againe the second time Well Christ opens the mystery of regeneration and the secrecy of it the second time and when Nichodemus could not comprehend what Christ had spoken yet hee would hold his owne and said how can this be I cannot conceive it because he could not comprehend it therefore he throwes all away Marke how Christ hits him in the right veine and strikes him to the bottome and see how hee tames him Art thou a Master in Israel and a Doctor in Law and yet art such a novice in this worke of regeneration downe with that proud heart of thine Lay downe all thy carnall reasoning and become a foole and so thou may understand this truth that is communicated to thee This is ordinary amongst us for a man to say I cannot beleeve it I see it not and I thinke not so and yet they have no reason at all to carry them but because they cannot comprehend it by that light which they have therefore they will not yeild to any reason because they cannot see it by their owne light they will not use Gods spectacles as I may so say looke how much of this carnall reasoning thou hast so much pride thou haste and this is very much specially in the most ignorantest Soules Secondly because of the weakenesse and feeblenesse of their judgements which are not able to hold a truth when they have it in their hands but it goes away like lightening and because the minds of these poore creatures are over-worne with many thoughts and cursed reasonings and troubled therewith they grow unable to helpe themselves against those distempers And hence it is that though the Word of God be let in and made cleare yet a man stoopes to those conceits and cursed reasonings that have beene attended to so that they take of the power of the truth As it is with a Ferriman hee applyes the Oare and lookes home-ward to the Shore where he would be yet there comes a gust of winde that carryes him backe againe whether he will or no So many a poore humbled creature that is truly wrought upon and hath a true title to Christ he applyes his Oare and would have assurance of mercy from Christ yet the over-whelming of carnall reasonings and cursed suggestions that are either cast in or stirred up in his heart throwes him backe againe and take of the power of the truth insomuch that he can see nothing nor yeild to any thing for the good and comfort of his Soule I take this to be the ground of all the trouble that befals a broken heart Let any man under heaven give mee the reason of this why any Soule that is truely burthened for sinnes as sinne and hath found God marvellous gracious to him this way why I say after all his cavils are remooved and all his objections are fully answered and all controversies are ended and this often done yet a poore broken hearted creature will still recoyle to his former carnall reasonings againe the reason is because all the answers that were given are now forgotten and all his cavils and carnall conceits will be fresh in his minde as ever they were partly from the haunt they have had in his minde and partly from that selfe-willy waywardnesse of the heart that is content to goe that way They that have beene long over-whelmed with these cursed carnall cavellings they will rather labour to oppose a direction then to hold it and to walke in the comfort of it onely because of the weakenesse of their understandings and their carnall reasonings are so violent against them Vpon this hindge it is that as I take it all the objections of a company of poore broken hearted doe hang and by this meanes they keepe out that comfort which they might have and in the strength whereof they might walke all their dayes I might propound many instances as thus come to a contrite Soule and say to him why walkest thou so uncomfortably seeing thou hast now a title to mercy and salvation in Christ see what he replies I a title to mercy nay I am utterly unworthy of that title it is a great gift and few have it and I have beene a vile wretch and an enemy to God and his glory what I a title to mercy we reply againe God gives grace to the unworthy he justifies the ungodly and not the godly and if he will give you mercy too what then hee replyes againe What mercy to me Nay it is prepared for those that are fitted for it had I such a measure of humiliation and so much grace if I were so and so fitted and if my heart were thus disposed then I might have some hope to receive it wee reply againe But have not you beene weary of your corruptions and are you not content that God should doe that for you which you cannot doe for your selves this is the qualification which God accepts and requires and by which hee fits the Soule for mercy unlesse you have that other of your own conceits you will have none and so you deprive your selves of mercy you have a childs part and a good portion too if your proud hearts would suffer you to see it Then the Soule saith I would have the Lord say to my Soule be of good comfort I am thy Salvation if the Lord would witnesse this to mee by his Spirit then I could beleeve it content then only let us agree upon the manner how it must be done and how God shall speake it Will you then yeild it Yes then know this what the Word saith the Spirit saith for the hand and the sword the Word and the Spirit goe both together For as the text saith My Word and my Spirit are one Then take the Word and lay thy heart levell to it and see it The Word saith Every one that is wearie shall be refreshed Hast not thou beene weary and hast not thou seene sin worse then hell it selfe The Text the Word the Lord and his Spirit saith Thou shouldst come and the Spirit saith thou shalt be refreshed Oh saith the sinner I cannot finde this assurance and this witnesse of Gods Spirit I cannot see it and I cannot beleeve it Thus he leaves the judgement of the Word and Spirit and cleaves to the judgement of his finding and feeling and thus he judgeth Gods favour in regard of his own imaginations and not according to the witnesse of the Word and Spirit the Spirit saith Thou art fitted for mercy but because thy ignorant blinde minde conceives it not hence it is that thou shuttest the doore against the mercy of God revealed and that would be setled upon thy Soule for thy everlasting comfort Thinke of this and say Whether is it fit that my wit should determine my estate or the word of God Will you determine the cause and perke into the place of judgement and say I feele it not and I feare it Is not all this carnall reason Here they runne amaine even
that is you will not goe out from your selves to the Lord Christ and therefore cannot receive mercy and grace from his Majesties hands though thou art never so base and vile if thou couldst goe to the Lord Iesus and rest upon him for mercy nothing should stand betweene thee and heaven but if thou stickest in thy selfe all the grace in Christ can doe thee no good Secondly This carnall confidence makes a man unprofitable under all the meanes that God bestowes Ier. 17.5 6. As the Prophet Ieremy saith Cursed is he that trusts in the arme of flesh and departs from the Lord Why What shall become of him the text saith he shall be like an heath in the wildernesse and shall never see good The nature of the heath is this though all the dew of heaven and all the showers in the world fall upon it and though the Sunne shine never so hotly it will never grow fruitfull it will never yield any fruit of increase but it is unfruitfull still Such a Soule thou wilt be thou that restest upon thy own services sayest because thou hearest and prayest and doest sanctifie the Lords Day therefore thou must needs goe to heaven I say thou shalt never see good by all the meanes of grace if thou makest them independent causes of salvation all the promises in the Gospel shall never establish thee and all the judgements in the world will never terrifie thee thou shalt never have any saving grace wrought in thee by them The truth is hee that hath all meanes and hath not a Christ in all hee shall never see good by all Therefore thou that restest upon thy parts and gifts and upon thy duties thou wilt have a heart so besotted that grace will never come into thy heart and God will never quiet thy conscience It may be a poore drunkard is converted and humbled but thou standest still and canst get no good by all the means in the world Therefore say thus to thy selfe doth this carnall confidence cut mee off from all the grace and mercy that is in Christ and without mercy and pardon from Christ I am undone for ever and without grace I am a poore defiled wretch here and shall be damned for ever after if I rest here I may bid adue to all mercy Nay all the meanes that I have never doe mee good Is this the fruit of my carnall confidence Oh Lord withdraw my heart from it Lastly When all the meanes of grace will not plucke away the Soule from resting upon it selfe The fourth meanes when reason will not rule him nor meanes will not prevaile with a poore sinner as commonly a great while they will not then the Lord tires a poore Soule with his owne distempers And the Lord deales with the Soule as an enemy deales with a Castle that he hath besieged When the Citizens will not yield up the Castle he famisheth them and cuts off all provision and makes them consume within and so at last they are forced to resigne it up upon any termes So When the Lord hath laid siege to a carnall heart and hath shewed him his woefull condition and yet the heart will not of nor will not take up any termes of peace but still hee will shift for himselfe Now what doth the Lord doe hee takes away the comfort of all the meanes that he hath till hee is famished with the want of Gods favour and then hee is content to yield up all to the God of heaven and earth It was just so with this Prodigall all the world could not perswade him but he might live better of his portion and so away hee goes and when hee had tried the world and could get no succour at last he confest it was better to be at a fathers finding and now he saw that a fathers house was admirably good and that the servants and children in their fathers house are happy for they have bread enough and enough againe and to spare too and so hee is forced to returne So it is with many poore distressed soules all the arguments under heaven cannot quiet them and all the meanes in the world cannot plucke them from themselves and we tell them daily that they must not expect grace nor power nor pardon from themselves 2 Ioh. 3. It is mercy and peace saith the Apostle You would have peace of conscience and pardon of sinne and assurance of Gods love and whence would you have it you would have it from your duties it is not prayer and peace nor hearing and peace but it is mercy and peace and therefore away to the Lord Iesus that you may receive mercy from him Yet we cannot get poore creatures from themselves but they would faine shuffle for themselves and have a little comfort of their owne and they say Lord cannot my prayers my care and fasting merit salvation Now what doth God then he saith to such a Soule goe try then put to the best of thy strength and use all the meanes that thou canst and see what thou canst doe See if thou canst cure thy conscience and heale those wounds of thine and subdue the corruptions of thy heart with thy prayers and abilities but when the Soule hath made triall and weltred and wearied it selfe at last he finds that all the meanes he can use cannot quiet him nor comfort his conscience and the poore sinner is pinched and wearied and the Lord will not answer his prayers nor sweeten the desires of his Soule and the Lord will not blesse the Word to him for his comfort and at last the Soule saith Such a poore Christian even a man of meane parts and weake gifts how is he comforted and such a profane drunkard is puld home and hath gotten the assurance of Gods love The Lord hath puld downe the proud hearts of such and such and they live comfortably and sweetly and I have no peace nor assurance of Gods love You may thanke your selves for it they saw nothing and they looked for nothing from themselves and therefore they went home to the gate of mercy to the Lord Iesus Christ and they have bread enough if you would come home to Christ you might have beene comforted also Now therefore goe to the Lord Iesus Christ and as certainly as God is in heaven refreshing and comfort will come into your hearts and mercy which is better then marrow shall satisfie those feeble fainting spirits of yours You see what the way is and what the helps be to pluck off our hearts from resting upon these duties and therefore thinke thus with thy selfe and say is my misery so great and are my duties so weake and is my carnall confidence so dangerous that I may be troubled for ever for any thing that I can doe of my selfe and is comfort no where else to be had but in the Lord Iesus Christ Oh then Lord worke my heart to this duty Sticke not in your selves doe all this but goe
a-breast against their owne comfort and will not receive the Word that might convey what comfort is needfull for them I charge every poore Soule to make conscience of resisting the word of God as you desire to make conscience of lying and stealing This is a sinne though not so great as the other Make conscience of this carnall cavelling pull downe those proud hearts lay downe all those carnall reasonings and let the word of God rule you then comfort will come amaine I take this for a truth That when the heart is truly humbled and prepared for mercie and rightly informed and conuicted of the way to salvation the cause why the heart cannot receive comfort it is meere pride of a mans spirit one way or other it is not because he will not nor because God will not but because hee listens to what his carnall reason saith and not to the plaine will and word of God I say make conscience of it and then comfort will come amaine into your Soules The second triall of the degree of humiliation The second triall of the measure of our humiliation is this Looke to thy discouragements For as the discouragements of thy course are so is the pride of thy heart If the stream run amain here there is much pride if little discouragement then there is little pride This is nothing else but when the Soule out of the feare of evill that it either feeles or expects and the price that it puts upon it selfe and that it lookes for from it selfe it is nothing else but the sinking of the soule below it selfe As the Author to the Hebrewes saith Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himselfe Heb. 12.3 least you grow weary and faint in your owne mindes The word in the Originall is as if their sinewes were shrunke This is an undoubted argument and evidence of so much pride as this doth appeare When a man is driven to a desperate stand and comes to lay a dispondencie and to lay himselfe too low and is not able to beare the blow that God layes upon him for were the Soule as willing to take the want of good if God denie it as to take good when God gives it it would not be so discouraged The heart is content to have good but if God take away this good hee is not content to be at Gods disposing therein but if this good goe away hee sinks and is discouraged and this argues pride The heart desires to have riches and especially honours in the world happily God denies this throwes filth and disgrace upon his person and now the Soule is desperatly downe and forlorne in himselfe So much as thou hast of this so much pride thou hast Why art thou not content that God take away any thing the truth is thou wouldest be at thine owne disposing and that which thou wouldst have thou art not able to want Now because this is a thing that wee must take speciall notice of know therefore that this discouragement appeares in these severall passages and pride vents it selfe in them all First This keepes a man from comming to the worke when he is called to it Signes of a discouraged heart Though the Word of God is never so plaine and his calling to it never so cleare yet he is loath to come in at Gods call and when he is come hee is quickly weary and saith what doe I heare Aske God that because he thinks he shall not finde the successe that he desires therefore he is loath to come to it this is horrible pride Thus it was with Ionah he was sent to Nineveh and because hee thought God would shew mercy to them and he should be accounted a false Prophet therefore he would not goe but turnes to Tarshish hee was not able to beare the crossing of himselfe Secondly It damps the Soule and as I may so say it knocks of the wheeles of a mans endeavours when hee sets upon the worke and it kils him at the roote As the Prophet David saith Why art thou cast downe within mee oh my soule Psal 43.5 why art thou so disquieted within me As a man that awakens from a swound he wonders at himselfe so did this Holy man Thus it comes to passe that the Soule recoyles upon it selfe and the heart gives in and he as it were trips up his owne heeles that howsoever a man is able to doe duties yet by reason of discouragements he is not able to put forth that which he can doe for feare he should not doe that which he would Thirdly this discouragement marvellously distempers a man after the worke When the worke is done by others if they finde acceptance and have good successe this comes like cold water upon the Soule and then hee goes away and saith Oh hee is fit for nothing and hee is unable to doe any thing as if a man should say Hee hath no light because another mans candle burnes clearer then his but after his owne worke all his care is what will become of the businesse and how his labour and how his Sermon tooke what approvement of his gifts and what admiration of his parts and if the acceptation of others answer not his desires then his Soule sinks downe and hee is even weary of himselfe his worke and all If no man commend him and the worke is not approved then hee complaines of himselfe this way and that way and begins to disparage himselfe onely to fish out commendation from others and to see what they will say if they commend him then hee goes away rejoycing if not then he sinks specially if hee have not grace to goe in secret by prayer to quicken up himselfe with some promise after that drunken fit So the truth is plaine it is wonderfull to see what pride there is One man is sicke of the sullen because the breath of men departs and hee falls short of that which he expected Though I should prepare my selfe never so well yet if the Lord did stop my mouth now in the pulpit let me be humbled but comforted and contented therewith The third Triall of the measure of our humiliation is this discontentednesse in a mans occasions The third triall of the measure of our Humiliation and so much of this as there is so much pride thou hast in thy heart where this discontentednesse growes there is this bitter roote of pride also The nature of a proud heart is not able to beare any superiour and if it be checked it falles to strange murmuring and gaine-saying This discontentednesse lets out it selfe in five particulars and there is a world of pride in them all First the Soule will grudge at the dispensation of God and snarle at the providence of the Almightie as if God had forgotten himselfe He quarrels exceedingly with the Almightie if God answer not his will and his hearts desire When the Lord had prevailed with the peoples hearts