Name he will not suffer to be taken in vain and therefore he saith he will not hold him guiltless thâ—â— taketh his Name in vain and certainly this will bring the heaviest condemnation the offer of Christ being the greatest mercy that was ever shewed to any creature either in Heaven or in earth and therefore the refusing of this mercy must needs produce the greatest judgement and for this Capennaum though exalted to Heaven was cast down to Hell if it had had no more means thâ—â— Tyre and Zidon their condemnation should have been no more but the means were greater because the Gospel was more plentifully preached to them and therefore seeing by this means they were lifted up to Heaven their condemnation should be the greater and this is Gods manner of proceeding in all his wayes when he first created Adam had he no more then created him his sin in transgressing the Law had not been so much but because he gave him a possibility of living for eyer therefore he was condemned to die for ever because he rejected the mercy offered If we had been guilty of Adams sin onely we should have had the judgement that Adam had upon breach of the condition But we are offered Christ and to be heirs of Heaven upon condition of obedience to the Law of faith answerable therefore to the greatness of this mâ—â—y shall be the greatness of this cond emnation if we refuse it Let all these things stir us up most affectionately to embrace Christ and consider what an injury and offence it is against God to refuse Christ. Remember those compassionate tearmes that he useth Come unto me And why will ye dye O house of Israel And I delight not in the death of a sinner and many such like places take heed of refusing when God offereth his Sonne rather kisse the Sonne least he be angry and ye perish and remember not onely to take him but take him in time now God calleth upon you and if you will not hear beware least when you call he will not hear when the day of sickness and extremity commeth then you will finde that Christ is Christ indeed and that faith is faith indeed and that the feet of the messenger are beautiful but then you shall not see them for this is Gods judgement if they will not receive it in time of peace he either offereth it no more or else giveth them no hearts to receive it therefore defer not the taking of his offer take heed least God swear in his wrath you shall not enter into his rest if you refuse this excellent gift Remember that though it be true that the whole time of this life be a time of grace yet there is an opportunity in which God offereth grace and after that offer it is no more And therefore he would offer Ierusalem no more peace because she knew not the time of her visitation and afterwards God either offered her none at all or gave her not an heart to take it If God beseech and intreat men to believe then it followeth that faith is a thing very pleasing and acceptable to God if you therefore make the Querie of the Iews What shall we do to work the workes of God I answer with Christ believe on him whom he hath sent So also if you ask what is the great Commandement I answer that you believe in the onely begotten Sonne of God you can do nothing so acceptable to God as to believe on his Sonne for faith is the very life of a Christian that which distinguisheth him from all other men But what is this faith It is not a small matter to believe as our adversaries afaffirm which riseth out of the mistaking of the nature of faith for it is not onely to give assent unto a proposition that it is true but this justifying faith taketh and layeth hold on Christ now in taking there are two things to be understood First You must let go all that is in your hands before Secondly You must lay hold on the thing offered so in faith first there is an emptying quality where by a man is made empty of all that is in himself he must forgo father and mother and pleasures and profits and all to receive Christ Secondly there is an apprehending quality to lay hold on Christ a forsaking of any thing that is precious and a receiving of him and a resting on him with a purpose to serve him onely with a perfect heart and a willing mind it is true there is much excellency and necessity in works but faith is the wel-head from whence all the streams of good works arise And therefore faith exceedeth them as much as the cause doth the effect for faith is the spring of good works the more faith the more works where there is more oyl there is the greater flame faith then being the cause of works it must needs follow that the stream cannot rise higher then the fountain Again all the good works that we do give not so much glory to God as faith now nothing is so dear unto God as his glory and therefore faith is most acceptable to God and therefore it is said Abraham believed and gave glory to God first by his believing him to be such a God as he professed himself to be and so that which makes him evident to all the world to be a God most merciful is the receiving of Christ by faith Further in this doth the true worship of God principally consist now God delighteth in his worship and the worship of God consisteth not onely in the bowing of the knee but it mainly consisteth in the inward perswasion of the heart when a man is perswaded that God is a most holy a most wise just and merciful God and out of this he worshippeth and obeyeth him and this is an act of faith Remember therefore that faith is that which God doth principally câ—ll for and therefore faith goeth far before works in as much as without faith it is impossible to please God Let us therefore be exhorted to labour to believe seeing it is a thinâ—s so acceptable to God and that this exhortation be not in vain it is needful for men to know whether they believe or no to this end therefore I will give you two or three signes of faith First if you would know whether you truly believe whether you are within the number of those that are within the compasse of regeneration consider whether you be soundly humbled for that is a preparation that goeth before faith and without which no man is made ever partaker of Christ for the direction of Christ is made to those that mourn in Zion not that it is simply necessary to salvation but because without this no man cometh to Christ I denie not but God is able to send Lightning without thunder hee might have preached the Gospel to Adam without the Law but his will was not so he first convinceth Adam
Thus Sampson by the power of the spirit had power to use his strength And in the Acts 4 32 it is said that the Apostles spake boldly That is they had power for you must know that there may be habits of grace in the heart and yet want of power but when the spirit comes then it puts strength in the inward man to do Thus it is said that the spirit came upon Saul and he prophesied That is he was able to do more then before he could do and yet know that you may have true grace and yet now and then for the present want action that is power to do yet is but then when the spirit seems to absent it self from the soul and this was that which the Apostle speaks of Heb. 12. 12. Brethren you have forgotten the Consolation That is your spiritual strength may lie hidden dead and forgotten but the spirit will return and then you shall finde good again The fourth way whereby the spirit strengthens grace in the soul is by giving efficacie and power unto the means of growth which is a special advantage for strengthening of the inward man for as he sets up the building and furnisheth the Roomes and gives power unto the soul to use them so that which makes all these effectual is this when he gives power and efficacie unto the means that are for the strengthening of the inward man Now you know that the word is the onely ordinary means to work new habits and qualities in us that is to câ—lâ—…s and beget us into Christ but if the spirit should not add this unto them namely efficacie they will never beget us into Christ Therefore this is the means to make all effectual that is it gives a blessing to the means of grace The word alone without the spirit is as I told you as a scabberd without a sword or bâ—t as a sword without a hand that will do no good though you should stand in never so great need therefore the Aâ—ostle joyns them together in the Acts 20. he cals it the word of his grace that is the spirit must work grace or else the word will nothing avail you Again prayer is a means to strengthen the inward man but it the spirit be not joyned with it it is nothing worth and therefore the scripture saith Pray in the Holy Ghoâ—t That is if you pray not by the power of the Holy Ghost you will never obtain grace or sanctification The spirit is unto the means of grace as rain is unto the plants that is as rain makes the plants to thrive and and grow so it is the spirit that makes the inward man to grow in holiness Therefore it is the promise which God makes unto his Church in Isai. 44. 3. He will pour water upon the dry ground That is the heart which was before barren in grace and holiness shall now spring up in holiness and grow strong in the inward man and this shall be when I pour out my spirit upon them Therefore you see how the spirit doth strengthen grace in the soul by setting up the building of grace in the soul and then by furnishing the Roomes with new habits and qualities of grace And then by giving power unto the soul to use those habits And then by giving a blessing unto all the means of grace The use of this stands thus If the spirit be the onely means to strengthen the inward man then it will follow that whosoever hath not the Holy Ghost hath not this strength And whatsoever strength a man may seem to have to himself if it proceed not from the spirit it is no true strength but a half and counterfeit seeming strength For a man may thus argue from the cause to the effect That that is the true cause of strength must needs bring forth strong effects And on the contrary That which is not the true cause of strength cannot bring forth the effects of strength so that no natural thing can bring forth the strength of the inward man because it wants the ground of all strength which is the spirit And therefore you may have a flash or a seeming power of strength such as the foolish virgins had in Matth. 25. which seemed to be strong in the inward man but it was but a feigned strength because they had not the spirit It is the spirit that must give you assurance of salvatiâ—n and happiness And I have chosen this point in regard of the present occasion the receiving of the Sacrament before which you are especially to examine your selves whether you have this or no which if you have not then you have neither strength in the inward man nor any right or interest unto Christ. for I may well follow the Apostles rule It is the sign of those that are Christs they have the spirit In the 1 Cor. 2. 10. The spirit searcheth the deep things of God which he hath revealed unto us by his spirit And in the Ephesians 1. You were sealed with the spirit of Promise and in the Rom. 8. That they should be raised by the spirit which dwelleth in them and again As many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sons of God Thus you see that it stands you upon to examine your sâ—lves whether you have the spirit but above all places there are 2. places which prove the necessitie of having the spirit The one is this place which is my Text That you may be strengthened by the spirit in the inward man and the other place is that which Saint Iohn hath in the 1 Iob. 3. 14. By this we know that we are translated from death unto life because we love the Brethren That is if we be united in the bond of love that is a sign that we have the spirit and having the spirit it is the cause that we are translated that is changed we must be changlings from sin to grace before we can be saved Therefore examine what effectual spiritual strength you have what spiritual love there is amongst you And so accordingly you may judge of your estates whether you have any right or interest unto Christ And that I may help you in this thing I will lay down some signs by which you may know whether you have the spirit or no. The first sign whereby you shall know whether you have the sanctifying spirit or no is this if you have the sanctifying spirit you will be full of fire That is it will fill you with spiritual heat and zeal now if you find this in you then it is the sanctifying spirit and therefore Iohn saith of Christ in Matth. 3. That he will baptize them with the spirit and with fire That is he will baptize them with that spirit whose nature is as fire that will fill you full of spiritual heat and zeal and therefore it is said in Acts 2. that they had tongues
wayes of God It is one thing to approve the wayes of God and another thing to delight in them Other men that are but civil men may approve the wayes of God but they cannot delight in them this is more then a natural man can reach unto If therefore thou find this in thee be assured the strength of grace is there So to love God we find that peculiar to the Saints that is more then any hypocrite in the world can do if any man therefore find that grace so strong in him that it makes his heart cleave to the Lord wholly and long after him that he loves him and seekes his face that he loves him not for other respects but beholding him in his person in his attributes and in all his excellencies he can love him above all things this no man by nature can attain to And so to hate sin no man by nature can hate sin but by the power of grace for all hatred ariseth from contrary and onely grace is contrary to sin it is grace that makes a man a sin hater It is possible for another man sometimes to fall out with sin and to abstain from some particular acts of sin but to hate sin no man can do it naturally For there is no man that hates any thing but he hates the whole kind thereof as the sheep hates the wolf therefore it hates every wolf And again hatred we know is implacable when a man is angry he is reconciled again sometimes but when a man hates a thing he would have it quite taken away Now no man is able to do this but by the power of grace to hate all sin every where in himself as well as in others to hate it so as to desire to have it utterly destroyed and to be implacably out with it so as never again to be reconciled to it This is the property of grace This thou hast that thou hatest the works of the Nicholaitans We are deceived in that when we think we hate sinne because we abstain from some acts of sinne if thou didst hate it thou wouldest hate it every where and every kind of sin Thou wouldest not onely fall out with it when it doth thee a shrewd turn but thou wouldest be out with it for ever When a man finds that he can hate sin that he can love God and delight in his Commandements and love the Saints c. these are things that no man can do by nature therefore if thou find these things there is more in thee then nature herein is the strength of grace seen Now it is true there are other things which a man may do which hath not this saving grace but grace hath this efficacy that it makes thee do more then any man will or can do by common nature As for example wheresoever the power of grace is it makes a man deny himself whereas another man would not it will make a man refuse gain and profit and advantage to himself when another man would not it makes a man able to forgive his enemies which before he could not do But you will say other men may do this that have no grace But they never do it in sincerity here is the difference grace makes a man do it ordinarily in his common course another man may have some fits in these things but to do it when a man is himself to do it upon deliberation this is the strength of grace therefore you may try your selves by that Am I able to do more then common nature can do if thou canst not be sure that grace is not there for is there not an efficacy and power in grace and why should we say there is a power in it if we see not the effects of that power if thou do no more then another man can do thou givest just cause to those that are Atheists to think that this power of grace is but a meer notion but a fancy Is it thinkest thou for the honour of God that thou shouldest be reckoned a man within the Covenant and to be such a one as hath grace wrought in thy heart and have no power of grace in thy life Therefore examine thy self by that canst thou do more then a man can do by the strength of natural abilities or by the accession of moral vertues or good education or humane wisdom c This is the first thing wherein the power of grace is seen I named three to you We told you one is that it heals corrupt nature and raiseth common nature above its own sphear Now secondly that whereby you may examine whether you have this property of grace whether you have this strength of grace in you or no it is this Consider what you are able to do in the acts of new obedience the power of grace is seen that it enableth you to do them when another man cannot do them In the first we had to do with the nature and then I told you that grace heals corrupt nature and puts more into you then common nature This second thing is distinct from that and is seen in the actions And the third is seen in the intententions In these three the strength of grace is seen There is scarce any man but hath some good intentions some good purposes but when they come to the birth there is no strength to bring forth men are not able to perform them Now grace wheresoever it is hath so much strength as not onely to beget good motions but it is powerful and effectuall to bring them forth into act Grace is an effectual Mid-wife to bring purposes and conceptions to performances enabling us to do them Therefore by that you may try it whether grace strengthen you to performance and practice that which you purpose and desire to do It is observed that your fennish and rotten ground suddenly shootes out a broad blade of grass but we know it is unprofitable to any man whereas good ground that brings forth good grass brings it not forth so suddenly nor so broad so those that have unsoundness of heart they may go so far as to have some sudden good purposes and desires and motions and conceptions but yâ—t they come to nothing they are but foggy purposes as it wâ—re they do not last they vanish away and what is the reason of that they want true rooting they want this grace that should strengthen them and make the soyl good There wants that depth of earth that is there wants that depth of sincerity and there wants that sound and convincing knowledge to carry them through all objections and that is the reason that men have good desires and yet so little performance Let his desires be never so good when he meets with stronger reasons and arguments from the flesh or the world or the devil he gives over because he hath no strength to answer them So that when we come to perform our desires it is grace that must give
his power no question to strike dumb the swearer as soon as the blasphemy is out of his mouth and to strike the Adulterer yet these are wrapt up in silence they hear no news from heaven of anger What is the reason of this because God hath made a day of great assize a more honourable day and he hath reserved this honor for that day to make that a notable day as the Scripture calls it Secondly I answer to the last objection and that is more pertinent and comfortable to the heart when we question how we shall do in the mean time till deliverance be sent if we be put upon hard service and tryals I answer it is a most usual and common thing in the providence of God and the dispensation of his goodness to his Church when men are at the lowest ebbe in the world and outwardly then he makes a more plentiful supply of the inward comforts and consolations of his spirit Mark and remember for now it is not a thing thaty ou must look to find till there be occasion A man cannot know whether this be true or no till he have experience that the world leave him when he hath little comfort in the world then he shall find the truth of this You heard that place opened at large in the forenoon 2 Cor. 5. 16. though our outward man perish our inward man is renewed day by day He saith not there after our outward man is perished when God hath pulled down the old building he will build a new house no but in the while he takes the ruins a pieces the timber of the outward man and builds a new house he makes it up in other comforts so in 2 Cor. 1. 3. 4. blessed be God the father of Christ c. Who comforteth us in all our tribulations he saith not that comforteth us after tribulation but in the time of tribulation so in 2 Cor. 11. When I am weak then I am strong This sounds as a riddle that is when I am full of infirmities when I am compassed with heavy dangers I am at the best pass and strongest in the inward man So David Psalm 94. 14. he saith there in the midest of my sorrowes and troubles thy comforts refreshed my soul. David stayed not till his sorrow was past but then when his troubles were about him the Lords hand was to comfort him And so diverse other places you shall find to the like purpose Now if you look you shall find examples of this When had Abraham the father of the faithful those frequent apparitions and revelations from God was it not after he had left his countrey When he was in his own land among his possessions there was nothing but silence but after he was abroad the Lord appeared to him from time to time And so in one place after this As long as Lot was with him to comfort him there is no mention that the Lord revealed himself to him but that is the particular expression Gen. 18. 6. Then saith he after Lot was departed from him the Lord came to Abraham and fell a talking with him and renewed that great promise that in him all the Nations of the world should be blessed So Iacob in his journey when a man would have thought he had had the hardest nights lodging that ever he had since he was man upon the earth when he had nothing but heaven for his Canopy and a hard stone for his pillow he had the most glorious and blessed vision of the ladder that had the top of it in heaven and the foot on earth So Hagar she never had an Angel to comfort her till she wept by the well and was cast out of her mistresses house And so in the story of Ioseph we shall not finde it expresly said that God was with him till he was in prison and there you shall find these very words Not to name all passages to this purpose in Dan. 3. Those three children as they are called they never had the familiar presence of the fourtâ— man till they were cast into the furnace They might have gone long enough and served God and faithfully too and yet never have had that interview that presence in a visible manner of the Sonne of God standing by them if they had not been cast into the furnace So Christ himself till he sweat drops of blood we read not of Angels sent from Heaven but then they were present to comfort him Luke 23. 43. And so in the history of the Acts we shall find still the Apostles when they were brought to any danger any trouble any imprisonment or the like evermore there were messengers sent from Heaven to them So we may assure our selves out of all these promises and experiences of the Saints of God that then we are likeliest to have the quickest commerce and the clearest interview between Heaven and us we are like to hear oftest from Heaven and have more plenty of comforts from God when we are deepest in trouble when we are plunged in troubles in the World then the Lord reacheth most plenty of joy from Heaven Therefore as Christ saith Iohn 16. concerning his presence with his Disciples It is expedient that I go the Comforter cannot come else but if I go I will send him to you So I say it is true it is expedient for us that God depart from us in outward things for till he leave us in these the comforts of the Holy Ghost come not so purely to us I say there is need that they should leave us that we may have those comforts This is the sixth means for us to assure our selves and know this with Saint Paul that all things shall work for the best There is onely one more remains that is that which must go along with all the rest Prayer You know there is a large Charter granted to prayer but besides that general oue Whatsoever we ask according to his will we shall receive there are special particular promises in this case that if any man be driven to a strait and necessity if he send this messenger into the presence of God he shall have a guard sent down presently to him Look in that place Phil. 4. 6. In nothing be careful saitâ— the Apostle but let your prayers and requests be made known to the Lord. And what follows The peace of God which passeth understanding shall keep your hearts and mindes in the Love of God through Christ Iesus As if he should say do but this if you be in any extremity or distress trouble not your selves and your thoughts about it but this is your course your onely wisdom is let your requests be made known to God with thanksgiving I told you before we must give thanks whatsoever the case was because light is working out for us as David saith Light is sown for the righteous therefore a man hath cause to thank God
as well when he sowes as when he reaps therefore the work must begin with thanksgiving and then assure your selves that the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and mindes through Christ Iesus The word in the Original is properly a warlike guard that saveth from the assault of an enemy Implying that if we make our case known to God and be thankful then he will send such a safe guard such a garison of peace about your souls that you shall enjoy your selves and think your selves in a happy condition Now because we are apt to enquire but in what manner how shall we finde our selves in such a case What constitution of soul shall we have Saith Saint Paul this is more then I can tell you it is a peace which passeth understanding I cannot explain it and tell you that what manner of peace it is but this you shall have this is the operation the nature and benefit of it that it will guard your hearts through Christ that peace that comes first from Jesus Christ shall keep your hearts and minds from being troubled So our Saviour layes the same ground in another place Iohn 14. 27. My peace I leave you my peace I give unto you not as the World gives so give I Let not your hearts be troubled As if he should say I leave you that which will preserve your souls in peace peace of conscience assurance of the favour of God therefore since you have that means to keep you and save you never let your hearts be troubled In one place Christ speaketh thus to Peter saith he Thinkest thou not that I can pray to my Father and he will send me more then twelve Legions of Angels but how then should the Scripture be fulfilled So I say on the contrary think you if you pray to your Father in Heaven that he will not send this peace to guard your souls how should the Scripture else be fulfilled For there is one and the same authority of Scripture that if none for Christs sake shall be frustrate or falsefied much more if there were any difference is it true of every particular promise of grace and mercy made to those that belong to God So now you have the seventh and last means whereby to establish and strengthen our hearts in the day of fear But now happily you will object and say It is true these things that you deliver may be good and to purpose but alas I find little strength in my heart I am the same man I was I find no great courage or resolution wrought in me To this I answer First my brethren you must first gather sticks and make a fire before you can warm your selves you must first gather these and the like savoury meditations out of the Word of God before you can find the strength and vertue of them upon your souls and consciences It is an old report concerning the Phenix it is no matter for the truth of it it concerns us not when it is about to die she gathers in Arabia plenty of spices that are odouri erous Calamus and the like and the Sun sets fire on them and the bird burns her self to ashes in the midst of the perfume so my brethren if in the dayes of peace and health we gather sweet meditations and considerations out of the Word of God we shall find in the day of need the Holy Ghost will come and set all on fire as it were and so whensoever you offer your sacrifice to God whether it be your life or estate or whatsoever it will not onely be a savour of a sweet smell in the nostrils of God but in your own souls you will find it a sweet and comfortable thing to offer up your sacrifice in the midst of those strong and sweet perfumes Again whereas you say you have not that great strength of spirit wrought in you It is no great matter for the present the Lord doth not call you to these troubles he puts you not upon that service You must know that such things as these that strengthen the spirit God gives them not to boast of If a man had them now what would he do he would boast of them such excellent gifts as these are not for this purpose but for our use and Gods glory We must look for this to be done in the day of necessity when we have need of it Then we shall be just in the case of Sampson Iudg. 16. after his hair was cut off the Lord departed from him and he was as another man yet when the Lord had another piece of business for him at that time the Lord restored his strength and so he pulled the beams and supports and pillars of the house upon the Philistines heads So the Apostles of our Lord and Saviour Mat. 10. It is said In that very hour when you are brought before Rulers be not careful what you shall answer for in that hour it shall be given you Now if a man had come before that hour and time surely the Apostles had been but like other men they could have said no more for themselves they could no more have convinced their adversaries c. but the Lord promised to give it in that hour So brethren this is a ground of comfort God will work strength in that hour in the time of affliction the Lord sees we may do him service in that day and therefore he will make us strong But still you will reply you are sure it is not so with you you have found experience of the contrary you have had far less tryals and afflictions then happily may befall you or are like to befall you and you have found your selves much distempered You will say I was not able to run with the foot-men how shall I hold out with the horse To this I answer divers things First it may be a mans strength may increase more afterwards then iâ— was at the first then the same burden is not the same when there is a disproportion of strength and enabling to bear it As Abraham Gen. 12. you shall find that he was another manner of man then he was Gen. 22. for when the tryall was but little he began to falter when he went into Egypt but when he came to offer Isaac he was couragious and stuck close to God Again secondly I answer there may be another reason why there may be a less affliction and it may be born with much impatience when a great and heavy one may be born with more patience and more comfort The reason hereof is this because when a man hath but one particular loss when a man hath but a light cross this serves onely to provoke and stir up corruption in him and then a man as it were is armed against God then he is ready to fight against him but now if the temptation or tryal be a sore