wherein hee getteth upon his bench and usurpeth a judgement over Christ and his wayes but GOD hath a day wherein he will set all straight and his judgement shall stand And the Saints shall have their time when they shall sit in judgment upon them that judge them now In the meane time CHRIST will rule in the middest of his enemies in the midst of our hearts It is therefore no signe of a good condition to ◅nde all quiet and nothing at oddes For can we think that corruption which is the elder in us and sathan the strong man that keepeth many holds in us will yeeld possession quietly No there is not so much as a thought of goodnesse discovered by him but he joyneth with corruption to kill it in the birth And as Pharaohs cruelty was especially against the male children so Sathans malice is especially against the most religious and manly resolutions This then wee are alwayes to expect that wheresoever Christ commeth there will be opposition when Christ was borne all Ierusalem was troubled so when Christ is borne in any man the soule is in an uproare and all because the heart is unwilling to yeeld up it selfe to Christ to rule it Wheresoever Christ commeth he breedeth division not only I between man and himselfe but 2 betweene man and man and 3 betweene Church and Church Of which disturbance Christ is no more the cause they Physicke is of trouble in a distempered body of which noysome humors are the proper cause for the end of Physicke is the peace of humors But Christ thinketh it fit that the thoughts of mens hearts should bee discovered and hee is as well for the falling as the rising of many in Israel Thus the desperate madnesse of men is layd open that they had rather bee under the guidance of their owne lusts and by consequent of Satan himselfe to their endlesse destruction then put their feet into Christs setters and their neckes under his yoake whereas indeed Christs service is the only true libertie his yoake an easie yoake his burden but as the burden of wings to a bird that maketh her flie the higher Sathans government is rather a bondage then a government unto which Christ giveth up those that shake off his owne for then hee giveth Sathan and his factors power over them since they will not receive the truth in love take him Iesuite take him Sathan blind him and binde him lead him to perdition Those that take the most liberty to sinne are the most perfect slaves because most voluntarie slaves the will in everie thing is either the best or the worst the further men goe on in a wilfull course the deeper they sincke in rebellion and the more they crosse CHRIST doing what they will the more they shall one day suffer what they would not In the meane time they are prisoners in their owne soules bound over in their consciences to the judgement of him after death whose judgement they would none of in their lives And is it not equall that they should feele him a severe Iudge to condemne them whom they would not have a milde Iudge to rule them For Conclusion and generall application of all that hath beene spoken unto our selves We see the conflicting but yet sure and hopefull state of Gods people The victory lyeth not upon us but upon CHRIST who hath taken upon him as to conquer for us so to conquer in us The victory lyeth neither in our own strēgth to get nor in our enemies to defeat it If it lay upon us wee might justly feare But CHRIST will maintaine his owne government in us and take our part against our corruptions they are his Enemies as well as ours Let us therefore bee strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Let us not looke so much who are our enemies as who is our Iudge and Captaine not what they threaten but what he promiseth wee have more for us then against us What coward would not fight when he is sure of victory none are here overcome but he that will not sight Therefore when any base fainting seizeth upon us let us lay the blame where it is to bee layd Wee see here what wee may looke for from heaven O beloved it is a comfortable thing to conceive of CHRIST aright to know what love mercy strength we have layed up for us in the brest of CHRIST A good conceit of the Physitian we say is halfe the cure Let us not suffer Sathan to transforme Christ unto us to bee otherwise then he is to those that are his Let us make use of this his mercy and power everie day in our daily combats CHRIST will not leave us till he hath made us like himselfe all glorious within and without and presented us blamelesse before his Father What a comfort is this in our conflicts with our unruly hearts that it shall not alwaies be thus let us strive a little while and we shall bee happy for ever Let us thinke when wee are troubled with our sinnes that CHRIST hath this in charge of his Father That he shall not quench the smoaking slaxe untill hee hath subdued all This putteth a sheild into our hands to beat backe all the fiery darts of Sathan he will object thou art a great sinner we may answer CHRIST is a strong Saviour but he will object thou hast no faith no love Yes a sparke of faith and love but CHRIST will not regard that Yes he will not quench the smoaking flaxe But this is so little and weake that it will vanish and come to nought Nay but CHRIST will cherish it untill hee hath brought judgment to victory And thus much for our comfort we have already that even when we first beleeved we overcame God himself as it were by beleeving the pardon of all our sinnes notwithstanding the guilt of our owne consciences and his absolute justice Now having beene prevailers with GOD what shall stand against us if we can learne to make use of our faith O what a confusion is this to Sathan that hee should labour to blow out a poore sparke and yet should not bee able to quench it that a graine of Mustard seed should bee stronger then the gates of Hell that it should be able to remove mountaines of oppositions and temptations cast up by Sathan and our rebellious hearts between GOD and us Abimelech could not indure that it should bee said a Woman had slaine him and it must needs be a Torment to Sathan that a weake childe a woman and decrepit old man should by a spirit of faith put him to flight Since there is such comfort where there is a little truth of grace that it will be so victorious Let us oft try what GOD hath wrought in us search our good as well as our ill and be thankfull to GOD for the least measure of grace more then for any outward
no helpe in himselfe is carried with restlesse desire to have supplie from another with some hope which a little raiseth him out of himselfe to Christ though hee dareth not claime any present interest of mercy This sparke of hope being opposed by doubtings and feares rising from Corruption maketh him as smoaking flax so that both these together A bruised reed and smoaking flax make up the state of a poore distressed man such an one our Saviour Christ termeth Poore in spirit Math. 5. who seeth a want withall seeth himselfe indebted to divine Iustice no meanes of ◅uppie frō himselfe or the Creature and thereupon mournes and upon some hope of mercy from the promise exāples of those that have obtained mercy is stirred up to hunger thirst after it This bruising is required before conuersion that so the spirit may make way for it selfe into the heart by levelling all proud high thoughts and that wee may understand our selves to be what indeed we are by nature we love to wander from our selves and to be strangers at home till GOD bruiseth us by one Crosse or other and then wee bethinke our selves and come home to our selves with the Prodigall A marvellous hard thing it is to bring a dull and a shifting heart to cry with feeling for mercy Our hearts like malefactors untill they be beaten from all shifts never cry for the mercy of the Iudge Againe this bruising maketh us set a high price upon CHRIST the Gospell is the Gospell indeed then then the fig-leaves of morality will doe us no good and it maketh us more thankefull and from thankefulnesse more fruitfull in our lives For what maketh many so cold and barren but that bruising for sinne never indeered Gods Grace unto them Likewise this dealing of God doth establish us the more in his wayes having had knockes and bruisings in our owne wayes This is the cause oft of relapses apostasies because men never smarted for sinne at the first they were not long enough under the lash of the Law Hence this inferiour work of the Spirit in bringing downe high thoughts is necessary before conversion And for the most part the Holy Spirit to further the worke of conviction ioyneth some afflictiō which sanctified hath a healing purging power Nay after Conversion wee neede bruising that reedes may know themselves to be reedes not Oakes Even Reedes need bruising by reason of the remainder of pride in our nature and to let us see that we live by mercy and that weaker Christians may not be too much discouraged when they see stronger shaken and bruised Thus Peter was bruised when he wept bitterly This Reed til he met with this bruise had more wind in him then pith Though all forsake thee I will not c. The people of God cannot be without these examples The Heroicall deeds of those great worthies comfort the Church not so much as their falls and bruises doe Thus David was bruised until he came to a free confession without guile of spirit nay his sorrowes did rise in his owne feeling unto the exquisite paine of breaking of bones Psalm 51. Thus Hezekiah complaines that God had broken his bones as a Lion Thus the Chosen vessell S. Paul needed the messenger of Satan to buffet him lest hee should bee lifted up above measure Hence wee learne that wee must not passe too harsh judgment upon our selves or others when God doth exercise us with bruising upon bruising There must bee a conformitie to our head Christ who was bruised for us that wee may know how much wee are bound unto him Profane spirits ignorant of Gods wayes in bringing his children to Heaven censure broken hearted Christians for desperate persons when as GOD is about a gratious good worke with them It is no easie matter to bring a man from Nature to Grace and from Grace to Glory so unyeelding and untractable are our hearts The second point is That Christ will not breake the bruised Reed Physitians though they put their Patients to much paine yet they will not destroy nature but raise it up by degrees Surgeons will launce and cut but not dismember A mother that hath a sicke and froward Child will not therfore cast it away and shall there bee more mercy in the streame then in the spring shall wee thinke there is more mercy in our selves then in GOD who planteth the affection of mercy in us But for further declaration of Christs mercy to all bruised Reedes Consider the comfortable relations hee hath taken upon him of Husband Shepherd Brother c. which hee will discharge to the utmost for shall others by his grace fulfill what hee calleth them unto and not he that out of his love hath taken upon him these relations so throughly founded upon his fathers assignement and his owne voluntary undertaking Consider his borrowed Names from the mildest Creatures as Lambe Henne c. to shew his tender care Consider his very name Iesus a Saviour givē him by GOD himselfe Consider his Office answerable to his name which is that he should heale the broken hearted Esay 61. 1. At his Baptisme the Holy Ghost sate on him in the shape of a Dove to shew that he should be a Dove-like gentle Mediator See the gracious manner of executing his Offices as a Prophet he came with blessing in his mouth Blessed be the poore in spirit c. and invited those to come to him whose hearts suggested most exceptions against themselves Come unto me all yee that are weary and heavy laden how did his boweis yearne when hee saw the people as sheepe without a Sheepherd he never turned any backe againe that came unto him though some went away of themselves Hee came to dye as a Priest for his enemies In the dayes of his flesh hee dictated a forme of prayer unto his Disciples and put Petitions unto GOD into their mouthes and his Spirit to intercede in their hearts and now makes intercession in heaven for weake Christians standing betweene Gods anger and them and shed teares for those that shed his blood so he is a meeke King he will admit mourners into his presence a King of poore and afflicted persons as hee hath beames of Majesty so hee hath bowels of mercies compassion A Prince of peace Why was hee tempted but that hee might succour those that are tempted What mercy may we not expect from so gracious a Mediatour that tooke our nature vpon him that hee might bee gracious hee is a Phisitian good at all diseases especially at the binding up of a broken heart that hee might heale our soules with a plaster of his owne blood and by that death save us which we were the procurers of our selves by our owne sinnes and hath he not the same bowels in heaven Saul Saul why persecutest thou me cryed the Head in heaven when the foot
given for that use to shew us the best way and to guide in the particular passages of life if otherwise it is but commoÌ„ light given onely for the good of others Some have light of Knowledge yet follow not that light but are guided by carnall reason and policie such as the Prophet speakes of All you that kindle 〈◊〉 fire walke in the light of your owne fire and in the sparkes that you have kindled but this you shall have of mine hand yee shall lye downe in sorrow GOD delights to confound carnall wisedome as enmitie to him and robbing him of his prerogative who is God onely wise We must therefore walke by his â—…ight and not the blaze of our owne fire God must light our candle Psal. 18. 28 or else we are like to abide in darknesse Those sparkes that are not kindled from heaven are not strong enough to keepe us from â—…ying downe in sorrow though they make a greater blaze and shew then the light from above as mad men doe greater things then sober but by 〈◊〉 false strength so the excesse of these mens ioy ariseth from a false light The candle of the wicked shal â—…e put out The light that some mâ—… have it is like lightning which after a sudden flaâ—… leaveth theÌ„ more in darknesse They can love thâ—… light as it shines but hatâ—… it as it discovers and directs A little holy lighâ—… will inable to keepe thâ—… word and not to betray Religion deny Christs name as CHRIST speaketh of the Church of Philadelphia Rev. 3. 8. Fourthly where thiâ—… fire is it will sever thingâ—… of divers natures shew a difference betweenâ—… things as gold and drosse It will sever betweene flesh and spirit and shew this is of Nature this of Grace All is not ill in a bad action or good in a good action There is gold in oare which God and his Spirit in us can distinguish A carnall mans hart is like a dungeon wherein is nothing to be seene but horrour and confusion this light maketh us judicious and humble upon clearer sight of Gods puritie and our owne uncleannes and maketh us able to discerne of the worke of the Spirit in another Fiftly so farre as a man is spirituall so far is light delightfull unto him as willing to see any thing amisse that he may reform and any further service discovered that hee may performe because he truly hateth ill and loveth good if hee goeth against light discovered hee will soone bee reclaimed because light hath a friendly party within him Whereupon at a little sight of his errour hee is soone counsellable as David in his intendment to kill Nabal and blesseth God afterwards when hee is stopped in an ill way In a carnal man the light breakes in upon him but he labours to shut the passages hee hath no delight to â—…ome to the light It is impossible before the spirit of grace hath subdued the hart but that it should sin against the light either by resisting of it or keeping it prisoner under base lusts burying it as it were in the earth or perverting of it and so making it an agent and factour for the flesh in searching out arguments to plead for it or abusing that little measure of light they have to keep out a greater higher and more heavenly light and so at length make that light they have a misleading guide to utter darknesse And the reason is that it hath no friend within the soule is in a contrary frame and light alwayes hindreth that sinfull peace that men are willing to speake to themselves whence we see it oft inrage men the more as the Sunne in the Spring breedeth aguiâ—…h distempers because it stirreth humours and doth not wast them There is nothing in the world more unquiet than the heart of a wicked man that sitteth under meanes of knowledge untill like a thiefe hee hath put out the candle that he may sinne with the lesse check Spirituall light is distinct it seeth spirituall good with application to our selves but common light is confused and le ts sin lye quiet Where fire is in any degree it will fight against the contrary matterâ—… GOD hath put irreconciliable hatred betweene light and darknesse at first so betweene good and ill flesh and spirit Grace will never joyne with sinne no more than fire with water Fire will mingle with no contrary but preserveth its owne purity and is never corrupted as other Elements are Therefore those that plead and plot for liberties of the flesh shew themselves strangers from the life of God Vpon this strife gracious men oft coÌ„plaine that they have no grace but they contradict themselves in their complaints as if a man that seeth should complaine he cannot see or complain that he is asleepe when the very complaint springing from a displeasure against sinne sheweth that there is something in him opposite to sinne Can a dead man complaine Some things though bad in themselves yet discover good as smoake discovers some fire Breaking out in the body shews strength of Nature Some infirmities discover more good than some seeming beautifull actions excesse of passion in opposing evil though not to bee justified yet sheweth a better spirit than a calme temper when there is just cause of being moved Better it is that the water should runne something muddily than not at all Iob had more grace in his distempers thaÌ„ his friends in their seeming wise cariage Actions soiled with some weaknesses are more accepted than complementall performances Fire where it is in the least measure is in some degree active so the least measure of grace is working as springing from the Spirit of GOD which from the working nature of it is compared to fire Nay in sinnes when there seemeth nothing active but corruption yet there is a contrarie principle which breaks the force of sinne so that it is not out of measure sinfull as in those that are carnall Fire maketh metalls pliable and malliable so doth Grace where it is begunne it worketh the heart to bee plyable and ready for all good impressions Vntractable spirits shew that they are not so much as smoaking flax Fire turneth all as much as it can to fire so grace maketh a gracious use even of naturall and civill things doth spiritualize them what another man doth onely civilly a gracious man will doe holily Sparkes by nature flye upwards so the spirit of Grace carrieth the soule Heaven-ward and setteth before us holy and heavenly aimes as it was kindled from heaven so it caries us back to heaven The part followeth the whole Fire mounteth upward so every spark to its owne element Where the aime and bent of the soule is God-wards there is grace though opposed The least measure of it is holy desires springing from faith and love for we cannot desire any thing which we doe not beleeve first to be and the desire of it issues from
prevaile against CHRIST or those that relye upon his power therefore his study is how to keepe us in our selves and in the creature but we must cary alwayes in our minds that that which is begun in self-confidence will end in shame The manner of Christs bringing forth judgement to victory is by letting us see a necessity of dependance upon him hence proceed those spirituall desertions wherein he often leaveth us to our selves both in regard of grace and comfort that we may know the Spring-head of these to be out of our selves Hence it is that in the Mount that is in extremities God is most seen Hence it is that we are saved by the grace of faith that carieth us out of our selves to relye upon another and that faith worketh best alone when it hath least outward support Hence it is that wee often faile in lesser conflicts and stand out in greater because in lesse we rest more in our selves in greater wee fly to the rock of our salvation which is higher then we Hence likewise it is that wee are stronger after foyles because hidden corruption undiscerned before is now discovered and thence wee are brought to make use of mercy pardoning and power supporting One maine ground of this dispensation is that wee should know it is Christ that giveth both the will and the deed and that as a voluntary worker according to his owne good pleasure And therefore we should workout our salvation in a jealous feare and trembling lost by unreverent and presumptuous walking wee give him cause to suspend his gracious influence and to leave us to the darknesse of our owne heart Those that are under CHRISTS governmēt have the spirit of Revelation whereby they see and feel a divine power sweetly strongly inabling thē for to preserve faith when they feele the contrary hope in a state hopelesse and love to GOD under signes of his displeasure and heavenly mindedness in the midst of worldly affaires alluremets drawing a contrary way they feel a power preserving patience nay joy in the midst of causes of mourning inward peace in the midst of assaults To make so little grace so victorious over so great a masse of corruption this requireth a spirit more then humane this is as to preserve fire in the sea and a part of heaven even as it were in hell Here wee know where to have this power and to whom to returne the praise of it And it is our happinesse that it is so safely hid in CHRIST for us in one so neere unto GOD and us Since the fall GOD will not trust us with our owne salvation but it is both purchased and kept by CHRIST for us we for it through faith wrought by the power of GOD and laying hold of the same which power is gloriously set forth by Saint Paul I to be a great power 2 an exceeding power 3 a working and a mighty power 4 such a power as was wrought in raising Christ from the dead That grace which is but a perswasive offer and in our pleasure to receive or refuse is not that grace which brings us to heaven but Gods people feel a powerfull work of the Spirit not onely revealing unto us our misery and deliverance through Christ but emptying us of our selves as being redeemed from our selves and infusing new life into us and after strengthning us and quickning of us when we droop and hang the wing and never leaving us till perfect conquest The fift conclusion is that this prevailing Government shall not bee without fighting there can be no victory where there is no combate in Esay it is said hee shall bring judgment in truth here it is said he shall send forth judgment into victory The word send forth hath a stronger sense in the originall to send forth with force to shew that where his government is in truth it will be opposed untill he getteth the upper hand Nothing is so opposed as CHRIST and his government both with in us and without us And within us most in our first conversion though corruptiō prevailes not so farre as to make voyd the powerfull worke of grace yet there is not onely a possibility of opposing but a proannesse to oppose and not onely a proanness but an actuall withstanding the working of CHRISTS Spirit and that in every action but yet no prevailing resistance so far as to make void the worke of grace but corruption in the issue yeelds to grace There is much adoc to bring CHRIST into the heart and to settle a Tribunall for him to judge there there is an army of lusts mutiny against him The utmost strength of most mens indeavours and parts is to keepe CHRIST from ruling in the soule the flesh still laboureth to maintaine its owne regency and therefore it cryes downe the credit of whatsoever crosseth it as Gods blessed ordinances c. and highly prizeth any thing though never so dead and empty if it give way to the liberty of the flesh And no marvaile if the spirituall government of CHRIST be so opposed 1 because it is governmēt that limits the course of the will and casteth a bridle upon its wanderings every thing naturally resists what opposeth it so corrupt will labours to beare downe all Lawes and counteth it a generous thing not to be awed and an argument of a low spirit to feare any even GOD himselfe untill unavoydable danger seizeth on men and then those that feared least out of danger feare most in danger as we see in Balthazar 2 It is spiritual government and therefore the lesse will flesh indure it Christs government bringeth the very thoughts desires which are the most immediate and free issue of the soule into obedience though a man were of so composed a cariage that his whole life were free from outward offensive breaches yet with Christ to bee carnally or worldly mindeded is death he looketh on a worldly mind with greater detestation then any one particular offence But Christs Spirit is in those who are in some degree earthly minded True it is but not as an allower and maintainer but as an opposer subduer and in the end as a Conquerour Carnall men would faine bring Christ and the flesh together and could bee content with some reservation to submit to Christ but Christ will be no underling to any base affection and therfore where there is allowance of our selves in any sinsull lust it is a signe the Keyes were never given up to Christ to rule us 3 Because it is judgement and men love not to be judged and censured Now Christ in his truth arraigneth them giveth sentence against them and bindeth them over to the latter judgement of the great day And therefore they take upon them to judge that truth that must judge them but truth will bee too good for them Man hath a day now which Saint Paul calls mans day