we proceed unto the second grace whereof the right root of all true righteousnesse and goodnesse doth consist and that is a lively faith The point then that we are now to learne is this That all true love unto God and consequently all true godlinesse and uprightnesse of heart springeth from a lively faith even such a faith as maketh knowne to a man Gods love to him in Christ and maketh him able to receive Christ and to rest upon him See the proofe of this in foure degrees First Without faith it is not possible for a man to repent and forsake sinne in a right manner Sin shall not have dominion over you saith the Apostle Rom. 6.14 for ye are not under the law but under grace As if he had said Till you be under grace till by faith ye be assured of Gods gracious disposition towards you sinne will have dominion over you ye cannot helpe it ye cannot avoid it It is the bloud of Christ only applied by faith that purgeth the conscience from dead workes as the Apostle teacheth Heb. 9.14 Secondly Without faith it is not possible for a man to leade a godly life or to do anything that may please God Heb. 1â— 6 Without saith it is impossible to please God The life that I now live saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 that is my spirituall life I live by the faith of the sonne of God Thirdly Without faith it is not possible for a man to have an honest and upright heart all he doth will be in hypocrisie till he have a lively faith For it is faith that purifieth the heart Acts 15.9 and that sanctifieth it Acts 26. â—8 Fourthly and lastly Without a lively faith it is impossible to love the Lord. It is saith that worketh by love saith the Apostle Gal. 5.6 As if he had said faith is that that setteth love on working that giveth life and motion unto it This is that which the Apostle also teacheth 1 Tim. 1.5 The end of the commandement is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned As if he had said The true love of God which is the very end and perfection the fulfilling of every commandement of God which maketh us able to keepe the commandements and to account them no burden nothing grievous to us which giveth the price and valew in Gods sight to all our obedience springeth from a pure and upright heart and that from a good conscience and that from faith yea from faith unfeigned So that is the maine root of all The reasons hereof are two First Because faith is the onely thing that knitteth us to Christ and maketh him ours Christ dwelleth in our hearts by saith Ephes. 3.17 And till we bee knit to him and he be made ours there can be no goodnesse in us Of his fullnesse have we all received Ioh. 1.16 Without me ye can do nothing saith our Saviour Iohn 15.4 Secondly Because faith and faith onely maketh knowne to us that love of God as is effectuall to to breed in us a true love unto God It is an old and true proverbe and the truth of it is not so certaine in any case as in this magnes omoris amor Love is of an attractive nature like the load-stone to draw love unto it We love God saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.19 because he loved us first We can never love him till we be first perswaded of his love to us When the Sun in his full strength heate hath shined much upon it the stony pavement it self will reflect and send up an heate towards the sunne yea a greater heate then either the softer earth or the aire will but till the sun hath shined and shined much upon it it can send up no heate nor have any in it at all And even so it is with our cold and stony hearts when the knowledge and sense of Gods love hath warmed them then will they reflect love to God againe but till then they cannot But to handle this second reason more plainely and profitably two things are to be observed which I will distinctly speake of 1. Nothing but a lively faith can so assure us of Gods love to us as to kindle in our hearts a true love to God 2. A lively faith is able to doe this For the first It may bee objected that a man may bee sufficiently perswaded of Gods love to him though hee have not a lively faith For 1 Experience doth now and in all ages hath proved that many a most wicked man that is utterly void of true faith is fully perswaded that God loveth him and glorieth in nothing more then in that Hee maketh his boast of God as the Apostle speaketh of the wicked Iewes Rom. 2.17 The Lord speaking of some that did both in word and deed commit as much wickednes as they were able Ier. 3.5 yet saith of them ver 4. that these men would cry unto him My God thou art the guide of my youth And our Saviour saith that those cursed Iewes of whom hee pronounceth that the devill was their father Iohn 8.44 yet were themselves fully perswaded of Gods fatherly love unto them and could say of themselves verse 41 Wee have one father even God And what child of God know you upon earth that hath this word I thanke my God so much in his mouth as many a most wicked man hath 2 A man that hath no faith may yet have just cause to bee perswaded of Gods love towards him for God doth indeed love him and sheweth it many wayes that hee doth love him The Lord is good to all saith David Ps. 145.9 and his tender mercies are over all his works He is kind to the unthankefull and to the evill saith our Saviour Luke 6.25 Loe hee is good and kind and tenderly mercifull unto all even unto the worst men And upon whom doth not his light arise saith Bildad Iob 25.3 What man is there in the world that hath not sensible and comfortable experience of Gods love every day And why should not all men then be perswaded that God loveth them Now to this objection I have foure things to answer First It is very true that even these outward and common favours of God that all men enjoy are evident testimonies of Gods love and goodnesse In that hee giveth life and health and seasonable times in that hee causeth us to prosper yea in that hee feedeth us and cloatheth us it is a signe hee loveth us God loveth the stranger saith Moses Deutere 10.18 in giving him food and raiment Secondly To them that are in Christ these temporall and common favours of God are signes and pledges of his speciall love even by them the faithfull are confirmed in the assurance of his eternall love When Iacob saw that God had changed Esaus heart so that he looked and spake kindly to him hee saw Gods face and loving countenance toward him even in that I
the Spirit of Christ may be known which I will not therefore now make any mention of I will instance onely in foure effects of the Spirit whereby you may be able to judge whether you have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God as the Apostle speaketh 1 Corinth 2.12 The first is your Charity the second is your Constancy in cleaving to the truth which you have received the third is your Taking to heart the cause of God and religion the fourth and last is your Sympathizing with the fellow-members of Christs mysticall body For the first of these There is no one grace whereby the Spirit of Christ may be better and more sensibly known to dwell in us than charity and meeknesse of spirit Iohn Baptist saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and it abode upon Christ as we read Iohn 1.32 I beseech you saith the Apostle 2 Corinthians 10.1 by the meekenesse and gentlenesse of Christ. As if he had said Of all the graces of the Spirit that did abound in Christ his meekenesse and gentlenesse did most excell And we shall finde that this is oft mentioned for a certaine signe of a man that is in Christ. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples saith our Saviour Iohn 13.35 if ye have love one to another As if hee should say This is so evident and conspicuous a marke of one that is in Christ as not themselves onely but others also all men may know them by this Beloved let us love one another saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.7 for love is of God and every one that loveth is borne of God and knoweth God He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love saith he Vers. 8. And Vers. 12. If wee love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us And Ver. 16. He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him My little children saith he againe 1 Iohn 3.18 19. let us not love in word neither in tongue but in deed and in truth And hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him As if he had said A man may confidently assure himselfe that hee is in Christ and that hee hath the Spirit of Christ in him if hee love his neighbour unfeignedly not in word onely but in deed if hee unfeignedly desire to doe him what good he can O that we would impartially examine our selves in this first point beloved now especially that we are to prepare our selves to the Lords Table If thou be not in charity certainely thou hast not the Spirit of Christ and consequently thou art none of his I know well that many that have not Gods Spirit but are meere carnall men use to glory much in their charity and thinke they farre excell any that professe religion in this vertue But if there could ever have beene any true love to man and such as God approveth of in any soule that is not regenerated and sanctified by the Spirit of God certainely neither our Saviour himselfe nor his holy Apostle would have spoâ—ken so of love as you heare they have done No no the holy Scripture is most plaine in this point that no man hath any true charity in him but he only that is truly regenerate By this we know that we love the children of God saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 5.2 when we love God and keepe his commandements As if he should say All true love to men proceedeth from the love we beare to God as from the root and fountain This is love saith he 2 Ioh. 6. that we walk after his commandements As if he had said We cannot love our neighbour as we ought unlesse we love him out of conscience towards God and in obedience to his commandement The end of the commandement is love saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 1.5 out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned As though he should have said No man can have true love till he have first a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned I will therfore shew you how true Charity is to be tryed how you may discern and know whether you love your neighbour as you ought to love him and as no man that hath not the Spirit of Christ was ever able to do Try this First By the love thou bearest to all men Secondly By the loue thou bearest to them that have wronged thee and are thine enemies Thirdly By the love thou bearest to them that feare God especially Lecture CXLIII On Psalme 51.7 March 23. 1629. NO man hath true charity in him First that doth not love all men Secondly that doth not love his enemy Thirdly that doth not love such as feare God especially For the first They that have the Spirit of Christ in them do unfeignedly love all men See this plainely in that prayer of the Apostle 1 Thes. 3 12. The Lord make you to increase and abound in love saith he one toward another and towards all men How can this bee will you say Must wee love such as are wicked men Doth not the Holy Ghost make this a speciall note of a lewd and gracelesse man to love them that are wicked They hate the good saith the Prophet Mica 3.2 and love the evill Was not Iehosophat though otherwise so good a man greatly blamed for this Shouldst thou love them saith the Prophet Iehu to him 2 Chron. 19.2 that hate the Lord Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. Doth not David glory in this as in one principall evidence of the truth of his heart that he did hate wicked men I have hated them saith he Psal. 31.6 that regard lying vanities that is I have hated all idolaters And 139.21 22. he appealeth to the Lord concerning this and glorieth of this even before the Lord Do not I hate them O Lord saith he that hate thee I hate them with a perfect hatred I count them mine enemies I answer That in all these places there is no more meant but this First That wee must hate their sinne and that that is evill in them And that we are bound to hate even in the best men and in those persons whose persons we are most bound to love Ye that love the Lord saith the Psalmist Psalme 97.10 hate that that is evill There is no love of God in that man that hateth not sinne wheresoever hee seeth it even in his owne child in them whom he doth most dearely love Secondly that we must shew our dislike even to the persons also of scaâ—dalous and lewd men For first we may give them no countenance but shew our dislike by shunning all voluntary familiarity and kindnesse unto them while they continue such Have no company with him saith the Apostle 2 Thes. 3.4 that he may be ashamed I have hated the congregation of evill doers saith David Psalme
The Lord hath forsaken me Thou art troubled with strong and fearefull tentations unto desperation Well for all this if thy heart bee upright though thou perceive it not nay if ever it were upright certainely they shall end in joy Marke the perfect man and behold the upright As if he had said It is our great sinne that we observe no better the manifold examples and experiments God giveth us of this for the end of that man is peace Yea proportionable to the measure of thy desertion and discomfort shall thy joy be in the end According to the comparison the Lord useth in this case Ps. 7.11 Light is sowen for the righteous and gladnesse for the upright in heart And 126.5 They that sow in teares shall reape in joy Proportionable to the seedâ—esse of their sorrow shall the harvest and crop of their joy be Now then to conclude all that I have said of these motives seeing there be so many promises made so many excellent priviledges belonging to them that are upright in heart let us not any longer content our selves with shewes of goodnesse with professing and thinking we are Christians we feare God we serve him But let us be ashamed of and bewaile and strive against our hypocrisie and our halting with God Let us labour to attaine to that uprightnesse of heart which we have heard at large described to us out of Gods Word and which the Lord our God so much delighteth in And for our helpe herein I will shew you some of the principall meanes which God hath in his Word directed us to use for the obtaining of it And I will passe over them as briefly as I can First It is not possible for a man to have an upright heart till his heart have first been truly humbled for sin Behold saith the Prophet Hab. 2.4 his soule which is listed up is not upright in him It must be humbled before it can be upright As when a bell is crackt it can never be mended till it have beene first broken in pieces and melted and cast a new so before the heart of man that is so full of cracks and unsoundnesse can be made sound and whole it must first be broken David could not rid himselfe of that guile that was in his heart till he tooke this course till with an humbled soule hee did acknowledge against himselfe his wickednesse to the Lord as is plaine Psal. 32 2-5 Secondly He that would have an upright heart must labour for a true faith for assurance of Gods fatherly love to him in Christ. Let us draw neere saith the Apostle Heb. 10.22 with a true heart in full assurance of saith For it is faith onely that purifieth the heart as the Apostle speaketh Acts 15.9 as from all other corruptions so from that falshood and hypocrisie that is in it by nature When David had professed Psal. 16. â— that he had walked in his integrity he nameth this to be the cause of it and the meanes whereby hee was brought unto and preserved in this integrity verse 3. For thy loving kindnesse is before mine eyes when wee once know that the service we doe is unto our father that hath so dearely loved us this will make us serve him heartily and unseignedly Thirdly He that would have and keepe an upright heart must take heed of living in any knowne sinne of doing any thing against his conscience Keepe thy servant from presumptuous sinnes saith David Psal. 19.13 let them not have dominion over me then shall I be upright The end of the commandement is love saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 1.5 out of a pure heart and a good conscience Purity and truth of heart can never be had or preserved without a good conscience Fourthly He that would have an upright heart must thinke oft of this and keepe it in his minde that Gods eye is upon him wheresoever he is and whatsoever he goeth about This the Lord himselfe prescribeth unto Abraham Gen. 17.1 as a meane to breed and preserve uprightnesse of heart in him Walke before me saith he and be thou upright By this meanes Paul kept his heart upright in his ministery and so may we do now from seeking his owne praise or advantage or the humouring of men As of sincerity saith he 2 Cor. 2.17 as of God in the sight of God so speake we in Christ. By this meanes Noah kept himselfe upright in a most corrupt age and so may we do now as bad as the times are Noah was a just man saith the Holy Ghost Gen. 6 9. and upright in his generations Noah walked with God He looked not to the practise of men but set the Lord alwaies before him and walked as in his sight and presence and that kept him upright By this meanes the Church and people of God kept themselves upright in times of extreame trouble and persecution and so may we doe when the like times shall come upon us All this is come upon us say they Psal 44.17 18. even all that they had mentioned in eight verses before yet have we not forgotten thee neither have we dealt falsly in thy covenant our heart is not turned backe Why What was it that kept them from halting with God in such a time as that was That they tell us verse 21. even the consideration of this thaâ— they could not hide themselves from God they were ever in his eye Shall not God search this out say they for he knoweth the secrets of the heart Certainely a secret Atheisme that lodgeth in our breasts whereby either we beleeve not or remember not that Gods eye is upon us is a chiefe cause as of all other foule sins according to that Ezek. 9.9 The land is full of bloud and the city full of perversenesse for they say the Lord hath forsaken the earth and the Lord seeth not so is it a chiefe cause of all that falshood and hypocrisie that is in our hearts Fiftly and lastly He that would have an upright heart must diligently observe the falshood and hypocrisie of his own heart how apt it is to halt and dissemble with God in every service he doth unto him and out of an humbled soule for it complaine much to God of it and beg helpe of him against it By this meanes David here laboureth to get an upright heart he complaineth to God in this verse of the want of that truth in the inward parts which God so much delighteth in for as we have heard he speaketh of that here for the aggravation of his sin and then he beggeth of God helpe against this falshood of his heart verse 10. Create in me a â—leane heart ô God and renew a right spirit within me And so doth he likewise Psal. 119.80 Let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I be not ashamed As if he had said O Lord give me a sound heart And certainely one chiefe cause why hypocrisie so much prevaileth that increaseth
sorrowes wee meet with heere in this place of our pilgrimage as David calleth it Psal. 119.54 this forrein country where wee are many times a long while before wee can heare from our father and the letters and love-tokens he sendeth us are oft intercepted by one or other are most effectuall meanes to make us long to be with our father in whose presence and no where els is fullnesse of joy and at whose right hand there are pleasures for evermore as the Prophet speaketh Psal. 16.11 Fiftly by this meanes above all others the Lord worketh his people to a more high and pretious esteeme of his favour and of the comfortable assurance and feeling of it For as it is with all other blessings of God so it is with this If we did not feele the want of it sometimes we could never valew it to the worth The Lord therefore hideth his face a great while sometimes from his dearest children and letteth them not see the light of his countenance that he might cause them 1. To seeke him more diligently and never rest till they have found him againe 2. To hold him faster when they once have recovered him and both these waies declare that they highly esteeme of his favour indeed Both these effects had Christs withdrawing himselfe from his Spouse Cant. 3.1 4. For thereupon 1. She fought him 1 in her bed by secret prayer and meditation 2 when that would not serve she went about the city in the streets and sought him by the helpe of the conference and prayers of Gods people 3 when she could not yet finde him she went to the watchmen and Ministers of the Church and sought him by the helpe of that ordinance of God she neglected no meanes she could possibly use to recover her comfort That was the first effect I told you of 2. When she had found him she held him and would not let him goe And certainely by daily experience we find this 1. That none so thirst after Christ none so esteeme of the meanes of grace none take such paines for them none use them so diligently and constantly 2. Christ and his Gospell is not so sweet to any none have so tender consciences so fearfull to offend God in any thing as those are that have had experience of this affliction according to the old proverbe the burnt child will dread the fire They that were stung by the fircy serpents and none but they made high account of the brasen serpent no body needed to perswade them to run to it and fixe their eyes upon it Num. 21.9 and so it is in this case And above all other men he that hath once tasted how gracious the Lord is and hath felt the sweetnesse and comfort that the assurance of Gods favour yeeldeth unto the soule let him be deprived of it a while and he would give the whole world if he had it to recover this comfort againe He will be ready to cry as David Psal. 63.1 2. O God thou art my God early will I seeke thee my soule thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee to see thee so as I have seene thee in thy sanctuary And when God shall have restored to such a soule but the least glympse of the light of his countenance ô how hee prizeth it How sweete is Christ and his Gospel to him That which the Apostle speaketh Romans 10.15 is the voice of such a one and of none other O how beautifull are the feete of them which preach the Gospel of peace Sixtly and lastly By this meanes the Lord doth establish his people and causeth them to be better rooted and setled in a Christian course and so also more fruitfull unto him then otherwise they could be And a singular benefit doubtlesse this is The Apostle prayeth for the Colossians Col. 2.7 that they may be rooted and built up in Christ and established in the faith And Peter for those he wrote to 1 Pet. 5.10 that God would make them perfect stablish strengthen settle them And God hath no such way to bring his people to this as by exercising them sometimes with these spirituall desertions They that haue layd their foundation upon the rocke did digg deepe first Luk 6.48 That even as wee see the winds and stormes and frosts that trees and plants are subject unto make them take deeper root and so to be more fruitfull in due time even so it is with the Lords plants also none are so steady and constant in a Christian course none so full of the fruits of righteousnesse as those that have tasted deepest of this cup of inward affliction And this the Prophet giveth for a reason why the Lord doth breake the hearts of his people and make them mourne so and giveth them the spirit of heavinesse Esa. 61.3 that they might be called that is knowne and acknowledged even by others apparantly and notoriously trees of righteousnesse the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified So that that which the Apostle speaketh of all affliction may be most truly said of this Heb. 12.11 This chastisement for the present seemeth not to be joyous but grievous lesse comfort it hath in it then any other affliction more bitter and grievous it is then any other neverthelesse afterward it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse unto them which are exercised thereby The fift and last consideration that may stay and comfort Gods people in that case is this That certainly they shall not be overcome of this tentation because God hath bound himselfe by promise to sustaine them in it and give them the victory over it Psal. 37.24 Though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand Deut. 33.27 The eternall God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting armes So that I may boldly say to thee that art in this case as Psal. 55.22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustaine thee Yea this affliction shall certainly have a comfortable issue and end in much joy Psal. 126.5 They that sow in teares shall reape in joy and Ioh. 16.20 Your sorrow shall be turned into joy And thus have I finished the first part of mine answer to the maine objection that Gods people that are in distresse of conscience are apt to make against themselves I have shewed you five props that God in his word hath given them to stay them from being overthrowen by these winds and stormes and flouds that beate upon them Now followeth the second part of my answer wherein I must shew you how and by what meanes they that are in this case may recover their comfort and get the victory over this tentation And here I must deliver to you 1. certaine caveats and tell you what you must take heed of and not do 2. certaine directions and shew you what you must do if you desire to recover the comfortable assurance and feeling of Gods favour when you have lost it
neighbours here now whom I know to be faulty this way and whom it may be I shall not see here this twelve-moneth againe I have the more willingly enlarged my selfe in the application of this point and though I see small hope to prevaile with any of you for the belly hath no eares and the Ale-house-haunter is usually a scorner and derider of Gods Word yet because I know that that is unpossible with men is possible with God as our Saviour spake in a case not much unlike to this Luke 18.27 and God hath oft wrought by a Sermon as great wonders as this commeth to I will conclude my speech to you with that prayer that Noah once made for his sons Genesis 9.27 God perswade Iaphet to dwell in the tents of Sem. The Lord perswade you to shun and forsake these tents of wickednesse to love and frequent better the assemblies and congregations of his people where his ordinance and service is to bee found The third and last rule whereby we are to judge what sins are greater and more hainous then other is this The sins that are committed by such as are of speciall note above others for the profession of true religion and piety are geater then the sins of other men This is plaine by that speech of the Apostle Rom. 2.9 Tribulation and anguish shall be upon every soule that doth evill upon the Iew first and also upon the Gentile Why upon the Iew first rather then upon the Gentile Because God received more contempt and dishonour by the sins of such then of other men The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you saith the Apostle Rom. 2.24 The second use that this Doctrine serveth unto is for the examination of our selves and for the triall of the truth and soundnesse of our repentance which it highly concerneth us to know and to take heed wee bee not deceived in it 1. It is no good argument to prove we have truly repented because we have sometimes found deepe remorse and trouble of mind for our sins For so had Ahab and Iudas as we have often heard 2. Neither is it a good argument we have truly repented because we have now left the sins wee were heretofore given unto For the Apostle speaketh of certaine hypocrites that were cleane escaped from them that live in errour that had escaped the pollutions of the world even through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ. 2 Pet. 2.18.20 By what notes may we then judge of the truth and soundnes of our repentance surely by these two principally 1. When we can grieve for our sins hate and forsake them chiefly out of this respect because the Lord is offended grieved and dishonoured by them when our sorrow is according to God as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 7.10 when our repentance is repentance towards God as the same Apostle calleth it Acts 20.24 2. When our sorrow for sin our hatred and forsaking of it groweth from faith and when the knowledge and perswasion we have of Gods fatherly goodnesse and mercy rather then of his power or his justice and anger against sin can make us to mourne for our sins to hate and forsake them For so is true repentance described Zac. 12.10 I will powre upon them the spirit of grace and of supplication and then they shall mourne as one mourneth for his only sonne And in 1. Pet. 2.1 3. Lay aside all malice and guile and hypocrisies and envies and evill speakings if so bee that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious Would we therefore know the true cause why our hearts are so hard and senslesse why wee cannot grieve and mourne more for our sins why wee cannot more willingly forsake and cast off many of our sins surely the Lord hath not yet powred upon us the spirit of grace nor given us thereby a sound assurance of his mercy and fatherly love towards us in Christ. We have not yet tasted though it may be we know it and can acknowledge it with our tongues and discourse learnedly and eloquently of it nor have we attained to a particular a lively and comfortable assurance that the Lord is gracious For if we had certainly nothing would be so effectuall to worke in us a sound griefe of heart for sin nothing would cause us so much to hate and abhorre sin as this that wee have thereby offended and grieved and made so light account of so good and so gracious a father as the Lord is unto us This was that that above all things so much troubled and afflicted the heart of David here Against thee thoe onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight Lecture XLVII On Psalme 51.4 Ianu. 30. 1626. FOlloweth the third use that this Doctrine serveth unto And that is for exhortation to perswade every one of us that forasmuch as every sin is an offence against the Majesty of almighty God a contempt done unto him and a despising and sleighting of his commandement that therfore we would take heed how wee give our selves liberty either to commit the smallest sin that wee are tempted unto or to make light account of any sin that we have committed upon this conceit that it is but a small one Certainly we are bound to take notice of to be humbled for and to strive against the very least of our corruptions the very least transgression of the law of God even our passionatnes aptnes to be angry without cause and to exceed therein even of our mispending of our time and trifling it out both when we are alone and in company yea even on the Sabbath day and our formality in Gods worship and of our unprofitablenes that we do so little good and of that delight we take to heare and speake of the faults of others and of the unsanctifiednesse of our thoughts yea even of our very dreames that savour of corruption as it may appeare by the equity of that law we read of Deut. 23.10 11. Three speciall motives there be besides the reasons you have heard of the last day in the use of instruction that may be effectuall to perswade us unto this First He that giveth liberty to himselfe in the smallest sins will be in danger by little and litle to grow careles of and to fall into greater sins and so in the end to loose all grace all conscience of sin A little leaven saith the Apostle Gal. 5.9 leaveneth the whole lampe And this is that that our Saviour teacheth us Mat. 5.19 Whosoever shall breake one of the least commandements and shall teach men so that is justifie defend and allow himselfe or others in it he shall be called the least in the kingdome of heaven that is he shall be of no worth of no reckoning for grace among the people of God Dead flyes saith Solomon Eccle. 10.1 cause the oyntment of the Apothecary to send forth a stinking savour so doth a little folly him
Lords supper 1 Cor. 10.16 The cup of blessing which we blesse is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ As if he had said Is it not the making of it our owne Thus you have seene the first branch of the Doctrine confirmed to you that no man can receive comfort by the bloud of Christ but he that hath it sprinkled upon his heart and applyed unto him The second branch of it that none but the Lord himselfe can thus apply and sprinkle the bloud of Christ upon the heart of any man is also evident by the holy Scripture I will say unto them saith the Lord Hos. 2.23 thou art my people and they shall say unto me thou art my God When God shall once by his spirit say unto any soule of ours thou art mine one of my people of my redeemed ones when hee shall as with a bunch of hysop sprinkle the bloud of his son upon our heart and say to any of us as he did to his people Zac. 9.11 it is the bloud of thy covenant of the covenant which I have made with thee then shall wee have sound comfort in it and bee able with confidence to say to him againe thou art my God and to cry to him as poore weake Thomas the Apostle did Iob. 20.28 My Lord and my God till then we shall never be able to do it The spirit it selfe saith the Apostle Rom. 8.16 heareth witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God As if he had said Though our owne spirit and conscience be never so confident in this point that wee are Gods children and Christ by his bloud hath made our peace with God this is to no purpose till Gods sanctifying spirit be in us and doth beare witnesse with our owne spirit in this point and assure us that Christ is ours we can never have sound comfort in him It is the spirit that beareth witnesse saith the Apostle 1 Ioh 5.6 because the spirit is truth As if he had said no witnesse is infallible or any thing worth in this case but the spirit of God And in this respect is the spirit of God called the comforter Ioh. 14.26 He could never be our comforter if he did not thus beare witnes with our spirits that we are Gods children that Christ is ours that his bloud was shed for us The reasons and grounds of the Doctrine are two according to the two severall branches of it First If you aske me Why can Christs bloud doe us no good unlesse it be sprinkled upon our hearts and applyed to us I answer Because reason and experience teacheth us that as the propriety a man hath in any good thing doth much increase his comfort in it And to this the holy Ghost alludeth Pro. 5.15 Drinke waters out of thine owne cistern and running waters out of thine owne well and 2 Thess. 3.12 Let them worke with quietnesse and eat their owne bread A little of a mans own is a great deale sweeter to him then a great deale that is another mans though he have some use of it so it is a great vexation and increase of misery to a man many times to see others enjoy a benefit which themselves have as much need of and can have no part in it And the greater they know the benefit to be the more are they vexed in this case Thus is it with a rebell that knoweth a pardon is granted to a great number that were every whit as unworthy of it as deep in the rebellion as himselfe and yet he can have no benefit by it And with a poore man that seeth a great dole given and multitudes releived by it and he can get nothing So is it certainly in this case the more any man knoweth of Christ and of the all sufficiency of that redemption that he hath made by his blood the greater must his torment and horror needs be when he shall find that he hath no part in it When like Tantalus he shall see there is water of life before him which others drinke of quench their deadly thirst by and he can get none of it himselfe This is that which the Apostle saith increaseth the torments of the devils themselves Iames. 7.19 The devils also beleeve and tremble They know Christ full well to bee an all-sufficient Saviour I know thee who thou art saith he Mar. 1.24 even the holy one of God But they tremble so much the more for that because they know withall that they neither have nor ever shall have any part in him Secondly If you aske me Why can none but God himselfe by his holy spirit sprinkle this bloud of his son upon our hearts I answer Because there is in every one of us an evill heart of unbeliefe as the Apostle calleth it Heb. 13 1â— and though in our peace and jolity wee thinke it is nothing to beleeve in Christ it is as easie by faith to feed upon his body and bloud in the Sacrament as it is to take and feed upon the bread and wine when our conscience shall bee once awakened we shall find our hearts not so strongly inclined to any sin as infidelity utterly unable to apply to our selves the bloud of Christ or to beleeve that God should ever love us so dearely as to give his son to dye for us Wee will bee apt then to flye from God as Adam did when his eyes were opened Gen. 3.8 And therefore the Apostle telleth us Ephe. 1.19 it is a worke of the exceeding greatnes of Gods power that any man is able to beleeve this Let us now make some use of this Doctrine unto our selves 1. For instruction 2. For exhortation 3. For comfort First This Doctrine teacheth us how to judge of popery that it is not onely a false and antichristian Doctrine that directly opposeth Christ and that in the most fundamentall point of his holy religion in the Doctrine of justification but that it is also a Doctrine of desperation and such as depriveth them that beleeve it of all true comfort in the houâ—e of death and time of distresse In which respect the holy Ghost hath most fitly resembled the teachers of it by those Locusts mentioned Rev. 9.5.10 1. They had faces like men and their Doctrine in shew hath no terror in it 2. They have the haire of women their Doctrine hath many inticements to allure men to the liking of them and to provoke unto spirituall lust and fornication 3. They have crownes of gold upon their heads they prevaile much and have great reverence and authority where they come But 4. they have tailes like unto scorpions and they have stings in their tailes saith the holy Ghost their Doctrine is such as will certainly in the end torment the conscience of them that receive it intolerably They can never have sound peace and comfort in their conscience that do beleeve it Their torment was saith the text ver 5. as the torment
by promise to them that keepe his Sabbath not onely to worke sanctification increase of holinesse and power over their corruptions which hee professeth in that former place of Ezekiel was the very end hee gave his Sabbath for but also by his spirit of adoption to increase in their hearts a lively sense of his favour assurance that he heareth and accepteth their prayers peace of conscience joy in the Holy Ghost which are blessings the Christian soule prizeth above all things in the world Why may you say may not a man receive increase of grace and spirituall comfort in the use of Gods ordinances on any other day but onely on the Sabbath I answer Yes verily but these promises may give him assurance to receive them more richly and plentifully upon the Sabbath then on any other day The second sort of blessings that the conscionable observers of the Sabbath receive by it are temporall For concerning them also wee have a promise Esa. 58.14 that he that heartily and spiritually keepeth the Sabbath God will cause him to ride upon the high places of the earth he shall have honour and esteeme in the world so farre as it shall be good for him and he will feed him with the heritage of Iacob that is he shall continue and abide safely in the land of Canaan which God promised to Iacob for his inheritance Gen. 28.13.48.4 Yea the Lord will nourish and feed them he shall eat the good things of the land as the Lord promiseth Esa. 1.19 to all that yeeld willing obedience unto him Lecture CXXXVI On Psalme 51.7 December 29. 1629. IT followeth now that we make some application of that which wee have heard touching the Sabbath and so proceed unto the two last particulars of those five which I have proved to be in many a man that is no better then an hypocrite And that which I have to say by way of application is first of all more generall and concerneth all other persons and places as well as this secondly more speciall and concerneth this place principally Of all I may say ô that God would give us hearts to beleeve that which wee have heard taught us concerning the observation of the Sabbath day out of the Word of God by which wee must bee all judged at the great and dreadfull day as our Saviour assureth us Iohn 12.48 O that wee could beleeve that the surest way to make our Church and State to flourish to secure us from enemies abroad and Papists at home to maintaine Gods Gospell and the purity of his religion amongst us that the surest way to make our Townes and families and persons to prosper and do well were to keepe the Lords rest upon his holy day If we could beleeve this then would wee bee the more carefull to keepe the Sabbath better our selves and then would wee doe what lieth in us that it might bee better kept by others also I know our corrupt hearts are apt to have in them many reasonings against the strict observation of the Sabbath day And these imaginations and reasonings that wee have in us against the truth of God the Apostle 2 Cor. 10.4 5. calleth strong holds and high things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God But of all these strong holds and high things I may say as our Saviour saith in another case and another sense speaking of the faith of miracles Matth. 17.20 If wee had but as much faith as a graine of musterd seed but a little faith to beleeve the promises and threatnings that we have heard concerning the observation or neglect of the Sabbath we might easily remove all these mountaines out of our way Diverse notable good lawes we have had made of late yeares for the better observation of the Sabbath day Some to restraine men from doing their owne workes some other to compell men to doe the Lords worke by frequenting diligently the Church assemblies upon that day And blessed be God that hath given that heart to our King and State to make such lawes In respect whereof it may be fitly said of them as Deborah speaketh in another case Iudg. â— 9 My heart is towards the governours of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people Blesse ye the Lord. The hearts of all Gods people should be towards the governours of Israel for shewing themselves so willing to provide for the sanctifying of the Lords Sabbath we should all blesse the Lord for them The whole land I nothing doubt fareth the better and hath had the tranquility thereof lengthened the rather even by the zeale that our governours have shewed in this point towards God and towards his house But that which is said of the daies of King Iehosâ—phat 2 Chron. 20.32 33. may fitly be applied to our times Iehosaphat did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. Howbeit the high places were not taken away for as yet the people did not prepare their hearts unto the God of their fathers Our gracious King in Parliament hath done that which is right in the sight of the Lord in making these good lawes Howbeit the Sabbath is still in most places shamefully profaned these good lawes are not executed for the people do not prepare their hearts unto God they have no heart to his honour or service at all And indeed in nothing doth it better appeare that the hearts of the people generally are not prepared unto God but utterly alienated and estranged from him then in this that when they have but the least colour and semblance of law to justifie any of their unwarantable practises whereby they may trouble any of their brethren and devise deceitfull matters against them that are quiet in the land as the Prophet speaketh Psal. 35.20 there they will seeme wondrous zealous for the lawes and presse them hotly they frame their mischiefe by a law as the Prophet speaketh Psal. 94.20 they pretend nothing so much for their deadly hatred against others that are innocent as that they doe not obey the law This was Hamans outcry against Gods people in his time Est. 3.8 These keepe not the kings lawes And of Daniels adversaries against him Dan. 6.13 He regardeth not thee ô king nor the decree that thou hast signed And of those lewd fellowes of the baser sort which we read of Acts 17.5 7. against Paul and the brethren with him These all say they doe contrary to the decrees of Caesar. Whereas I say to colour their malice against God and his people they seeme zealous for the law for the Magistrate Let the Magistrate make lawes that tend most directly to the honour of God that concerne the weightiest matters of Gods law as our gracious Iehosaphat hath done for the observation of the Sabbath for the punishment of swearing for the suppressing of the multitude and disorders of ale-houses the very chiefe nurseries of all profanesse and impiety these lawes you shall find they have no zeale
As we must take heed what we teach Eccles. 12.9 and looke that wee have good ground in Gods Word for all that wee teach you and performe the worke of our Ministery not without feare and trembling 1 Corinthians 2.3 So you must take heed what you heare Marke 4.24 You must prove all things that wee teach you 1 Thessal 5.20 Examine the proofes wee bring out of Gods Word whether wee alledge them rightly or no as they of Beraea did Acts 17.11 We may none of us deny you liberty to come and question with us about any thing wee teach if you understand it not nor can conceive how it should be found seeing our Saviour allowed that liberty even to his hearers Matth. 13.36.19.10 Luke 18.26 Iohn 16.19 Provided alwaies you doe it in humility and reverence to the holy function of your faithfull Teachers that you do it as disciples not as judges and controllers of your Teachers But whatsoever we teach you by good warrant of Gods Word if you obey it not if it be not of divine authority in your hearts certainly you will be found to be no better than hypocrites For while we do thus thou art charged to obey us as much as if we were Prophets or Apostles either Obey them that have the rule or oversight of you saith the Apostle Heb. 13.17 and submit your selves And even of the Scribes and Pharises while they sate in Moses chaire and taught nothing but the doctrine of Moses our Saviour giveth a charge to his Disciples Mat. 23 3. All whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do And our Saviour saith of the meanest Minister that he sendeth while he doth thus Luke 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me And the Apostle 1 Thess. 4.8 He that despiseth despiseth not man but God To conclude therefore this third note By your care to obey and practise what you heare take notice of the soundnesse of your own hearts It is the note that our Saviour giveth us to trie uprightnesse and hypocrisie by Mat. 7.24.26 Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them is like the wise man that buildeth his house upon a rocke and every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doth them not is like the foolishman that built his house upon the sand Lecture CXXXIX On Psalme 51.7 Febr. 2. 1629. IT followeth now we proceed unto the two last defects that the Holy Ghost noteth to have been in the goodnesse that hath been found in any hypocrite The fourth is this That though some of them have beene free from all grosse and scandalous sinnes and have also seemed to be much reformed by the Word and to have made conscience of practising and obeying that which they have beene taught by it yet their obedience hath never beene universall but partiall onely In some things the Word hath seemed to have great power and authority in their hearts in some other things none at all Take a proofe of this in those Iewes whom the Apostle taxeth for their hypocrisie Romans 2.22 Thou that abhorrest idols saith hee dost thou commit sacriledge Who would not have taken these Iewes that did thus abhorre idols and were so zealous against idolatry for right good men But see how they discovered the falshood of their hearts they hated one sinne but not another idolatry but not sacriledge And yet sacriledge was a grosse sinne as well as idolatry and such a sinne as God straightly charged his people to take heed and make conscience of as well as of the other When the people were to bring their first fruits unto God he commanded them to make this solemne protestation Deut. 26.13 14. I have brought away the hallowed thing out of my house As if he should say I durst not keep any part of that which is dedicated to God consecrated for the maintenance of his worship I have not eaten therof in my mourning As if he had said what want soever I have been in how wofull and distressed soever my state hath been that way yet durst I never relieve my necessity by robbing God of his part by appropriating to my selfe or imploying to mine own private use any thing that did belong unto him And yet you see those Iewes that seemed so zealous against idolatry they abhorred idols had no zeale against sacriledge at all they were so farre from abhorring it that they lived in the daily practice of that sin and thereby discovered the hypocrisie of their hearts As alas many in our Church have also done not onely in the beginning of our reformation but at this day they seeme to be very zealous in the hatred of Popery but of sacriledge of spoiling the Church and robbing God of his part of that that was given to him and dedicated to the maintenance of his service they make no scruple no conscience at all Take another example of this in Herod Marke 6.20 Who would not have hoped well of him and highly commended him too when he saw him being a King 1 Frequent constantly such a Ministery as Iohn Baptists was 2 Heare him so gladly with such delight and joy as it is said there he did nay 3 he feared Iohn and observed him reverenced and highly esteemed of him and that upon this ground too because he knew him to be a righteous and a holy man 4. He was much reformed also by Iohns Ministery he did many things left many sins performed many good duties in obedience unto Iohns Ministery the Doctrine of Iohn had great power and authority in his heart and life and yet the Holy Ghost hath detected him to have been no better than an hypocrite in all this Why what was the thing that did discover the falshood and hypocrisie of his heart Surely this that though he went thus farre and though he left many of his sins yet there was one sin as grosse as any of those that he had left which he could not forsake he could not leave the incest he had lived in with his brothers wife nay in the end he could not indure though a great while he did that Iohn should speak against that sin Onely one other example I will give you for this that the living in any one sin though he forsake all the rest and forsake them also out of conscience and obedience to the Word as it may seem though the sin he liveth in be nothing so great as those that he hath forsaken yet even the living in any one sin is sufficient to prove a man to be no better than an hypocrite Take an example for this in Iohn O how farre did he go 1 He destroyed the idolatry of Baal and rooted it quite out of Israel as it is said of him 2 King 10.28 2 He did it with a marvellous zeale even with the zeale of God Come with me saith he to good Iehonadab 2 King 10.16 and see my zeale for the Lord. 3 He did it as it may
acquainted with the holy Scriptures and could remember what ye have learned there ye should not much be moved with that that any either Hereticke or Atheist could say against the truth Thirdly and lastly By this we shall be able to convince and stoppe the mouth of any caviller and seducer if we can alleadge a direct place of Scripture for that truth that we hold The Scripture is profitable and hath great efficacy and force 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to convince saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 3.16 it is the sword of the spirit Eph. 6.17 the weapon whereby the spirit of God fighteth with great power and efficacy against every adversary Thus did our blessed Saviour put to silence the tempter himselfe the grand Master and father of all Hereticks and seducers with Scriptum est by alleadging plaine places of Scripture against him Matthew 4.4 7 10. And therefore there is in it a more divine power to convince the conscience of any gaine-sayer and to stop his mouth then in all the testimonyes of counsells or fathers that ever lived in the world And therefore to conclude this first direction as this may discover to us what small hope there is of the greatest number of those that professe the truth in these dayes of peace and joyne with us in the use of all Gods ordinances that they should ever persevere and hold fast their profession being so extreamly ignorant and unacquainted with the principles and grounds of the Religion that they doe professe strangers in the holy Scriptures so may this assure the best of us all beloved that if ever a time of tryall shall come our hearts will smart and ake for this that we have not grounded our selves better in the knowledge of the truth that when we shall heare what the adversary will object against it wee shall find our selves so apt to stagger for want of grounded knowledge when we shall find so small comfort in suffering for it which wee have so small assurance whether it bee the truth or no. Certainely hee that desires to persevere and hold fast the truth hee must while hee hath time and meanes ground himselfe well in the knowledge of the truth by acquainting himselfe and seeking to be perfect in the principles of Religion and points of the Catechisme and by getting good proofes of Scripture for every thing that hee doth hold and professe The second is this He must take to heart that which he knoweth love it and make conscience to practice it or he will never continue constant in the profession of it This is given for the reason why the elect hearers who are in the parable Luke 8.15 resembled unto the good ground did keepe the word and bring forth fruit with patience did persevere and hold out to the end and none but they because they and they only did heare the word with honest and good hearts The man that heares the word and useth the meanes of knowledge with an honest and good heart that is with desire and purpose of heart to practice that which he knowes with such a heart as was in David Psalme 86.11 Teach mee thy wayes ô LORD and I will walke in thy truth And 119.34 Give me understanding and I shall keepe thy Law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart He I say that hath such an honest and good heart he shall certainely keepe it and hold out to the end Many promises are made to such The righteous is an everlasting foundation saith the Holy Ghost Prov. 10 25. And the Prophet having spoken Psalm 112.1 5. of many priviledges that belong to the man that feareth God to the good and upright hearted man he adds this to all the rest Verse 6. surely hee shall not be moved for ever no temptations no perswasions no persecutions shall ever be able to remove him If yee will feare the Lord saith Samuel to Israel 1 Sam. 12.14 And serve him and obey his voice and not rebell against the commandement of the Lord then shall both yee and also the King that reighneth over you continue following the Lord your God Bee you confident in this beloved even such of you as when you forecast the prevailing of Popery and danger of persecution have beene most apt to feare and doubt your selves that you shall never be able to hold out to the end if you truly feare God and make conscience to practice whatsoever he hath taught you be you confident I say in these promises and how weake soever you feele your selves know that the Lord will shew his strength in your weakenesse he will certainely uphold you The eyes of the Lord saith the Prophet to King Asa 2 Chron. 16.9 runne too and fro throughout the whole earth every nation every Towne every family to shew himselfe strong in the behalfe of them whose heart is perfect towards him This the faithfull have ever had good experience of in the times of most fiery tryall What an admirable strength and constancy shall we read of in the Booke of Martyrs to have beene in sundry simple men and women whose knowledge was very weake and meane A well grounded knowledge is a notable meanes to helpe unto constancy as we have heard But there is more force this way in one ounce of true piety and uprightnesse of heart then in a pound of knowledge without this Let a man abound in knowledge never so much if he feare not God if he makes not conscience of his wayes he may turne Papist before he dye notwithstanding all the knowledge that he hath Hold faith and a good conscience saith the Apostle to Timothy 1 Tim. 1.19 20. which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwracke of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander A pure conscience is that golden Pot wherein this heavenly Mannah of faith and sound judgement in Religion must bee kept Holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience saith hee 1 Tim. ◠9 This golden Pot this precious cabinet will keepe it safe and sure so as we shall never lose it and nothing else but this will doe it And what meaneth he by a pure conscience Surely such a one as doth not willingly admit of the least spot the least sinne that may defile it A good conscience in all things as Paul calls it Heb. 13.18 He that dares not give liberty to himselfe to offend God in any thing he and he only shall hold fast the mystery of faith That Alexander which the Apostle speaketh of had not only beene a constant hearer of the Apostle but had been his constant companion in travell a zealous professour of the truth and very neare unto Martyrdome for it also as it may appeare Acts 19.33 34. yet fell this man so fearfully from the truth that he became a blasphemer of it as is plaine 1 Tim. 1.20 and a most bitter enemy and persecutor of it one of the greatest enemies that ever Paul had Alexander the copper-smith saith he 2 Tim. 4.14