be another not till after ten years may be twenty forty nay who can tell how long grace is free therefore no man can prescribe any time the wind blows where it listeth and how long it listeth and how long it will be ere it blow again who knoweth Reas 1 The Reasons of this first in regard of Satan he fights most of all against the children of God his fingers itch to be at them and at them most his greatest spight is against them the very bowels of the enmity is between him and them the children of God come to take his place that he once had in heaven the children of God are set up against Satan as David was put in the room of Saul therefore I say all the strength of hell is still a working against the Church of God and the Saints of God and every one of them from that very moment that the woman was delivered of a man child he sought to destroy it Simon Simon saith Christ Satan desires to winnow thee c. Luke 22.31 he is the god of this world and his temptations are welcome enough with any body but the children of God none resist his dominion but they he is the Gaoler and hath all the world in close prison but only them they are the only ones that have broken loose that have gotten away out of the power of Satan therefore all his malice and all the gates of hell they are up to send hue and cry after them to hook them in again if they can he is just like a Pyrate a Pyrate will rather set upon one rich ship then upon a thousand beggarly barks because there he may have a rich prize so the Divel knows he can advantage his Kingdom if but one fall that is a Saint more then by the falls and the notoriousest falls of millions of others therefore no wonder that a child of God should grow remiss and careless at any time that he may have a mischief for it is all the Divels business he hath nothing else to do but do mischief to be busie to get a child of God down and if he have him down to hold him down if he can Secondly Another reason is in regard of the children of God themselves Reas 2 they carry flesh about them as well as other men they have a Traitor in their own bosomes that lies in scout every moment to work them woe as Paul saith I find another law in my members c. Rom. 7.23 though a child of God hath wounded all his lusts nay though he hath given them their deaths wound yet there is never a one but may revive and make head again if he take not heed and that in a woful degree as the Lord saith of the Caldeans Jer. 37. I quote it only for a similitude ver 10. though you had smitten all the whole army of the Caldeans yet they shall come and fire the City when Judah had provoked God though they had wounded all the Caldeans yet those wounded men should come and fire the City so let a man take heed he doth not give way to sin for though his lusts be mortified and he hath given them their deaths wound yet these wounded Caldeans may come and fire all his soul if he take not heed Thirdly In regard of God himself God is pleased to try his people to Reas 3 withdraw himself now and then from them to leave them to themselves and the grace they have received to let them alone with that and when he doth thus no wonder though they fall for every man hath some vileness and rottenness in his heart the wholest simplest heart in the world hath a deal of rottenness in it I say the Lord doth sometimes leave his children to themselves as he did Hezekiah in the business of the Ambassadors 2 Chro. 32.31 as the Church saith Cant. 5.6 my beloved had withdrawn himself the lovingest mothers may sometimes let their little child go alone though they know he will fall they provide may be a rouler about his head that whither they fall backward or forward or any way they may not break their skull and do themselves a mischief to undo themselves but when they have done thus they will sometimes leave them to themselves to go though they know they will fall so the Lord doth put a rouler upon his people that when they fall they may not fall totally and finally as the wicked men do they shall never strike into a wicked course as the ungodly of the earth do that he takes order for but he doth many times leave them not out of any ill will to them but he leaves them to themselves though he knows they will fall and that for divers reasons First That they might be patterns to others of Gods people that if they should fall as they may do when they are down they may have wherewithal to get up again I say the Lord leaves the eminentest of his people to themselves to fall into lamentable miscarriages that they may help inferiour people and they may have something to encourage them that God will recover them and relieve them again and that God will not cast them off for ever as Paul shews 1 Tim. 1.16 saith he for this cause I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long suffering for a pattern to them who shall hereafter believe as who should say there may be a persecutor a blasphemer smitten a vile wretch a fighter against God and Jesus Christ such a one may be smitten and come to see his damned estate a thousand to one but this man will be overwhelmed and drowned in despair but saith he The Lord though I was one of his elect yet he let me fall to this pass that I might be a pattern to them which shall afterwards believe so we may say of Gods children after conversion David may say For this cause among the rest the Lord left me to my self the Lord let me fall so fouly and lifted me up again that I might be a pattern to many poor people to the end of the world that they may see the loving kindness of the Lord and the infinite compassions and bowels of mercy that is in the father of mercy towards them that trust in his name we should never believe the mercy of God the freeness of his grace the goodness of his nature towards his beloved towards those whom he hath effectually called were it not for such examples Secondly The Lord doth this for to punish the carelesseness of his people and their security many times what sin is there that is more apt to grow upon them then security it is a stealing sin it is a secret and cunning sin that comes closely and slightly upon a man before he is aware if he look not to himself now when a man grows to be secure the Lord takes this course many times to eat it out to
the living God the celestial Jerusalem and to the company of innumerable Angels and to the congregation of the first born which are written in heaven You are come he speaks of a spiritual coming by Faith So that this putting into the Body of Christ is by Faith Then in the Third place It makes a man have a common life with all the rest of the Members of Jesus Christ As you may see Col. 3.4 When Christ which is our life shall appear ye also shall appear with him in glory Christ who is our life We that are the people of God Christ is our life we have one and the self-same life all one and the self-same minde in the wayes of God As it is said Act. 4.32 The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul all the people of God in the whole world would quickly be acquainted if they were brought together for they are all of one and the self-same disposition and mind As our Saviour speaks to his Father Joh. 17.21 That they all may be one as thou art in me and I in thee so that all they may be one in us As the Three Persons in the blessed Trinity are three distinct Persons and yet are all one so in some sense the Members of the Body of Christ though they be of several callings and conditions in the world yet they are all one that they may be all one as we are one vers 21. They all live by the same rule and walk by the same rule they are all guided by the same Word and swayed by the same Commandment they all walk in one Way they all Pray by one and the self-same Spirit they have a life that is common look as one lives so lives another look as one repents so another repents look as one believes so another believes and look as one apprehends of God and comes before him with affection and fear and trembling so doth another though they never saw one another yet they all meet in the same life for they have the same root of life the same cause of life In the Fourth place It makes a man to be of one consent with all the people of God every where As you may see Zeph. 3.9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord to serve him with one consent The Lord helps them all to Pray after one pure language and gives them all one pure consent in the Service of God though it is in different degrees indeed one ariseth to an higher pitch than another therefore the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 1.10 Now I beseech you brethren by the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ that ye speak all the same things that there be no divisions among you As who should say All the Members of Christ are so I beseech you endeavour to have this sign of being Members of Christ be all joyned together in the same mind it is true that this union and consent and agreement and oneness of heart and mind as I may call it is very imperfect but in some it is more imperfect then it is in other some have attained to a further degree there is a great deal of unlikeness of affections a great deal of unlikeness in Prayer a great deal of unlikeness in Obedience there is a great deal of jarrings now and then through weakness but as the Apostle saith As far as we have attained let us be thus minded Phil. 3.15 16. Let us walk by the same rule and mind the same things the Children of God throughout the whole world they are of one mind as far as they have attained though in Faith in Repentance in new Obedience they differ gradually in their attainments yet they all agree in this consent of judgment That sin must be hated that a man must live in no sin that a man must yield Obedience to all Gods commandments that a man must deny himself in all things that in all things God must be glorified they all agree that we are Members one of another and that we must love one another and forgive one another as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us they all agree in this They are all of one mind and as one is mortified so is the other and as one is meek and gentle so is the other It is true indeed one hath attained further then another but whereunto they have attained they are all alike minded Now whereunto we have not attained God will reveal it in his good time unto us saith the Apostle May be one seeth such a thing is a duty which another doth not yet all see that it is their duty to fear God and obey him in all their wayes and they all set themselves to hate and oppose all manner of known sins As far as they have attained they are all of one minde Fifthly All this is for mutual profit and help and care and sympathy as you may see delivered by the Apostle 1 Cor. 12. That it must be for mutual profit see the seventh vers The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal that is when the Spirit of God doth manifest himself in one man one way and in another man another way he gives one man may be the gift of Teaching to another man the gift of Knowledge some have excellent gifts in one kind some in another but all have the gifts of new Obedience Now look whatsoever gifts they are whensoever the Spirit doth manifest it self to any Member of the Body of Christ it is to be helpful and useful to others so that the Members of Christ need one another that you may see vers 21.22 The eye cannot say to the hand I have no need of thee nor the head to the foot I have no need of thee c. We cannot be without the poorest and vilest and contemptiblest Member in the Body nay the very life of the Body may depend upon the vilest Members So again That they are to care for one another That you may see in the 25. verse Lest there should be any division in the Body but that the Members should have the same care one for another You see how it is in the Body of a man the head hath care of the feet it guides the feet and the foot hath care of the head to hold it up and carry it up and down and the hand is useful for the relieving of any part they have all the same care one of another so it is in the Body of Christ And for a Sympathy see it in the 26. verse Wherefore if one Member suffer all suffer with it and if one Member rejoyce all rejoyce with it all have a fellow-feeling of one anothers necessities and comforts Therefore when the Spirit of God doth implant a man into the Body of Christ it is all one with the implanting a man into Christ
or other to fight against the false Apostles he spake it seems to all his brethren and acquaintance to intreat them to go to Philippi but he could not get one of them to go what excuse they made we know not whither they were loth to be at that charge or whither they loved their own ease but Phil. 2.21 he breaks out into this speech they all seek their own and none the things that are Christs Not as Calvin notes upon the place as though they had no grace or life in them but they were grown marvelous worldly and earthly and carried away with their lusts marvelously tender of their profits seeking their own and not the things of Christ though Paul told them it was the cause of Christ required it yet it was against their profits and ease he could get none of them to go so David that sin of numbring the people it lay upon his heart nine months and he came not to repentance yet Joab saw this thing and he used gracious arguments to divert him he saw plainly that he was transported with some lust or other Fifthly The child of God may grow to that pass that the service of God may be a burthen 't is true it cannot be absolutely a burthen to any child of God so the wicked only are absolutely without zeal and affection they are absolutely wicked and worldly therefore this cannot be absolutely in a child of God yet it may be horribly and grossely even to be tired and jaded under Gods service even to count it a burthen to cry out with those Mal. 1. what a weariness is it Lord even to be loth to go to prayer to go to it dully as a trewant goes to his book and when they are at it to be blockish and without any spirit in it and have no life not so much as to heave up their hearts to the Throne of grace nay they may think it too long and wish it were done and they may think the opportunities to do and receive good come too often this is an horrible thing yet thus it may be what was the reason that the Galatians were so open-eared to the false Apostles that came with another Gospel that separated from the Gospel of Christ what is the reason that they opened the ear to them and were even poysoned by it O saith the Apostle be not weary of well doing Gal. 6.9 as who should say you are weary of well doing you were once affected with the word and would have plucked out your eyes to do me good you were wonderfully wrought upon and went on in a right manner in some measure Oh be not weary of well doing as who should say the cause of your yielding is because you were weary of well doing you seek out for new opinions and errours and are ready to receive false doctrines contrary to the doctrine of Christ therefore take heed that you be not weary of well doing Lastly A child of God may be so dead that nothing can quicken him nay the whole Church of God may be so dead that the Gospel may be going away and God may be ready to depart and shew signs of his going away from them and yet they may have no heart to humble themselves and seek the Lord to be moved and stirred to get more life and intreat God to turn away the plague as God saith Isa 59.16 I wondred there was no Intercessor he sent Prophet after Prophet to tell them that he would take away his Kingdom from them and scatter them among the Nations but though he had told them of these things over and over again yet there was none to stand in the gap he speaks in the general there was not a man though otherwise good that could cry to God in this distress so that I say a man may grow to this pass that nothing can quicken him all the ordinances of God cannot nay though he have many judgements of God upon him and his conscience lies digging in his side from day to day yet nothing may work upon him unless the Lord be more strangely merciful to his soul till a whale was provided to swallow up Jonah there was no bringing of his heart to relent Qu. But you will say Where is the sign of Gods grace all this while may a child of God be thus dead certainly the life of the children of God is eternal and when God gives his children grace it continues for ever it is springing up to eternal life now if a Saint may be thus dead where is grace is he unchilded again Ans I answer the grace of a child of God can never be taken away not for any goodness in himself but through the goodness of God For first there is the seed of God remaining still in him 1 John 3.9 a godly man cannot commit sin saith the Apostle for the seed of God remaineth in him that is he cannot commit sin as the wicked commit it he can never grow to be a wicked man again to do as the wicked do why the seed of God remaineth in him you know seed is a little thing there is a little thing left still in that man that shall still difference him from ungodly men that he cannot commit sin with that fulness of sway as the wicked do now by this seed the Scripture means regeneration regeneration is immortal it is that seed which remaineth for ever 1 Pet. 1. the last Secondly As there is a seed of God remaining in him so there be supernatural habits and the difference between this seed and these supernatural habits is this this seed is immediately in the soul though it runs through all the powers of it but these supernatural habits are immediately in the powers and faculties of the soul now these habits are such whereby they have heavenly inclinations to good and inclinations against evil and these shall never be quite extinguished though they be not like to moral and natural habits for they do actually incline but supernatural habits do never actually incline that way but upon concurrence of special grace though they be in the soul yet they do not actually incline but upon concurrence of grace now these habits can never be taken from a child of God as David saith Psal 37.24 though the righteous fall yet he shall not utterly be cast down he may fall upon his hands and knees but he shall not quite fall he shall have something or other to moderate and break the fall Thirdly A child of God ever hath an anointing 1 John 2.27 that is a gift and grace of God whereby he doth enlighten his eyes by the spirit of revelation whereby he looks upon God and all sin and iniquity and the ordinances of God with an heavenly eye now I say this eye can never be taken away let a child of God be at the lowest ebbe he looks upon sin and Gods wayes after another fashion then other men he looks upon
behave my selfe as I ought though a persecutor of Religion were in company can he know these thoughts No man can persecute or mock him for any of these a man may think as good thoughts as he will if he hath an heart to them and this will keep up a mans quickning when a man goeth abroad what should hinder but he may be imployed in inward duties considering seriously and thinking solemnly how it stands between God and his soule what shall hinder a man from these duties Now the neglect of these is the cause of the deadnesse of mens hearts people come to Church and hear Sermons but what do ye do within do you set up Gods Ordinances in your bosomes do you set up a Christian watch in your bosomes and prayer in your bosoms how do you go up and down all day long is heaven in your bosoms is the fear of God in your bosoms preserving and keeping of you This is that which will quicken you and a man can never be quickned if he make not conscience of this Lastly Another cause of deadnesse is peoples contenting themselves with what they have attained unto if they have gotten any thing they are apt to set up their staves there and content themselves as if all were well this is the cause of the deadnesse of peoples hearts because every little sufficeth them if they have but any hope that they are of God and fear his name if they finde they have any thing in them they are apt to be secure and not to be earnest to grow in grace from day to day Now when this gets into a mans heart it will dead him presently therefore the Apostle when he perceived many of the Hebrews deaded their hearts this way he shakes them up Heb. 6.1 Leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ let us go on unto perfection As who should say Let us on on for shame unto perfection let us proceed further let us not ever be learning and never come to the knowledge of the truth let us not be ever laying a foundation and never building thereupon let us not be ever going about repentance and faith and the first principles of the Oracles of God and never come to perfection This is the effect of the Epistles of Peter that people should not content themselves with what they have but that they may grow and goe forward Desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2.2 and grow in grace 2 Pet. 3.18 He is beating upon this that no man should content himselfe with any measure already attained if he do his heart will be deaded and made dull and blockish to all goodnesse and this is another cause of the deadness of peoples hearts they are at a stay they are at a stand every man may be would be a good Christian and a childe of God and if he can get but any hope that he is a childe of God now he is safe and now he goeth dully and blockishly on if he can but hold there and if he hath any fears that he is not right then may be he begins to stir himselfe a little but as soon as ever he gets any hopes again that he is right he goeth on in a blockish manner and passeth over holy things otherwise then he ought to doe and then if any spurs come into his conscience and awaken him may be he stirs again till he gets up a little hope that his condition is good and then he falls off and grows as secure again as he was before and this deads the hearts of people I come now to the meanes how a man may be quickened and the first is this If we would be quickened we must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ we must goe to him I speak now to good people if you would be quickned you must goe and fetch it from the Lord Jesus Christ he is a fountain of life opened unto all that come unto him I am come saith Christ that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly John 10.10 Christ is not only come to quicken the dead and raise them up that they may be alive towards God barely and nakedly but he came to make all his people lively that they should have more life and quickning and be more enlarged in grace he came not onely to work the thing but to work a growth and increase of it more and more Now if you would know how to come by this life in Christ Jesus the only way is to believe in Christ John 7.38 He that believeth in me out of his belly shall flow Rivers of living water there shall be rivers of spiritual life in that man that shall never be drawn dry so then doe any of us stand sticking at this how shall we be quickned and shake off this deadness that is in us I say look up to Christ and labour truly and unfainedly to desire him and hunger and thirst after him if we did search after Christ wee should be quickned presently there is no man is dead but he that hath no care to look after Christ and desire him if we would have Christ if our hearts be open to him if we doe but desire him and long for him if we have but these groanes and outgoings in our souls oh that I had but Christ shed abroad in my heart if I had him I should have life and quickning if I had him I should have right and title to all Gods heavenly comforts if our hearts did but goe up and down longing after Christ this is the way to attain to quickning Isa 55.1 Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters c. Come and ye shall have waters that shall never be dried up the want of faith is the cause of hardness of heart and of deadnesse as our Saviour Christ when he saw they were dead Matth. 16. he did upbraid them with unbeliefe if a man did but once believe if a man did but truly cast his soul upon God if he had but once his eyes opened to see the vanity of all other things to see the danger of sinne and iniquity the misery of all unregenerate people and to see the worth of Christ and the infinite goodnesse of God in Christ what an admirable pearl it is to enjoy him how it is better then life it selfe better then the whole world yea then thousands of worlds if a man did but see this and had his heart affected with this to be drawn to Christ and to have his heart and minde run after him to be possessed of him this is faith you that would know whether you have faith or no if you had all the faiths in the world you are infidels without this faith but if you have this faith you have true faith if you have a heart running after Christ minding him and longing for him and casting your soules upon him for all good
with patience the coming of the Lord he quickens them by the example of Job and the Prophets so when he would quicken them up to prayer he presseth them by the example of Elias he was a man as well as we saith he and had the like passions yet he prayed when the heavens had been shut three years and six months c. Consider this the zeal of others may provoke us specially if we set it before our eyes we should think with our selves What he so believing and I so full of doubting he so lively and I so dull and blockish he so affected and I so untoward this should shame us and provoke us to stir up our selves by looking upon such especially upon those that have taken up the profession since we did and yet have gone beyond us it should awaken us this is an excellent means to quicken us as our Saviour Christ when he would exhort his Disciples to suffer persecution saith he consider the Prophets that were persecuted before you so if we would be quickned up we should look upon the Saints that have been quickned before us that we may have their grace and comfort We come now to the last thing and that is to perswade you by some Motives to shake off this deadness Motives are special things to quicken up a man the Apostle when he would quicken up the Corinthians to love he useth divers Motives unto them the first is taken from the collation of love with all the extraordinary gifts of Gods spirit he shews without love they are all nothing though a man had all knowledge and all faith so that he could remove mountains and had not love it were nothing so that you see love is an excellent grace 1 Cor. 13.1 2 3. Another Motive he takes from the effects and adjuncts of love love suffereth long c. from the fourth to the seventh verse Thirdly He useth another Motive to shew how love doth generally surpass most graces in the endurance of it Prophesies they shall cease knowledge that shall cease and be done away but love that shall never be done away love never faileth Lastly He compares it with the cardinal vertues with the principal graces namely faith and hope and shews how love is beyond them hope edifies a mans self but love edifies the whole Church of God faith and hope must vanish and will not go into the Kingdom of heaven with us but love it doth alwayes accompany us so that you see the Apostle is careful to use motives to quicken up people to that which he exhorts them unto the Scripture as it doth bid us do a duty so it useth motives to quicken us up to the doing of it And again When it forbids any sin it useth motives to take off our hearts from that sin as when the Apostle would diswade from the unworthy receiving of the Sacrament what abundance of motives doth he heap one upon another to terrifie us from it 1 Cor. 11.23 c. the first is from the institution of the Lord Jesus Christ I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you that the Lord Jesus c. as who should say what will you prophane his institution Secondly From the time when he instituted it the same night he was betrayed in his agony and in the midst of his sorrows he thought of your good will you prophane such a mercy blessing Thirdly From the nature of the Sacrament it is the Sacrament of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and will you not reverence that Another is from the end of the Sacrament it is to shew forth the Lords death till he comes therefore how should we have a care of this that we may come to the Sacrament in a gracious and reverent manner duly meditating what it is having a lively apprehension of the Lord Jesus Christ and to keep a constant memory of what he hath done for us Another is from the greatness of the sin of unworthy receiving he shall be guilty of the body and blood of Christ again from the danger of it whosoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks damnation to himself again from the particular judgements that God had inflicted upon that town for this cause many are sick among you and many sleep and questionless it is for this cause for your unworthy receiving of the Sacrament you see what abundance of motives he brings for this now I say if Motives be good in any point look whatsoever we exhort people unto if it be good to use Motives to stir them up to it then much more in this point in the point of deadness to shake it off in the point of quickning that they would labour to get it and indeed when a man useth Motives to faith and repentance it is not only to get that but to quicken them up to faith and repentance when a man spurs a horse it is not only to make him go but to quicken him up to go we are all dull and careless and blockish now Motives serve to stir us up Eccles 12. the words of the wise are as goads to provoke and stir up people Motive 1 Well then The first motive shall be this to consider the woful ingredients of this sin of deadness the horrible sins that are contained in it what a compound of spiritual diseases are in this sin First There is a dulnesse and blockishnesse of mind dull and heavy to learn any thing that is good as it is said of the Jews Acts 28.27 when a man hath an unteachable mind though he be never so long under the word of God it cannot strike into his heart and enter into his understanding his mind cannot feel the weight of divine truths take outward truths of profit and pleasure a man may lead him up and down with these truths he feels weight in these but for the word of God he hath no understanding in that may be he can tell what the Ministers say and talk of it but for the weight of divine reason the mind is blockish to this men are like to a blockish scholler that hath gone seven years to school and yet is not beyond the primmer so when a man shall sit so long under the Ministry of the word and yet be a stranger to it as if he had never heard of it he hears discourses of faith and can speak of it and talk of it of the letter of it as well as the best believer and yet is as blockish to go about it as can be what an horrible thing is this that the truth should come to a mans mind and a man should be dull to conceive it Secondly Another evil is awkness and averseness of heart listleseness to the wayes of Jesus Christ as Christ saith of the Jews Mat. 15.8 their hearts cannot be pulled to that which is good their hearts are untoward and have no list or disposition that way even
could see an honest life and conversation whither he had pleased God saith he I communed with my spirit and made diligent search Psal 77.6 How have I pleased God and followed God what manner of life have I led he ransacked all his life and conversation and would be glad to see he had done the things pleasing to God it would be more comfort then if all the Angels in heaven had spoken comfort so temptations or afflictions may be upon us that we would be glad to see signs and tokens of Gods favour in sanctifying our hearts and making us to be obedient to his will and tremble at his word and if we cannot see these things woe unto us 1 Tim 6.19 charge them that be rich in the world that they be not high-minded c. So we do not know what times may come we had need lay a good foundation for comfort against the time to come and charge rich men that they be rich in good works charge all Christians all that desire to stad in the evil day to be rich in good works and abound in them and lay up in store a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold of eternal life Lastly Consider that your want of obedience and good works is the cause of all Gods temporal judgements why God doth stop the bottles of Heaven and turns the Earth into dust and parcheth our Corn we see God hath begun the plague among us in the principal place of the Kingdom wherefore is all this see what the Prophet saith Jer. 3.3 therefore have the showers been withholden because you have been wicked thou hast an whores forehead and refusest to be ashamed thy carelesseness and barrenness under the means of grace thy impenitency and hardness of heart these have caused the showers to be withholden and have made God to deny the former and latter rain The second point is this As the Covenant of grace requires works so it requires perfect works he tells the Church of Sardis that he looks for works and perfect works but cannot find them so that the second Covenant requires perfect works But you will say how can that be Paul himself that was as forward a man and had as perfect works as any man yet he confesseth he was not perfect Phil. 3.12 so likewise here we know but in part 1 Cor. 13.10 perfection is not yet come in the world to come it may come Heb 12. there we read of the spirits of just and perfect men then men are made perfect but they are not perfect in this life I answer 't is true therefore there is a double perfection First A perfection of degrees to be perfectly perfect and so no man can be perfect by any perfection inherent indeed the Covenant of works requires this perfection but the Covenant of grace doth not indeed when we come to glory there shall be this perfection but not in this life in this life the Lord only subdues our sins but casts them not into the bottom of the Sea til the life to come therefore this perfection cannot be looked for upon earth Therefore secondly There is another perfection and that is a perfection by way of sincerity and uprightnesse Job 1.1 Job was a perfect and upright man Now this perfection differs from the other five wayes the perfection God requires in the Gospel from that in the Law First The Law stands upon performances as well as the will and desire and a man is not perfect unlesse he perform all as well as desire to doe it But now the perfection of the Gospel is without these performances indeed that man labours for as many performances as he can but it may be onely by desires Rom. 7.18 Paul was perfect by Evangelical Perfection he was upright before God yet he could not reach performances no he had a will to be good he did unfeignedly desire to be godly and serve God in every thing unfeignedly endeavouring after godly courses yet could not attain to that which he did desire So it was with Nehemiah and all the good people of God Nehem. 1.11 O Lord I beseech thee let thine ear be attentive to the prayers of thy servants who desire to fear thy name He could hardly say that he did perform it but he did desire it he could hardly say he did love and obey God and doe his will but this he would say he did desire to doe it and unfeignedly desire it as Solomon saith Prov. 21.21 He that followeth after righteousnesse and mercy findeth life He doth not say he that reacheth it he cannot reach it may be but he that followeth after it shall have life it is a sign that he hath the life of justification and that he shall have the life of glory Secondly The perfection of the Law it stands upon quantities as well as upon qualities truth it is not satisfied though a man be never so truly holy and religious unless man hath quantities and is so much holy But now the perfection of the Gospel indeed it will have as much quantity as a man can but yet it will stand with truth though a man hath not that quantity of humiliation and self-denial and power against sin yet if he have it in truth he is Evangelically perfect in some measure he is sincere and upright before God as Solomon saith of his Father 1 Kings 13.6 Mâ— Father had great mercy according as he walked before thee in truth He doth not say he walked before thee in legal perfection he was perfectly righteous but he was truly righteous he was humble in truth and godly in truth and zealous in truth he had none of all these things to the utmost yet he walked before thee in truth So Josh 24.14 Fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth He doth not say serve him as if you should doe every thing he commands but doe it in truth and sincerity Now sincerity is when there is no commandement but a man sets himselfe to doe it there is no sin but he labours to avoid it and there is no right manner but he sets himself to doe it in the right manner to his power this is the perfection of the Gospel Thirdly The perfection of the Law stands upon full measure whether a man have power or no that is nothing to the purpose the law will have all holiness and righteousness whether a man hath power or no But now the perfection of the Gospel by way of sincerity it looks at what measure God hath given and bestowed and no more but what God hath given and enabled a man to doe as you may see the Lord doth not require the gain of ten talents when he gave but five nor the gain of five when he gave but two the widows two mites were accepted and taken for a good and sincere gift because she gave all that she had Luke 21.4 as the Apostle
Foelix was talking privately with St. Paul friendly and kindly what man or Angel could imagine what Foelix thought at that time yet the Word of the Lord layes it open He thought to have a bribe You will say who could tell that 't is true men know not peoples hearts yet many times the Word meets with them insomuch that they are ready to say sometimes who told the Minister of me certainly he hath some blab how should he come to know this and speak of this in the Pulpit the Word of God meets with them Fifthly the Lord searcheth men by his providence though men carry it out never so handsomely and fairly and can goe in the dark and under the hatches for a long time yet the providence of God will have a time to finde them out as Job speaks Job 12.22 He discovereth the deep things out of darkness c. That is he doth it many times by his providence he reveals things that are otherwise secret and unknown and lie hid yet he brings them out men may blear the world and deceive their own soules but the providence of God in the end will search out all secret things and make them as manifest as things done on the house top it is a strange thing to see how many that have boyled in their hearts against the Saints and Ministers of God and they have carried it out slyly and fairly yet God hath discovered their malice and spight and their venemous speeches and the envy they have borne against the people of God What strange things hath the Lord discovered when men have concluded no eye should see it I hope no body shall know it yet the providence of God comes to finde it out either first or last Now the providence of God discovers mens works that are in secret divers wayes First By letting his people to suspect men 't is true we ought not to give way to an humour of suspition for it is directly against charity for charity thinketh no ill therefore we should take heed of suspition without just cause of suspition for hereby we may wrong persons as the Disciples though Paul was a true Convert yet they suspected he was not and so wronged him It is a dangerous thing to suspect any man without infallible ground yet many times the providence of God doth discover men by this meanes as you may see an example in those false-hearted ones Ezra 4. they would come and build with Zerubbabel and Jehoshua they made as if they did intend the promotion of the Church and Common-wealth Now verse 3. they suspected them Now when they saw that they were shy of them they displayed themselves and laid themselves open and turned to the contrary side and did them all the mischiefe they could Secondly by letting of good people to injure and wrong them this is very true that the children of God should wrong no body especially none that are Christians that we may have any hope they are godly if a child of God should wrong any man in the least degree he is guilty of all the mischief that shall follow after therefore we should be marvellous careful that we wrong no man in thought word or deed but yet it will be so long as we dwell here in the flesh wrongs will be committed by good people sometimes against their wills sometimes by corruptions rising in their hearts contrary to their minds and principles they goe upon Now when these wrongs fall upon those that are not sound this discovers them for their venom and madnesse falls not onely upon them but upon all Professors these are your Professors and precise fellows nay let but the children of God be indiscreet this by the providence of God doth divers times discover men as Saul a great hypocrite indeed he had many admirable things in him he had admirable Government and though he were not a man that truly loved holinesse yet he did abundance of good things and he hoped he was right Now the Lord discovered him by this by letting him have some indiscretion shewed towards him as the women in the Song Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten thousands it was indiscreetly spoken of them though it were true they ought not to have made such a Song of it though no question the women meant well in what they did and were honest and well-minded people yet through their indiscretion Saul stomachs David and grows to be a persecutor From this time forward be eyed David Thirdly By guiding of his Ministers to home-preaching this discovers people what they are if they be godly and upright when the word of God meets with any corruption of theirs then it shews they are of God for then they fall down before God and acknowledge their sin and repent of it and part with it and loath it and cry to Heaven for the pardon of it and labour to have it rooted out of their soules and consciences and so they are discovered to be sound but when this meets with an unsound heart and comes to display his secret lusts and vile courses not being able to stoop to this it shewes what it is as when Christ preached something sharply John 6.55 60. O say they It is hard hard saying who can bear it And from that time many of his Disciples forsook him It fares with Gods Church in this case as with Ishbosheth Abner seemed to be his dear friend and stuck close to him yet when Ishbosheth told him of his faults of his whoredome and lying with his Fathers Concubines then he was mad and was not able to brook him presently he falls off from Ishbosheth because of this away he goes and turns his enemy So it fares with the Saints of God many seem to be their dear friends and keep close to them and joyn with them but when they are dealt withal about things amisse in them they discover what they are they do not like such men they care not how little they come in their company they fall off and so are made manifest what they are Fourthly By their own lusts and corruptions for you shall have men many times hear the Word and being wrought upon in their consciences by the Word or by Gods judgements that startles them they give over their sins upon this and reform and will have good orders in their Families and take up good duties and not having a sound but a false heart a covetous heart in the end this worldlinesse or any other lust that is unmortified the Lord doth use it as an instrument to discover that all these Reformations of theirs were never sound in the end they come to count this a burden and such a burden as they are not able to bear and so grow to be something weary of their strict courses and give over by degrees not to be so careful in their Families to pray morning and evening and sometimes omit it and not to be so forward
they are made then a man can never get them to doe that which is good When Moses was loth to goe to Pharaoh what abundance of pretences had he to put it off O saith he I am unworthy who am I that I should goe before Pharaoh and another time I am not eloquent He made as if it had been his modesty he was not fit for the office he did not consider that he was to deal with God that could search him out Moses saith he goe before Pharaoh for they are dead that sought thy life As if he had said I know thy thoughts thou hast killed a man in Egypt and thou art afraid that Pharaoh will kill thee but that Pharaoh is dead therefore goe So when a man is unwilling to doe a duty he will have a thousand excuses bid men have prayers in their Family they will say they are not book-learned and cannot pray and how prove you it to be a duty any thing God bids them doe they are willing to doe if you shew them but a place of Scripture for it they make this the reason but this is hypocrisie the reason is they care not for God nor for the Family they care not whether they be saved or damned they care not that the fear of God may be in their children and servants they care not for this but they will not believe this is the cause Again bid another be diligent in his Office alas what shall a man doe I shall doe no good he is a peaceable man and he seeth all the Parish bandy themselves together if he saw there were any hope of doing good he would doe it as if he had a very good heart to doe what God would have him in the end God discovers his hypocrisie it was because he cared not for God he did not hate sin he had no zeal to Gods glory he is a lover of men more then God he loves his owne ease more then holinesse or piety or good order therefore let us know what a dangerous thing it is for a man to dally and double with God when we doe not consider that God will search our hearts the Lord knows whether thou art loth to have such a thing to be a duty or whether thou dost secretly desire it may not be imposed upon thee the Lord knows it therefore doe not put off God in this fashion for God will search thee out it is but a folly for us not to consider that God will search us out as Solomon saith Prov. 10.18 He that covereth hatred with lying lips is a foole that is if a man doe bear secret malice against a man doe not love a man and is not in sincere charity with him may be the man covers it with lying lips O 't is not for this reason and that reason God forbid I should hate him whereas indeed he doth not love him saith Solomon this man is a foole as who should say God will finde him and discover him therefore what a folly is it not to lay this to heart The second Use is to bid us take heed how we hide our sins from others or from our selves First From others you shall have children so they can hide their faults from their parents that is all they care for and so servants if they can but hide their faults from their Masters and Mistresses they care not how bad they be or how false so it is with many you shall have many a man his own bosome knows what an hard heart he hath what a dead heart how carelesse he is of God how that he hath no delight in good duties yet if he can but cover it from the Saints that when he comes to pray before them he may carry it off something handsomely this is all he cares for or look after what an horrible thing is this that people should have no more consideration that God will search us out we had as good that all the world should know it as that God should know it if we do iniquity and be carelesse of his commandements if we do evil though never so secretly it were better all the world should know it then God now God will search it out Jer. 23.24 Prov. 5.21 Therefore we should ever take heed that we may not have this humour in us to venture to do evil so we can hide it from men for what though no man knows it yet we shall finde that God knows it and will bring it to light one day Secondly We should take heed how we hide our sins from our selves this is fearful and in some sense a great deal more fearful then the other for many times when a man hides his sins from others he knows them himselfe but when a man hath a deceitful heart that he hides them from his own eyes how can he repent a man cannot repent without the sight of his sins yet as a Divine saith men desire to hide their sins from God and from others but most of all from themselves Now what a madness is this though a man do hide his sins from himself he cannot hide them from God God will search it out though a man hath never so many colours for his sins he will not believe it is a sin alas poor creature God will finde thee out as a pluralist he will think it lawful to have two livings but what dost thou get by hiding it from thy selfe God will finde it out so for jesting they think it is lawful to do it Elisha jested and did not Aristotle account it a vertue and the like I deny not but men may have jesting if it be convenient but when men are excessive in this and have no meetings without jesting and will stand for it God will find them out so men that will not believe that a man should be so strict and precise God forbid that none should be saved but such thus they hide it from themselves but when they have done all they cannot hide it from God but God will discover them at the last day may be in this world so a man that was never converted nor never had faith he thinks he is converted and hath faith and is religious and a good Christian Thus he hides his woful and vile estate from his own eyes but canst thou hide it from God assure thy selfe God will search thee out Thirdly This may be for comfort to good people First It may be a comfort against others that shall judge them Secondly against themselves First Against others that judge them may be others are harsh towards them and think all manner of evil of them and may be speak it too Now this is a great comfort that God will search them out as they be true and upright and as they doe from the bottome of their hearts set themselves to please God so they shall not be judged by mens conceits but by the Lord this is that which comforted Paul against the censures