all and therefore oftentimes God in justice to them suffers good men to fall that such men may take scandall at them to their ruine A man may know that the Word hath wrought upon his conscience when hee comes to it that hee may heare and learne and reforme A man that hath a heart without guile is glad to heare the sharpest reproofes because he knowes that sinne is his greatest enemy but if we live in a course that wee are loath should be touched it is a signe our hearts are full of guile corrupt men they mould their Teachers and fashion them to their lusts but a good and upright heart is willing that Divine truths should have their full authoritie in the soule giving way to our dutie though never so contrary to flesh and blood It is the duty of Ministers to labour to prevent objections that may arise in the hearts of the people so as to hinder the passage of their Doctrine and that truths may more readily come into the heart wee should labour to rellish the person for secret surmises are stones to stumble at therefore both Ministers and people should be carefull to remove them A man ought not to commend himselfe but in some speciall cases first because pride and envie in others will not indure it secondly it toucheth upon Gods glory and therefore we should take heed thirdly it deprives us of comfort and hinders the Apologie of others The Heathens could say that the praising of a mans selfe is a burdensome hearing Le ts take heede therefore that wee snatch not our right out of Gods hand but now on the contrary in some cases wee may praise and commend our selves as when we have a just calling to make an A pologie in way of defence and for the conviction of them that unjustly speake evill of us secondly wee may speake well of our selves in way of example to others as Parents to their children and this doth well become them because it is not out of pride or vaine-glory because the end is discovered to be out of love unto them It s the dutie of those that are Gods children when they have just occasion to take the defence of others upon them and thus did the blind man Iohn 6. He defended Christ against the Pharisees and Ionathan spoke to his Father in the behalfe of David though hee was called the sonne of a rebellious woman yet he knew that hee ought this unto the truth God hath a cause in the world that must be owned and therefore when the cause of Religion is brought upon the stage then God seemes to say as Iehu did Who is on my side who God commends his cause and his children to us And therefore curse yee Meroz said the Angell of the Lord curse yee bitterly the Inhabitants thereof because they came not to the helpe of the Lord to the helpe of the Lord against the mightie so a curse lies upon those that when the truth suffers have not a word to defend it Vsually the defamers of others are proud vaine-glorious persons if a man will search for the spirit of the devill in men let him looke for it amongst vaine-glorious Teachers Heriticks and superstitious persons the ground of it is from the neerenesse of two contraries there the opposition is the strongest as fire and water when they are neere make the strongest opposition and who are so neere Gods children as vaine-glorious Teachers that are of the same profession Pilat a Heathen shewed more favour to Christ than the Pharisees and this use we should make of it not to take scandall when we see one Divine deprave another for it hath beene so and will be so to the end of the world All things out of God are but grasse when wee joy in any thing out of God it is a childish joy as if wee joyed in Flowers that after we have drawne out the sweetnesse we cast them away all outward things are cōmon to Castawayes as well as to us and without Grace they will provesnares at the houre of death what comfort can wee have in them further than we have had humilitie and love to use them well Therefore if wee would have our hearts seasoned with true joy le ts labour to be faithfull in our places and endeavour according to the gifts wee have to glorifie God To glorie in any thing whatsoever is Idolatry because the minde sets up a thing to glory in which is not God secondly its spirituall adultery to cleave to any thing more than God thirdly its false witnesse bearing to ascribe excellency where there is none wee have a prohibition Let not the wise man glory in his wisedome nor the strong man in his strength nor the rich man in his riches God will not give his glorie to another and therefore when men will be medling with glory which belongs to God alone he blasts them and sets them afide as broken vessells and disdaines to use them A Christian joyes aright when it proceedes from right principles from Iudgement and Conscience not from Fancie and Imagination when Iudgement and Conscience will beare him out when there is good termes betweene God and him for our joy must spring from peace Rom. 5. Being justified by Faith wee have peace towards God The Apostles beginne their Epistles with Mercy Grace and Peace Mercy in forgivenesse Grace to renew our natures and Peace of conscience here these are things to be gloried in if wee finde our sinnes pardoned our persons accepted and our natures altered then we may comfort our selves in any thing in health in wealth in wife in children in any thing because all come from the favour of God we may joy in afflictions because there is a blessing in the worst things to further our eternall happinesse and though we cannot joy in affliction it self as being a contrary to our nature yet wee may joy in the issue so that we may joyaright when having interest in God wee glory in the testimony of a good conscience when looking inward we finde all at peace when wee can say upon good grounds that God is mine and therefore all is mine both life and death and all things so farre as they may serve for good The hearts of men yea of good men are apt to be taken up with outward things when the weake Disciples had cast out devils they were ready to be proud but Christ quickly spies it and admonishes them not to rejoyce that the devils were subject to them but that their names were written in the Booke of life Therefore when wee finde the least stirrings to glory in any thing wee must checke our selves and consider what Grace wee have to temper them what love wee have to turne these things to the common good for whatsoever a man hath if hee have not withall humilitie and love to use it aright it will turne to his bane It hath beene an old imputation to lay distractednesse upon men of
God in all things whereas a carnall man sees reason onely in all that hee doth but a Christian sees God in crosses to humble him and every thing hee makes spirituall yet because there is a double principle in him there will be some stirring of the flesh in his actions and sometimes the worser part will appeare most but here is the excellencie of a Christians estate that the Spirit will worke it out at the last it will never let his heart and conscience alone till it be wrought out by little and little The Spirit of God may be knowne to be in weake Christians as the soule is knowne to be in the body by the pulses even so the Spirit discovers it selfe in them by pulses by groaning sighing complaining that it is so with them and that they are no better so that they are out of love with themselves this is a good signe that the Spirit is there in some measure Where the Spirit dwells largely in any man there is boldnesse in Gods cause a contempt of the world Hee can doe all things through Christ that strengthens him his minde is content and setled he can beare with the infirmities of others and not be offended for it is the weake in the Spirit that are offended he is ready in his desires to say Come Lord Iesus come quickly but where corruption beares sway there is O stay a little that I may recover my strength that is stay awhile that I may repent For the soule is not fit to appeare before God but where the Spirit dwells in Grace and comfort When wee are young carnall delights lead us and when wee are old covetousnesse drownes us so that if our knowledge be not spirituall wee shall never hold out the reason why at the houre of death so many despaire is because they had knowledge without the Spirit God gives comforts in the exercise and practise of Grace wee must not therefore snatch comforts before we be fit for them when wee performe precepts then God performes comforts If wee will make it good indeed that wee love God wee must keepe his Commandements wee must not keepe one but all it must be universall obedience fetched from the heart roote and that out of love It is a true rule in Divinitie that God never takes away any blessing from his people but he gives them a better when Eliah was taken from Elisha into heaven God doubled his Spirit upon Elisha if God take away wife or children hee gives better things for them the Disciples parted with Christ bodily presence but hee sent them the Holy Ghost God will be knowne of us in those things wherein it is our comfort to know him In all our devotions the whole counsells of heaven comforts us joyntly the second Person prayes to the Father and he sends the third and as they have severall titles so they all agree in their love and care to comfort In trouble we are prone to forget all that we have heard and read that makes for our comfort Now what is the reason that a man comes to thinke of that which otherwise hee should never have called to minde the holy Ghost brings it to his remembrance he is a Comforter bringing to minde usefull things at such times when we have most need of the. Those that care not for the Word of God reject their comfort all comfort must be drawne out of the Scriptures which are the breasts of consolation many are bred up by education that they know the truth and are able to discourse of it but they want the Spirit of Truth that is the reason why all their knowledge vanisheth away in time of triall and temptation No man is a true Divine but the child of God hee onely knowes holy things by a holy light and life other men though they speake of these things yet they know them not Take the mysticallest points in religion as Iustification Adoption peace of Conscience Ioy in the holy Ghost the sweet benefit of Communion of Saints the excellent estate of a Christian in extremity to know what is to be done upon all occasions inward sight and sorrow for sinne they know not what those things meane for howsoever they may discourse of them yet the things themselves are Mysteries Repentance is a Mystery Ioy in the holy Ghost is a Mystery no naturall man though hee be never so great a Scholler knowes these things experimentally but he knowes them as Physitians know Physicke by their Bookes but not as a sicke man by experience It is a great scandall to Religion that men of great learning and parts are wicked men hereupon the world comes to thinke that Religion is nothing but an emptie name so that without this inward anointing they never see spirituall things experimentally but though they know these things in the braine yet secretly intheir hearts they make a scorn e of conversion mortification and though for his calling hee may speake of these things excellently and with admiration yet in particular he hath no power of thē in his heart It is good and comfortable to compare our condition with the condition of the men of the world for howsoever they may excell in riches and learning yet we have cause to blesse God as Christ saith in the 11. of Saint Matthew 25. I thanke thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes It is good in all outward discouragements when things goe not well with us thus to reason with our selves wilt thou change thy estate with the men of the world God hath advanced thee to a higher Order Let them have their greatnesse alas they are miserable creatures notwithstanding all that they doe enjoy If wee desire to have the Spirit wee must waite in doing good as the Apostles waited many dayes before the Comforter came we must also emptie our soules of selfe-love and the love of the things of the world and willingly entertaine those crosses that bring our soules out of love with them The children of Israel in the Wildernesse had no Manna till they had spent their Onyons and Garlicke so this world must be out of request with us before we can be spirituall let us therefore labour to see the excellency of spirituall things and how cheape and poore all the glory of the world is to those these things thought and considered on will make us more and more spirituall The holy Ghost would not come till Christ by his Death had reconciled his Father and after that as an argument of full satisfaction had risen againe because the holy Ghost is the best gift of God and whatsoever grace or comfort was received before was by vertue of this so that the sending of the holy Ghost is the best fruit of Gods reconciliation Let a particular judgement come upon any man presently his conscience recalls backe what sinnes have beene
have neede of more Grace and then it flowes into us from him accordingly sometimes wee have neede to know our owne weakenesse and then hee leaves us to our selves that wee may know that without him we cannot stand and we may know the necessitie of his guidance to heaven in the sense of our imperfections that wee may see our weakenesse and corruptions that wee had thought wee had not had in us as Moses by Gods permission was tempted to murmure a meeke man and David to crueltie a milde man that thought they had not had those corruptions in them God is forced to mortifie sinnes by afflictions because wee mortifie them not by the Spirit and in the use of holy meanes God doth us favours from his owne bowells but corrections and judgements are alwayes forced Wee may for the most part read the cause of any judgement in the judgement it selfe as if the judgement be shame then the cause was pride if the judgement be want then our sinne was in abundance wee did not learne to abound as wee should when we had it As we say of those that make bold with their bodies to use them hardly to rush upon this thing and that thing in their youth they may be are it out but it will be owing them after they shall finde it in their bones when they are old so a man may say of those that are venturous persons that make no conscience of running into sinne these things will be owing to them another day they shall heare of these in time of sicknes or in the houre of death and therefore take heede of sinning upon vaine hope that thou shalt weare it out for one time or other it will sticke by thee When God visits with sicknesse we should thinke our worke is more in heaven with God than with men or physicke when David dealt directly and plainely with God and confessed his sinnes then God forgave him them and healed his body too Psal. 32. It were a thousand times better for many persons to be cast on the bed of sicknesse and to be God prisoners than so scandalously and unfruitfully to use the health that they have It is an art wherein wee should labour to be expert to consider Gods gracious dealing in the midst of his corrections that in the middest of them we might have thankfull and cheerefull and fruitfull hearts which wee shall not have unlesse we have some mat ter of thankefulnesse consider therefore doth God make mee weake hee might have strooke mee with death or if not taken away my mortall life yet he might have given mee up to a spirituall death to an hard heart to desperation In this latter age of the world God doth not use the same dispensation He doth not alwayes outwardly visite for sinne for his governement is now more inward therefore wee should take the more heede for he may give us up to blindnesse to deadnesse to securitie which are the greatest judgements that can befall us Wee should labour to judge our selves for those things that the world takes no notice of for spirituall for inward things as for stirring of pride of worldlinesse of revenge of security unthankefulnesse and such like unkindnesse towards God barrennesse in good duties that the world cannot see let these humble our hearts for when we make not conscience of spirituall sinnes God gives us up to open breaches that staine and blemish our profession Many men put off the power of Grace and rest in common civill things in outward performances but when wee regard not the manner God regards not the matter of the things wee doe and therefore oftentimes hee punishes for the performance of good duties as wee see in 1 Cor. 11. 30 31. Our whole life under the Gospell should be nothing but thankefulnesse and fruitfulnesse take heed therefore of turning the grace of God to wanton nesse the state of the Gospell requires that wee should deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lust and live righteously and soberly and godly in this present world c. Therefore when we finde our selves otherwise we should thinke Oh this is not the life of a Christian under the Gospell the Gospell requires a more fruitfull a more zealous carriage more love to Christ c. If any man be so uncivill when a man shewes him a spot on his garment that he growes chollerick will we not judge him an unreasonable man and so when a man shall be told this will hinder your comfort another day if men were not spirâ—tually besotted would they swell and be angry against such a man therefore take the benefit of the judgement of others among whom we live this was Davids disposition when hee was told of the danger going to kill Nabal and his house hold so wee should blesse God and blesse them that labour by their good counsell and advise to hinder us from any sinnefull course whatsoever it is Those that trusse up the loynes of their soules and are carefull of their wayes they are the onely sound Christians they are the only comfortable Christians that can thinke of all conditions and of all estates comfortably It is an ill time to get grace when we should use grace and therefore that we may have the lesse to do when we shall have enough to struggle with sicknesse and that we may have no thing else to doe when wee die but to die and comfortably to yeeld up our soules to God let us be exact in our accounts every day God takes a safe course with his children that they may not be condeÌ„ned with the world he makes the world to condemne them that they may not love the world he makes the world to hate them that they may not love the world but be crucified to the world he makes the world to be crucified to them therefore they meete with crosses and abuses and wrongs in the world because he will not have them perish with the world he sends them afflictions in the world and by the world If God should not meete with us with seasonable correction wee should shame Religion and shame Christ and therefore God in mercy corrects us with Fatherly correction In the governing of a Christian life wee are carried naturally to second causes whereas they are all but as rods in Gods hands looke therefore to the hand that smites looke to God in all hee chastiseth us as David saith in the matter of Shimei and as Iob saith It is the Lord that hath given and the Lord hath taken away Wee have oftentimes occasion to blesse God more for crosses than for comforts there is a blessing hidden in the worst things to Gods children as there is a crosse in the best things to the wicked there is a blessing in death a blessing in sicknesse a blessing in the hatred of our enemies a blessing in all losses whatsoever and therefore in our afflictions we should not onely justifie God but glorifie and magnifie him for his mercie