s the Word of God 1 Pet. 1. ult which must doe it 1 Pet 1 22 as Iam. 1.16 Of his free will hee begat us by the Word of truth Iam 1 16 Trie thy selfe then by the usuall acts of the word of Regeneration and so thou maist gather that this Spirit belongs to thee This is no place for mee to digresse I will cull out onely two or three things which may serve for this use Deceive not thy selfe and God will not deceive the Didst thou ever then feele in thy selfe that this immortall seed cast into thy eare did so descend into thy heart as to worke any immortall hope in thee 2 Tim. 1 11. The Gospell reveales immortality and glory to the soule Did it ever bring to light any such thing to thee Did it ever conceive in thee a sensible distaste of all hopes below and raise thy affections above Did it ever cause the things of the earth long life health successe welth money pleasure to be despised in comparison of the hope which is set before thee Camest thou ever from the word another man in thy aime appetite savor and love than thou wentst Did thy heart ever burne within thee there And when thou camest with earthly base thoughts did the Lord so dash them by heavenly doctrine and the hope of Christ that thou returnedst to thy house with a distaste of thy selfe for them Wert thou ever so touched and taken with the promise of the word that thou wert loath to forgo it for any delight In particular try thy self thus Instances of the words working 1. Hath the word of the Law cast a destroying seede of death into thee taken a way that life of old Adam jollity in sin Hath it defaced thy old Image discovered thee to thy selfe to be an Alien from the Life of God and common-wealth of Israel the son of an Hittite and Amorite as odious as one of thirtie old would be to thee who never was baptized Secondly hath the Gospell cast a better seed of hope in Christ by the Covenant of reconciliation into thee In thy hearing of this glad tidings hath the Lord bored an eare in thee by which this seede might conceive and kindle in thy heart Hath it wrought the preparation of heart in thee by brokennesse tendernesse humilitie unweariednesse of paines selfe de-deniall c. Hath it setled and digested in thee as a thing of such beauty as in comparison of which all the glory of the earth is drosse Hath it abode in thee and brought an undecaying sweetnesse into thee Hast thou felt in thy wombe the paines of true life and the new birth viz. How corruption of nature selfe and infidelity have rebelled against the work both of the Law and Gospell Gen. 25 22. Hast thou with Rebecca in this combat gone to God with thy complaint of the infinite lets that have held thee from beleâ—ving And hath the Lord by his Promise and perswasions fastened thy anchor of soule upon his bottome of free grace and truth renouncing thy owne hopes feares performances So that now thou hast him close bound to thee in his word from ever forsaking thee Then I say to thee thou art he whom the word hath breed Christ in and formed life in thee by faith What wanteth then Oh! thy heart is fickle and too weake to buy and sell upon the bare word without wavering yea thou hast much adoe to get victory over thy uncertain heart Well no wonder Thou seest nothing and to resist sence is a great worke yet be faithfull with God and give not over his promise and by due cleaving to the bare truth of the Lord begge further light and rest not in thy measure much lesse yeeld to any love of sinne to darken and defile thee And so doing I assure thee that to thee and to none but such the seale of baptisme belongs thou shalt find the Lord will by his Spirit convince thee deeplier the Spirit of Baptisme shall bring forth Gods pledges shew thee them Ioh. 16 9.10 convey into thy faint heart strength confidence and courage of faith and set thee above thy distempers as if they had never annoied thee If I say hee have purposed such a decree of grace unto thee he will effect it in time else know that howsoever yet thy service is blessed and thy faith hath brâ—â—d the life of regeneration in thee Branch 1 Forthly let this be exhortation to urge us to apply our selves to Baptisme for the sealing work of the Spirit therin To young Novices And first I direct my speech to yong novices under the means Slight not off the first incklings of this sealing Spirit The 1. layes heates of the holy Ghost and fire doe usually breake forth in youth Consider it s not a dayes worke nor a thing easie to settle the Spirit of sealing upon thy soule there be many steps to it Oh! looke to it yee young beginners One cause why old Christians walke so heavily is because they never heeded or hatched the first motions of the Spirit in their beginnings If then the Spirit of God doe call and stirre in thee by early affections love zeale enquiry answer Speake Lord for thy servant heares put him not off by ease or bondage 1 Sam. 3 9. If such a thought come as this What a dramme of Grace and Life of Christ is worth or what vow thou madest in Baptisme and how retchlesse thou hast beene to keepe it dally not with such items shake not off either pangs of terrour by lusts of youth or pangs of hope and love with ease and sloth for so the Spirit of sealing is fore-stalled and the faire forwardnesse thereto will hardly be recovered Put in thy foote presently upon the Angells stirring the poole Ioh. 5 4. if thou have an heart none shall prevent thee heere as there If these seeds were not choked and these buds cropt they would proove the assuring sealing Spirit of grace in due time Through contempt of it the Lord leaves youth to that hideousnesse and ripenesse in sinne yea a spirit of desperate debauchednesse in drinking oathes Rev. 22.11 and villany as would not bee beleeved of such youth Branch 2 Secondly I speake to all other apply your selves to the Sacrament of Baptisme for this last evidence and seale of the Spirit To elder oneâ— to let yee know that yee are the Lords Lin not till the Lord hath seal'd yee for his owne set his marke upon you not to be blotted out Looke up at each Sacrament each Baptizing ye see to the Lord that which in the former point I speake as hee hath applied the grace of Baptisme by the promise unto you so now hee would apply is Seale of assurance unto you by his Baptisme Let not such a mercie be there to be had and you not aware of it Thinke it not too good to receive if God will grant it What is
called had beene Sacrilegious Even so here in the Elements resembling his separation and death But for the act it selfe consider two things first Two things in it 1. What it was What was it Why was it For answer to the first The breaking of Christ was a taking of the loafe and a breaking thereof with his holy hands into gobbets and morsels meet for his disciples not minsing the bread and cutting it with a knife into small bits nor yet into overgreat pieces but I say into morsels competent I doe not quarrell with the custome of cutting with the knife for as I said before of sprinkling the water so I say of this I disanull not the Ordinance thereby yet still I say I would rather chuse to cleave to the institution in so plaine an act of our Saviour if it may conveniently be done than to balcke it And the rather because it may savor of some Popish nicenesse For as they weare white gloves when they meddle with the Elements and touch them not with their bare hands pretending more reverence to be in a beasts skin than a mans naked hand so some thinke it too homely perhaps to breake the bread with their hands in comparison of cutting it with a knife To such I say that they are too nice herein and the institution of Christ much more to be followed the Minister himselfe breaking it and no leaving it as sometimes is used to the Clarke or Sexton to be done 2. Why was it Secondly why was it I answer for sundry causes first to parallell the Sacrifice of the Passeover a type of Christs Supper which was to be slaine and the bloud of it sprinckled about secondly for a more meete apportioning of the bread of the Sacrament and the Wine to the easier use of the Receivers than in the whole loafe or flagon thirdly and more principally to represent the voluntary offering up himselfe the next day upon the Crosse for an oblation to God Else he would have chosen some other to breake and powre out but in doing it himselfe he typified his laying downe his life freely Ioh. 10 18. when as else none could have taken it from him for when his apprehendors were cast upon the earth then did he yeeld himselfe to their hands fourthly to signifie to the Church that although the Lord Iesus were in himselfe the fountaine of all life and nourishment to his Church yet his Church could no otherwise be capable of him to such ends than by vertue of his being broken upon the Crosse He was as a sealed fountaine before Zach. 13.1 but now set open for the Church This Reason I would have well noted No other way but to be broken could make him meate and drinke indeede The Butt of wine in the Celler hath wine of excellent quality in it selfe but except it be broached none can be the better for it Hence the Church in the Canticles cries out Cant. 1 3. Thou art as an oyntment powred out in the savor of thy oyntments we will follow thee Ioh. 12 2. As that box of oyntment Iohn 12.2 which was broken upon him and powred out upon him so that all the house smelt of it Hence the holy Ghost especially dwells upon his powring out of his soule unto death his being broken for our transgressions Esay 53 12. Rom. 3.25 and other the like phrases there Esa· 53. And Saint Paul dwels upon his bloud-shed Rom. 3.25 ane in twentie other places to shew that nothing but death could make us the better for him either in pardon or Sanctification No incarnation of his no Innocency Miracles no Compassion Teares Love Reproaches Preaching Prayers without his being broken could make him usefull to us Fifthly as he could doe us no good save this way so there is a further thing in it for Christ could not be broken for nourishment till hee was for expiation and attonement By being once broken by death he both paid the price of wrath and also became meete nourishment Christ being made ours to pardon is also made ours to feede and furnish our soules with all graces of his Spirit the Supper is so the Sacrament of our growth in the Lord Iesus as first hee is our growth in faith and Iustification and then of holinesse Objection But here is an objection How can Christ be broken for our nourishment whereas the Scripture tells us Iohn 19 36. Not a bone of him should be broken Answer Answer No necessitie lay upon Christ to be broken according to the uttermost measure of breaking Onely essentiall breaking and powring out of his soule by death lay upon him and this was necessary to make attonement for sinne else no union could have beene purchaced with God nor any fruit thereof in either restoring of life or continuing welfare unto it restored The Providence of God was such in the alleniating of the Crosse and breaking of Christ that hee was dispensed with as touching those excesses extremities indignities which else might have lighted upon him had not the excellency of his person and his sufficiencie to satisfie taken them off Therefore whereas the Law was that the bones of the crucified should be broken to hasten their lingring death the Lord Iesus his bones were not broken he being dead before and so it was with him in the continuance in the hellish measure of torment that hee was freed from them It was enough that hee was so broken that the bande of soule and body was dissolved and his soule was powred forth unto death Vse 1 The uses are weightie first of Confutation of Popery And that first in this that they make a meere apish Pageant and Poppet-play of this Sacrament yea rather an enterlude to please and delight the sences of the blindly devout than a resemblance of the crucified body of the Lord Iesus for the comfort of the Church But especially that they destroy the essence of this act of Breaking In steed whereof they come and bring an whole unbroken Element made of a fine delicate wafer round and whole And as for powring out the wine to the people they never powre out nor allow any at all unto them but keept it quite from them Thirdly they professe not to act the part of the Father reaching out the broken body of Christ to his people but their Priest sustaines rather the person of a false Church and an Idolater to offer up to God a Sacrifice of Christ for expiation destroying the power of Christ our onely Oblation offered by himselfe never more needing to be offered And whereas we presse this argument against them they flie to a shift which overthrowes their cause saying They offer an unbloudy sacrifice in their Masse not bloudy as that of the Crosse In all three respects being the most wofull enemies of the Sacrament Hovv Papists enemies to a broken Christ For first they act it as a thing of mirth not as a broken Christ
secondly they neither breake nor powre out to the use of the Congregation thirdly they professe to have so little neede that God should give them his broken Sonne that they bid him take him backe to himselfe for they care not for him nay they give him backe with a mocking of God and say they offer him an unbloudy Christ and unbroken whereas its sure if the Lord Iesus had done so hee had blasphemed and not satisfied Heb. 9 22. Cursed be all new offering of a Christ as a propitiatory Sacrifice to God or offering of a Christ without bloud Thou shalt as soone satisfie wrath by thy owne or by an Angels or Saints Prayers as by a Christ unbroken and unbloudy A Christ neither broken nor bloudy is an Idoll nothing in the world neither meete to satisfie nor to nourish So that forasmuch as the Church of Romes Sacrament is a Christ no Christ no price no pardon no peace reconciliation or eternall life is to be found there We beseech God for ever to deliver us from her and our selves depart from her as a fatall enemy and destroyer of the Sacrament of the Supper Vse 2 Secondly This teacheth both Minister and people to bring with them pure hands and holy bodies and spirits when they touch breake powre out take and eate these pretious mysteries For what communion can be betweene light and darkenesse Christ and Belial 2 Cor. 6.16 The very Sacramentall acts alone require holinesse of all that thus draw neere unto God least he be revenged of their profaning his Ordinance And how carefull should the Minister be himselfe to act this breaking and powring out not leaving it to another since thereby the voluntarie Act of the Lord Iesus is obscured hee himselfe still freely giving himselfe by the onely hand of his deputed Minister Vse 3 Thirdly and especially let it be exhortation to all Christs people to acknowledge the admirable wisdome of this his ordaining the Sacrament for us in so lively a manner Exhort to diverse things and under such powerfull signification That whereas we come to the Supper for our nourishment and growing in faith and gracc in Christ Lo the Lord offers these under the lively sâ—â—nes of the Lord Iesus himselfe and not onely so but cruciâ—â—d and broken and powred out for us even meete nourishment meet to be apprehended by us in the act of his suffering to secure us of our justification by removing of wrath in the act of his preparednesse to nourish us by cutting himselfe out into morsels for us Oh! what life and sappe is there in a Sacrament so offered to a poore soule as crucifying Christ before our eyes and giving him so into our hands What thankes should this draw from us If Esay Chap. 63.1 could in the meditation of this point so many hundred yeares before Esay 63 1. ravish his heart how much more we How should the instruments of our soules peace with God and welfare in him cause us to cry out as he did Who is he that commeth up from Bozrah in his red garments be sprinkled with the wrath of God upon soule and body by agonies desertions outcries and dolors incomprehensible under that justice and wrath the winepresse fiercenesse whereof he trod And although he thereby was powred out to death yet he so trod out that wrath that it shall never seaze after upon a beleeving soule Oh! not only to thinke of this as Esay did a farre off but to behold the very thing in the Sacrament in a broken powred out bloudy Sacrifice made ready to our hand both to forgive refresh and revive the assurance of both to our soules what thanks and joy should it breed in us How should it magnifie the power of the death of our Lord Iesus in us He himselfe was wholy taken up in the joy of it as bitter as it was and shall not we Ioh. 12 24 25. Reade Ioh. 12.24.32 when some Greeke Proselites preassed to have a sight of him two or three dayes ere his suffering he pulls them to behold him dead not alive Except the wheate corne fall and die it abides alone If I be lifted up I will draw all unto me meaning by the word and Sacraments of this Passion And shall not these ravish us much more Vse 4 Fourthly what compassion and mourning should this sight worke in us Reade Zech. 12.10 Zach. 12 10. They shall see him whom they have pierced and mourne and be in bitternesse as one for his onely Sonne I exhort none to whip themselves for Christ for wo be to such as mourne for him whom they should rejoyce in No no weepe for your selves Come eate this Passe-over withâ—â—wre herbes Exod. 12 8. and behold your selves in this Sacrament who brake rent and powred out the heart-bloud of the Lord Iesus to the earth Truly if thou be not sensible of this thy sinne and broken for breaking the Lord Iesus thou art a Cain to this Abel Gen. 4.10 and his bloud shall cry for vengeance against thee Hearken to the voyce of Iustice crying out Either rend this sinfull cursed soule in pieces for her hypocrisie infidelitie profanenesse or teare the flesh of thy Son for him Aske oh Lord why should not I have beene torne and broken rather for my owne sin But thou hast laid the iniquitie of me upon him Oh! how I am stung for the cause Therefore I mourne not because thou did spare me and lay my guilt upon him but because I was that speare those nailes that brake his holy hands and sides Oh! How few come into the Congregation thus abased Behold thy owne just destinie in the broken body of Christ and mourne Oh thus my pride hollownesse worldlinesse had handled me if the Lord Iesus had not stept in Moderate that frothy lightnesse of spirit which beholds Christ in the Sacrament as an object of all joy and mirth Oh! Let it be thy sadnesse first and thy gladnesse after If the sight of a Page being beaten for a Prince will cause the Prince to mourne and see his errour in the Pages strokes what shall the Page do then when he sees the Prince smitten for his prankes Oh! such a broken heart would make Christ sweet in the Sacrament such a mourning would bring joy For why As thou shouldest have suffered unsatisfyingly except Christ had satisfied So he having freely broken himself for thee hath prevented thy breaking and caused thee to blesse him and say Oh! because thou hast delivered me from this anguish I wil take up the cup of salvation and praise thee Thou stepst in Oh Lord when Angels durst not betweene wrath and my soule Psal 116.13 that the snare being broken I might escape Vse 5 Fifthly concurre therefore by faith with this broken Lord Iesus in the Sacrament first behold the order of it then the act it selfe For the first Remember Two things 1 Order that all true right to the Lord
that is That the graces of a Christians condition encrease not a man cannot be sayd to increase in Iustification Adoption c. Answer Answer Graces indeede of imputation doe not admit increase but yet are not excluded from being the object of the Sacrament and that in two respects First themselves for though their essence encrease not yet the soule may and must increase in the knowledge and assurance of them Secondly the fruits of them as the peace the cheerefulnesse joy the contentation the confidence the liberty the welfare of the heart may either be greater or smaller and therefore they concerne the grace of the Supper Againe doth Baptisme seale up inherent sanctification to be the soules owne Then doth the Supper nourish the soule in that First in the mortifying and quickning power of it for the Lord Iesus broken and powred out affordeth the soule daily strength to breake the chaines the power of ruling and defiling lusts ignorance errour security infidelity profanesse selfe-love unrighteousnesse intemperancie Also it brings in the power of the resurrection to rectifie and informe the whole man to better him in the grace of regeneration sinceritie integritie constancy courage c. Yea more it betters the Spirit and frame of the inner man with fuller bent of resolution and streame of heart and affections to be for God and to goe in the streame of obedience to him Secondly it quickens and nourisheth the soule in the speciall graces of sanctification wisdome watchfulnesse humilitie love feare faith patience mercy and all holy affections and gifts serving to holinesse Againe doth Baptisme conferre the grace of a well ordered conversation Then doth the Supper nourish that grace take some instances One especiall grace of inward conversation is the life of faith in all estates in all duties meanes and graces The Supper then strengthens this life of faith in all these enabling the soule to be more sober in prosperitie more humble under the Crosse more fruitfull in well doing more diligent and conscionable in all ordinances more effectuall and plentifull in graces Another instance may be of outward conversation standing in marriage liberties calling company solitarinesse the tongue the governement of the family The Supper then serves to better all these to correct the errors wants infirmitie of these and to ease the complaint of the soule for her unaptnesse to these her sloth awcknesse wearinesse earthlinesse hollownesse barrennesse unprofitablenesse unskilfulnesse to serve God aright in all these Againe doth Baptisme settle the conformity of the Lord Iesus his sufferings upon us Then doth the Supper confirme the soule therein to thinke afflictions daily more welcome to count them no strange thing to wait for them to be humbled and broken and powred out by them made by them more sober selfe-denying more patient to beare and more wise to profit by purging out the causes more growing in graces living by faith in streights for an holy use and good issue out of them And in a word the Sacrament is Christ our Influence and Nourishment in all respects wherein the soule is capable of any want or complaint serving to this purpose that wee may be quickned up in our affections and in steed of a decaying uncheerefull course which Satan and corruption beset us with wee may walke in and out with God with peace and comfort and it may goe well with us in all that wee put our hanâ—â— unto Deut. 5.29 both without and within in life and death It is a strengthner of us to duty a supply of needs protection against evils provision of good things It s enough that the Supper is as large as any wants can be No man knoweth where another mans shoe pincheth but his owne but wheresoever the pinch is Christ in the Supper is ease All the difficulty is in the wise application there is none in the point This for the extent or object of Christ our nourishment Quest 2 The degrees Which are foure The second Question will yet come closer to the point viz. What this influence of Christ is in what kinde or degrees it consists The answer is That it stands in foure severall parts and tends to as many ends Prosperity of soule being the adaequate end of the Supper looke wherein true prospering consists therein stands this influence So that by this latter the former will discover it selfe Christ our nourishment by Christ our influence which is the efficacy of it in the soule The severals are health growth stablenesse and fruitfulnesse in grace The Lord Iesus Sacramentall being all these in all such as are truly begotten of him in one measure or other 1 Health of soule 3 Iohn 2. Touching the first Health of the soule is one step of spirituall prosperity Saint Iohn Epist. 3.2 prayes for Gajus an holy yet sickly man That hee might be well or in health as his soule prospered Pro. 3.8 What it is viz. Sustaining the soule in her welfare intimating that one and the first step of prospering is healthinesse Salomon speaking of the feare of God saith It shall he health to the navill and marrow to the bones noting that the soule which truly prospers by Christ is is healthy even as a body is Note then even as when wee see corne hops or the like hold their vigour and colour wee say they will thrive and as the body when it holds it owne and keepes good colour and countenance the bones running full of marrow and the bloud and spirits running well and aright in the veines and vessels then it s called hayle and sound so it is with the soule of a Christian His nourishment is then well aseene on him when he holds that which hee hath received once from Christ when he beares his yeares well when the constitution and frame of his spirit abides sound humble beleeving upright thankfull wise wary holy righteous Wee call health the due consistence of the constitution and humours without either excesse or defect when the body keepes temper and vigor without any clogge or oppression of ill humors or surfeit befalling her So is it here when the soule is preserved from the annoyance and distemper of the wonted bad qualities pride ease infidelity unthankfulnesse envie world selfe-love unsavorines when kept from loosenesse and security and hanging her grace upon the hedge and running out of course to all occasions companies baites profits pleasures vanities whereby the life of grace should be choked and oppressed then she beares marke of some health and prospering then shee seemes to hold her owne in the life of faith and the order of good conversation Now to this first end the Lord Iesus our nourishment serves Christ our nourishment can doe it Sacramentally Psal 119 57. especially in the Sacrament and to this end all true Receivers frequent it viz. That they may fare well and prosper in soule The Lord Iesus is able to doe this and more for them David hath a sweet
balke the Sacrament and lye downe in the could Couch of the Law and water it with teares conntinually till this fulnesse bee attayned For to say truth These are the effects rather of faith when judgment breaks forth for her unto victory Mat. 12.20 than the Act of beleeving 1 By concession One thing I must freely confesse That there was never more cause than now in this forlorne Age full of formalitye and dissembling in which the Divell and the error of the wicked wold deceave the very elect if possible to presse upon the soule the necessity of faith with power For weake faith hardly will beare out the strong fiery darts of Sathan which now in this subtill world are on foot to try our effectualnesse of beleeving Men heare preachers say Faith is as true in the least sparkle of it as in the whole fire and faith may as much excell in infirmity to hold the promise upon former experience as in the greatest strength c. Now as I said before what use doth Satan make hereof in hyopcrites save this They need not bee so earnest for faith for the kind of it must save them not the measure and the weakest may bee saved as well as the strongest I could in this respect wish that so oft as Gods Ministers fall upon these Arguments they tooke as good paynes to stave off the dogges as to encourage the faithfull-weak ones For when error hath once defiled a man in the root and truth of faith then he growes presumptuous to thinke that each wanzing motion and Pang after faith is as good as that which is attended with selfedenial and cleaving to the Promise Whereas faith of the true stamp although it come short of some feelings stirrings and much more that overpowring of spirit that quashes unbeleefe yet the Spirit of grace putts forth it selfe in combat against their infidelity setts it in the forefront of Gods battery as Vriah was sett by Ioab maynteins no ease or sloth in them but rather mourning for their standing so at a stay with continuall care to proove themselves to be in the faith and their calling to it to bee effectuall And in this warfare they looke for no discharge till God have answered them in some measure But to answere the objection and so to conclude 2 By Solution I affirme that not only the weak in faith simply but even the decayed in faith yea the fallen into sinne if recover'd by faith are not to be debarred from the Sacrament till they become partakers of overpowring grace of the Spirit It were exceeding absurd for a Physition to say to one tormented with a burning ague want of sleepe or like payne That hee must forbeare Physick and lie under his disease untill he get more strength and recovery What shall Physick availe him after if hee die before Or what needs it if he be recovered the Sacrament I say still is rather the portion of the weake childe than of the strong man so that a loose dallying heart bee abhorred and to such this ordinance serveth And to say truth such poore soules need not bee urged to more sorrow than they feele for what sorrow is like theirs who mourne under unbeleefe and yet even such as experience prooves have found the Sacrament effectuall to send them away much settled and confirmed And so for answer of these doubts and also the triall of our estate in grace ere we come to the Supper thus much bee sayd CHAP. III. Of the Tryall of our wants NExt to the triall of our estate fittly offers it selfe to our view the Triall of our wants Tryall 2. Of our wants The method whereof God willing shal be this First to lay downe the grounds of this Triall Secondly to shew the Nature of a Christians wants and what sorts they are of Lastly in the use to teach us in what duties the Triall of our wants standeth 2 thing 1 The ground of this triall 2. Al have their wants The ground of this triall is manifold First the necessity of Sacramentall trying of our wants appeares in this that as the Lord enjoynes al that receave to proove themselues to have grace so he suppozes al such to have many wants therin So lōg as this body of death and back-byas of Corruption cleaues to the regenerate soule to retarde and weaken it to defile to disable to dismay to quench it a poore soule shall never want matter to cry out even when grosse evills are farr off Miserable man who shall deliver mee Rom 7.24 How shall I doe to get out of this my dead luskish lazy and unsavory course Who shall supply my wants Now then if these wants be unknowne how shall the soule bee thankefull for the releefe of them How then should a Christian search them out and marke them In the duties of both Tables in the use of the ordinances in graces of the Spirit in the order of whole conversation For the Search 1 1. The circumstances of all duty what wants have they In the ground of our Actions how ignorant are wee of GODS particular will how erroneous in discerning the colors of good and evill and easily mistaken how unwise in weighing the fitnesse or inconvenience season or vnseasonablenesse safety or scandale of our Actions Why is it so save for want of wisedome and Iudgement Search 2 2. In the manner of doing how impure unsavory inconstant irresolute why save for want of holines heavenlynesse of minde courage Search 3 3. For the measure how remisse lazy cold backward and content with any thing Why save for want of soundnesse integrity and fulnesse Search 4 4. In the end how corrupt selfeseeking forgetting both Gods honour our owne peace and the good of others Why but through want of love uprightnesse and selfedeniall And so I may say of duties in speciall How hard doe men find it to keep a mediocrity and avoyd extremities In worldly busines to goe betweene loose carelessenes or else extreame carking either wholly improvident or buried in the earth In the duty of Charity and mercy who understands himselfe bound to giue according to his estate but rather under it In our words who keeps a meane betweene silence or jangling In judging of others who shuns partiality credulity prejudice censoriousnes Search 5 The like may bee sayd of vsing the Ordinances In hearing what want of waking attendance reverence mixing the word with faith In the Sacraments what sildomenesse unpreparednesse rashnesse and profanation In prayer what formality commonnesse and distrust It were endlesse to insist in all Search 6 In the exercise of graces what carnality and sensuality is there to weaken the life of faith What one grace of the spirit Patience Love Communion of Saints mercy to the afflicted Thankfulnesse Humblenesse or the like which hath not her langour and infimity Search 7 As for the order of our Conversation what weaknesse appeares not Who observes GODS Administration towards
the woefull course which hee hath runne Deut. 29.19 Rom 2 3 4. adding drunkennesse to thirst and heaping up wrath against the day of wrath that hee is as one who hath run out above his ability to pay and therefore his booke of accounts is yrkesome to cast over it is death to him to thinke of it Thus it was with Cain each hundred of yeeres that hee lived the debt of his murther was so encreased by other sinnes and the penalties thereof that at last it became inextricable But repentance in the true children of God causes the view of sinne and the chaine thereof to bee presented with some hope of forgivenesse because although perhaps the conscience is amazed yet it s not privie to that trechery which the wicked were carried by in sinning Psal 51 4. Mark 14 72. And therefore their sinne is sayd to bee ever before them they are sayd to come to themselves Peter is sayd to weigh his sinne ere hee went out which argues that the weight of it oppressed him not Thi reviving of the mind from the horrour and oppression of it is a great mercy in the midst of such misery Iona was infolded as in a labyrinth of Sea Ionah 2 6. Whale and conscience yet in this gulfe hee was not swallowed up but conceaved in his mind a possiblenesse for God to bring order out of his confuzion So that the first occasions of revolt the circumstances attending the degrees following and the danger incurred rather serve to magnifie mercy in keeping the soule from utter Apostacy from the living God than to beate off the soule from hope The 4. Branch The fourth and one of the many is the recovering of a sensible and broken heart after long hardnesse by the deceitfulnesse and sweete baites of sinne Heb. 3 12. A most sweete fruit of the spirit of election For it was not possible for the hard heart of Saul or Iudas to relent upon the checke of conscience there was no droppe of the seede of repentance in them It would seeme impossible that Peter and David after so long a lying in so hideous sinnes Mark 14 72. 1 Sam. 12 3 4. should at the first conviction of Nathan relent and breaking through all the barres of his sinne say I have sinned It was not in the words speaking 1 Sam. 15 24. Mat. 27 3 4 for Saul and Iudas spake the same but in the broken heart which uttered them But the cause was That grace and mercy which lay at the roote Oh! that they should after such mercy once felt and vowes so oft renued so basely handle the Lord and hazard as much as in them lay their title to heaven and sell their birthright And yet should the Lord renue a second charter or rather the first a second time Oh! it pierces them to the quicke This chases away the cloudes of dedolence and impenitency and cleeres the coast againe The fifth is The 5. Branch That yet they doe not so easily shake off their feares the Lord so orders it that either by his word or workes they feele his wrath for their revolt so seazing upon their conscience that it doth worke out and purge their corruption through mercy so that they vomit up their sweete morsells And as one under the Phisition his hand lying in an hot bath sweates out the venome of his disease so is it with a penitent soule Gpd mixes gall and wormewood for them to drinke Hee causes them to possesse the sinnes of their youth with sorrow though long since committed Lam. 3 19. Psal 6 5. hee payes them for old and new at once makes their bed a bath of teares till hee have caused all that sinne which they dranke in with such greedinesse to returne backe with as much loathsomnes Then being under this racke hee makes them feele in their owne spirits how their sinne lyes upon his shoulders and by their owne pinching hee makes them confesse Now I see what my pride ill company stollen liberties come to and must cost ere I be rid of them As I like such sawce so let me returne to the meate againe I thought I had but dallied I cast arrowes and darts into the flesh of the Lord Iesus in sport But now they gugg mee Now I see ihe Lord will not beare all I must beare somewhat and if I provoke him it must bee to the confusion of my face As I troubled and greeved the Spirit of God so the Lord troubles mine this day Iosh 7 25 The shame the ill report the sorrow and sting outward and inward which I sustaine sinne is no trifle The 6. Branch Sixtly the Lord now in season proceeds to offer himselfe in a promise to this revolting penitent And that in two kinds First That their revolt hath not extinguisht mercy Esay 57.17 18. Ier. 3 1 2. See Esay 57 17. I will heale their covetuousnesse Ier. 3 1 2. If a mans wife play the harlot wilt thou returne to her Wilt thou not write her a Bill of divorcement Yet returne to me and I will receive thee after all thy whoredomes And againe I will heale all their backeslidings c. So Ier. 3.12 Rev. 2 5. 3.19 Revelations chap. 3 verse 19. Bee zealous and amend Yea the spirit of grace in that fulnesse of Satisfaction by Christ doth fixe and settle such promises upon the soule so that it heares them not as the sound of many waters but dwells upon and digests them as concerning her So that they leave not a wanzing conceit as in presumptuous hypocrites who sinne that grace may abound But they so fasten upon the promise as a reall comfort to cure them of their falling sicknesse Rom 6 1. Secondly the Lord reveales the promise to them as the due order of their recovery For whereas the ungodly doe returne to their trade See Iona 3 21. â—1 upon the suppozall that their doggish vomit shall serve the turne Lo the Lord alway comes betweene the revolting and repenting of his owne with a savory application of the promise Teaching them that if there were no more but their mourning to make up their repentance Alas It would vanish and come to nought Therefore hee will have them lay hold upon the promise of free grace which may quiet and clense their conscience Psal 51.10.12 and restore them to that former influence which they had from grace And although their pipes are still set in the welhead yet because they are stopped the Lord by faith cleeres the passage of grace for them that they may partake that strength and encouragement from their head which may cause their repentance to bee sound and put new hope of holding out into them Lastly by this meanes They keepe themselves well while they are so The 7. branch and dare not by that experience they have gotten of smarty sinne adventure upon it any more They abhorre to tempt