now we enjoy in the season of the yeare How many have fretted the soule of God all this Summer 1631. by their wofull unthankfulnesse because that wee have had sad wets and not without cause for our drunkards sakes therefore many of us say Wee shall lose our Harvest to yeare What Canst thou not trust God in that promise of seed-time harvest which is absolute and depends not upon thy faith Well Gen. 8.22 now at the last God hath heard us when he had us at the vantage and this might occasion the recording of many former deliverances What hath been the cause of Gods detecting so many traytors to our Prince State and giving us their necks save the faith of Gods people which hath noted his mercies Thankfull and comforted by the faithful performing of promises Why should he else just in the nick of our enemies insulting pride in 88. and since in this hellish treason of the Powder step in stop that fatall hand Since how many droughts famines rumors of wars pestilence bad seasons hath the Lord turned away from us Should we confine our thanks to one day in the yeare And put case that still many Popish enemies lie at our root to kill it and to endanger our liberties say that many sorrowes are still upon us is it not because we have made wash-way of all sorts of performances and made them common things How hath God magnified his arme in those publick fasts of ours lately solemnized besides our private extraordinary praiers by our selves When met we but the Lord gave us in some answer more or lesse And how have we requited him for it Were it not just with him to give us quite over as them Judg. 10.13 for our Idols our covetousnesse I meane formality and hypocrisie Might he not as Ps 80.4 be angry with our prayers Might he not laugh at our misery and leave us to cruell enemies and forraine invasions who have been so weary of his own yoke Also humbled for their provokings of God to the contrary Oh! let us humble our souls to the very dust that we have requited him so basely and deserved that he should change his performances into revenges and penalties you poor heare who ere now said you could not chuse but starve this deer year how fare you now the danger is overpast God hath performed as much corn as can stand on the ground to rid you of fears will you now forget him as formerly Remember your covenants Oh that our powder were not danke and our hearts unfit to take fire and to burne out with praises nay hath not God betrusted many of us here with more then ever we looked for such wives such children such patience in our revolts such addition of life when we lookt to have beene cut off by violent feavers consumptions yet restored to live 7. 10. 20. years after with unlooked for liberty in our Ministery and Profession may we not say with David 1 Chr. 29.14 It was little to thee to build me a sure house but thou wouldst also take in my posterity to covenant for two or three generations If a Gentleman should give his poor friend a ring of 20 s. and put it into a pearl of 20 li. that friend would thanke him though he saw nothing but the gold only but when he sees the jewell too doth he not stand and wonder Shouldest thou do lesse to the Lord for those unexpected favours given thee as an overplus to his Christ What shouldst thou do but take up the cup of salvation praise him thy worst day is better then the best of such Psal 116.10 as I say not want these blessings but such as have them cast in upon them as common casualties not as performances I had rather be the scullion in a great house with poor blessings from a fountaine from faith in a promise then the Noble man himself without the favour of the giver had not Obadiah a better portion then his Master let thine estate be never so mean 1 Kings 18.3 yet if the Lord have granted thee this entercourse and intelligence with heaven thou hast great cause of thankfulnesse And to conclude Psal 122 ult let us all say as David did at the foot of his song Our trust standeth in the name of the Lord. For time to come shal I ever cavill against thee O Lord who hast beene so faithfull Shall I call thee to my tribunall if at any time thou shouldst try me with some darknes of promises am I not bound for ever to wait both in mine own behalf and the behalf of the whole Church to trust thee as a God that keepst touch nay who hast oftimes performed promises whenas I have but poorly concurr'd with them by faith put case thou shouldst do as Iacob did to Iosephs brethren lay thine hands a crosse the right upon Ephraim Gen. 48.18 the left upon Manasse say thou shouldst in particular crosse my own contents delay my praiers and estrange thy selfe for a while from me in wonted performances is it not enough for the cleering of thy faithfulnesse that thou hast so long bin faithfull Is not my experience sufficient to binde me to thy faithfulnes for ever So much shall serve also for this last Use so for the whole Doctrine and for this time THE TWO AND TWENTIETH LECTVRE Continued upon this VERSE VERSE XIV Then Naaman went downe and washed himselfe seven times in Iordan and behold his flesh came againe as the flesh of a little child and he was cleane THe last day Beloved as you may remember I made an end of the former Doctrine issuing out of the successe of Naamans washing To wit that Gods performances are alway as good as his promises if not better Now the last point of the whole verse and so of the third generall part of this text remaineth to be handled And that is grounded upon this That now after Naamans faith and fruition of the promised cure wee heare no more of his old distempers his cavils his rage and turning from the Prophet All is now quite changed with him as for sorrow and former trouble all is blowne away as if it had never been The point is of singular consequence and it is this The soule that can cast her selfe nakedly upon the bare promise of God may be sure thereby to lose all her distempers which under her unbeliefe assaulted her and to drowne them in the promise And this point I will first ground upon Scripture and reason Secondly answer a question or doubt Then come to some use For the ground of the text it is cleere For we see that according to the promise of Elisha so it came to passe After his washing himselfe we heare of no more distempers all are gone wee heare of the returne of his flesh as a childs we heare not of the remainder of his passions For other texts Take that place
former obeying 14. It is obedient in her particular conditioÌ„ of life 15. It seekes after no dispensations ibid. to 548. Truths of God must not bee taken by tradition and prejudice but from the whole body of truth beleeved as Gods pag. 576 Terror to all Popish and blinde maintainers of truth upon false grounds pag. 577 Terror to all such as nourish in them selves most open and odious diseases seeking no cure pag. 866 Triall of the true spirit of Grace is from herselfe pag. 878 V. Vnbeliefe of the Word so much the more damnable by how much it hath been confirmed so by miracles pag. 5 Vnconditionall call of God what 10. Why and how it is free ibid. Vnfaithfull servants terrified 301. Wherein it consists sundry particulars ibid. Vowers first what they will doe and then enquirers of the Minister for counsell are dissemblers pag. 401 It bewrayes great Vnfaithfulnesse to bee very forward in great duties and backward in small pag. 430 Vnequall and unsound persons in their course not to be trusted pag. 436 To be at an Vtter strait and brought to a forlorne hopelesse condition is one step to faith pag. 499 Vnapt appliers of promises or of other parts of the Word reproved pag. 582 Vnproportioned meanes used by men without a Word to effect supernaturall things are evill and justly suspected pag. 590 Vnbeliefe bindes the armes of God from performing promises pag. 613 Vnbeliefe cannot beteame her selfe that bounty in performances which is in God 616. with amplification of the point ibid. W. Word and voice of Gods own mouth onely able to pierce the soule pag. 62 Yet the Word workes little without crosses in these dayes pag. 64 Wise men must learne to bee fooles in Gods matters that they may bee wise pag. 75 Mens will and minde more to them then the world besides pag. 163 Word of God must be cast as seed into the soule when once empty of her selfe pag. 233 Wisdome to guide a Christians course how gotten and wherein it stands in 5. or 6. properties 1. Chuse that one thing necessary 2. Discerne betweene things that differ 3. Bee ready for the hardest 4. Make safe thy retreat 5. Feare God which is the fountaine of it 6. Shun the wayes of error 7. Practise wisdome both in deliberation and determination 1. Being wise chiefly for thy selfe 2. Redeeme the time 3. Plot and project wisely for God 4. Be watchfull against all enemies especially spirituall 5. Meddle with thy owne businesse 6. In all doubtfull cases look to that which is purest comliest and of best report 7. Of 2. morall evills chuse neither but of a morall sin and a penalty chuse the latter 8. Let things profitable or pleasing yeeld to things honest 9. Try men or things ere thou trustest 10. Be neither too credulous nor too obstinate ibid. Wrathfull and habitually peevish and froward persons reproved 269. Much more if defeated ibid. Waiting upon God necessary for such as look to speed of grace pag. 274 Wisedome is needfull to judge aright of the ease of grace pag. 376 Weak beleevers must not quite quail and give over pag. 514 Z. Zeale of first converts described pag. 871 This Insertion is to be placed in the thirteenth page of Naamans History and the twentieth line after the foure first words thereof which are these but a cause of and so read on to the end of the said Insertion and then return to the former thirteenth page and twentieth line and proceed on with these words morall swasion c. procuring it which were most absurd I say Christ hereby should bee made not the foundation of Election as Ephes 1. in whom GOD established it but the fountaine of meriting it â—nswer 2. Secondly I answer though wee should grant the parity and make Adam and Christ alike in both yet there be other reasons to bee alledged of this parity then this viz. The equall number of the saved For why Three other reasons may bee given of Ad m and Christs equality nay rather of Christs exceeding Adam in his grace as first grace exceeds sinne in respect of the value and eminencie of the person undergoing the worke of Redemption viz. the eternall Son of GOD Between whom and Adam what comparison Sure in this Grace is farre above the offence Secondly if wee respect the grace it selfe purchased in point of duration and continuance Adams lasted but a while being in his owne keeping â—loff 3. but grace of redemption is hid with God and in Christ to abide for ever Thirdly in point of the reward purchased by Christ which in respect of the transcendencie of the Meriter above the offence restored not the redeemed onely to that they lost viz. an earthly Paradise but an eternall glory in the heavens I conclude then Those that make Christ the subject of universall grace for all and each one who by the freedome of his will assisted thereby will receive it or reject it catch who catch may I say these make Christ onely a wandring notion at the pleasure of each base wretch not the solid foundation of election as making the elect and only them happy â—bject But if grace be not universall then say these God deales unjustly in offering a remedy upon worse termes then the disease it selfe For why Hereby hee aggravates the contempt of all despisers causing their condemnation to be farre deeper then before especially knowing that it will prove so I answer First it is accidentall to Gods offer of Grace that the condemnation of the wicked is aggravated thereby For it is not through his default but theirs His offer is directly to his own elect but if the other will mixe themselves and abuse this offer their blood bee upon their heads But case a Prince offer his pardon to ten of whom hee knowes nine will not accept it is it his fault to offer it or is he the cause of their contempt Doth he infuse it into them No surely Nay further to stop the mouth of all such cavillers this I adde That God doth not hereby onely aggravate their judgement for he doth by his Gospel bestow upon them many gifts of his Spirit much restraint of sinne many mercifull allowances which others want so that by this meanes their condemnation is lessened â—bject But still it is objected How can this Doctrine consist with that bounty and abundance of mercy in God who would have all repent and be saved Offering fully freely to all sorts civil ones profane sinfull and ignorant ones mercy without difference Doth not this absolute soveraignty of God infringe it I answer No in no wise The secret purpose of God within himselfe and the outward offer differ as much as the presence Chamber of a Prince and his privie Chamber In the former he sheweth what hee hath done concerning the finall estate of his creature In the latter what he will have man doe concerning his own salvation Secrets are for God revealed things are for
costes and be as nothing an unprofitable one when thou hast done all cast not God in teeth with them call not for them backe againe nor bring him his owne in a napking For these qualities poyson all thy labours Gods hearers will be at Gods dispose for blessing and drive the Lord further off rather then draw him nearer And when thou hast turned all thy selfe-defeated discontent into selfe-deniall and art willing that the Lord should doe with thee as he list then see how he will dispose of thee A little barley or an handfull of meale with a little oile shall make a more accepted meat offering to him with an heart willing to be at his dispose then all thy plenty of costly sacrifices without it Joel 2.13 Lastly it reproves all such as yet goe beyond these also and are content Branch 3 to submit humbly to all such waies as the Lord prescribes for the attaining of mercy but yet it mightily troubles them that God doth so delay his season and lets them goe so long without giving them their desire To whom I answer All yee have done hitherto is well Adde one thing more give all your humblenesse your labours your endeavours to God Waiting upon God necessary for such as looke to speed of grace and when you have waited upon him therein give him your waiting too for it is not too good for him perhaps there may be a Selfe in that also and sure it is the finer Selfe is spunne the more she will take pritch if she be defeated But be thou as Paul was 2 Cor. 12.9 who feeling no bottome in himselfe yet was content to be under that weaknesse and all to try what mercy could doe doubtlesse in such a case thou shalt finde that grace shall at least bee sufficient for thee if the Lord doe not also magnifie his power beyond expectation in thy infirmity And poore soule what gainest thou in the mean while by thy carking plodding and casting about with thy selfe If thou doe thy duty shall it not be well with thee And hast thou not a great recompence in this that thou art accepted and thy successe is with God Is it not much that a sinfull wretch who cannot lay claime to the aire earth water to breath in to tread upon and the like maist yet come and looke up to heaven with hope and come to the Lord as bound by his promise Alas his pay may be leasurely but it is sure the gaines may seeme small but still they are comming and will make a heavy purse at last And what Is there not some scurffe which the Lord must purge out thinke you Hath not a long course in evill hardned thee And may not a speedy course of thine owne hurt the more another way What if the Lord should leave thee to such corruption of thine owne as should cause thee to wax wanton were it not better prevented by longer delay And speake the truth to shame the Divell and thy slavish heart is it not better with thee at sometimes then at other If it be noâ— suspect thy selfe if it be suspend thy cavils cease thine enmity thine hard thoughts thine unbeteaming heart the Lord loves to be as freely thought of for his love as he deserves And for thy selfe if it be thy lot to lye longer under hope then others and to want the cheerings which some have yet sure it is if thou abide waiting in thine innocency not being tainted with shrewd dregs of thine owne stale and base heart the Lord will at length breake out so much the more in pitty to thy fainting soule by how much his delay hath made thee waite so long and it shall not then trouble thee that thou hast thus indured Mercy at last shall be sweetest to thee Esay 57.16 that thou faile not wholly Singularity of delay sometimes argueth an heart tainted with Selfe in more then a common manner And so much for the use of reproofe Vse 3 Lastly to finish this point and so draw to an end Let this be Admonition both speciall and generall Great men must submit their great spirits to God First speciall to such as are Naamans great ones in place renowne authority birth or any other worth above others viz. That their great stomacks rise not up in arms against God to quarrell with him when they are crossed in their owne hopes and expectations The truth is the streame of Selfe is ranke enough of it selfe though there be no oile added to the flame The poorest wretch could say though I am not so rich as thou yet I have as proud an heart as thou But yet when one streame meets another the flood is the greater Great men who thinke it a peece of their Noblenesse to take no affronts at any mans hand what ever it cost them had need deny themselves farre to get a subject heart even to God himselfe Their great bloud the repute of their owne eminency and parts exempts them in their owne opinion from the common lot as we read of him 2 King 6. who having first raged at Elisha as the supposed cause of the famine saying God doe so and so if his head stand on him this day after being greeted by him more discurteously then he looked for flew in Gods face too and said shall I attend on the Lord any longer Ver. ult As once a great Prince being crossed of his pastime by the weather told God swearingly he was a King too and he offered him ill measure so to defeat him Abner the pillar of Sauls house being but reproved by weake King Ishbosheth set up by himselfe for medling with his fathers concubines 2 Sam. 3.6 tooke it so hainously that he forth with revenges himselfe and betraies the Crowne to David Great men therefore swell easily if defeated and indeed these two were as bad as great but the best in this kinde take defeats heavily Let such consider that which Naaman if he had had the knowledge which they have would soone have noted viz. How desperate a thing it is to fight against God and to crosse him when he serves not our turne If God resist all proud ones especially great ones how much more proud resisters Pride being of it self a resistance Although your spirits rise up soon against men which yet I allow not beware ye be not found fighters against God Act. 5. Know that though men accept your persons yet God puts no difference especially in matter of salvation It is counted a great humility in a great one to be never so little humble But oh worme for what is the greatest flesh else if thou thinke it equall that a poore beggar should stoop to thee what shouldest thou do to God to whose eminency thine is as the drop of a bucket Take not upon thee though thou be the chiefe of the Parish the Lord of the Towne and Patron of the Minister to yoke him to any other
if it would if thy owne hopes workes or selfe could have reacht such a generation in vaine should the Lord have beene at all that cost when he brought forth his eternall Sonne into the world to die for it to shed his blood for it that it might become the seed of his Church by the Ministrie of the Word Deceive not thy selfe in this triall which is very easie to doe except God give thee an heart inquisitive willing to be resolved and earnestly craving that thou mayest not be deceived Secondly try thy spirit of Grace by the operations of it As the principle is so will the operations be By the operations of it Abishag may nourish David while there is any naturall heat left in him but if that faile she can put no life into him Adorne a dead King with a Scepter and Crowne and all his Robes Alas it will make a good Pageant 2 Sam. 1.2 3. but all is lost labour Trie then what the fruits of that spirit are which thou hast if they be such as flow from an outward accidentall cause violent and over-ruling they will faile when that cause ceaseth to worke But if thy hope joy and peace be from within let outward meanes and motives either continue or cease still thy operations will abide and flow sweetly currantly cheerfully from thee Water taken off the coales ceaseth to seeth yea growes colder then at first A sive held in the water holds it as well as a bucket corke held downe under water will sinke as well as lead But if the one be taken out and the other be left to her selfe all returnes to the old course So is it here A curious Philosopher once framed an engine of metall in the forme of a man and brought it to such perfection that it could jabber and patter out some words but one that beheld it cryed out Oh faire skull without braines As in mans body all true operations of life and sense to move to worke to sleepe eate and the l ke come from a principle of life and so serve the soule even so here Operations must not be the principle it selfe but onely belong to it but if they be the principle it selfe they are a false principle He that commends a Preacher because his friends love him 2 Chron. 24 16. as Joash served God while Jehoiada lived hath no love in his heart and therefore may hate his service after as he did He that cleaves to good company to hearing to profession for a vantage of his owne reputation to get good custome in trading or a good match or to serve his owne turne or keepe some of his own heat having no other Principle must needs turne bankrupt for lacke of a stock of his owne And the misery of such a one is Note That he heares prayes and worships that he might heare pray and no further from no hottome and so his operation becomes his principle Of all such wee may say such a principle will surely breed their ruine either their eternall ruine if no outward affronts intercept their course or else both ruine here and for ever if crosses come For why they do as a foole who commits himselfe to the seas in a broken Barge When means faile when Ministery ceaseth when it becomes a reproach to professe when false friends draw away the heart when suffring for the Gospell comes losses trials and troubles approach then all Religion vanishes No hypocrite can be above Gods stormes and tempests especially if a right wind blow it will be turn'd up by the rootes Every wind perhaps will not search each rotten tree 2 Tim. 4. but some one or other will The mind of the world searcht Demas the wind of pride and ambition Diotrephes The wind of secret lusts turne of some 3 Ioh. 8. the wind of affliction others and the wind of time and continuance will search deepest of all for a stone can flye no further then the strength of the hand which threw it will carry it Therefore be sure that the operations of goodnesse which come from thee proceed not from a false principle but from the spirit of grace Thirdly trie this spirit of grace by the constituion and frame thereof that is by the soundnesse of it Unsoundnesse of spirit Try it by the fâ—ame soundnesse of it cannot reach that which soundnesse can For why The best in an unsound person are his Negatives reall positive and habituall grace he cannot attaine unto So farre as a negative way may go an unsound heart may attaine To side with religion as good to deny himselfe in many things for it and to suffer somewhat from some confessed excellencie therein deserving it or some light restraint example or ends may be an unsound hearts condition but positively and really to lay the honour of God to heart inwardly to love that he commands to grieve for the sin of such as resist it inwardly to sympathize the furtherance of it that is beyond him The reason is because his love is not from union but from an adherence or hanging by in judgement or pangs of affection Take two examples It is said that two sorts strove for David to be their Kings the ten Tribes of Israel and the two other Tribes There was more Negative spirit in the ten then in the two Why say they should not David be more ours then yours we are ten and you are but two wee have ten parts in him we can conferre more honour upon him and give him more subsidies then you and many good morrows But whence came all this from shame and pride that they should be backwarder to fetch him home then the rest But the positive grace of love to David came from Juda and Benjamin for why he was bone of their bone he was their flesh Nature strove in them 2 Sam. 19.43 humor in the other their words therefore were stronger then the words of ten times as many tongues of counterfeits They no doubt made as great a brable but geniall love could not be dissembled So it was in those two harlots pleading for the child both spake earnestly neither could put downe other in point of words 1 King 3.26 the false mother was as deepe in her Negative principle as the other seemed to be For why she meant to be even with the true mother and would see her childlesse as well as her selfe So the living child might be divided she cared not But by this Salomon descryed her The sword being brought then that reall heart of a true mother appeared in the one which could not in the other for she had it not in her A wretch could be content to leave off all Religion if he were sure that none would take it up after him for he is good because it shall not be said but he will be as forward as any But if none would be good he could be willing to be naught Why for lacke