life come death come Heaven come Hell come what come can here will I sticke for ever And if ever I perish they shall plucke mee out of the hands and rent mee from betweene the armes of this mighty glorious and dearest Redeemer of mine 6. And having now taken Christ as a Saviour to free him from the miseries of sinne hee is willing also to take him as a Lord Husband and King to serve love and obey him For every one that is truly Christs doth as well thirst heartily and syncerely indeavour after mortification conquest over corruptions sanctification purity new-obedience ability to do or suffer any thing for Christ as for pardon of sinne and salvation from hell And therefore he willingly takes upon him his yoake which tho so called yet is easie and light enters in earnest into the narrow way which tho it bee every where spoken against as it was in Pauls time Act. 28.22 yet in truth and upon triall is most pretious profitable and pleasant See Prov. 3. Happy is the man that findeth wisedome to wit in the word to walke in the wayes of God Shee is more pretious then rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her Length of dayes is in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour Her wayes are wayes of pleasantnesse and all her pathes are peace Hee now for the short remainder of his abode in this vale of teares vowes and gives up the flower and prime of all his abilities loves joyes endeavours performances in any kinde to the highest Majesty and consecrates all the powers and possibilities of body and soule to doe him the best and utmost service hee can any wayes devise unto his dying day And still grieves and walkes more humbly because hee can doe no better For then hee casts his eyes upon God the Fathers free love and Christs deare passion hee thinks with himselfe and so hee well may that if hee were able to doe him as much service as all the Saints doe both in this and the Church above with addition of all Angelicall obedience it were all infinitely lesse then nothing towards the discharge of his debt and incomprehensible everlasting obligation 7. And being thus incorporated into Christ he presently associates himself to the brotherhood to the Sect that is every where spoken against For so is profession accounted Act. 28.22 After that Peters hearers were pricked in their hearts they were counselled to repent believe be baptised c. and to save themselves from that untoward generation He now beginnes to delight himselfe in them whom hee heartily hated before I meane the people of God Professours of the truth and power of religion and that as the most excellent of the earth the only true Noble Worthies of the World worthy for ever the flower fervency and dearenesse of his most melting affections and intimate love And hee labours also might and maine to ingratiate himselfe into their blessed communion by all ingagements and obligations of a comfortable fruitfull and constant fellowship in the Gospell By an humble mutuall entercourse and communication of holy conference heavenly counsell spirituall encouragements consideration one of another confirmation in grace and in assurance of meeting in heaven c. resolved to live and die with these neglected happy Ones in all faire and faithfull correspondence sweetest offices of Christianity and constant cleaving to the Lord Iesus and his glorious cause Nay assured to raigne with them hereafter everlastingly in fullnesse and height of all glory joy and blisse For if once this divine flame of brotherly love bee kindled by the Holy-ghost in the hearts of true hearted Christians one towards another it hath this propertie and priviledge above all other loves that it is never after put out or quenched but burnes in their brests with much affectionate fervor with mutuall warmth of dearest sweetenes here upon earth and shall blaze eternaly with Seraphicall heate in the highest heavens hereafter In the meane time he makes cōscience of sympathizing both with their felicities and miseries His heart is enlarged with lightsomenesse or eclipsed with griefe as hee heares of the prosperity or oppression of Gods people I the rather here mention this marke of the true convert because it is so much required nay infinitely exacted at our hands in these heavy times of the Church And therefore may bee to every one of us an evident Touch-stone to try whether our profession bee vitall or formall If those terrours which I have heretofore many times threatned out of Gods Booke against all those pittilesse and hard-hearted Caniballs which take not the present troubles of the Church to heart upon purpose to breake in pieces those flinty Rockes which dwel in some mens brests and to drive us all to compassionatenesse prayer dayes of humiliation and parting from our evill wayes I say if they have beene thought by any to have been pressed too precisely and peremptorily heare what I have since seene in Austin and what a peremptory censure hee doth passe upon those who want a fellow-feeling in such a case If thou hast this fellow-feeling thou art of that blessed body and brotherhood if not thou art not And here can I hardly hold but were it incident I should desire to cry out with a voice lifted vp like a trumpet against all those prophane Esaus swinish Gadarens senselesse Earth-wormes who all this while that so many noble limbes of that great blessed body of the Reformed Churches have laine in teares and bloud did never take to heart to any purpose or trouble themselves at all with their grievous troubles but have sottishly and securely laine at ease in Zion liable to that horrible curse denounced against Meroz Curse yee Meroz sayd the Angell of the Lord curse yee bitterly the Inhabitants thereof because they came not to the help of the Lord against the mighty Iudg. 5.23 They have not helped the people of God so much as with any hearty fellow-feeling wrastling with God in praier set daies to seeke the returne of Gods face and favour c. Men they are of the World which have their portiō in this life who feele nothing but worldly losses know nothing but earthly sorrowes rellish nothing but things of sense If they be stung with a deare yeare rot of cattel losse by surety-ship ship-wrack robbery fire c. they houle and take-on immoderately But let Ioseph bee afflicted Gods people in disgrace the Ministry hazarded Christ spouse sit in the dust the Daughter of Zion weepe bitterly and have none to comfort her c. And these mercilesse mē are no whit moved They have not a teare a groane or sigh to spend in such a ruful case Whereby they infallibly remonstrate unto their owne consciences that they are no living members of Christs mysticall body have no part in the holy fellowship of the Saints no spark of spiritual
humorist an Hypocrite and all that naught is even as bad as the false tongues of the Devils Limbes can make a blessed Man He was a good-fellow will they say but hee is now quite gone a proper man and of good parts but his Puritanisme hath mar'd all While Paul humour'd the Pharises in persecuting and plaguing the disciples of the Lord Hee was a principall and much honoured Man amongst them but when hee turned on Christ's side He was holden a pestilent-fellow the very plague So that it is plaine and palpable whatsoever may bee pretended to the contrary that those cursed Cains dogged Doegs and scoffing â—â—maels that set themselues and spend their malice against the Ministers and people of God hare slander and persecute the very workes of Grace and graces of Gods Spirit in them Even their zâ—ale holinesse hatred of sinne reformation c. are an Eye-sore and heart-sore to such hatefull wretches and Owles of Hell â—ho cannot endure any heavenly light 8. As stigmaticall Rogues burnt in the hand curtal'd of their eares branded in the fore-head are in the Common wealth so are Persecutors in the Church By mutuall intelligence and information of Gods people or some more publike lasting record and Monunument of the Church they have many times such a Marke set upon them that they carry it to their graves yea to the iudgement Seate of God that it may bee knowne a sore-hand to that glorious Tribunall and all the triumphant Church what beastly men stinging Scorpions and pricking thorn's they have beene amongâ—t Gods Children and in the sides of the Saints Such a brand had Alexander the Copper smith set upon him by Paul 2. Tim. 4.14.15 And such a Brand was set upon Diotrephes that mâ—litious prating companion by Saint Iohn 3. Ioh 10. So are those bloud thirsty Tygers Gardiner Bonner and the rest of that cruell litter and persecuting packe branded that their names shall rot and their memories be hatefull to the Worlds end So too many in these times though they be very iolly fellowes in their owne conceits ador'd as Idols by their flattering Dependants applauded generally as the principall Patrones of revelling good-fellowship â—et in the censure of the Saints and by the doome of divine wisedome they are clearely knowne and iustly reputed enemies of all righteousnesse and Satans speciall Agents to doe mischiefe against the Ministery 9. And it is to be feared they will finde no mercy upon their Beds of death and in their last extremity cry they never so loude or promise they never so faire God in iust indignation is woont to deale so with those who drinke up iniquity like Water withâ—ut all sense or feare of a glorious dreadâ—ull Majesty above See Ezek 8.18 with those who refuse to stoupe to Gods Ordinance and submit to the Scepter of Christ when they are fairely invited by the Ministery See Prov. 1.24.28 Ier. 7.13.16 and 11.11 With great Ones who grinde the faces of the poore See Micah 3 4. with abusers of the riches of His goodnesse and long suffering See Rom. 2.4 5. How much more doe you thinke shall impenitent Persecutors bee paide home in this kinde See 2. Macchab. 9.13.17 There that great and cruell persecutor Antiochus being seizd upon by an horrible sickenesse promiseth very gloriously upon that his last Bed Besides many other strange reformations even that he also would become a Iew himselfe and goe thorough all the World that was inhabited and declare the power of God But for all this heare what the Writer of that story saith of his spirituall state and of Gods resolution towards Him vers 13. This wicked person prayed also unto the Lord who would now have no mercy on him 10 All their spitefull speeches scurrill scoâ—fes pestilent lyes insolent insultations c. are as so many Crownes of Glory and ioy unto the heads and hearts of all persecuted patient Professours 1. Pet. 4.14 Act. 5.41 Iob. 3.36 So that they infinitely misse the malicious Marke their revengefull humours would gladly hit the hurt and heart-breaking of those they so cruelly and cunningly hunt with much rancour and hate And not onely so but most certainely hereafter if they die not like drunken Nabal and their hearts become as stones in their brests upon their Beds of death they will all tho now passing from them with much bitternesse of Spirit and without all remorse turne into so many envenomed stings and byting scorpions unto their owne consciences and knaw upon their hearts with extreamest horrour 11. The whole body of the militant Church ioyne all as one man with a strong concurrent importunitie at the Throne of grace and with one heart and spirit constantly continue there such piercing prayers against all stubborne impenitent scorners all incurable implacable persecutours as the people of God have bin wont to poure out in such cases as Lament 3.59 c. O Lord thou hast seen my wrong judge thou my cause Thou hast seene all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me Thou hast heard their reproach O Lord and all their imaginations against me The lips of those that rose up against me their devise against me all the day Behold their sitting downe and their rising up I am their musicke Render unto them a recompence O Lord according to the worke of their hands Give them sorrow of heart thy curse unto them Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the Lord. Now I would not be in that Mans case against whom Gods people complaine upon good ground at that iust and highest Tribunal one halfe houre for the imperiall crowne and command of all the kingdomes of the earth for who knowes whether iust at that time the righteous Lord for his children's sake and safety may raine upon such a mans head snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest 12. And the prayers of the Saints poured out in the bitternesse of their soules vexed continually with their malicious cruelties and cruell mockes are meanes many times to bring Persecutours to an untimely end to knocke them downe before their time Doe not you thinke that the faithfull Iewes at Ierusalem hearing of Antiochus marching towards them like an evening Wolfe to drinke up their bloud had presently recourse unto Gods righteous Throne with strong cries to stay his rage And doe you not thinke that those very praiers drew downe upon him that horrible and incurable plague whereupon Hee died a miserable death in a strange Countrey in the Mountaines Herod for any thing wee know might have lived many a faire Day longer if hee had dealt fairely with the Apostles of Christ. But putting One to the sword Act. 12.2 And another in prison vers 4. Hee put the Church to their prayers vers 5. Which prayers for there is a certaine omnipotency of prayer as Luther was woâ—t to say did create full soone those vermine that eate him up horribly in the height
unconquerablenesse in torment then affected with the raging paines of a most terrible execution 2. In others from a strong stirring perswasion and consciousnesse of the honesty and honour of some civill cause for which they suffer But fortitude in this case doth not arise from any inspired religious vigour or heavenly infusions but from the severer instigations of naturall conscience and acquired manhood of a meere morall Puritane Many such morall Martyrs have beene found amongst the more generous and well-bred heathen It is storied of a brave and valiant Captaine who had long manfully and with incredible courage with-stood Dionysius the elder in defence of a Citie that Hee sustained with strange patience and height of spirit the mercilesse fury of the Tyrant and all his barbarous cruelties most unworthy of Him that suffered them but most worthy him that inflicted the same First the Tyrant told him how the day before hee had caused his son and all his kinsfolkes to be drown'd To whom the Captaine stoutly out staring Him answered nothing but that they were more happy then himselfe by the space of one day Afterward hee caused him to be stripped and by his executioners to be taken and dragged through the Citty most ignominiously cruelly whipping Him and charging Him besides with outragious and contumelious speeches All which notwithstanding as One no whit dismaide Hee ever shewed a constant and resolute heart And witâ—â— cheerefull and bold countenance went on still lowdly recounting the honourable and glorious cause of His death which was that Hee would never consent to yeeld his Countrey into the hands of a cruell Tyrant With such stoutnesse did even meere morall vertue steele the antient Romane spirits that in worthy defense of their liberty for preservation of their Countrey or other such noble ends They indifferently contemned gold silver death torture and whatsoever else miserable worldlings hold deare or dismall 3. In some from an extreme hardnesse of heart which makes them senselesse and fearelesse of shame misery or any terrible thing This wee may sometimes obserue in notorious malefactours A long rebellious and remorselesse continuance and custome in sinne raging infections from their roaring companions a furious pursuite of outrages and blood Satans hoâ— iron searing their consciences and Gods iust curse upon their fearefull and forlorne courses so fill them with foole-hardinesse and with such a ferall disposition that they are desperately hardned against all affronts and dis-asters So that tho such savage-minded and marble-hearted men be to passe thorow the streetes as spectacles of abhorrednesse and scorne as hatefull monsters and the reproach of Mankind to be throwne into a Dungeon of darknesse and discomfort and there to be loaden with cold irons coldnes and want from thence to bee hurried to that loathed Place of execution and there to die a Dogs death as they say and finally to fall immediately and irrecoverably into a Lake of fire yet I say for all this out of a desperate hard-heartednesse they seeme still to bee in heart and to represent to the beholders a great deale of undauntednesse and neglect of danger in their carriage and countenances O the prodigious Rocke into which the stone in a gracelesse heart may grow both in respect of desperatenesse in sinning and sense-lesnesse in suffering 4. In others from an enraged thirst after humane praise and immortall fame as they call it Which may be so prevalent in them and transport them with such a vaine-glorious ambition this way that it may carry them with much seeming insensibility affected patience and artificiall courage thorow the terrors and tortures of a very violent and Martyr like death Heare what Austin saith to this Point Thinke yee there never were any Catholikes or that now there may not bee some that would suffer onely for the prayse of men If there were not such kind of men the Apostle would not haue said Though I give my body to be burned and have not charity I am nothing Hee did know right well that there might bee some which would doe it out of vaine-glory and selfe-love not for divine love and the glory of God O the bottomlesse depth of Hellish Hypocrisie which lyes hid in our corrupt hearts O the blind and perverse thoughts of foolish men O the murderous malice of that old red Dragon which exerciseth such horrible crueltie both upon our bodies and soules 5. In some from false grounds of a supposed good estate to Godward from an unsound perswasion of their present spirituall well-beeing and future wellfare Such Pharisies foolish Virgines and formall Professours are to bee found in all Ages of the Church especially in the fairest and most flourishing daies thereof and when the Gospell hath the freest passage who thus many times in the greate it of all earthly extremities even upon their Beds of death represent to all about them from a groundlesse presumption of being reconciled unto God a great deale of confidence resolution and many glorious expectations Vpon a partiall survay and perusall of their time past not stain'd perhaps with any great enormities notoriousnesse or infamous sinne out of a vaine-glorious consciousnesse unto themselues of their many good parts generall graces good deedes and plausiblenesse with the most by reason of a former obstinated distaste and prejudice against sincerity and the power of godlinesse as tho it were unnecessary singularity and peevishnesse and it may bee confirmed also unhappily in their spirituall selfe-cousenage by the unskilfull and unseasonable palliations I meane mis-applications of some abused promises unto their un-humbled Soules from some dawbing Ministers a generation of vilest men excellent Ideots in the mystery of Christ and mercifull Cut-throates of many miserable deluded Soules to whom they promise life and peace when there is no peace towards but terrible things even at hand tumbling of garments in blood noise of damned Soules and tormenting in Hell for ever I say from such false and failing grounds as these they many times in that last extremity the Lord not revealing unto them the unsoundnesse of their spirituall estate and rottennesse of their hopes demeane themselues chearefully and comfortably as tho they were presently to set foote into Heaven and to lay hold upon eternall life but God hee knowes without any iust cause or true ground For immediately upon the departure of the Soule from the Body shall they heare that wofull doome from Christs owne mouth as Himselfe hath told us before-hand Depart from mee I never knew you Such men as these having been formerly acquainted with and exercisde in the outward formes and complements of Religion are woont at such times to entertaine their visitants and By-standers with many goodly speeches and Scripture-Phrases representing their contempt of the World Willingnesse to dye readinesse to forgive all the World Hope to bee saved desire to bee dissolved and bee in Heaven c. They may cry aloude with much formall confidence Lord Lord open to
groaning most pitifully Oh mee Wretch Oh mine heart is miserable Oh Oh miserable and wofull The burthen of my sinne lyeth so heavy upon mee I doubt it will breake my heart Oh how wofull and miserable is my state that thus must converse with Hell-hounds When By-standers asked if Hee would pray Hee answered I cannot Suffer us say they to pray for you Take not replyed Hee the Name of God in vaine by praying for a Reprobate What grievous pangs what sorrowfull torments what boyling heates of the fire of Hell that blessed Saint of God Iohn Glover felt inwardly in his spirit saith Fox no speech outwardly is able to expresse Being young saith Hee I remember I was once or twice with Him whom partly by His talke I perceived and partly by mine owne eyes saw to bee so worne and consumed by the space of five yeeres that neither almost any brooking of meat quietnes of sleep pleasure of life yea and almost no kind of senses was left in Him Vpon apprehension of some back-sliding Hee was so perplexed that if Hee had been in the deepest Pit of Hell Hee could almost have despaired no more of His salvation saith the same Author In which intolerable griefes of minde saith Hee although Hee neither had nor could have any ioy of his meate yet was Hee compelled to eate against his appetite to the end to differre the time of His damnation so long as Hee might thinking with Himselfe no lesse but that Hee must needs bee throwne into Hell the breath beeing once out of his Body I dare not passe out of this Point lest some Childe of God should bee here discouraged before I tell you that every One of these three last named was at length blessedly recovered and did rise most gloriously out of their severall Depths of extremest spirituall misery before their end Heare therefore also Mistris Bretterghs triumphant Songs and ravishments of spirit after the returne of Her Welbeloved O Lord Iesu doest Thou pray for mee O blessed and sweete Saviour How wonderfull How wonderfull How wonderfull are thy mercies Oh thy love is unspeakeable that hast dealt so graciously with mee O my Lord and my God blessed bee thy Name for evermore which hast sâ—â—wed mee the Path of life Thou didst O Lord hide thy face from mee for a little season but with everlasting mercy thou hast had compassion on mee And now blessed Lord thy comfortable presence is come yea Lord thou hast had respect unto thine hand-maide and art come with fulnesse of ioy and abundance of consolations O blessed bee thy Name my Lord and my God O the ioyes the ioyes the ioyes that I feele in my Soule Oh they bee wonderfull They bee wonderfull They bee wonderfull O Father how mercifull and marveilous gracious art thou unto mee yea Lord I feele thy mercy and I am assured of thy love and so certaine am I thereof as Thou art the God of truth even so sure doe I know my Selfe to bee thine O Lord my God and this my Soule knoweth right well and this my Soule knoweth right well O blessed bee the Lord O blessed bee the Lord that hath thus comforted mee and hath brought mee now to a place more sweet unto mee then the Garden of Eden Oh the ioy the ioy the delightsome ioy that I feele O praise the Lord for his mercies and for this ioy which my Soule feeleth full well prayse His Name for evermore Heare with what heavenly calmenesse and sweete comforts Master Peacocks heart was refresht and ravisht when the storme was over Truly my heart and Soule saith Hee when the tempest was something alayed have been farre led and deepely troubled with temptations and stings of conscience but I thanke God they are eased in good measure Wherefore I desire that I bee not branded with the note of a cast-away or reprobate Such questions oppositions and all tending thereto I renounce Concerning mine inconsiderate speeches in my temptation I humbly and heartily aske mercy of God for them all Afterward by little and little more light did arise in His heart and Hee brake out into such speeches as these I doe God bee praised feele such comfort from that what shall I call it Agony said One that stood by Nay quoth Hee that is too little That had I five hundred worlds I could not make satisfaction for such an issue Oh the Sea is not more full of water nor the Sunne of light then the Lord of mercy yea His mercies are ten thousand times more What great cause have I to magnifie the great goodnesse of God that hath humbled â—ay rather exalted such a wretched Miscreant and of so base condition to an estate so glorious and stately The Lord hath honoured me with His goodnesse I am sure Hee hath provided a glorious Kingdome for me The ioy that I feele in mine heart is incredible For the third heare M. Fox Tho this good Servant of God suffered many yeares so sharp temptations and strong buffetings of Satan yet the Lord who graciously preserved Him all the while not onely at last did rid him out of all discomfort but also framed him thereby to such mortification of life as the like lightly hath not been seene in such sort as Hee bâ—eing like one placed in Heaven already and dâ—ad in this world both in word and meditation led a life altogether celestiall abhorring in His mind all prophane doâ—ngs 7. No arme of flesh or Art of man no earthly comfort or created power can possibly heale or helpe in this heaviest case and extreamest horrour Heaven and earth Men and Angels friends and Physicke gold and silver pleasures and preferments fauour of Princes nay the utmost possibility of the whole creation must let this alone for ever An Almighty hand and infinite skill must take this in hand or else never any cure or recovery in this world or the world to come Bodily diseases may be eased and mollified by medicines Surgery as they say hath a salve for every sore Poverty may be repaired and releived by friends There is no imprisonment without some hope of enlargement Sute and favour may helpe home out of banishment Innocency and neglect may weare-out disgrace Griefe for losse of a wife a Child or other dearest friend if not by reasons from Reason that death is un-avoidable necessary an end of all earthly miseries the common way of all Mankinde c. yet at last is lessened and utterly lost by length of time Cordialls of Pearle Saphyres and Rubies with such like may recomfort the heart possest with Melancholy and drown'd in the darkenesse of that sad and irkesome humour c. But now not the most exquisite concurrence of all these nor all the united abilities which lie within the strength and sinewes of the Arme of flesh can helpe any whit at all in this Case Not the exactest quintessence extracted from all the joyes glory and pleasures that ever the world
bee said Hee died in a Ditch They are Desolators not Consolators as Austin somewhere calls them Not sound Comforters but true Cut-throates Besides that which I have said before of the precedency of the working of the Law and of the spirit of bondage to make way for Christ let mee further tell you upon this occasion that it may appeare that much more is to bee done herein then is ordinarily imagined before comfort may upon good ground and seasonably bee applied to the Conscience awaked what an excellent Divine both for depth of learning and height of holinesse delivered somewhere in this Point to this purpose No man must thinke this strange that God dealeth with men after this strange manner as it were to kill them before Hee make them alive to let them passe through or by as it were the gates of Hell to Heaven to suffer the spirit of bondage to put them into a feare into a shaking and trembling c. For Hee suffers those that are his to bee terrified with this feare 1. First in respect of His owne glory For the magnifying both of His iustice and of His mercy 1. Hee glorifies His iustice when lessening or altogether for the time abstracting all fight of mercy Hee lets the Law Sinne Conscience and Satan loose upon a Man to have their course and severall comminations and sets the spirit of bondage on worke c. Thus as in the great worke of redemption Hee would have the glory of His iustice appeare so would Hee have it also in the application of our redemption that iustice should not bee swallowed up of mercy But even as the Woman 2. King 4. who had nothing to pay was threatned by Creditours to take away her two sonnes and put them in prison so wee having nothing to pay the Law is let loose upon us to threaten imprisonment and damnation to affright and terrifie and all this for the manifesting of His iustice Furthermore the Booke of God is full of terrible threatnings against sinners Now shall all these bee to no purpose The wicked are insensible of them to them therefore in that respect they are in vaine Some there must needs bee upon whom they must worke Shall the Lion roare saith the Prophet and no man bee affraide Sith then they who should will not Some there bee who must tremble This the Prophet excellently setteth â—orth Isai. 66.2 where the Lord sheweth whom Hee will regard But to this man will I looke even to Him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my Word Neither is it without good cause that God dealeth thus with his owne in this manner tho it bee sharpe in the experience First wee must feare tremble and bee humbled and then wee shall receive a spirit not to feare againe 2. His mercy also is thereby mightily magnified Which would never bee so sweet nor relish so well nor bee so esteemed of us if the awfull terrour of iustice had not formerly made us smart A King sometimes doth not only suffer the Law to passe upon some grievous malefactor for high treason but also causeth him to bee brought to the place of execution yea and lay downe his head upon the blocke ere Hee pardon and then mercy is mercy indeed and melts the heart abundantly with amazâ—mâ—nt and admiration of it So God dealeth with us many times Le ts the Law loose against us puts us in feare casts us into Prison and threatneth condemnation in Hell for ever so that when mercy commeth to the Soulâ— beeing now lost in it selfe and at the Pits brinke it appeares to bee a wonderfull mercy the riches of exceeding mercy most seasonable most sweet most ravishing Why doe so many find no savour in the Gospell Is it because there is no matter of sweetnesse or delight in it No it is because they have not tasted of not been soundly toucht and terrified by the Law and the spirit of bondage They have not smarted nor as yet been afflicted with a sense of the bitternesse of sinne nor of iust punishment due unto the same God therefore sends into our hearts the spirit of feare and bondage to prepare us to rellish mercy And then the spirit of adoption not to feare againe And thus by this order the one is magnified and highly esteemed by the fore-going sense of the other 2. Secondly for our good and that two waies first in Iustification secondly and in Sanctification 1. For the first wee are such strangers unto God that wee will never come unto Him till wee see no other remedy being at the Pits brinke ready to starue hopelesse c. Wee see it in the prodigall Sonne He would never thinke of any returne unto his Father till all other helpes failed Him money friends acquaintance all sorts of food Nay if Hee might have fed upon huskes with the Swine Hee would not have thought of returning any more to his Father This beeing denied him the Text saith Hee came to Himselfe shewing us that when Men runne on in sinfull courses they are mad men out of themselves even as wee see thâ—se in Bedlam are beaten kept under denâ—ed comforts till they come to themselves And what faith Hee then I will arise and goe to my Father and will say unto Him Father I have sinned against heaven and against Thee c. So it is with us untill the Lord humble and bring us low in our owne eyes show us our misery and spirituall poverty and that in us there is no good thing that wee bee stript of all helpeâ— in and without our selves and see that wee must perish unlesse wee beg His mercy I say untill then wee will not seeke his face and favour nor have recourse to Iesus Christ the rocke of our salvation It is with us in this Case as it was with the Women whom Christ healed of the bloody issue How long was it ere shee came to Christ She had been sicke twelve yeeres She had spent all her living upon Physitions neither could she bee healed of any Now this extremity brought Her to Iesus Christ. This then is the meanes to bring to Christ To bring us upon our knees to drive us out of our selues hopelesse as low as may bee To shew us where helpe is onely to bee found and make us runne unto it The hunted Beast flies unto his Den The Israelites being stung by fiery Serpents made hast to the Brazen Serpent a Type of Christ for helpe The Man-killer under the Law chaced by the avenger of blood ranâ—e a pace to the City of refuge Ioab being pursued for his life fled to the Tabernacle of the Lord and laid fast hold upon the horneâ— of the Altar A wounded man hies unto the Surgeon Proportionably a poore Soule broken and bruised with the insupportable burden of all his abominations bleeding at heart-roote under sense of Divine wrath by the cutting edge of the Sword of the Spirit managed
life no acquaintance at all with the waies of God but continue cursedly carelesse what becomes of the Gospell or Gods children so that they may rise grow rich and sleepe in a whole skinne 8. By this time now is he become the drunkards song table-talke to those that sit in the gate Musicke to great men at their feasts a By-word to the children of fooles and the children of villaines men viler then the earth whose fathers hee would have disdained to have set with the doggs of his flocke And what then Even thus they dealt with David Iob Ieremie Nay they told the Sonne of God himselfe in whom the Godhead dwelt bodily that he was a Samaritane and had a Devill What man of braine then that gives his name to Christ and lookes to bee saved will looke for exemption Especially sith all the contumelies and contemptes all those nick-names of Puritan Precisian Hypocrite Humorist Factionist c. with which lewd tongues are woont to load the Saints of God are so many honourable badges of their worthy deportment in the holy path and resolute standing on the Lords side Some noble Romans having done some singular service to the state and after troubled and handled violently in some privat Cases were woont to bare their bodies and to shew in open court the scars and impressions of those woundes which they had received in their Countries cause as characters of speciall honour and strongest motives to commiseration So many lying imputations unworthy usages and persecutions in any kinde for profession of godlinesse which the faithfull Christian shall bring to the Iudgement seate of Christ so many glorious and roiall representations of excellency of spirit and height of courage in Christian causes shall they bee accounted in the sight and censure of almighty God and the blessed Angels and make him more amiable and admirable in the face of heaven and earth Thus much of the Theorie as it were I come now to the Practicke part To a particular application of some speciall soveraigne Antidotes to the most grievous ordinary maladies incident to the soules of the Saints But first give mee leave to premise some generall well-heads out of which do spring abundance of comfort and overflowing rivers of refreshing for all intents and effects in point of temptation and trouble of minde 1. And first take a fruitfull cluster and heavenly heape of them together those twelve heads of extraordinary immeasurable comfortable matter for spirituall medicines which I have heretofore erected as so many invincible bulwarkes against all assaults of despaire oppositions of Satan exceptions of distrust 1. The infinitenesse of Gods mercy sweetely intimated Isa. 55.6.7.8 The mercy of God is like himselfe infinite All our sinnes are finite both in number and nature Now betweene finite and infinite there is no proportion and so no possibility of resistance And therefore bee thy sinnes never so notorious and numberlesse yet in a truly broken heart thirsting for and throwing it selfe upon Christ unfainedly resolving upon new-obedience and his glorious service for the time to come can no more withstand or stand before Gods mercies then a little sparke the boundlesse and mighty Ocean throwne into the midst of it nay infinitely lesse If all the sinnes that all the Sonnes and daughters of Adam have committed since the Creation to this time were all upon one soule yet so affected as I have sayd and put into such a new penitent gracious temper it should be most certainly upon good ground and everlastingly safe I speake not thus to make any secure for any one sinne pleasing and raigning will ruine a soule for ever But to assure of mercy enough how great or many so ever the sinnes haue been if the heart bee now truly humbled for them all and wholly turned heaven-ward 2. The unvaluablenesse of Christs meritorious blood Which is call'd the blood of God and therefore of inestimable price Vnderstand mee aright It was the blood of God not of the God-head but of him who was both God and man For the man-hood of Christ was received into the union of the second person And so it may bee called the blood of God for so speakes S. Paul Act. 20.28 God purchased his Church with his owne blood that is Christ God incarnate Our Devines expresse it thus It was the Sonne of God and Lord of life that died for us upon the Crosse but it was the nature of man not of God wherein he died and it was the nature of God and infinite excellency of the same whence the price valew and worth of his passion grew This blessed blood then is of infinite efficacie and therefore if thou be now turning to the Lord assure thy selfe whatsoever thy sinnes have beene they have not out-gone the price that hath been payd for them This blood upon repentance did take off the transcendent scarlet guilt from the soules even of those that shed it Act. 2. c. 3. The riches of the Word in affording precedents of the Saints and of the Sonne of God himselfe who have surpassed thee and that perhaps very farre in any kinde of miserie thou canst name Thou art perhaps consulting with the Prodigall to come-in but there comes terribly into thy minde the extraordinary hainousnesse of thy former sinnes and that hinders Cast thine eie then upon Manasses a man of prodigious impiety and matchlesse villany Hee shed innocent blood very much till hee had filled Ierusalem from one end to another Hee did that which was evill in the sight of the Lord like unto the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel Hee caused his children to passe through the firâ—â— in the valley of the sonne of Hinnom also Hee observed times and used inchantments and used witch-craft and dealt with a familiar spirit and with wizzards Hee wrought much evill in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger c. And yet this great sinner humbling himselfe greatly before the God of his Fathers was received to mercy Suppose which yet were a horrible thing that after conversion by extraordinary violence of temptation strong in-snarement of some sudden sensuall offer and opportunity treacherous insinuation of thy owne false heart and furious re-assault of thy former bosome-sin Thou shouldest be overtaken grossely with some grievous sin and scandalous fal and then upon illumination remorse and meditation of returne reason thus within thy selfe Alas what shall I doe now I have undone all I have wofully againe defiled my soule so fairely washed in my Saviours blood with that dis-avowed sinne of my unregenerate time I have shamed my profession disgraced religion for ever I have broke my vowes lost my peace and my woonted blessed communion with my God c. And therefore what hope can I have of any acceptation againe at the Throne of grace I say in this case to keepe thee
the disease is dangerously upon us for recovery There was given unto Paul a Thorne in the flesh c. If wee will take the interpretation of some learned Divines A wound in the spirit the sting of Conscience pressing Him downe to the nethermost Hell in His sense that was erst taken up to the highest Heaven upon purpose lest Hee should swell with spirituall pride bee puft up and exalted aboue measure with the abundance of revelations If wee well weigh the admirable story of that gracious and holy servant of Christ Mistris Bretâ—ergh wee may probably conceive that a principall end why those most grievous spirituall afflictions of Soule upon Her last Bed were laide upon Her was in Gods just judgement to blind yet more those bloody Papists about Her and because they wilfully shut their eies against that glorious Light of true religion which shee so blessedly and fruitfully exprest in her godly life to let them thereby sincke yet deepelier into strong delusion that they might sticke still more stiffely to Popish lies According to that Prophecy of the Antichristians a Thess. 2.10.11.12 Because they received not the love of the truth that they might bee saved For this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie That they all might bee damned who believed not the truth c. Which wee see at this day verified with a witnesse in Popish Doctours even their greatest Schollers as Bellarmine and other Polemicall Writers And therefore let us never marvaile that tho they bee loaden with much learning yet that they should lie â—gregiously and defend with infinite obstinacy and clamour the Doctrine of Divels that accursed Hydra of Heresies in their voluminous Dunghils Now Gods judgement in hardning them hereby as I have said was the more iust because they were so farre from beeing wrought upon and wonne by Her heavenly conversation that they were extraordinarily enraged against Her goodnesse and Profession of the Gospell As appeares in that besides their continuall rayling and roaring against Her as an eminent Light like so many furious Bedlams they barbarously wreckt their malice and spite upon the dumbe and innocent creatures by killing at two severall times Her Husbands Horses and Cattell in the night That her fiery Triall thorow which shee passed as purest gold into Abrahams bosome did thus harden them is manifest by the Event For as the reverent Pen-man of that story reports Those of the Romish faction bragged as though an Oracle had come from Heaven to proove them Catholicks and us Hereticks Prodigious folly Damnable delusion It is so then that God in His inflicting of afflictions doth not ever aime at sinne as at the principall end And yet doe not mistake Tho Hee punishes sometimes and not for sinne yet never without sinne either inherent or imputed There is ever matter enough in our sinnefull Soules and Bodies and lives to afflict us infinitely The best of us brought with us into this world that corruption which might bring upon us all the plagues of this and the other life Every man hath in Himselfe sufficient fewell for the fire of Gods wrath to worke upon still if it pleased Him in justice to set it on flame As in the present Point of spirituall terrours and troubles of minde if God should out of His just and causefull indignation put the full sting but into the least sinne it were able to put a man into the very mouth of Hell But I speake of Gods more ordinary wayes and dealings with the Sonnes of men And so I say God may sometimes for some hidden and holy ends seene and seeming good to His heavenly wisedome bring a lesse hainous sinner thorow extraordinary horrour out of his naturall state into the good way 2. Aggravation of horrour is occasioned terrours and troubles may bee multiplyed and enlarged in our enlargement from the state of darkenesse and Chaines of the Divell by 1. Some precedents and preparatives which God sometimes in His unsearchable wisedome doth immediately premise or suffer to fall out As 1. Some heavy crosse and grievous affliction to make the power of the Law more passable and fall more heavily upon our stubborne and stony hearts This wee see in Manasses who was as it were fired out of His bloody and abomiable courses by the heavinesse and horrour of His chaines And so was humbled greatly before the God of His Fathers Gods extraordinary angry visitations make men many times cry with troubled and grieved hearts Come Let us turne unto the Lord Hee hath wounded us c. a. Strange terrours sometimes arising from externall Accidents yea hidden naturall causes uncouth visions and apparitions full of amazement and feare Bodily distempers horrible injections hideous thoughts c. Whereby they are mightily affrighted before hand and prepared to passe thorow the Pangs of the New-birth more terribly 3. Some hainous and crying sinne which He suffers some to fall into and immediately upon it awakes the Conscience That Almighty Physition who is able to bring health out of poison death out of life Light out of darkenesse Heaven out of Hell may by accident as they say prepare One to conversion by giving Him over to the height of some One or moe abhorred abominations and crimson sinnes As wee may see in Peters Hearers Act. 2. Paul Manasses the sinnefull Woman Publicans and Harlots left to the killing of Christ spilling the blood of the Saints those horrible out-rages extreme filth extorsions pollutions Physitions by ripening diseases make way to heale them For sicke matter is never more easily removed then when it exceedeth in ripenesse and quantity 4. Lying long in ignorance sensuality dissolute life without profitable and powerfull meanes In this Case upon the first awaking and affrighting the Conscience for sinne it may bee exposed to many terrible perplexities and longer continued terrours For the light of Naturall Conscience bred with them in their owne bosomes may in the meane time serve to enrage and torture as wee see in many guilty Heathens but there is no naturall light to leade us to Christ and Evangelicall comforts The commandements have ground in nature but the mysterie of the Gospell is wholly supernaturall Wee finde it by manifold experience what an hard and heavy Taske it is to undertake a poore ignorant Soule troubled in minde The Cure is many times very difficult dangerous and long The darkenesse of their ignorance beeing now distressed in Conscience is very fit and fearefull matter for Satan to worke in hideously and to play his pestilent prankes of most grosse impostures and much Hellish cruelty His malicious maine Plot against such ordinarily is and His utmost endeavour to drive them to Selfe-destruction if it bee possible before they get understanding in the waies of God of wee can get any competent light and comfort into their consciences 2. Some concurrent circumstances As 1. The melancholike and sad constitution of the Party That
there must bee a third thing To take them to our selves to beleeve they are ours and there needes a worke of the Spirit for this For tho the promises bee never so cleare yet having nothing but the promises you shall never bee able to apply them to your selves But when the holy Ghost shall say Christ is thine All these things belong to Thee and God is thy Father when that shall witnesse to our spirit by a worke of His owne Then shall wee beleeve c This is the order observed in our iustification 1. First There is a sight of our misery to which wee are brought by the Law 2. Secondly There is by the Gospell an holding forth of Christ as our redemption from sin and death 3. Thirdly there is a working of Faith in the heart to rest on Christ as the ransome from sinne and death Now when a man is come hither Hee is truly and really iust Wee teach that in trve conversion a man must bee wounded in his conscience by the sense of his sinnes His contrition must bee compungent and vehement bruising breaking renting the heart and feeling shee throwes as a woman labouring of Childe before the new-Creature bee brought forth or Christ truly formed in Him It is not done without bitternesse of the Soule without care indignation revenge 2. Cor. 7.11 But as some Infants are borne with lesse paine to the mother and some with more so may the new-man be regenerated in some with more in some with lesse anxiety of travell But surely grace is not infused into the heart of any sinner except there bee at least so great affliction of Spirit for sinne foregoing that He cannot but â—eele it c. This bruising is required before conversion 1. That so the Spirit may make way for it selfe into the heart by levelling all proud high thoughts c 2. To make vs set an high price upon Christs death This is the cause of relapses and Apostasies because men never smarted for sin at the first They were not long enough under the lash of the Law Hence this inferiour worke of the Spirit in bringing downe high thoughts is necessary before conversion By this time it doth most clearly and plentifully appeare what a foule and fearefull fault it is for men either in the managing of their Publike ministery or more private Passages of conference visitations of the sicke consultations about a good estate to Godward and other occasions of like nature to apply Iesus Christ and the promises to promise life and safety in the evill Day to Soules as yet not soundly illightned and afflicted with sight of sinne and sense of Gods wrath to consciences never truly wounded and awaked I insisted the longer upon this Point because I know it full well to bee a most universall and prevailing Policy of the Devill whereby hee keepes many thousands in His cursed slavery and from salvation To confirme as many Pastours as Hee can possibly willing enough to drive their Flocks before them to damnation in an ignorant or affected Preiudice and forbearance of that saving method of bringing Soules out of Hell mentioned before and made good with much variety of evidence And to nourish also in the hearts of naturall men a strong and sturdy disconceite opposition raging against downe-right dealing and those men of God able as they say but falsely and furiously against their owne Soules by their terrible teaching to drive their hearers to distraction Selfe-destruction or despaire who take the only right course to convert them and to bring them to Iesus Christ as Hee Himselfe invites them to wit labouring and heauy laden with their sinnes Matth. 11.28 Dawbers then who serue Satans craft in this kinde and all those who dispence their ministery without all spirituall discretion and good conscience of whom there are too many as great strangers to the right way of working grace in others as to the worke of grace in themselves I say they are a generation of dangerous men Old excellent as they say in an accursed Art of conducting poore blinded Soules merrily towards everlasting miserie and setting them downe in the very midst of Hell before they bee sensible of any danger or discovery of their damnable state Great men they are with the men of this world with al those wise fooles and sensuall great ones who are not willing to bee tormented before their time or rather who desire impossibly to live the life of pleasures in the meane time and yet at last to die the death of the righteous They have still ready at hand hand over head mercy and pardon Heaven and salvation for all commers and all they come neere without so much as a desire to put any difference or divide the pretious from the vile Which is a prodigâ—â—usly-arrogant folly pernicious in the highest degree both to their own soules and those they delude Heâ—â—e 〈◊〉 they are branded in the Booke of God calling them 〈◊〉 Sâ—wers under mens elboes Ezek. 1â— 1â— That 〈◊〉 laid soft and lockt fast in the Cradle of security thâ—â— may sinke suddenly into the Pit of destruction before they be aware Criers of peace peace when no peace is towards Ier. 6.14 but horrible stirs tumbling of garments in bloud burning and devouring of fire A â—â—n-pleasers â—alat 1.10 who chuse rather to tickle the itching eares of their carnall hearers with some fâ—othy Frier-like conceits out of Dung-hill 〈◊〉 And so smooth Great Ones in their humours by their cowardly flatteries especially if they any waies depend upon them for countenance rising and preferment rather then conscionably to discharge that trust 〈◊〉 upon them by their great Lord and Master in Heaven upon answerablenes for the bloud of those Soules which shal perish by their temporizing silence and flattering vnfaithfulnesse Healers of the hurt of their Hearers with 〈◊〉 words Ier. 6.14 while their Soules are 〈◊〉 by the wounds of sinne unto eternall death Preachers of smooth things Isa. 30.10 which kinde of Men the greatest part and all worldlings wonderfully affect and applaud tho to their owne everlasting vndoing They swell under such Teachers with a Pharisaicall conceite that they are as safe for salvation as the precisest of them all but alas their hope is but like a hollow wall which beeing put to any stresse when the tempest of Gods searching wrath begins to shake it in the time of a finall triall of it's truth and soundnesse it shatters into pieces and comes to naught Heare the Prophet Now go write it before them in a table and note it in a booke that it may bee for the time to come for ever and ever That this is a rebellious people lying children children that wil not heare the Law of the Lord which say to the Seers see not and to the Prophets prophesie not unto us right things speake unto us smooth things prophesie deceits Get you out of the way turne aside out
of the path cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel Because ye despise this word and trust in oppression and perversenesse and stay thereon Therefore this iniquity shal bee to you as a breach ready to fall swelling out in a high wall whose breaking commeth suddenly at an instant And Hee shall breake it as the breaking of the potters vessell that is broken in pieces hee shall not spare so that there shal not be found in the bursting of it a sheard to take fire from the harth or to take water with all out of the Pit Dawbers with untempered morter Ezech. 13.11 Who erect in the conceits of those who are willing to bee deluded by them Pharises at the best a rotten Building of false hope like a mudde-wall without straw or morter made onely of sand without lime to binde it which in faire weather makes a faire shew for a while but when abundance of raine falls and winter comes it moulders away and turnes to myre in the streetes Their vaine confidence in prosperous times before it come to the Touchstone of the fiery triall by Gods searching Truth may seeme currant But in the tempest of Gods wrath when the stormy winters night of death approacheth or at furthest at the iudgement Seate of the iust and Highest God it prooves to bee counterfeite when at last they shall cry Lord Lord like the foolish Virgins And those Mat. 7. in steade of imaginary comfort they shal bee crusht with horrible and everlasting confusion Heare the Prophet Say unto them which daube it with untempered morter that it shall fall there shall bee an overflowing showre and yee O great haile stones shall fall and a stormy winde shall rent it Loe when the wall is fallen shall it not bee said unto you where is the daubing wherewith yee have daubed it Therfore thus saith the Lord God I will rent it with a stormy winde in my fury and there shall be an overflowing showre in mine anger and great hailestones in my fury to consume it So wil I breake downe the wall that yee have daubed with untempered morter and bring it downe to the ground so that the foundation thereof shal bee discovered and it shall fall and yee shall bee consumed in the midst thereof and yee shall know that I am the Lord. Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall and upon them that have it dawbed with untempered morter and will say unto you The wall is no more neither they that daubed it To wit the Prophets of Israel which prophesie concerning Ierusalem and which see visions of peace for Her and there is no peace saith the Lord God Such as with lies make the heart of the righteous sad whom God hath not made sad and strengthen the hands of the wicked that Hee should not returne from His wicked way by promising Him life Ezech. 13.22 These fellowes hold and beare meere civill men in hand that their estate is sound enough to Godward whatsoever the purer and preciser Brethren prate to the contrary and yet the holy Ghost tells us that without holinesse no man shall see the Lord. Hebr. 12.14 That formall Professours are very forward men whereas Iesus Christ professeth that Hee will spew the luke-warme out of His mouth Nay and if there bee talke even of a good fellow especially of some more commendable naturall parts and plausible carriage if Hee be so but moderately that I may so speake and not iust every day drunke well well will they say wee have all our faults and that is His. But as concerning the faithfull servant of God they are woont to entertaine the same conceite of Him which Ahab did of Elijah to wit that Hee was a troubler of Israel Which one of the captaines had of the Prophet sent to annoint Iehu that Hee was a mad fellow which the false Prophets had of Micaiah that Hee was a fellow of a singular and od humour by Himselfe and guided by a private spirit of His owne which Tertullus had of Paul that he was a pestilent fellow which the Pharises had of Christs Followers that they were a contemptible and cursed generation a company of base rude illiterate underlings Nay sometimes when the bedlam fit is upon them they will not sticke to charge Gods people in some proportion most wickedly and falsely as the ancient Heathens did the primitive Christians with conventicles and meetings of hatefull impurities faction disaffection to Caesar and many other horrible things whereas poore Soules they were most innocent and infinitely abhorred all such villanies And they met in the morning even before Day not to doe God knowes any such ill but for the service of God even their more ingenuous adversaries being witnesses to sing prayses to Christ. God to confirme their discipline forbidding all manner of sinne c. with all the miscarriages miseries and calamities that fell vpon the State as tho they were the causes Whereas those few neglected Ones which truly serve God are the onely men in all Places where they live to make up the hedge and to stand in the gappe against the threatned inundations of Gods dreadfull wrath and all the Opposites to their holy Profession are the true Cut-throats of Kingdomes able by their dissolutenesse and disgracing godlinesse to dissolve the sinewes of the strongest state upon Earth Looke upon Amos 4.1.2 And there you shall finde who they are which cause God to enter a controversie with the Inhabitants of a Land Heare how Austin describes some of these Selfe-seeking and Soule-murthering Dawbers in His Daies Farre be it from us saith Hee that we should say unto you live as you list doe not trouble your selves God will cast away none onely hold the Christian Faith Hee will not destroy that which He hath redeemed He will not destroy those for whom He hath shed His blood And if you please to recreate your selves at Plaies you may go what hurt is there in it And you may go to those Feasts which are kept in all Townes by joviall companions making themselues merry as they suppose at these publike meetings comessations but indeed rather making themselves most miserable I say you may go and be jovial Gods mercy is great and may pardon all Crowne your selves with Roses before they wither You may fill your selves with good cheere and wine amongst your good-fellow companions For the creature is giuen unto us for that purpose that wee may enjoy it If wee say these things peradventure wee shall hâ—ve greater multitudes applaude and adhere unto our Doctrine And if there bee some which thinke that speaking these things wee are not well advisde wee offend but a few and those precise Ones But wee winnâ— thereby a world of people But if wee shall thus doe speaking not the words of God not the words of Christ but