two affections never meet in other things when a man goes about any businesse gladly he is not afraid of it or if he be in feare he goes not about it joyfully the Sun trembles not at his course but rejoyces to run his race the Horse rejoyceth at the Battaile he never trembles at the matter or when any man goes about any worke with joy he never trembles at it but a Christian man when he goes about any spirituall duty though he have much joy and comfort in it and is glad of the occasion yet he is most fearfull as Psal 130.4 the very consideration of the greatnesse of Gods mercies makes a soule fearefull of the presence of God so the more rich God in grace and mercy is to us either pardoning sin or sanctifying the heart or quickning us to any duty the more fearefull is the soule in such a condition And hence is that you read Exod. 15.11 the Lord is said to be fearfull in praises when the heart is most enlarged to praise God with comfort then doth it most feare God so that here is another combination of graces that are not commonly found together in other businesses of ordinary affaires but where the heart is spirituall they meet together in the same thing Thirdly Take you a godly man in affliction Ioy in affliction and when he is most able to bear them and yet when afflictions is most heavy if he find his heart able to grapple under them yet then you shall find much joy and sadnesse of heart mixed together it was a signe of the election of the Thessalonians because they received the word in much affliction and with joy of the Holy ghost When they found much affliction either by the word or in the outward man though much affliction yet inwardly joyous Heb. 12.11 No affliction is joyous for the present yet it brings forth the quiet fruites of righteousnesse By how much the more affliction makes their spirits sad yet so much the more is the heart inlarged with joy and comfort in the Holy ghost Rom. 5.3 We rejoyce in tribulations tribulation is such a kind of affliction as is a threshing us like corne out of the chaffe drives us out of all the comforts of this life and that is not in nature to rejoyce in any measure when the heart is in grief and discouragement it ever wants something to raise it up Fourthly There is this mixture of affection in our carriage towards men which argues the life of holinesse in us Patience without forbearance In our converseing with men you shal have the same heart full of much patience but without all forbearance And those are such as are not found in nature nor in an hypocrite yet in a Christian heart you shall find them together the more patient a man is towards others yet the lesse able is he to bear with evill read Revel 2.2 I know thy workes and thy labour and thy patience and how thou canst not beare them which are evill A man would think it were a very strange expression A man of known and prooved patience and yet cannot bear For what is patience but bearing and forbearing yet saith God I know thy patience and that thou canst not beare them that are evill implying that such a soule if it were a matter to be put upon himselfe any affliction or tryall put upon himselfe then I know thy patience in bearing of it but if it come to a matter of evill not of punishment but of sinne then I know thou cannest not bear it Take you any patient man that onely hath a moral vertue of patience and if he have so much patience as that he can bear with crosses and afflictions he can as well also beare with evills committed against God but this is the nature of spirituall patience it is mixed with zeale so as that the more patient a man is in regard of injuries done to himselfe the lesse patient he is in respect of injuries done to God Fiftly You shall have gentlenesse and meeknesse sometimes mixed in a man with much austerity and strictnesse which is very much they should meet in one man Meeknes and strictnesse at once at one and the same time The wisdome that is from above is gentle and meek and easie to be intreated It was said of Moses Hee was the meekest man upon earth Numb 12.3 Take Moses in his owne case and his carriage towards men as they had respect to himselfe and then he was a meek man soon perswaded yet the same Moses when hee saw the matter concerned the Cause of God hee is so stiffe and unmoveable as that he wil not yeeld one jot he wil not leave an hoofe behind of all that appertained to the children of Israel Exod. 10.26 He would not onely have men and women and children goe forth to serve the Lord but their cattle and their stuffe He will not yeeld a little here no not for the Kings pleasure sake A man would much wonder that such a man so meek and gentle and so easie to be perswaded in his owne cause that yet when it comes to a matter of importance and concerns God hee will not there yeeld he is now inflexible nothing can perswade him to give way to it this is a combination of graces that are not wont to be found in men thus mixed together but it is found in the people of God that live a sanctified and holy life I know not better what to instance in then in the liquid Aire of all other things the most easiest to be peirced through of it selfe it gives way to every creature not the lest flye or least stone cast into it but it gives way to it of it selfe yet if God say it shall be as a Firmament between the waters above and the waters below it then stands like a wall of brasse and yeelds not it will not suffer the water in the clouds to fal down but if it do fal to water the earth it shall straine through the aire as through a sieve the clouds sometimes are so full that one would thinke they would burst through the aire and fall upon the earth but God having set the aire to be a Firmament or expulson between the waters above and the waters below though of it selfe a very liquid thing yet it stands like to a wall of brasse and truly so is it with a Christian spirit though of himselfe he is as liquid as the aire you may easily passe through him and goe an end with him easily he is easie to be intreated very gentle but take him now in any thing wherein God hath bid him keep his stand in his course and there he stands like a wall of brasse that were never such high and great matters put upon him ready to beare him downe he will not shrinke nor give any way at all this is another mixture of affections which are found in Christian men that
this point there are three Cases in which money must be layed out or else Christ cannot be had and in refusing to lay out money we refuse life in him 1 Case First when the Lord by some speciall command requires it as was the case of the young man in the Gospel there was a speciall commandement given to him not given to every man nor to every rich man nor scarce any man in ordinary course now adayes yet then given to him and now to stick for money and rather lose eternall life then his goods in such a case as this he loseth his life in Christ and upon the same poynt or the like broke Ananias and Saphira it was the common resolution of the Church of God in that Age to sell all that they had and to give to the poore and to live after the same rate that other men did a like proportion to every man and to distribute faithfully to every man as every man had need and as the Apostle saw cause and when they come and keep back part of the price for which their possessions was sold you see how bitter a curse from the presence of the Lord fell upon them they were cut off from the Congregation of Gods people and it is much to be feared cut off from the Lord Jesus Christ and from all hope of eternall life and to stand as a terrible example to the whole Church of God to shew what a dangerous thing it is to stand upon termes with Christ and not to part with money for him they could not have fellowship with the people of God unlesse they parted with all they had and live upon the common distribution but this case is not alwayes But secondly there is another time namely when in case of persecution the market of Christ goes at so high a rate that a man cannot have Christ with any comfort in his soule or peace to his Conscience or purity of heart or life unlesse he hazzard all his estate or a good part of it In buying and selling of a precious commodity a good Chapman wil have it what ever it cost him So Christ is sometimes at an higher and sometimes at a lower rate but whatever he costs him he will have him it is spoken in commendation of the Hebrews that they suffered joyfully the spoyling of their goods Heb. 10.34 to shew you that sometimes it comes to that passe that unlesse a man be content to part with all his goods he cannot have the recompence of reward the Lord Jesus Christ to his soule and therefore the Servants of God have been content to loose all that they had and willing to resigne up all for the maintaining the integrity of their spirits and the purity of their hearts and lives in the presence of God and then let all goe they can suffer the spoyle of all joyfully 3 It is in case that by Gods providence you be cast to live in such Congregations where you cannot have the Ordinances of God but at a great charge as it is the case of many places that unlesse they be at charge for the Ministery of the Gospel it cannot be had then we must communicate freely that way then be not deceived God is not mocked for what a man sowes that shall he also reap Gal. 6.6 7 8 Where the Apostle doth encourage men at such a time as this when the Gospel cannot be had but at great charge then lay out liberally for the Gospel of Christ and he calls it A sowing to the Spirit as a man that layes out his money for an earthly commodity for a good bargaine he reapes corruption so he that sowes of the Spirit shall of the Spirit reape life everlasting When a man layes out his money unto Spirituall ends to obtaine the free passage of the Ordinances of Christ to enjoy the liberty of the Gospel he thereby sowes to the Spirit and shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting for this is the blessing promised unto it such as so sow shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting so that when a man out of a good and honest heart and an hungering desire after Gods Ordinances shall be willing to be at charge for them he hath this promise made to him and it shall be fulfilled He shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting But yet when a man hath layed out his money for this end if he then thinke his money is worthy of Christ he gets him not but this is the first way of having Christ by way of Purchase a seasonable laying out our money for him as God requires it Secondly Christ is to be purchased not so much by money as chiefly this purchase must be made by parting with all those many and strong Lusts and Corruptions and sinfull rebellions of heart by which we keep off Christ from comming into our hearts this is that which the Prophet Esay directs us to Esa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts c. where he tels us what we must give for Christ for sinne is neither money nor moneys worth but he makes a good bargaine that parts with his sins though he should get no Christ for his parting with them He speakes of the first and principall part of the life of a Christian man the life of his Justification that springs from pardon of sinne let a man forsake those sins and lusts that he hath been most carried captive with let a wicked man forgoe his thoughts and wayes both his secret and open sins and let him then turne to God and he will abundantly pardon then God will receive him graciously to the justification of life This is the thing that we must doe this was the point upon which sundry of them that have been hopefull for Religion have broken off from Christ and Christ from them they have forsooke him and he left them Jehu stuck upon this very point he would goe a great way but when it comes as he thinkes to hazzard his title to the Crowne then he will set up the golden Calves when he saw that all must be parted with rather then he would forgoe that without which he could not maintaine his Kingdome he would rather loose Christ then venture the losse of that 2 King 10.29.31 He regarded not to walke in all the Commandements of the Lord and then as he cut short with God in reformation and did not fulfill to walke after the Lord therefore God cut Jehu short of all the hopes of grace that ever he might have attained to vers 32. so that if we cut at a scanting with God and will part with some lusts and corruptions but not with others then will God cut you short of all your hopes of eternall life and it was upon the same termes that Herod fell short of Christ Mar. 6.10 Luk. 3.18 he had done many things according to Johns Ministry but when God would cut him short of Herodias
about such duties meerly for themselves they are wanting of this spirituall life So then doe but lay these things together doe you finde a man that is desirous to be doing good duties but is it to please others or is it out of the bonds of authority that lyes upon him Doe you see them have affection to duties but out of their place and calling or in their calling they doe such duties but rather out of their own strength then from the strength of Christ and not out of a conscionable respect to all the Commandements of God or if it be from outward principles and to wrong ends the glory of God not sought after nor tending to the building up themselves nor others in grace all these are such as men may be carried to doe from outward respects they may doe something that one would thinke would argue life but all the duties they doe by their owne strength is like a Spider that weaves a webbe out of her owne bowels we follow not the rule of the Word exactly but are ever wheeling about to our owne ends and to those respects that concerne our selves rather then to the glory of God and the Churches good it is true no man that hath common graces men that have gifts of preaching and gifts of praying may love to act and move them or any other zealous gift but yet notwithstanding you shal finde this to be true that till the heart be sanctified by the life of Christ we ever detaine all the graces of God in unrighteousnesse as the Romans and Gentiles did detaine the truth of God in unrighteousnesse Rom. 1.18 So we by a spirit of ypocrisie detaine all the graces of God in unrighteousnesse and in Hypocrisie whereas God hath given us every grace and the manifestation thereof to edifie himselfe and to glorifie God withall We wonderfully magnifie our selves withall and make our selves goodly in the eyes of men we are full of our selves and thinke we have this and that in us that will serve our turne and reach our owne ends this is not a life of grace but is indeed a dead worke all that we doe and therefore rest not in any such kinde of life and motion But if you finde an inward inclination of soule to Spirituall duties and to those duties in speciall that are pertinent to your place and if they be not within the compasse of your calling you dare not reach unto them and in your calling you do them not out of desire to be seen of men but you are doing good duties out of a sence of your owne inability to reach any duty in your calling much lesse of Gods service and in them all you observe every commandement of God and the ends you aime at are singly that God may be glorifyed and that God may see you and not man that good may be done by you in your places in Church and Family and Commonwealth and that thereby others might be brought on to God and his Kingdome increased this very motion and inclination of your hearts is an argument that you have a stirring spirit to spiritual duties and this is spirituall life in Christ And therefore by how much the more God shall give you an heart to bee doing your works and duties in this order so much the more comfort you shal gather to your souls that undoubtedly Christ hath shed abroad his spirit in you by which you are able to doe that which else you could not have reached unto Quest You say unto me may not a good Christian man have his heart so dead that he is unfit to pray or preach or to instruct his Family or for the duties of his calling fit and good for nothing And is a soule in such a case as this altogether void of spirituall life and sanctification is there not sometimes a kind of a coath come upon a Christian that so benumbs his spirit that he performes no duties at all but if he might have his owne mind he would not pray at all nor receive Sacraments Is not this sometimes the case of Christian and will you say that such an one is a dead soule because he is altogether listlesse and dead-hearted to move to any spirituall duty Answ It is true there may fall such a deadnesse upon the heart of Christian men that they are both unable and unwilling to any spiritual duty Which commonly God leaves his servants unto when he hath found them acting and moving in their own strength and upon their detaining of the graces of God in unrighteousnesse Causes of deadnes of heart and diverting them rather to their own praise in the world then the edifying of the people of God or the glorifying of his own name when God sees we are much of our selves and thinke we can doe much by the strength of grace we have received then God is wont to leave us cold and dead so as we know not in the world what to doe nor are we willing to do any thing The very presence of a duty and the thoughts of it is an horror to such soules in such cases we have been too busie in our own strength and too mighty in the grace we have received and rather aimed at our selves then at him and then no marvaile if God leave us to a world of deadnesse But when God hath thus by this meanes let us see that all our life is in him and that we are dead hearted further then we have life from him then God is wont not to faile but to help us thus farre at the least to looke with a wist and a sad eye upon the forlornnes of our estates and to cry out of our selves O what dead hearted Creatures and dull spirited things are we and bemoane our selves as Paul did Rom. 7.18 I see that in me that is in my flesh Remedies against deadnesse dwels no good thing Sometimes I have a minde to doe good duties but I finde that I have no strength to performe Paul comes to Macedonia and he had an open doore a faire calling to preach but he had no heart to it because he found not Titus his brother there Now when this is the case of a Christian man that he is strait and dead hearted he groanes under the burthen of it and he lookes at it with sad countenance and sees he is not well but is ready to complaine of it now this sence and complaint of deadnesse and using the best meanes to raise himselfe up out of this deadnesse this is an action of Spirituall life It is an act of Spirituall life for a man to be sensible of his owne deadnesse which in time workes the soule of a Christian to a more constant dependance upon Christ for life and makes him more observeable of the Word and more ingenuous and sincere in looking at the glory of God and the Churches good more then his owne and by how much the more we come to this passe and