by any other meanes in the world besides This made him in his troubles and banishment thirst and long after the sanctuary of God so as he professeth he did Psal. 63.1 Every place he lived in where he was deprived of the liberty and comfort of the sanctuary was unto him as a dry and thirsty land where no water is he could find nothing in it to refresh and satisfie the thirst of his soule And verse 2 he giveth the reason why he did so long after the sanctuary To see thy power and thy glory saith he so as I have seene thee in the sanctuary As if he had said I shall never see it so as I have seene it there And what meaneth he by the power and glory of God which he had seene in the sanctuary That he expresseth verse 3. Because thy loving kindnesse is better then life He had seene the mercy and loving kindnesse of God toward him in Christ he had obtained a more comforaable assurance and feeling of it in the Sanctuary in the use of Gods solemne worship and ordinances there then ever he did or could do in any place or by any meanes in the world besides All other places were to him as a dry and thirsty land where no water is in comparison of the sanctuary And certainely they that beleeve this to be so as David did they that know this to be so in their owne experience as he did and as many of you I doubt not have done will stand affected to Gods house and ordinances as he was will highly prize and esteeme of a sound ministery as he did will desire this above all things as he did that they may never want the benefit and comfort of it But to speake of this point distinctly I will instance in three parts of Gods worship onely for this and shew you what force there is in them to breed in the heart of Gods child the assurance of his favour to make him able to behold the beauty of the Lord and the light of his countenance The first of them is diligent and conscionable use of the Word of God both in the reading and hearing of it Two things there be which God hath spoken concerning his Word and the ministery thereof that may give a Christian good ground of hope that by a diligent and conscionable attendance upon this ordinance he may be able to attaine unto a comfortable assurance of Gods favour in Christ. The first is this That the Lord gave his Word and the ministery thereof to that end principally The maine thing that the Lord aimed at both in writing his holy Word and in sending of preachers to his Church is that he might by this meanes bring his people to the knowledge of himselfe and of his mercy in Christ. The second is this That the Lord will by his spirit accompany his Word and the ministery thereof in the hearts of his people and make it effectuall in them unto this end that he hath ordained it for For the first Of the Word in generall it is said that it was written principally for that end to breed in the hearts of Gods people sound comfort Whatsoever things were written asoretime saith the Apostle Rom. 15.4 were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scripture might have hope
answer That this may bee indeed for a time the case of a deare child of God as we shall heare in the next use They cannot discerne in themselves for the present any goodnesse But even in this case observation and examination of their owne waies will be of great use unto them For then it will be good for them to call to minde the times that are past and those evidences they have had of the truth of grace in them in former times This course Iob took to recover his comfort sundry times as you shall find Chap 23.11 12. and in three whole Chapters together 29.30 31. And so did the Prophet likewise Psal. 77.6 I call to remembrance my long in the night I commune with mine owne heart and my spirit made diligent search He did by communing with his own heart and searching it diligently call to mind that there was a time when hee could sing in the night when the spirit of adoption had given him such assurance of Gods love as made him full of joy and comfort even in the night season And this course the Apostle prescribeth to Gods people Heb. 10. â—2 as a singular meanes to preserve and recover their confidence and assurance of Gods favour Call to remembrance saith he the former daies in the which after ye were illuminated ye endured a great fight of afflictions Alas will you say what comfort is it to mee to remember what goodnesse hath beene in me in times past which I am now fallen from and have lost I answer That if ever thou hadst grace in thee in truth although the sense and feeling of it thou mayst loose for a time the vigour and operation of it may be nipt and interrupted for a time but the grace and seed of regeneration is an incorruptible seed as the Apostle calleth it 1 Pet. 1.23 where it is in truth it is lasting I will pray the father saith our Saviour Iohn 14.16 17. and hee shall give you another Comforter that hee may abide with you for ever Even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth in you and shall bee in you Looke what heart the spirit of God did ever dwell in there he shall be there he will abide for ever Christ hath prayed the father that it may bee so The poore humbled sinner therefore that did ever in his life at any one time in any one action discerne the truth of grace in himselfe though now he can discerne none may from thence conclude infallibly that there is truth of grace in him still and consequently may receive great helpe from thence for the recovery of his assurance againe O what cause is there then that we should continually in all our wayes commune with our owne hearts about this and search diligently to find this truth of grace in our selves seeing this will stand us in such stead at a dead lift as wee say in our spirituall desertions to recover our assurance againe Lecture CXXVI On Psalme 51.7 August 18. 1629. A Third helpe that he must use that would get assurance of the favour of God in Christ that would preserve it when hee hath it and recover it when he hath lost it is carefully to observe and call to mind the experiments he hath had of Gods speciall favour and love formerly This course Gods people have taken in this case and found great successe in it Take the Psalmist for an example of this Psal. 77. who when he had so farre lost his assurance that it was a trouble to him to remember God and his spirit was overwhelmed in him as he complaineth ver 3. and that he cryed out ver 7 8 9. Will the Lord cast off for ever and Will he be favourable no more Is his mercy cleane gone for ever Hath God forgotten to be gracious He had strong tentations to doubt he should never recover Gods favour againe Now to raise himselfe out of this wofull estate he resolveth thus with himselfe ver 10. But I will remember the yeares of the right hand of the most high that is the yeares and times of my life wherein I had sweet experience of Gods mercy and love For so is this phrase interpreted Psal. 17.7 Shew thy marvellous kindnesse ô thou that savest with thy right hand them that put their trust in thee And 80.17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand This course also David tooke at another time Psal. 143.5 6. When his spirit was overwhelmed within him and his heart within him was desolate then I remember saith he the daies of old I meditate on all thy workes I muse on the workes of thy hands Hee called to mind and seriously thought upon the passages of Gods providence toward other of his people but specially toward himselfe in former times and sought to recover his comfort and assurance this way And see what successe Gods servants have found in this case how they have grounded their assurance upon this I will cry unto thee saith David Psal. 61.2 3. when my heart is overwhelmed for thou hast beene a shelter for me and a strong tower from the enemy Because thou hast beene my helpe saith he Psal. 63.7 therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoyce And 71.20 Thou which hast shewed me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me and shalt bring me up againe from the depthes of the earth And whereupon grounded hee this assurance and confidence That he had expressed before ver 5 6. Thou art my hope ô Lord God thou art my trust from my youth by thee have I beene holden up from the wombe thou art he that tooke me out of my mothers bowells my praise shall be continually of thee But you will haply object and say Can any man ground true assurance of Gods love upon the experience he hath had of Gods goodnesse towards him in these temporall and common favours Such experiments of Gods love as these are I could record a great many But alas these are poore grounds for any man to build his assurance and comfort upon 1. No man can say because God hath formerly beene good to him in this kind therefore he will be good to me againe God repented that he had made Saul King 1 Sam. 15.35 God giveth such gifts as these unto many and taketh them quite away againe and so seemeth to repent the bestowing of them Nay 2 no man can judge of Gods love or hatred by such things though he were sure to enjoy them alwaies as the Holy Ghost teacheth us plainely Eccl. 9.1 Many castawayes and Esau by name have had abundant experience of Gods goodnesse in such things and yet the Scripture saith expressely that God hated him for all that Mal. 1.3 But to this I have two things to answer First Though these outward blessings bee to reprobate men no arguments of Gods speciall
worke done within us I will put my spirit within you saith the Lord Ezek. 36.27 and the kingdome of God is within you saith our Saviour Luke 17 21. So are we by the spirit of God made agents in it our selves Let us cleanse our selves saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 7.1 from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit and finish our sanctification in the feare of God But that cleansing from sinne which is wrought by the bloud of Christ in our justification as it is a worke done without us and for us by Christ with his father he by the merit of his bloud wipeth all our sinnes out of his fathers debt-booke so as none of them shall ever be imputed to us nor wee called to account for them so are wee no agents in it at all our selves but this worke is wholly ascribed unto Christ alone Hee washed us from our sinnes saith the Apostle Rev. 15. in his owne bloud And though we be oft said in Scripture to be justified by faith which is a grace inherent in us and an act of our understanding and will yet is not that to be understood so as if our faith had any hand at all in the washing from our sinnes or procuring our pardon of God but because faith receiveth and accepteth this our pardon which Christ onely hath purchased applyeth it unto us and resteth in it therefore and for no other cause is our faith said to justifie us in the sight of God Secondly The cleansing from sinne which is wrought by the spirit of God in our sanctification is not wrought in the same measure and degree in all true beleevers A man may be a true beleever and truly sanctified too and yet come farre short of some other of Gods people that he knoweth in the measure and degree of knowledge faith patience mortification and such like graces of Gods holy spirit Nehemiah saith of his brother Hanani Neb. 7.2 that hee feared God above many And of Iob the Lord himselfe saith Iob 1.8 that there was none like him upon earth a perfect and an upright man one that feared God and eschewed evill His three friends that came to visit him Eliphaz Zophar and Bildad were all good men doubtlesse and so was Elih◠especially they all feared God and eschewed evill they were upright hearted men but they came all farre short of Iob in grace and piety Yea it is strange to see what a distance God putteth betweene his faithfull servants this way how great a measure of sanctifying grace he giveth to some of them and how little unto other some Some of Gods good ground as our Saviour teacheth us Mat. 13.23 bringeth forth an hundred fold and some but sixty and some but thirty fold and yet all good ground too A point which if it were well understood would much abate that veine of bitter censuring which so much aboundeth in these daies But on the other side The cleansing from sin that is wrought by the bloud of Christ in our justification is equally vouchsafed unto every true beleever without any difference at all Every one hath as free and large a pardon and is as fully discharged from all his sins as any other every one is as perfectly righteous in the sight of God as any other is So saith the Apostle Rom. 3.22 The righteousnesse of God which is by faith of Iesus Christ that is by that faith which is reposed in Iesus Christ is unto all and upon all that beleeve for there is no difference Mary Magdalen that had beene a notorious harlot after that once she had truly repented and became a true beleever had all her sinnes as fully forgiven her and was as righteous every whit in Gods sight as the greatest Saint and the penitent theefe that died with Christ upon the Crosse as either Peter or any other of the elect Apostles was In which respect the Apostle saith of all the faithfull to whom he wrote 2 Pet. 1.1 that they had obtained the like precious saith with himselfe and the rest of the Apostles His meaning is not that every true beleever had obtained the like measure and degree of faith that he and his fellow Apostles had but that that faith they had being true how weake soever it was was every whit as precious as much worth to them would do them as much good in respect of the perfect righteousnesse which it did apprehend and apply unto them in which respect only he calleth their faith precious as appeareth plainly in his next words Through the righteousnesse of God saith he and of our Saviour Iesus Christ in this respect I say he saith the faith of the poorest and weakest Christian was every whit as precious as his own or any other mans could be The third difference betweene that cleansing we have from sin by our sanctification and that we have by our justification is this The first is wrought in us by the spirit of God not all at once but by degrees In which respect our sanctification is compared to the light Pro. 4.18 that shineth more and more unto the perfect day And Eph. 4.16 to the body of a man which groweth and increaseth in stature and strength till it be come to the full 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and perfection of it So the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 3.18 that we are changed into the image of God from glory to glory that is from one degree of holinesse to another even as by the spirit of the Lord. Insomuch as the man that standeth at a stay and groweth not in grace hath just cause to suspect that the spirit of God hath not yet sanctified him nor wrought any truth of grace in him The righteous shall grow saith the Prophet Psal. 92.12 like a Cedar in Lebanon And he that hath cleane hands whom the spirit of God doth cleanse and sanctifie saith Iob 17.9 shall be stronger and stronger But on the other side The cleansing that is wrought by the bloud of Christ in our justification is all done at once it never groweth and increaseth at all but is every whit as much at our first ingrafting into Christ by faith as it is ever after Our faith indeed whereby wee doe apprehend it our sense and assurance of it likewise is not perfected at once but groweth and increaseth as our sanctification doth The righteousnesse of God that whereby wee stand just and righteous in the sight of God saith the Apostle Romanes 1.17 is revealed and made knowne to our hearts from faith to faith that is by such a faith as groweth and increaseth from one degree unto another But the worke of our justification is done all at once Therefore Baptisme is said to seale unto us the forgivenesse and washing away of all our sinnes not originall onely but actuall also Arise and bee baptized saith Ananias to Paul Acts 22.16 and wash away thy sinnes that is all thy sinnes as Paul himselfe expoundeth it Col. 2.12 13. Which is also
they by our doctrine ascribe unto man any matter of glorying at all we give the whole glory of mans justification unto Christ aâ—ore To this I have two things to answer First the Apostle saith Rom. 3.27 that boasting is not excluded by any doctrine but by the Doctrine of justification by faith onely that the Doctrine of justification by works by any workes whether done before or after grace doth leave unto man some matter of boasting And Ephes. 2.8 9. he telleth us plainly that if we could be saved by such works as we that are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus unto good works that is regenerate persons do perform we might have matter of boasting in our selves Secondly Though the good actions that are wrought by the faithfull after grace received be wrought in them by the speciall assistance of the grace of Christ yet are they not Christs actions but their owne When they believe or repent or pray it cannot be said that Christ believeth repenteth or prayeth in them If their actions were meerely the actions of Christ and his grace then indeed we could not deny them to be perfect undefiled and meritorious also then though they were justified by them they could have no cause of glorying or boasting at all but the whole glory of it should redound unto Christ alone But because we are immediate agents in them our selves therefore the Holy Ghost calâ—eth them our own and not Christs works So Paul calleth all that goodnesse that was in him that care and conscience he made to keep Gods law Phil 3-9 〈◊〉 owne righteousnesse And so doth our Saviour also call the good works of the faithfull their owne works Let your light so shine before men saith he Matth. 5.16 that they may see your good works And Rev. 2.9 I know thy works And from hence also it commeth even from the imperfection and corruption that is in us who are the immediate agents in them that they are both imperfect and defiled also For who can bring a cleane thing out of 〈◊〉 uncleane Not one saith Iob 14.4 Though the fountaine from whence they first sprink be most pure yet they receive such pollution from the filthy channels through which they passe as were it not for Christ they could not at all be accepted of God And from hence also it commeth that if we were justified by them we should have some just cause of glorying before God And thus have I confirmed to you the first of those truths which I propounded that is to say That we are not justified before God by our inherent righteousnesse by it we can never be made whiter than the snow in Gods sight It followeth now that wee proceed unto the second That wee are justified before God by the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to us and by that alone In confirming whereof I will observe the same order that I did before First I will shew you by evident proofs of holy Scripture that it is so Secondly I will give you good reasons out of the Word why it must â—eeds be so For proofes I will give you six that are plaine and pregnant 1. The Apostle saith Rom. 4.6 that to the blessed that is to the justified man the Lord imputeth righteousnesse without workes And what righteousnesse can that be Inherent righteousnesse it cannot be for that is not without works it must needs therefore be Christs righteousnesse 2. He saith expresly Rom. 5.19 that by the obedience of one that is of Christ many that is the whole number of Gods elect are made righteous not efficiently and meritoriously onely but formally as by Adams disobedience we were made sinners not efficiently and meritoriously onely but formally his first sinne was made our sinne 3. The Apostle 1 Cor. 1.30 saith that Christ is made to us of God wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption where 1 he expresly distinguisheth righteousnesse from sanctification imputed righteousnesse from inherent righteousnesse and 2 saith that Christs righteousnesse is made ours of God 4. 2 Cor. 5.21 He saith we are made the righteousnesse of God in him where observe 1 That he saith we are made the righteousnesse of God that is righteous by such a righteousnesse as God requireth 2. That he saith not onely in the concrete we are made righteous but in the abstract righteousnesse that is perfectly and fully righteous 3. That we are made so in him not in our selves inherently 5. The Prophet Ieremiah Ier. 23.6 saith this is the name whereby Christ should be called by all Gods people the Lord our righteousnesse As if he had said All Gods people should professe they have no other righteousnesse to stand before God with but onely Christ his righteousnesse and his alone They should say as David doth Psal. 71.16 I will make mention of speake of glory in trust unto thy righteousnesse even of thine onely 6. Lastly This is the confession of all the Saints in that Hallelujah whereby they do solemnize the marriage of the lambe Revel 19.8 To his spouse was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linnen cleane and white For the fine linnen is the righteousnesse of Saints Where observe 1. That that made Christs Spouse and Church most beautifull whiter than the snow in his eye was not so much her owne beauty any righteousnesse of her owne or inherent in her selfe as the robe the fine linnen that was granted to her put upon her none of her owne 2. That this robe this fine linnen is said to be the righteousnesse of Saints Not in our first justification onely as the Papists fondly distinguish but in our second justification also if there were any such even when we are Saints we have no other righteousnesse to make us beautifull in God's eyes but this robe this fine white linnen that is put upon us graunted to us and none of our owne 3. Observe the confirmation and ratification that is given to these words Verse 9. The Angell said unto Iohn These are the true sayings of God And what is this robe this fine linnen that is the righteousnesse of all the Saints Surely Christ and his perfect righteousnesse which is given and imputed unto us of God In which respect they that are baptized into Christ and truly believe in him are said Gal. 3.27 to have put on Christ. And Paul desireth that he may be found in Christ Phil. 3.9 cloathed with this robe not having his owne righteousnesse which is of the law which consisteth in obedience to the Law of God but that which is through the faith of Christ. The righteousnesse which is of God by faith As Iacob got the blessing by having the goodly raiment of his elder brother put upon him Genes 27.15 so must we Now the reason why this must needs be so is evident Because that righteousnesse onely is able to justifie us before God which is perfect and absolute that hath no defect nor blemish in it such as may ablde the
onely cause of all the evills and miserie that can befall a man In them all it may bee said as the Church speaketh Lamentations 3.39 Man suffereth for his sinne 2. Sinne is the onely thing that maketh all miserie to bee miserie indeed all crosses and afflictions so intolerable to us as they be Ieremy 8.14 The Lord our God hath put us to silence and given us water of gall to drinke because wee have sinned against the Lord. The sting of death is sin saith the Apostle 1 Corinthians 15.5 6. Neither poverty nor sicknesse nor death it selfe could sting and paine us as they doe if our sinnes were pardoned 3. If all the crosses and miseries of the world should fall upon us the burden and bitternesse of them could not bee so intolerable unto us nor torment us so much as our sinne will doe when God shall charge it upon us O that will bite like a serpent saith Salomon who spake this from experience too Prov. 23.32 and sting like an adder A wounded spirit saith he Proverbs 18.14 who can beare 4. Lastly Sinne and nothing but sinne separateth betweene God and us Your iniquities saith the Prophet Esay 59.2 have separated betweene you and your God and your sinnes have hid his face from you that hee will not heare You see then how sound a ground of true comfort this is and how just cause every humbled soule hath to rejoyce in Christ in respect of this first benefit wee receive by him that through him our sinnes are pardoned that the bloud of Iesus Christ hath cleansed us from all our sins As the Apostle speaketh 1 Ioh. 1.7 And for the second of those benefits which every true beleever receiveth by Christ see also how just a cause of comfort it is to every afflicted soule Esay 61.10 I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord saith the true beelever my soule shall bee joyfull in my God for hee hath cloathed mee with the garments of salvation hee hath imputed and given unto mee the perfect holinesse and obedience of my blessed Saviour and made it mine hee hath covered mee all over from top to toe with the robe of righteousnesse as a bridegrome decketh himselfe with ornaments and as a bride adorneth her selfe with her jewells Great is the comfort that the soule of a Christian findeth in that inherent righteousnesse which God by his spirit hath wrought in him though it bee so poore and unperfect and maimed and slained as it is When he can find that he hath been able to pray or to confesse and mourne for his sinne or to do any other service to God with an honest and upright heart O what a comfort it is unto him And certainly if Christians did thinke well of this it would make them looke better to their hearts when they performe good duties and take heed of slubbering them over it would make them carefull to performe spirituall duties spiritually The people rejoyced saith the Holy Ghost 1 Chronicl 29.9 for that they had offered toward the building of Gods house willingly because with a perfect heart they had offered willingly to the Lord. And our rejoycing is this saith the Apopostle 2 Cor. 1.12 even the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not in fleshly wisdome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world And it is joy saith Salomon Proverb 21.15 unto the just man to doe judgement As if he had thus said He joyeth not so much in all the gaine that he getteth by his trading his buying and selling and dealings with men as he doth in this that his conscience beareth witnesse with him that he hath dealt justly with all men he hath gotten it justly whatsoever he hath But if this poore and imperfect righteousnesse that is in us will yeeld us such comfort how just cause of comfort and rejoycing hath every true believer in this that he hath another manner of righteousnesse than this is the perfect righteousnesse of Christ Iesus is his Iob saith of his inherent righteousnesse whereby hee had beene so rich in good workes so abundant in the workes of mercy to all that stood in need of him Iob 29.14 that he put on his righteousnesse and it cloathed him my judgement saith he this care I had to deale justly and uprightly with all men was as a robe and a diademe unto me And a goodly garment and robe doubtlesse that was As comely apparell is knowne to set forth much and adorne the person of a man O that men and women specially knew not this too well O that by their pride in this by their over-much care to adorne and decke their bodies this way they did not make both their bodies and soules loathsome unto God as comely apparell I say if it be used in sobriety and moderation doth much set forth and adorne the body in the eye of man so doe those graces of the Spirit that Iob speaketh of even our inherent righteousnesse much more beautifie and adorne us in the eye both of God and man Be ye cloathed with humility saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 5.5 to all Christians As if he had said That is a goodly garment a goodly robe for any Christian to weare And speaking of Christian women he saith 1 Pet. 3.3 4. their adorning should not be that outward adorning of plaiting the haire no nor of cutting and shearing it would he have said if he had lived to see the fashions of these dayes nor in wearing of gold or jewels saith he nor in putting on of any apparell Why how then should a Christian woman dresse and decke her selfe will you say Surely with the ornament of a meeke and quiet spirit saith he which is in the sight of God of great price Grace is a goodly garment certainely But if this garment of inherent righteousnesse that hath so many spots and rents in it will adorne us so much if that be so much to be joyed in what a beauty and glory is that which the Lord our God hath put upon us wretched sinners in cloathing us with the robe of Christs righteousnesse In that he hath not onely taken from us our owne filthy garments as he did from Iehoshua Zachary 3.4 but cloathed us with change of raiment with a righteousnesse sufficient and more than sufficient to make us comely and beautifull in his eyes In graunting to us that wee should bee arrayed in that fine linnen cleane and white as wee heard the last day out of Revelation 19.8 This robe the Lord hath put upon thee beloved I speake to the poorest to the weakest of all Gods servants that heareth me this day this perfect righteousnesse of Christ is thine O that thou hadst eyes to see thy happinesse in this O that thou hadst an heart to be affected with it and rejoyce in it as thou oughtest to doe Great was the glory of man in his first creation and in that righteousnesse wherewith hee was cloathed
right hand of my righteousnesse And Vers. 14. Feare not thou worme Iacob thou that art so base and contemptible in thine owne eye I will helpe thee saith the Lord. Yea of all the faithfull those that are now before-hand so fearfull and weake have most promises of God that he will give them strength sufficient when the time of tryall shall come Out of weakenesse they were made strong as you heard Hâ—b 11.34 My grace is sufficient for thee saith the Lord to Paul 2 Cor. 12.9 for my strength is made perfect in weaknesse He giveth power to the saint saith the Prophet Esa. â—0 29 and to them that have no might he increaseth strength Certainly if Gods people would make use of their faith in making claim to these promises of God and challenging of him in humble prayer the performance of them unto themselves they could not be so tormented with slavish feares as they are The fourth and last corruption that much troubleth the best of Gods people is the hardnesse of their hearts they cannot mourne they say nor weep for their sinnes they are not sensible either of the judgements or mercies of God they cannot pray nor heare nor read nor receive with any feeling or affection at all See how Gods people complaine and were afflicted with this Esa 63.17 Why hast thou hardened our heart from thy feâ—râ— Now the best way that any soule can take to cure this stoninesse of the heart to make it soft and tender able to mourne kindly for sinne and to serve God with feeling and affection is to get assurance by a lively faith of Gods love to him in Christ and of the forgivenesse of his sinnes Foure notable experiments we have for this two in the old Testament and two in the new The first is that of Gods people mentioned in Ezek. 36.28 31. after that they were become Gods people and God was become their God and he had saved them from all their uncleannesses as you read Vers. 28 29. that is after that they were entred into the covenant of grace assured of Gods favour and of the forgivenesse of their sinnes then shall ye remember saith the Lord of them Vers. 31. your owne evill wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your owne sight for your iniquity and for your abominations Nothing hath that force to make a man loath himselfe for his sinnes as the knowledge and consideration of Gods love in the pardoning of his sinnes and the receiving of him into a covenant of grace and mercy that hath beene so extreamely unworthy of it The second experiment of this force of faith to soften the heart is that of Gods people whom the Prophet speaketh of Zach. 12.10 that they should mourne as one mourneth for his onely sonne and be in bitternesse as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne And the Prophet alledgeth two causes of this 1. The Spirit of grace that God had powred upon them that is the Spirit of adoption whereby God had assured their hearts of his favour and love in Christ. 2. The looking upon Christ whom they had pierced that is the weighing with themselves seriously what Christ had done and suffred for them And therfore also it is said they mourned for him they were in bitternesse for him It is the Spirit of grace and adoption assuring us of Gods fatherly love to us in Christ it is the weighing with our selves seriously how dearely Christ hath loved us that will make us mourne for sinne more than for any thing in the world all the terrours of the law all the judgements of God are of no force to soften the heart in comparison of this The third experiment of this is in Mary Magdalen Luke 7. Of her we read Ver. 38. that she had a very soft heart she was able to weep abundantly for her sinnes so abundantly as she could wash Christs feet with her teares And what was it that made her heart so soft Surely the knowledge and assurance she had of Christs marvellous love to her in pardoning her sinnes her so many and so hainous sinnes was that that did it as our Saviour plainely telleth us Vers. 43 48. The fourth and last example is that of Peter of whom we read Luke 22.62 that he had a most soft heart he was able to weepe bitterly for his sinnes And what was it that wrought so upon his heart That the Holy Ghost telleth us Vers. 61. The Lord turned and looked upon Peter and Peter remembred the Word of the Lord how he had said unto him before the cocke crow thou shalt deny me thrice When he considered the marvellous love of Christ to him that though he had so shamefully denied and forsaken him yet he was pleased still in the midst of all his troubles to think upon him to have care of him to turn himself about and cast a gracious eye upon him this brought Peter to remember what he had done this even broke his heart and made him weep abundantly And surely look what force a true and lively faith had in all these examples the same it would have in us if we did stir it up and make use of it as they did The true cause why our hearts are so hard is this that either we have no faith no assurance of Gods love to us in Christ or if we have it we make not use of it unto this work of softning our hearts For all that are in the covenant of grace reconciled to God in Christ have this promise given them of God Ezek. 11.19 which is also repeated 36.26 I will take saith the Lord the stony heart out of their flesh and I will give them an heart of flesh And if any of the faithfull when they are most troubled with the hardnesse of their hearts could make claime unto this promise and presse the Lord with it as he loveth to be importuned as you may see Luke 18.1 7 certainely they might have helpe against it And so much for the force that faith hath in the first part of our sanctification for the mortifying of sinne The second part I must leave till the next day Lecture CXLI On Psalme 51.7 Febr. 23. 1629. IT followeth now that I shew you likewise the force of justifying faith in the second part of true sanctification in making us partakers of the divine nature and renewing the image of God in our hearts in producing the fruits of the Spirit in us in the breeding and working of every saving grace When a man is once justified by faith in Christ is reconciled unto God through his bloud then shall he bring forth fruit unto God and never till then This will make the heart of a man fruitfull in holinesse and righteousnesse and nothing but this will ever be able to doe it For the first that is to say that faith will make the heart fruitfull we have a plaine proofe in that speech of the
Apostle Galat. 2.20 The life that I now live As if hee had said The reformed religious and holy life that I now live since my conversion and calling I liue by the faith of the Sonne of God that faith I have in Christ who loved me and gave himselfe for me As if he had said This faith that assureth me of that speciall interest that I have in Christ of that speciall love that Christ hath borne to mee is the onely cause of whatsoever goodnesse is in me And for the second that nothing but faith will breed true goodnesse and grace in the heart we have as plaine a proofe Hebrewes 11.5 6. Enoch had this testimony given of him that he pleased God but without faith it is impossible to please God As if he should have said A man cannot please God in any thing that he doth till he have faith till he be justified by faith and reconciled unto God through Christ. Though the habit of faith and all sanctifying graces which the Apostle 1 Iohn 3.9 calleth the seed of God be by the Spirit of God infused into the heart of man altogether and at one time yet the act and exercise of faith is the first of all and that that setteth every other grace on worke As the earth though it be made soft by those showers that fall upon it in the winter-time and bring forth some blade of the seed that is cast into it yet is it not thereby made fruitfull unto man it never yeeldeth any good and perfect fruit till it have received the sweet heat of the Sun into the bowels of it in the spring time even so is it with the heart of man It may bee and is oft softened by the judgements of God and terrours of the Law God maketh my heart soft saith Iob 23.16 and the Almighty troubleth mee Even by the trouble of his mind and terrours that God disquieted him with his heart was softened And some beginnings also of reformation and goodnesse have beene thereby wrought in it such was that confession of sinne and goodly words that God oft wrung from Pharaoh by his judgements Exodus 9.27 I have sinned the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked and 10.16 Hee cryeth unto Moses to this effect Good Moses forgive me and pray to the Lord for me Such was that repentance and reformation of the wicked Israelites that the Prophet speaketh on Psal. 78.34 When he slew them then they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God And such is the repentance and goodly words that many a wretched man in his sicknesse is wont to utter thus farre forth the winter-showers and stormes of Gods judgements and terrours may work upon mans heart But till Christ Iesus the Sun of righteousnesse as the Prophet calleth him Mal. 4.2 like the comfortable and quickning heat of the Sunne in the spring doe shine upon a man and bee by faith received into his heart it can never bring forth any fruit that is good indeed and acceptable unto God And the true cause why some are fruitfull in grace and goodnesse and some other though they enjoy the same or greater meanes yet no grace will grow in their hearts nor come unto any perfection is this which the Apostle giveth 2 Thes. 3.2 All men have not faith But though the Lord let this visible Sunne shine upon all men indifferently upon the reprobate as well as upon the elect he maketh his Sunne saith our Saviour Matth. 5.45 to rise on the evill and on the good yet doth he not let the Sunne of righteousnesse to shine into every heart but to his elect and peculiar people onely The Lord God is a Sunne and shield saith David Psal. 84.11 but to whom To them that walke uprightly Vnto you that feare my name saith the Lord Mal. 4.2 shall the Sun of righteousnesse arise with healing in his wings Not that their walking uprightly and fearing of his name was the cause that moved God to be as the Sun unto them but because it was a marke and note of them whom God would vouchsafe this mercy unto Now if any man shall aske me how faith commeth to be the breeder and worker and increaser of all true goodnesse in a man I answer you two wayes First By receiving Christ into his heart by making Christ his by uniting him unto Christ as nearely and as truely as the members of the body are united unto the head and as the branch is unto the vine By faith we receive Christ and make him our owne as the Evangelist teacheth us Iohn 1.12 By faith hee dwelleth in our hearts as the Apostle speaketh Ephesians 3.17 And as it is not possible but that heart in which Christ dwelleth must needs be renewed and have saving grace bred in it He that abideth in me and I in him saith our Saviour Iohn 15.5 the same bringeth forth much fruit If any man bee in Christ saith the Apostle 2 Corinthians 5.17 hee is a new creature As the living members must needs receive sense and motion from the head and the scion sap from the slocke it is ingrafted into And this is that which the Apostle teacheth 1 Corinthians 6.17 He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit As if he had said No man can by faith receive Christ and be united unto him but he must needs together with Christ receive the Spirit of Christ also So till we be thus united unto Christ it is not possible for us to have any true goodnesse in us As the branch cannot beare fruit of it selfe saith our Saviour Iohn 15.4 except it abide in the vine no more can ye except ye abide in me And 6.53 Verily verily I say unto you except ye eat the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his bloud ye have no life in you I know well that this union that faith maketh betweene Christ and the soule is mysticall and such as the reason of man is not able to comprehend And so the Apostle speaketh of it This is a great mystery saith he Ephesians 5.32 But yet you see this is clearely taught us in the holy Scripture and this every faithfull soule doth in some measure feele to be true in his owne experience So soone as ever thou dost truely believe in Christ and renouncing all other confidence dost wholly rest and put thine affiance in him thou hast received Christ and made him thine owne and so soone as thou hast received him thou hast also with him received into thine heart his holy Spirit the Spirit of grace and sanctification whereby thou art made a new man Hee that hath the Sonne saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 5.12 hath life that is the life of grace here which is the beginning and pledge of that life of glory which he shall be sure to have in heaven and he that hath not the Sonne hath not life Secondly The faithfull soule by exercising and making use of his
that none shall receive benefit by the death of Christ but such only as doe beleeve in him God so loved the world saith our Saviour himselfe Ioh. 3.16 That he gave his only begotten Sonne that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have life everlasting And it is certaine that all men have not faith as the Apostle speaketh 2 Thes. 3.2 Nay it is evident that there be but very few of them that live in the Church and professe the truth that have true faith And when thy conscience shall be awakened beloved thou wilt finde that there is in thee an evill heart of unbeleefe as the Apostle calleth it Heb. 3.12 that there is no one sinne that thou art more strongly inclined to then to infidelity that though now in the time of health and peace thou thinkest it the easiest thing in the world to beleeve in Christ it is a matter of of extreame difficulty to beleeve aright Two evident reasons there are for it First All men are by nature utterly unable to beleeve There is in the bloud of Christ a fountaine opened to us by the Gospell for sinne and for uncleannesse as the Prophet speaketh Zach. 13.1 And if we could get into that fountaine if we could make use of and apply to our selves the water of that fountaine certainely it would cleanse us perfectly from all our sinnes But alas we are like unto that poore impotent man that lay at the poole of Bethesda Ioh. 5.7 he knew well enough that if he could have got into the poole so soone as the Angell had stirred the water he should have beene perfectly cured but he could not of himselfe get into the poole And so is it with every one of us by nature the fountaine of Christs bloud is able to cleanse us throughly from all our sinnes and this fountaine is by the Ministery of the Gospell opened even unto us it is not shut against any of us none of us are barred or excluded from it but though it be thus opened we cannot get into it of our selves No man can come to mee saith our Saviour Ioh. 6.44 Except my Father which hath sent me doe draw him The Lord must by his spirit change our hearts he must draw us unto Christ by his mighty and out stretched arme and make us able to beleeve in him or we shall never come unto him Yea the Apostle calleth this Eph. 1.19 a worke of the exceeding greatnesse of Gods power that any man is made able to beleeve in Christ aright And this helpe this grace God doth not vouchsafe to all he draweth not all but whom it pleaseth him The winde bloweth where it listeth saith our Saviour Ioh. 3.8 So is every one that is borne of the Spirit The Sonne quickneth whom he will saith hee Ioh. 5.21 Nay hee vouchsafeth this mercy but to few Who hath beleeved our report saith the Prophet Esaâ— 53.1 And to whom is the arme of the Lord reveiled And this is the first cause why so few doe truely beleeve The second is this that some are through Gods just judgement upon them for some former sinnes smitten of God with a supernatuall inability to beleeve Therefore they could not beleeve saith our Saviour out of the Prophet Esay Ioh. 12.39 40. because God had blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts Oh then beloved seeing there be so few in comparison that shall have any benefit by Christ it standeth us upon to take heed we be not deluded any longer with a conceit of the common interest that all men have in Christ but diligently to enquire whither wee our selves be of that small number or no whether we can finde in our selves those notes whereby Christ hath marked his owne sheepe and whereby hee will owne them for his Certainely as the Lord himselfe knoweth them that are his as the Apostle speaketh 2 Tim. 2.19 so he hath set that marke upon them as whereby themselves also may know that they are his I know my sheepe saith he Ioh. 10.14 And I am knowne of mine Wee know saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 4.13 that we dwell in him and he in us O what a happinesse is this to a Christian to be sure of this And on the other side what sound comfort can a man have in life or death if he be not sure of this Alas the more confident that any man is of his interest in Christ the more wofull will his case bee if when hee shall appeare before Christ Christ will not owne him because he findeth not his marke upon him or if when his owne conscience shall be awakned he shall looke and search for Christs marke upon himselfe and cannot be able to finde it When Christ shall say to them that were confidently perswaded that they had great interest in him I tell you I know you not whence you are depart from me as we read Luke 13.27 28. he will one day say to many such persons there shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth saith our Saviour If you aske mee What marke is that Christ useth to brand his sheepe withall whereby he will owne them and whereby themselves may know that they are his I answer It is his holy Spirit which he giveth to all that truly believe in him He that is joyned to the Lord saith the Apostle 1 Corinth 6.17 is one spirit As if he had said He hath in him the very same spirit that is in Christ. If any man have not the spirit of Christ saith the Apostle Romans 8.9 hee is none of his Therefore also is the holy Spirit called the Lords seale that he setteth upon his and whereby he doth use to marke them After ye believed in Christ saith the Apostle Ephes. 1.13 ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise When once a man findeth that he hath this seale this marke upon him he may confidently and comfortably conclude that certainely he is Christs and Christ is his and till then hee can never know it Hereby wee know saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 3.24 that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given us and 4.13 Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his spirit But may not this marke be counterfeited will you say May not a man easily mistake and be deceived in this and thinke he hath the Spirit of Christ when he hath it not indeed I answer Yes that hee may or els wee should not bee so oft and so earnestly charged as we are 2 Corinth 13.5 to examine our selves to prove our owne selves and Galat. 6.4 Let every man prove his owne worke But yet by the fruits and effects of the Spirit that he findeth in himselfe the true believer may certainely know that the Spirit of Christ doth dwell in him indeed I have oâ—t had occasion heretofore to speake of sundry fruits of faith and effects of the Spirit whereby he that is in Christ and hath
see What for all men May we pray for professed idolaters and enemies to the religion of God Yes even for idolaters and enemies to the Gospell and for worse than them too if worse can be We may pray for any wicked man excepting him onely that hath committed the sinne against the Holy Ghost There is a sinne unto death saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 5.16 I do not say that any man shall pray for it that is for the pardon of that sinne But that sinne no blinde idolater certainely specially none that hath beene borne and bred in idolatry can possibly have committed Moses being required so to do prayed even for Pharaoh yea he prayed oft for him as we may read Exodus 8.12.30 9.33 10.18 So did the man of God also for Ieroboam a grosse idolater 1 Kings 13.6 And Stephen of his owne accord though he were not required to doe it prayed for them that stoned him Acts 7.60 Said I we may pray for idolaters Nay we must pray for them specially if they be such as God hath placed in any degree of preheminence over us we sinne if we doe it not See two expresse commandements of God for this one in the Old Testament another in the New What more grosse idolaters were there ever in the world both for Prince and subjects than the Babylonians were at that time when Gods people lived in captivity under them Yet were they expresly commanded to pray even for them Ier. 29.7 Seeke the peace of the city saith the Lord whither I have caused you to be carried away captives and pray unto the Lord for it And were there ever more foule idolaters than the Roman Emperours were in the dayes of the Apostles And yet God giveth an expresse commandement 1 Timothy 2.1 that in all Church-meetings there should be first and principall care taken for this that supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thankes might bee made as for all other men so specially for kings and all that are in authority Three things are to be observed in this commandement First That whereas the former commandement seemeth to reach no further than unto temporall blessings that Gods people were to begge of God for Babylon as did also Moses his prayer for Pharaoh and that of the man of God for Ieroboam in this wee are charged to pray for the conversion of idolatrous Princes and for the salvation of them Secondly That this is given for a reason why we should pray for them That wee may live a quiet and a peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty As if hee had said If Gods people can by their prayers prevaile for the conversion of such as are in authority these three benefits will bee obtained by it First The Church shall enjoy more peace by this meanes Secondly Honesty that is justice and equity and fidelity in the civill conversation of men wil be the better preserved Thirdly Godlinesse true piety and religion will prosper the better by this means When Kings and Queens are converted they will become nursing fathers and nursing mothers to the Church as the Lord promiseth Esa. 49.23 And therefore we are bound first of all and above all others to pray heartily to God for their conversion Thirdly Lastly Another reason is to be observed which the Apostle giveth for this Vers. 3 4. For this is good and acceptable saith he in the sight of God our Saviour who will have all men that is of all sorts of men Gentiles as well as Iewes Kings and Princes as well as men of meaner condition though this may seeme never so unlikely a thing unto you because ye see none such converted hitherto yet be not out of hope of it God will have of them also some to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth As if he should say These Princes as bad as they be now may belong to Gods election for ought you know and certainly some such as they are heathen and idolatrous Princes are in Gods eternall counsell ordained to salvation And who knoweth whether you prayers be not also ordained to be the meanes whereby it shall be procured Therefore pray for them saith he And out of doubt there is great cause to hope that our superiours who are yet in errour might be sooner reclaimâ—d and such of them also that do professe the truth might become more religious and zealous than they are if Gods people could according to their bounden duty pray more fervently unto God for them than they do And thus must we try the truth of our charity by the love we beare unto all men If we beare not such a love as this is unto all men certainly our charity is not such as it ought to be Secondly We must make tryall of our charity by the love we beare unto them that have wronged us and are our enemies Know this therefore beloved that thou art bound to love thine enemy yea every enemy of thiâ—e how much soever or in what kind soever he hath wronged thee thou art bound to love him and if thou canst not doe this thou hast no true charity and consequently thou hast not the Spirit of Christ in thee I say unto you saith our Saviour speaking of and describing true love Mat. 5.44 45. love your enemies that you may be that is that you may know your selves to be the children of your father which is in heaven As if he had said you can never be assured that you are Gods children till you can do this Now that we may the better understand and be affected with this point I will shew you more particularly what a manner of love God requireth of us towards our enemies in these eight degrees First We may not revenge nor so much as purpose with our selves or desire to be revenged of any enemy we have for any wrong that he hath done unto us Dearely beloved saith the Apostle Rom. 12.19 avenge not your selves but rather give place unto wrath As if he had said Let God alone with that for it is written Vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. Say not saith Salomon Prov. 24.29 that is purpose not nor resolve with thy selfe thus I will do so to him as he hath done unto me As if he should say I will do him no wrong and so long as I do him no wrong I hope I cannot be blamed I will render to the man according to his worke Why what wrong is there in that Is not this a most just and equall thing to render to every man according to his worke I answer That in the Lord himselfe it is indeed so and in the Magistrate which is Gods deputy it is so too but in a private man it is not so it is a wrong it is wickednesse for him to doe it because he usurpeth Gods office Nay it were unjustice even in a Magistrate to revenge his owne private wrong Feare not saith Ioseph to his brethren Genes
himselfe to be for the Gospell and against Popery may give us great hope of the continuance of this blessing and may seeme to free us from feare of any alteration of Religion in our dayes Yet are there three things that make this exhortation every whit as needefull for our times and for us as it was for the people of God in the Apostles dayes First The great danger wee are in that popery may prevaile and steale in upon us and with it a fiery tryall before we be aware not withstanding all that hath beene said of the hopes we have Surely the great increase of Papists that we daily heare of together with the marvellous declining of many declared by the ready receiving of such Doctrines as any seducing Spirit will offer to them may give us just cause of this feare Secondly admit that wee were in no danger at all of a fiery tryall through popery yet are there a number of other new and strange opinions lately sprung up in our Church that do make this exhortation as needfull now as ever it was They are so many that I cannot name them all unto you though I would and they are some of them so fantasticall some so blasphemous and dangerous that I would not offend your Christian eares with rehearsing of them though I could Every yeare almost yeelds us some new conceit in Religion When the servants in the parable of the tares Matth. 13.27 28 spied their Masters field so full of tares they said unto him Sir didst not thou sow good seed in thy field from whence then are these tares They doe not lay the fault upon the seed their Master did sow The Papists and Atheists when they heare either of Heresies that spring in the Church or of hypocrites and scandalous sinners that break out amongst such as professe Religion are apt still to impute all to our Masters seed This comes of following Sermons a goodly Gospell say they this is that brings forth such fruits And the servants of God themselves that know how good the seed was that their Master did sow in this field how sound and pure the Doctrine hath beene which our state and Church hath professed and which hath beene preached in it above 70. yeares without interruption and see what a number of strange opinions are now risen in it are apt to wonder and cry Lord whence come all these tares But marke what answere the Lord of the field gives unto his servants The enemy hath done this saith he Satan the enemy of God and mankinde is the sower of all these tares the authour of all the heresyes and scandalls too that rise in Gods Church And the men that broach these errours how learned or good soever they may seeme to be as Satan himselfe saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 11.14 is of transformed into an Angel of light are set on work by him his agents his seeds-men they are Our Saviour foretelling the destruction of Ierusalem and of the whole state and the judgements whereby God would plague that nation for the contempt of the Gospell and which should bee signes and forerunners of his taking it away from them and bestowing it upon some other nation that would bring forth better fruits of it names this for one Matth. 24.11 Many false Prophets saith he shall arise and shall deceive many Certainly the many sects and errours that arise in our Church as it is to be esteemed a most just judgement of God upon this nation for the contempt of the Gospell so is it a fearefull signe of a more grievous judgement approching and namely of the removing of our candlesticke and taking away the Gospell from us And surely these false teachers increasing as they doe will steale away the truth of Religion from us before we be aware as the Lord speaketh of the false Prophets in Ieremies time Ier. 23.30 unlesse wee stirre up our selves to hold it fast and to cleave so much the more stedfastly unto it because wee see it so many wayes questioned and contradicted by fantasticall spirits Thirdly and lastly The generall decay of the love of Religion in all places and among all sorts of men and the strange increase of irreligiousnesse and profanesse every where will as an epidemicall disease and common contagion infect us all and by little and little steale our hearts away from all care of Religion and respect unto it if we doe not carefully take heed and stirre up our selves to hold fast both the knowledge and practice of the truth which we have received Our long enjoying of the Gospell of Christ together with our long peace and plenty makes us to esteeme lightly and to grow weary of it as Israel of old was of Mannah though it were both the most wholesome and the most delicate foode also that ever man tasted of In which respect the Prophet Psal. 78.25 calls it Angels foode such a foode as if they had needed meate the very Angels might have fed upon Yet grew they so weary of it that they preferred the cucumbers and onyons and garlicke of Aegypt before it Num. 11.5 6. any thing rather then Mannah then that food that came downe from heaven And so doth the Apostle prophesie 2 Tim. 4.4 of a time that should come and we have just cause to judge that this is the very time hee prophesieth of wherein such as had professed the Gospell should turne away their eares from the truth be turned unto fables No doctrine can be so fabulous and fantasticall but men will be ready to turne unto it and to embrace it rather then the present truth as the Apostle calls it 2 Pet. 1.12 Any thing that will oppose and contradict the present truth this Mannah that is before our eyes as the Iewes speake there Num. 11.6 shall be welcome unto them This is not the disposition of a few of here and there one but it is the humour of the very age and time we live in that strongly inclineth unto epicurisme and irreligiousnesse Therefore the Apostle in another prophesie of his 2 Tim. 3.1 wherein he sets downe the generall sinnes of those perilous times that shall come in the last dayes whereinto we are fallen notes this as a chiefe one Verse 5. Having a forme of godlinesse an outward profession of the true Religion but denying the power thereof that the Gospell should have such a commanding power over them as to restraine them from any sinne they were inclined unto especially if it be in fashion this they should not abide this being the generall disease of the time we shal all be in danger to be carryed away with the streame and sway of it if we discerne it not to be a forerunner of the removall of our candlesticke the Gospell and in time take heed and repent and doe our first workes Rev. 2.5 and if the generall inclination unto profanesse that we discerne in all men cause us not to love the truth and cleave to it
15. did me much evill the Lord reward him according to his works of whom he thou aware also for he hath greatly withstood our words And what was the cause of his falling thus fearfully That the Apostle hath told us he forsook a good conscience He gave liberty to himself to sinne against his conscience to live in some knowne sinne Corruption in manners will breed corruption in judgement A man that hath once knowne and professed the truth is seldome knowne to fall into Popery or any other heresie till he had first forsaken a good conscience and by living in knowne sinnes provoked God to give him over thus farre So among other judgements this is one whereby God threatneth to punish the disobedience of his people Deut. 28.36 Thou shalt serve other gods of wood and of stone thou shalt become a grosse and senslesse idolater And the Apostle speaking of them that in this last age should be drawne unto Popery 2 Thes. 2. he speakes of it Vers. 11. as of a fearefull judgement of God upon men for some sinnes they had beene guilty of For the cause saith he God shall send them strong delusiâ—â—s that they should believe a lie They shall be strongly deluded How By the learning or holinesse or miracles of their Priests No but by the most just hand and curse of God upon them God shall send them strong delusions that there shall be no errour in Popery so grosse no lie so palpable but they shall verily and undoubtedly believe it Marvell not then at their confidence For this cause saith the Apostle For what cause What is the sinne 〈◊〉 provokes God to plague men in this manner He nameth two one in Vers. 10 because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved the second Vers. 12. because they tooke pleasure in unrighteousnesse To conclude then this second direction what hope can there be that many common Protestants though they be willing to heare and make profession of the truth should ever be able to continue constant in the truth in the time of tryall but that they will be apt to turne Papists blasphemers and persecutors of the truth when a time of tryall shall come seeing 1 they beare no love to the truth at all take no delight in it love every trifle and vanity better than it 2 they give liberty to themselves to live in knowne sinnes and take pleasure therein 3 they content themselves with a forme of godlinsse as the Apostle speaketh 2 Tim. 3.5 but deny and renounce the power of it and hate it mortally wheresoever they see it casting the most odious aspersious upon it Lecture CXLIX On Psalme 51.7 Nouem 1. 1631. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the third Direction and that is this He that would preserve himselfe from falling quite away from the truth and forsaking his religion must take heed of declining from or forsaking of the least truth he must not give himselfe liberty to shrink and fall from the least truth that God hath revealed unto him and wherein his conscience hath beene convinced that it is indeed a truth of God Two things there be whereby men do falsly warrant themselves to take this liberty and they be both of them certaine and undeniable truths First That there be many good and worthy men that see not nor make any reckoning of such truths as themselves have been convinced in And indeed a man may bee a right good man and indued with a great measure of saving grace and yet he cannot see nor be perswaded of some truths that God hath taught us in his holy Word but his judgement is erroneous and unsound in some points yea though he hath had great meanes to informe him in the truth yet he cannot see it And that therefore difference in judgement in some things which cannot be without errour on the one side should not alienate the hearts of brethren one from another as I shewed you in my last lecture but two out of Rom. 14 1-6 Secondly That on the other side there be many in whom no life nor power of godlinesse can be discerned that busie themselves altogether and glory in these points And indeed it is an ill signe in any and a shrewd note of an hypocrite to busie his braines about truths of lesâ—e moment with neglect of greater when a man shall seeke to be expert and cunning in those truths which concerne the ceremonies and discipline of the Church and be stiffe in the holding and maintaining of them and yet be ignorant and void of all desire to learne the doctrine of faith and repentance of mortification and newnesse of life the meaning of the ten commandements and articles of our faith of the Lords Prayer and doctrine of the Sacraments For such persons are doubtlesse under that wo that Christ denounceth Mat. 23.24 against them that straine at a gnat and swallow a camell But though these two things I say be so yet for a man to be wilfully ignorant of the truth of God in any thing wherein he is pleased to reveale his will unto us in his holy Word or to forsake it when he hath once beene convinced of it out of this conceit that it is but a small matter a trifle a man may be saved though he never know nor hold such a truth is a very dangerous sinne Observe I pray you the proofe of this in three points First Though some truths of God be comparatively greater than others as our Saviour saith Mat. 23.23 some matters of the Law and Word of God are weightier than others yet is not any one truth of God to be accounted small or of little or no moment even of those points of the law which he cals but gnats in comparison of others our Saviour saith Mat. 23.23 these ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone even those small things ought not to be neglected ought not to be left undone I have written to them saith the Lord Hos. 8.12 the great things of my Law They are all great things that God hath written and revealed to us in his holy Word All the truths of God which the Apostles when the Spirit fell upon them in cloven tongues like fire did utter and teach are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 2 11. Magnalia Dei the great things of God Yea the least truth of God that he hath revealed in his Word is to be esteemed of greater moment and weight than heaven and earth and all the creatures contained in them It is easier for heaven and earth to passe saith our Saviour Luk. 16.17 than that one title of the law should faile It is therefore a great contempt done unto Gods Word to think so lightly of any thing he hath taught us in it as if it were not worth the knowing or not worth the holding and sticking to when we do know it When David hath professed his high esteeme of Gods Word
judgement or practise Give thy strength unto thy servant saith David Psal. 86.16 and 119.117 Hold thou me up and I shall be safe So Cornelius when his mind was much perplexed and troubled with the great difference of opinion and doctrine which he found among the teachers in his time took this course to settle himselfe in the truth hee gave himselfe much to fasting and prayer as you may read Acts 10.30 31. Yea see what confidence and boldnesse they have used in their prayers in this case You heard even now out of Cant. 1.7 how familiarly and boldly the Spouse of Christ finding her selfe to be in danger to be seduced expostulateth with him and teacheth us by her example that we may and should doe so in the like case O thou whom my soule loveth saith she why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flockes of thy companions As if shee had said Why shouldst thou suffer me to be mislead by any false teacher or seducer whatsoever The like familiar expostulation you shall find David using in this case Psalme 56.13 Thou hast delivered my soule from death wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling that I may walke before God in the light of the living As if hee should say Thou hast redeemed me and effectually called mee and justified and sanctified mee in some measure and wilt not thou keepe mee from falling from thy truth into any damnable errour And thus have I finished that which I have to say touching this second fruit and effect whereby a man may know himselfe to have the spirit of Christ that is Constancy in the true religion of Christ. Lecture CL. On Psalme 51.7 Novemb. 15. 1631. IT followeth now that wee proceed to the third principall effect and fruit whereby a man may know that he hath the spirit of Christ. The point then that we have now to handle is this Hee that hath indeed the spirit of Christ in him and is in the state of grace will take to heart the cause of God and of his holy religion nay he cannot choose but doe so I will give you both the explication and the proofe of the point together that is I will both shew you what it is to take to heart the cause of God and religion and also prove that he that hath the spirit of Christ in him cannot choose but doe it And this I will doe first generally and then more particularly And my generall proofes shall be an introduction unto the particulars In my generall proofes I will observe three degrees First then he that hath the spirit of Christ in him cannot choose but love the Lord unfeignedly yea love him above all other things even better then his owne selfe This is made the summe of the first Table of all the duty and worship we owe unto God Mar. 12.30 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God c. If any man come to me saith our Saviour Luk. 14.26 and â—ate not that is love not lesse then me as it is to be interpreted out of Mat. 10.37 his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters yea and his owne life also hee cannot be my Disciple He cannot be in the state of grace he cannot have the spirit of Christ that doth not thus love the Lord. And on the other side he that can find in himselfe that he doth thus love the Lord though he have otherwise many defects in himselfe may be assured that he is in the state of grace that he hath the spirit of Christ in him If any man love God 1 Cor. 8.3 the same is knowne of him hee is approved and beloved of God Therefore when Christ would comfort Peter after his grievous fall he examineth him thrice and by his examining of him so provokes him to examine himselfe about this Ioh. 21.15 Simon sonne of Ionas lovest thou me As if he had said then all is well be of good comfort thou art in a happy state Secondly No man can thus love God but he must needs have the zeale of God in him he cannot but be zealous for God grieved and troubled in himselfe to see God dishonoured When David had said Psal. 119.158 I beheld the transgressours and was grieved because they kept not thy word He gives in the next words the reason of it verse 159. Consider how I love thy precepts Because he loved God and his Word he could not but grieve to see him dishonoured See an example of this in Eliah I have beene very zealous for the Lord of hoasts saith he 1 King 19.10 He was so troubled for the dishonour he saw done to God under the governement of Ahab and Iezabel that it made him weary of his life as you may see verse 4. See it also in David Psal. 69.9 His zeale had even eaten him up he saith and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me as an intollerable burden that I cannot beare See lastly an example of this in Hezekiah and his Nobles 2 King 19.1 4. We read that Hezekiah rent his cloathes and clad himselfe in sackcloth and so did his Princes too they were in great griefe and trouble of mind And what was the cause of it Not the extreame danger they were in of the sword of Sennacherib who had proclaimed warre against them and had already taken all the defensed cities of Iuda Chap. 18.13 and was so potent an enemy that he was able to besiege Ierusalem with an army of above an hundred fourescore and five thousand Chap. 19.35 No no the blasphemy that Rabshakeh had belched out against God and the reproach and dishonour he had cast upon him troubled them more then all the danger they were in In craving the Prophets prayer he mentioneth this more then the other This is a day of trouble and of rebuke and of blasphemy saith he ver 3. and ver 4. It may be the Lord thy God will heare all the words of Rabshakeh whom his master hath sent to reproach the living God And in his prayer unto God verse 16. he complaines most of this Heare the words of Sennacherib who hath sent him to reproach the living God Thirdly and lastly He that hath any true zeale of God in him will shew and expresse it towards his house and worship especially Thus did David shew his zeale for God The zeale of thy house saith hee Psalme 69.9 hath eaten mee up And so did Iehojada 2 Chron. 24.16 the cause of that great honour that was done him after his death is said to be this Because hee had done good in Israel towards God and towards his house hee had restored and established the pure worship of God in Iudah And so did Nehemiah expresse his zeale for God and tooke great comfort in expectation of reward from God for it Remember me saith he Neh. 13.14 ô my God concerning this thing and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of
The sixt meanes labour to bee willing to die Ibid. There is in the best great unwillingnesse and feare to die but for this cause we should be willing because till then wee shall never be rid of our corruption p. 324 325. Lect. 66. The seventh meanes Hie to Christ by faith for strength against it Till one have faith he can mortifie no corruption p. 326. True faith will mortifie sin Ibid and two reasons for that p. 327 c. Lect. 67. For the mortifying of sin faith a most be exercised we must put it forth and make use of it p. 330. Christ cured all that came to him for help and the cure is still ascribed to their faith Christ required nothing else of them to make them capable of cure p. 331. Goe to Christ likewise for helpe in all diseases of thy soule and with faith as they did Ibid foure grounds wee have for our faith in this 1 Christ is able to cure out soules as bodies 2 He is as willing 3 This is the chiefe work he came into the world to do p. 332. 4 Hee hath bound himselfe by promise for this We have his promise for curing us of 1 our ignorance 2 hardnesse of heart 3 profanesse 4 inconstancy p 333. 5 every other sin p. 334. We should stirre up our selves to lay hold on these promises Ibid. Objections against this answered 1 I am so unworthy I dare not go to Christ 2 my faith is so weake I cannot say hold of these promises 3 None of the godly though they have faith can thereby mortifie their corruptions p. 335. Lect. 68. The consideration of the vilenesse of our nature should cause us to admire Gods goodnesse towards us p. 336. Even in his restraining grace towards others that men being so lewd we live so safely and peaceably by them yea that many of them are so kinde to us p. 337 338. Secure thy heart in Gods providence in the worst times and places Ibid. But specially in his restraining grace towards our selves 1 many foule sins that we have the seeds of never shew themselves in us 2 Many foule sins we have felt our selves inclined to have not set upon us with their full force p. 339. 3 God lets us not know all the vilenesse that is in us but hideth a great part of it from us p. 340 341. How farre forth the discovery of sin to us is a blessing Ibid. Lect. 69. The wonderfull power and goodnesse of God is seene in our conversion p. 342. 1 that he sought us out and made us turne when we drew back 2 that he made love to us and sought reconciliation 3 that he should so change us and worke any goodnesse in such hearts as ours p. 343. Errors touching mans conversion p. 344. God hath set a just time for nations and particular persons and wee must count the present time to be that p. 345. Rejoyce if thou have any grace in truth though in the least measure p. 346. Lect. 70. It s an admirable worke of God that any of us should be able to persevere for any time in the state of grace viz. either 1 in the profession of the truth or 2 in the comfortable assurance of Gods favour or 3 in a Christian course of life p. 347. Considering 1 what a world age we live in 2 what the malice power and subtlety of Sathan is Ibid. 3 How fearefully others have fallen 4 what corrupt hearts we have p. 348. Our Perseverance to bee ascribed onely to God viz. 1 to his power 2 to his goodnesse p. 349. Therefore 1 Seeke saving grace its th' only durable riches 2 if thou have it blesse God for it and admire his power and goodnesse in it 3 be not proud of thy standing but ascribe it to God 4 Be not secure but watchfull and fearefull least thou fall p. 350 351. Lect. 71. The faithfull apt to thinke they have lost al grace because they have lost their first love delight and fervency in good duties 2 their faith and assurance of Gods favour 3 their strength to overcome tentations to sin Two preservatives against this tentation 1 The best of Gods servants have beene thus subject to variablenesse in their spirituall estate p. 352. God seeth it good they should bee so p 353. Object Wicked men will bee apt to stumble at this Ibid. 2 Though thou thinkest in this case thou hast lost all grace yet it is not so 1 if thou wouldst examine thine heart well thou wouldst finde grace in it still 2 though thou cannot another may 3 Though neither thy selfe nor another can discerne it yet certainely it is in thee for no elect childe of God called according to his purpose can so fall as utterly to loose all grace p. 354. This evident in all the three degrees of their spirituall decayes p. 355. Obj. But though I be now in the state of grace I feare when the fiery tryall shal come I shall fall I shall not be able to stand in the last and sharpest combat I shall have with Sathan at my death Answ. Certainely thou shalt not perish irrecoverably if there be the fruit of Gods eternall love and election in any truth of grace in thee two pillars thou hast to uphold thee 1 Gods power 2 his will p. 355 356. Lect. 72. Admirable it is that God should respect any service commeth from such as wee are that have so filthy and corrupt hearts considering 1 how corrupt we and our best services are a how pure and holy the Lord is p. 357. 3 Yet 1 he taketh notice of all the poore services we doe 2 winks at and passes by the staines and blemishes of them p. 358. 3 delights in them 4 rewards them p. 359. Reasons why he doth so 1 Because he seeth our hearts are good and upright in them 2 They are fruits of his owne Spirit 3. They are in Christ p. 360. Lect. 73. Carnall men have no just cause to stumble at this that God is so apt to winke at and passe by the slips of his children for 1 They are not his children p. 361. 2 If they were he would not beare with such faults as theirs no not in his children Ibid p. 362. 3 To theÌ„ that are wicked he will bee every whit as rigorous as he is indulgent to his children for 1 he will not beare with the least fault in them 2 he will take nothing in good part they do Ibid. 3 he liketh the worse of them even for the service they presume to doe unto him p. 363. Yet must the most wicked men pray and do other duties for all this and may receive good thereby three waies for 1 this will lessâ—n his condemnation 2 This will procure him temporall blessings and deliverances Ibid. 3 He may thus further his own salvation p 364. It s the fault of Gods people 1 that they of all other have the saddest hearts most subject to feare whereas they have three