a throne and thence dictating his new lawes and devices and therefore abhorred his counsell Even so let us doe and let all their nation head and taile branch and rush bee abhorred by us to the pit of hell for those who give not lawes counsell and rules out of sincerity but for the setting up of the flesh and destroying the Kingdome of Christ deserve no allowance neither they nor such as tread in their steps So much for this Use Vse 3 Thirdly let this point afford Admonition to all such as are in the place of Counsellors Admonition Magistrates Ministers all Superiours be sincere in their censures Admonishers Censurers and Governours of others whether Magistrates or Ministers or Officers of Courts or others in authority Is it so Can onely such counsell and instruction claime regard and obedience as comes from simplicity and deniall of our owne ends Is all other counsell unsavory unpowerfull and ridiculous In the feare of God then consider your places remember that the eyes of men are upon you they looke for uprightnesse and conscience in you Amos 5.7 6.12 if they finde judgement and equity turned into the wormwood and gall of your owne respects they will scorne their counsells and warning your selves have lost your honour and your counsell is as salt which hath lost her savor Ye Magistrates first remember that you execute not onely the judgements of the King but of God 2 Chron. 19.6 to him you are to give account abhorre covetousnesse bribes gifts bee not perverted hereby Let righteousnesse blinde your eye from all flattery feare and falshood Let not these blinde the eye of justice and counsell Favour not the wicked pinch not the innocent Prov. 17.23 turne the edge of your sword against the vile and the backe of it to the weldeserving doe not beare it in vaine as undoubtedly you shall Rom. 13.4 if once yee be found unfaithfull in your places Doe not for base respects beare downe a good cause nor speake not booty for a bad If inferior officers complaine and crave counsell and assistance against drunkards Sabbath breakers and disordered ones swearers lewd companions beware lest a false heart savouring sinne and distasting goodnesse cause ye to shuffle and conceale your owne power and authority in beating down sin be impartiall Say not falsely you want law you should do more then you can answer and you must have good cards to shew this argues insincerity Doe not call the delinquents and talke a few cold words of reproofe to them when both they and you know they deserve greater censure such counsell will never prevaile it stinkes it hath a dead flye of falshood in it Will your admonitions prevaile when they bewray such basenesse No no ye strengthen the hands of sinners Eccles 10.1 flesh them against good officers dismay the good and bolster sinne for why what doe men say of you Tush as for such Justices they maintaine Alehouses and disorder in their owne servants and Tenants and for a base bribe will advance those sins which they sit in place to put downe What are you then but painted walls under which a world of rottennesse lurkes Act. 23.3 Ecclesiasticall Officers So also you Officers for I see this day some of all sorts to heare me who sit in Ecclesiasticall seats and professe to aime at Evangelicall correction and censure looke to your selves make not a mart of the uncleannesse and disorderly courses of men let it not appeare that a little money can blunt the edge of excommunication or admonition let not men finde you out to be takers of gifts to pervert the way of Gods censures doe not openly raile against sinne but after for an underhand bribe discharge an adulterer or other sinner this doth but cast oile in the flame encrease sinne enrage the offender for why he thinkes of it according to the easie price he payes and what will not a man give to buy off shame and punishment No no if you will prevaile maintaine the authority of Officers if ye be from God be for him and let sincerity arme your censures and counsells Act. 5.7.8 so that men may tremble and feare that great thunderbolt and sinne no more else they will esteeme you and your counsell no more then men will doe a cracke of thunder which when it s past is forgotten and they will goe to their trade more fresh then ever So you the sacred Ministers of God Ministers in whom above all the wisdome and counsell of God should dwell who should be as Iob describes himselfe honourable and reverend terrible as banners such as both young and old should rise up unto Job 29.22 hide themselves and lay their hands to their mouth Bee you exhorted to sincerity if you would preserve the honour of your persons places and labours and not be made as unsavoury salt trodden under feet of men Above all the Divell labours to make your counsells unprofitable because thereby hee brings mens soules to perdition If your carriage be seasoned with gravity purenesse selfe-denial men will honour you and your counsells shall beare sway where no power of man can reach even in the consciences of men But if once they have the measure of your foote that any base lust defile your spirits it will presently make all that comes from you vile and contemptible Oh brethren consider many things will pollute us One thing onely can make us and our counsells savoury and that is selfe-deniall and sincerity If men perceive us to be leavened with the vice of sensuality gaming pleasures company Alehouse and boone companionship and yet perhaps on the Lords day lay load upon other sinners what will they doe but laugh in their sleeves and say Physitian heale thy selfe Luke 5. and then I will take thy physicke If they see us set another way to domineer over them as the best men of the Parish to maintaine a great stomacke and bring them under our girdles to stoope to us and know who we are they will but scorne us and tell us Christ and his Apostles were humble and meeke and sought to be great in the conscience not lord it over mens persons If they shall spy in us a jollity and pride of life in our fare apparell or course that all is little enough to maintaine our selves and our wives and children in the fashions of the world at the highest pitch though we borrow runne into debt and beg Alas what will they doe They will slight all our words Judg. 9. disdaine our counsells and say these men have forsaken their fatnesse and sweetnesse by which they cheerd the heart of God and man and all to exalt themselves above the trees like brambles If they perceive all our bent and streame to runne after honours dignities benefices or preferments in the meane while suffering the people to runne riot and to goe to havocke leaving them to hirelings and Idolls at
Esa 26.2 Salvation will God appoint for wals and bulwarkes Esay 26.1 2 3. What is that The Church under the Gospel should fasten upon the promise for salvation and this should fence out all her troubles and former enemies as a Wall or a Bulwarke keepes out any affronts and vers 3. Thou wilt keepe him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee As the needle of the Diall set just on the North point settles and shakes not and as the Anchor holds in the Ship from floating up and downe so the promise fastned upon stablisheth the soule from her former wanzings and unsetlednesse And the reason is more fully set downe in vers 4. Trust yee in the Lord for ever for the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength that is he is reall in all his promises and gives a being to them as being strong enough to doe it Hence it is Esa 55.4 That the Lord Jesus in the offer or promise is called a Witnesse Behold I have given him for a Witnesse to the people And in Revel 1. That faithfull and true Witnesse Why because he is Yea and Amen all the promises of God in him become so Now as a Witnesse in the Court who is sworne and without exception decides the Controversie betweene two at oddes so the promise beleeved quits the soule and puts an end to strife So in the Hebrews the promise beleeved is compared to a City of refuge which rescued the poore man-slayer whose heart was full of feare and distresse because of the pursuer but there he was free even so the oath and promise of God received into the soule determines all doubts betweene the Lord and her It is said of Hanna that ere Eli had resolved her from God of a sonne shee was full of trouble in spirit But when once hee had satisfied her lo then shee was cheerefull and look'd no more heavily even so is it with the promise fastning upon the soule it causes the waves and stormes of an unquiet heart to turne to a calme Hezekiah was mightily troubled upon the message of death but no sooner came Esay backe againe with the newes of his recovery and the signe of the Suns going back but Hezekiah's moane was turned to a song So is it here For is there not more in a promise of Christ and preach'd to the soule in his name then in all the promises of speciall deliverances which were more darkly derived from him Yes verily Hence it is that the Prophets never describe the power of Christ in his word but they runne very much upon the description also of this effect of chasing away of all spirituall distempers Upon all the glory shall be a defence and there shall be no more weeping nor mourning upon his mountaine In stead of the Bramble Esay 55. ult shall be the Myrtle and in stead of the Thorne shall come the Firre What 's that all shall bee new the face of things shall be changed Teares shall be wiped from all eyes with many such phrases as come not to mind each chapter is full of them So Job 22.29 When men are cast downe then thou shalt say There is a lifting up and hee shall save the humble man Lo consternation and terrors cease by beleeving So Psal 32.6 For this cause shall every good man pray in a time of finding The flouds of great waters shall not come neare him And examples are as evident as other Scriptures How was Cornelius by Peter the Eunuch by Philip the Jaylor by Paul and Silas freed from their doubts and demurres and set at liberty Reasons are many and weighty First this appeares by proportion Reas 1 if we compare the priviledges of Beleevers together we shall find that there be as many as concerne them in point of freedome from their inward distempers as outward enemies But the beleever is really set free from enemies Devill curse law wrath of God an evill world the gates of hell else whence come those triumphs O death where is thy sting O hell where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law incensing sinne But thankes be to God c. Now if redemption deliver us from enemies so that they shall not hurt us from all crosses straits tribulations so that they shall not separate us from the love of God shall not then Justification free us from inward horrours feares guilt doubt of conscience rebellion of sinne cavils prejudice and distempers Shall not reconciliation ridde us of our enemy and that shame and confusion which sinne brought upon us Yea much more for both come from faith Secondly the contrariety of estates proves it before and after Reas 2 faith The condition of the wicked is That they can have no peace there is none to them Esay 57. ult because as the winter aire is never temperate by reason of those moist and cold vapors which annoy the aire with winds tempests frost and snow and the like so the coast of their spirits can never be cleare because of the guilt of their consciences they may now and then please themselves with a little truce but still warre returneth the dint of their feares is not broken So on the contrary There is no warre to the soule that beleeves As the aire perfectly clensed in the summer is setled and affords a continuall calme so doth the conscience of a beleever Now and then may be over-castings of clouds but the dint of guilt and wrath is gone Thirdly else we should ascribe more to particular promises Reas 3 and the effect thereof which are weaker then to the maine promise which is the Reuben the first borne of God and the sonne of his strength But we see what particular promises have done to them who have beene under sad distempers by affliction Of Hanna and Hezekiah I have spoken before Adde another The Lord promised the Israelites that upon the sprinkling of their door-posts with the bloud of the Passeover Exod. 12. the Angel of the Lord shall passe over their houses and smite none of them Did they find any distempers possesse them when there was out-cry throughout all Egyt in every family No surely they slept sweetly in their beds Did they doubt of the victory against Ai when as they had received a promise of victory or were they afraid as at first when thirty of them were slaine No. When the promise was made of the fall of the wals of Jericho by the sounding of Rams hornes and compassing the City seven times did the people stagger at it were they not resolved And shall not the maine promise of God remove distempers within as well as afflictions without yes and much more Reas 4 Fourthly the contrariety of corrupt infidelity and the power of the promise doth evince it The strength of infidelity stands in bearing downe the word Whatsoever distemper of heart can be mentioned either selfe carnall reason rebellion
it were not pride and statelinesse in the Prophet what cause was there why he should send to Naaman rather then come forth himselfe Was he not expected and might he not feare some aspersion to his person God and Religion by his aloofnesse Surely by the way these things ought much to curb our base passions Bishop Hooper that famous Martyr of Christ and man of tender conscience being of somwhat a more retired private spirit and carriage then usual did cause some Christian men and women who honoured his integrity and sought advice from him to wonder and to stumble at his austerity A defect which he could not easily amend in himselfe But it cost him sorrow afterward as some of his letters witnesse that he should grieve any good heart by such an offensive carriage Those letters are also extant wherein reverend Ridley craves pardon of his deere fellow-Martyrs Bradford and Sanders for his unbrotherlike passages in some cases a time there will be in which every one that feares God will mourne for the least misdemeanor in this kinde Gods glory is pretious and his peoples souls cost deare They must not be offended for our humours or trifles better a mill-stone were hang'd about our neckes and wee cast with it into the sea then to offend one little one This by the way Ministers must be tender of Gods glory and jealous of offence by their carriage I answer there had been in this case of Elisha some feare of this I mean of offence if God had not discharged him from it by a Supersedeas to his ordinary charge but having a warrant for it hee might trust God the better for preventing of hurt As the Prophets were extraordinary persons so the most of their actions bare a speciall reference towards God not themselves And so it was here Elisha was a man familiar enough in his owne case as appeares in his homely and courteous carriage towards the woman that set him up a Table 2 Kin. 4.12.13 Stoole and Candlesticke in his Chamber This was no great state nothing neere Naamans yet thankfully accepted But there is a season for all things to bee familiar with a poore Tradesman Eccle. 2.3.2 and to be strange to a Prince both lawfull Now the Lords worke was in doing and Elisha might not procure to himselfe the note of courtesie by breaking a command as that Prophet who to avoid discourtesie went backe to eate with the old Prophet 1 King 13.19 and lost his life When God discharges us by a closer-command its folly to affect the name of unseasonable obeying And by the way it is no small error in men to interpret Scriptures according to the letter without respect had to the scope and circumstances proper to the text The Letter of the Scripture not to be wrested against the sence for mens humours As the Papists who by this meanes snatch extraordinary facts of Moses and Christs fasting Matth. 4. Ebuds killing Eglon Judg. 4. Elijah's affronting Ahab 1 King 20.21 or the like to such ends of their owne as not God but themselves are the authors of Not the fact of burning the Passeover reliques Exod 12. and of robbing the Egyptians but the warrant of God over-ruling ordinary cases for speciall ends of his owne must be regarded Now I say the Lord had another end in withdrawing Elisha from going forth For why He saw he was more carnally adicted to the Prophet then he ought More specially of the cause he came full of carnall esteem of him as a man of great power to worke miracles 1. To prevent carnâ—ll esteem of his person and the outward cure He looked also at the outward cure full he was of himself and his carnall hopes who but Elisha with him as a great Physitian with a patient for hope of cure This together with a confidence he had of his owne sufficiency to give him full content for his paines as if he had gone to an ordinary man and lookt to take and pay did wholly eclipse the honour of God who will not give his glory to another The Lord loved Elisha well and his reputation as we see Cap. 2. yet not so well as to part with his own 2 King 2.5.6 Esay 42.5.6 for his sake If God had intended only a bodily cure it had been enough to have come out and laid on hand upon the leprosie and so an end But the Lord who had a further scope even to acquaint Naaman with himselfe 2. To cast out his owne spirit his power love and mercy in healing his soule also saw that this could not be effected withour fetching a further compasse viz. by casting out the aime at bodily cure alone the confidence upon a Prophets skill 3. And to raise up his spirit to God the admiration of a mans person the fulnesse of Naamans carnall hopes all these justled aside the glory of God and the preparation of Naamans heart to entertaine the gift with a due respect to the giver And therefore the Lord thinkes it best to suspend Naaman a while longer and to traine him by degrees to a more spirituall heart in embracing such a double mercy Tne Lord strives with his spirit as Gen. 6.2 to drive out of it that same carnall savour hope content wherewith he had filled himself having heard that the Prophet could heale him As for spirituall cure he felt no disease nor knew any remedy of it But the Lord meant it and therefore meant that Naaman should in the meane season be secretly prepared for it As our saviour told Peter what I doe now John 13.7 thou knowest not but hereafter thou shalt The Lord therefore by this crossing his hopes doth desire to let in a further light into his minde then yet he had That he might consider that he was not now come to an ordinary person to heale his body but to the Lord and his Prophet to worke a divine cure here therefore he must looke up to God stand to his curtesie adore his power love goodnesse and mercy here is no marquet for money to beare mastery all must come from meer goodnesse and that not from a Prophet but from the Lord working by him Now therefore having to doe with him let his carnall savour and erroneous conceits ly by let him empty himselfe of a wordly heart and get an heavenly as having only to do with God and not man The ground affords many sweet meditations I wil briefly touch upon two or three and so proceed Thie first is this All the course which God takes in bringing home the soul to God is in a word but this one to subdue the carnality and unsavourinesse of the heart Gods way in converting any is chiefly to subdue carnall savour and the blindnesse and error of the minde to the obedience of Christ From first to last the Lord aimes at this if we marke it through all the preparations of
casting up mire and dirt in them and in the face of the truth and this irksomnes abides long if God see good to enlarge Satan according to his malice Others are discouraged through want of Ministry to follow on that little seed of grace which is cast into them which is ready to dye for lacke of quickning and advice and so living in desolate places and destitute of powerfull meanes are long ere they come to any setling and strength in a promise not knowing that where ordinary meanes faile God himselfe will not bee wanting to perfect what hee hath begunne Others meet with discouragements from such as should encourage them and so they fall the more sadly upon them When the Spouse had dallyed with her beloved through ease and carnalll tendernesse security and selfe-love lo in following after him she was met by the Watchmen Cant. 5.6.7 who buffetted her These should have encouraged her Even Ministers are oft great affronts in the way of poore soules rating and scorning them for their singularity especially when they through errour light upon such as thinking better of them So doe Parents Guardians Masters lay offences in the way of their children orphans servants some threatning to dis-inherit them or to disgrace them others by their snibbing and chiding or over-bearing them doe blast that bud which else would blossome and beare Others also hoping to see examples of many others as zealous as themselves to encourage them and finding that the Gospel prevails little in these dayes the Spirit growes straitned people wax dead and sottish and all their devotion stands in hearing Sermons Alas they quaile and pull in their horns like snails and are afraid they have been too forward and therfore wax as lazie and loose as others except God rouze them up by some sad crosse and make them to see that there must be more resolution in them if they look after salvation each tub must stand upon his own bottome Others resting upon their good duties and performances and thinking religion to consist therein chiefly when they feele small inward life from thence but ebbings and flowings grow at last to suspect their bottome but alas how long is it ere they can reforme their error and take a right course So that by these few instances it may appeare that the difficulties of many who begin fairly are very tedious so that they finde not the worke of conversion so easie as they expected Conclusion of all with admonition I conclude therefore as before let not such be dismaid nor give over the work of God but remember God is now trying them whether there bee soundnesse or no in them to continue and if they will wait meekly his leasure after hee hath taught them to deny themselves he will be found of them as here of Naaman and reveale himselfe to them at last more then at first Vses 2 Secondly this should also teach those who have obtained mercie already Instruction Christians must looke for difficulties as well in their progresse as in their entrance much lesse to wonder if they meet with sundry affronts in their course of Christianity For if this be done in the green tree how much more in the dry If novices who are so unfit for trials meet with so many rubs to keep them from faith how much more must they looke for them whose strength is greater Therefore consider I pray you and know God will try all upon whom he hath bestowed any speciall favours and blessings One way or other sooner or later the Lord will lay stops and blockes in your way to try what is in you and whether all that hee hath done for you can prevaile so farre with you as to think him worth the cleaving and clinging unto with faith and confidence Gen. 22.2 Esay 38. Job 1. Gen. 39.7 2 Sam. 16.5 25. Matth. 26.69 Abraham must be tried by Isaac Hezekiah by the Embassadours Iob by losse of all hee hath Ionah by the errand to Ninivee Ioseph by Putefâ—rs wife David by Shemei by Nabal by Mephibosheth Peter by the Damosell and others of the Saints by other trialls whether God be above their carnall delights whether their hearts be lowly whether they can deny their wealth their will whether they be that in secret which they are openly what meeknesse patience equality of heart is in them Professors in their novicery looke not to meet with many troubles whether they bee sound and resolved to stick to God or no. None shall want their trials Alas many a poore soule entring upon profession lookes but from hand to mouth how he may hold fast the promise and live according to knowledge but lo in a short time after troubles arise in the married estate sicknesse losses enemies pursuits wrongs such as hee expected not On the other side A none of them the Lord perhaps armes some strong corruption to pinch and gall him which he knowes not how to be rid of or stings him by unthankfulnesse of such as owe most love by unfaithfulnesse and aloofnesse of such as have been greatest friends by the sad revolts and scandals of such as for their owne ease and private ends renounce that love to Gods cause and that zeale to the truth which they have testified Sometimes by false aspersions and reports staining them and unjustly depraving them behind their backes otherwhiles by bad times frowning upon them and turning their prosperity into affliction Againe perhaps the Lord tries others by some hard duty beset with great difficulties so that either they must forfeit conscience or else some desirable thing which they are loth to forgoe Oft-times the Lord tries some by company pleasure liberty occasions of sudden wrath distemper worldlinesse and infinite it were to mention all By these he would let men see all that is in their heart he will either discover their grace that he may trust them for ever after or else their halting self-ends hollownesse pride love of themselves strong poysons of heart breach of covenant and so humble them subdue their sinnes for them in due season that they may not deceive and destroy their owne soules And what wonder Doe wee thinke that God is willing to lose his cost or to harbour such under his roofe as he knowes not what to make of Such as under colour of Religion maintaine a great deale of loose scurfe within them Is it for the glory of God to owne such No surely he will put them to it one time or other that hee may by this meane separate the pretious from the vile and their owne hay and stubble from his owne Pearles and Jewels I grant we thinke otherwise and hope to escape in a mist and to carry our course even and faire God will try his to separate the pretious from the vile without any great trials or affronts and the rather because perhaps wee have long made a shift to goe on smoothly with praying in
his vantage and all things considered it is no great selfe-deniall to sell all for so infinite a gaine to lose a present little for a future unknowne estate therefore his eye will not spare he will abondon all his worth and gage his credit too but hee will have it and so he makes it his own But having so done will not take twice the worth of it again Oh! do thou so poor Soule and prosper sell all selfe and all for though it be not worth in it selfe the parings of thy nailes yet because opinion and errour and a corrupt heart of selfe-love doe set such a price upon it he Lord is content to take it as a price of the Lord Jesus As David thought a pot of water upon such tearmes as the hazard of three Princes lives a meet offering for God so I say Offer God selfe and all it is scarce worth a pot of water of it selfe but as it is the price of life so it makes the selfe-deniall pretious to God Skin for skin and all that a man hath will hee give for life but even this pretious life and all will a sinfull soule give to save Selfe Oh! what is every man save his minde Each mans will more deare to him then the world The minde of every man is the man the spirit of the Miser the mind of the Drunkard the conceit and opinion of a Papist an Heretick or Schismaticke the will of an Adulterer though all of them are as vile as dung yet they are more pretious to them then life it selfe They will engage all rather then their will and selfe Even so fares it with corrupt selfe The Lord offers to the soule the Lord Jesus the fruit of his bloud and satisfaction to pardon save it But upon what tearmes Surely these that the soule sell all Alas what is all she hath to sell worth Shee hath nothing but bare walls within and a dung-hill without he that should carry them away to have them should take them at a deare rate for what is old Adams wealth but misery and nakednesse Oh! but there is a further thing in it the soule thinkes her selfe rich and full This conceit must be first abhorred the offer of Christ seemes to bee too hot and heavie carnall wisedome reason wit ease feare of losing liberties and all other selfe resists it yea she so likes the Pearle that she will yeeld a devotion a religion of duties of costly service to redeeme this price of Selfe the halfe of the Kingdome she can forgoe and the other halfe shee will yeeld to Christ and so save her stake but to sell himselfe wholly to the skin that Christ may be all in all ground money gold apparell meat drinke and all this is death But even this God must have or nothing For why This will lay grace and the thanke of the soule under feet which God cannot endure Therefore this price the Lord will have or nothing Oh! give it him freely One peece of Selfe will plead how canst thou spare thy darling Another to live at ease in an opinion of a safe estate to God How canst thou part with it being thy Idoll thy bosome delight But if thou be this merchant royall who is able to weigh the worth of the Pearl offered thee peace of conscience an happy death and happier life after I advise thee put it not off for the sake of a thousand Selves except thou will bring such sorrow upon thy selfe after as all thy will cannot make recompence for when the bargain is rejected As the Mariners in Ionah would have rowed to land to have saved Ionahs their own lives Jonah 1. but when no way would serve they threw all into sea Wheat and other provision And when nothing would do they cast Ionah himselfe in so let this last enemy Selfe as perverse as Ionah in his owne device be throwne over-boord rather then the pretious soule should bee in jeopardy Ministers must be the formost in self deniall Josu 3.15 And let us Ministers of God like the Priests that first stepped into Jordan when it gave way into Canaan bee the first that tread out this way to the people of God for it is a way which though it bee troden out plainly enough in the Scriptures yet had need of lively practice to teach it before men will beleeve it These sheep are much led by the eye as well as the eare by beholding the examples of their Shepheards I meane as well as by doctrine Oh! when they heare us declaim against Selfe and plead for selfe-deniall very stoutly with our tongues they lay their eare to our practice and hearing our Lute strings to jarre and seeing us wire-draw and cast about every way rather then we will part with any thing for peace of conscience or glory to God not onely not our livings but not our passions of wrath envie contention vain-glory not a brasse farthing of our gaines not a dramme of our pride ease idlenesse pompe and jollity will and stomack pleasure or preferment for Christ and his Gospel they have the measure of our foot by and by and resolve to give us the hearing till our tongues be torne but till they see in us more selfe-deniall they will never beleeve that wee speake the truth for Gods cause but onely as Parrets for fashion sake Oh! the infinite prejudice which we our selves brethren by our close cleaving to our selves have done to this great cause of God And this I can say That such of Gods Ministers as have hazarded themselves most for God and purchasing advantage for their Ministery have obtained more roome in the consciences of their hearts then many of such as have stood out to the uttermost and would not abate any ace of their owne for the winning of reverence to their doctrine And yet I would also exhort Ministers to be as instant in the teaching of this truth as in lively exemplifying it in their practice And rare it is to see it otherwise that those who have found by experience the life of this truth of selfe-deniall in themselves can keepe hot coales in their bosomes but must needs utter themselves to their people in a serious and painfull preaching of this doctrine There was a Statute we know of Mortmaine The true Mort-maine which was faine to bee enacted since the times of superstition in this our Kingdome to cut off the validity of such gifts as were given to the Clergy for Popish ends This Statute should every good Minister enact in his owne soule if ever he looke to doe good to others first to cut off and make Selfe a Mort-maine a dead hand for God doth so if it shall dare to bring any gifts to God for Christ and to count them as absolute forfeits as if a Popish fellow should give moneyes and yearly gifts to a Priest to read Masse or Dirigies for the weale of his soule after his decease And
so the people let them bee exhorted also to exalt free grace and meere Christ in the promise not muttering that they find not that fruit of their selfe-deniall that they expect but counting it their chiefe work to wait at the posts of grace not as foolish pilgrimes doe at the gate of the Popes entrance knocking with a golden hammer till he bring them his Jubilee blessing but with patience attending the promise till the Lord shall stirre the dead poole of their hearts and quicken them with hope confessing that it is mercy they may live and breathe in Gods aire much more by the aire of a promise although not yet so established in their hearts as they could desire yet sufficient to keep them from grudging to make them lay their hand upon their mouth and to bee dumb Malac. 3. till the Lord bring healing in his wings and put an end to their waiting But as for esteeming themselves for their common gifts of knowledge or zeale to be ever the neerer to God for which thousands are in hell abhorring it and chusing to be the poorest doore-keeper in Gods house then the highest Pharisees in the Church who need no righteousnesse of another because they boast of their owne Therfore in all matters of God deny thy self cleave to God God is the first cause and therefore the true end of our being actions service All Rivers runne into the Sea For us to make our selves our owne ends were to make our selves God independent and to make God an Idoll To deny our selves is to distinguish our selves from the ungodly who make themselves and the creature their happinesse Wee looke to better our selves by our selfe-love but indeed we destroy our selves Selfe is our disease selfe-deniall is our cure Whether is it better for us to yeeld to but we infinitely better our selves by denying our selves even an hundred fold as Christ tells us Object But who ever hated his owne flesh Doth not God himselfe perswade us by selfe-loving arguments As by profit pleasure peace I answer yes Selfe is a plant of Gods planting in our nature But it is one thing to destroy an horses good mettall another to rectifie and subdue it so it is one thing to destroy Selfe and affections with Stoicks another to regulate and direct them Love thy selfe and spare not so the Lord by his word may order thee in it and take off thine exorbitant Selfe as in the love of thy wife seeking of learning wealth honour favour c. For the better perswading of thee hereto take some motives and some meanes First for motives Till Selfe be denied thou dost in vaine enterprise to be religious thou opposest a desire of thine owne against an whole body of death for Selfe is overspread in all the lims and faculties of thy body and soule as the forme is over the matter and the Call over the inwards Thou wilt be tried with selfe resistance except the principle be first removed Flesh will so dog thee with her askings that thou wilt be weary with refusings Till the soule be thus prepared there can be nothing done The first husband must be dead ere thou canst marry a new at least in the rectified intention and preparation of thy soule The flesh of the Virgin had beene a clogge to the second person except first separated and purified by the holy Ghost Else Demas might have clave to Paul as well as Silas the ten spies to God as well as Caleb and Iosue But they were of two spirits No agreement betweene two crosse principles Secondly God will never stoope to thee his will is not to be bowed to thine nor ever will while the world standeth For his will is the rule thine the string out of tune What should order a crooked thing but a streight Neither can they both stand together take whether you will both you cannot have you cannot have your will and swinge in your contents of world lust and liberties and Christ too no man can serve two Masters nor drive two such trades at once as a Fullers and a Colliers the one sullyes as fast as the other whitens nay of the two there is more to be made of following Selfe alone without Christ then Selfe and Christ by the former a man may at least get himselfe a worldly happinesse though he lose heaven after But by the latter a man makes him wretched and distracted so that he can neither enjoy the one nor the other Skin for skin and all that a man hath he will give for his life The heart of a Christian is single in respect of his object onely God and his favour no mixtures with it Either deny nature in her inordinatenesse or else give God over for both cannot consent in one degree of eminency who cares for a wavering minded man either to make him our chapman or friend or husband For still hee seekes not us but himselfe Let no sweet morsell be kept in our palate to cause God to be out of rellish with us Better key-cold then lukewarme Thirdly it is equall that Christ and God be chiefe because they have bought us with a price to bee theirs Wee should doe him great wrong who hath bought a Captive if hee should doe his owne worke God hath not onely bought our service but our selves Except then wee never made such a bargaine with God wee must bee for him who hath so dearly bought us To be sure God will bee revenged of us as well for not making that bargaine as for not keeping it 2 Pet. 2. Some hypocrites are said to deny Christ who bought them A servant is his Masters mony Fourthly The soule feeles a heaven in selfe-deniall What inward content thinke we had Abraham when he had denied Isaacs life And Moses and Paul when they could preferre God and his Church before their salvation to suffer afflictions with Israel rather then to be a Prince in Pharaohs Court Contrariewise what an hell carrieth that man in his soule who for base ends denies God and conscience Let but a man deny one base lust of revenge wrath and what an heavenly heart doth he carry with him to prayer Fifthly Think what an emptinesse there is in thy self thine own aimes and bents of heart and in those creatures and objects which thou judgest so sweet Wells wanting water and cloulds without raine As one saith of the Pagan Gods why did men chuse so many save that each one was emptinesse When the eie of Selfe falls downe from one cleere Sunne it thinkes it sees three or foure but they are all but fancies The fullest creature is but a brittle glasse full of water give it but as a cracke and it is gone If we were convinced hereof who would seeke vanity Who would deceive himselfe in eating ashes Esay 44. and hold a lie in his right hand It is meere inconsideratenesse and want of weighing things as hee saith there of the Idolater Sixtly Either be armed strongly
and cost a pound Not to be skilfull in his trade in knowing the seasons of sowing tilling reaping and husbandry in their seasons What a shame it is Rom. 12. for him who should be fervent in spirit serving the Lord to be slâ—ck and lazy in his calling and by improvidence to become himself a burthen to the Church a reproach to the wicked and a tempter of God to suffer the seed of the just to beg their bread How is this prevented save by serving providence Whence come so many banquerupts as are even professors save in great part from hence that men rush unskilfully upon unknowne trades fill their hands with stocke from other mens purses wanting skill and experience to manage them And so by their unskilfulnesse either in husbandry manufactures or traffique spend their own and their wives portions and childrens meanes and so must seeke to hide it by travell into another world Are not our plantations like to take well if such be the planters Others although of a loving heart to Gods people yet wanting discretion suffer themselves to be much overlaid with burdensome persons which oft causeth strife betweene them and their wives when their states sinke Others pick quarrels with their trades and so changing them for hoped gaines in another bury their stockes Others attempt forraine voiages rashly having no ability spending that in the journey which at home might be a stock for them to live upon being utterly inexperiensed in such imployments as they must bee put upon Others hope for great matters abroad and finding poverty grow discontented and repent them We must know it is one thing for a man to deny himselfe for God when he calls us as he did Abraham another to call our selves when God calls not but rather our owne spirit deceives us And yet it is a common thing with such if they be taxed for such rashnesse to say that men speak like worldlings from carnall reason what Must not God be trusted Yes but not tempted Paul and the Pilot Act. 28. differed yet Paul would not beat out his braines nor cast him overboord but rather guide him in his government The third and maine But the worst of this folly is when it disguiseth Religion herselfe and causeth that which is wisdome it selfe to be counted foolishnesse How many men pull upon themselves unseasonable and needlesse trouble strong and cruell enemies fines censures imprisonments for their ungrounded zeale rash judgings of their betters without a calling for then I grant they serve the Lord who will beare them harmelesse mixing their owne passions invectives upbraidings and distempers with the cause of Christ who needed no weapons of such warfare And hereby bring upon themselves either uncomfortable sufferings if they stick to it or else base recanting of their follies How many private persons run themselves a ground by medling with abuses and corruptions to which they are not called going against the streame of those evills which it is bootlesse to exasperate and so are drowned in that gulfe which they cannot shoote How many neglecting their callings under pretence of zeale runne from place to place mispend their time borrow and pay not againe open the mouthes of the vile against them to say these fellowes rayle upon us for our carnall wisdome and worldlinesse But surely wee had rather follow our worke hard then hang upon each bush and runne our selves into debt and pay no man Againe how many foolish and rash women by their unseasonable crossings of their carnall husbands cause zeale in hearing sermons to be ill spoken of through their want of subjection 1 Pet. 2.12 And few there are who have learned to walke wisely toward such husbands Masters parents neighbours who are without that so their liberty be not restrained and their commodity be not ill spoken of by their abusing it to fleshly ends How many zealous Ministers lacke wisdome moderation and observing of season manner and measure of their reproofes and censures but disable themselves as much one way as they thinke to doe good another But it were endlesse to dwell upon all Let the conclusion be this By how much thou seemest to abhorre carnall reason by so much bee more carefull to be guided by right reason and true wisdome which may cause thy Religion to be honourable and prevent that offence and aspersion thereto which else cannot bee avoided This for the third branch of Admonition I conclude this use with the fourth and last caveat of Admonition direct to sundry objects somewhat more Branch 4 generally concerning Christians of all sorts First let me presse this personally to the sundry sorts and conditions of men Ministers people parents husbands tradesmen and such like Then let me also presse it really by abandoning those severall vices which beget and nourish this carnall reason in men Touching the former First let it be admonition to Object 1 Gods Ministers Go not to work with this toole in Gods matters Ministers in sundry respects Please not your selves in your invention preparation of your selves when God suggests variety of thoughts aptnesse of discourse or fine phrases good proofes uses similitudes and applications do not feel your own warmth take it not for granted that you cannot now chuse but win the spurs but know Gods matters must be done under another banner As he said not words but strength and mony must helpe in the warre So say I Esay 36.5 not your strength nor might nor wisdome but my Spirit saith the Lord must effect it As the Lord said to Iehoshua and Zerubbabel Zach. 5.7 although you be weake in your selves yet I will inable you to lay the foundation and to make the roofe of my Temple So let God be chiefe in your worke and deny your owne reason lest God confound ye and make ye ridiculous to them whom ye would sell your selves unto Againe draw not on your people to carnall admiring of your parts learning speech memories teach them not a lesson which they are too prone to teach themselves to have the faith of our Lord Jesus in the admiration of men or accepting of persons It is the way to breed partiality pride carnall savour in your people Jam. 3.1 and to destroy the spirit of selfe-deniall and simplicity in them Vent not your owne singular conceits and fantasticall private opinions to enhanse your names among the vulgar and ungrounded multitude whose honour is but base breath and ends in shame and repentance Forsake not the maine truthes of God and the streames of wholesome doctrines for those muddy creekes and slimy channels of your owne inventions for if this heate once touch your braine you shall finde it so to follow your hand that ere ye be aware you will be over head and ears in this puddle and nothing will savour with your ministery but your owne novelties What a pudder have those Eatonists and Pointers as they call them made in Norfolke of
remaines both of this and the other uses to the next Sermon if God will Let us pray c. THE EIGHT LECTVRE still continued upon this twelfth VERSE VERSE XII VERSE 12. Are not Abana and Pharfar rivers of Damascus better then all the waters of Israel May I not wash in them and be cleane So he went away in a rage VERSE 13. Then his servants came neere unto him and said Father if the Prophet had sayd some great thing c. I Could not beloved in our Lord Jesus finish in the former exercise 2 Kings that which I intended concerning the doctrine of carnall reason I repeat nothing but call to your minde that in the fourth branch of admonition I first spake by way of watch-word to the severall conditions of my hearers And first I entred upon caveat to Gods Ministers and so proceeded to the people Let me now come to Parents and Object 3 Governours Bee carefull to what Tutors and Teachers Parents and governours beware of it Masters and Guardians ye commit the education of your children Carnall reason lookes at carnall ends where children may not be backe and belly beaten where they may learne their bookes and trades and have their stocks restored at their yeares end and this I dislike not so be it that ye neglect not their soules which else will crie out against you and leave them to themselves so be it you plant them not under Masters which are content so they doe their worke to give them their liberty upon the Lords day to drinke to game and to keepe company with them by whom they may soone be carried into the depth of Satan and grow debaucht in their manners all their life after Worldlings make but a mock of this I grant and say so they may have their children taught to behave themselves civilly and learne their occupation they care not greatly for precisenesse or to have them more Religious then themselves but when they see this narrow scantling will not be kept but irreligion teacheth them to grow drunkards uncleane swearers and the like Oh! then they wish they had beene brought up with Puritans Oh ye husbands Object 4 and parents looke to it let not carnall conversing with your wives and training up your children and servants Husbands and wives humoring them in their vices for peace and ease teach them the common religion of the times swearing cogging deceiving breaking Sabbaths geering and squibbing at those that are better then their selves I tell you look what Characters are in your seale will soon be seen by your wax they shall have cause to curse the day that ever they saw your faces nay perhaps one day your owne consciences shall rend you in peeces for that you see the fruit of your government appeare so fearfully and shall say it was I that nipt this blossome on the head I corrupted my wife I tainted my children in their youth I shall pay the shot of their soules ruine Object 5 So ye Physitians Physitians take heed of the disease incident to your profession even to be haife Atheists and that by ascribing so much to naturall and second causes and too little to God Philosophy and Physicke will reveale no better except Divinity teach you to ascribe all to the supreame cause and be content to stoop and be at a set in your cures when providence will have it so Teach your selves your patients who is that great Physitian that rules your Art and take not upon you to keep that key of successe those issues of life or death which are under divine custody who can kill by a disease not mortall All sorts and can save when the disease is deadly Object 6 Likewise you Magistrates Magistrates boast not of your skill in the law but feare God say it is the Lord who subdueth the people unto us you schollers Object 7 and Sudents beware of that prophane tradition that ye cannot be religious and learned Sâ—holars and students set up the Bible above your other library and prayer above your studies and the Lord above your wits tye your boates to his ship to be led according to his motion follow the star till you have found out the babe Jesus and doe homage to him with the first and best Object 8 of your treasures Ye tradesmen shopkeepers and labourers sacrifice not to your nets Tradesmen say not to your hands you have made us rich ye rich men Object 9 say not to the wedge of gold thou art my stay this were as Iob saith to Object 10 deny the Almighty ye poore folke now in this deare time despaire not of releefe Rich and poore Job 32.16 because you see few friends say not God give me health or else I starve for more then I worke for I looke not for use industry but set up God above adore his providence who all this yeare hitherto hath so provided that yet ye are not starven make him your God alsufficient Object 11 Ye midwives teach not women in their travel to call upon our Lady Midwives Jona 3.9 but bid them say salvation is of the Lord. And thus would I speake to all sorts if they were present cast out that carnal reason whereby ye feele your selves most tempted to distrust God 2. Branch of this fourth Admonition 1. Prejudice an abettor of carnall reason And to these former let me adde also other caveats in a word against those evills which nourish this carnall reason in you As first one prop of this sinne is prejudice and forestallednesse Such as those Jewes Acts 28. bewraied who when Paul made his defence told him This sect of Nazarens is every where ill spoken of and from this carnall ground they renounced his apology and cause A second is scandall at the power of Religion Oh! it is a pinch and a checke to their carnall liberties men cannot endure such chaines Psal 2. and will have no Lord to curbe their lusts A third is offence and stumbling at the meanes of Christ and Religion Doe any of the Pharisees follow him 2. Scandall at Religion and her meannesse 3. Base feare of man Luke 1. Tradition None save these people who are accursed embrace him A fourth is base feare of man more then God My grandfather father friends favour not this way I see it breeds losse danger trouble and pursuit A fifth is the tradition of men As Zachary disliked to name his sonne Iohn because none of his family were so named rather they chuse to be irreligious still then to change the custome of their forefathers And the threats of parents to their children doe deterre others saying if I thought thou wouldest be one of these zealous ones thou shouldest not have a foote of my land A sixth is lewd counsell Lewd counsell of such as egge away the yonger sort and tell them it is the next way to reproach and beggery A seventh is base
sparke wits ripe heads experience and abilities Implore still the same sad hand of the spirit to suppresse them from pearking up you shall finde it will not quite leave you till death but be not discouraged It had the birthright first and birth-rights hold long Iacob had recovered the right of birth when Isaac blessed him yet it was five hundred yeares ere he got possession in the meane time Iacob was a prisoner and slave in Egypt a pilgrim in the wildernesse and in Canaan no Lord over Edom till David and other Kings subdued it But seeing it was Iacobs by promise he got it at last and so shalt thou at death though the whiles thou be held down mightily by thy enemy as Hannah with Peninnah Trust God that neither thy owne corruption within nor yet the world and error of the wicked without with all their carnall jollity shall pluck thee from thy sincerity That which hath beene the bane of thousands zealous Ministers Magistrates Gentlemen Courtiers Citizens Lawyers Students and others yet shall not be thine if thou wilt cleave to God! Oh! beware lest Satan conspiring with thy carnall heart disguise thee not and make thee a time-server When thou seest so many of thy time and parts education disposition kindred and family still to be left to their cavills descants and the streame of unmortified reason loathing and scorning to stoop to the conditions of Christ either to doe for him or to suffer Oh! be thankefull and thinke thy state happy whom God pulled as a legge out of a Beares jaw or a brand out of the fire and consider how much better it is to beare now and then a squib for thy Religion then to bee made a booty to the Divell for thy revolting Thus much for this and the rest of the uses belonging to this doctrine Now I must not forget my promise beloved and by so fit an occasion I must answer a question and that is this Answer to a maine quaere May not carnall reason in Quest 1 any case be used If not Whether carnall policy be unlawfull Answ Yes As appeares by the particulars 1. Politicke and crafty shifting how farre may policy be admitted with safety of conscience and in what particulars For the first carnall reason if convinced so to be for sometime lawfull policy may seeme to be carnall and yet is not is simply unlawfull As may appeare by these particulars First politicke shifting with an officious lye or an handsome sudden evasion though against truth Thus the midwives made a lye to avoid the murther of the Israelitish women True it is the Lord covered it in mercy because the scope and end was holy and tending to charity and it said the Lord built them houses yet not for their lying but for their mercy The like I say touching the woman that concealed Ahimaaz and Ionathan saying They were gone over the brooke when they were in the Well So Rahab hid the spies and is commended for it Heb. 11. but not for her lye saying that they were gone I say not that they ought to have discovered them nor doe I say it is easie to answer the question what should be done in that or the like cases the Lord keepe us from straits and from horned occasions and hard exigents which are both waies difficult but I say these things are not lawfull we leave the dispensation and issue of such things to God to whom only mercy and pardon belongs when the soule hath offended by a kinde of necessity But to affirme that God may be or is pleased by a lye or needs it were horrible Now then if a shift or a lye for a good end a weighty and holy end yet cannot be maintained as warrantable what shall those carnall shifts be counted which wicked men use to conceale themselves when their owne lewdnesse hath brought them into straits As Ieroboams wives policy to disguise herselfe going to the blinde Prophet and making herselfe another because she feared Ahija for her Idolatry So Sauls disguising himselfe when he went to the witch and making himselfe another lest else his wicked purpose had been defeated And the like may be said of the ordinary lyes and mannerly shifts used to serve mens owne turnes when there is either a denyall of a truth or affirmation of a falshood As when a servant for some respects doth answer shiftingly to any that shall call for his Master and aske whether he be within or at home and shâ—ll either deny it or further adde he is gone to such a place being yet false of which sort are infinite other tricks in common use among men and counted veniall toyes as in promising to goe to such a place to doe such a thing to come to a friend no limitation set downe and yet faile c. Secondly politicke closenesse darkenesse 2. Politicke closenesse and neutrality and reserved neutrality to go no further in Religion then we can come off faire and make our own retreat safe without endangering of our selves in any kinde obeying the commands of men by disobeying God This is a reall falshood of heart and practice which we call temporising comming from a base deceitfulnesse of the spirit to God-ward and is a deserting of God and his cause yea though it be through feare or frailty as Peters deniall and the revolt of many that suffered in time of persecution But much more when either no danger or not so great is to be feared Sutable whereto is that cunning temporising that lookes at the displeasing of men more then God Gal. 2. as when Peter at Antioch ate meates forbidden by the ceremony as confessing an abrogation and yet when there came Jewes thither he withdrew and abstained from them to avoid quarrelling 3. Politicke carnall equivocations and reservations Thirdly politick reservation of conscience in the actuall committing of an evill As in Queene Maries time many would goe to Masse with their bodies pretending to keepe their consciences entire and undefiled Sutable whereto is the practice of our Jesuits in their equivocations whether in their oathes or other actions when they sweare in word but say they reserve themselves mentally unsworne and meant it not or by some trick of exception which they suggest to themselves viz. That such a one went not this way pointing to their sleeve or that they were not in such a place of company meaning to betray it to others c. 4. Politicke selfe-love Fourthly politicke indirectnesse of course swerving from providence and duty for a mans owne indemnity as when David fearing the Philistins who discovered him to be their enemy and distrusting Gods protection let his spittle fall downe upon his beard and scrabbled upon the doores 1 Sam. 21.13 so that he was thereupon taken as a mad man by Achish and so escaped So the Papists have a trick which they call good guile much what the same when we call an honest theefe or
beteame the Lord no other they fly out intemperately and chalenge God himselfe Why say they have wee fasted and thou regardest not Oh! they were so madded that they could have flowen in Gods face Is this the fruit of all our care and cost that wee cannot have thanke Away ye wretches ye fast a meale from some meat and drinke but you have pleasure within for you feast with your bribery and stealth and excesse of covetousnesse Is this a fast Doe I regard the bowing of a bulrush when as the soule is surfeted with lusts and the soule is neither afflicted nor seekes reconciliation No no I abhore it Marke because they cannot get God to be like them nor bribe him with all their gifts and glosing selfe-denialls lo they fall out with him downe right and bid him goe seeke his service A third place is yet more evident Mal. 3. where the Prophet brings in other the like hypocrites to these who had both tried God or tired him rather with their abstinences and fastings not from meat onely but from many sinnes so that these were better then Esay his men but lo they are crossed of their hopes they could not speed of their purpose to be accepted and in high favour with God still he lowred upon them and would not be friends And why Because they did all from a false bottome of Selfe and to a base end to steale away favour from God And what is the issue Surely they cry out upon God and tell him to his face that he cannot discerne betweene his friends and his foes he favours them that sweare and play the Idolaters as those that worship him and feare an oath And who will serve such a Master But those that feared God and esteemed rewards not by outward blessings but that hundred fold of peace and comfort they cried them downe as fast as these did the Lord they rage also at their lot who fare better then they Referre hither the discontent and rage of the Prodigalls elder brother Luke 15.22 And it were endlesse to insist in examples What else is the scope of that wretched answer I saw thou wert an hard Master who reapedst and gatheredst where thou sowedst or strawedst not I saw little came of thy service I therefore buried thy talent take thine owne to thy selfe and looke for no more at my hands Even as it fareth with hirelings so doth it with hypocrites no longer then their turne is served do they regard the worship of God for they looke at a vantage either of some outward bribe from God or to delude conscience and when neither or not both succeed to their minde they fall off Reason 1 Reasons hereof there are many First whatsoever the naturall and proper support of a thing is if that faile the thing failes whether it be a necessary or voluntary subject The fire if ye remove fuell the belly if you deny meate the flatterer who lives by breath if ye withdraw countenance So long as their oile lasts their lampe shines but take that away and it goes out So doth the hypocrite when his hope failes his belly bursts That phrase in Mica 6. bewraies them wherewith shall we gratifie the Almighty As those in the Acts seeing the Divell cast out of the maid and their gaine gone and Demetrius robbed of his shrines Act. 16.19 Act. 19.24 made an uproare presently The Divell spake shrewdly when hee said Thou hast hedged him in round about hee serves thee not for nought Job 1. But now doe but touch him and hee will curse thee to thy face If he had not mistaken the man hee had not mistaken his marke Secondly that effect which commonly followes a lesser cause in a Reason 2 smaller degree followes a greater in a fuller degree Salomon Prov. 13.12 tells us That the deferring of the hope is the fainting of the soule By the same reason the defeating of the hope must needs be the vexation of it Thirdly looke what we see to fall out in meer naturall disappoints Reason 3 must needs much more befall in spirituall For the more desirable the object the greater is the coveting and the sadder the disappoint Now this fury and madnesse is common in naturalls Athalia being defeated of her sonne rises up and playes the mad tyrant 2 King 11.1 and destroyes all the Kings Seed though in a sort she tooke this opportunity Act. 12. So Herod being defeated of the wise men slew all the males at Bethlem much more then in spiritualls Fourthly that which is seene in spiritualls of inferiour nature much Reason 4 more appeares in an higher nature when men are defeated Ionas in a case not so reall or weighty because it concerned the defeat of others rather then his owne yet was wondrous tetchy even at the conversion of Ninivee thinking it to threaten Israel yea he was sicke of vexation and desperate in his defeat and all because he might not prophesie to the destruction of the City rather then the conversion How much more when the spirituall defeat concernes the soule it selfe neerly toward God Fifthly it must needs be that wheresoever the supposed attaining of Reason 5 that which an unsound heart coveteth would breed a great yea too great and excessive rotten joy and content there the defeat of the same thing must breed an exceeding discontent But the hypocrite when hee thinkes that his hope is satisfied and hath his desire for he deceives himselfe is exceedingly joyed Jonah 4. needs therefore must he be disquieted when he is defeated See it in an illusion Ionahs gourd caused an idle yet extreame content more then such a bable should therefore when the Lord smote it he was most basely distempered The suddener the raising up of the seed was in the gravelly ground the suddener was the withering of it A little to insist upon this There is no feast with stollen bread and waters so sweet as the feast of hypocrites who live upon stealth from God To seeme to have gotten a felicity by our owne wit and industry without selfe-deniall is more then to joy in treasures of gold and silver because it resembles a principle that still affords it from a fountaine And indeed if an inferiour could match the opperations of a superiour if nature I mean could walke in the furniture of grace it were great wonderment Unusuall attainments breed impotent ioyes as when a child of twelve or thirteene reaches the learning of an elder of nineteene or twenty when a woman gets arts and tongues it breeds a very sicknesse How much more here For a Pharisee to carry away heaven as sheere as a beleeving Saint I wonder not if it puffe up with excessive boast and triumph as base as it is for they seeme with Iacob to have overcome God! when then the Lord shall take such in hand convincing disappointing and confounding their consciences turning them out of all as beggars and banquerupts as he will doe all whom
costes and be as nothing an unprofitable one when thou hast done all cast not God in teeth with them call not for them backe againe nor bring him his owne in a napking For these qualities poyson all thy labours Gods hearers will be at Gods dispose for blessing and drive the Lord further off rather then draw him nearer And when thou hast turned all thy selfe-defeated discontent into selfe-deniall and art willing that the Lord should doe with thee as he list then see how he will dispose of thee A little barley or an handfull of meale with a little oile shall make a more accepted meat offering to him with an heart willing to be at his dispose then all thy plenty of costly sacrifices without it Joel 2.13 Lastly it reproves all such as yet goe beyond these also and are content Branch 3 to submit humbly to all such waies as the Lord prescribes for the attaining of mercy but yet it mightily troubles them that God doth so delay his season and lets them goe so long without giving them their desire To whom I answer All yee have done hitherto is well Adde one thing more give all your humblenesse your labours your endeavours to God Waiting upon God necessary for such as looke to speed of grace and when you have waited upon him therein give him your waiting too for it is not too good for him perhaps there may be a Selfe in that also and sure it is the finer Selfe is spunne the more she will take pritch if she be defeated But be thou as Paul was 2 Cor. 12.9 who feeling no bottome in himselfe yet was content to be under that weaknesse and all to try what mercy could doe doubtlesse in such a case thou shalt finde that grace shall at least bee sufficient for thee if the Lord doe not also magnifie his power beyond expectation in thy infirmity And poore soule what gainest thou in the mean while by thy carking plodding and casting about with thy selfe If thou doe thy duty shall it not be well with thee And hast thou not a great recompence in this that thou art accepted and thy successe is with God Is it not much that a sinfull wretch who cannot lay claime to the aire earth water to breath in to tread upon and the like maist yet come and looke up to heaven with hope and come to the Lord as bound by his promise Alas his pay may be leasurely but it is sure the gaines may seeme small but still they are comming and will make a heavy purse at last And what Is there not some scurffe which the Lord must purge out thinke you Hath not a long course in evill hardned thee And may not a speedy course of thine owne hurt the more another way What if the Lord should leave thee to such corruption of thine owne as should cause thee to wax wanton were it not better prevented by longer delay And speake the truth to shame the Divell and thy slavish heart is it not better with thee at sometimes then at other If it be noâ— suspect thy selfe if it be suspend thy cavils cease thine enmity thine hard thoughts thine unbeteaming heart the Lord loves to be as freely thought of for his love as he deserves And for thy selfe if it be thy lot to lye longer under hope then others and to want the cheerings which some have yet sure it is if thou abide waiting in thine innocency not being tainted with shrewd dregs of thine owne stale and base heart the Lord will at length breake out so much the more in pitty to thy fainting soule by how much his delay hath made thee waite so long and it shall not then trouble thee that thou hast thus indured Mercy at last shall be sweetest to thee Esay 57.16 that thou faile not wholly Singularity of delay sometimes argueth an heart tainted with Selfe in more then a common manner And so much for the use of reproofe Vse 3 Lastly to finish this point and so draw to an end Let this be Admonition both speciall and generall Great men must submit their great spirits to God First speciall to such as are Naamans great ones in place renowne authority birth or any other worth above others viz. That their great stomacks rise not up in arms against God to quarrell with him when they are crossed in their owne hopes and expectations The truth is the streame of Selfe is ranke enough of it selfe though there be no oile added to the flame The poorest wretch could say though I am not so rich as thou yet I have as proud an heart as thou But yet when one streame meets another the flood is the greater Great men who thinke it a peece of their Noblenesse to take no affronts at any mans hand what ever it cost them had need deny themselves farre to get a subject heart even to God himselfe Their great bloud the repute of their owne eminency and parts exempts them in their owne opinion from the common lot as we read of him 2 King 6. who having first raged at Elisha as the supposed cause of the famine saying God doe so and so if his head stand on him this day after being greeted by him more discurteously then he looked for flew in Gods face too and said shall I attend on the Lord any longer Ver. ult As once a great Prince being crossed of his pastime by the weather told God swearingly he was a King too and he offered him ill measure so to defeat him Abner the pillar of Sauls house being but reproved by weake King Ishbosheth set up by himselfe for medling with his fathers concubines 2 Sam. 3.6 tooke it so hainously that he forth with revenges himselfe and betraies the Crowne to David Great men therefore swell easily if defeated and indeed these two were as bad as great but the best in this kinde take defeats heavily Let such consider that which Naaman if he had had the knowledge which they have would soone have noted viz. How desperate a thing it is to fight against God and to crosse him when he serves not our turne If God resist all proud ones especially great ones how much more proud resisters Pride being of it self a resistance Although your spirits rise up soon against men which yet I allow not beware ye be not found fighters against God Act. 5. Know that though men accept your persons yet God puts no difference especially in matter of salvation It is counted a great humility in a great one to be never so little humble But oh worme for what is the greatest flesh else if thou thinke it equall that a poore beggar should stoop to thee what shouldest thou do to God to whose eminency thine is as the drop of a bucket Take not upon thee though thou be the chiefe of the Parish the Lord of the Towne and Patron of the Minister to yoke him to any other
part to guide thee aright The instinct of subjection and faithfulnesse will teach thee to speake and doe that which thy Master himselfe cannot teach thee Occasions of providence will teach thee how to answer perswade prevent when thy Master is farre off Eliezer and Cornelius his servants might be trusted to say what they saw meete the one to Laban and Rebecca the other to Peter And when thou hast done all let thy conclusion be Remember me O Lord not for my goodnesse but in thy goodnesse and according to my faithfulnesse I shall account pardon my best reward because at the best I have but been an unprofitable servant This for the fifth use Vse 6 To which I adde Consolation to all faithfull servants Alas poore wretches Faithfull servants may be comforted Heb. 6.10 you thinke you tread a maze of confusion and worke and are cast into a corner to play the drudges As those Eunuches in Ieremy yee thinke your selves cut off from name memory or reward But God overlookes not the labour of your love Oh! It would not grieve you I say if you might have a good word countenance or acceptance Encour 1 But consider I pray you whom serve you A Nabal or the Lord Christ Therefore be cheerefull Your businesse is not the thing God lookes at be it never so poore in kitching or in a ditch the subjection and faithfulnesse of heart is all which God lookes at Thy scouring spits or ditching or dunging the fields with such an heart shall be more to the Lord then the worke of a Justice of peace carried by oppression and injustice And the Lord can plead thy wronged cause in due time against thy bad Master Be thou faithfull though borne downe by flatterers God will bring forth thy light in due time and thy vertue the whiles shall be thy exceeding reward God shall send thee a good Master to requite thee for all the wrong which a bad hath done thee Againe know it the Lord prises subjection above all qualities more Encour 2 then any man can And yet Philip the King of Spaine if he might be beleeved when he heard that his under generall of his fleet in eighty eight I mean the Duke of Medina should say had it not been for obedience to his Lord the great Duke of Parma who charged him to attend his comming he could have put England hard to it Answered it now grieves me not that I have lost that Kingdome I see I have one servant who knowes how to be subject whom I prise above it whatsoever he did the Lord prises thy obedience above a world of rebellious servants Encour 3 And againe be not drawne by feare or man pleasing to dishonour God For there shall bee no acceptance of persons It shall not boote Absalons servants in that day to alledge wee were dogged to it by our wicked Master The Lord most justly plagues base servants by their lot to bee so as those of Ahazia who came to fetch downe Elija from the toppe of the mount The Lord destroied them in their service King 7.8 Coloss 3.25 their mends was in their owne hand So saith Paul There shall bee no respect of persons with God but a punishment to him that hath done badly Gods eie shall not pitty him as a poore servant that did as he was bidden but smite him for an unfaithfull one who did that which was unlawfull as to breake the Sabbath or the like to please a wretched Master Even so I say on the other side If thou hast beene faithfull to God against a wofull Masters commands although hee can heere beare thee downe with person and greatnesse yet thou shalt be heard where person is not accepted but the cause and the Lord shall quit an innocent servant against an injurious Master Moses had a Law that no Judge should favour a poore bad man in a case of evill for his poverty but then much more he had another which forbad to accept the person of the mighty against the meane in case of unrighteousnesse Lastly the Lord will blesse thy righteousnesse of a servant with fidelity in thy servants when thou shalt governe And as Adonibezek said Judg. 1. the Lord had justly required him for his cruelty so many Masters ill servanted may say the Lord justly plagues them with lewd servants for since they were rude and unfaithfull they never repented Well is that sweet coherence of the Centurions speech to bee noted Matth. 8. I my selfe am under authority and am subject and what of that God hath blessed me with such as are obedient come goe doe as I bid them and are at my becke I might be endlesse there were comfort enough in this if there were no more that at the last day of reckning when all servants shall be called coram then shall that blessed and finall sentence be pronounced upon thee Come thou good and faithfull servant thou hast beene faithfull in a little be ruler over much enter into thy Masters joy God gives no lesse then a Kingdome for the poorest the least duty of the meanest of his servants Let thus much suffice for this use also and so for this whole Doctrine Now ere I come to the next point in the text Addition to the former doctrine I must not passe by the relation of Naaman to them having said somewhat of the servants towards him Relatives goe together in nature and therefore in handling Masters must be fathers to their servants And as these servants performed the faithfulnesse of sonnes So Naaman by their owne confession was a father to them rather then a Master Servants will be glad to heare me say somewhat of the fatherhood of Masters as well as of their faithfulnesse and it would not grieve any servant to be faithfull to a Master who is as a father I will bring things to as narrow a point as I may Masters then must be fathers to their servants Not onely so in point of superiority and reverence to procure honour to themselves but in point of tender respect care and love to the good of their servants both souls and bodies Eph. 6.9 The Apostle having given servants their charge lest their Masters should beginne to overcrow them presently comes in And ye Masters doe the same things uâ—to them forbearing threatning knowing that your Master is also in heaven and there is no respect of persons with him For why First they are under thy roofe and have betaken themselves under the Reason 1 covert and shrowd of thy wings they have left their parents under whose protection they lived that they might bee wholly under God for thee reason therefore that thou shouldest be as a patrone protector and father unto them A servant may in a sort say to his Master I am thine save me for all things looke for support from them to whom they belong Againe thy servants are children to thee their close fidelity and denying themselves for thy
As the loadstone holds iron to it selfe so I have felt thy promise to draw me so that I cannot give it over nor forsake the meanes but they are daily sweeter and sweeter to me I have not felt such temptations to hideous thoughts lusts as some have done I am not disquieted so much about the measure of my preparations as some have been from my youth up thou hast by steps and degrees wrought that which thou art faine to worke in others by violence and with difficulties Nothing but excesse of clemency and mercy hath beene my portion and yet in all I have held some good testimony in my owne heart of sincere and plaine intentions although feeble yet faithfull Oh blesse the Lord Pitty such as get to heaven with difficulties As for others whose birth costs more travell and paines pitty them the rather and confesse thou owest them so much the more compassion by how much they come harder to heaven then thou dost We see an heire toiles not so much for all his inheritance as a poore labourer for a groat a day Doth the poore man murmure at him No but puts himselfe under providence which hath made some owners some tenants some to live at more ease others with more toile The Lord is the maker of both and perhaps foresees that if the poore had as the rich he would beare it worse and therefore his rough spirit must bee basked and held downe from pride and rebellion Let not such as meet with more hardship in their conversion accuse God for changing ease into toile Let them not murmure at Lydia at Zachee and such as have beene easily brought home but blesse God that he would trouble himselfe with such peeces as they rather then burne them as knotty logs scarce worth the hewing and bestow any cost upon them for his owne names sake rather then they should perish But let them be farre from cavilling at God that they have abode the heate of the day and others comming in at the eleventh houre have fared as well Matth. 20.15 Is thy penny the worse silver for theirs Or is thine eie evill because Gods is good wonder rather that ever that penny should come in thy purse then that others fare as well or that thou farest not better So much for this Branch Branch 2 Secondly let this be an admonition unto thee for the time to come that this ease of the first mercy Beware lest the ease of the first mercy cause thee after to slight it become not a snare unto thee afterward to cause thee to slight it and forget it Doe not as wanton heires who spend it as lightly and basely as it came easily Lest the Lord make your hearts ake for it and set you on the racke teaching you to repent and to keep within bounds Oh! abuse not this goodnesse slight it not walke not slackly sit not loose upon easie mercy devote thy selfe rather to God for so free sweet easie mercy with the most close faithfull heart thinking nothing too deare for him David could breake forth Psal 43. ult into great triumphs after a tedious conflict and combat with his fears doubts depth of heavines and say I will still praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God And shalt not thou say so much more who hast escaped many such scourings Doe not now thinke thou art safe thou maist heare pray receive the sacraments as loosely and formally as thou wilt because grace came easily No make the more precious account of it else thou art a slave and no Sonne An heire seeing himselfe stockt by his father with sweet dwelling rich grounds great revenues so that he needs not to carke and toile for a living What doth he Surely as the Lord bids the Israelites who came into a land flowing with milke and hony and that at the best vantage even in the harvest of all commodities But rather knit the heart to God Joshua 5.11 Beware lest now yee forget the Lord that hath thus endowed and furnished you Walke humbly and feare the Lord that it may goe well with you So should we doe we should say now all other things are done to mine hand there is but one thing to doe Lord teach me to do it well If I can be full and yet remember the Lord that made me and highly esteem the rocke of my salvation he will thinke them well bestowed Deut. 32.14 and confirme them to me else they shall be a snare Fall not to Adams and Eves sinne who in the abundance of all things being set in a Paradise could not digest their happinesse but fell to revolt and so were cast out Say not Soule eat drinke be merry cry not peace peace but let the ease of mercy keepe thy soul from all presuming and sensuall security John 5. Remember that bitter pill given by our Lord Jesus to a loose one whose cure cost him nothing so he began to play his parts Thou art healed now sin no more lest a worse thing befall thee and then thou wilt wish would I had lien lame by the poole still We are scarce able brethren to beare the ease of mercy but we wax wanton and that is the cause why so few finde it and so many complaine of such difficulties It is just with God to make us weare the chaine for it to teach us to walke before the Lord more humbly and soberly And so much for the second Branch of the Exhortation I should now have concluded the Use with the third and last Branch that we walke in the experience of this blessed ease to trust God forth on for the like goodnesse But the time is spent Let us cut off here and call upon God c. THE FOVRTEENTH LECTVRE Still continued upon this thirteenth VERSE VERSE XIII And his servants came neere and said unto him Father if the Prophet had bid thee doe some great thing wouldest thou not have done it How much more then when he saith unto thee Wash and be clean VERSE 14. So he went downe and dipped himselfe in Iorden seven times c. 2 Kings I Gave you an hint briefly beloved in our Saviour when I last ended the former Sermon what I would have proceeded with if time had permitted I have shewed you That the beleeving of Gods promise to such as are in case is an easie thing Sundry grounds and Scriptures I cleered the truth by and sundry Uses of Instruction of Terror of Reproofe and of Exhortation I have added And to this last wherein two branches were urged Branch 3 then belongs a third that is That all who have found this handfull of ease The ease of mercy should make Gods yoake light for ever after in beleeving pardon should be earnest with God for the ease and sweetnesse of an holy course that the yoake of God may become easie and his burthen light Say thus unto the Lord Hitherto
such selfe-deniall or try us with hard duties we rather would hang downe the head with that young man and goe away sorrowfull So that he might say of us I have tried thee now and found that thy wealth thy liberty wife children are dearer to thee then my selfe I will trust thee no more Oh how should we tremble at this How should our base penurious scanty hearts even stinke in our nostrills and shame us Act. 3.3 when that creeple looked stedfastly upon Peter and Iohn all he gaped after was a penny or two of almes but they bestowed more then he desired and healed his lamenesse How thinke wee was hee astonished 1 King 3.15 And how was Salomon ravished when he had Gods answer Even so which of us brethren that belong to God can deny but that he hath given us more then ever we could aske or thinke But what have we done for him Have we found out singular things for him Deniall of our selves forgoing of our wills lusts pleasures for him Nay have we not taken our uttermost liberty in them A good wife husband child recovery out of sicknesse have deserved more from us then ever we rendred But what can we say when his Christ is yet unpaid for 1631. Now this deare yeare which of us makes it our season to doe great things for God We know that we doe for his members wee doe for him Where is the man who fellow-feeles this hard pinching yeare and these prises of corne and victualls If you of the poorer sort would doe great things for God even live by faith and set up the promise and alsufficiency of God above your hungry bellies and empty purses hee would doe great things for you But brethren let the sinnes of the poore goe looke we to our owne and amend them Be wee really pinched in the feare of God with their present miseries Say not with that churle shall I take my flesh and bread and give it these beggars 1 Sam. 25. No give a portion to six and to seven the necessity of the time craves some singular thing Common service stinkes in Gods nostrills in a season of speciall duty If now we come in with our common stuffe our sinne shall be as great as our denying them altogether at another time Oh! it were a great thing if we would even feele a pinch in our owne selves while this pinch lasts and abridge our diet our apparrell much more our feasts and excesse in an holy sympathy of their pinch and let our pinching and sparing from our selves become a reliefe of theirs and a bound to their refreshing Else wee shall pay full dearly for our basenes Sell a groat a test on yea two if need be cheaper then every churle Pinch your selves in your prises sell your corne eat your meat and put up gaines with lesse sweetnesse more pinching of sorrow then at other times If it were not Lord thou knowest for this pinching time I would not be so scanty to my selfe as I am but seeing I cannot abound my selfe Satan who seeks thy bloud can prevaile for more then Christ who shed his bloud for thee but I am prone to be scanty to others therefore I will chuse to scant my selfe that I may bee enlarged to others Let his good brethren be that singular thing wherein we declare our selves to God And if we do this in love and be sutable in other the like we shall have the reward of such as doe great things for God when as others doe little or nothing at all Remember Satan himselfe requires it and obtaines it at the hands of his servants So much for the ground of this second Argument Now I come to the inference upon it The which is The second branch of this Argument the application and urging of this truth upon their Master If thou wilt do such great things out of thy love to the Prophet then shew it by reall obeying his counsell q. d. else all thy shews are naught worth The point is True love and honour to a Prophet Doctrine True love and honour of Gods Prophets appears in our obeying them stands in obeying his voice We see in common experience if a man have a friend whom he seems to thinke highly of yet if that friend perceive that in any case of importance and weight his friend will sooner hearken to any stranger then to him and that he shall be of his court but others of his counsell What will he doe thinke himselfe regarded No he will conclude surely this man slights my counsell and followes his owne wayes whatsoever I say therefore for my part I leave him to them who can sway him more with their counsell then I can How much more then is it thus with the Minister If he see his people court him in their carriage complement with him in speech and curtesies but still abide the old men reforme nothing amisse goe on still in their course what shall he conclude Surely this I see this people loves me not for I can prevaile with them in nothing their owne waies they will take though I teare my tongue to the stumps therefore surely they love me little or not at all But let us see first some Reasons then some Scriptures to prove the point and so come to some use First they who love from the heart will obey from the heart because Reason 1 there is a reciprocall affection of people to Minister as well as of Minister to God and Christ Now the Minister out of a loyall heart of love to God and Christ doth as he is bidden God saith If thou love me feed my lambes and my sheep else pretend no love to colour thy sloth and negligence Even so should the Minister of God say to the people If you love me obey my counsell and do as I teach else colour not over your falshood with pretences As the Minister is to carry himselfe to God so are they under God to carry themselves to him It will bee smally to their comfort if all the obedience lye upon his shouldiers for although he hath saved his owne soule yet no thanke to them Ezek. 18. But when there is a reciprocation of affection with the fruit of obedience then shall neither grudge at other Both stand in equall obligation to obey if both performe it there is mutuall cause of joy and love but if one be faithfull to God and the other unfaithfull to him there will be unequall drawing in the yoake and great cause of complaint Secondly there is an holy judiciousnesse and wisdome in love compelling Reason 2 the people to consider that the Minister presseth that he doth upon them not as from himselfe but as from God it s nothing to him what they doe or doe not he is but a servant he is set over them for good and to give an account to God for them hee shall have his recompence for his worke
that in some cases there be not that God might try our honesty then in the next place consult with the practise of such as lived next them in the most incorrupt ages and prime dayes of the Church when truth was as a chrystall streame which might bee seen to the bottome Read the writings of them who lived not only in times of prosperity and glory three hundred or foure hundred yeares after Christ but in those times of purity and sincerity when as yet truth had received no mixtures no defilements by the pompe the excesse of them who lived in them Enquire of the dayes of old when men were hunted persecuted martyred for the cause of Christ They to whom truth was dearer then their lives who were farre from seeking great things for themselves but carryed their lives in their bosomes to be let out with their life bloud for Christ I deny not but they are much to be reputed who have lived since but with difference the more arguments there be for their sincerity the more they deserve credit the more they suffered lost or forwent or still are ready to lose forgo for him when they need not the more ordinarily they are to be trusted except just reason may be alledged against them to wit that their self-deniall is contrary to the word as Popish martyrs the like Look how they preacht look what tenets they held concerning the aptnesse of men for the Ministry look what manners they were of what contempt of the world of fashions of carnall pompe look what they judged fittest for the calling of Ministers the pure administration of sacraments prayer in the assemblies collection for the poor censures of offendors admonition of the unruly frequency of preaching that let us take counsell from them in If they kept the Lords day onely as an humane ordinance by the Apostles appointment arbitrary and Ecclesiastically constituted or as the Lord Jesus his Agents from divine instinct and as a day perpetually to be observed for the honour of our perfected redemption then let us doe so looke what Paul hath thought of free-will of election of rejection of the free grace of God and so those worthies who followed looke what those Martyrs ancient or moderne thought of justification whether by workes or faith of Purgatory the Masse Popish Martyrs against the Scripture not to be regarded or the adoring of Saints and Images that let us cleave too for they wanted those blindeings of eies which others had though honour must be given to some without prejudice to any and the reason is my Doctrine Sincerity in the counseller deserves that their counsell be regarded And the like rule holds still good that those to whom truths are more pretious then goods lives liberties or ends other things sutable are to be preferred in point of advice and conscience then those who are short of them in selfe-deniall because the more of Selfe abides the lesse Sincerity Secondly it may be a caveat unto us in our judgements Caveat how to judge of meet or unmeet Counsellors touching Vse 2 them whom God hath set a marke of exception upon why their counsell ought in no wise to be followed whether Writers Preachers or Professors To wit such as have in all their courses bewraid themselves to be flatterers timeservers and seekers of their owne ends setters up of themselves with the pulling downe of Christ and his Gospel And they are first of all the nation of Papists contrary to Iohn Baptist Joh. 3.30 whose saying was I must decrease but he must encrease But these contrarily we must grow and encrease decrease who so will Tell me what one thing belonging to their Kingdomes savors of sincerity Popish falshood in all their waye in particulars from the crowne of the Miter to the foote Nay what was not first grounded in counterfeit humility to catch silly soules and to strip them both of their bodily welfare and salvation Even as the Ivy creeps out of the earth upon the silly stocke of the tree but never lins till it have overtopped it and suckt out the sap and so destroied it Sure if onely sincerity plead for audience then may all good Christians say of them their doctrine their lives their miracles traditions ceremonies sacraments Priests preachings prayers Gen. 49.6 Into their counsell let not my soule come Their scopes are carnall to set up their owne pompe ease belly-cheere to destroy the doctrine of faith true selfe-deniall and mortification Under the pretext of chastity of poverty of fasting pennance confession sacraments what have they done but lived in odious uncleannesse raked the treasures of whole Kingdomes into their Cells devoured whole houses of their votaries puft up themselves in the opinion of more righteousnesse then the Law exacts dived into the secrets of Princes hidden most cruell murthers of lawfull Kings and enhansed themselves to such a pompe state as made the whole Christian world groane under their tyranny Is it like that such should ever bring home soules to God whose onely study is to bring sacks to their Popes mill As he once said of the Turkes horse that where he came no more grasse grew So I may say of them so farre are they from sincerity in seeking mens salvation and Gods glory that they waste and blast all and every branch and blossome that tends that way Nay their most seeming holy devotions what serve they for but to fulfill the flesh to puffe up the heart with a conceit of her owne goodnesse Their counsells of perfection what tend they unto but to pride them in a thought of greater righteousnesse then God commands Their excommunications and censures to what end doe they aime save to live upon the sinnes of the people to picke their purses and spoile their soules Who ever by any of their counsells grew more chaste devoute or temperate and not rather desperate as knowing that money will answer all And when they write books what intend they but to flatter their Idoll the Pope and tell him although he draw milions of souls to hell yet may no man aske him what dost thou The travells of those Jesuits attending the Spanish armies into the East-Indies what scope had they Surely in shew for enlarging the religion of the Pope but in effect the murthering of infinite thousands savages and that contrary to oaths vows that so they might fill their purses with their treasures and hoards of gold till they made all Religion stinke in the nostrills of such as they pretended to convert Luther after all his experience of their Religion professed it to be the cutthroate of the soule and the leaver thereof at the brinke of despaire Doe not their attires fares attendance Temples exceed all the wealth of Princes their treasures are outward bravery Are such like to save souls Those Monks which were sent for to wait upon Austin the Apostle as they stile him of England found him mounted upon
uncharitable affections revenge of such as we distaste too good conceit of such as we affect or adde some bitter gourd or other of our owne to mar the pottage Numb 20.11 Thus did Moses being willed to speake to the rocke he would adde of his owne and smote it that the people might see their sinne but it cost him deare and did no good So hard a taske it is for flesh to trade in Gods mâ—tters with Gods minde entirely and sincerely if the meekest man was so what are we prone unto And yet how may this dreg of ours hurt the receit even as if we made no conscience at all Brethren every mans temptations lye within his owne element Perhaps we are faithfull and diligent preachers but our livings are not to our mindes we thinke our selves not regarded to our deserts here steps in our owne spirit and mixes it selfe unlawfully with a thing lawfull It s meet we were well requited But say we come short we are never knowne while we be tryed where then is our sincerity in doing our worke for the workes sake and trusting our Master for wages who hath set us on worke How doe mutterings and murmurings break in upon us with complaints discontents and unwillingnesse to proceed How doth the unthankfulnesse of people encroach upon our spirits to breed distrust and impatience which rather should excite and improve our faith to the uttermost And this is so farre from healing our sore that it rather incenses it more and weakens both the opinion of our labours and the supply of our wants in the mindes and practices of our hearers who thinke thus of us to be not as we are but as we should be men void of self-love and full of sincerity for the true ends of God and their soules Now brethren what peace can we have within while we are carnall in ministring of the spirituall things of God or vend his wares upon our owne stall fleecing the Lord of his dearest jewell his glory and making him a stalking horse for our owne game The base ends of other professions as Physitians Lawyers Tradesmen is not of so deep a dye as ours because the ground we stand on and the Trade we drive is holy and divine theirs only civill and worldly But how will some say may this Quest grace be gotten I will give two or three Answ directions and two or three motives and finish the Use First addict we our selves with delight to attend upon reading 1. Rules for sincerity in Ministery and Counsell study converse with one another imparting our needs and aides in the ordinances each to other as immediately serving to breed and feed this grace and to weane us from the contrary refusing not onely the usuall pleasures profits and vanities of the world except meet and private recreations but even denying our owne curiosity in studies and abuse of gifts to ostentation or to vent our owne way of quotations and conceits Doe not shew your tooles but your workemanship and that you are workemen that need not be ashamed dividing the word aright not seeking your selves but the end of your labours men thinke if they have once got them a name they are made for ever But let us not looke at the carnall custome of the times but at that which may breed sincerity in us God may be served with the best of our gifts so that we first resigne up our selves and them to him so take them back againe refined and purged washed and pared and shaven for his owne service When God hath stampt them with his owne Image and Spirit there is use of them all If ordinary meanes will not serve let extraordinary be used observe what speciall tang of selfe-love doth most assault us every man is not alike tempted some itch after one impure end some another sloth and ease bearing sway pride of life gaine pleasures or as the humour lyes Doe but consider what excellent lights have waxen dimme yea gone out as a snuffe by one of these Demas Diotrephes Alexander many in our owne experience If there be not sincerity in our preaching-scope it is a shrewd presumption there is but little in any respect and then what may not befall us I have noted some in this kinde who by degrees have wanzed and betraied themselves to be but unfaithfull in the maine and for their ends have forsaken the cause of Christ altogether Consider how little good is done at the best 1. Some motives to sincerity in Counsell when we are most sincere But as for the other how little or no good appeares to be done in the places where they reside Who knowes in such a world as this so full of timeservers so full of temptations baites feares how great need we have of prayer of armour and watching lest he that thinks he stands yet fall before he be aware How many are our snares on every side either by the flattery of such as applaud us or the unthankefulnesse of such as forsake us or the ignorance of such as will not acknowledge us or the wrongs of such as provoke us the unprofitablenesse of our hearers the cousenage of Satan or the falshood of our owne hearts How many in discontent have turned Papists Pelagians Anabaptists Socinians and never come to a pitch till death have ended their ambitious dayes How will hard times the multitude of expences the example of others our inferiours exceeding us in preferments tickle us to forsake sincerity exept God have put a sweetnesse into us of working for himselfe and conscience and trusting him for successe It must be our whole worke even to locke our selves wives and posterity into the arke of providence and the promise of alsufficiency knowing that except we be such as can swallow any gobbets we shall not by all our carking adde one cubit or make one haire white or blacke one promise beleeved will prove a surer stocke then all our selfe-love and selfe-seeking will profit us not to speake of an ill conscience besides Let us beare this minde that whatsoever our meanes be for our labours yet rather then we would not honour God in them if we might and the case so required we would trust him for support and supply To conclude oft muse of the price of soules It is Peters argument when he urges Ministers to preach of a ready minde not for gaine because the flocke of Christ is bought with his bloud And to conclude with that which he there addeth That hundred fold which wee shall reap for all our losses in and for the cause of God and sincerity will fully requite us if here we lose our skinne and fleece by wolves and dogs which pursue and teare us the great Shepheard of the flocke our Lord Jesus shall come we shall have a Crowne of glory that fades not better then all that we can expect or men can gratifie us with Thus much also for Exhortation may serve the turne Vse 5
cast in more if she had had it But the other cast in out of ostentation because they were seen of men and cast in of their superfluity and jollity of spirit who perhaps if they had been moved in secret to give here or there a shilling where their gift should have beene buried would have shrunke in their heads Whence is it thinke we that many jolly fellowes are very forward to give scores of hundreds of pounds to Schools Hospitalls or in a publick sort who if they see private reasons of contribution to many a decayed Christian or Minister are hardly drawne to it Oh! because not the naked simplicity of the thing as to God but the observation publickenesse memoriall and name of the one better agrees with their pharisaicall spirit then the other whereas if the true end were reliefe of the distressed Eccles 11.1 they would as well cast their bread upon the waters as into an open stocke I discourage none nor censure any particular persons for their almes these are no dayes for it I rather would speake two words to further then one to hinder yet we know such a disease there is Eccles 10.1 and who would spoile a whole box of ointment for one dead fly doe both scatter in private some handfulls as well as powre out whole bushells and then the suspition is taken away Once I remember a man who long profferd his kindenesse to a Colledge but still left his gift sealed up till death then he would give all but before nothing Why Alas after death there is no pleasure which before there is and men are willing to part with their wealth when pleasure in it and power of it are gone I tax none who give after death but desire to rectifie them for ability permitting who should not rather chuse in part at least to be his owne executor then to leave it to strangers not knowing what it may come to Take an instance out of the six later commands whereof every former exceeds his later But why I demand doe many men seem to obey in the maine command which provides for the life it selfe of man when as the lesser which concerne his chastity his wealth his name are slighted He that does no murther dares defile his neighbours wife steale his goods or traduce his name Doth not this practice directly crosse my doctrine Yes but then you must marke here is no honesty no faithfulnesse in such a person Where that failes there be many causes why the greater may tye them who in the smaller will bee loose First because a lesser vice may be more naturall to the constitution of the body then the greater All vices cannot roote alike in the soile of a bad heart at least providence barres and bounds our corrupt nature that it be not endlesse all vices cannot be nourished corruption hath a streame if it should scatter it selfe one sinne and lust might crosse another Thou maiest regard the life of a poore man although thou be an uncleâ—ne beast because that sinne is thy beloved and predominant sin and so matters the rest Secondly this disorder may arise from terror and feare of horrible impieties horror of the penalty unnaturalnesse of the fact and such like bits and bridles which God puts into the mouthes of men which if they were absent the rule would soone prove true the committer of the greater would make no bones of the smaller Eye for eye tooth fortooth skin for skin and all that he hath will a man give for his life but smaller things are not so perilous Thirdly this may issue from vain-glory when a man thinks he shall have a deeper esteeme among men for some greater worke which in a lesser would vanish of which before Or pride when a base heart thinks smaller duties to be under him and not equall to his great stomacke to undertake though perhaps some great ones he will stoope unto as more suting to his greatnesse We have a Proverb Eagles catch no flies So the spirits of great ones thinke that small matters are a dishonour to them they will not foule their fingers with them So much for this This serves againe for confutation of Popery They would beare us Vse 2 downe and make themselves above us in the point of mortification and God helpe Confutation of Popery the best of us come short of it in these daies of sensuality and fleshly liberty But to goe to our Doctrine They tell us that the perfection of self-deniall stands in outward workes of Penance and Satisfaction in scourgings in fastings in abstinence from marriage in course apparell in standing up to the midle in cold water in the winter time in pilgrimages and such like of which the Apostle saith Col. 3. ult They have a shew of wisdome in will-worship humility and neglect of the body denying honour to the satisfying of the flesh Popish mortifications discovered to be false But nothing to the true mortifying of the spirit the frame of that still continues the same proud conceited and imputing these to merit as if they engaged God to themselves by them But as for our mortification which they say is secret and stands in the mortifying of our wills and concupiscence lusts and affections the fruit of faith purging the conscience Oh this is but a pretence of hypocrites who come farre short of their fruits in this case And to confesse the truth it were to be desired that we Protestants discovered our mortification in greater and more outward selfe-deniall then we doe But as for them this I say if they excell us so much in the greater how comes it to passe that they faile so much in thâ—t they count the smaller I meane inward humility denying of their owne affections Is it not tenne times harder to get that grace of faith and change of heart into us which should make us abhor our selves in all our performances then to tame the flesh for a while that so the spirit may gaine thereby a deeper opinion of merit and giving full satisfaction to God for sin Did not those thus in Mica 6. offer to God whole flocks and droves and rivers of oile and wine and their first borne Did not they esteem these great matters But what saith the Lord unto them Doth he not convince them of their hypocrisie and tell them That the things which he calls for are within Outward things he cares not for but to walke humbly with him and to do justly and shew mercy Therefore it is evident they these fail in their account and set a greater marke upon their devotion then God doth and therefore are lyars If those things which they alledge were greatest surely they who are so forward in them would not be behinde hand in such as they account the smaller Esay 66.2 They would say of themselves when all is done our righteousnesse is as a menstrous clout and count themselves for ought is in them to merit as
thinke they shall so easily escape Matth. 12. Could the Lord Iesus in the dayes of his abasement take upon him so severely as to make a three stringed whip scourge out those buyers and sellers in the Temple to overthrow their Tables and to scatter their money about the ground and all for the violation of one Command and shall he not much more take upon him think we when he shall come not as a meeke Lambe not as riding upon an Asse colt but as the Lyon of the Tribe of Iuda triumphantly riding upon the clouds of glory and decking himselfe with strength and revenge as with a garment Shall then these breakers of his commands carry it so smoothly away Shall they not flee from the presence of this terrible Judge Acts 5.5 Could Peter a seely man being armed with the authority of this Judge with one word of his mouth throw downe those two hypocrites Ananias and Sapphira and lay them dead upon the place and shall not the Judge himselfe comming in person much more with one frowne of his irefull face crush all such daring enemies of his glory as have made his solemne Commands idle scare-bugs and have turned them into shadowes Now whiles the consciences of men are inchanted with hopes of preferment with ease with the glistering shewes of pompe and state the examples of their betters and the common streame of carnall worshippers when they see the power of truth to be troden downe and the sincerity of Religion to be discarded it s an easie thing for them to beare downe commands and not to be troubled at it but when as the Lord shall open and enlarge conscience to the uttermost and bid her speake out and not be afraid to beare witnesse against all breakers of his solemne commands shall they then thinke we set up their hornes so high as now they doe Dan. 5.7 Shall not rather their knees knock together as Belshazzars did in the midst of his quaffing in the cups of the Temple When the terrible Judge shall not write onely upon the wall but thunder with his voice against all that have brake his cords Psal 2.5 and cast his chaines from them shall they be able to endure him when all their musters shall be pulled off from their faces and all things shall be naked in the sight of him that judgeth and conscience shall aske them questions without admitting any shuffles or equivocations shall they subsist and hold up their faces Then conscience shall put them to it Heb. 4.13 and say dost thou thinke in thy very soule that the Lords day are dayes to be prophaned with unlawfull games and pastimes with drinkings and dauncings Speake truth now dost thou thinke in conscience that those who walke closely with God maintaining the power of Religion in their lives are the worst men living Or dost thou thinke in thy conscience thou didst well in leaving thy flocke and charge at randon and spending thy time in dependances hopes of promotion ease pleasure and such like Dost thou thinke in thy conscience that any thing can purge out the defilement of Popish Idolatry and superstition Will scraping of the stones of the house fretted with a canker of incurable leprosie serve the turne Can any thing save onely pulling downe the house and making it a heape of rubbish make it cleane Speake as in conscience thou thinkest should man in his opposing Gods commands be obeyed before God himselfe or God before him If thou wert now to beginne againe durst thou breake the least of his commands and teach others to doe so Durst thou lend thine authority presence countenance tongue or pen to defend the breach of any command of mine Oh I say when conscience shall set thee thus upon the rack and stretch every joint of thy soule upon the wheele of Gods strict inquisition will there be any place for trickes and evasions No no. Thinke sadly then of the sadnesse of commands Oh all ye presumptuous hypocrites while there is season for it Now the Divell sets you upon a pinacle and shewes you all the glory of this sensuall and carnall world and offers you the greatest reward for your breaking of the most chiefe and sad commands it s now a merry world if it would last alway to breake commands Who rule the rost or carry matters more boldly or gaster other more terribly then such as cut off commands most desperately But lo there will be bitternesse in the end You shall not alway carry it at your pleasure none to gainsay you This Judge of all flesh one day shall turne your triumphs and scornes and insolencies into a most sad sorrowfull dejectednesse one day your hearts shall melt as water and your countenances shall fall downe as Cains did after God had convinced him of his cruelty and bloudshed Gen. 4.9 Heb. 12. ult Think of it betimes in Gods fear it s not for the honor of our God our consuming fire to suffer every bold breaker of the commands to lurke and lye safe in his den No God shall finde them out to be dissemblers The Lord Jesus shall not then flatter them but set their sinne in order before them therefore let the terrors of God pierce you now let rottennesse enter into your bones and let the voice of a commanding God cause the lips to quiver and your bellies to tremble Hab. 3. feare him that is the great commander of the world who hath chaines for Princes and can binde Kings in fetters of iron Psal 149.8 yea can cast soul and body into hell I say feare him 1 Sam. 15.16 If he were so terrible to Saul in the words of a weake Prophet Samuel if now hee be so potent in the voice of a convincing Preacher What shall hee then be in his owne voice and presence when the mountaines shall rend in sunder and the frame of things be disolved So much for the former Branch of this second Use 2. Branch Terror to all profane ones Psal 2. Psal 12. Iob 21.14 For the latter sort briefly if this point justly terrifie all hypocrites for blanching with God how much more then doth it condemne all profane and professed rebels who doe walke and trade without remorse in the open breaking of Commands Who say to God Depart from us who cast away his cords and breake his bands in sunder who say Our tongues are our owne wee will speake as we will and what Lord shall controll us Who proclaime their sin as Sodom and say If this be to be proud I will bee prouder more uncleane sweare ten to one breake all Sabbaths that evill I doe I will doe it and I care for none of these strict and severe urgers of Commands I will be the worse for them Well goe on you shall have your belly full in hell of your owne will There you shall sweare and curse and blaspheme God and pay for it all the while therefore if
shall fall into some scandall 3. Fear of falling into some scandall and not persevering and never persevere but he who hath delivered will deliver from every evil way and work He wil preserve the souls of his Saints he wil write his law in their heart they shall not depart from his feare I am perswaded nothing shall separate c. He is faithfull who hath promised Sometime sicknesse poverty debt disquiets and how then In six troubles he will keepe thee and in the seaventh that it shall not oppresse Hee put his hand under my head and will make my bed in sicknesse when I was weake the Lord holpe me Againe the soule complaines 4. Sicknesse debt enemies unfaithfull friends and the like But I have enemies Well but if thy wayes please the Lord he can make them thy friends If not though an Army of them compasse mee about yet will I not be afraid But perhaps friends faile and turne unfaithfull Well yet Mica 7. When I dare trust no friend nor wife I dare trust the Lord. When my father and mother forsooke me but the Lord took me up Can a mother forsake the childe of her womb Yet will not the Lord. He will sustaine and redeeme thee In all their afflictions hee was afflicted Esay 63.9 Oh! but they prosper and I decay They beare all the stroke and my cause is sentenced Stay a while and their green Bay tree shall wither True it is it is long first Psal 73. Psal 37.6 But fret not thy selfe roll thy way on Jehova and be doing good and hee will effect it Hee will bring forth thy righteousnesse as the morning Hee will plead thy cause Mica 7. When there is casting down thou shalt see a lifting up and hee shall save the humble person Job 22.29 But thou wilt say My prayers be not heard Not presently but it is that thou mightst pray oftner and earnestlier that so God may deliver thee from that thou fearest and his grace may bee sufficient for thee Thou wilt still object 5. When prayer is not heard My troubles are as no bodies secret and stinging unknowne to any But not unto the Lord whose eyes are in every corner of the earth and knows the heart and reynes yea the most hidden sorrowes that he may be strong with the weak and contrite ones Oh! but I am darke for lack of faith Yet let him that is in darknesse and seeth no light trust upon God Esay 50. But I want meanes The Lord is my support Psal 23.3 leads me to the pastures and streames and when I am lost yet sustaines me So that although the Olive and Vine should faile though there should be no Calfe in the stall nor Sheep in the flocke Habak 3. yet will I make the Lord my salvation But my temptations and assaults by Satan are fierce to Atheisme to deny providence the Scriptures and such like molestings It they be tedious they shall bee short and faith shall quench the most fiery darts 6. Temptations and fierce assaults of Satan Matth. 5.12 1 Pet. 4. But he stirres up his instruments to vex and pursue Well they may cast thee into prison tenne dayes but hold out and I will give thee a Crowne of life Gods hook is in their nostrills Blessed art thou when thou art persecuted for the name of Christ The Spirit of glory shall rest upon thee Fear not man whose breath is in his nostrills Esay 40.7 But I feare evill times will plucke me from my stedfastnesse No Thousands and tenne thousands shall fall on both sides but thou shalt goe free in the midst Matth. 24. If possible the Elect should be deceived But it s not possible I have prai'd for thee that thy faith faile not The just shall have a shining light upon their pathes Luke 22.31 Oh! but perhaps I am in perplexing straits what course to take Well but a voice shal be behind thee and say This is the way walke in it Oh but my sorrowes are the miseries of the Church Esay 30. The gates of hell shall not prevaile against her Be of good courage I have overcome the world The ship that Christ is in Matth. 18. John 13. ult Mica 7.8 cannot be drowned He will rebuke the waves and cause a calme Rejoyce not over me O mine enemy for when I am down I shall rise Christ hath naild my enemies to his crosse led captivity captive Esay 26.1 Salvation hath the Lord set for walls and bulwarks Esay 13.5 God will defend Jerusalem Light is sowne for the Righteous Beare the yoke because thou hast sinned and the Lord shall breake the decree Mica last and tread them as mire in the streets In the meane time Jer. 46. I will correct them in measure and Esay 28. Did I correct him as I corrected them who afflicted him No but in measure But how shall I doe when the King of feares comes The sting of death is sin which being taken out thou shalt triumph 2 Cor. 15. O death where is thy sting But I have poore children to provide for Well Exod. 20. The Lord shewes mercy to thousands of them that love him And the children of the righteous inherit the earth Psal 25. But when I am dead what shall become of me Take no thought Esay 57. They shall rest in their graves perfumed and softned by the grave of Christ and be purged by it from corruption Their names shall be sweet on earth as the pretious ointment And their soules shall reigne with God in full perfection of happinesse above sinne sorrow and all enemies till it shall joine with the beloved body againe at the day of Christ to enjoy in heaven perfect consummation These and such like promises let every poore soule cull out for herselfe out of the treasury of the Scriptures and enlarge them to her owne use that it may goe well with her and that the promises may be beleeved according to their extent for this is the misery of the soule that God hath fulnesse for her in his promises but shee will not see it acknowledge it embrace it accommodate it but let them lye rusting there without regard as men use to suffer their Armour to doe because they have no use of it Thus much shall serve for a direction in this kinde and for this Use as also for the whole Doctrine and former part of this verse containing Naamans obedience Now I come to the latter part of the verse The last generall His successe Three things in it which containes the immediate successe of his washing And that is first the expression That his flesh came againe c. Secondly the cure it selfe He was cleane And thirdly now we heare no more of his former distempers all are vanisht and washt away with his leprous skin in Jorden These points I note here As for the remoter consequences following upon this cure afterward I shall come to them in
he might pitty and succour those who are tempted And surely wonderfull use there is of this grace For alas in these troubles many a poore soule though not wilfull yet is not her owne because it is overpowred with the violence hideousnesse and irkesome of temptations without feares and unsustained horrors within so that for the time it hath no power of fastning upon counsell be it never so strong nay the stronger it is the harder to enter It must be time and stanching the bloud and waiting by degrees putting in here a droppe a line a little and there a little into the soule which must winne such an one to some hope by degrees Some texts observe for this Elihu seeing Iobs state sore snarled by his prejudicate friends and by the self-love of his own heart that it was hard to reduce all to a mediocrity applies himselfe in the spirit of singular modesty and meeknesse to be a mediator between them Job 32. Behold saith he I will not deale harshly in misjudging thee but be unto thee as thine owne soule this was the next way to redresse his sorrowes So Paul to the Galathians when he had sharpely reproved them yet seeing many of their weake mindes entangled tells them My little children of whom I travell againe till Jesus Christ be formed in you They had fallen into the hands of false teachers who had made their state more dangerous Gal. 4.19 And what doth hee Meekely and lovingly he bestowes the paines to travell againe of them Simil. A woman hath enough of breeding her fruit once and bearing it once but wee should count her a very tender mother which should beare the paine twice and fellow-feele the infants strivings and wrastlings the second time rather then want her child So Paul here is content to beare the paine twice of travelling for these Galathians hee meanes not a second birth but a second travell to reduce them home to Christ from their errors and to sympathize them so far for their good till they felt Christ againe revived in themselves after a former miscarriage and false conception So in Gal. 6.1 The Apostle againe doth require those Galathians which were strong to restore in the spirit of meekenesse such as were fallen the word is set in joint Be meeke and worke in the bone with much oile that so it may returne againe into the socket with lesse paine And Ezekiel tells us Ezek. 34.16 that this is one peculiâ—r property of a true shepheard that hee seeke up the lost and suffer not the bitten or broken to perish but carry it home upon his shoulder tender it dresse it and binde it up againe These and the like places shew with what spirit the Lord wishes such to go to work even so be it with us in Gods fear limpe with the halting lispe with the stuttering sit still and be silent a while till deepe affliction can speake out helpe forth the words of the distressed which sticke in the passage be tender and pitifull till God draw the heart by these cords of a man Hosea 11.4.13.2 and be as the Master of the cattell who taketh off the yoke and layeth meat unto them yea as the Lord Jesus who would not breake the brused reed Matth. 12. nor quench the smoking flax till judgement brake forth into victory Iron and steele come not to an edge without much oile Thirdly 3. Branch apply counsell and remedies with all wisdome and seasonablenesse speake a word in due season Now here the maine worke lieth But some may aske and say how should I performe this duty I answer The variety and difference of estates admit no rules in generall onely to satisfie the desirous I will instance in a few kindes and shew what remedies most fitly agree with them Observe wisely and discerne the estate of the afflicted Rules for this and that will be a great helpe to tell a qualified counsellor how to judge both of the malady and medicine For as it is in bodily diseases each one hath his severall symptomes which are not easily concealed So it is here A wise man will discover the sore by the behaviour of the party both for the kinde the measure the continuance of it and accordingly apply himselfe First then let it be one caveat 1. Discerne and separate mixt sorrow from â—â—â—gle that we observe whether the dolor bee single and simple or mixt and compounded If it be simple the trouble is the lesse But if mixt that is partly temporall and that first and chiefe partly spirituall The way is first to separate the one from the other and not to multiply spirituall comforts to such a one for his disease admits none because the roote is carnall And although it have ceased also in part upon conscience yet at the second hand Here then labour to lessen and diminish carnall and worldly griefe if it can by any meanes be removed as if it be a crosse upon the name body or state see if that can be effected and then you shall see if there continue any sorrow if it doe not it was meerly carnall and no spirituall in it if that cannot be removed then labour to divert the heart from the outward to the spirituall and that thus First shewing that this without the other is fruitlesse That the soule may bee as miserable without it as with it That love or hatred stands not in it That it may easily deceive a man about his sorrow That God either sends it as a needle to draw the thred of godly sorrow after it by the stirring of the spirit or else to leave the soule worse and that if it vanish as it came it will be so That the nature of it is deadly for worldly sorrow causeth death If these motives scatter the carnall sorrow and the spirituall remaine then it is from God And then the counsell is strive not to remove it at first but to ground it well upon the word that it may seaze kindely and so deale with it accordingly as in the rules following 2. Rule Discerne diabolicall temptations from inward The next is discerne diabolicall injections and temptations from the troubles arising from our selves Here the counsell is strive by all means to resolve the party that the Divell shall pay for his own sin Suggestions terrifying the spirit from Satans malice are none of ours Judge them by the disproportion to the souls disposition their unwelcomenes their irkesomenesse desperatenesse and tenaciousnesse And if a poor soul can truly say they are none of hers although she cannot be rid of the insulting of this god of flies yet by praier for riddance constant detesting to have fellowship and consent with them whether thoughts against God his word the Ministry Heaven Hell Providence Religion or lusts and vile affections the Lord will weaken them and not suffer thee to bee held under temptation And to say truth violent externall causes
last not long The greatest danger is lest the heart being rid of them wax wanton and secure and bee not humbled for that corruption whence these have their welcome and fiery fiercenesse 3. Rule Oâ—serve the measure of the trouble The third rule is observe wisely of what measure the trouble and affliction is If it be moderate then proceed accordingly But if it be excessive so that extremities may be feared succour the fainting heart with some hope even at the first though perhaps the condition of it may bee farre from applying a promise Yet because the horror or trouble may threaten despaire or violence Shew such a one that the Lord delights in no such thing but in mercy to the oppressed and when the heart is eased then returne to such a method of counsell by degrees as their estate needeth Necessity as we say hath no law Much may be done to avert a present danger which else might stay longer The jaylor was to be staid for feare of selfe-murther 4. Rule Whether terror come from sin or feare of punishment Fourthly discerne wisely of terrors of conscience whether from sin as sin or as a mischiefe which cloggeth and loadeth the heart excessively Many a wretch and these dayes are full of such will roare and cry out of himselfe the horriblenesse of his sins their returns upon him after intermission not from any true abhorring of the evill of them but because God dogs his cursed heart delighting in those evills with shrewd terrors which although they are two extremities I meane great swinge and sweetnesse in sinne and great horrors for sinne yet nothing hinders why both may not be at once and yet the mediocrity farre off In such a case to beleeve such a wretch for his outcries and horrors when it is manifest he doth but seeke for hope and sodering and possibility of pardon that hee may returne to his vomit the more boldly were to adde oile to the flame The marke of such is this their object is that which presently pinches them you shall heare little or no aime at Christ and his sweetnesse for they regard it not The counsell is to hold them hard to the law that their soules may bee under bondage of sinne as sinne and not onely under present accusation If this prevaile not they will rush themselves quickly out of their horrors into prophanenesse more and more And had not comfort beene well bestowed upon such as need none Fifthly though thou perceive the soule to bee under bondage 5. Rule Consider whether the frame of the heart under conviction be tame or rebellious yet consider well of what frame the party is If the heart bee rebellious and that sinne doth wax more sinfull by that conviction then though it bee a good signe for time to come yet the Lord makes no haste to comfort such a one till his rebellion bee brought downe and then his heart will be doubly humbled both for guilt and rebellion also It is meete that some should lie and wait under their legall abasings because else commonly they returne to their old byas againe if they come not to see how out of measure sinfull sinne is in her nature I observe it in this age of ours that the law troubles few except some violent crosses attend it which argues that they will hardly hold humble when their troubles cease Be not too hasty therefore Sixtly when thou seest it a season to speak a word to a poore soule 6. Rule Observe due season deferre it not For there may be as great perill in delay as in rash haste And shew thy selfe as carefull and cordiall in pressing of a promise earnestly and effectually to a soule in case to receive it as thou wert backward in applying it till it was so A loaden soul is under the condition of the promise and therefore to delay such an one from it is to defraud it of her portion due to it which is a worse sinne then rashnesse even as despaire is worse then presumption To this end bee conversant with the promises and be able to apply variety of them not knowing which may prevaile If the affliction bee an holding downe of the soule from beleeving 7. Rule Whether under the condition or no what lets it or if so what hinders beleeving when as yet it is under the condition of the promise search out what the speciall stoppe of the soule is and accordingly apply remedies For instance if the soule be tossed too and fro between the condition and the performance labour to settle the heart upon the condition first proving it truly loaden and hold it there telling it that the Lord is willing that it hold that which it hath gotten and then it shall be more easie to finish the other worke If the glasse bee shaken who shall see his owne face rightly So againe if the feare be that it hath not the conditions of the Gospel or hath them not in such a measure as it ought resolve such a one that the Lord having wrought a true loading in the soule will also worke the same to the sight of ease by the promise which promise as it appeares more and more reall both in the meriter and the offerer so it must needs afford more hope more desires mournings and longings after it As for the measure of these God snares no poore soule with them Be it never so feeble and brused hee will not breake it So againe if the trouble be that it hath long waited and is weary that the heart is exceeding hard corruption very strong others are got before us we are afraid we be not elected wiih a hundred more apply the remedy thereafter And whereas the maine stoppe is Selfe and aiming at our owne ends and a dead heart to beleeve let the counsell be thereafter Subdue the base heart under meer mercy enlarge the glory of the promiser above the gaine of the beleeve Also bee well exercised in the thorow opening and urging of a promise on Gods part by enlarging the length and depth of the free full and faithfull heart of God infinitely above that which a soule can long after But if I should enter into particulars I should be endlesse 8. Rule What to doe in revolts Eightly if the trouble arise from revolts and breach of covenant after repentance first observe whether former experience of mercy have broken such an heart or no if not then endeavour to breake it and to raise up the soule from the present desertion wherein it seemes destitute of that grace which formerly it enjoyed Convince it that the Lord hath never cut off nor cast out any branch which was ever planted in him Also that by such desertions he labours to hold the heart at a deeper bay of humility Read for this Jer. 3.1 and Hosea ult when once it comes to outgrow the confusion of feare and horror which a guilty conscience hath snared it