this is a prudent expectation of future good the fulfilling of all God's promises in Christ for this life and that to come This is a vertue infused into our hearts by the holy Ghost this is in God who cannot deceive as 't is written Be of good courage and hee shall strengthen your heart all yee that hope in the Lord. God's eye is upon them and they trust in him who will certainly perform his promise and happy are they the Lord taketh pleasure in them their expectation shall be gladnesse Prov. 10. 28. they have hope in death Prov. 14. 32. they are saved hereby Rom. 8. 24. hopes in any creature but hope in God maketh not ashamed because he is good to all them that trust in him this hope is not humane or conjecturall such as may be deceived but divine grounded on the infallible Word of God who is our hope The object of this hope is all that which God hath promised remission of sins grace glory all things necessary for this present life and the life to come the instrumentall cause hereof is justifying faith whence it springeth as it is written Faith is the substance of those things which are hoped for the supream end God's glory the subordinate our salvation and present comfort and that which serveth hereto the effect gratitude to God who begetteth us againe to a lively hope in Christ sanctimony 1 Joh. 3. 3. expulsion of servile feare dependance on God casting all our care on him fortitude in bearing afflictions joy in adversity The subject the saint of God onely faith and hope accord in the cause God's Spirit giveth both and in the certainty as we beleeve so wee hope they differ First in that faith begetteth hope and so in the order of nature is before hope Secondly faith looketh on the trueth of Gods promises hope on the goodnesse thereof as faith can have nothing but infallible trueth for it object so hope can have nothing but good faith apprehendeth the trueth hope patiently expecteth the fulfilling thereof the object of this hope hath foure conditions It must be 1. Good 2. Future 3. Difficult 4. Possible 1. Good whatsoever is not such may be an object of feare it cannot be of this hope now whereas there is a true good the object hereof so is there an appearing or seeming good which being not true causeth a vaine or impious hope as if a man hope for ease pleasure riches honours these are not true goods nor of themselves good but in their use the hope thereof therefore may be vaine and failing if a man hope for revenge on his enemy satisfaction of his lusts or the like this hope is impious and cannot but faile or make a man unhappy in the end but if we hope for Gods glory our soules health our comfort or what else is truly good it is true hope and shall attaine even where it seemeth to the world to faile as when we pray for some temporall thing which God seeth not good to grant as when Christ prayed that the cupp might passe from him when Moses hoped to goe into Canaan he was heard and Moses not defeated of his hope because in both God did that which was best and that is ever consistent with true hope which prescribeth not God but confidently expecteth either that which it hopeth or something better 2. Future Rom. 8. 24 25. joy is of things present or so presented as when we rejoyce in hope Rom. 12. 12. hope maketh that present by a prepossession of that which is to come for hope cannot be of that which is present 3. Diffâ—cult such are all things excellent it may be that deluded hope maketh it an easy step to heaven and salvation but they that doe indeed goe that way shall find it narrow and set with a world of difficulties that which in truth is hard designe and vaine hope feigne easy but nothing truly good is such 4. Possible that which is impossible to carnall reason may be hoped for because 't is possible to God therefore Abraham believed above hope and we look for the resurrection of the dead and some things which sinfull men think possible are impossible all things are possible to God which he will doe and he will doe all that he hath promised but some things God will not do and so are impossible God will not lie nor be unjust for that importeth impotency which is in any measure evill in it declining from God so that to hope that those things which God hath said concerning secure sinners shall not come to passe is a vaine hope for 't is impossible for God to be untrue To resolve to sinne and yet to hope for pardon is a vaine hope because it is impossible for God to be unjust a severe document for presumptuous sinners who will enjoy their lusts and pleasures glut themselves with revenge and yet hope when this life's scene is done the few petitions of our epilogue shall purchase favour no no thou that with purpose to sinne prayest God to be merciful doest in effect pray God to be unjust and indulgent to an impenitent sinner which being impossible it concerneth thee to arise from sleep and shake off all deluding and vaine hopes that thou maist lay hold on the true and never failing which is the anchor of the soule laying hold on the land of the living entring in within the vaile ease of sorrow griefes asswager afflictions comforter despaires antidote helmet of salvation bond of breaking hearts Faith's perspective the soules attourney sent before to take livery and seisen of our heavenly inheritance the Neho where we take a view of the promised rest the faithfull spie to discover the holy land bringing us the tastes from Escoll the fruits of the spirit the possession which they have who have no more and yet are rich 4. Concerning hope these rules must be held 1. Prepare thy selfe hereto with the loines of your minde girded with resolution and sobriety with purity of life For every one that hath this hope purgeth himselfe as hee is pure True hope and resolution to live in any known sin are incompatible the holy man's hope never faileth finally the Heathen could say Fortune hath often deserted the innocent but good hope never 2. Hope to the end or perfectly the perfection of hope is perseverance we must waite for the adoption the redemption of our body though deferred hope make the heart sick though it tarry waite for it shall surely come what ever the tryall be resolve with Job though he kill me I will wait on him we are Christ's if we hold fast the confidence rejoycing unto the end though through humane frailty thou sometimes feare yet be confident When I was afraid I trusted in thee feare and hope may dwell together specially where feare of God
not on theâ— Cursing is the language of reprobates the bitterness of a malevolent heart overflowing the tongue these vices as they are fearful sins so dangerous symptoms of an impious soule loathsome habits such as could not become an heathen Mahumetan why any Christian should think them gratefull I could never understand 8. Let thy study be in Gods word acquaint thee with his oracles and make their language familiar to thee so shalt thou finde an holy savor in them beyond all excellency of the tongues of men and if thou give thine heart sincerely to obey them the holy Ghost will derive thence a sweet influence into thy tongue and so season thy heart that all the tempters suggestions shall be bitter to thee 9. Lastly because even the answer of the tongue is from the Lord who made the mouth pray him to heale thy natural corruptions to sanctifie thy heart and tongue and watch thou over thy selfe according to all these and the like rules A Praier O Lord God my helper and guide of my soule to thee are all the fruits of my heart and lips praise and thanks-giving most due touch thou my tongue with a coale from thine altar purge my sins and take away mine iniquity thou hast the key of David which openeth and none can shut open my lips that my mouth may shew forth thy praise remove far from me vanities and lies a deceitfull tongue bitternesse reviling injurious unpeaceable profane uncharitable and all unhallowed speeches which may any waies displease thy holy Majesty or hurt my neighbour heale the corrupt fountaines of my soule season them with true wisedome and sanctity cause thy word to dwell â— leâ—tifully in mee set a watch before the doores of my lips that no corrupt communication may proceed thence but that onely which may relish of thy good spirit administer grace unto the hearers and give good example unto my brethren to the advancement of thy kingdome and the comfortable assurance of my conscience before thee through Jesus Christ our blessed Lord and Saviour Amen CHAP. XXII Of external actions in general § 1. Whence good Actions are How requisite How regulated § 2. Rules concerning them 1. THe Actions of men are the proceed and fruit of their thoughts as we owe sanctimony to God and our consciences within so doe wee good example to our neighbour in things external as Christ saith Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your father which is in heaven 2. Good actions proceed from sound faith without which they cannot be good nor pleasing to God for whatsoever is not of faith is sinne faith apprehending Christ to the justification of our person maketh our workes acceptable to him so farre as they are fruits of regeneration and uniting us to Christ giveth us a capacity of his spirit sanctifying and enabling us in some measure to overcome sinne and doe that which is holy in his sight therefore the Scripture saith Shew mee thy faith by thy works which yet saith also a man is justified by faith only without the workes of the Law 3. Though the best of our works cannot justifie us before God because they are imperfect yet are they never severed from true faith and they are the way to Gods kingdom though they cannot be the cause of our arrival there therefore to the yong mans quaere who would be justified by workes Christ answereth Keep the Commandements thus hee convinced him who had not yet learned the righteousnesse of faith which saith Beleeve and thou shalt be saved Thereby shewing that yet he wanted something who excelled many men in most things and therefore must seek salvation in something else that is by faith as also that the way to heaven is onely by sanctity this is a condition not the cause of our salvation wee can never be saved for it because our best is imperfect nor without it because wee owe our best endeavours to Gods honor 4. It is not enough to intend or speak good Satan is contented either that men should draw neer unto God with their lips if their hearts he farre off or that they speake well if they will doe evill Words at best are but feminine vertues workes are masculine of these the spiritual Pharoah giveth charge to smother them but we desire to convert our words into actions and not onely to speak but to doe holy things 5. Actions humane natural or civil are no otherwaies here concerned then as they are in order to the moral and so regulated by the Law and holy Word of God in the affirmative or negative precepts which is the onely rule of all our moral actions toward God or man neither example of others prescription universality of consent nor commands of men may carry us against the expresse word of God these have place onely in those things which Gods law alloweth commandeth or leaveth arbitrary Concerning thy actions in generall these Rules are to be held 1. Neither propose nor doe any thing evil or unjust for any worldly gaines honors or pleasures because it is an undeniable losse to get the world with the losse of thy soule what can secular honors advantage thee when God condemneth thee when all the world cryeth thee up when opinion of the multitude canonizeth thee for a Saint or applaude thy actions as the people Herods speech for more then humane Gods Angel may smite thee and the wormes destroy thee What are pleasures in their birth they look toward a precipitate end and the change of this scene serveth onely to aggravate the misery Dives heard in hell Sonne remember thou receivedst good things present remembrances of pleasures past embittereth the torments 2. Make God's Law thy counsellers in all things weigh all thy purposes hereby before thou â—ut any thing in execution resolving to do nothing but that which is there permitted or agreeth thereto David could not enterprise before he had consulted God's oracles not the very â—eathens but would send for the doubtful Effataes of their priests When the word of God is our rule we will not set up strange gods in our hearts as they doe who adore their owne inventions in will-worship and voluntary religion wherein all even the most zealous and painful actions as pilgrimages superstitious fasts foolish penance and idolatrous oblations or costly dedications shall be rejected with a Who required this at your hands The Lord will not be pleased with thousands of rams or ten thousand rivers of oile for saith the Prophet hee hath shewed thee O man what is good and what the Lord requireth of thee In religious acts as wee have noted God left not Israël to their owne wills in the least things but commanded See thou make all things according to the pattern shewed thee in the mount Also when God's word is our rule wee will neither lay snares upon
Our owne necessities and others necessitie cryeth to thee as that master of the Joppa shippe to Jona in the storme What meanest thou O sleeper arise call upon thy God that wee perish not Charity bids thee pray for others though God have no need of our prayers wee have of his mercy and blessings which we will give wheâ— wee in faithfull prayer acknowledge his power to give and his mercy to grant which is our dependance on him without his helpe and blessing no creature can helpe if the Lord doe not helpe thee Whence should I helpe thee Said the King of Israel no not the bread which thou hast in thy hand can nourish thee therefore hee taught rich and poore to say give us this day our dayly breadâ— he grâ—â—th it and power to nourish 2. Admirable is the power of prayer it calmeth the surges of a troubled spirit Takes men up to heaven in holyrapts it inclineth heaven to earth shuts the lyons mouths opens the prison doores beats the fiercest enemies while Moses hand was held up Israel prevailed David armed herewith beat the overgrowne champion of Gath Joshua hereby fetcht ammunition from heaven and the Lord cast downe hailestones from heaven to destroy the enemies the Sunne and Moone stood still the Starres in their order fought against Sicera It was the answer of the Oracle to the Cretians that their enemies must be conquered with prayers before they could with armes Prayer is the key of heaven Eliah hereby shutt and opened it for raine it casteth out devils which can no otherwise but by fasting and prayer be cast out Prayer is a sacrifice to God a reliefe to the supplyant a scourage to the devill 't is the Bathsheba of heaven which can receive no repulse Abraham interceeded for the impious Sodomites and Abraham gave over asking before God gave over granting and condescending when Moses prayed God said Let mee alone that I may destroy them as if he had laid violent hands of God's judgements and by prayers arrested his justice His mercy like that oile 2 King 4. ceaseth not increasing while there is any vessell to receive it if the widowes importunity could incline an impious judge to justice how much more shall ours a righteous God to mercy If we who are evill will give our children good things how much more will God who cannot erre in giving prayer obtaineth the spirit of sanctification Luk. 11. 13. wisedome Jam. 1. 5. deliverance from troubles Psalm 50. 15. for our selves and others Act. 12. Jam. 5. 15. health in sicknesse blessing in health remission of sinnes it must needs be so seeing hee inviteth us to pray and promiseth to heare our prayer he is nigh unto all them that call upon him in truth Christ interâ—edeth for us when Aquilius brest was opened before the Roman Judges and he but shewed the wounds received in their service it enclined them to mercy and recovered the almost forlorne cause what shall not the merits of Christs wounds perswade with God O that he would say to my soule as he did once to Peter before his temptation I have prayed for thâ—e that thy faith faile thee not Let the Lyons yell the powers of hell muster up against mee if Christ pray for mee I passe not who is against mee My addresse is to him and my dependance on him no man might come to the Persian King but he must first solicit the second in the Kingdome but Christ saith Come unto mee thou shalt need no other mediatour fervent prayer never returneth empty it bringeth us either that we aske or something better in the fervencie of spirit it ascendeth like the Angell in the â—lame of Manoahs sacrifice and doth wonderfully it saith as wrastling Jacob I will not let thee go except thou blesse mee It was a motive to Benhadad to sue for quarter we have heard that the Kings of Israel are mercifull Kings therefore he sent and obtained we have heard and certainly knowne that God is abundant in mercy why are we silent when Moses came down from talking with God his face shined never stay wee with God in the mount by hearty prayer but our soules bring away some divine lustre and heavenly beauty on them some secret joy assurance of obtaining and confidence to persevere But some may say I have long prayed and yet obtain not I answer the rule is that hee will speedily answer and grant according to his promise Before they call I will answer and whiles they are yet speaking I will heare nor will he delay except in case that 1. The obstruction be in our selves as when we continue in sinne and repent not when our faith and patience is not throughly exercised and then it concerneth us to amend and learne patience considering that God hath sometimes granted the requests of impatient men in his anger and that it is best which God will not that we and when any thing happeneth contrary to our desires to bear it meekly and give thankes 2. That he deferreth to our greater advantage meaning to recompence that delay by multiplying the blessing so was it with the poore Canaanite whose importunity would receive no denyall I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the hoâ—se of Israël then a reproach 't is not meet to take the childrens bread and give it to dogs yet at last to her praise as long as that Gospel shall sound in the Church of God and toâ—her confirmation to eternity she heard O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee as thou desirest Some urge I have many times and long prayed and find no fruit nor successe but rather things contrary I answer there may be many causes hereof 1. It may be you performe not the conditions of prayer your mind wandreth you waver or wax faint in prayer if Moses but let downe his hands Amalecke prevaileth you pray not in spirit your heart is not upright you seek God only for the worlds sake you want charity you pray not in faith See Num. 20. 12. 2. It may be you aske somethings which obtained would hurt you as children crie for knives or fire He both mercifully heareth us and mercifully denyeth the Physitian better knoweth what is good for the patient we have all begged mischiefes if God had not denyed in mercy we had long since perished by our owne desâ—res you that are so impatient because God granteth not what you desire come to the Scriptures you shall find the devill was in some case heard the Apostle not heard God heard him whom he had damned and heard him not whom he would heale save 3. It may be you aske something good to an evill end you aske and receave not because you aske amisse that yee may consume it on your pleasures Jam 4. 3. 4. It may bee
a measure as thereby to know the things that are freely given thee of God thou shalt finde that Blessed is the man whom the Lord chasteneth and teacheth in his law that hee may give him rest from his daies of adversity 3. In sense of spiritual wants aske thy soule whether ever thou hadst that whereof thou now feelest the want if thou hadst be assured it shall revive againe and finally overcome as it is written Whosoever is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh our faith And this sense and sorrow is a certain token of thy recovery and soules health as that seven times neesing of the Shunamites sonne before hee opened his death-closed eies was of his lifes returning If thou never yet hadst the grace whereof thou now beginnest to feele the want it appeareth by this sense that now thou shalt have it and this trouble of thy soule is but as the moving of Bethesda waters a certain signe of an healing power descended thereinto 4. Aske thy conscience as the Prophet saith Hast thou not procured this unto thy selfe this of which thou complainest of hast thou not neglected the appointed meanes Suppose want of faith perplexe thee hast thou not carelesly heard the Gospel hast thou layed it up in a carefull heart hast thou valued it and begged it fervently and frequently of God above all things in the world Thou complainest of want of the spirit of praier hast thou not neglected this duety in times past doest thou duely prepare thyself thereto doest thou use that vigilancy which Christ enjoined Watch and pray by re-calling thy profane and wandring thoughts from their extravagancies and in all attention of spirit fixing them on Jesus Christ thou feelest the want of sanctification in thy heart tongue and actions Ask thy conscience if thou hast not heretofore buried the checks thereof for some vaine pleasure or profit's sake If thou wouldst have the effect cease remove the cause God will have his ordinances duely observed wherein they shall never want their promised effect 5. Ask thy conscience whether thou doest not live in some grievous sinne It is but folly to cry out of the heat and still cast oil on the fire if it be an Achan's wedge hidden search for the cursed thing and the plague in thine own heart in the cure whereof thou shalt be comforted if it be a sleeping Jonah cast him over-board as Eliphaz said If thou return to the Almighty thou shalt be built up thou shalt put iniquity farre from thy tabernacles the Almighty shall be thy defence then shalt thou have delight in the Almighty and shalt lift up thy face unto God thou shalt make thy praier unto him and he shall hear thee The rules of practice are 1. Heare God's word preparedly that is as hath been said renew thy repentance and pray for a blessing thereon heare it reverendly and attentively faith is by hearing so is sanctification Gods spirit working upon his own ordinance to make it active thereto The very cause why so many hear so often and so few so seldome practice and receive true comfort thereby is because they prepare not but are like men that sow among thorns 2. Let faith and all other graces be precious to thee for his sake whom it apprehendeth God will never bestow his inestimable gifts on men who sleight and undervalue them how few set a right estimate on precious faith the spirit of praier or memory of good things till it be too late things of this world are rated high enough but where is the man that riseth early late takes rest eats the bread of carefulnesse ventureth sea and land to get faith and sanctity doe but thou so value and desire these best gifts and God will not with-hold them from thee Psal. 84. 11. 3. Jesus said Hee that beleeveth in mee out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters that is the abundant graces of the holy Ghost labour for this faith but if thou wilt attain it endeavour to remove all lets and obstructions thereto resolution to continue in any known sin and true faith are inconsistent Hardnesse of heart is like the great stone on the mouth of the well at Padan-Aram which keepe men from the refreshing waters these must first be removed sin in the affections is like a venemous toad in the mouth of the fountain stopping up the waters of life 4. Consider God's work in thee by comparing thy condition with others thou art possibly not heard in thy prayers not to say Doest thou aske according to his will I say mark Gods work which is to save thee and make thee eternally blessed if he do that by a means which he knoweth best Wilt thou be impatient with Naaman if thou art not healed and helped according to thy way which thou proposest Is it not enough that hee will do that which is best for thee and canst thou judge so well of that as God nay but subject to God's good will and infallible wisedom thou maist erre in asking who hath not but hee cannot in giving for the best it may be hee seeth best to try thy perseverance patience whereof I confess I know no harder object then opinion of his not hearing our praiers It was no small tryal when David cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee why art thou so far from helping mee and from the words of my crying It was the greatest when our Saviour repeated the same Moses was denied entrance into Canaan but received into heaven the cup did not passe away from Christ but Gods will was done in the work of mans redemption and so hee was heard Thy faith beareth many sharp charges of the tempter mark Gods work therein Doth hee not even by this means more confirm it Is not every temptation as the shaking of the trees which loosning the ground maketh them take the deeper root thou feelest great defects of sanctification and thence many dubious conflicts between the spirit the flesh making thy soul cry w th Rebecca perplexed with her wrestling twins why am I thus despair not but consider Gods work thus he forceth thee often to fly to him and to consult his oracles thus hee exerciseth thee to humility without which the most excellent graces could not save thee He that prayed for Peter fallen could have kept him from falling into that sin but thus he kept him from presumption and fitted him to confirm his brethren 5. Begge holinesse of God who hath said Aske and yee shall have it is a vehement motive hereto to consider that God is holinesse and certainly hee cannot chuse but love his own image in us and give us that which hee loveth it pleased God that Solomon before riches revenge and life it selfe begged of him Wisedom so that he did not only grant his request but over and above gave him riches