what element doth most predominate accordingly is their motion either upward or downward now in this regenerate person his nature is now changed and he hath a spiritual resurrection that as the body when that shall rise will lose its gravity and burdensomness for we shall meet the Lord in the Air even with our bodies So the soul in this life made partaker of a spiritual resurrection hath cast off those burdens and clogs that did press it down to the creature and ascends up to communion with God and Christ And besides this general Cause there are some peculiar qualifications which provoke the godly man to esteem the Grace and Peace of God above all things As 1. The sense of the sting of sin and the bitter guilt thereof is that which makes a man go out of himself and all creatures to have some supply and comfort Alas the soul thus broken and contrite for sinne is like that diseased woman that had spent all she had upon Physicians and yet she was as bad as ever till Christ cured her So that the grace of God and Gospel peace is the only oil that can be poured into this wound Come to a David who complaineth God had hid his face yea his bones were broken and all his desirable things perish and tell him while thus affected That he had a glorious Kingdom many outward mercies and delights he might rejoyce in What good would this musick do to his sad heart Oh it 's something else that must cure him No creature no wealth can do it but peace from God and this made him while in those conflicts but getting some victory breathe out so affectionately Psal 32. 1. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne not blessed is he who hath the good things and pleasures of the world who liveth at his hearts ease but whose sinne is pardoned Thus the guilt of sinne maketh him esteem Grace and Peace 2. Those spiritual desertions and temptations which sometimes the dearest of Gods children feel do make them esteem of the favour of God the possession of that more than any thing They sit as Rachel refusing to be comforted till they have obtained this How precious was the presence of Christ to the Church When she had lost him then she will hold him and not let him go as the night or the eclipse maketh the Sunne more precious Where there is nothing but sense of unworthiness what is more welcome than grace Where there is a desert of hell and damnation where the soul hath cause to expect nothing but the frowns and vengeance of God there to meet with grace and favour Oh how welcome is this Thus the heart which hath continual fears tumult and warre within it self to have peace and that with God such a peace as no outward misery can take away What unspeakable refreshments are these It is these dark and cloudy thoughts that make the least beams of Gods face shining upon them more than all the enjoyments of this world 3. The experimental taste and sweetness which they have of heavenly things maketh them undervalue all things else If the Prodigal after he had eaten of the satted Calf and been refreshed in his fathers house had returned again to his husks how unsufferable had it been This aggravated the Israelites ingratitude that after they had eaten Manna they should desire the garlick of Egypt The Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 2. 2 3. exhorting them to desire the sincere milk of the Word to be as much affected with it and delight in as children with their milk he addeth If so be ye have tasted how good God is implying that this tasting this experimental trial of the goodness and grace of God in Christ is that which will make them still long for more and more of God It 's no wonder that natural men are never affected with these Gospel-promises they never knew better they were never acquainted with better and therefore they cannot desire it but thou hast known how good God is thou hast had the first-fruits of Heaven and glory upon thy soul and therefore thou dost still importune for more and desire more of Gods presence never saying It is enough In the next place Let us consider the Reasons why the gracious heart doth thus desire heavenly things above all outward advantages whatsoever And First Because these spiritual objects have only universal sufficiency and fulness in them to satisfie and content the heart If God be reconciled if he be our God what then can be wanting to our happiness Thus David acknowledged when he said Whom have I in Heaven but thee and none in earth in comparison of thee And Psal â—3 how contented and happy is he in having God his God The creatures they are but as a drop they have only a limited goodness but God is the ocean there is nothing wanting Hence it is that because the glorified Saints have a beatifical vision of God therefore they cannot sin they cannot immoderately desire any thing else Secondly These spiritual mercies they are everlasting and eternal If the Apostle had wished honours wealth long life to them yet all these would have been but for a moment comparatively they could not have continued with them alwayes whereas the favour of God and the effects thereof they are to all eternity whom God taketh into his favour he never casteth out How many men have been in grace and favour with the Potentates of the world yet at last cast off and ended their dayes tragically Haman may be a constant instance of the inconstant grace and favour of men but whom God receiveth into this favour he will never abhorre again Such gifts as these are without repentence Oh then press hard for this use an holy violence for this This will never leave thee till it hath made thee eternally happy The Manna that was gathered for any day of the week would last but that night but that which was treasured up for the Sabbath-day would continue longer Thus the things laid up for this life they will quickly vanish but what is in reference to Heaven and our Sabbath or rest there that will continue alwayes Use of Instruction To teach us what we are most to desire for our selves or others What should Ministers most wish for the people even that they might have this grace this peace in the Text And you should above all things desire it for your selves Oh then take heed of such wayes such courses as drive away Gods grace and his peace What peace can there be as Jehu said as long as whoredoms were in the Land See that notable place Isa 57. 21. There is no peace saith my God to the wicked What canst thou expect Gods grace to pardon while thou hast no grace in thy own heart This also teacheth parents what they should in the first place pray for their children as also friends for their acquaintance even this grace of God How
for hereby this gracious worke of God is differenced from all Enthusiastical delusions or from those prophetical extasies which the Prophets of God sometimes did partake off from that rapture Paul was in when he said Whether he was in the body or out of the body he did not know No we are not to expect such immediate operations of the Spirit upon us where the Spirit shall be both the efficient cause and the object also Neither may we hearken after some voice of Gods Spirit or immediate testimony within saying to us as sometimes a voice spake to Christ This is my beloved Sonne We may not expect that Christ should say to thee after some visible manner as he did to Mary Magdalen Be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiven thee We are not to hearken to such Doctrines that may presse for such a witnessing but we must give care to what the Spirit of God speaketh in the Scripture and so expect to have this confirmation and sealing by those meanes which he hath appointed Even as it is in the Doctrine of the Scripture it is the Spirit of God that doth fully assure the hearts of believers that it is Gods word But how doth it thus perswade the soul Not by any immediate testimony but by these implanted arguments therein as the holinesse of the matter the majesty of the style c. by which this undoubted perswasion is wrought in us Thus it is in this worke of sealing the Spirit of God though it be the efficient cause of it yet it is in such an order and way as he hath appointed For we must not thinke that it is suitable to the workings of Gods Spirit that we should have a blinde perswasion in us whereby we are assured onely we know not why and we are not able to give any reason that we are assured but because we are assured The Spirit of God attemperateth its operations to our rational nature But what are those meanes and wayes whereby the holy Spirit doth thus assure us They are either External or Internal External are two-fold First By the Sacraments in the right use of them the Spirit of God doth assure us Hence you heard the Sacraments are called seales neither may we thinke that Christ hath appointed these Ordinances in a barren formal and empty manner No God will accompany his owne Ordinance to the right receiver and therefore as truly as he received the bread and wine so truly is he also made partaker of Christs body and blood Whereas then the promises are indefinitely propounded the Sacraments they are particular applied and by these the Spirit of God doth assure us of our interest in the promises Secondly Another External way is By those notes and markes which are given of such to whom the promises doe belong The Scripture doth not onely declare the promises but characterizeth the persons to whom they doe infallibly belong Insomuch that he who findeth he doth truely beleeve and repent He that findeth he is made a new creature such an one may as undoubtedly conclude being enabled thereunto by the Spirit of God that the promises doe in particular belong to him as if he were named as if it were said Thou Thomas and Thou John thou art received into the favour of God So that this particular doth evacuate all those boasts and confidences which many may have of Gods love towards them seeing the marks and signs are not applicable unto them which the promises do require But these I call External There are Internal Qualifications by which the Spirit of God doth thus perswade and assure us not that they are a cause or that we are to put confidence in them but by them as signes and effects of Gods gracious love we come to be assured of the love it selfe As by the Rain-bow we come to be assured that God will not drowne the world again I shall not enlarge upon these having had opportunity from some passages in this Chapter to speak thereunto The first particular signe or marke by which the Spirit of God doth interest or seale unto that I shall instance in is The sanctified and savoury improvement of afflictions Such as are chastened from the Lord and taught by him these may unquestionably conclude Gods special love towards them Hebr. 12. Revel 3. The Scripture doth in those places abundantly evidence that whosoever is a sonne of God is afflicted by him Insomuch that he who hath no chastisements is to thinke that he is a bastard and not a sonne Now this is not to be understood of afflictions themselves meerly as so but as sanctified as working to our spirituall good And when they have this blessed fruit it is as comfortable an argument to be assured of Gods grace towards us as any may be thought on The Apostle maketh this a sure effect of Predestination Romans 8. 26. He did also predestinate us to be conformed to the image of his Sonne which is partly in suffering as he did that so we might be glorified as he was Look then with a more comfortable face upon afflictions than thou hast done Doe not flie from them with fear as Moses from his Rod when turned into a Serpent For when these doe worke to thy spiritual good when they are like fire to make the gold lesse drossie when they are like winnowing to purge the wheat from its chaffe then know this is an assured testimony of Gods favour Thou needest not say Who will goe up into Heaven What messenger will come immediately from God to perswade my soule of Gods favour towards me For the testimony is on earth it is neare thee doe not cast thy eyes from it Secondly A second signe or meanes by which we come to this sealing is The observation and experience of Gods gracious presence in us and with us whereby we are preserved from some and kept either from or in such temptations that might have undone us When we finde that grace accompanying of us which David prayed for Psalm 19. to keep us back from sinning As the childe of God hath the Angels of Heaven to take care of him they have it in charge to hold him as it were in their armes as a Nurse doth her little childe so is he also inwardly fortified by inherent grace to keepe him in his wayes to Heaven he hath habitual grace and actual grace and he hath preventing grace and co-operating he hath exciting and persevering grace Now that man who observeth how richly and mercifully the grace of God putteth it selfe forth in these several effects how often when he is ready to goe astray the grace of God seeketh him out how often grace prevented and excited him else he had beene swallowed up in such deepe gulphs of sinne he I say that findeth such prevenitng concomitant and subsequent grace of God he that findeth this Rock Christ to follow him with gracious effects as some say the waters out of
ordinary Pastours succeed the Apostles in what they had as ordinary viz. to preach the Word and dispense the Sacraments Lastly Though thus admirably qualified yet they did not convert all before them But many resisted their Doctrine many grew enemies and opposite to them Insomuch that all but John were put to violent deaths It 's then no wonder if ordinary Pastors do not reform a whole Congregation if they be hated and opposed for can they expect to be better than the Apostles Do not then think with your selves if we had such as the Apostles to preach to us immediately called of God and that could confirme their Doctrine by miracles then we would presently submit This is but deceit and hypocrisie And certainly though the Apostles be taken from us yet we have their Doctrine Paul speaketh by his Epistles to us still We need not with Austin wish to hear Paul preaching SERM. V. The Divine Call of Church-Officers is clearly to be knowne and faithfully to be improved What advantages will follow upon a true Call both to the Officers themselves and the People 2 COR. 1. 1. Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ c. VVE have considered Paul under the second adjunct attributed to him viz. his Apostleship Paul an Apostle whereupon we treated on the Office of the Apostles We proceed to a second Observation For whereas Paul doth therefore mention his Call to that glorious Office thereby to be received with greater reverence and authority as also to encourage himself against those false Apostles who used their utmost endeavour to bring him into reproach with the Corinthians We may thence observe this That it is of great consequence both to the Ministers of God and the people to be fully informed of that Divine Call which the Officers of the Church have towards them That they who preach may be able to say We come in the Name of the Lord to you It is not we that have obtruded our selves but God that hath invested us with this Office over you And they also who hear may say We esteem of you as the stewards of God we receive you as Embassadors from the Lord to us To pursue this first Consider that there are many large disputes both in old and later writers about the Call of Church-officers As the truth it self is subject to many difficulties So the perverse disputes of men have made it more intricate and intangled onely this we may observe That the several parties which are in Religion that hold any Ministry or such an Office at all and that by Divine Institution for some deny such an Institution they still monopolize and appropriate the Call to themselves with them onely is the true Church with them only are the true Officers of the Church And no doubt that way of Religion which can say with them only is the true Call and the true Church-officers and the right administration of Ordinances doth infinitely excell all other waies For Gods promise and success doth accompany only his own Officers and his own Ordinances As the people of God will not hear a stranger but flee from him so neither will God go along with such strangers It 's only to his Apostles and their Successours that he promiseth to be with to the end of the world Therefore that Church who can upon just grounds say that with us are the true Officers with us are Christs institutions punctually observed no doubt but with them is Christ present and with them is the Kingdom of Heaven This was the great advantage Abijah pleaded in his Remonstrance against Jeroboam who had devised a new Ministry and a new worship 2 Chron. 13. 9 10 11. Where he pleads That in Jerusalem was the true succession of Priests and there was the charge of God kept and that therefore God himself was with them To have therefore a true Call is of so great concernment that all pretend to it The Papist chargeth the Protestant That their Ministers have no true Call The Protestant returneth the same charge to them The Brownist he saith neither Papist nor Protestant have true Calls Yea and the Protestants themselves because of their different opinions in Church-Government have also different opinions about the Call of Church-officers So that it being of such consequence no wonder if the Devil keep up this controveesie as much as may be in the Church especially if he pursue this designe to make the world believe That the faithfull Ministers of God have no true Call for this is to strike at the very root of all Hence it is also That in the several ages of the Church there have been false Prophets and false Apostles Yea our Saviour Mat. 26. saith There will be also false Christs and the Apostle saith The Devil transformeth himself into an angel of light 2 Cor. 11. 14. But my intent is not at this time to dispute the Nature of a Ministers Call and how you may discern it from false Calls when you may conclude the Minister you live under hath a true Call For all this will be more properly handled towards the the end of this Epistle when the Apostle is compelled to plead his Call against those that questioned it In the second place It 's not enough to plead a Call and that a true one unless there be also a faithfull improving of it unless the Office be executed according to the institution of it Paul doth not glory in the meer Title and Office of an Apostleship but supposeth also his faithfull dispensation of it Yea he was so carefull herein that he professeth He knew nothing by himself viz. of negligent and ill administration in this Office 1 Cor. 4. 2. Yea he saith That he kept his body lest while he preached to others he himself should become a reprobate 1 Cor. 9. 27. Judas was an Apostle yet he had little cause to boast in that Office seeing he was a Devil at the same time Grant therefore that some may make it clear that they have a Call from God yet if they are not faithfull and diligent therein the greater will be their condemnation be Suppose the Pope could prove which yet he can never do that he doth succeed Peter and that in Universal Jurisdiction yet if he did not succeed likewise Peter in his Doctrine in his diligence and life he were inexcusable and well did the Painter draw Peter with too red a colour as blushing at the enormities of his Successours So that two things go to make a compleat Officer in the Church his Divine Call and his faithfull administration thereof and this later is necessary because without diligence therein he cannot expect that promise and assistance of God which otherwise would be communicated unto him These things premised let us consider what are the great practical concernments which will follow those who have a true Call of God And First For the Officers themselves there are these encouragements 1.
shels in comparison of that Manna that spiritual favour I am made partaker of As therefore the spiritual man when in outward miseries and straights is not so much grieved under those outward calamities as because he hath sinned and God is offended So neither in outward mercies is the same gracious soul so much affected with the comforts it enjoyeth as that the light of Gods countenance doth shine upon him that he hath an evidence of propriety and interest in Christ this he would not lose for all the Kingdoms of the world Let us press this the more because even the most holy are apt to be affected more with sensible mercies than spiritual Nature teacheth them the one but Grace the other For as we are apt to desire temporal things above spiritual so also to be affected with and bless God for one more than another But take these few Motives to provoke thee to bless God for spiritual mercies which are of two sorts External as the means of grace and the Ordinances or Internal the inward sanctification and justification of our persons As 1. That if thou hadst more mercies than Solomon if thou hadst all thy soul can desire in these outward things yet if without spiritual mercies thou judgest thy condition is cursed and to be lamented Therefore Psal 4. when the natural persons of the world cried out Who will shew us any good David as knowing a better and more solid good prayeth God would lift up the light of his countenance upon him And therefore he that hath the least drop of grace is more bound to bless God then he that may have all the glory and plenty in the world Oh then why art thou not more sollicitous saying what is this wealth without Gods favor What is it to say this house is mine this estate is mine but am not able to say God is mine but if God doth evidence himself to thee then over-look all thy outward comforts put the Ecce the Selah upon what is spiritual This is like the Sunne which is farre above all the Starres It is this that makes all outward mercies mercies they are no wayes good to thee but snares and temptations to draw out thy sins So that thy condemnation in hell will be the hotter if thou doest not enjoy spiritual mercies with them 2. Be in the first place affected with spiritual mercies Because Christ shewed his love to thee most in these it was for these he died The Scripture doth exceedingly commend to us the love of Christ in his death Now what are the effects of Christs death Are they chiefly to make us rich great or honoured in this world No it is for remission of sinne it 's for holiness and power over the Devil Certainly if Christ died to purchase these for thee thou art very unthankfull if thy heart be not most inlarged to bless God for them 3. Spiritual mercies are the chiefest object of our praises Because these onely can truly satisfie the soul these only are a sound cause of rejoycing The heart of a man is never satisfied with temporal mercies but the more he drinketh of them the more thirsty still he is When Solomon hath made an experience of all his Motto is That they are vexation of spirit as well as vanity whereas the pardon of sinne and the Spirit of Christ working in us these afford uninterrupted causes of joy 4. The soul-mercies will abide for ever thou canst not lose thy title and interest in them but all these earthly comforts are as the flower which presently withereth thou hast them to day and they may be removed to morrow Be sure then that thy blessing of God keepeth that method which the nature of mercies doth require above all things Let thy soul melt with joy in blessing of God for what he hath done to thy soul Lastly Consideration remembring and fixed meditation upon the mercies of God is that which will greatly inflame the soul to give all glory and honour to him The heart is not easily and quickly put into a blessing frame there must be polishing and fashioning of it and there is no such way for this as true consideration When David calls upon himself so much to glorifie God this implieth that he found his soul dull heavy and unfit for that duty The heart will not boil over in meditation unless it be long upon this fire Psal 45. 1. David there calls his inditing the boyling or bubling of his heart we are apt to forget Gods mercies or when we do think of them they are but transistory and ambulatory It is Gods goodnesse or I bless God and there is all whereas when we bless God our souls should be raised up into divine inflammations we should be as Elijah who was carried up to Heaven in a Chariot of fire whereas the soul is at other times abridged or epitomized but in short characters in the praises of God it should be voluminous as you see David in Psalms 103 104 105 106 and 107. very large in the enumeration of all Gods benefits which intimateth That the soul ought to be extended in all its dimensions while it sets upon this work And certainly meditation is like the birds sitting on the egge not leaving it till it hath produced a live young one This will so often work upon the soul that at last there will be heavenly and supernatural life for several aggravations will the meditating heart find in every blessing it doth possess As 1. It will admire the power and strength of God in every mercy especially in soul-mercies That God should change such a stubborn heart as thine was That God should give thee eyes to see that hast been blind so long That God should give thee life who wast dead and putrifying in the grave of sinne This will make thee wonder at the glorious power of God Again The Wisdome of God if that be considered in every mercy this will also greatly inlarge to thankefulnesse Gods mercies are not only mercies in themselves but they come in such fit seasons they are at such times and opportunities that this maketh them double mercies and so some have observed this difference between blessing and praising of God Blessing of God is because of the goodnesse of the mercy Praising is for the wisdome and curious workmanship of God as it were in that mercy As if a friend who also was himself the maker of a curious Watch should bestow it upon you as a gift you would not only thank him for his love but praise his skill and art likewise Thus we are not only to consider the mercies God giveth us but the wisdome that God demonstrateth at that very time making every mercy to be with an aggravation Again Meditation will inflame by apprehending of Gods freenesse in every mercy and our unworthinesse We could do nothing that may provoke God especially this we are to aggravate in our spiritual mercies as Paul doth often excluding
perswaded this as a special help to premeditate on evils before they came Others they refused this as making a man miserable before he was so Others supported themselves with the thoughts of necessity and that it could not be otherwise But of all these we may say as Job to his friends Ye are miserable comforters and are of no more advantage then the rending of garments or pulling off the hair in grief which Bion derided in one as if a bald head would take away grief We therefore conclude That no Philosophers had the true art or grounds of comfort and that 1. Because they were wholly ignorant of Jesus Christ in whom alone is all the cause of comfort Therefore he is called our Peace and he is said to be the Prince of peace Foelicissimum est cui non est opus foelicitate and such an one is the man in Christ for he will never thirst more than hath drunk of that fountain No sinne no guilt no curse can be removed but by the bloud of Christ Insomuch that all their Philosophical precepts about comfort were as the influence of the Moon which doth rather rotten than ripen in respect of the Sunnes influence 2. They were without the Spirit of Christ the efficient cause of comfort Christ is the subject matter in whom alone we can have comfort and the Spirit of God is the efficient cause that doth alone give a comfortable and glad heart 3. They were altogether unbelieving of a Resurrection to leternal glory which is an admirable ground of all true joy This the Apostle presseth against immoderate sorrow about those that are dead Not to grieve as those that are without hope Lastly They were wholly unacquainted with the life of faith that is only instrumental to receive joy Use of Exhortation in all thy tribulations to look up to God in Christ for comfort Thou runnest to this creature to comfort and thou thinkest this and that condition would comfort thee but how can the chanel have any thing in it if the fountain doth not give it Say not it 's thy affliction so greatly to be aggravated that makes thee disconsolate No it is for want of Gods presence in it SERM. XXXIX What are these Apples which Christ refresheth his Spouse with Or what are those Scripture-grounds of comfort which support the hearts of Gods children under all their afflictions 2 COR. 1. 4. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation THere is no tribulation either for the kind or degree of it but God can and doth comfort his people therein It is therefore requisite to know what are those cordial comforts what is that balm and oyl by which he healeth the wounds of his afflicted ones For seeing Gods comforts do farre exceed all Philosophical remedies as much as the Sunne doth a Gloworm And Paul's admirable temperament I know how to abound and how to want doth infinitely transcend that so much celebrated carriage of Socrates who was noted to be alwayes Eodem vultu let whatsoever befall him It is very usefull to know what are these Apples of comfort as the Church calleth for Cant. 2. 5. And the rather this is to be done because many of Gods children are deficient in a three-fold respect about Gods consolations For either 1. They are in a great manner ignorant of what foundations and sure grounds they have of comfort They do not know what fountains of living water they may abundantly bathe themselves in They are as Elisha's servant who though there was a great host of Angels to help him yet he did not see them So that the Spirit of God doth not only illuminate us in the matter of duty but also in matter of comfort hence he is called The Comforter Or 2. Though they know many arguments of comfort yet their memory faileth them that in the very hour of their temptations in the midst of their furious assaults they forget what comfortable supports they might make use of So that it is good to preach of these principles of consolation that thereby we may be remembrancers to you and put you in mind of that joy which in the midst of your afflictions your corruptions and the Devils temptations are so apt to strike out As the Disciples were sometimes blamed for their forgetfulness they did not remember the miracle of loaves Thus also the children of God may often rebuke themselves and with David say Why wast thou cast down O my soul And why wast thou so troubled within thee Hadst thou thought on such a promise such a place of Scripture Hadst thou remembred such a precious and sweet truth the temptation had not prevailed so much upon thee Come we then to lead you up into the Mount of transfiguration let us see even in this life as farre as our narrow hearts can comprehend What are the good things God hath prepared for those that love him And First Take this for a foundation That God comforts only through and by the Scriptures He must enter into this pool that will feel these consolations descending upon him he must buy this field of the Scriptures that will have this pearl hidden there The Spirit of God is that indeed which doth efficiently reach to the soul and make it to receive comfort but the means by which or the harp as it were whereby the evil spirit of sorrow and dejection is removed is by the word of God So that as the Spirit of God doth powerfully change and alter the heart yet the word is organically and instrumentally used for that end So though the Spirit of God be the Comforter yet it is through the Word Hence the Apostle Rom. 15. 4. That we through comfort of the Scriptures might have hope And David doth not only admire the word of God because it fore-warneth of sinne quickeneth up to duty but also because it was a reviving comforting Word whereby he was kept from fainting and being utterly overwhelmed in his troubles And this is the more to be considered by the godly that so they may not be deluded by false joyes When the Devil is said to transform himself into an Angel of light 2 Cor. 11. 14. that is into light of comfort as well as of truth There are false joyes there are comforts from the Devil as well as doctrines of the Devil The Papist hath his comforts The Socinian the Antinomian all these have a spirit of delusion in their joyes as well as in their opinion The Spirit of God doth first lead into truth before it vouchsafeth comfort But we detain you too long The first ground therefore of Scripture that may be had out of the treasury thereof is this viz. That all the tribulations we fall into they are precisely determined by God as a Father out of much love both in regard of the beginning of them the degree of them as also the continuance of them And if this truth be well rumiated and digested here is
experimental knowledge which may be accompanied with some kind of sensible affections Mat. 13. the temporary believer received the word with joy You see then that some may have joy and that from the Word yet this not be the true saving knowledge or faith Heb. 6. some are there also said not only to be inlightened but to have tasted the good word of God Here you may observe that some may tast may have joy all which do inferre some affectionate inward experimental workings on the soul and yet not attain to have the true and honest heart And the reason is because these affectionate workings they are but transitory they quickly vanish away There is no setled constancy or permanency in them So that we are not to give credit to all the affections nor to all inlargements that we may find in our selves even about holy things but we are to be sure that there be deep rooting enough Hence Fourthly All experimental workings of the soul are to be judged and tryed by the Scripture Our hearts being full of guile and imposture the devil also transforming himself into an Angel of light hence it may come about that we may have the experience of much joy of many inlargements and yet all the while be in the devils waies Hence it is that all Sectaries almost will tell us of the great support and comfort they have had and that ever since they embraced those new waies yea some make themselves to be the only spiritual men that all other are in the flesh as Tertullian wrote a Book against the Orthodox stiling it Contra Psachicos as those that were meerly natural in the mean time he pretended to private revelations The experiences therefore which we find in our souls we must examine and try lest we make that to be of God which is indeed of the devil No doubt many deluded souls in dangerous and damnable waies comfort others of the same way with them by that comfort wherewith they are comforted not of God but of the devil Therefore let our experiences especially of comfort be judged by the Word in these Particulars First In the manner and way how thou comest by them Are they by the Scriptures truly understood I say truly understood For if thou abusest Scripture putting thy own sense upon it and thereby receiving comfort it is no longer then Verbum Dei but verbum tuum thou wrestest it and makest it thy own or the devils and not Gods If therefore thy experience of comfort be grounded on the Word if thy consolation flow from hence then this will abide That we through comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Rom. 15. 4. The Spirit of God doth first lead into all truth and then into all comfort Secondly In the original and the efficient cause is it from God from the Spirit of God Or from the devil who may harden thy heart and make thee have such joy as mad men have not feeling their own misery The comfort and the joy that is truly so is still attributed to God and the Holy Ghost as the fountains thereof Thirdly Doth thy experience of Consolation make thee more humble and empty Doth it drive thee out of all thy vain carnal confidences This argueth it cometh from God if with the Centurian when Christ cometh to thy soul thou sayest Lord I am unworthy this joy this consolation should enter into me And therefore the more comfort the more lowly and debased in thy own eyes And never more then when the most joy This is a good experience of comfort as coming from God So also if this comfort be conducing to holinesse if by this thou art more quickned to mortifie sinne to subdue the corruptions that remain if this be like oyl to the wheeles thou art more fervent more zealous in all holy duties then make much of this comfort for it cometh from Heaven If then we have the experience of Gods working upon our souls both in the way of grace and the way of comfort then and never till then are we fitted to deal with the souls of others And there are these Reasons First None can wisely be a Physician to heal a disease in another unlesse he have skill and understanding in the nature of it and the fit remedy for it Now while a man hath no experimental knowledge of Gods workings upon his own soul he hath no skill no heavenly heart about the diseases in others souls Bring a poor wounded soul that is burdned with sinne that would be directed into Evangelical comforts to a Pharisaical self-righteous Doctor and alas he will as Ely thought the poor weeping woman bitter in soul and praying to God to be drunk so will these think such an one mad and foolish Hence you heard Christ would be tempted as we are that he might succour those that are tempted that he might have the tongue of the learned to speak to such who are weary Those that have not been thus humbled thus exercised thus comforted they are no waies able to be any helpfull comforters but like the Priest and the Levite will passe by those who are thus wounded Secondly As such can have no skill or understanding so they cannot have any sutablenesse of pity and compassion to those that are so afflicted in spirit and needed comfort She said Non ignara mali miseris c. The experience she had of miseries made her pity those that were in the like God would have the Jews be kind to strangers because they had once been strangers themselves Thou that hast been in the deep waters of Gods wrath thou that knowest how insupportable it is to feel the frowns and wrath of God for sin with what melting bowels with what pittifull affections wilt thou be like the good Samaritan Hence it is that as the Lord Christ himself did conflict with the wrath of God being in unspeakable agonies so also many of the choicest servants of God especially Ministers have been under the harrow and hammer of these desertions that they may be more polished for Gods building Luther doth manifest in several places what the great works of God were that he felt on himself so that though of a stout and undaunted spirit yet the anger of God did beat him to powder and finding no help for his afflicted soul in any Popish Principles no more then the Dove could place of abode while the waters did overflow at last when it pleased God to comfort him by Evangelical comforts through a right understanding of Christ and righteousnesse what a tree of life did his tongue become to others How many did he comfort by those comforts God had comforted him Calvin also it 's noted of him that he was a man of deep and retired thoughts within yet did retain them much in his own brest and no doubt by this he was the more prepared to be an excellent Instrument in the Church of God We see
are to take as if no other part of the spiritual armoury would do any good unlesse we had faith Ephes 6. 16. Hence when Peter was to undergo Satans winnowings which were chiefly by persecutions Christ saith He prayed that his faith might not fail him Luk. 22. 32. not his fortitude patience or zeal but his faith because this is the root the tree can never fail as long as the root is good It was want of faith made many in times of persecution sacrifice to Idols and deliver the Bible to be burnt It was want of faith made Spira fall into so great an Apostasie Thus faith is the chief grace that inableth to suffer for Christ This makes weak strong and Lambs Lions Secondly Another qualification to suffer for Christ is Love a grace not indeed to be exalted above saith but yet as necessary in its sphere where it hath to do as that is and as faith so this love required in every sufferer doth discover it self two wayes There must be hearty love to God and Christ for whom we suffer and there must be love to man yea to our enemies and persecutors or else we shall lose the advantage of all our sufferings The Apostle speaketh fully to this 1 Cor. 13. 3. Though I give my body to be burned and have not charity it profiteth me nothing And what charity is this Even two-fold First A love of God and Christ If thou sufferest because of force and necessity thou canst not avoid it this is not to suffer rightly It must be true love to Christ and his glory that thou preferrest his glory above all thy comforts even life it self And indeed this is the greatest expression of thy love to Christ when thou canst die for him as Christ discovered his great love in dying for us A man that doth not love Christ cannot suffer for Christ The second act of charity is To love our enemies our persecutours While they are railing we are to pray while they are persecuting we are to blesse and truly by this we are known to be Christs Disciples more than by enlargements or any miracles When one met with a Christian and falling upon him in a great rage beating and buffeting of him saying What great thing did Christ ever do The Christian replyed Even this that though you beat and abuse me yet Christ hath taught me to pray for you If therefore malice and a revengefull spirit be predominant in thee while thou sufferest Oh consider this is not to suffer as Christ did Thirdly There is required in him that suffereth for Christ Spiritual fortitude and courage No such enemy to this duty of suffering as worldly fears and pusillanimity of spirit Indeed there is a godly fear whereby we have an holy jealousie of our strength and therefore rest alone upon Gods power and this is an excellent preservative against Apostasie in the hour of temptation Many that have been exceeding fearfull have yet been more faithfull and stout in the hour of danger then those who have been more confident as many instances in the History of the Martyrs will evidence When Peter was so presumptuous as to say Though all men should forsake thee yet I will not He proved more cowardly than any So that there is a good humble fear whereby we renounce our own strength and this we are to preserve But then there is a carnal worldly natural and excessive fear this is to be mortified Now against this Christian courage is the proper help but this is the gift of Gods Spirit Therefore none can suffer for Christ but such who have the Spirit of God inabling them It 's a gift to suffer not only by way of honour but also by way of power Hence when Stephen and others were inabled to be bold against their adversaries they are said to be filled with the holy Ghost And thus Timothy is exhorted to be strong in the grace of God 2 Tim. 2. 1. and to endure hardnesse as a good souldier of Christ So Ephes 6. 10. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might It is true Aristotle speaketh of fortitude a moral vertue despising deaths and dangers but he was ignorant of God and so giveth us a Gloworm in stead of a Star Pray therefore for this holy courage in the way of God Fourthly To suffer for Christ there is required An holy Wisdome and prudence For it is not Christian fortitude unlesse regulated by Christian prudence Discretion is the salt to season all our Sacrifices for to Sacrifices there was salt required as well as fire When our Saviour gave that admirable counsel Be wise as Serpents and innocent as Doves Matth. 10. 16. he sheweth what an excellent temper even ad pondus a Christian should be of The Serpent must not eat up the Dove yet a Dove-like temper must be accompanied with wisdome Courage to suffer without wisdome is like Samson without eyes and many times did more dishonour God then all sufferings did honour him Austin disliked the zeal of some who demolished the Heathenish Idols of their own private accord having no Authority thereunto The indiscretion of one Andas a Bishop setting fire on a Persian Temple where they worshipped fire as a god brought a sad and sore persecution and when the Bishop was commanded to build it up again at his own charges for his resusal he was put to death Now saith an Ecclesiastical Primitive Writer I discommend him for his imprudence in demolishing the Temple but I admire his zeal that he would die rather than rebuild it He then suffereth for Christ that hath prudence and wisdome to order his zeal so that he suffer not for his own folly but meerly for Christ Only this is a very nice point to distinguish prudence from carnal policy but that is not my work now Fifthly We are alwayes to remember Patience as that which is a special qualifier of every one to suffer You have need of patience saith the Apostle Heb. 10. 36. Therefore Heb. 6. 12. Faith and Patience are put together as those two which made the godly inherit the promises Rom. 12. 12. Patient in tribulation This holy patience is that which doth quiet and compose all the waves and storms of the soul it commands all diffident and unbelieving thoughts all murmurings and repinings to be gone Therefore it 's said In patience possesse your souls And Jam. 13. Let patience have its perfect work If therefore thou art called any wayes to suffer for Christ take heed of fretting of repinings of unrulinesse of heart for impatience argueth a want both of faith in and love of Christ The Martyrs were admirable in the patience they discovered under the most provoking torments they suffered as if it had been in anothers body and not their own Sixthly To suffer there is required a mortified heavenly heart as to all earthly comforts and relations not to know father or mother or life it self
comparatively to the cause and glory of Christ And this makes it so difficult to suffer This hath made the Apostates that have many times been in the Church This hath filled the hearts of many with woe and wounds implacably For their childrens sake for their lives sake they deny Christ and a good conscience and how can it be otherwise while Earth is dearer than Heaven when we esteem the favour of men more than the favour of God This hath proved bitter wormwood to many at last Lastly To suffer for Christ there is required pure and holy motives To lose all for Christs sake out of meer conscience that this is the only cause why we are in any trouble We may read both in sacred and prophane Histories how men have suffered even death it self only for vain-glory All Aristotles vertuous men they were ambitious and vain-glorious men The very Heathen could make it Laudum immensa cupido as well as Amorpatriae We would think it a madnesse to lose comforts and life for an airy bubble of windy glory yet many have been thus transported not only Philosophus but Haereticus est animal gloriae vanissimum If then it 's not Scripture-grounds but ambitious vain-glorious principles that make thee to suffer Christ doth not will not provide sugar for thy bitter pils Thus have we seen what is required to suffer for Christ Oh the difficulty of this duty No wonder so much seed hath withered away when the scorching Sunne of persecution did arise No wonder Christ hath many Swallow-friends that endure with him the Summer time onely No wonder few are lovers of Christ for Christs sake As Alexander had more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 These are the Bees that follow for the honey-pot only Now to all these we must adde this Caution A Christian that suffereth for Christ though he have not those qualifications in a perfect degree but find corruption opposing every one of them He must not therefore cast away his confidence for we can no more suffer perfectly for Christ then do perfectly for him and if our gracious works cannot justifie us no more can our gracious sufferings Martyrdom is not meritorious Though we shed our bloud for Christ yet the blood of Christ must cleanse that duty also The Martyrs died only in resting upon Christ for salvation and no wonder the godly heart finds more imperfections in his sufferings more carnal fear and impatience then in other duties because this is the hardest service Christ doth ever put his upon What else is to be said in this point will come in in the next particulars SERM. XLVIII How many wayes and by what means Christ comforteth those who suffer for him 2 COR. 1. 5. So our consolation aboundeth by Christ THe second absolute Proposition in the Text is That our comfort aboundeth by Christ. The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendred by some Exhortation but more generally and fitly Consolation Though this be spoken in the singular number and afflictions in the plural yet this is to be understood collectively as a treasure that hath all kind of comforts in it not one or two but all Therefore the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is here repeated again aboundeth which is to be understood partly repletively it filleth the hearts of those that do suffer for Christ and partly diffusively it extends also to the comfort of others And then you have the cause of all this By Christ Christ who is the cause of their sufferings is also the cause of their comfort As from the same root proceedeth both the Rose and its pricks Thus from Christ the same Fountain cometh both bitter and sweet Were not this added who would suffer for Christ who would lose all for him but Christ hath so ordained it that these sufferings are advantagious to us and though we lose in the retail yet we gain in the bulk and whole Observe That as our sufferings are for Christ so by the same Christ are our comforts Though he strike with one hand yet he supporteth with the other If David said to the Priest who fled to him many of them being slain at No◠by the bloudy cruelty of Saul Stay with me I am the occasion of your deaths thou shalt fare as I fare How much more will Christ own such who suffer for him saying Depend upon me for I am the cause of all the reproaches and cruel usages you meet with in the world But to explain this Let us consider In what respects comforts may be said to abound by Christ And First Efficiently He being the same with God is therefore a God of all consolation Yea Christ as a Mediator he is sensible of our temptations knoweth our need and wants and therefore the more ready to comfort Christ that wanted comfort himself and therefore had an Angel sent to comfort him is thereby the more compassionate and willing to comfort us Thus you may read Christ and God put together in this very act 2 Thess 2. 16 17. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father who hath given us everlasting consolation comfort your hearts Paul here prayeth that both Jesus Christ and God the Father would comfort them Christ therefore not only absolutely as God but relatively as Mediator is qualified with all fitnesse and fulnesse to communicate consolation he is the fountain and head as of grace so of comfort Secondly We are comforted by Christ Meritoriously he hath merited at the hands of God our comfort for without Christs death and atonement we were no more subjects prepared for comfort then the damned Angels Had all mankind with Dives begged but for a drop of comfort such was the gulph between God and us that it could not be obtained So that by Christ a way is made for our consolation Christ did not only obtain the communication of the holy Ghost in the gifts and graces thereof So that as by Christ the Spirit of God is given to the Church as a guide to teach and lead into all truth as the sanctifying Spirit and use of all holinesse So he is also as the Comforter who giveth every drop of consolation that any believer doth enjoy Though therefore joy and comfort be in Scripture attributed to the holy Ghost as the appropriated and applying cause thereof yet this is wholly because of the merits of Christ And therefore we may pray for comfort upon the same grounds as we doe for holinesse They are both the fruits of Christs death Lastly We are comforted by Christ Objectively that is in him and from him we take our comfort As Christ is called Our righteousnesse because in and through his righteousnesse we are accepted of in him we are compleat So Christ is our comfort because in him we find matter of all joy though there be troubles and vexations from the creatures though the Sunne and Moon be turned into bloud all powers
Moral Patience Natural Patience I call that which cometh much from the constitution and complexion of their bodies they are more mild quiet and enduring of grief than others Moral patience I call that when men by wisdom and reading of moral precepts can harden themselves heroically to bear the tribulations up on them but Christian patience is that which comes from a regenerated and sanctified nature eying Gods glory his will and command only not regarding other sinister respects So that a Natural Patience a Moral Patience under thy sufferings will not advance thy salvation but that which is Christian You have a notable place for this 2 Pet. 1. 6. To patience godlinesse The Apostle doth there exhort to have the chain of graces linked together not to think it enough to have one grace unless he have all And therefore patience must be added to temperance for that requireth the denial of our pleasures the crucifying of our delights which cannot be without patience but then to this patience we must adde godlinesse implying that though we be never so meek so still so Lamb-like under our troubles yet if godliness be not added to this patient deportment if it be not from divine principles and to divine ends then our patience is greatly defective Look we therefore that when we quietly and patiently suffer it came from the grace of patience not from a counterfeit patience for this is not true gold and so will not enrich us This distinction being premised whereby a Christian may be inabled to know when it is Nature and when it is Grace that doth bear when flesh and blood doth suffer and when a divine Nature within him In the next place let us consider What goeth to the producing of this grace of patience for we cannot of our selves perform this duty of patience no more than a wildernesse can bringforth roses Therefore First The efficient cause of patience is God only The heart of man under any afflictions is like a wild bull in a net there is nothing but raging and repining under every exercise till God give a patient spirit Hence Rom. 15. 5. he is called The God of patience For what a wild unruly bedlam is an unsanctified man under any pressure upon him Like Cain he crieth out It is greater than he can bear Like Jobs wife he is tempted to curse God and so die Doest thou therefore under thy trials want patience Doth it grieve and sadly afflict thee to see thy self so passionate so impassionate Then let this make thee to run to the throne of grace improve this title God is the God of patience Say Oh God it is but speaking the word it is but saying Let there be patience and there will be patience How often have I resolved for patience How often prayed for patience and yet Lord my heart is tormented and tossed up and down like that Lunatick which could not be bound by any chains Not only my tongue but my heart are worse than unruly and savage beasts they may be tamed but this no man only God can tame it It 's God only therefore that maketh in us patience The grace of patience is farre above our power Tertullian wrote a Book of Patience but in the very beginning he apologizeth for himself why he should write of that subject which he had so little experimentally and practically attained unto and he excuseth it thus That he doth as those who are sick they delight to be talking and praising of health So I saith he who am Aeger caloribus impatientiae sick with feavorish impatient heats do delight to write of patience Thus do thou seeing it is more then of thy self thou art able to do The least tryal the least affliction is ready to heat thee with impatience pray to God importunately let him not alone till he blesse thee with this composed patient spirit Say with the same Tertullian Pereat seculum dummodo patientiam lucrifaciam Let the whole world perish so that God will give me patience Secondly As God is the efficient cause so the word of God that is instrumental The Word is like Davids harp to drive out this evil spirit So the Apostle Rom. 15. 14. That we through patience of the Scriptures might have hope When thy impatient flesh doth suggest this and that argument to discontent and repining Oh remember what the word of God saith It is for want of Scripture-consideration of Scripture-arguments that thy heart is so clamorous and unruly such a command such a promise would presently have made all calm and quiet The Heathen adviseth an angry furious man to look in the glasse while he is in those passionate fits that he may see how deformed he is made thereby but how much rather when thy heart hath boiled over with impatient repining thoughts art thou to recover thy self immediately and to look into the Word See what that faith what that requireth and then thou wilt be ashamed and abhorring thy self as a very beast Thirdly Afflictions themselves according to Scripture-expression they work patience also Thus Rom. 5. 3. Tribulation worketh patience Jam. 1. 3. The trying of your faith worketh patience Here you see afflictions are said to work patience but not of themselves it 's the power of God in and through them only as the beast accustomed to the yoke is more tame than at first so when we are constantly exercised with afflictions that they seem to be no new thing then through Gods grace we come to be more ready and willing in a patient enduring of them It is said of Christ himself He learned obedience by the things which he suffered Heb. 5. 8. not that he could grow properly in grace or be more obedient than he had been formerly but it is spoken in regard of experimental obedience he had the sense and feeling of it more than before but the adopted sons of God they do increase in obedience and patience by the things that they suffer Therefore thou who hast more afflictions than others it is a reproach to thee if they have not taught thee more patience and meeknesse than others Fourthly The exemplary or ideal cause of patience is God and Christ From them we have a most exact and compleat rule of patience Mat. 5. 48. Be ye therefore perfect as your heavenly Father is To be perfect is there to be patient for he had before instanced in the patience of God that even to the unjust he causeth the Sunne to arise and from this inferreth Be ye therefore perfect To be patient and that to enemies may be called perfection because this alone is taught in Christianity To love our friends is acknowledged a duty by all Nations but to love enemies is only professed by Christians Well then may we be patient under all the persecutions reproaches and vexations the enemies of God bring upon us For is not God patient towards them and yet they are more his enemies then
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for it is constructed with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but it is usual with the Apostle to transgresse such rules of Grammar This Samson is not tied in such cords The vehement and affectionate zeal of Paul in his expressions cannot be so manacled Thus the word is used abruptly Rom. 13. 11. In the second place we have the object of this his knowledge concerning the Corinthians and that is that they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Partakers of or in communion with him in his afflictions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is more humble and lowly than Paul in this expression saith Chrysostome they who had not in the least measure shared with him in sufferings yet he maketh them copartners with him They are as Salmeron expresseth it Copartners in the gain and in the losse with Paul They venture as it were in the Ship together The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which cometh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text is taken sometimes actively not for communion so much as commuuication Therefore it is called distribution 2 Cor. 9. 13. Thus 1 Cor. 13. 13. The communion of the Spirit that is The communication of the Spirit And so 1 Cor. 10. 16. The bread and wine Is it not the communion The sense may be The communication of his body and his blood but very often it is used intransitively as it were and signifieth Fellowship Society and Communion The Object of which spiritual communion is fully set down 1 John 1. 3. Ye have fellowship with us and truely our fellowship is with the Father and with the Sonne As for the Adjective which is the word in the Text we have it used in that which is Evil and in that which is Good In that which is sinfull 2 Cor. 10. 10. I would not have you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 partakers of the table of Devils Thus also the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used 1 Tim. 5. 22. Partake not of other mens sinnes And 2 John 12. He that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds We are not only to keep our selves from acting of sinne but look we do not partake with other in their impieties and that is done many wayes most have cause to pray with that good man Lord forgive me my other mens sinnes If thou doest communicate with such then the Text will on the contrary be verified upon thee as thou doest partake with them in their sins so thou shalt in their terrour and damnation But 2. There is a good participation or copartnership of which the Text here speaketh Though Paul was persecuted and suffered much for the preaching of the Gospel yet this did not deterre the Corinthians or make them to be scandalized at Christ and so to fall off from him but they looked upon Pauls sufferings as their own and so are affected with his persecutions as if they themselves were persecuted This was it which made Paul have such a stedfast hope of their sincerity for if their foundation had been sandy such tempestuous winds would have overthrown all Observe That a partaking of and communion with those who suffer for Christ is a sure way to interest in all that joy and glory which such sufferers shall at last receive from God The Corinthians shall partake with Paul in joy and glory because they are willing to partake with him in afflictions and persecutions The joy that is spoken of in the Text is a distinct thing from glory and eternal happinesse for that is not till the Resurrection but Consolation is for the present while we are here in the valley of tears And indeed if we take consolation for the relieving and reviving of the heart under miseries so it cannot be in Heaven but in this world only To discover this truth consider First That there may be a two-fold participation of or fellowship with others that are in afflictions 1. When though we our selves are freed and delivered from all troubles enjoying all outward peace and quietnesse yet we are compassionately affected with the condition of all those members of Christ upon the earth who may be in an afflicted and troubled estate For seeing all the people of God make up one body if any part thereof suffer the other parts condole and suffer with it Insomuch that it is plain thou art a dead part in the body destitute of all spiritual life if thou canst see the Church of God or any part thereof lie wounded like the man of Jericho and thou like the Priest and the Levite passe by not laying it to heart This fellowship in suffering is part of the Apostles meaning which he attributeth to the Corinthians and is indeed a good and sure hope of grace in whomsoever we find it Heb. 13. 3. The Apostle there exhorts to remember such as are in bonds but how Not in a superficial carelesse manner but as cordially and affectionately as if we were bound with them Now consider that if thou wert impoverished if thou wert banished if thou wert imprisoned how much would it possesse thy heart all the day long No lesse is to be done for others whom God thus exercises The Scripture doth much delight in the comparison of the Church with the natural body and that because of the intimate conjunction and sympathy which is between the members if one be honoured all rejoyce if one be pained all grieve The Prophet complaineth Amos 6. 6. of those who enjoyed their pleasures and made themselves merry but did not remember the afflictions of Joseph Know then that it is a special touchstone of thy grace when with Nehemiah thou hast all things that can be desired for thy private content yet doest mourn and pray because of the desolations of Jerusalem and this may be one answer to that Question Why should you speak so much of afflictions and troubles to those who have none at all For let that be granted yet are all the Churches of God in quietnesse and freedom Look abroad and see how it fareth with many that call on the Name of Christ and thou wilt have cause to see that though thou art not afflicted outwardly yet in thy heart and soul thou art to be afflicted in all the afflictions of others Why doest thou live as if thou wert not of the body Be of a more publick spirit let the Churches gain or losses be as thine own 2. There is a fellowship with the afflictions of others not onely spiritual but real when we are cast into the same outward condition as others are And this also may be part of the meaning in the Text. They were not onely Spectators of Pauls troubles but they themselves had part of this burden upon their own shoulders That cup of tribulation was given them to drink as well as others For although persecutions do sometimes fall onely upon the Pastors and Officers in the Church yet for the most part it is
universal and pursueth all that call on Christ That as with Christ there is no bond or free no Jew or Gentile all are one so it is also with the enemies of Gods Church in their persecutions all are one to them Look not then for an Ark when all the people of God shall be in the waters Though an Obadiah may live quietly in Ahabs Court when the Elijahs are sought for to be put to death yet this is not alwayes so and that man who will own Christ upon no other condition but that he may not suffer for him or be persecuted for him that man is unsound and rotten at the very heart Secondly Consider that it is no lesse glorious before men and acceptable unto God to be a companion and an associate with those who do suffer then if we did suffer our selves in our own person This hath been alwayes a very hard task for flesh and blood to own the godly while they are in a suffering condition The Disciples themselves proved cowards and unfaithfull in this temptation for when the Shepherd was smitten all the sheep were scattered When Christ was to be crucified all his Apostles fled from him they dared not own him and when Peter was charged to be one of Christs company He curseth and sweareth he did not know the man he was afraid to own so much as the very knowledge of Christ Indeed the godly women Mary the mother of Christ and others they shewed more grace and courage than the very Apostles that all honour and glory may be given to God alone but as for his Disciples they hid themselves and were afraid to be companions with him Hence the Apostle Heb. 10. 33. exhorting believers To call to mind their enduring of a great fight of afflictions he instanceth wherein partly Whilest ye were made a gazing stock both by reproaches and afflictions and partly whilest ye became companions of them that were so used Here you see to become a companion to those that suffer not to flie from them or forsake them is made a great expression of their love to God Paul also 2 Tim. 1. 16. remembers what Onesiphorus did to him while in bonds he mentioneth it as if he would never have it forgotten any more than that womans box of ointment poured on Christ The Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus Why Because he answered his name indeed He oft refreshed me he sought me out very diligently and was not ashamed of my chain What a glorious character is here given to Onesiphorus He was not persecuted himself but he made himself a companion with those that were Paul complaineth of Demas 2 Tim. 4. 10. That he had forsaken him for he was now in hands and to answer before Nero who was known to be nothing but clay and blood mingled together whose cruelty would extend to all abettors and well-wishers If any did but sigh in his time it was a capital crime This fear made Demas as it did all his other friends vers 16. forsake Paul they had not faith and courage enough to venture for him and therefore it 's said He did love the present world he loved his life and liberty too much though some think this was but a temptation in Demas and that he did return to Paul again By this we see how hard a thing it is to own those that are godly in their extremities John 19. 38 39. It is noted both of Joseph of Arimathea and of Nicodemus both Disciples of Christ but secretly for fear of the Jewes yet when Christ was crucified they shewed their boldnesse and courage about Christs body when he was dead And Matth 25. at that terrible day of Judgement judicial processe against sinnes of omission will be for neglect in this I was in prison and ye visited me not When Christ and his cause are discountenanced in the world then unlesse a man have a sincere and upright heart he will curse with Peter and swear That he knoweth not the men These things laid as a foundation let us consider why such sympathizing with and partaking of others afflictions doth interest in eternal glory And First This Reason is evident Because hereby we plainly demonstrate that our Faith in Christ and acknowledging of him is upon divine and spiritual grounds that we do not know Christ and the Christian faith after the flesh Matth. 13. This discovered the thorny ground not to be true and right soil because in time of temptation when the scorching Sun did arise then all the hopefull fruit began to wither This apostatizing from Christ in time of such temptations is so great a matter that we are constantly to pray for the grace and assistance of God therein that we be not left to our selves For Peter being forsaken in some measure only how dreadfull was his fall And for this end it is that God suffereth persecutions and troubles to accompany the profession of his truth that so it may be known who are sound and who hypocrites If thou art but chaff this winnowing will drive thee away They are but a very few that acknowledge Christ upon spiritual and enduring grounds So that though the world rage though enemies be furious and bloudy yet they stand like Mount Sion that cannot be moved Many become Christians as some did Jewes in Mardochees time for fear and because the State favoured the Jewes Outward restraint maketh many take the title of Christians but they live the life of Heathens because the pleasures of sinne are present and affect the sense Orant quia timent peccant quia volunt They pray and performe outward religious duties because they are afraid but they sinne because their will and pleasure inclineth thereunto Now these drossie Christians when they are brought to the fire they presently melt away It cannot be denied but that men may suffer much for a while at least and yet at last deny Christ as we have sad instances in Ecclesiastical History but many times such with that famous Cranmer did prove the more couragious and took an holy revenge upon themselves This accompanying Christ in his dangers hath a notable promise Luke 22. 28. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations therefore I appoint unto you a Kingdome that ye may eat and drinke with me and sit on thrones judging Israel Even as Christ manifested his pure love to us that in the midst of all the agonies and miseries he grapled with from God and men yet he did not give over our cause but compleated our redemption for us If so be Solomon did so much favour Abiathar though he deserved death that he told him he would not put him to death though guilty because he had been afflicted in all wherein his father was afflicted 1 Kin. 2. 26. How much more will Christ say thus to such who have not been driven from him by great afflictions Secondly Such communion in afflictions must needs interest in
of glory and rejoycing to us So likewise Gal. 6. 4. the Apostle pressing every man to try his own works to examine his intentions therein giveth this as the consequent fruit thereof That then he shall have rejoycing in himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a kind of glorying and boasting in himself To clear this truth let us first shew what is required to this glorying and then in what respects it is lawfull and allowed us And for the former First It is necessary to this rejoycing and glorying in the first place That we have an high esteem of the excellency and worth of that grace we discover to be in us If so be we are to rejoyce in these outward mercies which yet are only for the body what matter of joy should it be to find those spiritual workings of Gods Spirit in us which are of eternal concernment What Solomon saith concerning the esteem of wisdom which is indeed nothing but grace we should all make good Prov. 2. 4. If thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures That soul then which can rejoyce in the discovery of grace must esteem of it more than all the treasures of the world To say O Lord I had rather find my self sanctified I had rather see the powerfull workings of grace upon me then to be made the greatest or richest man in the world we have many exhortations to examine our selves and try our hearts to see if we can find this precious jewel in our souls Now none will be cordial to examine and search herein but those who look upon it as the greatest treasure Did the woman in the Gospel make such diligent search for a lost groat only and call her neighbours to rejoyce with her when she had found it How large and boundless then should our thoughts be about the excellency of grace And indeed to the godly soul this is the great question it labours to study and to resolve Whether it be in the state of grace or no knowing that this onely is the most blessed and happy estate in the world Secondly As we must highly esteem this work of grace so we must have a Certainty and perswasion that we have obtained it Had not Paul known that his heart had been sincere that he was not acted by carnal wisdome he could never have rejoyced For Philosophers make joy to be in that good thing we do possesse and also the knowledge thereof This Text then doth abundantly declare that the people of God may have a certain knowledge of the work of grace So that although the heart be indeed deceitfull and full of hypocrisie yet when sanctified it hath some measure of truth and sincerity in it and so far doth not deceive us He then that would rejoyce in the grace of God wrought in him must presse after assurance must endeavour after a certain perswasion of the truth of grace in him And although this perswasion be not justifying faith yea it is separable from it A man may be justified may be sanctified and not know it yet it is such a priviledge yea and duty also that we should diligently take heed of all those things that may weaken our assurance that may make us to doubt and question whether Jesus Christ be in us or no. Thirdly A sure perswasion of the goodnesse and integrity of our hearts is not enough but it must be upon right grounds and in a Scripture-demonstration For if it be a false perswasion it may produce indeed a rejoycing but a false rejoycing also It is more than probable that Paul while a persecutor being zealously affected to the tradition of his fathers and thinking himself bound as he professeth to do what he did against Christ and his members could then say His rejoycing was the testimony of his conscience being perswaded that in those wayes he glorified God And therefore some do extend that profession of his before the Council That he had lived in all good conscience before God untill that day And if this be so then we see plainly That every perswasion though never so confident is not enough to make us rejoyce but we must look to Scripture-grounds Doth not experience confirm this Take any heretical person any erroneous person though it be to the destruction of the very fundamentals of Religion yet he will proclaim a rejoycing in his heart from the good testimony of his conscience So that an erroneous conscience satisfied doth bring peace and rejoycing but it is an erroneous joy It is either from meer humane principles or from diabolical delusions But this will come in more properly when we come to the ground or reason it self of Paul's rejoycing Fourthly To this rejoycing there is required The Spirit of God enabling us thereunto So that the same spirit which doth seal to us the assurance of our estate doth also cause comfort in us The Spirit of God doth enlighten and sanctifie after this it doth seal and comfort And this latter work of Gods Spirit is necessary as well as the other For we see it lieth not in the power of Gods people to have comfort when they will Hence Gal. 5. Joy is the fruit of the Spirit and it 's called Joy in the holy Ghost not only objectively because it is a joy in spiritual objects but also efficiently because it is wrought by him Hence it is that the Spirit of God mouldeth the heart for comfort removeth fears and doubts restraineth and keepeth off Satan whereby no sinne no Devil is able to deject and cast down because God comforteth â—Thus you see what goeth to rejoycing in the graces of God and thereby an holy glorying in them Now let us see in what respect it is lawfull thus to rejoyce And First It is lawfull to rejoyce in them as they are the effects and fruits of Gods favour and love as they signifie the cause from whence they come Rahab could not but rejoyce to see the thread that was a signe of such a great mercy designed for her If then the godly man have that spiritual skill as to difference between trusting in his graces as any way causes of his salvation and thankfully receiving them assignes from which he may be perswaded of it then doth he hit the mark It is usually said from Luther That we are to take heed not onely of evil deeds but of good and holy works also because the heart is apt to be carried away with pride and self-confidence insensibly yet this much not so deterre the people of God that they may not take comfort from their graces For how can they see them and not rejoyce because they are the pledge of Gods favour it self and of an interest in Christ So that though their graces be weak and full of imperfections yet they manifest that to be ours which is fully perfect and hath no fault at all in it Imperfect graces do manifest Gods perfect grace to
other helps no more than he will make you understand Greek and Hebrew Know then it is a very sad and almost incurable condition when the holy Scriptures do become a snare to us when we suck poison out of these sweet herbs Although indeed we cannot from the Scripture get any hurt but our own corruptions procure it to us because we bring the Scripture to our ends and affections not them to the Scripture Thirdly To the having of a well-ordered conscience There is greatly required pure aims and intentions For although a good intention cannot sanctifile an unlawfull action yet corrupt intentions will blast and defile the best actions Insomuch that if we had the gifts and parts of the ablest men yea of Angels themselves yet sinfull aims would be like Locusts and Caterpillars to devour this hopefull fruit But oh the unsearchable hypocrisie and deceitfulness of mans heart even in this very respect How ready is every Pharisee every Heretick and Papist to appropriate this to themselves How often do we find them professing to the whole world that it is not any outward advantage any temporal emolument that they look at or regard but the glory of God and that therefore they have much rejoycing because of this But if the counterfeit will bring such peace what will the real and sincere intentions of a man do And certainly though a man be cloathed with never so much glory in the Church of God so that we are ready to say not only a greater than Austin or Chrysostome but even than Paul or Peter For some have cried up the heads of their parties as having greater gifts than the Apostles themselves Yet without sincere intentions they are but as a tinkling cymbal This therefore is the life soul and the all in a good conscience But that will come in more seasonably afterwards Fourthly To a right ordered conscience whose witness may be received and comfort taken thereby That there is required the inward sanctification and effectual renovation thereof So that till this be every mans conscience is like a man himself a meer liar There is no believing of it no trusting of it When it is said Jer. 17. That the heart of a man is deceitfully wicked or crafty and supplanting a man This comprehends conscience as well as any part else For you have heard that original sinne is in this as well as in other powers of the soul So that in these two respects the natural conscience doth alwayes fail For either it doth not witness that which is right or not to a right end Insomuch that though a natural man is not to gainsay or contradict his conscience yet nothing lieth upon him more than to have his conscience rightly informed or regulated by Gods word What is the reason you see every civil man every formal man so applauding himself in his good condition It is because his conscience is not a spiritual conscience a Scripture-conscience for that would make him abhor himself and flie out of the Sodome he was in For in most things the conscience doth not witness the truth at all but it doth flâ—tter and deceive thee How seldom doth it tell thee thou art the drunkard the hypocrite the neglecter of private duties c Or if it doth then it is to a false end either to drive to despair and to flie from Christ whose blood only can cleanse the conscience or else to quiet it again by some superstitious usages and non-instituted remedies And this is the reason why so few are brought out of the troubles of their conscience into an Evangelical and Gospel way Know then here is the root of all thy misery thy conscience being unsanctified lulleth thee asleep whereby thou rejoycest in thy condition when thou hast cause to fear and tremble SERM. LXXXVI Further Discoveries of what is required to a well-regulated Conscience with Distinctions concerning it 2 COR. 1. 12. For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience THere remain more particulars to be insisted upon which are requisite to make a well-regulated conscience whose testimony you heard is the cause of such unspeakable comfort And First There is in a peculiar manner necessary the witnessing and sealing power of the holy Ghost to and with our consciences The illumination and sanctification of Gods Spirit is not enough to make our consciences speak fully and clearly so as to have rejoycing thereby unlesse the Spirit of God doth also bear witnesse with it Hence we have them both put together Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit it self beareth witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God And therefore you heard that Bernard understood this testimony of conscience in the Text of a Testimonium percipientis not Perhibentis but they are both included For our conscience cannot give any evidenâ—e and sure testimony of the grace inus unlesse inabled thereunto by the Spirit of God and this is called The work of Gods Spirit sealing and witnessing with our spirits The Text is very famous and greatly agitated in the controversie about the assurance of our sanctification and salvation Grotius and some others neglect the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and would have it no more than simply 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the word is not any where so used the instances of Grotius are against him Rom. 2. 15. For Conscience there is said to bear witnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in respect of God and so doth relate to his testimony We therefore conclude That the Spirit of God is here said to bear witnesse with our spirit only the difficulty is How this is done And 1. It is not done by any external voice and sound made in the air as Christ had when it was said This is my beloved Sonne Neither may we apprehend any immediate testimony by an extraordinary revelation as some have pleaded for but in a mediate way partly by exciting and inabling of our spirits to call God Father against that slavishness and servility which is apt to bear us down and partly by working in us those heavenly and holy qualifications by which we do certainly gather that we are the children of God Indeed the Papists make the testimony of Gods Spirit to be no more as applied to particular subjects though in it self they say it is infallible then a moral certainty by probable conjectures and signs But this is derogatory to the Spirit of God and taketh away all that Evangelical joy and holy boldness which we are allowed to have at the throue of grace This witnessing then of Gods Spirit is two wayes 1. Effectivè When it doth enable the conscience of man to cast off all legal terrors and tormenting fears and so in serenity of spirit to believe God is our Father And for this end it is called The Spirit of Adoption For alas take the conscience of the most holy man without this Spirit of Adoption How legal and timorated
is it How slavish and unbelieving Hence is it that the people of God need so many instructions and informations Hence is it that they are often in prayers and groans unutterable ere they can truly and cordially call God Father They fear him as a Judge and flie from him rather as an enemy Even as if there be never such glorious and delightfull objects to refresh the eyes with yet if a man be in the dark he cannot take any pleasure therein Thus many of Gods dear children who walk with a tender conscience who are diligent in all the wayes of holiness yet have not this testimony of conscience to comfort them it is hid from their eyes only because the Spirit of God doth not enable them thereunto Now the Apostle telleth us 1 Cor. 2. 17. It is the Spirit of God whereby we know the things that we have freely received of God 2. The Spirit of God doth witness unto us Objectively as I may so call it and that is by some effects and fruits of his grace upon our hearts by which we gather as by so many sure signes that we are in the state of grace and not hypocrites But because this will come in more fully in the ensuing particulars I shall only touch upon those effects by which the testimony of our conscience is rightly guided in witnessing to us And First By having a full and serious purpose to avoid all sinne as it shall become manifested to us As David professed That he did hate every evil way Psal 119. 104. He that doth allow and indulge himself in any known sinne cannot have the testimony of this good conscience It is true as is to be shewed there is no man living though never so holy but his conscience convinceth him of much sinne and many infirmities and this maketh him so highly esteem Christ and a Gospel-righteousness but yet it doth not witness to him that he liveth in the customary acting of grosse sinnes if it doth the Spirit of God never witnesseth with such a mans conscience that he is the child of God No if thou livest quietly without the smitings and condemnations of conscience it is because it is stupid and the Devil hath deluded and hardened thee for Gods Spirit witnesseth with our conscience and by this effect that we have a tender respect to avoid all known sinne Secondly Another effect is A zeal for the glory of God to honour him to magnifie Christ and to set up his Kingdome as much as we are able The more zeal and fervency men have had for Gods honour the more powerfull testimony of a good conscience they alwayes enjoyed As we see in this Paul in his whole ministerial course with what burning zeal did he flame forth continually and on the contrary so much remisness so much negligence and lukewarmness so much is the abating of consciences testimony Thirdly An holy confidence and boldnesse in our approachings to God And of this the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8. The Spirit of Adoption removing our fears our unbelief and dejection raising us up also with an holy confidence and humble boldness doth hereby testifie with our consciences that we are the children of God Hence the more distrustfull fears the more tormenting doubts that we groan under the weaker and more feeble is the witness of our conscience yea if those prevail and are predominant then our conscience is set against us and witnesseth against us and then the child of God is in sad desertions when his heart witnesseth against him that he is an hypocrite that he did serve the Lord without integrity For though this be false yet till Gods Spirit remove this darknesse and fill thee with an Evangelical confidence thou art not able to hold up thy head Fourthly Another effect by which Gods Spirit witnesseth with our conscience is An unfeigned love to the brethren a delight in all those that love God Where this is that thou lovest godly men for their godliness sake this demonstrateth thou art born of God and hast the same Image in thee as they have And if thy love also extend to thy enemies if thou findest that thou canst pray for them that curse thee do good to them that revile especially thou pitiest their souls and wouldst be helpfull to them in the way to Heaven though they are enraged adversaries to thee and that without cause By this frame of heart the conscience doth give a full and precious evidence Fifthly In daily and faithfull exercises of self-denial in the wayes of God doth the Spirit of God greatly assure the conscience In sufferings for Christ in enduring the losse of name liberty and liâ—e it self for Gods cause is the clearest testimony of our conscience Hence the Martyrs had so much serenity of spirit such unspeakable consolations because they found they loved Christ better than all things As they gave a testimony to the word of God called therefore Martyrs so God also gave them a testimony within whereby they did glory in tribulations and triumph over all aduersaries We see that if men suffer in false wayes if they be Martyrs for the Devil if they die for that which is highly offending God they many times glory in the comfort they have from the testimony of their conscience Now if a deluded conscience if deluded joyes can do so much what shall not the Spirit of God do sealing and confirming his love to us by our patient sufferings for him Thus when happily the world doth witness against thee wicked men they condemn thee and lay many heavy accusations against thee as the false Apostles did here concerning Paul yet this testimony with in will answer all and God doth come in with fuller evidences of his love in such passages of self denial Lastly The Spirit of God doth witness to our spirit in this blessed effect viz. When we do with delight and joy meditate think and speak about heavenly things when the Ordinances of God are matter of pleasure to us David doth often proâ—efs what delight he had in the Ordinances of God how the word of God was more precious than gold more sweet than the honey-comb Now when the heart is thus affected to holy things that they find more joy as David professeth Psal 4. in the things of God then worldly men do in their corn and wine when these increase By this excellent heavenly temper the Spirit of God witnesseth with our conscience that we are the children of God But I shall enlarge no more on this because the Doctrine of Assurance will follow upon the next words We shall now lay down some distinctions to clear this truth to you because it is plain That many times the people of God being cast down with black thoughts that cannot say with Paul The testimony of our conscience is our rejoycing And on the other side many heretical pharisaical and self-deluded persons will at least outwardly boast
you had what gifts and enlargements you had what not what remarkable external duties you have done for God but with what sincerity and singlenesse of heart all this hath been performed Therefore meditate on this lesson as it were every day be studying of it to know all the practical mysteries about it And as the Husbandman before he can sow his ground with corn must cut up the roots and bushes which are in the way so do thou That thou mayest the better set thy self upon this duty of pressing after sure knowledge in this great matter remove first All those impediments and hinderances that keep thee from exercising thy self therein and they are these First A self-fulnesse and presumptuous security that thou art already in a good estate This is the condemnation and eternal ruine of many a mans soul he will not so much as put it to the Question Whether he be in a state of grace and salvation or no he will not so much as entertain one doubt about it No this is the way to bring him in despair by this means he may have trouble and disquietness of conscience he cannot live so jollily and securely as he doth Therefore whatsoever Gods word or the Ministry speaketh though never so terribly about the deceitfulness of mans heart that we delude our selves taking that which is like grace for true grace they matter it not they will perswade themselves that their souls are in a good estate and none in the world shall make them question it Of all the men in the world such secure confident spirits have the most cause to doubt and fear Never to doubt or search into thy heart and to compare thy self with the Rule is a very ill signe To take all for granted thus concerning thy soul and never to commune with thy own heart is a great argument that thou art rotten in the foundation Doth not the Wiseman observe it as a general Rule Prov. 16. 2. The wayes of a man are clean in his own eyes but the Lord pondereth the heart Though thou sayest with the Church of Laodicea Thou art rich cloathed and wantest nothing yet God knoweth thou art poor cursed and miserable God knoweth otherwise by thee then thou doest We charge it upon the Church of Rome that she is incurable because of this principle she holdeth That she cannot erre For if she would yeeld that if she would grant happily for so many years they have been grosly deceived then there would be some principles to proceed upon to reform them So it is if we meet with a man that confesseth his heart is deceitfull his condition may be very miserable though he hath applauded himself thus many years if I may be found out not to have laid a good foundation about the work of grace I would gladly be convinced of it It is the great desire of my soul not to be deceived about the nature of grace in me There are fearfull and sad instances of hypocrites and temporary believers therefore I would gladly be informed Whether I came not too short as yet Whether there be not a more excellent way then I have attained unto This man is not farre from the Kingdom of Heaven this man is in a way to be secured But the self-righteous man that supposeth himself good it is the first principle with him that he will never suffer to be questioned this man is remediless as to humane appearance Such a presumptuous man in practicals is like an Heretick in doctrinals and so after the first and second admonition we may even reject knowing that he doth willingly damne himselfe Be sure then to take heed of this rock at which so many have split themselves A second cause that must be removed is A prophane carelesse spirit whereby men do not at all matter their souls nor in what relation they do stand in towards God If their bodies be well if their worldly affairs prosper then they say Soul take thy ease But as for their spiritual condition whether God be reconciled or an enemy whether yet they have been ever taken off that natural and cursed estate they were born in they never look after it Oh foolish and brutish man If the Spirit of God shall once convince thee of thy sinfull and dangerous estate of the curses of the Law which may fall upon thee every moment then thou maist have no rest day or night till thou obtainest some assurance herein The third cause is The over-greedinesse and importunate minding of our earthly businesses We rise with the world in our heart and go to bed with it in our heart so that we never set time apart seriously to think how it is with us Hence come those constant delayes and procrastinations promising our selves we will after such and such businesses are over set our selves to the examination of our wayes but still the work is not done our dayes passe away our hearts grow more hardned and indisposed every day till at last death unexpectedly seizeth upon us and then we would gladly have oil when it is too late then with Esai we cry out for a blessing with tears and bitterness but we come too late How comfortable on the other side is it for a godly man dying to say his soul hath been set in order long before he hath not his evidences now to seeke The knowing of his heart hath beene all his study in his life time Satan can object no new thing which he hath not already thought upon Lastly There is another cause in the other extream which is to be removed if we would arrive to this certainty and that is To shake off all despairing and discouraging thoughts as so many vipers fastened upon thee This valley must be exalted as well as the other mountains levelled Paper too much wetted as well as foul receiveth no characters So the heart sinfully dejected and disquieted is indisposed for assurance as well as the presumptuous one For this reason we need the Spirit of God to seal us and to confirm us yea we need Gods Spirit more in this work of confirmation then of illumination Darkness and ignorance is sooner removed out of the mind than unbelief and diffidence out of the heart Do ye not see it thus often with the children of God who are very tender in respect of illumination are very quick and Eagle-eyed in respect of conviction are wonderfully ingenuous to find out all the secret pollution and guile of their souls But then for assurance and confirmation in the grace and favour of God towards them they are exceedingly fearfull and very weak Therefore the believer must look upon slavish and disquieting fears as adversaries to his peace as well as presumptuous and secure thoughts These impediments being thus rolled out of the way the next thing he hath to do is to awe his foul with those Commands of God that require us to get a certain knowledge of
Prophets presence as if all had been well Oh then how vain is it to hide thy designs and intentions to men to make protestations and professions of thy integrity to men if the all-seeing eye of God behold other things in thee What greater obligation can there be to have all the motions and turnings of thy heart cordial and faithfull towards God seeing no man can more perfectly behold the outward gestures of thy body then he doth the inward motions of thy soul Oh say God knoweth what I think what my heart is upon what is the spring of every duty I do Secondly Sincerity respecteth God As he is the first cause and the last end The Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end of whom are all things and to whom are all things Rom. 11. 36. Now this two-fold property in God the sincere man doth greatly improve First As he is the Efficient cause so that he expects all-sufficiency and power from the grace of God alone The Scripture dot frequently affirm That it is by the grace of God alone that we are able to do any good thing therefore the sincere man dareth not sacrifice to his own nets dare not give any thing to his own power and free-will neither dare he rob Christ of his glory by setting up Angels and Saints as Mediators under any nice distinctions whatsoever he trembleth to dispute against the grace of God lest he want the blessed effects of it in the greatest necessities You may observe David and Paul who expresse such remarkable sincerity towards God that they go out of themselves depend on God alone and not onely do they acknowledge God the supream giver of all the good they enjoy but also they make him the ultimate end to whom they referre all things remembring the Apostles rule 1 Cor. 10 31. Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God This is a very hard lesson to do a very difficult duty to be performed but yet the sincere man he overlooketh all second causes and instruments with his Eagles-eye he gets up as it were into the mountain and leaveth all his carnal interests below as Abraham did his beasts and servants when he went to sacrifice Isaac This single and pure intention of Gods glory is not so easily accomplished as it is quickly and commonly pretended Oh how rare a thing is it to eat and drink to study and preach that hereby God may be glorified How closely doth some carnal respect or vain-glorious motive follow thee in the duty as Asahel did Joab which thou canst not make depart from thee till thou thrust it as it were thorow the fift rib till thou give it its mortal blow by mortification Thirdly The sincere heart relateth all to God In regard of his Sovereignty and dominion over him Because God is the supream Lord and Lawgiver who only can impose Laws upon the conscience therefore in his obedience he doth principally look to the will and authority of the Lawgiver This is a notable character of sinceâ—ity to obey because thus saith the Lord it is his will and as the supream orb doth carry along with it the inferiour orbs though against their particular inclination Thus doth the will of God because supream bring the creatures will into obedience when corrupt inclinations do propound a contrary way It is the matter of our prayer which we are constantly to pour forth unto God That his will may be done his will not our will Therefore if sincerity have a throne in thy heart thy sense will be as soft wax to receive any stamp or impression from God what God commands though against pleasures profits and all the inclinations of thy corrupt heart thou doest readily submit unto Thus thou offerest up thy self as an whole burnt-offering unto God Lastly This sincerity doth respect the wisdome of God in all those sharp and bitter providential temptations that a man may be exercised with for his faithfull service to God The Scripture doth frequently inform of this what cups of wormwood they must drink that will be Christs Disciples what crowns of thorns they must endure upon their heads who expect crowns of glory from him Now the heart that is sincere doth not cavil and murmur at Gods dispensations herein though so unpleasing to flesh and blood but doth wholly acquiesce in the wisdom of God filencing the impetuous motions of his Spirit God is wiser than I he knoweth this is better for me then I think it is For certainly all discontents do arise from this we think God might have shewed more love to us and more wisdome if he did not suffer such and such things to come upon us Therefore afflictions and persecutions are the special Touchstone to discover our sincerity This fire will manifest whether we be gold or drosse these winnowings whether chaffor wheat The hypocrite wanting root doth commonly begin to wither when the Sunnes scorching heat doth arise and if they are at any times afflicted for Christ it is against their wils so that with Simon they are compelled to carry the crosse of Christ but sincerity doth not only admire the wisdome of God in such dispensations but justifieth him and condemneth its self Thus you see what are those high and sublime things a sincere man looketh at in all his religious wayes That whereas in a bodily way the beast looketh to the ground when man hath an upright look towards Heaven So even every natural man hath a soul bowed down only to earthly respects while the sincere heart ascends up to God himself Therefore it is that he doth prudently escape all those ambushments that low inferiour ends are apt to lay in his way thereby to intercept him from arriving at God himself We cannot reckon all the inferiour and unworthy ends that are apt to interpose no more than the creeping things in the Sea onely some few we may instance in As 1. Vain-glory and Self-applause that many times clippeth the wings of our souls that while we are moving to Heaven this maketh us fall to the ground This made the Pharisees lose the heavenly reward of all their religious duties And how often have the holiest of men complained of this Dalilah this sweet poison this flattering enemy Is it not the worme that devoureth the sweetest flowers and the ripest fruit This maketh death in the pot even damnation in excellent duties therefore the sincere man doth constantly watch and ward keeping a strict search into his heart that no such thief enter in and steal away his treasure A second inferiour and base end which would corrupt us in the service of God is The external greatnesse of honour or the seeming profit of wealth This dust hath often blown into the eyes that they have not been able to look up What glorious things did Jehu do for God If you look upon the external actions only But his heart was not sincere
too light and wanting But oh the horrible neglect herein who mattereth what the Scripture saith Who ordereth his life according to that Canon What art thou a drunkard by Scripture a swearer by Scripture Know assuredly that he which learneth not holinesse from the Scripture shall never find comfort from the Scripture that hath precepts as well as promises and without obedience to one we cannot reap any comfort from the other Secondly The other principle of a godly mans but efficiently is the Spirit of God enlightning and sanctifying by the Scripture The Word is the Rule the Spirit of God is the efficient cause The Scripture is like Christs garment the Spirit is the virtue and power of God communicated to the soul thereby Hence are those descriptions of a godly man that he is in the Spirit that he liveth in the Spirit walketh in the Spirit is led by the Spirit which must not be wrested to any immediate Revelations and Enthusiastical motions and thereby opposed to the Word but the Word is subordinate to the Spirit This is the pool wherein the Spirit of God descends and vouchsafeth healing to the soul therewith Now Chrysostome maketh this a great part of Paul's meaning he did not purpose according to the flesh that is he could not dispose of himself and his journeyes to come and go whither he desired because he was wholly at the command of the Spirit to be directed thereby For we read when Paul had a mind to preach the Gospel in some places he was hindered by the Spirit and so could not go but those directions of the Spirit and Revelations were extraordinary and for that present age of the Church and are not now to be expected The Spirit doth now enlighten sanctifie direct and guide us by Scripture-rules And hereupon it is that the godly are said to be led by the Spirit and to walk by the Spirit and this should provoke the godly to all holiness Oh is pride from the Spirit of God Is worldliness is envy is passion from the Spirit of God Remember alwayes from what Spirit it is that thou doest things The Apostles thought it a good zeal when they would have fire from Heaven to come and destroy the Samaritans Luk. 9. 55. but Christ rebuked them saying Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of Take heed then thy own Spirit or a deluding spirit be not the principle that moveth thee instead of Gods good Spirit Thus you see the two general Rules that we should order our lives by the Word and the Spirit whatsoever is not according to these is not suitable to Christianity Besides these general principles we may instance in some particulars that a godly man doth walk by and against which he dare not sinne As 1. To keep a good conscience towards God and man Paul professed he exercised himself herein Act. 24. 16. towards God therefore he taketh heed of any thing that may make his heart smite him he had rather have his peace of conscience than all the advantages in the world Hence in all things his Question is Will not this trouble my conscience Will not this disturb the peace of my conscience This is a blessed principle he keepeth close unto And then again in respect of man he keepeth an inoffensive conscience he lieth not he defraudeth not he injureth not he looketh to righteousness as well as Religion his principle is to be holy towards God and just towards man and in following this principle he aboundeth with joy in his heart he liveth chearfully and fruitfully and withall doth awe the hearts of the most desperate enemies to the wayes of God 2. Another principle is To make sure of his ultimate end for which God made him and the necessary means conducing therunto His end is glory and salvation hereafter The necessary means therunto is grace and godlines here while we are in this world so that while other men walk according to their several principles some will be rich some will have their honours others their profits his principle is to be godly here and saved hereafter Hence he giveth all diligence to these two things So that if you ask him Why are you sollicitous Why are you so carefull Why so often in praying so often in hearing It is he saith to obtain grace here and glory hereafter This I must have I dare not live and die without it for want of this principle men have such sluggish and dull affections to heavenly things A third principle is To live and walk with daily expectations of death and the day of judgment as if he heard alwayes that voice sounding in his ears Arise and come to judgement He desireth to have such thoughts of sinne as a man dying as a man arraigned at Gods tribunal would then have Death is certain nothing can exempt him from it and therefore he desireth to die daily to be preparing for these great changes In morte solâ non est fortassis as Austin observed In all things in the world there is a fortasse a may be Thou mayest be a rich thou mayest be a great man but we cannot say It may be thou mayest die it may be the time will come when thou shalt fall into the grave No this is without all doubt hence the godly mans principle is so to live that death and the day of judgement may be no new thing or terrible dreadfull thing to him A fourth principle is To judge sinne the onely or the greatest evil and godlinesse the greatest good If this were a principle in mens hearts to live by what reformed persons should we see every where This principle in thy heart would be like fire there if sinne be thought worse than any evil then poverty shame misery yea and hell it self better be any thing than a sinner How couldst thou give thy self up a servant thereunto Though it were a pleasing sinne a profitable sinne yet because it is a damning sinne thou wouldst runne from it thou wouldst say Oh this sinne though I love it though I am used to it yet it can never be good for me it will be the poison of my soul And then on the other side a godly mans principle is That godlinesse is more worth than all the great and glorious things of the world His soul longeth for it more than silver and gold he thinketh every rich man every great man a miserable man if he be not godly As Rachel cried Give me children else I die so give me godlinesse Lord else I am damned As Abraham did not so much rejoyce in his wealth and outward mercies because he was still childlesse so saith this man It is not earthly comforts Lord but grace that refresheth my heart let me be poor contemned rather than not godly Use of Exhortation To examine what are the principles you walk by There are but these two and they are contrary one to the other the principle
glory than if there were no promise no grace no mercy and pardon Let not then the People of God have low thoughts of Faith No thou dost more in beleeving and bâ—ingest more glory to God thereby than thou couldest do by all thy other obedience Shouldest thou mortifie sinne to thy desire Shouldest thou dye a Martyr for the Cause of God thou wouldest not so glorifie God as thou dost by beleeving I know this seemeth very Paradoxall to the humbled sinner I know he is difficultly perswaded that by trusting in God he doth thus glorifie God but if thou understandest the Scripture-way then thou wilt quickly see as to beleeve is the most difficult duty so it is the most consequentiall for Gods glory And indeed what have other Duties admirable in them that Faith it self in the Promise hath not in beleeving the understanding is mortified in beleeving the will is crucified in beleeving the Heart and Affections are martyred So that faith maketh a man to be offered up as an whole burnt-offering unto God Use of Instruction That the onely way to make a man live a joyfull life in himself and a glorifying life of God is by faith in the Promises This is that Faith by which a just man is said to live so that thy doubts thy fears thy unbeleeving thoughts these bring a dishonour to God these reproach the Gospel-way these obscure the honour of Christ Let then the godly soul take heed how it giveth way unto such temptations if your own consolation if the glory of God be dear unto you then bolt out unbeleef No wonder if the devil that is so great an enemy to the glory of God doth assault your souls most in this if he have broken down this part of the wall what legions of other sinnes may not he bring with them For this reason many Divines say Sola infidelit as damnat which is not to be understood as if other sinnes were not meritorious of damnation yea and did actually damn only that opposeth the Physician that would heal us that refuseth the atonement that is made for us Secondly As the Promises are thus to be improved for Gods glory by beleeving so also attend to another effect which the Scripture doth inferre from them and that is to cleanse our selves to be every day perfecting holinesse For so the Apostle notably exhorts us 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having these Promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit Promises are no waies incentives to sinne or encouragements to evil works No but a strong antidote against them Neither is faith in them a light superficiall assent swimming upon the heart as a fowl in the water said Luther but as water calefied doth no more manifest its own coldnesse but the heat of the water so doth faith fermentate and leaven the whole soul of a man that humane things do not so much appear as divine things in him As the Apostle expresseth the energy of it when he said I no longer live but Christ in me and that life is by faith in the Son of God Gal. 2. 20. Thou then that sayest all thy trust is in the Promises thou hopest in them for mercy and pardon Are they cleansing Promises purifying Promises Do they perfect holinesse every day in thee through the fear of God SERM. CXXIX Our Settlement and establishment in the faith of the Promises is the gracious work of God alone 2 COR. 1. 21. Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ and hath anointed us is God THe Apostle having formerly spoken of his constancy and unchangeableness in the preaching of the Gospel lest this should be attributed to his own power he informeth them who is the fountain of this strength even God himself For the Apostle doth upon all occasions delight to exalt grace having experimentally found the mighty work of it upon his own soul Or we may make the coherence this The Apostle in the verse preceding spake of the certainty of Gods Promises in themselves they were in themselves Yea and Amen which is called certitudo objecti though some learned men think that it is not a proper expression Now in this Verse he cometh to the certitudo subjecti or to show whence it is that the children of God have this assured perswasion in their own hearts that they are true and constant whence it is that we are able to give our Amen as a note of confirmation to them and therefore in the words we may take notice of The blessed and happy Effect it self and that is 1. Confirmation he which stablisheth 2. The Subject of this us with you 3. The Object in whom in Christ 4. The efficient Cause of this is God 5. The Illustration of this Establishment by a threefold Similitude of anointing sealing and giving the earnest 6. By whom God doth this and that is by his Spirit as it followeth in the next verse So that in these two Verses is the proper seat of that excellent and precious Doctrine Which is The assuring and sealing of the Spirit of God that is given unto Believers But I begin with the First It is God that establisheth us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though we render it now yet some make it causal for he that stablisheth us c. and that seemeth more probable The Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Varinus maketh the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if the Adjective 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used by the Apostle 2 Pet. 1. 10. is made the same by Hesychius with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which cannot be shaken or altered this word is sometimes used of the Doctrine of Christ when that was confirmed and made sure by miracles or otherwise Mark 16. 20. Thus an oath is said to be the confirmation of the end of a strife Heb. 6. 16. or else of persons as here in the Text and Col. 2. 7. stablished in the Faith which being used passively denoteth that this strength and power we have cometh from God only That we of our selves are like reeds shaken with every winde It is the grace of God that maketh us pillars in his Church So that from the Text we may observe That our establishing and confirming in the faith of the promises is alone the gracious work of God Though the Promises be never so lovely and precious though never so profitable and necessary for us yet we are not able to rest our selves upon them but by the power of God strengthening us Our hearts do so quake and tremble with the consideration of our own sinnes and unworthiness that unless the Lord make it stedfast and immoveable we are tossed up and down like the leaves of a tree That it is God alone who doth thus preserve and confirm us is plain by that notable place 1 Pet. 5. 10. where the Apostle prayeth that God who had called them would make
speak to this sealing of Gods Spirit upon the hearts of beleevers though in other terms This I have mentioned is pregnant for having said that he who keepeth Gods Commandements dwelleth in him and he in him Whereas it might be said how shall we know that he dwelleth in us May we not be deluded and deceived No saith he hereby we know that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given us and lest any man though living loosely and carnally should pretend to this spirit he saith They that have it keep his Commandements Thus doubtings and sinnefull diffidence is excluded on one hand and all carnal presumption on the other hand The last Text to bring in assistance to this truth shall be 1 John 5. 8 9 10. where the Apostle speaketh of three Witnesses on earth as he had before in heaven viz. water and the bloud and the spirit Now although there be many perplexed controversies about this passage yet I shall pitch upon that which is most probable without further disquieting of you It seemeth to be without doubt that the Apostle alludeth to the legall administrations wherein there was bloud for expiation and water for cleansing by which is represented justification and sanctification and these being wrought in us do evidently witnesse that Jesus is the Christ and Sonne of God We finding these glorious effects upon our souls cannot but acknowledge that Doctrine but because these are not enough of themselves seeing that sanctified and justified persons may be under great discouragements therefore he addeth the Spirit also It is true the same spirit is said to be a witnesse in heaven but that was because of the extraordinary and visible Testimony that it gave to Christ but here it speaketh of the witnesse it giveth on earth and that must be the sealing spoken off in other places for he saith verse 6. It is the spirit that beareth witnesse because the spirit is truth having there also mentioned water and bloud Verse 10. he seith He that beleeveth on the Sonne of God hath the witnesse in himself Thus you see that as God hath abundantly provided for the holinesse of his people by his spirit to quicken them up therein so also for the assurance and consolation of his children to establish them therein Oh how greatly are we indebted unto the Lord Jesus Christ who giveth us his Spirit not only to leade us into the truth and mortifie the deeds of the flesh but also to fill us with comfort and to assure us that we are the children of God So that it is the duty of the Ministers of the Gospel not only to improve the former truth but this also and to presse you upon the sealing work of Gods Spirit as well as the sanctifying Hath not the Spirit of God this Name given it to be called the Comforter John 14. and shall we divide the operations of Gods Spirit minding him as he is an holy spirit but not a comforting Spirit Having thus informed you what the Scripture declareth in this matter I shall give you a large and popular description of the nature of this sealing and the opening of the several parts touched therein will much conduce to the knowledge thereof The sealing of Gods Spirit may be described after this manner It is a supernaturall and gracious work of Gods Spirit upon the hearts of sanctified persons in a secret and unspeakable manner whereby they are confirmed and established in the Covenant of grace as belonging to them in particular by such means which God hath appointed thereunto that through the sence thereof they may daily walk more and more boldly joyfully and thankefully notwithstanding all discouragements to the contrary till they be made compleatly happy in heaven I have made this description the larger because I would take in every particular considerable about it as much as may be And First I give two Qualifications or Adjuncts to this work of Gods Spirit It is supernatural and gracious Supernatural and that if we respect either rectified nature or corrupted nature Rectified nature for Adam in the state of integrity though he was made perfectly holy yet he had not this Gospel-sealing no more then he was in Christ as a Mediatour for had he been thus sealed he would certainly have persevered and although Adam was partaker of the holy Ghost yet it was as he is the third person not as the spirit of Christ viz. purchased by his death for those that are his so that in this respect we may say this sealing is a priviledge above the nature of Adam while considered before his apostacy but then I call it supernaturall chiefly in respect of corrupted nature for as man naturally of himself hath no power to that which is gracious so neither to that which is comfortable and joyfull All the world all Ministers and Angels cannot powr one drop of this assurance and joy into thy soul unlesse the Spirit of God inable thee thereunto As it is supernaturall so it is gracious for this floweth from the former There is nothing in thee to deserve this establishing as Gods grace sanctifying found thee dead in thy sinnes so his sealing and comforting findeth thee in a guilty despairing way and therefore as God might leave every prophane man to wallow in his lusts and so let him perish thus also might he forsake every guilty conscience under the burthen of thy sinnes and suffer thee to be a Cain to be a Judas even to fall from an hell here into an hell hereafter So that not only by grace we are sanctified but by grace we are healed Blesse God for any establishment of soul against fears and doubts as well as for victory against any lusts It is meerly of Free-grace that we are thus sealed In the next place Secondly we have the generall nature of it with the efficient cause The work of Gods Spirit It is true in the Text it is said That God doth seal us and so whatsoever works there are ad extra from God to the creature they are all common to the three Persons yet there is a peculiar order and appropriation which the Scripture taketh notice of So that it is made the work of the Father to send his Sonne into the world It is made the work of the Sonne to offer up himself a Sacrifice for our sinnes And it is made the proper work of Gods Spirit to apply the benefits of Christs death to our souls therefore sanctification is attributed to the Spirit so also consolation and sealing thereunto Thus the Texts we mentioned formerly give all this work to the Spirit of God as in an appropriated manner doing this for us It is not then of our selves or of our own power that we can obtain this priviledge but it is wrought alone by Gods Spirit As we have no free-will to the grace of God so neither to the comforts God as he is called a God of all
grace so a God of all consolation and Gal. 5. Joy is the fruit of Gods Spirit as well as Faith Love and Repentance are in other places attributed to God But you will say It may easily be granted that a man being dead in sinne he needeth the mighty work of Gods Spirit to raise him up and to give spiritual life but doth it follow that he needeth the same spirit to establish and assure him of Gods love Yes no doubt but that the same Spirit of God which bringeth thee out of the gulf of thy lusts must also out of the gulf of thy doubts and fears It 's as impossible for thee to have comfort of thy self as grace of thy self And therefore you see the Scripture speaking of this twofold operation of Gods Spirit as being necessary to antidote against our twofold corruption and the grounds of this necessity of Gods Spirit are these First The heart of a man is naturally opposite to any thing that is spirituall Whatsoever is of God though never so desirable in it self yet meeting with our corrupt natures it findeth opposition therefore we cannot of our selves any more receive the promises though infinitely needing of them then we can obey the commands We cannot endure honey any more then gall The way of Gospel-joy is contrary to a troubled heart as well as Gospel-obedience to a secure carnal heart Secondly We need the Spirit of God to this sealing because that which doth oppose this is indeed nothing but the fruit of sinne running down another channel He that once lived in divers pleasures did continually grieve the holy Spirit of God Let this man finde the guilt of sinne Let the Law wound and sting him then he grieveth the comforting spirit of God by fears and doubts No wonder then if it must be Gods Spirit only that sealeth because that alone can remove the guilt within thee that only can take off these objections these discouragements that are upon the soul As God raised an East-winde that suddenly delivered Pharaoh from those Locusts that molested him this was miraculous none could do it but God so it is the Spirit of God that alone can take off the heavy burthen of sinne upon thee It is Gods Spirit alone that can overrule thy conscience that can pacifie it that can comfort it It is the Spirit of Adoption that maketh us cry Abba Father but more of this may come in afterwards SERM. CXXXV A further Discovery of the Spirits sealing the People of God 2 COR. 1. 22. Who hath also sealed us THe third particular in the Description of the Spirits sealing cometh to be considered and that is the subject thereof which is two-fold 1. Of Inhesion And 2. Of Predication First Of Inhesion so it is said to be the work of Gods Spirit upon the hearts of the godly For after this manner the Scripture speaketh He hath sent his Spirit into our hearts Gal. 4. 6. And in this Text He hath given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts By this expression is denoted that deep radicated and full possession which the Spirit of God hath upon the hearts of true believers So that hereby is excluded that vanishing and superficial perswasion which may be in a temporary believer of his interest in Christ As a temporary believer hath something like true faith like true joy and like true grace upon the soul so he hath also something like this sealing and like this assured perswasion upon his heart Therefore as the former is much disputed and it doth greatly exercise tender hearts viz. How they may know when they are carried on in the work of sanctification beyond those inchoate and imperfect workings which an hypocrite may have So this latter also doth cause great sollicitude and care of spirit in many gracious souls How shall they know their assurance is not a delusion is not a false perswasion arising out of an inordinate love to their own selves For the Devil doth not only transform himself into an Angel of light as light is taken for holinesse but also as it is taken for comfort Now amongst other characteristical differences this is one the perswasion of a godly man is more full plenary and powerfull Even as sanctifying grace entereth efficaciously into the heart so also doth this sealing grace whereas what hypocrites feel is in a confused general and flashy way neither is it drawn out upon permanent and enduring motives Although doctrinal characters given by the most able Ministers of the Gospel are not enough to make us find out this difference in our selves without a rectified constitution of the powers of the soul within unlesse we attain to that qualification spoken of by the Apostle Heb. 5. 14. who by reason of use or habit or perfection as the word may be rendred have their senses exercised to discerne between good and evil This Text is much to be pressed upon you For it is not every godly man at first that can separate the precious from the vile in his soul but there must be an habitual use of the senses this way Where mark also the Apostle attributeth to the soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a metaphorical manner That as the taste when well constituted is able to discern between bitter and sweet the eye between white and black the ear between what is melodious and what is harsh and displeasing Thus the soul of a godly man being used to heavenly and spiritual things can know what is of God and what is of Satan or of nature in him For you must know there may be four principles of operations in us 1. Nature and that when polished with education and moral principles may appear very glorious 2. Satan insinuating himself as a subtil Serpent as an Angel of light imitating the works of God though he cannot efficaciously work the heart to any thing all that he doth is by suggestion and moving the imaginative and sensitive part of a man 3. There is the Spirit of God and that worketh in us either in a common way by gifts and assistance or by a sanctifying way Now is there not required much spiritual skill and experience to discern which is which of all these So that it is no wonder if he require these senses to be exercised 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word from those who did exercise themselves in the Heathenish games and that naked thereby to fit and prepare themselves to be more agile and expedite for that service In this dispute therefore enquire not onely for doctrinal symptomes and signes of this sealing of Gods Spirit but heartily pray for these exercised senses in spiritual things The other subject is the subject of predication of whom it is affirmed that they have this sealing of Gods Spirit and that is sanctified persons We speak of adult persons for it is plain that infants though they may be sanctified yet because not having actual faith they neither have this sealing And
if you ask Have all the sanctified persons of God this sealing Have none the sanctification of the Spirit but they must also have the witnessing of the Spirit I answer this Question because of great practical importance shall God assisting be handled by it self after the description hath been explained That which I shall here take notice of is That sanctification is necessarily presupposed to this sealing A great Prince will not set his seal to dung to make an impression there neither will God to an heart unsanctified For as in matter of Doctrine God will not vouchsafe miracles to confirm that which is a lie neither in practicals will the Spirit of God witnesse to that heart which is not made holy For indeed it should witnesse a lie in such a case informing such they are the sonnes of God when indeed they are the children of the Devil This order of Gods Spirits first sanctifying and then sealing is clear Ephes 1. 13. In whom after ye believed ye were sealed Those eminent Divines who defined faith to be assurance making it the same with the sealing of Gods spirit are gravelled at this Text and therefore make this Objection If faith be assurance be the sealing how doth the Text say After we believed we were sealed To this therefore Piscator answereth not yeelding that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be rendred Having beleeved as of a thing past but beleeving as in the present but there is too much forcing in this interpretation Others they consider of faith as it hath two parts Illumination of minde and fiducial assurance Now say they the Apostle meaneth by faith the former work of faith and so the meaning is After you were enlightned to know the truth you were confirmed and assured but that opinion making faith justifying to be an assurance that Christ is mine is justly refused It is plain then that when the Spirit of God hath in order of nature for in time they may be both together sanctified a man throughout whereby he is made a new creature then the Spirit of God maketh this glorious stamp upon him then he giveth him this seal as an honourable priviledge whereby he may know himself to be the Lords Even as in antiquity none might have seals but persons of honour and dignity So that the natural and unregenerate person is to stand aloof off thou hast nothing to do in this priviledge thou art not the man whom the great King of Heaven and earth doth purpose thus to honour We proceed in the Description and there we meet with the formal Nature of it wherein it doth essentially consist with the object thereof The Nature of it is In confirming and establishing the heart of a man For this is the chief and usual end of seals to ratifie a thing and to make it no longer uncertain and doubtfull And to this property doth the Scripture chiefly attend For whereas the soul though sanctified is apt to be in daily fears and doubts about Gods favour and grace towards it it fluctuateth up and down having no subsistency the Spirit of God cometh and consolidateth the soul inabling it to rest satisfied in this that God is his God that his sinnes are pardoned that he is become a reconciled Father in Christ And if you say Why do we not need the Spirit of God to do this Cannot we by our graces by our repentance and holy life sufficiently establish our own souls in peace No by no means we need the Spirit of God to comfort as you heard as well as to sanctifie and that for these Reasons First It is very hard for a man whose guilty conscience doth presse him and condemn him daily telling him that he hath deserved at Gods hands to be eternally tormented in hell not to thinke because God may doe thus that therefore he will do so In such terrours and affrights we look more to what we have deserved we look more to what God may do then what he will we are naturally suspicious and think the worst of God even as we doe to man If we have offended a man greatly and it lieth in his power to undo us we are never quiet we cannot but think when ever the opportunity is he will be avenged and therefore we dare not trust him Yea though we have given no just cause if others have taken up an unkind spirit towards us we expect nothing else from them but our ruine when it is in their power Therefore for all Saul's tears and good works to David yet he would never trust him Now although there be no cause for us to have such suspicious thoughts about God for he hath graciously promised that he will receive us insomuch as not to believe him herein is to give more credit to a man whose words many times satisfie us than to God who is truth it self yet the heart being guilty and full of fears doth work in this doubtfull manner about God How hard is it to bring the afflicted sinner to good perswasions about God and that though by promises and other wayes God hath so abundantly provided against such distrust Here then is the reason why we need the sealing of Gods Spirit we cannot perswade our selves but God will doe what he may do and what we have deserved And A second Reason followeth upon the former We can hardly be perswaded that the great and good things which we stand in need of God will ever bestow upon us who are so unworthy of them Can a beggars daughter be perswaded that a great King will marry her But here is a farre greater disproportion What will the great God of Heaven so holy so full of majesty look graciously upon me and not only forgive me my sinnes but advance me to eternal glory These things are very improbable Shall Joseph be freed not only from the prison but promoted to the greatest honour in the Land next to the King Who would have believed it And thus it is here the soul having low and humble thoughts of it self cannot be perswaded that the great God of Heaven will look upon such despicable wretches as they are 3. The way of evangelical confidence with the comfortable effects thereof are wholly supernatural And therefore no wonder if we need the Spirit of God to help us therein Not only holinesse and grace is supernatural but assurance and joy are likewise supernatural As we cannot pray without the Spirit helping our infirmities so neither are we able to call God Father If faith in Christ by which we are justified be supernatural then also is the comfort and peace flowing from the knowledge thereof As the Doctrine of the Gospel is by divine revelation flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto us that Christ is the Sonne of God so neither can flesh and blood enable us to the perswasion of this Mediator as loving me and giving himself for me Certainly if it be the gift of
the Rock followed the people of Israel in the wildernesse to refresh them this man may say verily God is here verily God is with me Lastly The Spirit of God doth give us Consolation by the antecedent workes of sanctification Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his But the godly they have received the Spirit of God And if the soul which is the spirit of a man manifest it self present in the body by its operations shall we not much rather thinke that the Spirit of Christ where it dwelleth in a man will make knowne it selfe Shall we have these coales of fire in our bosome and not perceive them Now there is an order in the works of Gods Spirit which we also must attend unto and not think to have one before the other The order is this the Spirit of God doth 1. Enlighten the minde 2. It doth sanctifie the will and affections 3. It doth witnesse and seale to us these blessed effects To looke therefore for consolation before sanctification is preposterous Oh how happy is it when the childe of God earnestly seeketh after all these effects upon his soule and that in the order God hath appointed These few qualifications may suffice by these and the like the Spirit of God doth confirme Onely you must know these doe but objectively offer themselves if the Spirit of God doth not rightly constitute our inward man and enable us all these blessed effects may be upon our soules and yet we be disconsolate as if we had them not Even as there may be pleasant flowers in a garden yet if we have not light we cannot see them So that the cause of assurance is more from the Spirit of God efficiently establishing the heart than from these qualifications which doe objectively onely declare themselves Even as in faith dogmatically assenting to divine truths the work of Gods Spirit is more upon the understanding giving firmnesse and stedfast adhesion than upon the motives of credibility in the truths themselves But what is necessary to a fuller clearing of this will upon another occasion be considered I proceed to the last thing in this Description and that is the final cause which is That under the sense of this we might live boldly c. I say under this sense For this sealing of Gods Spirit doth make such a divine impression upon the soule that we feele it and perceive it not indeed bodily as we doe the fire that burneth but rationally and spiritually in our inward man So that not onely grace is from Gods Spirit but the experimental feeling of it is likewise from the same Hence it is not to be called an humane but divine sense For a gracious constitution is required to feele what is grace and to discerne the effects thereof But I hasten This sense and apprehension of Gods sealing being thus experimentally in us we find a three-fold advantage thereby First We walke boldly confidently Insomuch that we can cry Father Ephes 3. 12. We have boldnesse and accesse with confidence There is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We are able to speake any thing in the presence of God whereas in fears and doubts our prayers are interrupted we question whether we may say this or that Secondly Hereby we walke comfortably Yea it is called Joy unspeakable 1 Pet. 1. 8. and Rom. 14. 17. Peace and joy in the Holy Ghost The Kingdome of God is there said to consist in this Alas how contrary doe the people of God walke to this Text for want of sealing as if godlinesse lay in doubts in fears and dejections of spirit Surely the people of God are to bewail their ignorance and low principles in these things Thou makest thy self to be like an heir under age as the Apostle alludeth Gal. 4. 1. and so not differing from a servant whereas the Gospel-light and Evangelical principles set home by the Spirit of adoption should fill thee with liberty and exceeding great joy Lastly Hereby we also live thankefully never satisfying our selves with admiring and commending the unspeakable and unsearchable riches of Gods grace Two great gulphs the Spirit of God hath delivered thee out of the sinfull lusts and corruptions thou didst once wallow in and the slavish sad tormenting feares thou wast once almost overwhelmed with Oh what cause is here of thankefullnesse How sorry art thou that thou art no more enlarged That thou hast but one heart and one tongue to be exercised in this matter And the aggravation of all this is that we may be thus bold joyfull and thankfull notwithstanding all discouragements to the contrary for they are many and dreadfull How many failings within How many temptations without What fiery darts from Satan And yet a sealed Christian is able to looke upon these with as much joy as the Israelites did upon the Aegyptian carcasses that lay dead upon the Sea-shore But if God should let open these flood-gates upon the most sanctified person he would be immediately swallowed up with them as Dathan and Abiram were suddenly in the earth And then Lastly You have the terme till which this sealing shall last and that is Till we are made happy compleatly in Heaven So Ephes 4. 30. We are sealed till the day of redemption This way of faith and assurance will then cease it will be turned into the immediate vision and fruition of God Then there will be no feares no doubts any more than lusts and corruptions How mercifull then is God that giveth us such manna in the wildernesse which will cease when we come into Canaan SERM. CXXXVII Whether all the People of God are his Sealed ones 2 COR. 1. 21. Who hath also sealed us THe nature of this sealing being largely described I shall conclude with an answer to that Question Whether all sanctified ones are Gods sealed ones for it might seem to be true of all seeing the Apostle speaketh universally in the person of beleevers who hath sealed us and Eph. 1. 13. those that beleeved were sealed there is no difference made neither are any exempted And not only by Scripture but by the testimony of many learned Protestants it should also seem so especially of such who defined faith to be an assurance for then if no assurance no faith To this purpose Calvin seemeth to speak on this very Text which Stapleten looketh upon as depraving the meaning of the Apostle Whosoever saith Calvin hath not the spirit of God a witnesse within him so that he can say Amen to God calling him to the certain hope of salvation he doth falso Christianum nomen obtendere pretend only to a Christian name not being so indeed To the same sense also in his Institutions lib. 3. cap. 2. par 16. Vere fidelis non est c. he is not truly a beleever who is not perswaded with a solid perswasion that God is a propitious and reconciled Father to him whereby he doth promise to
in his heart in somuch that an Angel was sent to comfort him This might make us wonder that God should not spare his own Sonne but it was necessary for our redemption for as he could not have wrought our reconciliation for us unlesse he had a passible body that could suffer death so neither unlesse he had a suffering soul by fears and grief though all without sinne It was Jobs case likewise to be without sealing for he could have no comfort in his heart while he complained the Arrows of the Almighty did stick fast in him while he was terrified with dreams and visions in the night Thus the Lord still doth exercise his soveraignty therein he withdraweth the light of his favour from many choice sanctified ones They wander in a wildernesse their lives are a burthen to them they cannot meet God in any ordinance as if they were become like so many rejected Sauls when yet the favour of the Lord is exceeding great to them only they perceive it not But then secondly On our part many times yea too often when the cause is that we have not this sealing We may thank our selves for bloaching the Paper so that no comfortable thing can be written upon it I shall instance in one or two waies how we come to keep off this sealing And the first is by falling into some grievous and grosse sinnes if such do drive away the naturall peace of a meer natural conscience as is plain in heathens how much more the supernaturall peace of a tender enlightned conscience Davids penitentiall Psalm 51. doth fully speak to this he there complaineth of his broken bones he prayeth to have joy restored to him all which argueth that by sinne he had lost all comfortable enjoyment of God That he was in a chaos and dark confusion and truly if there were no hell no damnation to threaten the people of God with to keep them from grosse sinnes This of Gods iron turnace to be cast into is enough to make our hearts tremble Oh the wofull condition that godly manis in who in stead of the spirit of Adoption he once enjoyed is now delivered up to Satan to be under his fears his black temptations No outward comfort in the world can then give him a drop of case Oh then come not near any grosse sinnes fly from the appearance of it for this sealing cannot consist with that Secondly Any carelesse and remisse walking though we do not fall into grosse sins is enough to put this Sunne into an Eclipse Any angry and bitter words to another will do it Any loose and wanton discourse may bring thee into this deep dungeon For so you may see Eph. 4. 30. Grieve not the spirit by which yeare sealed But how is that done for so you may see the verse before by corrupt communications by unsavoury gracelesse words and then see the subsequent Verse Let all bitternesse all wrath and anger be put away Dost thou then complain thou hast not this sealing how can it be otherwise How many frothy foolish speeches hast thou How many angry bitter words come from thee If you hereby grieve Gods spirit no wonder that he leave thee to thy grief Thirdly By any inward security and secret self-confidence we may deprive our selves of this sealing For seeing this is a Gospel-privi edge a ray from the Sunne of righteousnesse it is only conveighed in an Evangelicall method Now all Gospel-dispensations are to the broken in heart to the poor in spirit to the humbled sinner renouncing all righteousnesse and worth of our own so that as it is in the work of sanctification no sooner hath a man any secret confidence in his own power but sanctifying grace in some measure leaveth him As we see in Peter when he said Though all men should for sake Christ yet he would not Thus it is also in the way of consolation no sooner doth a man begin to be lifted up within because he hath these comfortable refreshments but presently they are substrated from us Thus David did but say his mountain was established that he should not be moved and immediately God hid his face and he was troubled Psa 30. 6 7. Therefore that man who would enjoy this desirable priviledge must walk with a tender humble and yet an Evangelicall fiducial frame of heart Fourthly When we speak of Gods sealing you must rightly understand the meaning of it It is not as if thereby such a certainty were wrought in the soul that it doth exclude all fears and doubts No that is a proper priviledge to heaven as the flesh lusteth against the spirit in matter of sanctification so it doth also in consolation As therefore when the spirit of God sanctifieth on the spirits part grace is pure and perfect but on the subjects part which doth receive it so it hath much drosse and imperfection cleaving to it Thus it is also in this sealing though the testimony and witnesse on the spirits part be infaliible and undoubted yet as we receive it so there is much unbeleef and doubting adhering to us This sealing therefore and many fears and doubts may consist together because it is not absolutely predominant and prevalent only here is a conflict we are to strive against these doubts we are to pray against these fears till the Lord cause light to arise out of this darkness Therefore the godly may have this sealing and yet not attend to it nor perceive it because the corruptions of our heart are most perceived by us and we are so exercised by them that we do not consider what the spirit of God doth witnesse at that time This then maketh the godly think they have not this sealing at all because they have it not with that dominion as they desire to exclude all conflicts and troubles within and so as in respect of sanctification there is some grace under much corruption so there is also this certainty under many fears And if you say that it is a contradiction that a man should be assured and doubt also I answer No no more than that a man should be sanctified and yet have some corruption in him for they do not respect the same thing Certainty ariseth from the Promises of God set home by his spirit upon us ahd fears arise from the sence and feeling of our own weaknesses So that what the holy Apostle speaketh concerning the work of grace in him with the oppositian thereunto the good he would do he doth not and he findes evil present with him Thus it is here the sealing the assurance the comfort he would have he cannot obtain but the doubts and slavish fears which he hateth they carry him away captive Lastly Suppose a godly man hath not this sealing yet let him not limit God to the times and seasons he would but leave all to the merciful dispensation of a wise and righteous God Thou hast not assurance yet no more thou hast
not perfect grace yet thou hast not perfect holinesse yet but thou waitest upon the Lord till it be accomplished and so do here Oh but I am afraid I shall never have it I shall dye without it that is more than thou knowest how suddenly and graciously doth God use to rebuke these windes and waves when we little think of it yet know thy interest to heaven is not shaken Thou wilt indeed want much comfort but not thy title to heaven Thou art as sure to go to heaven as if thou wert assured of it And withall remember that the faith of dependance and recumbency upon Christ only is more noble than assurance in that thou givest God most glory In this thy own interest is satisfied And lastly know that heaven is coming to thee and thou going to it when not only sin but all fears shall be removed away Thou shalt then dispute thy condition no more thou shalt not then question thy graces or Gods grace to thee but shall put on the Crown of glory never to be molested and disquieted any more SERM. CXXXVIII Of Grace as it is the Earnest of Eternall Glory 2 COR. 1. 22. And given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts THis is the third and last similitude by which that gracious confirmation of beleevers in Gods promises is declared and if we consider them relatively to the discourse precedent we shall easily see what great reason there is that the promises should not be only yea and Amen in themselves but in bs also Seeing we have this special work of Gods spirit anointing sealing and giving us an earnest of the things that are promised Now as you heard though the same prividedge be meant under this threefold similitude yet every one hath its proper notion and therefore the earnest here spoken of may differ from sealing thus That the sealing of Gods Spirit doth assure of us that which is already wrought in us as seals confirm contracts that are already made though hereby also is implyed a certain continuance and perseverance in that state which is sealed but the earnest spoken of in the text doth principally relate to the future So that whereas the childe of God might object what if I be sealed and assured for the present of my good condition yet who knoweth what may fall out thereafter I may apostatize I may provoke God to leave me and so this seal be as it were defaced But though the word sealing doth also imply continuance for it is till the day of redemption yet the word earnest doth more properly speak to that Objection Thou hast the earnest given thee of that inheritance which shall be hereafter So that in the words we may take notice of the mercy it self the efficient cause of it and the subject receiving it The mercy it self is said to be an earnest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is used in two other places in the New Testament as is to be shewed It is properly an Hebrew word though from the Hebrews communicated to the Phenicians which being great Merchants brought it into Greece so that the Grecians adopted it for their ordinary wood yea some Latinists as Plautus and Terentius do use it as Grotius on the place affirmeth Varro speaketh of it lib. 4. de ling. latinà where he saith the same mony for divers respects may be called dos merces arrabo and corollarium and addeth the word arrabo is brought from the Grecians but Scaliger in his Notes upon the place correcteth him for that saying Ne graecum verbum quidem sed merum Syriacum The Hebrew root from whence it groweth is gnarub to mingle and so by a metaphor it signifieth to buy and sell to make contracts and to assure them by earnests because in this action the buyer and the seller are as it were mingled together Some have translated it pignus which the Grecians call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a pledge pignus It is so called either à pugno say some because the pledge is delivered by the hand or else as Martinius Lexi pignus from pago or pango because in such covenants and contracts there is an agreement established But Hierom of old and others of late do no waies approve of rendring it a pledge but an earnest for there is this difference in the civil law between arra and pignus an earnest and a pledge an earnest is part of the price that is to be paid down and so goeth to make it up but a pledge is given for security by the debtor to the creditor and taken away again when the debt is paid Now this metaphor doth no waies hold in this case for God is not a debtor to us when he giveth us his grace he doth not borrow of us neither when the promise is fullfilled is this grace taken away for in heaven grace is not abolished but perfected Indeed Aquinas upon the place maketh this Observation That as a pledge must be saith he equivalently worth to the debt so it is here grace wrought in us especially the Spirit of God bestowed upon us is equivalent to glory But that is false that in our graces wrought by Gods Spirit there is an intrinsecall condignity and equality to everlasting glory It 's therefore more proper and suitable to call it an earnest which was commonly used two waies either in civill commerce or matrimoniall contracts called therefore in the latter subarrhatio The end and use of it was to secure the full payment of the debt or fullfilling of any promise made and in this sense it is true in the Text God knowing our pronenesse to doubt about his promises as also how uncertain and fearfull we are doth give us his grace here as a sure earnest of our eternal happinesse So that by this earnest we are not to understand extraordinary and miraculatous gifts of Gods Spirit for many had them who yet never could enter into glory but the special works of grace sanctifying These are fitly called an earnest though there be also some dissimilitudes as is to be shewed insomuch that he who findeth he hath grace here may certainly conclude he shall have glory hereafter for though there be some who hold that some may have true faith and yet totally fall off and that only the elected beleever shall persevere yet that is built upon a sandy foundation In the second place you have the efficient cause of this and that is the spirit of God Some indeed make this by way of apposition The earnest which is the spirit as if the spirit it self both in this and the other Text were the earnest which may be received provided that by the spirit we mean not only the person of the spirit but the gracious operations thereof for the people of God partake of both Eph. 1. 13. They are said to be sealed with that holy spirit of promise called so not because it is the spirit promised for that is too frigid though it be
true but because it is the spirit that doth apply the promises to the soul and make us assured of them as he is called the holy spirit because he is the authour of holinesse But then Eph. 4. 30. there we are said to be sealed by the spirit denoting the spirit of God to be the efficient cause of it So that it is a blasphemous wresting of the Scripture by a Socinian when by the holy Ghost thus sealing unto us is saith he Smal. disp de promisso spiritus sancti meant no more than a sure hope of eternal life He denieth the holy Ghost to be God and a Person it is only saith he a sure hope within us but this is to confound this effect with the cause faith and love and hope are the effects of Gods Spirit they are not the spirit it self So that from hence viz. because the spirit of God doth seal us we may gather a sure argument that he is truly God for the spirit is said to confirm us and God is said to confirm us whereby it is implyed that to confirm our hearts is a divine operation as well as to sanctifie it It is true how the spirit of God is God and how it proceedeth from the Father and Sonne cannot be comprehended by reason It is enough that by faith we are to beleeve so for no wonder the doctrine of the Trinity is inexplicable seeing the nature of God is ineffable To this purpose Austin having discoursed about the Trinity concludeth that he perceived only he had spoken something of God Si autem dixi non est hoc quod dicere volui hoc unde scio nisi quia Deus ineffabilis est Quod autem a me dictum est si ineffabile esset non esset dictum ac per hoc ne ineffabilis quidem dicendus est Deus quia hoc cum dicitur aliquid dicitur fit nescio quae pugna verborum quoniam si illud est ineffabile quod dici non potest non est ineffabile quod velut ineffabile dici potest De Doctrinâ Christianâ lib. 1. But that by the way Lastly Here is the subject wherein and that is said to be in our hearts So that as God doth write his Law in our hearts Thus he doth also infuse his comfort and assurance which doth demonstrate the soveraign power of God over our hearts he can make them holy when he pleaseth he can comfort them when he pleaseth No Potentate in the world can do thus That heart of thine which is not in thy own power which no man can tame the grace of God can tame it that heart which thou desirest may be filled with holinesse and consolation God alone can do it The Observation is That grace wrought in the heart is a sure earnest of glory hereafter He that is holy here must needs be happy hereafter If thou canst finde grace in thy soul thou hast found the Pearl thou maist rejoyce not doubting but heaven will be thine hereafter The people of God are not only to look upon grace as grace but as it is an earnest of a greater happinesse yet how often do the children of God consider it without thiis respect what courage joy and holy boldnesse would it work in thee to think thou hast within thee that which assureth of eternal glory as if thou wert already in heaven This is a reviving truth that grace is an earnest of glory thou mindest grace as it subdueth thy corruptions as it maketh thy heart to be carried out more holily and delightsomely to God but then thou dost not attend to it as an earnest There is a great deal of difference between a shilling as a single peece of money and as an earnest it may be of twenty pound more to come Thus it is very much rejoycing to finde grace at all in thy soul as it is grace but it doth much more rejoyce as it is an earnest of more fulnesse Adam had grace the angels had grace but grace was not given them as part of an inheritance for they fell from it Let us consider two Texts of Scriptures where we have this earnest spoken of The first is by our Apostle in this Epistle cap. 5. 5. Now he that hath wrought us for the self same thing is God who also hath given unto us the earnest of his spirit What is that self same thing he speaketh of it is a groaning and an earnest desire after immortality we would gladly be out of this burden here and in heaven yea as we groan and desire so we are assured and know that when we shall dye we shall go to heaven But now because these are things far above the power of nature we naturally are afraid of death we are unwilling to be taken from our relations we have not such assurance of heaven Therefore saith the Apostle He that doth work us frame and polish us for this great thing it is God We could never do it without his supernatural assistance But then how doth God work this admirable frame of heart it is by the earnest of his spirit we have the beginnings of heaven already So that as the Israelites by the bunches of raisons had some foretast of Canaan so have beleevers some taste of heaven by what they feel already and as Moses from Mount Pisgah could behold Canaan though he did not enter into it thus thou hast a sight of heaven and an entrance into it by the grace begun in thee The other Text is Eph. 1. 14. where the Apostle having said That we were sealed by the spirit of promise he addeth which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession We are not yet brought into heaven into Canaan We are yet in the wildernesse we meet with many dangers and temptations threatning us that we shall never come there but only this earnest doth assure us and satisfie us So that as among the Israelites an inheritance was not to be alienated from the Tribe in the year of Jubilee it would return again to the true owner Thus this inheritance of heaven will never be taken from thee Thou maist be in some dangers and fears of losing of it by thy unwise carriage but shalt not be deprived of it Before we enlarge on this subject it is good to take notice of the dissimilitude as well as the similitude for though grace wrought in us be compared to an earnest in this respect as it doth assure us of future glory yet in other respects it greatly differeth from earnest among men As in the first place An earnest in bargains is to assure the buyer that giveth it as well as the seller they mutually hereby are confirmed so that the buyer cannot honestly fly off any more than the seller But now when the spirit of God worketh this earnest in us it is only for our good it is that we may be assured and
not only apprehensiva but quietativa not only apprehensive but quietative it brings the soul to its center to its non ultra whereas reason doth but satisfie till a man come with a stronger and one argument like the circles in the water begets another So that whereas it was Iulian's objection against the Christian Religion as low and contemptible because it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only believe yet this indeed is the glory of it this setleth and composeth when philosophical ratiocinations did carry them into endless contentions Therefore that is good counsel of Austins Noveris te esse fidelem non rationalem It is faith not syllogisms that brings an established mind in Religion It is true indeed Christianity hath her use of Reason and Arguments and there is an Habitus Theologiae whereby we do demonstrate the points of Divinity but this is when faith hath laid the foundation Fides facit argumentum non argumentum fidem as it doth in the liberal Arts Reason buildeth upon Faith not Faith upon Reason If therefore thou complainest of the diversity of Sects of the multitude of opinions that swarm every where there is no such way to escape splitting thy soul at such rocks as to pray for this godly simplicity of mind I say holy simplicity not a foolish popish blind obedience that is not faith The fool believeth every thing Faith hath alwayes an evidence and knowledge of the testimony though the thing believed may be above the comprehension But when truths out of the Scripture are with sufficient evidence held out to thee then simplicity is required to yeeld firm assent thereunto and not to dispute by humane arguments whether it can be so or no. Therefore the wisdome which is from above Jam. 3. 17. is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 easily to be perswaded As in respect of the objects to be believed and the instruments who propound it there is necessary Piscatoria simplicitas which is more than Aristotle's subtilty or his Minutiloquium as Tertullian calleth it So there is such an humble simplicity required on the subjects part who are to receive these divine truths I am the larger on this as being assured the best antidote against all heresies and the surest remedy to preserve from doctrinal Apostasie is this simplicity of mind But Secondly This simplicity is no lesse signally seen in the Will which is to cast away its contumacy stubbornness and propriety resigning it self wholly up to Gods command The Lord hath commanded it therefore I obey not disputing with flesh and blood whether this will be for my advantage honour or profit but the will of God boweth him into all ready compliance It is the Apostles advice Phil. 2. 14. Do all things without mumurings and disputings that ye may be sincere Here it is plain that sincerity is manifested when we willingly do our duty not murmuring and quarrelling at it Even as we read of Abraham though commanded by God to sacrifice his own sonne with his own hands when he might have had so many fair arguments against it yet he readily applieth himself to his duty and so when commanded to come out of his own countrey and to go he did not know whether yet he willingly obeyeth this is simplicity And so it was with Paul Galat. 1. who immediately obeyed the call of God Not consulting with flesh and blood whereas Saul because he did not obey in simplicity but waved the commands of God upon religious pretences his rebellion was accounted aâ— witchcraft not believing that Obedience was better than Sacrifice 1 Sam. 15. 22. Thirdly This simplicity is seen in an holy boldnesse to do our duty to be zealous for God to reprove sinne though there be never so many Lions in the way It is true the wisemen of the world call this simplicity indeed making it the same with folly Thus most of our Christian duties if fervently and zealously performed are nothing but folly and silliness to carnal policy But to appear for God and to own his wayes among a crooked and malicious people is an excellent mark of simplicity whereas hypocrisie measuring all things by its safety honour and profit becometh like the shadow to the body suâ—eth it self to every corrupt humour of others But this plainness of heart maketh us with David Psal 119. to speak of the Law even before Kings and alwayes to obey God rather than men So much shrinking from thy duty because of the fear or favours of men is so much want of simplicity Hence Varinus makes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 boldnesse and freedome Oh then pray exceedingly for this simplicity of spirit that will make thee constant bold and zealous for God! How often may thy conscience convince thee that sinfull fear or foolish shame or carnal affections have made thee not do thâ—se duties with singleness of heart as thou shouldst have done How many times hast thou betrayed the truth by sinfull silence How many times hast thou wounded thy spirit by holding thy tongue whereas this holy simplicity would have imboâ—dened thee It is true there is Christian prudence required also there must be the wisdome of a Serpent as well as the innocency of the Dove Discretion is the salt to season our Sacrifices and there must be this salt as well as the fire of zeal but we must look the Serpent doth not eat up this Dove that discretion doth not devour this simplicity Thus much of simplicity as it relateth immediately to God Now because the Apostle useth the word largely relating to his ministerial conversation as it did reach to men we shall take in briefly the consideration of that also And First Godly simplicity maketh a man inoffensive to men This simplicity maketh a man harmlesse and unblameable as to others Christs Disciples are compared to Sheep not to Bears for cruelty or Foxes for craft in doing mischief therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Apostle saith I would have you simple in malice Rom. 16. 19. The leven that was forbidden in the Sacrifices did signifie malice and sourness So that where this simplicity is a man is wonderfull harmless is not injurious doth no wrong The word used in that place of Rom. 16. 19. is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which though it properly come from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet some make it from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if to say without horns The people of God are meek and lowly as it 's said of Jacob He was a plain man but Esau rough and hairy which may relate to their manners as well as bodily constitutions not but that they can be as bold as Lions in the cause of God Simplicity is consistent with zeal and courage for God Moses was the meekest man upon earth yet in the case of Idolatry and the peoples uncleanness how forward was he to have severe punishment
inflicted on the offenders Secondly This simplicity of spirit in reference to man is accompanied with ingenuity candour and truth His heart and his words his promises and his hands go along together And therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is made the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man of a transparent breast that doth abhor all lying cosening and a double tongue How carefull is the Apostle towards the end of this Chapter and something this Text is relating to that to clear himself from inconstancy and falshood as if he were yea and nay So that simplicity is accompanied with verity in affections and veracity in promises There is a conformity between the mind and words The Iesuite by his principles of equivocation calling it prudens defentio is farre from this simplicity the Apostle here doth rejoyce in Aristotle lib. 4. Ethic. cap. 17. maketh this verity to be a moral virtue though he saith the Greeks have no name for it he placeth it in the middle between two extreams the one is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when a man doth boast and brag of such things in him which are not indeed Thus the Pharisee and the civil man yea Aristotle himself for all his moral Philosophy were guilty of this arrogancy attributing that to themselves which was not in them Simplicity giveth all to God nothing to his own power The other extream is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when men do dissemble the good things that are in them will not own them Aristotle maketh Socrates guilty of this Now it 's true there may be much hypocrisie in dispraising our selves and we may affect humility when thereby we exalt our pride So that the child of God which hath this simplicity is bound to acknowledge the good things God hath done for him and in him it is not pride but thankfulnesse to do so Paul did not arrogantly boast when he professeth his simplicity it was not pride to own his sincerity And this is necessary for the godly to be informed in for they are so jealous and suspicious of themselves that they dare not say they feel what they do feel If Christ should ask them as Peter Lovest thou me They would stand amazed not knowing what to say when yet at the same time all their trouble is because they love Christ no more and because they do not arrive at such a pitch of holines as they desire Know then as Aristotle by the light of nature so much more a Christian by the light of grace may conclude that it is a sin contrary to that simplicity that should be in us not to acknowledg what God hath done for us Thus Hezekiah pleaded the truth of his soul and Paul here and also in many other places professeth his uprightnesse of heart and abundant labouring for the propagation of the Gospel neither could they be charged with pride and arrogancy herein By which we see that as a man in the simplicity of his heart is carried out to the whole service of God so he doth herein take notice of and acknowledge the grace of God towards him Therefore it is our duty to observe and thankfully acknowledge the graces of God in us provided alwayes we avoid those particulars which Carthusian mentioneth Lib. 2d. dist in a verse that do alwayes pollute or puff up Ex se pro meritis falsò plus omnibus inflat 1. That we do not think we have these good things by our own power and ability 2. That it is not for any merit or desert of ours that God giveth us grace and passeth others by 3. That we do not falsly boast of such things as are not indeed in us 4. That we do not Pharisaically preferre our selves above others These four things do overthrow the very foundation of many popish principles From these things thus declared there is first an Use of Instruction by way of Corollary viz. That godly simplicity is not natural simplicity or meer childishnesse God for many ends causeth some to be born natural fools and ideots such are not excluded from salvation God may have his wayes unknown to us of reaching home to their hearts and infusing grace into them But this simplicity is that which doth consist in subduing the guile and hypocrisie that is in mans heart whereby we are prone to do the things of God for sinister respects and thereby lose our spiritual reward Again Much more doth this Christian simplicity differ from sinfull and affected simplicity when men by their lazinesse and negligence attain not to any sound knowledge in Religion How many simple old persons are there that have lived many years in this world and yet know no more than a child about the principles of Religion Yea every wicked man is often by Solomon called the simple one and therefore wisdome doth earnestly invite them to forsake this folly Thou that art apt to censure the generation of such as fear God as so many weak simple persons they are very contemptible in thy eyes Oh remember that all impiety is grosse simplicity You are the Devils fools for his bables you lose a crown of glory In Hell when it is too late you will then rage and rave to see what fools you have been when you shall see these despised ones received into glory and you cast into eternal torments Use 2. Of Admonition to all such who seem to walk in the wayes to Heaven who are often in hearing in praying often in the religious duties God requireth above all things look to the singlenesse of thy heart in these things thou wilt else have no glory from God nor true comfort in thy own conscience As Solomon said Whatsoever thou doest do with all thy might so whatsoever thou doest do it in plainnesse of heart looking up to God onely and remember though men see not thy carnal motives nor the crooked windings of thy heart yet the all-seeing eye of God beholds the very atomes as it were within thee How great will thy confusion be if at the day of judgement God shall reject all thy glistering holinesse saying you did it not to me in all these duties you served not me Even as God complaineth of those hypocritical Jews Zech. 7. 5. When ye fasted and mourned in those moneths did ye it to me even to me This want of singlenesse of heart respecting God only was that which made all their Religion abominable unto God SERM. XCI Of the true Nature of Godly Sincerity 2 COR. 1. 12. And godly sincerity THis is the second word wherein is positively expressed the manner of Paul's conversation in the world Although both the words tend to the same purpose yet simplicity doth more respect the frame and inward constitution of the heart and sincerity doth more denote the purity and integrity of our aims and ends in holy things In the expression we may take notice 1. Of the grace it self viz. Sincerity 2. The limitation or qualification of it