God You that have been so intimate with Christ that have had so much experience of Christ did not I tell you that after three dayes I should rise again have not you formerly had sweet Communion with me strange Why are ye troubled But I take it to be a gentle reproof Again consider whence those thoughts arose from themselvs not from Christ from a principle of their own hearts for it was in their hearts that they rose and from their hearts Christ said peace be unto you but they arose from their own suppositions and mistakes as appeareth from vers 37. They were terrified and affrighted and supposed they had seen a spirit The words shew also the certainty of these beleevers or Disciples trouble of mind by the Ingemination of the Question Why are ye troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts he doth not say are ye troubled and do thoughts arise but why is it so Implying a certainty I hope the words are cleared up I come now to the observations Doctrinall observations And first from the Interrogation Why are ye troubled c. Whence observe a truth implicitely infolded in the words that is this That the Saints of God the Disciples of Christ even in Gospel times are subject to trouble of mind distemper of spirit 2. Why are ye troubled and why c. Christ asketh them the reason of it shewing it was not from him Whence observe again That it is not from Christ but principally from a beleever himself and his own heart that he is so much troubled as he is 3. From the ground of their trouble Thoughts or doubtings that arose in their hearts I observe again There is corruption enough in the heart of every beleever if it did but shew it self to trouble him and mightily distemper him Rom. 7. Paul telleth us sin dwelled in him and when he would do good evil was present and the Law in his members rebelled against the Law of his mind and now see how it troubled him vers 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Many wonder that beleevers should be troubled in Gospel times Why so Are beleevers free from the stirring and moving of corruption and so long as unbelief opposeth faith and the flesh lusteth against the spirit is it any wonder to see them troubled 4. From the Ingemination or doubling of the Question Why and why I note That it behoveth a Christian in trouble of spirit to observe the ground whence it riseth 5. Why are ye troubled Why see vers 37. It was a mistake for they had cause to have rejoyced because they were not acquainted with the manner of Christs appearance at that time they utterly mistake and make contrary constructions of his appearance Whence I note That many times the Saints and people of God are mightily troubled and perplexed in their hearts and spirits when they have cause to rejoyce and be comforted 6. From the generall That Christ reproveth them for it and laboureth to help them against it as appears ver 38.39.40 And he said unto them why are ye troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts Behold my hands and my feet that it is I my self handle me and see me for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me to have And when he had thus spoken he shewed them his hands and his feet I observe again That Christ would not have his people tire themselves and burden themselves with lying under discouraging thoughts to trouble and affright their own hearts with doubtings and discouragements Or thus Christ would not have his people lie under discouragement of heart He reproves it here and helps them against it John 14.1 Saith Christ to his Disciples Let not your heart be troubled there was cause enough a man would think Christ â—elleth them he must suffer and they should all be scattered from him and Peter should deny him that night It was like to be a sad time yet saith he Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be affraid vers 27. So Mar 13.7 Be ye not troubled when you shall hear of this and this So also the Scripture is clear Isa 56.3 Neither let the Son of ihe stranger that hath joyned himself to the Lord speak saying the Lord hath utterly separated me from his people neither let the eunuch say Behold I am a dry tree Let them not say so saith God as if he should say Let them not say so saith God as if I had cast them off or had no mercy for them So in the 42. and 43. Psalmes Why art thou cast down Oh my soul and why art thou disquieted within me See how the Spirit of God guideth him to debate the business why there was such a hurry in his heart Christ would not have his people do so Hebr. 12.5 He would not have them forget that exhortation that speaketh unto them as to children My son despise not thou the correction of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him I shall a little follow and clear up this point for the incouragement of drouping souls whose hearts languish under terrours Reasons And I shall shew reasons for the confirmation of it and they are of two sorts That he would not have them discouraged 1. Reasons to shew that he would not have them discouraged 2. Why he would not First That he would not 1. It appeareth from the frequency of the promise you can hard ly read any part of the word but you light thick and threefold upon the promises Now if God would have had his people to lie languishing under sorrows and perplexing themselves with thoughts sinking under discouragements he would never have left such store of promises upon record for them as he hath done Consider what a promise there is John 14.18 I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you Methinks this should bear up the heart God will not leave you Orphans for so the word is in a destitute sad helpless condition as usually Orphans are and Isa 51.12 I even I am he that comforteth you who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die c. Mark I am he and who art thou As if he should say who art thou that thy heart should sink under such promises when not another but I am he that is thy comforter I beseech you poor souls do but consider how God doth inculcate and urge his promises to his people to chear them up Isa 41.9,10 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called thee from the chief men thereof and said unto thee thou art my servant I have chosen thee and not cast thee away here is sweet incouragements But mark now Fear thou not for I am with thee be not dismaid for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the
spirit thou art made unfit for Gods consolations to receive them or rejoyce in him it is distastefull to thee As he that taketh away a garment in cold woather and as vinegar upon nitre so is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart Prov. 25.20 It will not be born Therefore mark when God sends Moses with a message of mercy to Israel and he delivered it according to Gods Command yet they harkned not to him what was the matter Why for anguish of spirit and sore bondage That unfitted them for the beleeving the message of God and receiving mercy And the Psalmist in his overwhelmings of spirit Psal 77. saith My soul refused to be comforted 6. Because Christ took their troubles upon him and bare them Therefore was his soul troubled Joh. 12.27 and 13.21 Surely he took our infirmities and carryed our sorrows saith the Prophet Isa 53. Therefore he would have us to rejoyce yea he would have his joy remain in his Disciples John 15.11 Now then if God be so tender and pittiful If holy rejoycing be so acceptable to him If trouble of spirit drives from God I mean discouragement and be contrary to communion If it deadens the actings of the works of the spirit If it makes the soul unfit for Gods consolations If Christ have born our sorrows of purpose to ease us Then it must needs follow that Christ would not have his people discouraged But all these are true Therefore the other Objection But some may say The Apostle James 4.9 Biddeth Be afflicted mourn and weep And Christ saith Blessed are ye that mourn Therefore this cannot be so I answer that in James is his councel to those that had adulterated themselves with the world as appears by the former part of the Chapter and this mourning is nothing but repentance Godly sorrow which Paul was glad was in the Corinthians But the sorrow we speak of is doubting discouraging sorrow of which James speaks not And that of Christ is a mourning in regard of afflictions and persecutions of the Gospel which they were to suffer for Christs sake or Godly sorrow and therefore declares them blessed Not to mourn with a distrustful distracting mourning So that it makes nothing against the point that Christ would not have his people lie under discouragements Object 2 But some may say again This is a needless poynt for the people of God in Gospel times are not troubled in their hearts I Answer Yea but they be which appears by these considerations 1. Because sometimes they want that measure of comfort and joy that they should have and might have Col. 2.2 That their hearts might be comforted This was the end of Pauls conflict and Iohn 16.24 Aske and ye shall receive that your joy may be full This shews that their hearrs wanted comfort and their joy was not full Therefore their hearts are troubled in Gospel times 2. Because the Apostle took order that the people of God and Saints might be comforted Sometimes by sending men of purpose to them to comfort them which need not have been in case they had not wanted comfort Ephes 6.22 Paul declareth that he sent Tychicus of purpose to them among other things To comfort their hearts And the same man counselleth the Corinthians 2 Corin. 13.11 to be of good comfort And he sent Tychicus to the Collossians to comfort their hearts Col. 4.8 And he sent Timothy to the Thessalonians to comfort them concerning their faith 1 Thes 3.2 And exhorteth them Chap. 4.18 to comfort one another and. 5.14 comfort the feeble minded Somtimes by praying that they might be comforted 1 Thes 2.17 Now our Lord Jesus Christ and God even our Father comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work This labor and prayers might have been spared if saints wanted no comfort in Gospel times Uses of the point Now I come to Application 1. Of Information Is it so That Christ would not have his people lie under discouragements Then it informs us that we may boldly say and conclude that God is willing Christians should abound with the consolations of God It is the will of God you should have peace look up rejoyce and have consolation what I the Saints make a question whether it be not Gods will they should lie under sorrow and when terrors upon themselves and not take comfort of the good word of God when it is Gods minde they should beleive and be cheerful and rejoyce in God and not lie dejected but look up with Spiritual triumph in the Lord. But we cannot be perswaded of this lesson and hence we think we can never afflict our selves enough and rake into our hearts and study how to keep our selves from the consolations of God Take heed of this for this doth not please God that men should thus discourage themselves and be turned out of their right spiritual joy Lam. 3.31 The Lord will not cast off for ever But though he cause grief yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies for he doth not afflict willingly nor greive the children of men To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most high To subvert a man in his cause the Lord approveth not vers 32.33.34.35.36 All this is brought to this very scope to shew it doth not delight the Lord thou shouldst be oppressed and afflicted but rather rejoyce and take comfort the Lord approves not of thy subverting thy self in thy cause no more then of another subverting three It is against God that we should afflict our selves Let me tell thee It is utterly against God that we should afflict our selves and languish under terrors and affright our selves with the apprehensions of wrath All the reasons make it clear that God would have his people ioyful and chearful Nehemiah 8.10 The joy of the Lord is our strength So that this is against God in divers respects 1. It is against the nature of God which is filled up with Ingredients of goodness it is eight to one Exod. 34.6.7 I will make all my goodness pass before thee saith the Lord And he proclaimed The Lord the Lord God mercifull and gratious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity trangression and sin and that will by no meanes clear the guilty c. So that this argues that Gods nature in his dispensation towards us is mildness goodness sweetness However equal in himself yet towards us he hath magnified his word above all his Name Psal 138.2 Now his word declareth his attributes especially his attributes of grace 2. It is against his offices look into the order of the three persons and they all flow into this let poor-souls be comforted Here is the Father the fountain set open The sons merit that poor souls debt be paid The Spirits distribution for the supplying comforting of poor
find the Lord He lookt behind him before him on both hands but to no purpose And so the Church Cant. 3.1 2. By night on my bed I sought him whom my sould loveth I sought him but I found him not c. She 's industrious but finds him alone Causes why God keeps off What should be the reason may some say that the Lord should keep aloof off when a man sets himself so seriously about it I mean to find him 1. Because God would have the creature know that he is free in working He is not tied to come to preparations or qualifications of the creature but to his own preparations The preparations of the heart and the answer of the tougue is from the Lord saith Salomon Prov. 16.1 2. He would let his people know that he will be waited on to come in when he pleases yet the creature must do his duty Seek the Lord and his strength seek his face evermore Psal 105.5 Paul prayed thrice before he had an Answer of grace 2 Cor. 12. 3. Many times the people of God have too much self-ends in their duties and the Lord would have them to see it Zach. 7.5 Did you fast unto me even unto me saith the Lord. And did you not eat for your selves and drink for your selves It may be self-love may drive a man to it to obtain some blessing that he wants rather then to enjoy God himself And God would shew him this errour and take him off from it 4. That they may see their former Slothfulness and Negligence Cant. 5. When Christ had waited and called for admittance and could not have it he withdraws to let his Spouse see how he did distaste her Sloth and Neglect and Excuses 5. That he might be the sweeter to thee when he comes in again and that thou mightest stick the closer to him when thou hast found him again 6. To try thy Faith and Patience and Constancy whether thou wilt persevere in following him and wait upon him as the woman of Canaan did though thou have repulse after repulse and little hopes in reason yet to try if thy faith can conquer reason And that thy faith may be seen with the greater lustre when it is tried For God by delaying and putting off discovers to you the temper of your Spirits whether you will willingly wait the Lords leasure or whether you will fret and fume and wait no longer As we do sometimes by beggers put them off or give them no answer and if they be indeed in great wants and of meek spirits they will lament and weep and be thankful for a little when it comes But your stout sturdy beggers when they are not answered they will fall a reviling and cursing and give high words so that by delaying you may see their spirits So doth the Lord by this means shew you your spirits and temper of heart The ninth ground of fear 9. He complaines he hath hurt the cause of God when God hath brought him upon the stage to have done something for God perhaps to have suffered And so his Soul is wounded and he fears his condition And did not Peter do so Did not he fly off when all had forsaken Christ and break his word and resolution and shamefully deny his Master contrary to his former profession So Moses and Aaron Num. 20.12 Because ye believed me not to sanctify me in the eies of the children of Israel saith God Therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the Land c. These men hurt the cause of God and failed when they should have stuck to it and yet all real converts The 10. ground of fear 10. You cry out you have oftentimes relaps't into the same sins which formerly you have pursued with particular sorrow and grief and prayed and resolved against them and that makes you question the truth of your state This is indeed a sad condition But this doth not prove thy state naught for it hath been the case of the servants of God sometimes Therefore ye have this confession Our backslidings are many so that you see it was oftentimes again and again The Prophet Jonah relapsed into passion and discontent with God He was discontent with the work God set him about therefore he flieth to Tarshish Jonah 1.2.3 And sorrowes for it and confesseth Chap. 2.8 They that trust upon lying vanities forsake their own mercies yet see Chap. 3.1 When God had shewed mercy to Niniveh how discontent he was with the Lord again It displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry And when the Lord that might have confounded him reasons sweetly and mildly with him to take him off from his passion as appears Chap. 3.3.4 and provides for him what he wants yet upon a small occasion again the taking away of a gourd or shrub and the Lord had a gracious end in it too the convincing of him of his folly in being so waspish he breaks out again into the same passion or worse as if he had never seen the evill of i◠or been humbled for it Chap. 4.8.9 I am greatly angry Or I do well to be angry even unto death saith he See how often he relapsed into this sin and Peter denieth Christ not only once but again and again †And perhaps the prodigal sets out unto us a Christian relapst for he was a son before and with his Father and then went away from him and spent all And yet he was not quite undone but returned again And this comes to pass sometimes 1. To let you see your own weaknes that you can do nothing of your selves cannot withstand nor resist nor overcome that ye may be taken off of all false confidences and rest upon God and God alone for help That ye may resist stedfast in the faith 2. For the advancement of the praise and honour of the wisdome skill and goodness of God the Physitian of our souls that can and doth cure when the disease is more dangerous when thou art relaps't and it grows worse and worse as in curing the woman that had the bloody Issue that was worse and worse notwithstanding all the means she used till she came to Christ 3. This advanceth his Mercy the more that he doth not quite forsake thee when thou hast done what thou canst to drive him away as Micha 7.18.19 Who is a God like unto thee that pardons Iniquity that passeth by the trangression of the remnant of his heritage He retains not his anger for ever because he delights in mercy Oh but I have relaps't and driven him away saith the poor soul But mark now ver 19. He will turn again he will have compassion on us he will subdue our Iniquities and thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the Sea And the prodigal saw the compassion of his Father the greater in receiving him again after he had run away from him The eleventh ground of fear 11. He hath
Questions his conversion 3. He hath Discovered new sins and corruptions which before he did not observe after a long time in the state of grace And finds new ones which he did not know of And he knows not but there may be more behind And so fear ariseth 4. He finds his heart many times loose in spirituall duties the thoughts thereof roaring and ranging this way and that way when his heart should be kept to God By-thoughts come thick upon him as motes in the Sun and he is as sure to be haunted with them as to find his shadow in the Sun And hence he is troubled 5. He doth not find that growth in the Inward marrow of Religion that should be in him answerable to his time and means of knowledge For though he grant he hath grown in Knowledge and some externall parts and gifts as utterance and the gifts of Prayer and Prophesie c. yet he finds not that he is grown in Spirit and inward acquaintance with Christ 6 He finds the exercise of his graces Faith Love Patience c. failing sometimes when he hath most need of them And that the Disposition of his heart in the cause of God sometimes fails comes short of that activity that should be in it And the exercises of his graces in putting forth are many-times stained 7. He cannot attain to something that he sees in other men that peradventure were after him in Christ and are inferior in gifts yet he cannot attain to that life of Grace he sees in them nor to that Humility nor Love nor desire nor resoluteness for truth nor self-deniall nor Heavenly-mindedness And hence he fears his condition 8. He finds he enjoyes God least many times when he sets himself the best about it and goes about to fit his Soul to entertain Christ as in fasting c. 9. He hath hurt the Cause of God when God hath brought him upon the stage to have done something for God perhaps to have suffered for God And upon this questions the truth of his grace 10. He hath oftentimes relapsed it into the same sin which formerly he hath pursued with particular sorrow and grief And prayed and resolved against it and this troubles him 11. He hath grieved the Spirit and neglected Christ for trifles for smal matters things of the world vain pleasures c. 12. Lastly He hath found his heart apt to take liberty and to be loose when Occasion and opportunity hath suited to him when he might be secret from the eye of man close and hath had an opportunity to enjoy his self-pleasure he hath found his heart loose And from such like grounds as these he is many-times cast into reasonings and Questioning the truth of his state whether his conversion were ever right and so he is troubled How to setle a man oppressed with this thought Now for the setling of a mans state that is thus incumbred And to cut of all Questions and disputes which the heart of man may breed What if there may be a shorter course taken for the setling of a mans heart then to stand weighing of a mans Graces and corruptions together for though the least piece of money hath some distinct stamp upon it that a man may know it from a Counter And every grace in a mans soul hath some mark of truth upon it Yet I say what if there be another course that a Christian may take when his own heart raiseth storms in this manner to take another course to clear it from such Rocks and Shelvs And that is Generall propositions tending to the peace of such a soul In these Cases And in all these Cases to go immediately to Christ by faith And to cast your selves upon him yea to cast away your selves upon him not so much as questioning what shall become of you but to go out immediately to him Yea I say though your hearts be full of deceit and Hypocrisie yet I would go out for all this and intrude upon Christ as I may say by an impudent kind of beleeving and say thus Lord If my graces give me no comfort Christ shall And say thus God hath laid in Sion for a Foundation a Stone a tryed stone a precious Corner stone a sure Foundation Isa 28.16 And he that beleeveth on him shall not be confounded 1 Pet. 2.6 Now there must be a course taken to keep the heart from wrangling For some may say what is this to beleeve in a Stone That is to be in and to be by faith built upon Christ And by faith to lie fast in the fast lieing of this Stone And in the fast levelling and laying of this stone would I lie fast Friends If your Graces yeeld you but a little comfort then presently flie to Christs person and personal offices I would have you flie from your sins to Christ and I would have you flie from your graces to Christ too For he is the Boat to receive you both from damning sins and imperfect graces for the Alsufficiency of Christ needs not thy graces to make it perfect as if he could not save thee without the perfection of thy graces Thus doing thou shalt honour Christ above and sweeten him more then thy own graces And if at any time thy heart wrangle thee out of thy graces yet let it never wrangle thee out of Christ If thy graces be a quagmire that thou shake upon them then Christ is a Stone lies firm A man may trust too much upon his graces but he cannot trust too much upon Christ A man may take too much hold upon the Mil sailes for a man may take so fast hold he may be turned about but not upon the mil-post Learn the use of Faith which is of singular use to carry thee out of thy sanctified self to live out of thy self to build out of thy self to carry thee by faith and hope out of thy self to Christ Gal. 2.20 The life that I live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me See how Paul lives here not by any thing but faith in Christ I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live saith he yet not I Lest any should think he lived upon his graces and sanctification He addes But Christ liveth in me Now lest any should dream that there is no other Christ then the creature hath within in graces qualifications c. he explains himself And the life that I live in the flesh I live by the FAITH of the Son of God And truely If a mans heart will not be setled this way it will scarce be setled any way Four considerable things Now for the use of faith in this case there are four things considerable 1. Whensoever thou art thus puzled labour to lay Christ in the other end of the ballance against all objections that thy heart can make This is the shortest cut that a man can make to plead Christ yet
in a Tyrant But the law of sin commanding obedience that is not in a man in whom Christ is And while the fight is maintained thou maist be said to conquer though thou beest conquered He that is born of God sinneth not 1 John 3.9 For sin hath not his will but committeth a rape upon him Thus while thy infirmities are caused by the Lord to work good in thy soul they may be counted a wholsome poyson †But take heed of sinning for this end that 's wickednes Rom. 6.1 And all these infirmities cannot be said to break Covenant with God while they do not force the heart to yeeld to them And though they be troublesome to thee yet God hath said Hebr. 10. He will remember them no more The third ground of this fear 3. Thou saist thou hast discovered new sins which thou never sawest before yea after a long time in the state of grace and thou knowest not but there may be more behind undiscovered And so thy state may be bad I Answer It may be so that thou hast discovered new sins that thou sawest not before but let me tell thee the sight and knowledge of sin is good though sin be not For it may be a sign that knowledge and light increaseth in thee and that softness of heart increaseth in thee It is not an argument that sin increaseth but that light and softeness of heart increaseth For if thou seest more sins then formerly thou sawest thou discoverest but what thou wouldst know And that doth not argue thy state is naught no more then it did Jobs Job 13.23 How many are mine iniquities and sins make me to know my transgression and my sin This proved not his state nought For its good for a man to discover one after another that he may deal with them singly as it were And it is good to see them single I though it be after a long while if it be but to keep a man out of love with his own heart and it may be occasion of new humblings Quest But was it ever so with the Saints of God Ans Yea there was passion discovered in Job after a long while in the state of grace Job 3. So Jeremiah Chap. 20.14 Cursed be the day wherein I was born c. Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my Father saying a man child is born unto thee c. yea and resisting God in his work in resolution at least ver 9. I said I will not make mention of him nor speak in his name c. And ambition was discovered in the Disciples of Christ after they had been long with him in a familiar way Matt. 18.1 They strove which should be the greatest a corruption that we see not breaking out before And Peter had self shewing it self in him in disswading Christ from his sufferings and his denying his Master a new sin that he fell not into before And his dissimulation for which Paul reproves him to his face Gal. 2. yea and Barnabas that son of consolation fell into that dissimulation that I never read was charged upon him before When Jonah said I do well to be angry to death was not this new with him did you ever read he did so before So Davids Adultery and plotting Vriahs death Who would have thought such corruptions should have ever started up in Jeremiah as we read of in Chap. 20. of his prophesy It doth not follow that because new sins shew themselves therefore your standing in the state of grace is not right A mistake cleared For 1. It appears the saints are in danger of falling into new sins by all those Scriptures and examples mentioned before and also by all those Caveats laid down in Scripture wherein they are bidden Take heed beware c. 2. The Saints have a subtle Adversary that will not cease to lay baits in their way with all the willines that may be And they may be overcome before they be aware as it were Gal. 6.1 If a man be OVERTAKEN with a fault c. And if new sins discover themselves then there is new occasion to go to Christ make that use of them 1 Joh. 2.1,2 These things write I unto you little children that you sin not but if any man sin we have an Advocate Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins c. 4th ground of fear 4. He findeth his heart many times loose in spiritual duties his thoughts roving and ranging abroad when they should be kept close to God by thoughts hanting him and coming thick upon him c. Therefore sure he was never right I Answ So it hath been with many of the Saints of God that find themselves in a state of grace Keep thy heart with all diligence what need such an Exhortation if the heart were not ready to be roving Rom. 7. Saith Paul I find THEN a Law that when I would do good evil is present with me THEN when Why when I would do good then Heb. 12. Ye have forgotten the exhortation c where were their thoughts then when they for gat it And so we are oftentimes commanded to remember shewing that thoughts are very apt to be roving The Apostle saith Col. 3.1,2 If ye be risen with Christ seek those things that are above c. Set your affections on things above not on things below Which shews the heart and mind and thoughts and affections had need be called together they will be stragling Rev. 3.3 Remember how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and Repent And truly God may suffer this to be to take off your trust from your duties and graces and hearts that you may plant your trust in God alone through Christ And to shew you the difference between the Spirits managing of your graces and your own managing of them that so you may plant your faith in Christ alone And therefore if you find your hearts deceitful and loose do not conclude presently that you have no work of grace in your hearts for those loose by-thoughts may rise from some other causes Causes As 1. For want of consideration what a Majesty the presence is that thou art in for if we did seriously consider that we are in the presence of the King of Kings the All-seeing God that searcheth the heart and tryeth the reyns it would make us more serious A man would be afraid of playing with a Feather while he is speaking to the King 2. It may be thy affections are very cold and chill when thou comost to duty and for want of Love being inflamed thy thoughts rove for be sure if thou take Christ as thy treasure thy heart will be upon him Mat. 6. Love will make you mind the thing loved as David Oh how do I love thy law It is my meditation all the day Mat. 6. Psal 119. 3. For want of watchfulness and vigilancy we are too apt to let the
to provoke to love and good works But how shall this be done See Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is But exhort one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching In our Fathers house there is bread enough and to spare Luk. 15. there is all varieties to be had that may be for thy growth Thou must be joynted into the building if thou wouldst grow Eph. 2.21 In whom all the building fitly framed TOGETHER groweth into an holy Temple in the Lord. Col. 3.19 All the body by JOYNTS and BANDS having nourishment ministred and KNIT TOGETHER increaseth with the increase of God The sixt ground of fear 6. Thou hast found the exercise of thy Graces failing sometimes when thou hast had most need of them and the disposition of thy heart in the Cause of God sometimes failing coming short of that activity that should be in it or the exercise of thy graces in putting forth stained Therefore thy condition is not right saist thou Doth that follow thinkest thou Did not the Disciples Faith fail them when they had need of it when they were tost upon the Sea Where 's your Faith saith Christ they had need of it then I think you will easily grant me that And they had not the exercise of it and therefore Mark reads it How is it that ye have no Faith Mar. 4.40 Luk. 8.25 Yea and Peter when he denyed Christ had he been stedfast in the faith he had not denyed but resisted Sathan And Peters Christian boldness and courage failed him too at that time Did not Moses faith fail him when God saith ye beleeved me not Num. 20. And for Love failing If ye loved me saith Christ ye would rejoyce Ioh. 14. So Jobs Christian wisdome faild him in his affliction in Challenging God as he did to dispute with him and in justifying himself too far Therefore God reproveth him in the close of the Book And so in the text why are ye troubled Their apprehensions failed them concerning Christ But now This doth not therefore follow that they were stark dead and breath gone and they out of the state of grace because of this Why Christians graces fail them sometimes when they have need of them But then what should be the Cause that Christians faith and other graces should be at so low an ebbe when they stand in need of them I Answer 1. Because Christ alone will be seen in the business to be all in all That we may see that he doth the whole work in us and for us Col. 3 11. Isa 26 12. As at his death all must forsake him and fly and Peter deny him that he may alone do all without being beholden to man for any thing So in casting out that Divel our of the mans Son spoken of Mar. 9. The Disciples unbelief disabled them from casting him out that the power of Christ alone might be seen in doing it 2. That the people of God might be humbled out of themselves and out of the pride of their own undertakings when they see how weak they are and their graces failing them And that God is all in the thing as Job 42. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee Wherefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes 3. Because many times they stand too much upon their own strength and live not clearly upon Jesus Christ as they ought to do and so they miscarry And that their confidence might be regulated Therefore Peter fell that he might see the misplacing of his trust So 2 Cor. 1. We had the sentence of death in our selves That we should learn not to trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead And in another place Phil. 4. I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me That we might learn to live above our graces to have grace and all from Christ 4. That so thou mightest learn to deny thy self in thy Sanctified self as well as in carnal self in thy very graces and not rest upon them That so thou mayst account all thy Righteousnesses as filthy Rags Isa 64. And be for ever kept from boasting Rom. 3.27 The seventh ground of fear 7. Thou complainest thou canst not attain to something that thou seest in other men that peradventure were in Christ after thee and are inferiour in gifts Not to that humility c. Therefore thou fearest thy state that thou art not truly converted and hast no grace I Answer That doth not follow that therefore thou hast no grace Did not Elihu pass the three Ancients spoken of in Job in understanding and wisdome Job 42.7,8 And yet I conceive they had grace For God cals for their sacrifices which he would not have done had they been wicked men For the Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord Pro. 15.8 And did not Paul pass all the other Apostles in labour and sufferings and Revelations too 1 Cor. 15.10 2 Cor. 12. 2 Cor. 11. and they were in Christ before him And Mary went beyond Christs Disciples in affection to Christ for she could willingly spend the box of oyntment on Christ but his Disciples murmured at it yea not onely Judas but the rest also as appears Mat. 26.6,7,8,9,10 c. And did not Mary believe the Resurrection sooner then they and yet they were longer time with Christ then she Again consider God dispenceth his gifts differently according to his own pleasure 1 Cor. 12. To one a word of knowledge to another the word of wisdome to another Prophesie c. Now because thou hast not attained to the gift or measure of gift or enjoyment that others have wilt thou say thou hast no grace The eighth ground of fear 8. Thou complainest thou enjoyest God least many times when thou settest thy self the best about it and goest about to fit thy soul to entertain Christ or get down corruption as in fasting c. I Answ It may be so and yet thou mayst be one that hast grace too sometimes God delays to come in to his people and puts off for divers ends known to himself Hab. 1.2 O Lord saith he how long shall I cry and thou wilt not hear yea cry out of violence and thou wilt not save and yet this man was Gods So Job cries out in the same words Job 19.7 Behold I cry out of wrong but I am not heard I cry aloud but there is no judgement So David also Psal 69.3 I am weary of my crying my heart is dryed my eys fail while I wait for my God And Job 23.8,9 Behold I go forward but he is not there and backward but I cannot perceive him on the left hand where he works but I cannot behold him he hides him self on the right hand that I cannot see him Here ye see he sets himself about it but could not