from the Lord and his grace and his mercy and it preferres sinne and the Devill before the Lord and all that sufficiency of good that is in him and therefore the Prophet wisheth the Heavens to bee astonished at this weake things naturally incline to that which may strengthen them and heavy things will not rest untill they come to the earth because that will sustaine them Oh what a basenesse is this the Heavens are weary of a base wretch that will trust to his owne corrupt heart and renounce grace and Christ and happinesse and all this is the first passage Secondly unbeleefe it makes all means to bee unprofitable that is when a man is setled upon his folly and is resolved to rest upon his rebellious will and to bee ruled by that hee will not looke out nor attend nor give entertainment to whatsoever is revealed to the contrary This makes all meanes unprofitable bee the meanes never so precious and powerfull and though they have done never so much good in quickning the hearts of others yet they never doe these men good this unbeleefe makes all meanes to be spilt upon the ground and they never doe good to an unbeleeving heart as Heb. 4.12 let us feare therefore lest at any time by forsaking the promise of entring into his rest any of you should seeme to be deprived of the grace and mercy of God for the word was preached first to us as also unto them but it did not profit them that heard it because it was not mixed with faith there is the cause be the reproofes and threatnings never so fierce that it would almost affright the heart of a Devill and the comforts never so sweet and the heart of a poore Minister never so enlarged to worke upon the hard-hearted yet infidelity is as the buckler that beares off all and he saith I will never beleeve it all his words fall to the ground and enter not unto the heart no reproofe terrifies no exhortation prevailes the heart is unbeleeving it beats backe and shuts out all this is the reason why the Devill labours to make up this fortresse above all the rest because he knowes if any man have an unbeleeving heart it will make all meanes unprofitable the Devill is content that men have parts and gifts and these will carry a man to hell that hath an unbeleeving heart and therefore many wicked men that are the Devils factours and schoolmasters the first lecture they read to a poore soule that is comming on because they feare that hee will bee wrought upon by the word and the light of the word is come into his minde and his eyes are inlightned and hee saith If this bee true that the word saith then hee saith I am a miserable man the Lord be mercifull to me now see what the carnall wretch that is the Devils familiar saith to him I hope you have more wit than to bee perswaded of whatsoever he saith he speakes out of passion and he must say something and threatned men live long c. thus nothing workes upon him and the Minister had as good speake to the pillars for all comes to nothing and we finde it in nature thus that the not beleeving of any thing keepes the heart from being affected with it as for example thus let there bee never so many threatnings as that the Spanyard hath an invincible navie of so many ships set out the merchant that understands any thing knowes that the Spanyard cannot make such a navie and therefore they beleeve it not but in eighty eight every mans heart begins to shake and every man begins to bestirre himselfe nay let the promise be never so faire and sweet yet if wee are not perswaded of it we never care for his kindenesse and we looke not after it and say these are good words and faire words make fooles faine but wee beleeve it not just thus it is with an unbeleever when hee comes to receive all the meanes of grace from the Lords hands and when all judgements are denounced from heaven and the wrath of God against sinne and the word saith Be not deceived God is not mocked if you soâ— to the flesh and walke after it you shall reape everlasting perdition and againe No adulterer nor drunkard shall enter into the kingdome of heaven they heare these and consider of them and make a small mater of it and will not beleeve it and therefore they tremble not at it and are not affected with that cursed condition in which they are Deut. 29.18 19. when the Lord had denounced all the judgements that could be expressed all the mercies that could bee revealed in the end he saith Take heed lest there be in any of you any root of bitternesse so then when yee heare the words of this curse yee blesse your selves in this estate and say I shall have peace though I walke in mine owne wayes as if he had said if any man come to this that hee can heare all the flashes that come from hell and see hell gaping for him and here the thundering of Gods judgements and beleeves nothing but blesseth himselfe and saith the Prophets and Ministers must say something and they must have leave to speake but yet I shall bee blessed for all this this wipes of all the authority of the truth of God looke as it is in nature that physick which the stomack is not able to retaine though it bee never so good it will never purge and the meat though never so comfortable yet if the stomack cannot take it downe and digest it it will never nourish a man so be the word never so physicall and cordiall yet if a man have 〈◊〉 unbeleeving hâ—â—â—t that he will not take downe the truth it is marvellous certaine that that word cannot profit an unbeleeving heart and thatâ— the cause of that curse which Ieremiah speakes of chap. 17.5 Cursed bee the man that trusts in man and hee that maketh flesh his arme and withdraweth his heart from the Lord for hee shall bee like the barren heath in the wildernesse that it shall not see when good commeth as it is with a barren heath though the seed bee never so good and the seasons never so comfortable and though the sunne shine never so fairly upon it and though the dewes come from heaven never so sweetly yet there will not be a graine of good corne because it is a barren heath so it is with that unbeleeving heart of thine thy heart shall be like a barren heath and thou shalt never see when good commeth much good will come to thy family it may be there will one childe be humbled and it will come to the same chamber one servant is hardened and another saved the wife converted and the husband is hardned and the husband is converted and the wife is wayward and froward still now though the dewes of heaven bee never so comfortable so that one poore soule is strengthened and
there is no trading with him in matters of faith till his conscience be a wakened and his sinnes discovered The text saith The whole need not the Physitian and therefore will not seeke him nay he will not receive him when he comes he cares not for him while we thinke our selves whole and safe and sound and seared and speake peace to our soules in our naturall condition wee looke not after Christ neither will wee receive Christ if hee come to our doores It is a fine passage of Saint Paul and it is the ground hee makes of the unbeleefe of the Iewes Rom. 11.25 the text saith Hardnesse is come upon the Iewes till the fulnesse of the Gentiles is come in the word in the originall is prettie There is a kinde of sleepy sluggish stupid benummed senselesnesse in the Jew till the Gentiles came in the one are hindred from comming to Christ and beleeving in him because they are rocked asleepe therefore the word in the originall signifies a stilnesse for when a man hath got a stupid benummed heart he is all stilled all quiet and at rest he seeth nothing he lookes after nothing he cares for nothing but rests in the condition he is in and in this the Jewes shall dwell till the Lord awakes him out of this securitie This is the cause men complaine they cannot endure sharp preaching and to have their sinnes discovered and their consciences awakened I wonder Ministers should make this adoe cannot men goe to Heaven without such a stirre they see no neede therefore they desire no trouble this is that the Lord observes of the Church of Laodicea Revel 3. which was an argument of the base estate she was in Thou saist thou art rich and needest nothing and knowest not that thou art poore and blinde and miserable and naked because she knew not her miserie shee never laboured to goe to Christ to be freed from her misery and it is observed Zephany 3.12 when the Lord would discover a people that should beleeve hee saith I will leave an afflicted and a poore people a pooâ—e soule that trembles at Gods Word and seeth his misery hee is like to looke out for succour from the Lord Iesus nay famous is that place Iohn 12.39 marke a passage or two they are very observable and usefull for the point in hand There our Saviour speaking of the Jewes saith they could not beleeve hee addes the reason for I say saith The heart of this people is waxen fat hee hath blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts lest they should see with their eyes and beleeve with their hearts and should bee converted and I should heale them There are two passages observable one by the by that beleeving and converting are all one in Scripture hee saith they could not beleeve that they might not he converted but here was the ground why they could not beleeve Their eyes were blinded and their hearts were hardned They were in a senselesse benummed secure cursed course they hope to be saved and all is well and they never see what condition they are in till they are in Hell therefore they never seeke out for mercy Therefore Christ saith to the Jewes Yee will not come to me to be saved for how can yee beleeve when yee seeke the honour one of another and seeke not the honour that comes from God It is impossible for a man to bee in Hell and in Heaven both at once for light and darknesse to bee together in one place for a man to rest upon sinne and upon the feee grace of Christ as long as thou art setled as long as thou restest in thy base course as long as thou livest in a naturall sleepy condition Tell it to your children you that are Parents tell it to your husbands you that are wives husband how can you beleeve childe how can you beleeve when thou seekest not the honour of God but setlest thy selfe upon thy base rebellions and restest upon thy corruptions Thus wee see the hindrance it is a sleepy secure carelesnesse of condition Now the cure of it is this namely labour to inforce thy selfe touching thine owne estate and pinch thine owne heart awaken and stirre up thy soule and pinch thine owne heart in the apprehension of that misery and wofulnesse of that condition thou art in and you shall helpe one another A man that is asleepe cannot awaken himselfe but another man that is but new awake that scarce hath his senses about him can stirre another better than himselfe bee you so wise Every poore sinner is asleepe and secure in sinne when will his eyes be open he will never see he can never awaken himselfe and jog him and pinch him awaken him you must beleeve the word you are in a fearfull condition in a miserable estate A naturall man is an accursed man thus deale one with another and resolve of this in two or three passages Let every man say the Word is true and reason undeniable unlesse I be altered in my condition I shall bee confounded in my condition unlesse I be another man I am an accursed man unlesse I bee borne againe by the Word it had beene better for mee I had never beene borne into the world I must not thinke that Christ will carry my soule and my sinnes to Heaven together I must not perswade my heart that flesh and blood can enter into the Kingdome of Heaven no heart it will not be you are sleepy and sluggish and you thinke Christ will save you no no t is true Christ came to save sinners and t is as true Christ came to humble sinners and to sanctifie sinners and to convert sinners Christ came to save his servants from sinne as well as from Hell Tell thou thy owne heart thus and never be quiet till thou affect thy soule with the apprehension of Christ I am a miserable man and shall bee so for ever if I continue in this condition Secondly againe imagine that the heart is now awakened a little that the sinner beginnes to see that hee must change hee lookes about and conceives God is angry and his sinnes are hainous and hell is gaping for him and the Lord tels him there is your portion thither you will goe one day either you must be another man or else an accursed man When the soule begins to thinke of this that he must bee altered and changed the other hindrance of faith is this that a sinner thinkes hee can change himselfe this is another maine hindrance and it is one of the greatest hindrances under Heaven First the soule thinkes it needs no change what saith the soule doe you tell mee of Hell and stagger my conscience I thinke my selfe well enough but that Ministers will not let me alone But now he seeth he must change and thinkes with himselfe either I must have my soule humbled and my life reformed or else goe downe to Hell and then hee shuffles for himselfe and sharkes for his
that doth presse in upon the minde and dampes the heart thereof that we may so use the word that we may be established thereby Rule 1 The first rule is this as in all the conditions that concerne thy soule thou must first repaire to the word and attend thereunto daily so looke into the uprightnesse and sinceritie of thine owne soule which may in some measure answer the word heare what the word will say and see what worke of grace is in thy heart that will answer the word and joyne sides in the testimonie of the happinesse of thy estate and condition be sure to take thy soule at the best doe not alwayes consider what is the worst in thee and goe no farther doe not only see thy failings and infirmities on one side that accuse thee but see if there bee any soundnesse and uprightnesse any goodnesse and truth of heart that may speake for thee heare both sides it is injustice to heare one side and determine a cause thereby as the Lord deals with his servants so thou shouldst deale with thy selfe now the Lord doth not lye at a catch with his children to spie out their faults and so proceed against them accordingly but he takes them at the best hand Rom. 4.22 it is a thing very remarkable concerning Abraham Abraham beleeved and it was counted to him for righteousnesse when did God speake concerning Abrahams faith the time was when Abraham beleeved not his faith is discovered Genes 15. in the beginning we shall see he beleeved not but was doubting and staggering concerning Gods giving him a Sonne now God lookes not at his infirmities but God takes him at the best Abraham beleeved c. a little before Abraham doubted thou hast promised a Sonne but I perceive it not then God led him into the fields and discovered his power and goodnesse and then Abraham beleeved and this is still recorded and registred of Abraham to all posteritie so 1 Pet. 3.6 where Sarah is spoken of as a patterne to all holy women not for her broidered haire but the text saith Shee was clad with a meeke spirit and called her husband Lord Genes 18. there we shall read that she called him Lord and it was her dutie and she did well in so doing but there we shall read in the same place that shee denied the tidings of the Angell now the Lord buries her failings and doth not record and register that but hee tooke her at the best and recorded that so we must deale with our selves wee must not lye at the catch with our hearts and say this is naught and this is vile but observe what so ever is upright and sincere and blesse God for that and rejoyce in that and weigh that as well as the other nay that rather than the other if a man should have a case handled after this fashion and if the Judge should observe onely what is foule on one mans side and goe no further the most upright man might be cast in the best case therefore the course of the court is he will heare the reasons and witnesses on both sides if there be any bonds or evidences brought in or any argument to be made he will heare all read there must be an equall proceeding should a man have a suit with another about the forfeiture of a bond or indenture if the Judge heare one and not the other he might carry the cause against the most upright man therefore the other cries out and saith good my Lord heare all and let all be read one saith you may see the falsnesse of this man aye saith the other but heare all my Lord and then the Judge is sufficiently satisfied before witnesses whereas if the Judge had but heard the first part and not the second the case would have gone against the man though never so good so many Saints deale with their soules what a wretched heart what pride and stubbornnesse have I my heart will not leave the world it is unfit for service and dead in service but heare all read all is not thy soule burthened with these and is not thy heart troubled with those is it not a griefe to thy soule and doth it not lye heavie upon thy heart that thou canst not walke exactly before God Oh saith the soule it is the greatest evill that ever befell me and I would be content almost not to be that I might not be so sinfull why then thou art an upright hearted man now take thy soule on this side and heare the best of it looke as it is with a mans hand the backe of his hand cannot take hold of a staffe but his palme can if a man complaine that hee cannot hold a staffe and turne the backe of his hand no wonder turne the right side of your hand and then you will graspe it and hold it easily so turne the right side of your soule to the promise the promises of God are the staffe that upholds our soules and our soules should rest thereupon and trust thereunto now wee turne the backside of our hearts to the promise stubbornnesse great and doubtings many and corruptions fierce the wrong side of the heart is to the promise and this will hinder thee from comming to and receiving good from the word but thy soule seeth these and is willing to bee freed from these thy soule hates these and thy selfe for these this is the right side of the heart that lyes levell to the promise therefore attend the word and repaire daily thereto and attend the better side doe not attend to weaknesse and feeblenesse but to soundnesse and sinceritie that is the first rule Rule 2 The second rule is this labour to have thy conscience setled and convictingly established of that truth of that grace which reason now informed doth entertaine and the Word doth witnesse to bee in thee labour to get thy conscience setled and established powerfully touching the truth that out of the word and the evidence thereof thou hast seene marke I say if there be any want of the assurance of Gods love and setling thereof to thy soule so that the evidence of the worke of grace doth not come powerfully in upon thy heart but there is some guilt of sinne still remaining and conscience still begins to accuse thee and condemne thee the truth is though reason be informed yet haply conscience will breed new broyles at every turne and put in new pleas and so nip disquiet and torment our hearts in staggering our hearts therefore as we must have our judgements informed out of the Word that there is some good and soundnesse in our soules so wee must get conscience perswaded of it that conscience may be on our side and speake for us A man must deale in this case as a debtor if he bee ingaged to many creditors the onely way to get safety is to agree not with some but with all for if hee agree with all but one that one may imprison
deed there must be something else or the sinner will be at a stand and cannot come on cheerfully and receive the grace offered him therefore besides the meanes wee have the speciall cause expressed which is the Lord. For when a man hath heard that is one thing but that is not all for the principall cause is the Lord. God the Father alone can buckle the heart to receive the grace appointed and the mercy offered to the soule and without the principall cause all other meanes I meane the Ministers of the Gospell although it be a savour of life unto life yet it may be a savour of death unto death unlesse the Spirit of the Lord goes with it For when the Gospell is onely revealed to the understanding and that onely conceives of the letter thereof and it soakes not and sinkes not into the heart this we call an outward calling that is the phrase of Divines when some light flash is imparted and communicated unto the soule and is not set on sufficiently that is an outward calling But when God the Father doth accompany the dispensation of the Gospell with the powerfull operation of the Spirit and it puts its hand to the key of the Gospell and unlockes a blinde minde and a hard heart there the soule learnes throughly and effectually the way of salvation The Text saith there must not onely be hearing but learning of the Father else the soule will not nor cannot come Now before I can collect the severall passages out of the words there is some difficulty and obscurity in the phrase therefore give me leave as I am able to discover the meaning and sense of the words and then the collection will be cleere First for the explication of the phrase and I will discourse four questions unto you which will be usefull for the cleere explication of the Text. 4. Questions First what the lesson is that a man must learne before he come Secondly why the Father is said to teach and not the Sonne nor the holy Ghost Thirdly what is the manner how the Father doth teach the soule when he will call it home to himselfe Fourthly what is the frame and disposition of the soule how doth the heart behave it selfe when it hath in truth learned the lesson When the Lord will propound unto and learne the soules of his that belong to him you must not thinke the truth tedious because they will give us light into all the truth that shall bee hereafter discussed out of the word Quest 1 He that hath heard and learned of the Father what is the lesson that he must learne before hee can come that after he hath learned this lesson he may be able to see the path of salvation as propounded to him so also neere at hand that hee might walk therein and receive comfort thereby Answ For answer hereunto the lesson that the soule must learne is this namely the fulnesse of the mercy and grace and salvation that God the Father hath provided and also offered to the poore humbled sinner in and through the Lord Jesus Christ which in deed is able to doe that for a poore sinner which all the meanes and things in the world could not doe and yet notwithstanding he needs I have heretofore discussed the poore miserable plight which a sinner hath brought himselfe into by his manifold rebellions There is no helpe no hope of himselfe in what hee hath or doth to releeve and succour himselfe and therefore he fals flat at the footstoole of the Almighty and is content to be at his disposing Now the lesson that the soule must learne is the fulnesse greatnesse and freenesse of the perfect salvation which is brought unto us through the Lord Jesus Christ And that we may not learne this lesson by halfes but fully and perfectly and that your minds may conceive of the same give me leave to lay it out fully because it will be profitable for our ensuing discourse and this lesson discovers it selfe in three things as in three lines as I may so terme it The first is this that the soule may learne there is enough sufficiency in the mercy of God to fill up all the empty chinkes of the soule and supply all the wants that a sinner hath and releeve him in all those necessities that either doe or can befall him this is the condition of every sonne of man since the fall of Adam that there is not onely a great deale of weaknesse in the soule but there is a great deale of wants and emptinesse in the soule Now this is the fulnesse of the mercy of God that whatsoever our weaknesses wants or necessities bee there is full sufficiency enough in that masse to fill up all and to give the soule full content in every particular Hence the phrase of Scripture runnes thus when God propounds the fulnesse of mercy in Jesus Christ he calls it a treasury and all the treasures of wisedome and holinesse are in Christ not one treasure but all treasures not some treasures but all treasures Esay 61. When the Gospell was professed there was a fulnesse of mercy and there wee shall see a kinde of meeting and concurrency of all blessings together So that where the Gospell comes there is joy for the sorrowfull peace for the troubled strength for the weake be your miseries what they can be here is releefe seasonable and sutable to all your wants miseries and necessities Nay this is not onely for the present necessity Mercy is not only able to releeve your present necessity but your future also It is not with mercy as with the widow of Sarepta who thought when the meale in the barrell and the oyle in the cruse was spent she should then surely perish No it is not so in the fulnesse and sufficiency of this mercy it hath not onely enough to doe you good for the present and to succour you in all present wants but what miseries soever shall befall thee or what troubles shall betide thee for future times the fulnesse of Gods mercy laies in provision against such necessities and times of miseries and vexations For a poore sinner may be driven to a stand after this manner It is true saith the sinner I have heretofore committed many sinnes God hath sealed up the pardon of them unto me and those sins which have heretofore pleased me God hath given me a sight of them in some power and measure against them But what if more sins if more temptations if more corruptions if more guilt if more horror seize upon my heart how then shall I succour my selfe But now this is the fulnesse and sufficiency of mercy it doth not onely case a man in regard of present necessity but layes provision for all future wants and calamities that can befall the soule Psal 130.7 The text saith Let Israel hope in the Lord there is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption The word in the originall is there is multiplying
burthened Christ will ease you and you that are thus lost Christ will finde you But now if a man will not set to his seale and if the soule doe not take all this to it selfe and enter possession of it in this kinde and seale and deliver as wee use to say it will never prove authenticall but when it is sealed and delivered then it is authenticall So when the soule makes an application of the promises to it selfe then it is authenticall and the soule feeds upon it and refresheth it selfe therewith for ever Secondly faith jogs the hand of God and sets Gods power on worke and makes way for the streame of Gods promise and providence that it may take place I say it makes ay for the worke of the promise that so whatsoever is good may flow in amaine upon the heart and be communicated to it as it is in other courses of providence When God sets up a course of providence in the â—se of means then in the use of those means as â—â—e ordinarily workes Now God will nourish a man if he will eat his meat and use the means appointed for his nourishment and hee that will take up the course that God hath appointed may expect a blessing so faith is the condition that God requires and the means that he hath appointed whereby he will convey all good to the soule and as all grace and mercy is conveyed from God through the promise so if wee will beleeve and lay our hearts to the promise wee are under the power of the promise to convey all grace and mercy to us As it is with a Pump or Well there is water enough in the Well but yet a man must draw and pump it up before hee can have any and when hee drawes then the water doth come So the Fountaine of all grace and goodnesse in Christ and the promise is the pump now faith must jog the promise before any grace can come this I take to be the reason of all those passages in Scripture where the Lord is said to give away himselfe to beleeving soules as Matth. 15.28 Oh woman great is thy faith bee it unto thee as thou wilt Christ gives her leave to goe to the treasure of mercy and grace and to take what she would he doth not say be it unto thee as I will but as thou wilt looke what health thou wilt have for thy daughter and what comfort for thy conscience goe and take it the Lord denies her nothing This is the meaning of that place Math. 9.29 Bee it unto you according to your faith not according to your wit or pride or strength or sturdy spirits as if a man would goe to Heaven and bee proud and stout hearted too no no there is no such matter not according to your parts and gifts but according to your faith Gen. 17.7 God makes a deed of gift to Abraham saying I will be a God to thee and thy seed after thee take all Abraham so that beleeving sets Gods grace a going and puts Gods power and providence forth for the good of the soule Now imagine the Lord did yet deny that soule that mercy which it seekes and begs and doth not answer the desire of the heart and let in that good and sweetnesse the beleeving soule expects from him what will faith doe then This is the third Act of faith in drawing vertue from Christ faith urgeth God with his owne word and presseth Gods promise and challengeth God on his faithfulnesse and truth not to be wanting unto him for the acceptation of his person and the pardon of his sinnes Faith enters into suit with God Psal 143.1 Heare my prayer Lord and in thy faithfulnesse answer me as if he had said I confesse I am base vile and sinfull and deserve â—o mercy therefore not in my worthinesse but in thy faithfulnesse answer me I cannot bee but â—ile and thou canst not bee but faithfull and if thou canst cease to be faithfull I am content to be miserable and so you may for he can as well cease to be faithfull as cease to bee God It is a â—aw-case betweene God and Iacob Gen. 22.10.11 see how he presseth God in a point Oh saith hee I know my brothers maliciousnesse and dogged spirit and I expect hard measure from him O Lord therefore remember thy servant for I feare my brother Esau and thou hast said thou wilt doe good to thy servant c. As a man that hath a good cause at the Assizes or Sessions though hee hath a great enemie one that over-powers him yet being confident that his cause is good will bring it about againe and will not rest till he hath an equall hearing So faith when the Lord frownes upon him yet the heart puts him in suit as it were and doth expostulate the cause with the Lord saying Hath the Lord forgotten to be gracious and will he be no more intreated This expostulation of the soule that the heart presseth in upon God withall when it is upon a good ground it argues the pursuit of God that he will not leave till the Lord give that hee hath engaged himselfe to bestow Thus to gather up all faith goes out to the Lord Jesus Christ and layes hold upon him layes all the weight upon him drawes vertue from him as in all the former particulars The fifth and last thing wherein the great worke of resting consists is this faith leaves the soule with the promise and after all desires haply and all denials and all the discouragements of God and yet the soule seeth not the way of God but that God frownes upon him and though God comes not yet faith leaves the heart with God This is marvellous needfull and it must needs be the worke of faith for it is the maine tenour of the worke of the covenant of grace and the covenant of workes in the covenant of workes made with Adam when he said doe and live If Adam had done that hee should have received constant assistance and God would never have denied to helpe him but now in the covenant of grace because it must bee and is free and that a soule may and must know that it is onely the goodnesse of God to us therefore the Lord reserves this prerogative royall to himselfe that howsoever God will bestow what he hath promised yet hee reserves the time to himselfe and what time he will doe it and after what manner and by what means that is onely of Gods free will and hereupon the soule acknowledgeth that it is of Gods free grace as if the Lord should say it is mercy that I give and therefore it is according to my owne minde and I will take my owne time Now in this dead lift the power of faith is this it leaves the soule with the promise it takes up its standing there and saith I will goe to none other and I will seeke no further Esay 28.16 He that beleeves makes not
treasures of his mercy in the Lord Jesus If a man have no eye hee cannot see if hee have an eye and have no object nor colours before him hee cannot see first therefore the Lord gives an eye to the humbled heart and when hee hath given him an eye then hee layes colours before him that hee may see and looke and fall in love with the treasures of mercy and compassion 2 Cor. 3. the foure last verses the Text saith The vaile of blindnesse is taken from our minds and then the faithfull Soule beholds as in a glasse all the grace and mercy and compassion that God layeth before him in Christ the humbled sinner hath now gotten an eye and some spirituall eye-sight that the Lord hath brought within his view all the riches and treasures of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Soule saith oh that mercy and grace and pardon were mine Oh that my sinnes were done away The Lord saith I will refresh them that are heavy laden Oh that I had that refreshing saith the Soule You shall have rest saith God Oh that I had rest too saith the soule Now the Soule beginneth to looke after the mercie and compassion which is laid before it Passage 3 The Spirit of the Lord doth witnesse or certifie throughly and effectually to the Soule that this mercy belongs to him that is the upshot of the notice God gives to the Soule The third stroke of the Spirit strikes through the bargaine and makes the understanding close with that grace and mercy set forth unto it and without this the Soule of an humble broken hearted sinner hath no ground to goe upon Beleeving in Scripture is called comming Now no man can goe without some ground now this is the ground without which the Soule hath no bottome to beare it up either to come to Christ or perswade it selfe of mercy in Christ What good doth it doe any hungry stomacke to heare that there is a great deale of cheere and dainties provided for such and such men what is it to him if he have them not Take a begger that hath a thousand pound told before him hee may apprehend the summe of so much gold and so much silver but what is that all to mee saith he if in the meane time I die and starve It falls out in this case with a broken hearted sinner as with a prodigall childe the prodigall he hath spent his meanes and abused his Father the prodigall hath now much need the famine is in the land and poverty is befalne him and hee knowes there was meat enough and cloaths enough in his Fathers house but alas hee can expect no kindnesse from his Father but only his heavy displeasure if any man should say goe to your Father hee will give you a portion of a hundred pounds againe doe you thinke the prodigall would beleeve this no no he would answer thus haply my Father will imprison mee or send a Sergeant to arrest mee or an executioner to take away my life it is my Father that I have offended my portion I have spent and his anger I have incensed and what will hee receive mee no I will never beleeve it Indeed had I beene a good husband I might have had his favour and increased my estate but I have lost his favour my owne estate patrimony and all but if a man should come and tell him now that he heard his Father say so and bring a certificate under his Fathers hand that it was so this would draw him into some hope that his Father meant well towards him so it is with the sinner when he is apprehensive of all his rebellions that hee hath heaped up against Gods mercy and spirit and grace by his declining from the truth If a man should tell such a soule goe to God he will give you a pension of a hundred thousand pounds a yeere that is hee will give you abundance of mercy and compassion the Soule cannot beleeve it but thinkes what I mercy no no blessed are they that walke humbly before God and conforme their lives answerable to Gods word let them take it but the truth is it is mercy I have opposed it is grace that I have rejected no mercy no grace for mee you cannot wooe the soule to be perswaded for to thinke that there is mercy for him But if God send a messenger from heaven or if under the hand of his spirit that hee doth accept of him and will doe good to him and passe by all former sinnes and shew favour to him this makes the soule grow into some hope this is the ground whereupon the soule goeth to the Lord. This the Lord performeth to the soule That which David prayes for Psalm 35.3 the Prophet was not contented that there was salvation in Gods hand hee knew that God had a world of mercy and salvation and pardon lying by him but David prayes to God Say unto my soule thou art my salvation testifie it speake it home Lord once more plainly effectually and sensibly there is salvation with thee Paul was saved and Abraham was saved but what is that to mee say unto my soule thy sinnes shall be pardoned thine iniquities shall be forgiven thy person accepted Quest But now the question growes on But how shall a man discover this testification and this witnessing of the spirit to the heart of a humble broken hearted sinner that these things are so Answ This third worke of the spirit makes knowne it selfe in three particulars Partic. 1 The spirit doth evidence to the soule broken and humbled That the soule hath an interest in this mercy that it was appointed for it and he hath to meddle with it in reason we may observe that a witnesse in a cause doth marvellously cleare it if he be wise and judicious and the thing that before was doubtfull comes now to be apparant as now in a point of Law two men contend for land now if an ancient wise man of some place is called before the Judge at the Assises and hee beares witnesse upon his knowledge that such Lands have beene in the possession of such a generation or family for the space of many yeares this is a speciall testification that this man being of that generation he hath interest to these lands So it is with the witnesse of Gods Spirit there is a controversie betweene Satan and the soule the soule saith oh that grace and compassion might be bestowed on mee why saith Satan dost thou conceive of any mercy or grace and Salvation marke thy rebellions against thy Saviour marke the wretched distempers of thy heart and the filthy abhominations of thy life dost thou thinke of mercy Here is the controversie whether an humble sinner hath title to or interest in the mercy of God Now the Spirit of God comming in that casts the cause and makes it evident if such a poore heart have interest and may meddle and make challenge to mercy and salvation because
occasions and diligent to dispatch his businesse and therefore hee receives him that hee may get contentment from the servant not that hee may give contentment to the servant but if hee findes any inconveniency in his estate or receives not that satisfaction from him which hee desires and expects hee turnes him out of doores But now hee which entertaines a Noble man after a noble manner and he which entertaines a King after a kingly manner labours to give him all content hee will not please himselfe nor fulfill his owne minde but studies how hee may give content to the Noble man or to the King Nay it is admirable to see what men of great place will doe in this case When they entertaine a King they themselves will bee servants while the King is there haply hee is a man of great estate and hath many to attend upon him yet hee gives charge to his servants I care not what becomes of me but bee sure let his Majesty be pleased and if any comes to speake with him hee tels him hee cannot possibly speake with him now hee must attend upon his Majestie So it is betweene a sound faithfull loving soule that entertaines Christ and an Hypocrite the one receives Christ into his soule as a servant into his family and all the while Gods Gospell or Grace may promote his honour or ease or credit so farre as these may serve his turne so farre as profit and honour and riches come in by this means welcome Gospell and welcome Christ But if he sees danger will come or inconvenience befall or misery betide then he turnes Gospell and Christ and profession and all out of doores because hee entertained the Gospell onely as a servant to content himselfe But hee that entertaines Christ and the Gospell as a King into his soule labours to give him all content he will not please himselfe or his lusts or his pride or vaine glory or any thing in the world Nay when Christ comes once to be received into the soule he which before had his retinue and all to attend upon him they must all serve Christ now nay he will not give Christ distaste in the least thing he cares for no honour now but to honour him he cares for no advancement now but to advance him he esteems of no riches now but so farre as they may credit the Gospell Nay to goe further they that were his neerest and deerest friends if they come and desire his company he tels them no he cannot the Lord Iesus must bee pleased and the Spirit must bee contented Nay his old lusts and his old acquaintance his old base haunts of heart and his old sinfull courses that have beene at inward league with his soule though they come and plead for acceptance the poore sinner regards none of all these he respects Christ onely Nay he will displease a fashion rather than he will displease Christ he will displease all the great men under Heaven rather than hee will displease Christ Nay all that same glory and pride of his which hath beene so much beloved of him the soule that hath beene truly humbled and brought to an apprehension of Gods goodnesse will rather displease that than displease the Lord Iesus Christ This is an entertainment that beseemes the Lord and this is the guise that beseemes him which gives contentment to a Saviour You must now and then receive the Gospell when it pleaseth you and anon fling out the Lord Iesus and currishly behave your selves towards him but you must give all content unto him and bestow all attendance upon him It is admirable to see what love will doe how men will square their mindes and hearts to the mindes of those that are tendered by them they will be where they please doe what they will Psal 40.8 and talke of what they will I delight to doe thy good will O my God saith David the originall carries it thus It is my good will to doe thy good pleasure So it is the good will of the soule that loves God to please him above all things wee should so speake and worke and walke as beseemes the Lord as will give sweet contentment to the Lord that hee may delight to love us and walke with us and bee a good GOD unto us for ever Triall 4 The fourth triall is this He that loves a thing it is his happinesse and good to see the happinesse and good of the thing he loves observe it this is an undoubted argument of sound affection that a man should bee willing that that which is affected by him should have all good though hee in the meane time misse of it if there bee any prosperity befals the party he loves he thinkes himselfe blessed if any honour comes to him hee thinkes himselfe honoured nay he had rather hee should be honoured and advanced than himselfe this is true love indeed But see a patterne of love and a blessed mirrour of a heart inlarged with affection When David was anointed to the crown and Saul pursued him heavily and thought to defeat him of the Kingdome and dealt wretchedly and cruelly with him 1 Sam. 23.17 Now Ionathan meets him after an heavy affliction and labours to cheer up the heart of David and saith Feare not for the hand of Saul shall not finde thee thou shalt bee King over Israel and I shall bee next unto thee A man would thinke why should not Ionathan rather labour for the crowne himselfe hee was next heire apparant thereunto hee might have said Saul is my father and why should not I succeed him in the crowne why should David start in before me No this comforted his heart and rejoyced and cheered his soule David shall bee King and I shall bee next unto him hee loved David dearly and therefore this refreshed him thou shalt bee King in Israel and it is the comfort of my heart that I shall be next unto thee As who should say it contents me more that thou shalt be honoured than if I my selfe were honoured So it is with a good heart that loves Iesus Christ and his Grace and his Gospell Oh the happinesse of the Gospell and the promotion thereof is the greatest good and comfort that can befall him The Christian saith let God bee honoured though I bee disparaged it skils not Is the Lord advanced and doth his Gospell thrive Is his Glory promoted Doth the worke of grace goe forward It is enough what becomes of my honour or parts or liberty or case it is no matter Let it goe well with the Gospell and let honour be given to the Lord Iesus in the use of the means and ordinances which he hath bestowed upon us let Gods cause finde that acceptance amongst his servants which it ought it is sufficient it rejoyceth my heart See this in Iohn the Baptist when Christ began to set forth the Gospell and to baptize and many came unto him the Disciples of Iohn grudged
what shall I doe What shall I doe unto thee Oh thou preserver of men and the broken hearted and terrified sinner craves that he may yet live in the sight of the Lord. And at last when the soule hath beene sufficiently humbled the Lord lets in his sweet voice of mercy and saith Thou art my sonne and thy sinnes are pardoned with that the soule catcheth at that mercy and saith mercy Lord and a sonne Lord pardon Lord and love Lord the soule is marvellous willing to heare of that consideration But it will not away from the Lord againe as they catched at the words of Ahab and said thy brother liveth so the soule saith beleevingly and â—eccho-like pardoned Lord accepted Lord love and mercy in Christ Lord the heart holds it selfe there It is the fashion of a drowning man when hee seeth himselfe going and sinking if any man come to helpe him when he hath taken hold hee will rather die than leave him hee holds for his life Just so it is with a drowning sinner that is tossed up and downe with the floods of Gods indignation He that formerly made nothing of all and a mock of Christ and thought hee might goe to heaven with all his lusts now the Lord opens his eyes and sets upon him and tosses him up and downe that the heart smites with it and hee seeth himselfe lost and going downe to the pit â—nd hee expects nothing but damnation and at â—ast the Lord lets in a record of mercie and the promise of grace and salvation when the soule â—eares hereof hee catcheth it greedily and knowes if that faile his soule must needs faile â—nd therefore he will never let it goe Act 3 The third act of resting is this it flings the waight of all its occasions and troubles upon Christ as the porter that is weary of his waight and hath no way to helpe himselfe but to be eased of his burden so when the soule hath fastned upon Christ it layes all the waight of all its guilt and power of corruptions upon the Lord Jesus Christ Christ hath promised to give ease and power to pardon and the soule now layes all upon him as Psal 35.7 Commit thy way to the Lord and trust in him commit thy way that is the waight of all thy occasions roule thy way upon the Lord as it is with a barrell that is tumbled up and downe the earth beares the waight of the barrell but some body moves it so the soule casts the waight of all its disgrace dishonour temptation and all upon Christ Esay 50 10. Hee that walkes in darknesse and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon hiâ— God that is if any man be in extremes hopelesse in misery and seeth no helpe for himselfe neither in himselfe nor the creature and walkes in desperate discouragement and hath no light of comfort let him trust upon the name of the Lord and stay upon his God as when a man cannot goe of himselfe hee layes the waight of all his body on another so the soule goes to a Christ and layes all the waight of it selfe upon Christ and saith I have no comfort all my discomforts I lay upon Christ and I relie upon the Lord for comfort and consolation and when the soule hath thus leaned upon Christ it leaves it selfe there and sucks and drawes all the good that it needs from Christ Cant. 8.5 Who is this that commeth up from the wildernesse leaning upon her beloved the party comming is the Church the wildernesse is the troubles and vexations the Church meets withall and the beloved is the Lord Jesus Christ now the Church comes out of trouble and out of her selfe and leanes her selfe all upon her husband the Lord Jesus Christ she only walked with him but he bare all the burden for her and as the Jewes after their Passeover had their feet shod with sandals and staves in their hands the promise to the soule is like that staffe which did testifie the promise when we are going to the land of Canaan the promise of grace and mercy is the staffe which wee leane upon and it is not a broken staffe that will faile us but a strong staffe which a man may trust to and lay all the waight of life and happinesse upon it and the subduing of his sinnes also 1 Pet. â— 7 Cast all your care on him for he careth for you the originall is hurle your care upon the Lord as â—f a man should say suffer not your care to rebound backe againe but hurle it upon the Lord as a man doth with a ball when it rebounds hee beats it backe againe the Lord will not thanke you for carrying your cares and troubles about you but he requires you should hurle it upon the Lord for he careth for you All that faith would have the soule doe is this First that the soule should labour to finde out the meanes of grace Secondly that it should practice what it knowes Thirdly that it improve all meanes when it hath gotten them now that it may bee able to doe this faith layes all the weight of the worke and burden of the day upon the Lord Jesus Christ so that I shall know what I should doe or the Lord will pardon what I doe not know and either I shall be able to doe what I know or else God will accept of my poore endevours and either I shall finde successe in that I doe or else God will make me contented so that all the burden is gone therefore what if thou doest not know what thou shouldst doe seeing God will pardon thy ignorance and what if thou dost not that which thou knowest if God will pardon thee in it and what if thou hast not that successe thou desirest if God will accept of thee without it and therefore David chides his owne heart and rocks his owne soule asleepe where it was golling Psal 42. Why art thou cast downe O my soule c. I am banished from my house and from my friends and especially from the house of my God and have not I cause to be disquieted no hee had not but how shall I amend my selfe in all these troubles still trust in God for he is yet the helpe of my countenance and my God and I will yet give him praise as if he had said thou shalt not need to be distracted discouraged nor vexed inordinately still trust in God and cast all thy care upon him the faithfull soule viewes all his sinnes that he hath committed and all the miseries that are intended and inflicted and when it hath done all it conclude thus with it selfe and saith It is not in my power nay it is not my duty to determine of all these troubles I lay all the weight of my sinnes upon Christ to pardon them and all the weight of my corruptions to subdue them and then I know he will care for me that hath undertaken mercifully for
by the spirit of the Lord this discovers how faith brings in a new soule and a spirituall life into the soule by the glory of the Lord is meant the glorious attributes of the Lord as his holinesse justice righteousnesse patience c. by the glasse is meant the Lord Jesus Christ as a mâ—â—â— face is seene in a glasse so all the attributes of the Lord are cleerly seene as in a glasse in the Lord Jesus Christ now how doe wee behold them 〈◊〉 him the heart being made to beleeve by faith it lookes upon the Lord Jesus Christ and in hiâ— seeth all these graces and what followes thereby we are changed that is we are transformed from one degree of glorious grace to another Jesus Christ God and man hath all graces in himselfe now by faith the soule eyes the Lord Jesus Christ and then answerably it receives grace for grace eying his patience by the self-same spirit it is made patient and eying the holinesse of God by the self-same spirit it is made holy and eying the meeknesse of Christ by the self-same spirit it is made so thus the soule looking upon the glorious grace of Christ it receives graâ—â— for grace if thou wouldst be patient see that by faith in Christ and by that spirit of patience iâ— Christ that it imprint the like grace upon thâ— soule and it will doe it Want 3 In the supply of this third want appeares the excellencie of this worke of faith the heart of 〈◊〉 poore sinner being friends with God and having received grace from God it is marvellous fearfull lest it should lose that grace that it hath and not bee able to maintaine that stock which God hath put into his hands this is a great want and it was in Adam he had a faire state and lost all and undid himselfe and his posterity too now the soule feares this but faith steps in and lends succour herein as thus faith maintaines a continuall influence of Gods grace and power into the soule upon all occasions so that howsoever many wants and weaknesses may bee in the soule faith goes to heaven and brings new succour upon all occasions to releeve it this is the maine difference betweene the first and second covenant Adam had the stock in his owne hands and the fountaine and roots of it was in himselfe yet howsoever it is true a mans grace is weake and would come to nothing and may easily bee overcome and yet the fountaine of grace and goodnesse that is in Christ will never be drawne dry and faith goes to that daily and so drawes supply and succour and from hence it is that faith is called the protectour of all graces Ephes 6.16 there faith is called a shield now the nature of a shield is this It not only covers the body but all the armour of the body so faith not only covers the soule but all the graces of the soule and succours them all and it is not only the protectour of all graces but it is also a victorious conquerour in the behalfe of graces so 1 Ioh. 5.4 This is your victorie even faith so that faith makes a Christian soule a conquerour and keepes him safe and sure now it is true indeed that mans corruption is too strong for his owne grace in himselfe and his temptations are too strong for all his spirituall abilities in himselfe yet faith goes for nâ—â— power and might from Christ and with this might and power from Christ makes him strong as Ephes 6.10 Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might 2 Tim. 2.1 My sonne be strong in the grace that is in Iesus Christ hee doth not say bee strong in the grace that is in thy selfe but in the Lord Christ as for instance thou hast many pâ—â—vocations to kindle thy patience and choler and many occasions to injurious dealings and thâ—â— hast an impatient and peevish heart of thiâ—e owne too now these corruptions are too strong for this patience yet faith saith I will be strong by that might and power of that patience which is in Christ and that subdues all impatience and beares all injuries and faith brings that patience in Christ and makes the soule strong with that patience hence we are said to be preserved through faith unto salvation faith keepes the soule to God and God keepes faith and soule and all so that it is the power of God by the meanes of faith clasping the soule to God you that are weake Christian consider this you complaine that you are so proud and peevish that you cannot subdue these corruptions now set faith on worke and that will make you strong in Christ and make you able to stand against all temptations and occasions as it is in the naturall frame of a man the Philosophers and Physitians observe these two passages in it there is not only a soule and a body in a man but there is an heavenly heat and a naturall spirit either animall or vitall that lyes and knits the soule and the body together â—nd looke how strong this is so strong is the boâ—y but if this band bee once broken the body â—omes to nothing just so it is with the soule God himselfe is the soule of this soule I meane Gods free grace in Christ the heavenly heat and â—pirituall spirit and the bloud that bindes God â—nd the soule together is faith and whiles this â—aith holds a mans good condition holds even for â—ver I conclude with that of the Apostle â— Corin. 1.24 where hee saith by faith you stand it is faith that gives foot-hold to all graces we have weake patience but faith gives patience strength and foot-hold for it goes our to the Lord Jesus and receives sap and life from him whereby every grace comes to flourish in the soule 1 Pet. 1.9 Receive the end of your faith even the salvation of your soules as if he had said faith will be with you upon all occasions in temptations and distempers of heart and doe you service â—nd goe to Christ for strength and power and uphold you till it hath brought you into heaven â—nd shut the gates upon you and if you cannot â—hift for your selves there then perish this faith puts a man into possession of everlasting happinesse and never leaves him till then this faith furnisheth the soule with a supply in spirituall wants Now to summe up the point 4. Causes of faith take notice of the â—ength and breadth of this blessed grace of faith that you may see how it is made up of the causes which are foure First the next principle and the efficient cause of faith is the Spirit of God undeniably reporting this favour of God unto the soule this is that which workes faith and the hand from whence it comes Secondly the matter of which faith is minted is this it is effectually perswaded of and affected with this goodnesse of the Lord thus reported this is the firme earth as I
may say on which faith stands and whereby it is able to rest it selfe upon the promise Thirdly the nature and forme of faith is this the reposing of the soule upon the Lord and his speciall favour so reported for the ground why any man goes to God is because he was effectually perswaded of and also affected with the goodnesse of God as it is with some outlawed traitour he dares not goe to the court unlesse he will goe to his ruine because hee knowes there is nothing expected but cruell execution but if once he come to see his pardon sealed under the broad seale and that there is some hope of mercy then hee willingly goes to the court what was the ground of his going home even this because hee was effectually perswaded that the King had a favour to him so it is with an humbled sinner humbled in the fight of his sinne and broken because of his Lords displeasure against him and when the soule hath this certification from tâ—e hand of the Spirit that the Lord intends good to him then the soule goeth and saith Lord I durst not have beene here but that I have heard thou art a mercifull God And lastly the finall cause of faith is this the soule comes to be fitted with all good according to is necessity Object But some may say I heare nothing of the beleevâ—r all this while it seemes he doth nothing if the Spirit bee the efficient cause and if the Spirit workes it and makes the soule able to worke upon Gods free grace and if the Spirit be the finall cause of all then the beleever doth nothing c. Answ This worke of beleeving is a worke of the Spirit upon the soule rather than any worke wrought by the soule or issuing from any principle which the soule hath in it selfe as it is with an eccho when God saith thy sinnes are pardoned thy person accepted faith sounds againe my sinnes pardoned my person accepted good Lord let it be so then this perswades the heart and that marvellously to rest it selfe there for all good but it is done upon the soule rather than by the soule as Phil. 3.12 we are said To be comprehended of God and not to comprehend God so we know God because we are knowne of him now give mee leave in a word to describe the cause of it what it is in the promise that thus effectually perswades the heart that it may beleeve and herein I will goe no further than the promise and therein shew the motives in the promise and how the heart comes to beleeve and these will discover the reason of the point There are three things in a promise 3. Things in a promise whereby the will of man is drawne to beleeve First the all-sufficiency of the freenesse of Gods favour that is an admirable cause to perswade the heart to come on cheerefully it is the speciall prerogative of the promise to answer the soule wholly in all the desires of it nothing under heaven doth or can doe this but the promise haply a man desires wealth and when hee hath it this cannot make him honourable and the ambitious man desires honours and when hee hath them they cannot make him rich so each thing of it selfe hath but a particular helpe but the promise hath all-sufficiency to answer all the heart would have the will of a man naturally desires good and so consequently all good now the promise hath all good in it as in that place open thy mouth wide and I will fill it there is a fulnesse in the promise to answer all the pantings and desires of the soule thou saist thou art a poore dead sluggish creature and the promise calls upon thee as the Angel did and saith come hither and here is life that will quicken thee and thou art a weake creature come hither saith the promise and I have grace to make thee strong and thou art a damned creature come hither then saith the promise here is mercy to pardon all sinnes of all kindes the consideration of the rich provision in his fathers house carried the prodigall home so there is mercy grace pardon comfort enough in the promise you poore hungerbitten sinner away away away for shame to that enough of the promise and there refresh your selves for ever it is that which Elisha said to Naaman 2 King 5.8 Let him come hither and he shall know that there is a God in Israel and that there is a healing God though not a helping King so the promise saith to every fainting languishing and leprous soule if thou art a truly humbled heart and art sick of thy sinnes and even drawing on to despaire and all thy prayers and dayes cannot prevaile nor doe thee good but still thy sinnes thy sorrowes thy corruptions prevaile and thy condemnation sleepes not but is drawing on apace upon thy soule now see what the promise saith let him come hither and he shall know that there is a God in Israel that is able to cure all and to loose him from all his corruptions Object Oh but saith one I confesse there is enough in the promise to be had but what is that to me if the Lord intend it not to my good Ans 2 Thou being humbled and broken hearted God doth seriously intend it for thy good and on Gods part there is nothing to hinder thee from it it is not more cleare that the promise is all sufficient then it is certaine the Lord intends it for thee if thou beest humbled God sent his Sonne to save thee Esa 61.1 Christ came to binde up the broken hearted and to comfort all that mourne Iohn 12.47 God sent not his Sonne to condemne the world c. Nay Christ being sent of his Father freely came to this end 1 Tim. 1.15 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners that is humbled and broken and meeke hearted sinners and not some of them neither but all that are broken hearted and all that are lost sinners but never a proud stout-hearted and sturddy sinner under heaven hee came not to call the righteous that is those that trust to their owne righteousnesse but sinners to repentance Nay God doth earnestly desire thee to come and take this mercy ho every one that will let him come to the waters of life c. and behold I stand at the doore and knocke if any will open c. and the Lord intreateth you to be reconciled 2 Cor. 5.20 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and be that commeth I will in no wise cast away Ioh. 6.37 the originall saith cast away no no thou poore distressed soule though thou art never so meane in parts or gâ—fts or never so much distressed in the world though thou weare a leatherne pelt and though haply great men may despise thy society yet the Lord Jesus Christ will not cast thee away thou mayst cast away thine owne comfort if thou wilt through thy pride
another poore heart cheared yet thy unfaithfull heart is like a barren heath no good shall come to thee in it there is no mercy nor consolation for that soule in all the meanes that God continues and vouchsafes this is the maine cause of all the inconveniences that come upon us that after all the meanes continued and multiplied there is almost no good at all done every family is 〈◊〉 a barren heath there is no good comes to such a childe nor to such a servant they are all infidels I doe not meane Pagans but unbeleevers and they receive not that mercy which Christ offers nay it is just that it should bee so that thou shouldst never get good though all the Angels from heaven should come and reveale Gods minde and though all the Devils should come from hell to terrifie thee because unbeleefe drawes away thy heart and pluckes away the soule and makes the power of the truth not to prevaile with it so that when the Lord would come in upon the heart unbeleefe pulls away the heart from the truth of God Rom. 11.20 The Iewes were broken off because of unbeleefe they were cut off from bâ—ing Gods people and from enjoying the meanes of grace that when the Lord would lay hold upon a poore soule unbeleefe plucks the soule from the word that it may turne from it Quest But some will say if unbeleefe makes all meanes unprofitable then an unbeleever should use no meanes at all Answ I answer Yes use all the meanes as may be because the word may take away thy unbeleefe and as thou usest all meanes so labour to have thy heart subdued and overmastered the word tampers thy tongue and thy fingers but looke thou up to the Lord and say Good Lord let thy word be powerfull to come in upon my heart and to take away my unbeleefe Thirdly it is unbeleefe that maintaines all sinne in the heart of a sinner in the strength and power of it so much as may be in this case unbeleefe is the mother of all corruptions and breeds many it nurseth and nourisheth them so that they are fat and well liking and they come up marvellous well that 's the meaning of the Apostles phrase 2 Thess 3.2 That we may be delivered from the hands of unreasonable and absurd men how came they to bee so because all men have not faith that is he that wants faith will never want him and he that wants faith will ever be unreasonable and absurd drunkennesse stares men in the face and out-faces the officers and contempt of God and prophanation of the Lords day and the world carries all before them as if they were the only commanders of the world what 's the reason of it all men have not faith they doe not beleeve the word of God that condemneth those sinnes and which would direct them to cast away those sinnes and therefore they goe on with marvellous violence let the word of God come in publike or private they make nothing of all these but they will have their owne wayes I use to call unbeleefe the protectour of the estate of corruption as it is with some lower states and princes as in the Low-countries and in Germany they are not able to subsist of themselves and therefore they are in league with some other that they may be protected by them and receive succour from them and if they defend them they hope to make their parts good with any so this unbeleefe maintaines any sinne good in its rank and state indeed restraining grace may curbe corruption and keepe in the distempers of the heart but there is nothing that can kill corruption but onely the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of his grace Rom. 8.2 The law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus hath freed mee from the law of sinne and of death sinne sets up a law and rules in the heart as you shall finde it in your owne hearts pride saith you shall bee proud there is a soveraigne rule and a tyranicall authority which pride expresseth in the heart now the Spirit of the Lord Iesus sets up another law and there is more commanding power in that than in the corruption of the soule and the law of the Spirit taketh away the power of sinne that would prevaile against a poore sinner the law of meeknesse in Christ takes away the law of anger in the heart and the law of patience in Christ takes away the law of impatience and the law of courage takes away the law of cowardize and the law of chastity takes a way the power of uncleannesse so that there is no sinne can be subdued but by the power of Christ and the work of his Spirit now unbeleefe keepes the heart wholly from Christ therefore it can receive no good from Christ and from hence it is that all sinne is maintained in the soule in the full vigour of it there is no unbeleever in all the world but he hath all sinne strongly in him and not one sinne that ever was slaine it is strange to see when unbeleefe previles but a little in the heart of a poore Saint how all other sinnes put out their heads and shew themselves a maine as Luke 22.32 Simon Simon Satan hath desired to sift thee as wheat but I have prayed that thy faith faile thee not Sathan laboured to shake the hold of Peters faith and thereupon many corruptions were expressed in his life because Peter did faile and did not beleeve that which Christ had said to him so soone as unbeleefe prevailes then false-heartednesse exprest it selfe and he presently denied his master and then base cowardlinesse sayes I know not the man and his want of reverence to the name of God discovers it selfe for hee fals to sweare that he knew him not and there was self-love in all these thus you see when a man will not beleeve every corruption breakes forth and that amaine and this unbeleefe will fat all corruptions in the soule and all cursed distempers and makes them fat and well-liking as it is of faith in the spirituall man so it is of flesh in the corrupt man 1 Pet. 2.11 The flesh lusteth against the soule there is a kinde of armour of the flesh and of corruption as well as the armour of the Spirit which procures comfort to the soule sinne hath its armour as well as grace now looke as it is in the spirituall armour of a Christian faith is a shield a shield defends not only the body but all the armour of the body so faith it defends not onely the body but the soule and all the graces of the soule so it is also with this infidelity in regard of a mans corrupt nature corruption it is maintained by infidelity as by a shield it is the shield of a mans corruptions as faith is the shield of the spirituall man I confesse that reformation and the meanes thereof out of the ordinances
great and marvellous are thy workes and in the 107. Psalme 8. when the Prophet had shewed the great workes that God had done for his people Israel he saith Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare his wonderfull workes before the sonnes of men This was also a type of our spirituall comming home to Christ wee are all slaves to the Devill and in spirituall bondage under sinne hell and death but faith sets a man upon the shore and brings him home unto Christ as Iohn 5.24 He that doth beleeve is passed from death to life Lord saith the poore soule I confesse I was in the mouth of hell but now I am passed from death to life faith sets a man beyond sinne and death and all therefore the soule should be thankfull and sing a song of praise unto the Lord his God Now there are two bottomes from the former Doctrine which give foot-hold to your comfort First by beleeving all the goodnesse and mercie of God is thine and he cannot nay he will not deny thee therefore thou mayst with boldnesse challenge the good of all that mercie and goodnesse of his When God hath engaged himselfe to be a God to thee and to thy seed after thee he cannot take away his mercy from a faithfull soule because hee cannot deny himselfe hee will not denie his truth and his promise therefore the Saints of God cannot but be partakers of all this mercie and goodnesse the Apostle saith Ephes 3.17 Christ dwels in our hearts by faith so Coloss 2.3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge now gather up all and the summe is thus much and there you may see how the comfort comes by faith I lay hold upon a Saviour in whom dwell all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge and so I lay hold upon these what would you have and what is it that may comfort you thou art beggerly in wisdome and in consolation and in all the graces of Gods Spirit but if thou hast faith thou hast a Christ and in him are all the treasures of wisdome and mercie take your treasure and be inriched for evermore you may doe it it is your owne Secondly all the sinnes that thou standest guilty of and all the temptations of Sathan cannot hinder thee from injoying that light and receiving that good which thou hast need of there is no sinne that hath beene committed can stand betweene thee and eternall life be thy corruptions never so many for number never so vile and strong for nature never so long for continuance in them and all those old bruises and old lusts of youth which make thee say can the Lord pardon me and is it possible for such a wretch as I am to have mercie that have all these corruptions I answer it skils not what thy sinnes be see thy faith and repentance bee sound it matters not what thou hast beene a rebell even against God if now thou canst beleeve and rest upon God and repent thee of thy sinnes Quest But now the point growes on the soule is in some reasonable manner satisfied that if it had faith then it could be satisfied but many seeme to have faith and have it not if my faith were true I could gaine some sound comfort to my selfe that all would goe well with mee but how shall I know that Answ I answer I confesse that the faith of the most men in the world is but a meere delusion as I shall discover in the next use of reproofe but that thou maist be undoubtedly perswaded of the truth of this grace that though thy faith be never so little yet it is saving justifying faith I will therefore lay downe some trials I will not now intrench upon any of the particulars that come afterward but onely lay open such particulars for triall as are in the doctrine I know faith purifies the heart and workes by love c. and faith makes a new creature but these come too farre off I will onely gather somwhat from the point in hand Triall 1 First observe the root and rise of thy faith the cause by which thy faith was wrought and from whence it came and this will be an undoubted evidence whether thy faith be good or not therefore when thou dost begin to brag and say I doe beleeve then aske thy heart this question and say how came I by it prove it have I faith make it good then it is not enough to say so but let mee see that it is so didst thou bring it into the world with thee did thy wits contrive it did thy parts and abilities worke it and because thou hast more wit and learning than others and thou thinkest it as easie a matter to beleeve as to understand a hard writing if it bee thus thy faith is a delusion and no faith at all it is true here of faith which Iob speakes of wisdome nature saith it is not in me and eloquence saith it is not in me I know not the way to it all these say I have heard the newes of faith but I am not acquainted with it God onely knowes the way thereof and is the worker of it the text saith Every man than hath heard and learned of the Father commeth unto me the Father must first teach this lesson or else no man can understand it except the Father give thee a heart to know Jesus Christ there is no power in thee that is able to give this grace to the soule hast thou thy faith from heaven then it is like to bee of the right kinde but it must bee from thence it ariseth not from the earth it comes not from parts and gifts and learning it must come from heaven or else it is not of the right kinde all the coine that is currant is minted in the tower by authoritie of the King if not it is not currant in 1 Pet. 1.7 the Apostle cals it precious faith it must bee stamped by the Lord Jesus Christ by the hand of the Spirit it must come from the tower of Zion or else it is copper faith and not saving justifying faith nor that which will stand in steed in the day of triall here or in the day of judgement hereafter as wee say in nature the Alcumists are growne to that skill that they will make Alcumie appeare to be perfect silver and gold and much of it will beare the touchstone insomuch that a man can hardly discover some of it it is so cunningly made but when the fire and the hammer comes it will beare neither of them but the true gold comes from the gold oare and will endure the fire and hammer the alcumie gold comes not from the right place where the gold is it comes not from the minerals from the golden mines so there is a great deale of this alcumie faith for the world is come to this passe that they have a faith of their owne faining
some few did receive him but the whole masse of the Jewes did refuse him nay they confesse it themselves as Iohn 7.48 when the rulers had sent to take Christ and in stead of bringing him they returne wondring at him and said never man spake as this man doth but said they doe any of the rulers and of the Scribes and the Pharisees beleeve in him it was then the fashion not to beleeve in Christ it was the common road and the common case nay the sinne and curse that lyes upon the Jewes proclaimes it at this day they that were his owne and are his owne by election Rom. 11.20 even they have rejected him the rout and crowd and the whole frame of the nation refused him reserving only some few now did they refuse Christ and doe you thinke that wee are privileged from this sinne are wee exempted from it no surely the Jewes for the maine body of them were unbeleevers and are wee better than they wee have the same corrupt natures and they had the same meanes that wee enjoy nay of them came the law and the promises and of them Christ came yet they beleeved not in a Christ therefore they are broken off and so are gone from Christ and so from eternall life it is very true Christ hath his time wherein hee will reveale himselfe to these againe but as yet they are fallen off from Christ though they had the truth therefore what may wee thinke of our selves and if any man thinke that we are better than the Jewes consider then what the Apostle prophesied of these times 2 Tim. 3.1 2 3 4 5. verses In the last dayes shall come perilous times for men shall bee lovers of themselves covetous boasters c. disobedient to parents unthankefull unholy having a shew of godlinesse but denying the power of it this is our times right having toyes and trifles and deny the power of godlinesse it is made good in our eares and in our eyes this day and so it was in all the earth as Luke 8.15 there were foure sorts of hearers leaving out the stragglers that would never come to the hearing of the word for these were constant hearers and yet but one sort good and yet there were three times so many more of all these three sorts as there were of the good hearers and therefore there is scarce one to ten in that proportion nay in this last age of the world when men shall bee full of the knowledge of God Ezech. 47.4 and when the waters of the Sanctuary shall run from the anckles to the chin and men shall abound in knowledge and when God shall bring home the people of the Jewes and Gentiles both together yet even then marke what our Saviour saith Luke 18.8 When the Sonne of man commeth shall he finde faith on the earth speaking of the power of prayer and the vertue of it when it comes from faith hee saith shall hee finde faith on the earth a man would thinke that that there should have beene many faithfull people and many praying hearts but if there had beene any Christ would have found it but the text saith shall Christ finde faith on the earth when he comes so Matth. 24.38 as it was in the dayes of Noah before the floud men did eat and drinke marry and give in marriage and knew nothing till the floud came and tooke them all away so shall also the comming of the Sonne of man be how namely thus this text opens the former there will be such a common kinde of luke-warmnesse and formality amongst people that all shall have the name of profession and a shew of godlinesse and yet all almost want the pith and kernell for as in the dayes of Noah they would not be perswaded that the floud would come though hee preached and gave warning 120. yeares together they knew nothing that is they beleeved nothing so also shall it bee in the comming of the Sonne of man they shall not beleeve the truth of his comming nor that which might fit them for his comming therefore as Ieremie saith chap. 5.1 Run to and fro by the streets of Ierusalem and know and inquire in the open places thereof if there be any that executeth judgement and seeketh the truth so may I say is there any that beleeves I know God hath his number every where where the Gospell is but there are many places where a man shall scarcely finde any one that hath true and saving faith or grace the reasons which especially make the case cleare are three in which it is plaine that this great worke is hard to bee found even amongst those that enjoy the meanes the first reason is this Reason 1 First because it is a wonderfull difficult matter to convince a naturall man and to perswade him of it to confesse that hee wants faith and therefore he is farre enough from it this sinne of unbeleefe is bred and hath his abode in the bottome of the heart and doth not so much expresse it selfe in the next worke but in some baser workes and yet the root of unbeleefe is hid the fruit and leaves and branches of a tree are seene but the root and sap of it is hid in the earth so it is here other corruptions breake forth amaine as the drunkard staggers in the streets the angrie man railes and rageth against Gods people and the blasphemer ecchoes and breaths out his oaths that a man can scarcely have any wholesome breathing by him and the covetous man oppresseth and the poore complains of it these are all outside sinnes and because every man can see these therefore hee is the more easily convinced of these and saith I confesse it is so and so but yet no man is without sinne c. but unbeleefe is like a cankar in the heart it is bred in the bowels and therefore a man is hardly convinced of it and hardly made to set downe himselfe this way and to confesse that he wants faith and as this sinne is most secret so it is a kinde of spirituall wickednesse and it hath a kinde of refined villany and hath secret passages of its owne as a man knowes not the way of a ship in the sea or discernes the sliding of a serpent upon a stone so also there is a kinde of spirituall sliding away from God and from the promise which is not seene to others nay scarcely can it be knowne to a mans selfe all other corruptions are very troublesome and disquiet a man most wonderfully as envie eats out the heart and the adulterer burnes and boiles in his lusts and the covetous man cannot sleepe and so forth these are boisterous in a mans soule therefore a man cannot but see them plainly and so it carries the heart to outward things but this unbeleefe slides off secretly from God and from the promise and from the truths which are spirituall so that a man cannot see his sinne this is the cause of
both parts are true as in this position I am not a rich man and yet I am a poore man both parts are true so it is in this position I may give my body to be burned and yet I may want love both parts are true then it is plaine that a man may dye in the profession of religion and yet bee damned when he hath done thus much for the proofe of it by Scripture the reasons that doe confirme it besides many other the maine argument is this there are many things in the heart of a wretched man which will make him die rather than forgoe his profession A man sturdily proud may give way to be burnt and to dye for faction c. hee dyes onely to content his owne proud heart not because God requires it and that God may be honoured but only in sturdinesse of heart and because he will dye in that profession wherein he hath beene brought up Secondly his falsenesse doth appeare in this howsoever afflictions and persecutions cannot pull him from the truth yet case and profit and pleasure and lust will suck out the heart these troubled him not because he had them not but when he hath had them and felt the sweetnesse of them he is thereby overcome and so forsakes religion and all Thus the devill hits him in the right nicke the devill could not dampe him with troubles and with persecutions and disgraces but the devill provides dainties for him and there he eats and surfets and kils himselfe these take off the soule from Christ when all the persecution in the world cannot daunt him Take a man that is ingenuous and hath a stout heart of his owne haply he is called to battle and he scornes to be outbraved by any man but when you cannot prevaile this way yet by fawning and flattering you shall turne him which way you will the onely way is to flatter him This is the reason why many a man that hath gone farre in the profession of religion and hath stood strongly for it yet when some have come and given him a bait hee lies downe upon his belly and will doe any thing as it is in fishing a man doth not catch the fish by beating the water with his rod but by baiting his hooke so it is with this man the bait catcheth him when the hook could not We have an old parable of a traveller the winde though it blew and blustered yet it could not pull away his cloake but hee held it so much the faster but when the Sun shined hot upon him he threw off his cloake and coat and all when a man hath no honours then persecution makes him hold the closer to the truth but when the fine gleames of honour and profit come and a man is lifted up into fools paradise he puts off all religion and honesty the sturdy hypocrite may die for the truth and yet all out of a sturdy spirit because he scornes to bee subject It is said of the thorny ground that the thorns did choake it the Sunne did not parch it hee could have gone to a prison or to a stake but when prosperity and honour and pleasure came they choake all that hee had that so hee hath not a word to say thus it was with Demas I doubt not but he had many a storme with Paul and shared with Paul in all his troubles but when hee had gotten good means he left Paul because he could not attend those and goe with Paul too therefore hee left Paul for he thought with himselfe that Paul would not let him goe on so and therefore hee leaves him and the Gospell and all Now before I goe any further give mee leave to answer two questions Quest 1 First why will prosperity take off this man from the profession of the truth when you told us before that hee would lose his life in the defence of the truth if he had died hee had lost all his pleasure and ease and all why then doth prosperity take of his heare when trouble and persecution would not doe it Ans 1 To this I answer the cause why these prevailed not before it was because they were not present with him hee knew not the sweetnesse of these and haply he had no hope to attaine them but now hee injoyes them and now hee is taken aside by them haply his heart was the same before that it is now but he had not the occasions that now he hath Looke as it is with an inferiour subject haply his heart is not disquieted for the crowne of the kingdome for hee hath no hope nor likelihood of it hee lookes not to attaine it but now if hee were the heire apparant of the crowne and had by conspiracy gotten faire way to the crowne and kingdome hee would lose life and all rather than goe without it and as it is with an adulterous woman when she comes first into the family shee loves her husband and the house and all but when her companions come in and entice her to cursed dalliance then shee leaves the house and her husband and all shee was bad before but she had not the occasions before this is the falsenesse in this wretch having no hope to get wealth he is not troubled with it and having no hope to get honours hee is not troubled with it but though his heart was as bad before yet the falsenesse of it did not so discover it selfe before because he had not these occasions offered and this is the reason why many a man that hath beene very forward in profession and hath suffered much for the truth yet one man is pluckt off from the profession of the truth by the world and hee proves a muck-worme and the world eats out the power of that grace which he seemed to have And another man is taken by his base lusts of adultery or the like their hearts were as bad before but they never had these temptations before and therefore they abide troubles because these temptations came not and therefore when these come they decline and fall away and this is the cause of the base declining and falling away of all such wretches which the world is pestered withall and you that are Ministers and Christians should doe well to abandon the society of all such as make a profession of the truth but deny the power of it in their conversations Quest 2 Now the second question is why doth prosperity and ease and honour take off the love of the truth when troubles and persecutions could not doe it Answ I answer the reasons are two and there you shall see the ground of his falsenesse First because prosperity hath a great power to cousen and delude a mans judgement it comes cunningly and slides into the soule and so cousens him as the wise man saith bribes blinde the eyes of the wise all his heart is upon the bribe and though the cause be never so bad yet it seemes good
because it is the breach of Gods commandments then every sinne would have strucke upon his heart and troubled him thus it is with the heart rightly torne up by the law but if it have onely here a bauke and there a bauke then it is base dealing and you will never have harvest nor hope of mercie upon this ground but if a man play the good husband he must plow up all from one corner of his conscience to the other and from the beginning of his heart to the ending there must be no corruption setled but hate sinne as sinne and therefore every sinne this is the temper of the soule that the Lord will doe good unto and here is the failing of most unsound hearts many religious men and professours too what they bee the Lord knowes they will dally with this sinne and that sinne but a true broken heart shakes at the least sinne more than at all punishments and had rather endure the torments of hell than that the least sinne should be committed by him this is a good heart which makes good worke of it and herein this hypocrite failes so that though he had legall terrour enough for the measure of it yet it was not right for the manner of it for it could not bee any saving worke of grace therefore it must needs bee a terror for sinne and yet the heart never truly humbled nor never plowed in peeces by the law and by the worke of Gods grace thereby fitting the heart for himselfe Secondly and lastly he failes in making choice of Christ he did not chuse whole Christ it is one part of faith and that which is included in resting the soule that truly embraceth Christ he takes the good of Christ and the death and persecution and the death of Christ and whatsoever comes with him now here in the sturdy hypocrite failes and this is the maine wound of him the soule that makes choice of Christ aright is resolved to match with Christ and that nothing should hinder him from it now this hypocrite would not match with Christ but onely trade with him so much as may mediate for him and bee a meanes that he may enjoy his beloved honours and so much profession and so much of Christ he would have whereas the faithfull soule matcheth with Christ and trades with the world if honours will advance Christ and if riches will make for Christ and if his libertie will worke in him a free heart to serve God then the faithfull soule will trade with them but this wretch will onely trade with Christ and Christ must stand at the doore this is the cause why when he professeth the truth of the Lord Jesus if a better match comes in the way he takes it and leaves Christ only thus much briefly this thornie wretch takes Christ to disposâ— of Christ but a faithfull soule takes Christ that Christ may dispose of him and of all that hee hath for his owne glorie it is the fashion of some maâ—â— part saâ—â—ie dominâ—â—ting women that they will marry men not to make them their husbands but their servants and they could be content to have comfort and service from them but not to be under the rule and authority of them as their husbands so this sturdy hypocrite and this malapert heart would have Christ to be at his becke that Christ may provide honours and ease and pleasures for him but that Christ may order him and his and all that he hath to dwell at his command to be where he will and be at his becke that he will not doe by no meanes Thus much of the sturdy hypocrite The last sort of counterfeits which is the chiefe and the upshot of all is him whom I call the shifting stately hypocrite he is a man that doth carry a marvellous high straine and goes with a great saile in the profession of the truth as the master cut-purse in his outside seemes to be a man of no small account nor meane place in regard of his attendants apparell and he will ruffle it out in his silkes and velvets as if hee were some great Gentleman of the country and yet he is a base vilde wretch so it is with this base shifting hypocrite there are two passages in his life and I use to call him by these two names Shifting and stately he had all that the sturdy hypocrite had and he also goes beyond him in the severall passages of his course and practice he is a fine spun hypocrite and hath not only an ordinary colour of profession but he layes on a seven-fold gilt upon his course and profession so that as it is with some counterfeit gold if a man bee not a good Goldsmith indeed he will say it is good gold so if he be not a marvellous judicious wise man and able to finde him out he will say that this man is a sound Christian indeed Now that wee may know this man I will as in the handling of the other doe three things First I will shew wherein hee exceeds the former Hypocrites Secondly wherein his falsenesse doth appeare Thirdly wherein hee falls short of saving faith For the first wherein this man doth exceed the former that you may see the full proportion of him hee doth profesly stand in comparison with the former and exceeds them too and therefore he will trie the businesse with him and view with him and what the other could say hee saith the same and more too the sturdy Hypocrite had his conscience awakened so hee had his heart awakened with a witnesse and the Lord not only called and rapt but knockt hard at the doore and for Christ he hath seene so much beauty and excellency in Christ that hee will lay downe his blood for him thus farre the sturdy Hypocrite went but now this stately Hypocrite outgoes the former in three particular steps or degrees First he hath not onely so much strength that he is able to beare persecutions and not to bee daunted as the former had but hee hath that wisedome and strength of understanding that he is able to passe by and to casheere the honours and riches and preferments of the world and all the renowne of all the high places in the world so that prosperity I meane all the honours and preferments of the world are not able to prevaile with him Oh saith hee the sturdy Hypocrite was a foole and was caught with the bait but I see the bait in all these profits and commodities and I am able to judge of the basenesse of all worldly things and therefore I am not overtaken with them I know better than is in all these if you goe no further than liberty profit ease and worldly preferment this Hypocrite hath something better than all these as namely the excellency and beauty of the common graces which God hath wrought in him and whereby God hath made him able to doe some duties in these he puts a greater excellency and