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
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
so carelesly and making so little conscience in keeping it 184 Occasions of evill to be shunned 318 Officers Bound to present infamous and scandalous persons 182 They sin that keep men from publike pennance 187 188 Obedience Be willing to yeeld passive obedience unto God 245 249 Conscionable care to please God a sure note of uprightnesse 378 True obedience is universall 419 c. 724 726 Yet speciall care to be had of those things God hath given us speciall charge of 422 The onely rule of true righteousnesse is the Word 380 c. How the upright man sheweth equall respect to all the commandements 423 c. Forth the root of it 737 741 Five notes of Evangelicall obedience 754 Obedience must be done in a right manner 433 c. Oppression Against such as are undoers of others 124 Originall sinne Is derived from the parents and why 282 283 For this sinne above all others God may justly abâ—orre us and we have most cause to bee humbled in our selves 301 303 Three motives to perswade us to seek deliverance from it and two meanes 313 317 Consider Gods mercy and goodnesse towards us in that regard 336 P. Papists THeir errours touching originall sinne 305 c. Touching justification 662 c. Parents To be humbled for the corruption and sinne that appeares in their children 286 Parents should use their utmost indeavour to breed grace in their children 287 c. Diverse motives Ibid. Means Parents must use to save their childrens soules 291 c Parents must maintaine their authority over their children 291 How they come to lose it 292 Their sin in neglecting to keep them in awe 293 294 They must instruct their children 1. Instilling betimes the beginnings of knowledge 294. 2. Acquainting them with the practice of Religion 295. 3. Bringing them to the publike worship 4. Examining them how they profit Ibid. They must be carefull to give them good example 298 They must take heed how they place them at schoole in service in mariage 299 They must pray for them Ibid. Parents using these meanes need not doubt they shall lose their labour 300 Patience We have need of it 250 Seven notes of it 251 c. Motives to it 253 c. Meanes 260 c. Perseverance Study to persevere unto the end 12 The marvellous mercy of God to bee acknowledged in the perseverance of any in the state of grace 347 352 Take heed of declining and falling fâ—om grace 431 432 The regenerate elect child of God caâ—â—ot sin so hainously as every unregenerate man may do 533 c. Constancy in the true Religion is a signe a man hath the Spirit of Christ. 766 c. God hath given great testimony to this 76â— The faithfull have found much comfort in â—t 〈◊〉 They whom the Spirit hath taught 〈…〉 persevere in the truth 〈◊〉 Motives to constancy in the truth 7â—â— 7â—2 Meanes to it 782 Though it be ascribed to the Lord alone yet he worketh it by meanes and will have us to bee agents in this worke 783 Predestination Gods decree of Predestination is most righteous 248 249 Prayer Gods people in all distresse must seeke for comfort from God by prayer 59. c. Extremity of affliction should not keepe us from it 63 64 Nor sense of our owne vilenesse 64 65 Nor inability to pray 68 69 c Nor a conceit that it 's to no purpose to pray 69 c. Prescript and set formes of Prayer may bee used 68 Why God delayes to answer the prayers of his servants 75 76 What we must then do 78 c. God gives often a gracious answer to the prayers of his servants though they perceive it not 76 Five severall wayes God shewes respect unto and gives a gracious answer to his peoples prayers 76 77 Six principall faults that use to blemish and weaken our prayers 81 c. 637 Five notable encouragements to prayer specially in inward afflictions 153 Prayer a speciall meanes to get grace to beare afflictions comfortably and patiently 273 Long prayers not unlawfull so it be with foure cautions 310 Prayer a meanes to conquer corruptions 322 And to get assurance of Gods favour in Christ. 636 A singular good thing to keep a constant course in prayer 700 Faith eâ—ableth us to pray well 743 Practice Presently set upon the practice of what wee have learned 43 Making conscience to practise what we have learned meanes to establish us in the truth 792 Preaching of the Word Is a meanes to bring men to Christ. 19 The godly man will rejoyce in the plentifulnesse of it 801 for three reasons 803 809 Preaching necessary now 813 Obiections against it answered 810 c. Preparation To the hearing of the Word wherein it consists 30 c. Presumption Take heed we sin not presuming that we shall repent before we die 15 The vanity of those conceits which keepe many from being troubled with their 〈◊〉 89 93 Hypocrites use to be confident 377 Presume not to sin because of the fals of Gods people 554 c. The danger of Presumption 620 625 744 Signes of it 628 629 Private duties Secret confession of sinne most necessary convenient and beneficiall 193 195 Psalmes The titles of them not to be omitted as superfluous and impertinent 1 Why committed to the chiefe Musitian 4 Singing of Psalmes an ancient and excellent ordinance of God 4 How Psalmes should be sung 6 Punishment The consideration of punishment may cause a faithfull man to mourne and grieve for sinne and to be afraid of it 218 Christ hath satisfied as well for the temporall as eternall punishment due to our sinnes 662 663 Though the afflictions men induce be in their owne nature punishments yet are they not so to all men 664 665 Profanenesse In some respects the open profane persons case is worse than the hypocrites 718 Profession Live so as men may be witnesses of thy goodnesse 418 He that hath assurance that Christ is his will proâ—esse and declare himselfe openly to bee Gods servant 627 We may hate the sinnes of professors but not hate them for any goodnesse they professe Three notes whereby we may see many hate professors for their goodnesse 716 717 Prosperity He that hath not Christ can have no comfort in his prosperity 686 Great is their folly that preferre worldly things before Christ. 690 R. Regenerate THe sinnes the regenerate fall into are in sundry respects greater than the sinnes of others 539 542 548 552 God will plague sinne as much in them as in any other in the world 540 541 In this life he sheweth more hatred to the sinnes of such than to the sinnes of other men 542 c. The goodnesse in the regenerate man in three respects surpasseth the goodnesse in the morall man or hypocrite 729 730 Religion That 's the true Religion that gives the whole glory of mans salvation to the free grace and mercy of God 110 523 The truth we have received by warrant of
their afflictions p. 559. But we may also therein offend two waies Ibid. p. 560. The folly wickednesse and danger of rash judgement appeares in three things p. 560 561. None of us are so affected with the miseries of the Church as we ought Ibid. Foure duties God requires of us in these times of the misery of other Churches 1. By the best meanes we can informe our selves how it fareth with the Church of God p. 562. Lect. 113. 2 We are bound to take to heart and to worke our hearts to unfeigned griefe for the Churches misery p. 562 567. 3 We are bound to remember them in our prayers and to importune the Lord for them p. 567. 4 The example of the Lords strange severity upon them should cause us to feare our selves Ibid. Three reasons we have for this feare pag. 568. Lect. 114. He that is in the state of grace must bee afraid to sinne The extent of this feare in th' object in seven degrees of sin that he must not dare to commit p. 569 570. and in the continuance of this feare p. 570. He hath more cause to be afraid of sin then any other man for 1 He can have lesse hope of impunity then any other p. 571. 2 Hee hath more to loose then any other viz. 1 The Spirit of adoption Ibid. 2 the Spirit of Sanctification 3 The credit and honour of the Gospell p. 572. He that is in the state of grace hath more cause to be deepely humbled for his grosse sins then any other man p. 573. No disposition of soule is fitter to prepare us to the Sacrament then a sound humiliation for sin p. 574. Foure great benefits we receive by sound humiliation of soule Ibid. Lect. 115. The least thing that God hath appointed in his worship may not be neglected but is reverendly to be esteemed of and observed p. 577 579. Because God hath ordained them and we may receive helpe in faith and piety by them p. 579 580. We must depend upon Gods direction in his Word in matters of his worship p. 581. Three sorts of men are too precise but yet not they which cleave precisely to the warrant and direction of the Word Ibid. Conscience to bee made of all outward parts of Gods worship and exercises of religion and foure motives to it Ibid. pag. 582. Lect. 116. We must labour to understand every thing we do in the service of God this God required even under the law in his ceremoniall worship but much more in his morall worship specially now under the Gospell pag. 583. 1 We can receive no good by the reading of the Word unlesse we endeavour to understand what we read Ibid. 2 nor by our hearing 3 nor by the Sacraments p. 584. 4 nor by prayers 5 nor by our singing 6 an oath may not be given to any but such as are of understanding Reason For no service pleaseth God unlesse it be spirituall and done with feeling and affection and that cannot be without knowledge p. 585. 1 Every part of Gods worship is spirituall and there is in it somewhat to bee done by man and somewhat by the Lord himselfe 2 The Lord hath promised to accompany all his owne ordinances and to worke with them 3 All that man can doe in Gods worship is nothing worth unlesse God worke with him p. 586. 4 Our chiefe care in every part of Gods worship should be to finde that God is with us in it p. 588. The true cause why so little fruit appeares of the ministery of the Word and other ordinances is because the Lord joynes not with us in them and three causes there are of that 1 the sins of the times Ibid. 2 we do not our part but serve God by halves with the body onely 3 because we rest too much upon the meanes p. 589. Lect. 117. They that would serve God aright in any duty of his worship must first seeke to get knowledge Our people generally beleeve not this as appeares in three things pag 589 590. Their great sin and danger that make so light account of knowledge and what is the best way of instruction to breed knowldge p. 590. Both Ministers and peoples chiefe care should be in every part of Gods worship to finde God present with them assiâ—â—ing and blessing his ordinances p. 591. Foure motives to stirre us up to this care Ibid. Foure meanes to make Gods ordinances powerfull and effectuall to us p. 592 593. We must not neglect to frequent and use Gods ordinances though we feele no fruit or comfort we receive by them p. 594. Foure things to bee considered for the comfort of such as complaine and mourne for their unprofitablenesse in the use of Gods ordinances p. 595. Lect. 118. No mercy is to be hoped for from God but onely in and through Christ p. 596. No mercy can be expected from God by Christ but onely through his blood p. 597. For 1 Wee by nature and pracusâ— have made God our enemy and Christ th' onely Mediator to reconcile us p. 598 2 No mercy can be expected from God till his justice be satisfied for us and that 's done by Christ fully and by him onely p. 599. Yet is whole salvation to bee ascribed to the free grace of God p. 600 601. Lect. 119. Foure points to be observed in the passion of Christ that doe notably set forth how odious and heavy a thing sinne is 1 No creature in heaven or earth could have procured us the pardon of the least sinne Christ onely was able to doe this page 601. 2 Christ himselfe could not have done it for us by any other meanes then by dying for us p. 602. 3 Christ himselfe by dying for us could not have done it if he had not dyed the cursed death of the Crosse p. 603. 4 Christ himselfe by dying for us that cursed death could not have done it if hee had not beene God as well as man p. 604. This should perswade us to seâ—ke to rectifie our judgement in this point for 1 till then we can never be affected with our sins as we ought nor performe those five things that are necessary to true repentance p 605. 2 till then Christ can profit us nothing Ibid. Five meanes there are to rectifie our judgement in this point and to cause us to esteeme of sinne as it ought to be esteemed of Ibid. 606. Lect. 120. Every man should labour to know that Christ is hâ—â— and that he is one of the number that he did undertake for p. 607. for 1 till then he cannot be assured that any of his sins is pardoned but hath cause to judge he abides under Gods curse 2 till then though hee bee jocund now in the daies of health and peace yet in distresse he can have no hope of mercy or comfort from God 3 till then he can have no assurance of any blessing p. 608. 4 till then he cannot know he hath any thing from God in
had to know the state of the Philippians Phil. 2.19 Phil. 2.19 I trust in the Lord Iesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state And of the Thessalonians 1. Thes. 3.5 For this cause when I could no longer forbeare I sent to know your faith This then the estate of his flocke is one of the bookes the minister must study if hee would preach well for certainely such will be best able to apply the Word well Tychicus was sent to the Colossians that he might know their estate and comfort them Col. 4.8 He could not rightly apply the Word to their comfort no more could he do to the exhorting or reproving of them till hee knew their estate Secondly he had need be himselfe of an unblameable life a godly man 1. Tim. 3.2 A Bishop must be blamelesse Take heed to your selves saith Paul to the Elders of Ephesus Acts 20.28 and to the flock For 1. no man can feelingly and conscionably reprove sinne in others that doth not feare and hate sinne in himselfe Matth. 7.5 Hypocrite first cast out the beame out of thine owne eye and then shalt thou see clearely how to cast out the mote out of thy brothers eye 2. If hee could reprove sinne well yet till he have by his conversation gained authority in the hearts of the people his reproofes will doe little good Tit. 2.15 These things speake and exhort and rebuke with all authority let no man despise thee They will despise him and his reproofes that takes upon him to controll and rebuke them before he hath gained authority in their hearts Reproofe prevailes not nor is wont to be well taken but from the mouth of a righteous man Psal. 141.5 Let the righteous smite me and it shall be a kindnesse let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oyle Thirdly Hee had need bee a wise man Therefore it is said 1. Cor. 2. â— that God hath given to the Pastour whose chiefe office is to apply the Word the word of wisedome as to the Doctour whose office is to interprete the Word and to teach doctrine the word of knowledge So when the Prophet Micah would shew how God by his spirit had enabled him to reprove sin he saith Micah 3.8 He was by the spirit of the Lord full of judgement to declare unto Iacob his transgression and unto Israel his sinne He had need of judgement and discretion that should doe this well So he that should give the Lords houâ—hold their portion of meate in due season must not onely be a faithfull but also a wise steward Luke 12.42 great wisedome is required to doe this well specially to reprove sinne so as it ought to be reproved A reproofe wisely given is of great force and likely to prevaile Eccle. 7.5 It is better to heare the rebuke of the wise then the song of fooles Prov. 25.12 As an eare-ring of gold and as ornament of fine gold so is a wise reprover upon an obedient eare As if he had said It is a greater grace and ornament to a man to have an obedient care to receive reproofe then any care-ring or jewell in the world can be but what reproofe Surely such as is given by a wise reproover The best eare that is will hardly receive a reproofe that is foolishly and undiscreetly given Now this wisedome and discretion that is required in him that should reprove sin consisteth in foure things specially First He must not be apt to note and reprove every thing that he seeth to be amisse in his people but forbeare and passe by some smaller offences Pro. 19.11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger and it is his glory to passe over a transgression And 20.3 It is an honour for a man to cease from strife but every fault will be medling When Thomas out of his infidelity and discontentment had said Iohn 11.16 Come let us goe and dye with him our Saviour did not reprove him nor seeme so much as to have heard and observed his speech Secondly He must be able substantially to prove that to be a sinne which hee doth reprove and to convince the judgement and conscience of the offender therein So the Apostle requireth Timothy 2. Tim. 4.2 to reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine And saith Tit. 1.9 that the minister must be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince the gain-sayers Better were it a great deale that we would hold our peace then cry out zealously against such things as wee cannot by sound doctrine and proofes out of Gods word convince and prove to be sinnes To such reprovers it may be said as Iob said to his friends that reproved him for his hipocrisie Iob 6.25 How forcible are right words but what doth your arguing reprove Thirdly Hee must have due respect to the persons whom he doth reprove 1. The sinnes of superiours and magistrates though they may bee reproved yet not with that bitternesse as other mens nor without signification of reverence to their place and calling neither is this to be accounted either base feare or unfaithfulnes 1. Tim. 5.1 Rebuke not an Elder but intreate him as a Father The Prophets themselves when they were to reprove Kings shewed this wisedome When Daniel was to interprete Nabuchadnezzars dreame and so to discover to him his fearefull estate see how dutifull respect he shewed to his place and calling Dan. 4. in three verses of that chapter verse 19 24 27. And the Lord speaketh of it as of a priveledge particularly belonging to himselfe to reprove Kings bitterly Iob 34.18 Is it fit to say to a King thou arâ— wicked and to Princes ye are ungodly 2. Obstinate sinners are more bitterly and sharply to bee reproved then such as sinne of ignorance and infirmity Iude. 22.23 Of some have compassion making a difference and others save with feare pulling them out of the fire 3. In reproving such sinnes as some of his hearers that feare God and have tender hearts may be guilty of he must so temper his reproofe as they may not be discouraged or wounded by it This wisedome you shall see the Apostle used 1. Cor. 6.9.11 When he had said neither fornicators nor adulterers nor theeves nor railers nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall ever go to heaven he addeth by way of a prevention vers 11. and such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Iesus and by the spirit of our God The like you shall see Heb. 6.9 Beloved we are perswaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation though we thus speake The fourth point wherein the minister in reproving sinne must shew his wisedome is in discerning rightly when and where to reprove sinne and when to forbeare the reproving of it It is not only a note of a time-server of a timorous and unfaithfull minister to
unworthy to stoope downe and unloose Paul thought so of himselfe 1 Cor. 15.9 I am not worthy to be called an Apostle Secondly It is worthy of all reverence in respect of the necessity of it there is a saying Honour the Physitian because of necessity or because of the use you may have of him and surely there is no calling under heauen so usefull so necessary as the Ministery is All the good you receive by any other calling in the world is but in humane and carnall things for the welfare of your body but the good you receive by this calling is in spirituall and divine things for the salvation of your soules Heb. 5.1 We are ordained for men in the things pertaining to God 1. From us you receiue the meanes whereby God hath ordained to bring you to salvation To us is committed the word of reconciliation and wee are his ambassadours sent with commission and authority about the weightiest businesse that ever was taken in hand even the concluding of a peace betweene God and your soules as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 5.19 20. To us is committed the administration of the Sacraments and we are the keepers of Gods seales so as you cannot have them but from our hands 1 Cor. 4.1 Let a man so account of us as of the stewards of the mysteries of God yea to us are committed the keyes of the kingdome of heaven Mat. 16.19 We have that authority from God to assure you in his name upon your faith and repentance of the pardon of those sinnes that doe trouble your consciences as no man in the world hath besides Yea 2. This is not all the good you receive by vs though these bee great things for you doe not onely receiue the outward meanes of your salvation from us but that which is a great deale more by us God giveth you his spirit and saving grace also and conveyeth it into your hearts God hath made us able Ministers saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 3.6 of the new Testament not of the letter but of the spirit insomuch as I may confidently say unto every one of you that if you be regenerate If you be converted if there be any truth of grace any faith any repentance in you some minister or other was the spirituall father to beget it in you Observe what grounds I have to be so confident One is in that speech of the Apostle to the Galathians 3.2 This onely would I learne of you saith he how came you by the spirit Was it by any other meanes then by the hearing of faith The other is in that strange speech of the same Apostle Rom. 10.14 How shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they heare without a preacher And this is the first of those things I told you I would exhort you unto In any case esteeme reverently of our calling take heed yee despise it not The other two I will bee briefer in because I will hasten unto the reproofe The second thing then that you are to bee exhorted unto is this that you would every one of you resolve with your selves that you will never live without the benefit and comfort of a faithfull ministery which is so vsefull so necessary It was Davids resolution Psal. 23.6 that he would dwell in the house of the Lord for ever and 27.4 that it should be his onely sute to God in which he would have no nay that he might dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of his life And what was it that made the house of the Lord so amiable unto him and other of Gods servants Surely we shall finde in that speech of Abiam against Ieroboam 2 Chron. 13.10 12. it was the sound and faithfull ministry that was to be enjoyed there Resolve with thy selfe therefore that what other comforts soever thou want thou wilt not live without a faithfull Minister whom thou mayest depend upon whom as thy spirituall father thou mayest reverence and obey whom thou mayest boldly acquaint with the secrets of thy soule If thou have such a one count it a singular blessing and be thankefull for it For certainely he liveth without God in this world that hath not such a Minister to depend upon as Azariah the Prophet saith unto Asa 2 Chro. 15.3 Now for a long season hath Israel beene without the true God and without a teaching Priest and without the Law Thirdly and lastly You are to be exhorted that so many of you as doe enjoy this benefit of a sound ministery would make your full use of it not onely by resorting to us in publike by hearing us for so doth many a one that hath no such relation to us as to count us their fathers in Christ but 1. In receiving and admitting that spirituall authority that God hath given him over thee without which it is impossible thou shouldst receive all that benefite by him that thou oughtest Receive us saith the Apostle 2 Corinthians 7.2 hee hath authority to deale particularly with thee either by admonition or reproofe receive him in this Hebrewes 13 2â— I beseech you suffer the word of exhortation Hee hath authority to examine and enquire into your sprituall estate receive him in this See how willing Hezekiah the King was to be examined by the Prophet Esay 39.3 4. 2. Make use of thy faithfull ministers gifts in private aswell as in publike by moving the doubts of thy conscience unto him as conveniently thou mayest It is said of the Queene of Sheba and our Saviour commendeth her for it Matt. 12.42 that hearing of the knowledge and wisedome that was in Solomon shee came a great way to make use of it and when shee was come saith the text 1 Kings 10.2 shee communed with him of all that was in her heart 3. In approoving thy repentance and thy spirituall estate unto him Gods people are bound to live as their ministers may discerne their obedience and the fruits of their labours in them and bee encouraged thereby Hebr. 13.17 Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your soules that they may doe it with joy And it is noted for a sin in Zedekiah the King 2 Chronicles 6.12 that hee did not humble himselfe before the Prophet Ieremy who as hee was a witnesse of his sin so should hee have approved his repentance to him especially 4. and lastly In resting upon and receiving satisfaction from that which hee shall in Gods name and by warrant of his word deliver unto thee as Anna did in the testimony of Ely 1 Sam. 1.18 Whosoever saith the Lord Deut. 18.19 will not hearken to my words which the Prophet shall speake in my name I will require it of him How little the testimony that Gods faithfull ministers do give of our wayes is regarded may appeare in many particulars which by evidence of Gods word they declare to be sins And seemeth it nothing to you
esteemed him not And yet all this was nothing in comparison of his inward miseries and sufferings his soule was exceeding sorrowfull even unto death Matth. 26.38 He was so overwhelmed with terror and feare of that death he was to endure that in his prayer he uttered strong cries and roared and shed teares abundantly Heb. 5.7 He sweat drops of blood through the extreamity of his sorrow and anguish so abundantly that they fell upon the ground Luk. 22.44 Being on the crosse he could not containe himselfe but though he knew who were by to heare him Mat. 27.39 44. yet cryed with a loud voice My God my God why hast thou forsaken me verse 46. In a word he was made a curse as the Apostle speaketh Gal. 3.13 The curse of God and the torments due to all the elect were laid on his blessed body and soule to the full Now true faith as I said applieth all this that Christ hath suffered particularly to every beleever and perswadeth his soule that out of his love to him he endured all this It maketh him able to say with blessed Paul Gal. 2.20 He loved me and gave himselfe for me And as Esa 53.4 He hath borne our griefes and carried our sorrowes These sorrowes and terrours and torments were mine and I should have endured them everlastingly if hee had not endured them for me And verse 5. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities they were my sins that put him to all these torments Now he that is thus perswaded Christ hath so loved him hath had this respect unto him in particular he cannot choose but he must needs out of love to Christ hate and renounce his sins If the spirit of Christ have perswaded us once that Christ hath so dearely loved us we cannot choose but love him againe We love him saith the Apostle 1 Ioâ— 4.19 because he loved us first The bloud of bulls and goats saith the Apostle Heb. 9 13 14. sprinkling the uncleane sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh that is served the turne to cleanse a man from legall and ceremoniall pollutions How much more shall the bloud of Christ if it be sprinkled and by faith particularly applyed to you purge your consciences from dead workes to serve the living God O there is great force in this particular application of the bloud of Christ and assurance it was shed for thee to mortifie sin in thee The love of Christ saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.14 constraineth us Nothing hath that force to curb corruption in Gods childe and to compell him to live in Gods feare as this hath They shall feare the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter daies that is under the Gospell saith the Prophet Hos. 3.5 When the Apostle had prayed for the Ephesians 3.16 that they might be strengthened with might by the spirit of God in the inner man He prayeth further verse 18 19 that to that end they may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the length and breadth and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that yee might be filled with all the fulnesse of God If thou didst indeed know the love of Christ aright that out of his love to thee he endured such torments even to save thee from hell thou couldst not choose but be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man to withstand and overcome thine owne corruptions I know the Papists prate much against and blaspheme this doctrine of particular application of Christ by faith of the assurance it giveth to a man of Gods speciall love to him in Christ they say it layeth reines on mens necks and openeth a gap to all licentiousnesse But these two things I confidently affirme concerning this Doctrine by warrant of Gods Word First That as a Christian can have no sound comfort without it neither in life nor death so is there no doctrine hath that force in a good heart to make it study and practise mortification as this hath Indeed with hypocrites wrath judgement will do more as David saith Psal. 78.34 When he shew them then they sought him and returned and inquired early after God but it is farre otherwise with Gods child The knowledge even of this more generall love and goodnesse of the Lord to poore sinners that he is ready upon their repentance and turning to him to forgive their sins how great soever they have beene that he offereth Christ unto all men in the ministery of the Gospell and proclaimeth his pardon in the most generall tearmes that can be Ioh. 3.16 and commandeth all to beleeve that Christ died for them Even the consideration of this generall love to all that live in the Church is a most strong and effectuall argument to perswade a man to forsake his sins and turne unto God Nay till a man can be perswaded of that love and goodnesse of God he can never have an heart to repent and to turne unto him This is plaine by that speach of the Evangelicall Prophet Esay 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him returne unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for hee will abundantly pardon Having these promises saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 7.1 And what promises meaneth hee Surely those mentioned Cap. 6.16.18 let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit Secondly That hee that truly knoweth that Christ loved him and gave himselfe for him cannot possibly grow licentious by it He that hath gotten a conceit and perswasion of heart that Christ dyed for him onely out of a carnall and naturall knowledge of the Doctrine of the Gospel may abuse this perswasion I grant and grow the worse by it such a one I know may turne the grace of God into wantonnesse But he that hath beene taught this of God and brought to this perswasion by the word and spirit of God cannot possibly abuse it but it must needs mortifie sin in him See a plaine proofe of this Ephe. 4.20 But ye have not so learned Christ so hee meaneth as to live licentiously still what followeth verse 21 if so bee that yee have heard him and have beene taught by him as the truth is in Iesus As if hee should have said Many live in the Church and make a profession of Christ by vertue onely of an outward calling they have heard and beene taught by many excellent ministers of Christ and by hearing them have attained the knowledge of Christ but they never heard Christ himselfe speaking to their heart in the ministery of his word they were never taught of him as the truth is in Iesus And what is it to be taught by him as the truth is in Iesus To know Christ aright That hee telleth verse 22. That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts The man that truly
Matth. 5.4 for they shall bee comforted I will dwell with him saith the Lord Esay 57.15 that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones For 1. then and never till then wee will in our judgements value and prize Gods favour in Christ above all things in the world and say with David Psal. 63.3 Thy loving kindnesse is better then life Shew us the father saith Philip to Christ Iohn 14.8 and it sufficeth us This hee spake indeed out of ignorance and curiositie but thus speaketh the humbled soule advisedly Let mee but see my heavenly father reconciled to mee in Christ and the light of his countenance shining upon me and I have enough though I had nothing else in the world And on the other side the humbled soule doth say that without this though hee had all the world he hath nothing but is ready to say with Paul Phil. 3.8 I count all but as dung without Christ. â— Then when we are soundly humbled and never till then wee will hunger and thirst after Christ and desire Gods favour in him more earnestly and eagerly then any thing in the world It was the voice of an humbled soule that wee read Psal. 42.1 â— As the Hart panteth after the water brookes so panteth my soule after thee ô God my soule thirsteth for God And they that can thus thirst after Gods favour shall be sure to obtaine the assurance of it Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse saith our Saviour Matth. 5.6 for they shall bee satisfied And what marvaile is it then that there bee so few that attaine to this assurance alas there bee few that prize it as they ought few that thirst after it because few that are soundly humbled in themselves for their sinnes Lecture LXXXIII on Psalme 51.6 March 4. 1627. THE fourth thing that they must doe that desire to get and preserve in themselves a comfortable assurance of Gods favour is this They must nourish in their hearts a constant care to please God in all their wayes and a feare to offend him in anything For 1. None but such can possibly get or keepe any true assurance of Gods favour 2. All such shall certainely attaine unto it For the first You may heare some wicked men glory much in the assurance they have of their owne salvation and pronounce peremptorily of many a servant of God that all their profession is no better then hypocrisie because they are so full of feares and so doubtfull of their salvation A wise man feareth saith Solomon Prov. 14.16 and departeth from evill the godly mans doubts and feares keepe him from many a sin that otherwise he should fall into but the foole rageth and confident hee sinneth outragiously and yet is confident But this is but a vaine presumption this can be no true assurance certainely It is not possible for any man that wittingly liveth in any knowne sinne to have any true assurance of his salvation or of the favour of God Let us draw neerâ— saith the Apostle Heb. 10.22 with a true heart in full assurance of faith But how may a sinfull man attaine to this high priviledge to bee able to draw neere to God with that boldnesse and full assurance of faith that God beareth a fatherly love unto him He telleth us that in the next words alluding in his speech to the manner of such as did draw neere to God under the ceremoniall law having our hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience and our bodies washed with pure water As if hee had said without a man be both justified and delivered from the guilt of his sinnes by the bloud of Christ and sanctified and delivered from the dominion of sinne by the spirit of Christ it is not possible for him to draw neere unto God in full assurance of faith Let the man that hath the strongest faith and the most comfortable assurance of Gods love once give himselfe liberty to commit any grosse sinne and hee must needes loose his comfort and assurance of Gods love Certainely our iniquities as the Prophet speaketh Esay 59.2 will separate betweene us and our God and our sins will cause him to hide his face from us See the proofe of this in David Who ever had more comfortable assurance of Gods favour then hee sometimes had The Lord is my light and my salvation saith he Psal. 27.1 whom shall I feare But when hee had once given liberty to himselfe to sinne against his conscience in the matter of Vriah see how all his comfort in the assurance of his salvation and of Gods favour was quite lost Restore to mee saith hee Psal. 51 1â— the joy of thy salvation But what speake I of grosse sinnes Let a Christian but grow worldly and secure let him but remit any thing of that watchfulnesse and care that was wont to bee in him to take heed to his wayes of that feare to offend God in any thing of his diligence to serve and please the Lord and his comfortable assurance of Gods favour will bee lost See an example of this in the Church the spouse of Christ. Cant. 5.2.6 It is said verse 6. her beloved had withdrawne himselfe and was gone shee lost the comfortable assurance of his love How lost she it Not by any grosse sin but meerely by her lazinesse and wordly security by that answer she gave him verse 3. I have put off my â—â—at how shall I put it on I have washed my feete how shall I defile them As if she had said I am now at ease and quiet and by opening unto thee by hearkning and yeelding unto thee in every thing I should put my selfe to a great deale of trouble and labour that I am now eased of Thus lost shee her sweete assurance of Gods love then and thus doth many a soule loose it at this day That exhortation therefore that the Apostle giveth to the Hebrewes 6.11 is necessary for every one of us Wee desire that every one of you saith he shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end As if he had said ye have good things in you now such as accompany salvation you have now much labour of love yee have ministred unto the Saints and yet do minister but if you would have full assurance of your salvation be diligent to doe so still even unto the end if you grow negligent and carelesse in these duties hereafter this full assurance of salvation you will certainly loose A full and well grounded assurance of our salvation and of the favour of God will not bee gotten in a day or two without good proofe and experience wee have had of the worke of Gods grace in us it will never be gotten And when we have gotten it we may easily loose it againe if either wee give liberty to our selves in knowne sinnes or grow secure and carelesse in taking heed
and beseecheth him by us that hee would bee reconciled unto God Commandeth us to offer Christ to every wicked man that heareth us upon condition that he will beleeve and obey and to proclaime a generall pardon without excluding any Preach the Gospell saith hee Marke 16.15 to every creature And what cause then hath such a man that hath gone thus farre to doubt of finding mercy 3. Because God hath bin pleased out of his infinite goodnesse to shew respect even to such poore stuffe as naturall men out of the strength of nature have beene able to doe Christ loved the young man of whom we read Marke 1â— 21 even for that morality that was in him And God shewed much respect even unto Ahabâ— humiliation 1 Kings 21.29 and to Iehoahaz prayer that in the sense of his misery he made Iehoahaz besought the Lord saith the story 2 Kings 12.4 and the Lord hearkened unto him and to that prayer which Saul out of his legall humiliation before his conversion did make unto him Acts 9.11 Thirdly and lastly I may confidently affirme of all such as doe not their endeavour thus and what in them lyeth to escape damnation and to be saved these three things 1. That they are hereby made more inexcusable and do more evidently declare themselves to be the causes of their owne damnation 2. That they make themselves worse and worse thereby and more unable to repent As the Apostle plainely reacheth Rom 1. that the Gentiles by not making use of that light and freedom of will and of that power that was in them by nature because as he saith verse 18. they held the truth in unrighteousnesse and verse 21. when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankefull but became vaine in their imaginations therefore verse 4. God gave them up to uncleannes through the lusts of thâ—ir owne hearts 3. That their damnation shall even for this be farre greater in hell they shall become two-fold more the children of hell as our Saviour speaketh Matthew 23.15 This is plaine by that Christ saith of Capernaum Matthew 11. â—4 It shall be more tollerable for the land of Sâ—dom in the day of judgement then for thee Lecture XCIII On Psalme 51.6 Aug 5. 1628. IT followeth now that we proceed to the second branch of the application which is for the comfort of all such as do unfeinedly feare God For though it be the least part of them that heare us that have need of comfort the greatest part alas have more need to be humbled then comforted yea they will be in danger to take hurt by that which they shall heare spoken for the comfort of Gods people yet are we bound in our ministery of all other our hearers to have most respect to those few that are broken-hearted This was the first and chiefe charge that was given to Christ the chiefe pastor 1 Peter 5.4 when he came to bee a preacher Hee hath sent mee saith he Esa. 61.1 2. to bind up the broken hearted and to comfort all that mourne in Zion And this was the first and chiefe charge that Christ gave to Peter and so to all us his servants and ministers hee chargeth him indeed to feed all his sheepe but the first and chiefe charge he giveth him is concerning his lambs the weakest and tenderest of his flocke If thou love me Ioh. 21.15 feed my lambs He that prophesieth saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 14 3. speaketh to edification to exhortation and to comfort As if he had said No man prophesieth no man preacheth or divideth the word aright if hee omit this if he doe not apply his doctrine to the comfort of such as stand in need of it Therefore when the Prophet Esay beginneth to speake of the ministery of the Gospell hee bringeth in the Lord giving this first of all in charge to his servants and ministers Esay 40.1 2. Comfort yee comfort yee my people saith your God speake yee comfortably to Ierusalem As if hee had sayd Whatsoever yee doe else neglect not this duty of your ministery Now of all the things that doe deject the hearts of Gods poore people and cause them so to droop as they doe this is the principall that they cannot bee perswaded of the uprightnesse of their owne hearts they cannot be perswaded that they are any better then hypocrites Yea they are so farre from finding any comfort in those signes of uprightnesse of heart that I have given you out of Gods word that even from thence they are apt to conclude strongly against themselves that all the goodnesse that is in them is no better then hypocrisie And I nothing doubt but many of you while you have heard me speaking of them have beene apt to say within your selves alas I can take no comfort in any of these signes and notes that the Scripture giveth of an upright heart for I find no such thing in mee If these be the markes whereby the truth of the heart is to be knowne woe be unto me how farre am I from truth of heart what can I bee but an hypocrite For 1. The evill abstaine from and the good I doe I do it not in obedience to the word that is not the onely rule that I follow but I make custome and example my guide rather then it and for many things I doe I never enquire for warrant and direction from the word for them I never say to mine owne heart before I doe them as Luke 10.26 What is written in the law how readest thou What hath God in his word directed mee to doe in this case 2. I doe that I doe more out of a slavish feare of Gods wrath then out of any true love to God and am like to those of whom the Lord speaketh Iob 41.25 by reason of breakings they purifie themselves When my heart is broken with terrours then am I carefull to doe well but never else 3. I doe not that that I doe in faith out of a comfortable assurance of Gods love to mee in Christ. This could I never yet attaine to And without faith I know and have learned Heb. 11.6 it is impossible to please God 4. Gods grace where it is in truth is like to the leaven that leaveneth the whole lumpe Matth. 13.33 it sanctifieth the whole man the mind conscience memory will affections thoughts words and actions In such a one all things are become new as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor 5.17 But alas I can find no such totall change in me in some of these I can discerne no worke of Gods grace at all 5. He that hath an upright heart will be universall in his obedience he will obey the will of God in one thing as well as in another And thus wee have heard God describeth the uprightnesse of Davids heart 1 Kings 9.4 Hee walked in integrity of heart and in uprightnes to doe according to all that God commanded him Now alas saith the poore Christian I
they were distempered in their braines either with melancholy or Satans tentations as experience sheweth us dayly that many good soules are which made them judge worse of their estate then they had just cause to doe If they had beene their owne men and in their right minds they would easily have discerned they have no reason to be so troubled seeing they being once regenerate were not under the law but under grace and consequently their sinne whatsoever it were how hainous soever could not have dominion over them Rom. 6.14 They had not sinned nor could possibly sinne as other men did with the full sway of their soule the full consent of their will For the seed of God remaineth still in them as the Apostle speaketh 1 Iohn 3.9 They should not be damned for any sinne that they had committed or could commit For there is no condemnation to them that are once in Christ Rom. 8.1 It is not possible they should dye in their sinnes but they shall certainely be renewed by repentance No sin they can commit is able to separate them from the love of God or cast them out of his favour For whom Christ ever loved he loveth to the end Iohn 13.1 To these men that shall thus object as doubtlesse too many are apt to doe too many are apt to thinke that all Gods people whom they see humbled and much perplexed in mind for their sinnes are distempered in their braines or at least are but silly weake creatures voyd of all judgement to these men I say that those three persons whom I have brought for witnesses to confirme this truth were all in their right minds they were not mad they were not distempered in their braines either through melancholy oâ— tentation though I confesse many of Gods people are so often times they judged not otherwise of their falls then they had just cause to doe they were no more troubled for their sinnes then they had just cause to be And to prove this I will produce my second witnesse that I told you I would bring for proofe of this truth The Lord himselfe who is greater then the conscience doth thus judge of the foule sins that regenerate men fall into For notwithstanding all that hath bin sayd or can possibly be said out of Gods word touching the unchangeablenesse of Gods love to all that are in Christ or touching the perpetuity of their happy estate that are once truly regenerate yet the Lord hath both by his word and works given two testimonies in this case whereby he hath clearely declared how hee judgeth and esteemeth of the sins that his owne people fall into And the two testimonies God hath given concerning this matter are these 1. That he can no better brooke the sins of the regenerate then of other men but hateth sin as much in them as in any other person 2. That he hateth sin more in them then in any other Observe the proofe of the first of these two testimonies in three points First Of the sins of the regenerate of Gods owne people it is said that God will not pardon them Hee is an holy God hee is a jealous God saith Ioshua to Gods owne people Iosh. 24.19 hee will not forgive your transgressions nor your sinnes And even of Christ Iesus the Angel of the Covenant the Lord saith to his people Exod. 23.21 Obey his voice provoke him not for he will not pardon your transgressions and marke the reason God giveth for it For my name is in him As if he should say Because he is God therefore he will not pardon your transgressions he were not God if he should doe it What will you say cannot the sins that a regenerate man falleth into be pardoned Are all their falls impardonable sins No verily for I proved to you the last day that no Elect child of God can possibly commit the unpardonable sin that all their sins shall upon their repentance certainly be forgiven The blood of Iesus Christ his sonne cleanseth us from all sinne as the Apostle saith 1 Iohn 1.7 But in those fearefull sentences that I mentioned to you two things are to be understood 1. That God will not winke at Christ himselfe because he is God cannot brooke nor beare with the sins of his people he cannot count them innocent nor thinke well of them till they have repented 2. That though ever since they first beleeved and were converted they have had a pardon upon record in heaven that can never be revoked nor cancelled yet if they fall againe into grosse sins they shall haue no comfort at all of that pardon but be as if they had no pardon till by renewing their repentance and faith they have sued out their pardon and be able to shew and plead it in the Court of their owne conscience Secondly Of the regenerate of Gods owne people it is said that though they be not eternally damned for their sins yet the Lord will take uengeance of them and plague them for them in this life as grievouslly and sharply as any other men in all the world The Lord our God knoweth well how to love the person of his child and yet to hate his sin neverthelesse how to continue his fatherly affection towards him and yet to shew extreame detestation to his sin If they breake my statutes and keepe not my commandements saith the Lord Psalme 89.31 34. then will I visite their transgression with the rod and their iniquitie with stripes neverthelesse my loving kindnesse I will not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulnesse to faile my covenant will I not breake nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips And againe Psalme 99.8 Thou wast a God that forgavest them though thou didst take vengeance of their inventions Though the regenerate man hath a generall pardon and all his sins be so forgiven him as they shall never be imputed to his condemnation yet if he give himselfe liberty to sin he cannot hope to be exempted from any of Gods judgements and plagues that ever fell upon sinner in this life He may be plagued as much as ever man was in his estate in his name in his posterity in his body yea in his mind and conscience also And who can tell in what kind and in what measure God will plague him how heavy and sharpe or of how long continuance the judgement shall be wherewith he will afflict him The Lord we know hath great store and variety of judgements to punish sinners with He hath an armoury full of the weapons of his indignations as the Prophet speaketh Ieremy 50.25 O how terrible hath the Lord shewed himselfe to many of his deare servants this way He is apt indeed as we heard the last day to passe by the frailties and infirmities of his servants such as they discerne and bewaile in themselves but wilfull sins scandalous sins nay sins of negligence and carelesnesse such as themselves make no conscience of he is
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
down in Psalme 6. For when hee made that Psalme it is evident that hee was in great anguish of heart by the losse of his assurance of Gods favour as appeareth by the seven first verses To recover his comfort hee falleth to servent prayer And before hee had ended his prayer hee was so filled with the assurance of Gods favour that he breaketh forth into these patheticall expressions of his joy Verse 8 9. The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping the Lord hath heard my supplication the Lord will receive my prayer The second experiment of this in him is in Psalme 31. Where wee finde that when hee had so farre lost his assurance that hee thought as hee saith verse 22. he was quite cut off from God as a dead and rotten branch he betooke himselfe to prayer hee cryed and made many supplication unto God and had such successe in this course that hee bursteth forth into these words verse 21. Blessed be the Lord for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindnesse as in a strong city And how falleth it out then wilt thou say that I have beene so long a suiter to God for this and cannot yet obtaine it I answer thee in the words of the Apostle Iam. 4.3 Ye aske and receive not because ye aske amisse Five defects there be in thy prayer that this is to be imputed unto First Either thou prayest not fervently and earnestly for this but there are some other things that thou dost more affect and more earnestly desire then thou dost this Whereas thou shouldst seeke and desire this above all things in the world and say of it as David doth Psal. 63.3 Thy loving kindnesse is better then life A second defect in thy prayer may bee this that thou livest in some knowne sin unrepented of If thou prepare thine heart saith Zophar Iob 11 13 14 and stretch out thine hand towards him if iniquity be in thine hand put it farre away and let not wickednesse dwell in thy tabernacles Hee whose conscience telleth him he doth somewhat daily and purposeth still to doe that he ought not or somewhat he daily omitteth to doe and doth not yet resolve to doe which he ought to do can have no hope to find comfort by his prayer A third defect in thy prayer that may bee the cause why thou speedest no better may bee that thou art not humbled enough in thy prayers for this I tell thee this is a suit worth the setting of a day apart and keeping of a secret fast for Of this spirit of infidelity that possesseth thee and whereby thy poore heart is so vexed and tormented it may bee Christ hath said as once he did of another spirit Mark 9 2â— This kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting Remember what I told thee out of Levi. 23.27 Of all the dayes of thy life the day of humiliation wherin thou afflictest thy soule in prayer and fasting will prove the day of atonement betweene God and thy soule thou canst use no meanes to get assurance of thy atonement and reconciliation with God better then that A fourth defect in thy prayer that may perhaps bee the cause why thou speedest no better is this that thou prayest not in faith for this blessing Thou usest to pray out of this perswasion that thy heart telleth thee that thou must doe it God hath commanded thee to pray thy conscience will checke and smite thee if thou doe neglect it But thou dost not when thou prayest set before thy mind the promises of God Such as that is Iohn 16 22. Verily verily I say unto you Whatsoever yee shall aske the father in my name hee will give it you And that Luke 11.13 If yee beeing evill know how to give good gifts to your children how much more shall your heavenly father give the holy spirit to them that aske him And this holy spirit is the spirit of adoption that witnesseth with our spirit that wee are Gods children as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8.16 These and those other promises we heard of before wee should thinke on when we pray and verily expect the performance of them Thus did David I prevented the dawning of the morning and cryed saith hee Psalme 119.147 I hoped in thy word As if he should say The gracious promises thou hadst made in thy word encouraged mee to it So dost not thou Thou prayest for comfortable assurance of Gods favour but thou dost not looke to obtaine it by thy prayer nay thou hadst no hope to obtaine it And so by this thy infidelity when thou prayest thou setttest up a wall of partition betweene God and thy prayer to keepe it from having any accesse unto him Let not that man thinke saith the Apostle Iames 1.7 that hee shall receive any thing of the Lord. The Lord useth to answer his people in their suites as hee did the two blind men Matthew 9.29 According to your faith bee it unto you The fift and last defect in thy prayer that may bee the cause why thou receivest no comfort by it is this that thou faintest in prayer Because thou hast so long sued to God for assurance and comfort and canst yet receive none thou hast beene weary of prayer and given it over and so hast limited the holy one of Israel as they did of whom the Prophet complaineth Psalme 78.41 whereas our Saviour hath taught us by the parable of the unrighteous judge and the widow Luke 18.1 that wee ought alwayes to pray and not to faint Blessed are all they that wait for him saith the Prophet Esa. 30.18 As if hee had said They that wait shall not loose their labour they shall certainly obtaine their suit in the end This is a blessing I tell thee worth the waiting for Many a Saint of God hath waited many yeares for this suit before they have obtained it and when they have obtained it at the last have thought themselves happy men And thus much shall serve to have beene spoken of the first sort of meanes the other we must leave till the next day Lecture CXXV On Psalme 51.7 Aug. 11. 1629. THE second sort of meanes which I call more inward and spirituall then the former are foure principally The first is care to keepe a good conscience in all things The second a diligent observation of our owne wayes The third a consideration of the experiments wee have had of Gods favour The fourth a renouncing of our selves and resting only upon the free grace of God in Christ. First Hee that would get a comfortable assurance of the favour of God in Christ and feele that the bloud of Christ is sprinkled by the spirit of God upon his heart hee that desireth to keepe and preserve in himselfe this assurance or to recover it when hee hath lost it must nourish in his heart a constant care to please God in all his wayes and a feare to offend him in any thing The worke of
it be not so plausible and delightsome to you in hearing as the other And even unto that I confesse we must have respect in our preaching that both the matter we teach and our manner of handling it be such as you may heare with delight and affection The preacher sought and studied saith Salomon Eccles. 12.10 to fiâ—d out acceptable words words of delight as your margin readeth in that Place yet of the handling of them I may say to you as the Apostle doth to the Philippians Phil. 3.1 of his teaching them the same things that he had taught them before To me it is not grievous though I could with more delight to my selfe speake of other things than of matters in controversie and for you it is safe It is very profitable and necessary for you to have your judgements well informed and setled in the truth For First Knowledge is the ground and foundation of all true piety and you can never constantly hold and professe nor conscionably practise nor find sound comfort in any point of religion till your judgements bee well grounded and established in it This I pray saith the Apostle Philip. 1.9 that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement Secondly The most of you though you have good affections you love the present truth that is professed amongst us and hate Popery yet you do it not out of knowledge and judgement If you were well examined you could give no good reason out of Gods Word for any thing that you hold and professe with such shew of zeale and affection but it may be said of you as the Apostle speaketh of the Hebrewes Hebrewes 5.12 Whereas for the time and meanes you have enjoyed ye ought to be teachers ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God O the need that most of you have notwithstanding all the time you have spent in hearing and in the profession of the true Religion of Christ to be soundly and substantially catechised in the grounds of Religion Thirdly and lastly The controversie I am to handle is no idle and intricate speculation of the Schooles none of those foolish and unlearned questions that the Apostle forbids Timothy 1 Tim. 1.4 and 2 Tim. 2.23 to meddle with but about a matter that tendeth to godly edifying which is by faith as the Apostle there speaketh About a truth that is most usefull and profitable that toucheth as we say the free hold of every one of you about the Doctrine of your justification before God about the way and means how you may be discharged of all your sinnes and become righteous in his sight To begin therefore with the use of Confutation which I will handle with asmuch plainnesse and brevity as I can the Doctrine which I taught you the last day doth evidently convince the Papists of three fowle and dangerous errours The first is against the first branch of the Doctrine the other two against the second branch of it The first is against the first part of our justification which consisteth in making of us cleane in the remission of our sinnes by the merit of Christs bloud the other two against the second part of our justification which consisteth in the making of us whiter than the snow in the imputing of Christs perfect righteousnesse unto us First They deny that Christ by his bloud hath made any believer so cleane hath purchased for him so full and absolute a pardon of his sinnes as we hold he did He hath indeed answered for and so obtained for us the remission and pardon of the fault say they and of the eternall punishment that is due to us for any sinne that ever we committed but he hath not answerd for nor obtained for us the remission of the whole punishment not of the temporall punishment that is due to us for sinne but that we must answer and satisfie Gods justice for our selves either in this life or in Purgatory after we are dead For convincing of this errour I will 1 give you evident testimonies and grounds of Scripture against it 2 I will answer some of the chiefe reasons that are alledged for the defence of it Foure arguments the Lord in his Word hath given us against this errour which though they will not stop the mouth of an obstinate Papist for there be some men that will never be convinced but as Iannes and Iambres withstood Moses so they will still resist the truth being reprobate concerning the faith as the Apostle speaketh 2 Tim. 3.8 that is such as can never bee brought to beleeve the truth yet are these arguments such as may make the wilfull folly of any Papist in maintaining this errour manifest unto all men and fully satisfie the conscience of any Christian in the falshood of it First The Apostle expresly teacheth Rom. 8.1 that there is no condemnation no kind of condemnation eternall nor temporall to them that are in Christ Iesus that is to the true beleever or as the vulgar Latin which the Papist most absurdly holdeth to bee more authenticall then the sacred originall is readeth it Nihil damnationis not one jot of condemnation And if there bee no condemnation reserved for the true beleever then is the whole punishment due to his sinne remitted For what is condemnation but the adjudging of a man to punishment And so is the word used every where in the Scripture Mat. 20.18 They shall condemne him to death Mar. 14.64 They all condemned him to be guilty of death So that if no condemnation at all belong to them or is due to them that are in Christ and have their sinne forgiven then no manner of punishment belongeth to them or is to be endured by them neither eternall nor temporall neither Secondly Christ hath redeemed the faithfull from the whole curse of the law that was due to them for their sin Christ hath redeemed us saith the Apostle Gal. 3.13 from the curse of the law and he giveth this for the reason of it because he was made a curse for us that is he bare it for us himselfe and so fully answered and satisfied the justice of God for it Surely saith the Prophet Esay 53.4 he hath borne our griefes and carried our sorrowes Now the temporall punishments that are due to us for sinne are part of the curse of the law as it is plaine by Deuâ— 28.16 22. where among the curses that the law threatneth against sin a number of temporall judgements are threatned And our Saviour did beare and endure for us not that part onely of the curse and punishment due to our sins that should have bin eternall but that part also of the curse punishment due to our sin which is temporall As 1. Poverty he for our sakeâ— became poore saith the Apostle 2 Corinthi 8.9 that wee through his poverty might bee rich And 2. reproch and contempt such as no man ever
both thy selfe and others that are no whit inferiour unto them but farre beyond them in knowledge and grace doe think otherwise of them There may be difference in judgement even betweene godly and good men and one may see that to be a sinne which another man every whit as good as he cannot be perswaded to be so The Apostle Paul and those that joined with him Galathians 2.12 13. knew it was a sinfull and unlawfull thing to withdraw and separate themselves from eating and conversing with the beleeving Gentiles in the presence of the Iewes and for feare of offending them though neither Barnabas nor Peter men no whit inferiour to them in knowledge and grace could discerne it to be so Christians may not condemne or judge one another to be hypocrites for their difference in judgement in these smaller matters Who art thou saith the Apostle Rom. 14.4 that judgest another mans servant To his owne master hee standeth or falleth Secondly It may well bee that some men even some good men are through want of knowledge and weaknesse of judgement righteous over much and make scruple of those things which no law of God bindeth them to make scruple of Els Salomon would never have said Eccl. 7.16 Bee not righteous over much neither make thy selfe over wise Such a one was he of whom the Apostle speaketh Rom. 14.2 Another that is weake eateth herbs As if he should say It was his ignorance and weaknesse of judgement that made him so scrupulous and fearefull to eate any thing which by the ceremoniall law which was now abrogated had beene forbidden But no man must be despised or judged to be an hypocrite because of this For that is directly against the Apostles rule Rom. 14.3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not Thirdly There is no just cause why wee should judge or thinke the worse one of another either for using or not using our liberty in this case Because the thing that is in it owne nature lawfull and lawfully also used by one man it may be in another man a damnable sin to do it And that upon these two grounds First Because the one knoweth and is perswaded of the lawfullnesse of it which the other is not but doubteth it to be a sin I know and am perswaded by the Lord Iesus saith the Apostle Romanes 14.14 that there is nothing no creature of God uncleane of it selfe But to him that esteemeth any thing to bee uncleane to him it is uncleane Why will you say Can the opinion of man make any thing cleane or uncleane lawfull or unlawfull No not in it owne nature but to himselfe it may For a man to doe any thing that hee doubteth to bee unlawfull is a damnable thing Hee that doubteth saith the Apostle Rom. 14.23 is damned if he eat because hee eateth not of faith For whatsoever is not of faith is sinne The conscience of a man though it bee deceived though it bee erroneous yet hath a binding power and it is a matter of great danger for any man to goe against it All men must seeke to informe their conscience aright by the Word of God which is the onely true rule to guide our conscience by Let every man bee fully perswaded in his owne mind saith the Apostle Romanes 14.5 But though it be a sin for a man not to seeke to have his conscience rightly informed and instructed by the Word yet is it a double sin in him to do any thing against his conscience If thou therefore see a man who is otherwise conscionable in all his waies scrupulous and fearefull to doe that which thou knowest and art fully perswaded hee may lawfully and ought to doe pity him informe him instruct him and labour to bring him out of his errour but scorne him not hate him not maligne him not for it Secondly The one is able to use or doe the thing that hee knoweth to bee lawfull lawfully and take no hurt by it the other though he know the thing to be lawfull yet findeth that through his weaknesse he is not able to use it but he shall receive hurt by it All things are lawfull for me saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.12 but all things are not expedient all things are lawfull for mee but I will not bee brought under the power of any And certainely this is the thing that restraineth many a good man from the use of sundry recreations which he doth not doubt to be lawfull in themselves because he findeth his owne weakenesse to bee such as he cannot use them without receiving much hurt by them And this would restraine many more from them if they had that care of their owne soules as they ought to have To conclude therefore this first branch of the point we have in hand If thou seest any man that loveth the word that useth constantly prayer in his family that seemeth to bee a strict observer of the Sabbath day that hateth popery that is strict and precise even in the smallest things If thou seest I say any such a one to bee a drunkard or an uncleane person or unjust in his dealings or carelesse of his Word or a busie body or negligent in his calling hate these things in him in Gods name nay hate them in him more then in another man because hee maketh so good a profession and because his sinne bringeth more reproach upon the Gospell then another mans would doe But take heed thou hate him not because of his profession because of any of those good things thou discernest in him For if thou dost thou wilt be found to be a hater of God and of his grace and neere unto that sinne that can never bee pardoned which the Apostle calleth Hebrewes 10.29 A doing of despite to the spirit of grace And what comfort canst thou have either in life or death if thou bee a hater of God if thou doe despite unto the spirit of grace What remaineth for thee when God shall open thine eyes and cause thee to see thine owne estate but a certaine fearfull looking for of judgement as the Apostle speaketh there ver 27. and of fiery indignation which shall devoure the adversaries the adversaries of God the haters of God O it is a fearefull thing to hate any man for his goodnesse take heed of it I beseech you As we have no surer note that we are translated from death to life that we are in the state of grace then this if we love the brethren as the Apostle teacheth us 1 Iohn 3.14 If we can love a disciple in the name of a disciple as our Saviour speaketh Matth. 10.42 so can we have no certainer a signe that there is no grace in us but we are in the very gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity as the the Apostle speaketh Acts 8.23 then this when we hate the brethren when we hate a disciple a professour in the name of a disciple and professour even
proceed unto the fourth and last of those Motives which I promised to give you to perswade you to seeke without delay to know that you are through Christ justified in Gods sight And that is this That when a man is once justified then he shall be sure to be sanctified and never till then If any man desire to get strength against any lust or corruption that troubleth him most or to obtaine any grace that he standeth most in need of let him first labour to know that he is justified and that his sinnes are forgiven him That is the onely sure way to attaine unto both till a man know himselfe to be justified let him use never so many meanes to attaine either of them he shall but loose his labour I will give you the proofe of this first in the generall by shewing you that all true sanctification proceedeth from justification secondly in both the parts of sanctification that is to say mortification of the old man and vivification of the new For the first Doe any of you desire to have a better heart and to lead a better life which wee all ought and every good heart doe desire more then any thing els in the world then labour to get assurance that Christ is thine that thy sinnes are forgiven thee that thou art through him reconciled unto God this is the onely sure way to amend both thy heart and life This will doe it and nothing but this will ever bee able to do it Two sorts of proofes I will give you for this 1. The inward instrument whereby the spirit of God worketh sanctification in the heart of man the inward principle and root of all grace is faith that justifieth a man and maketh knowne the love of God to him in Christ. 2. The outward instrument whereby the spirit of God worketh sanctification in the heart of man is the preaching of the glad tidings of the Gospell unto him For the first I will give you foure plaine places of Scripture for the proofe of it The first is that speech of our Saviour unto Paul Acts 26.18 where speaking of them that shall inherit eternall life he calleth them such as are sanctified by faith in him As if he had said It is faith in Christ such a faith as assureth a man that Christ is his and that God is through Christ reconciled unto him that sanctifyeth a man and nothing but that The second place is Heb. 9.14 Where the Apostle comparing the bloud of Christ with the bloud of the legall sacrifices and having shewed in the former verse that the sprinkling even of that upon the people did worke a kinde of externall and legall sanctification in them How much more saith he shall the bloud of Christ being sprinkled upon you and applyed to your hearts by the spirit of God purge your consciences from dead workes to serve the living God As if he should say so soone as the bloud of Christ is sprinkled upon the conscience so soone as ever the spirit of God hath by faith assured a man that the pardon which Christ by his bloud hath purchased doth belong unto him this will certainly follow of it his heart and conscience will be purged and cleansed from dead workes from those workes which while he was a naturall man dead in trespasses and sinnes he lived in and he shall be enabled to serve God in newnesse of life The third place for the proofe of this is in 2 Pet. 1.4 Where the Apostle saith that by the knowledge of Christ are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust Two things are to bee observed in these words of the Apostle 1. How come Gods people to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust How come they to forsake and be preserved from those sinnes that both themselves in times past and the whole world still through the strength of our naturall concupiscence liveth in How come they to be partakers of the divine nature How come they to have the Image of God which consisteth in true holinesse and righteousnesse renewed in them Why saith the Apostle we attaine unto all this this change is wrought in us by the exceeding great and precious promises of God which are given unto us not by any thing we were able to doe by any endeavour wee could use by any penance we could put our selves unto no nor by the law or judgements of God but by receiving and beleeving the exceeding great and precious promises that God hath given us of pardon and mercy was this blessed change wrought in us But then 2. How came wee to have interest in these exceeding great and precious promises of God Surely saith the Apostle Verse 3. And in the very first words of this verse through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and Vertue that is through the knowledge of Christ. By knowing Christ to be ours In whom all the promises of God are yea and Amen as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 1.20 wee come to have Title to all the exceeding great and precious promises of God The fourth and last place of Scripture which I promised to give you for confirmation of this first point is that speech of the Apostle Eph. 3.19 Where the Apostle praying for the Ephesians that God would make them able to know the love of Christ that passeth knowledge which was so infinitely great unto every poore sinner that beleeveth in him as no heart of man is able fully to know and comprehend it he giveth this for the reason of that prayer that he made for them that yee might be filled saith he with all the fulnesse of God As if he had said the more knowledge you shall have of the wonderfull love that Christ hath borne unto you the more that you shall be assured of it the more you look into it and meditate of it the more you shall bee filled with all the fulnesse of God the more shall you abound in sanctification and in every saving grace Now for the second sort of proofes I spake of the outward instrument wherby the spirit of God useth to worke sanctification and holinesse in the heart of man is the preaching of the glad tydings of the Gospell the opening and applying to him the new Testament and covenant of God the covenant of grace the promises of Gods free grace and mercy in Christ. True it is the Lord sometimes by his judgements and plagues but more usually by the Ministery of the law useth to prepare men unto grace and worke a kinde of repentance and change in the heart of man But the meanes whereby he useth to sanctifie a man indeed to mortifie and kill sin in the root to worke a saving change and true grace in his heart is by preaching the Gospell and making knowne to him his mercy in Christ.
hee hath offended him As the thing that made the servants of Benhadad seeke unto Ahab 1 Kings 20.31 with sackcloth upon their loines and ropes about their necks whereby they professed their sorrow for offending him and that they were worthy to die for it was this onely thing that they had heard the kings of Israel were mercifull kings This is the Motive that good Hezekiah used to perswade Israel unto repentance 2 Chron. 30.6 Turne againe unto the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Israel hee putteth them in mind of the covenant God had made with their fathers and hee will returne unto you And that also which the Prophet useth to the same purpose Esa. 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man the man of iniquity the worst man that is his thoughts and returne unto the Lord and hee will have mercy upon him and to our God for hee will abundantly pardon Thus doth the Apostle likewise Iames 4.8 perswade unto repentance Draw nigh to God and hee will draw nigh unto you And to conclude this was the maine thing that drew the prodigall unto repentance even the consideration of the fatherly affection that hee knew remained in his father towards him though he had so hainously offended him as we may perceive by his words Luke 15.18 I will arise saith he and go to my father and say to him father I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne And certainely if the vilest sinner among you all could thus be perswaded of Gods mercifull disposition and readinesse to forgive you upon your repentance you would come in and not stand out in rebellion against him as you doe The second grace wherein the force of faith appeareth is the true feare of God What is it that hath most force to make Gods child when he is once reconciled to God affraid to offend him againe I know well that the consideration of Gods severity and power hath and ought to have great force and power in the heart to restraine a man from sin For so our Saviour teacheth Luk. 12.5 Feâ—re him which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell yea I say unto you feare him But the apprehension and perswasion a man hath of Gods mercy and goodnesse toward him in Christ is much more effectuall to make a man afraid to offend God and all feare that is wrought without this is but a slavish tormenting feare Feare hath torment saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 4.18 It is not a child-like and saving feare There is forgivenesse with thee saith David Ps. 130.4 that thou maist be feared And Hos. 3.5 They shall feare the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter dayes And certainely beloved if you were any of you by a lively faith assured of the forgivenes of your sins and of Gods marvellous goodnesse towards you in Christ you would be much more fearefull to offend him then the most of you are Thirdly The third grace wherein this power of faith appeareth is Obedience Nothing is able to make a man willing and ready to be ruled by God in all things to yeeld hearty and constant obedience unto him till he by faith be assured of Gods love to him in Christ. The terrours of the law may like that hedge of thornes that the Prophet speaketh of Hos. 2.6 be able to stop a man from going on in an evill way but a willing obedience shall a man never bee able to yeeld unto God till he have faith When David Psal. 26.1 2. maketh profession of his integrity even unto God and comforteth himselfe against the malice of his enemies by that testimony that his conscience gave him that hee had walked in his integrity hee had walked in Gods truth his honest and good meaning hee knew would have yeelded him small comfort 〈◊〉 had not guided his saith by the direction of Gods Word nay he 〈◊〉 God to examine and try him whether it were not so he giveth verse 3. this for the reason and cause of this care hee had to walke uprightly and to follow the direction of the Word in all things For thy loving kindnesse saith hee is before mine eyes Nothing hath that force to make a man upright and constant in a Christian course as the knowledge and consideration of the mercy and loving kindnesse of God towards him in Iesus Christ. I delight to doe thy will ô my God saith David Psalme 40.8 and thy law is within my heart Till a man know God to bee his God reconciled unto him in Christ hee will never delight to doe his will his law will not bee in his heart hee will never heartily affect it It was the love of Christ that constrained Paul to doe him so diligent and faithfull service in his ministery as hee did 2 Corinthinas 5.14 the assurance hee had of Christs marvellous love to him in dying for him made him force himselfe to doe him the uttermost service hee was able and to thinke hee could never doe him service enough And where the Apostle speaketh of the marvellous obedience of Abraham to every thing that God commanded when God bad him get him out of his owne countrey and from his kindred and come into a land which hee would shew him hee left all presently when God â—ad him circumcise himselfe and every male that was in his family hee did presently upon the selfe-same day though himselfe were then ninety nine yeeres old Gen. 17.23 24. and hee had in his house three hundred and eighteene valiant men at that time Gen. 14.14 when God bad him cast out him sonne Ishmael out of his house though hee loved him dearely yet hee did immediately Gen. 21.14 Nay when God bad him sacrifice with his owne hands his sonne Isaac of whom it was said in Isaac shall thy seed bee called as the Apostle speaketh Hebrewes 11.18 yet hee was ready to doe it and that presently too as you may see Gen 22.3 But what was it that made Abraham so obedient to God in all things even in such hard commandements as these were Surely saith the Apostle Hebrewes 11.8 17. he did all these by faith He knew God was his God and his exceeding great reward as hee promised to bee Gen. 15.1 Hee was strong in faith as the Apostle saith Romanes 4.20 and therefore was so ready and cheerefull in his obedience unto God Certainely it is our want of faith beloved that maketh every commandement of God so grievous unto us if we had more faith and assurance of Gods favour in Christ we could not be so slack and backward in our obedience as we are The fourth and last grace that I will instance in is our love unto God No man can truly love the Lord till hee bee first by faith assured of Gods love to him in Christ. Wee love him saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.19 because hee first love us And when once a man is assured by
that none shall receive benefit by the death of Christ but such only as doe beleeve in him God so loved the world saith our Saviour himselfe Ioh. 3.16 That he gave his only begotten Sonne that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have life everlasting And it is certaine that all men have not faith as the Apostle speaketh 2 Thes. 3.2 Nay it is evident that there be but very few of them that live in the Church and professe the truth that have true faith And when thy conscience shall be awakened beloved thou wilt finde that there is in thee an evill heart of unbeleefe as the Apostle calleth it Heb. 3.12 that there is no one sinne that thou art more strongly inclined to then to infidelity that though now in the time of health and peace thou thinkest it the easiest thing in the world to beleeve in Christ it is a matter of of extreame difficulty to beleeve aright Two evident reasons there are for it First All men are by nature utterly unable to beleeve There is in the bloud of Christ a fountaine opened to us by the Gospell for sinne and for uncleannesse as the Prophet speaketh Zach. 13.1 And if we could get into that fountaine if we could make use of and apply to our selves the water of that fountaine certainely it would cleanse us perfectly from all our sinnes But alas we are like unto that poore impotent man that lay at the poole of Bethesda Ioh. 5.7 he knew well enough that if he could have got into the poole so soone as the Angell had stirred the water he should have beene perfectly cured but he could not of himselfe get into the poole And so is it with every one of us by nature the fountaine of Christs bloud is able to cleanse us throughly from all our sinnes and this fountaine is by the Ministery of the Gospell opened even unto us it is not shut against any of us none of us are barred or excluded from it but though it be thus opened we cannot get into it of our selves No man can come to mee saith our Saviour Ioh. 6.44 Except my Father which hath sent me doe draw him The Lord must by his spirit change our hearts he must draw us unto Christ by his mighty and out stretched arme and make us able to beleeve in him or we shall never come unto him Yea the Apostle calleth this Eph. 1.19 a worke of the exceeding greatnesse of Gods power that any man is made able to beleeve in Christ aright And this helpe this grace God doth not vouchsafe to all he draweth not all but whom it pleaseth him The winde bloweth where it listeth saith our Saviour Ioh. 3.8 So is every one that is borne of the Spirit The Sonne quickneth whom he will saith hee Ioh. 5.21 Nay hee vouchsafeth this mercy but to few Who hath beleeved our report saith the Prophet Esaâ— 53.1 And to whom is the arme of the Lord reveiled And this is the first cause why so few doe truely beleeve The second is this that some are through Gods just judgement upon them for some former sinnes smitten of God with a supernatuall inability to beleeve Therefore they could not beleeve saith our Saviour out of the Prophet Esay Ioh. 12.39 40. because God had blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts Oh then beloved seeing there be so few in comparison that shall have any benefit by Christ it standeth us upon to take heed we be not deluded any longer with a conceit of the common interest that all men have in Christ but diligently to enquire whither wee our selves be of that small number or no whether we can finde in our selves those notes whereby Christ hath marked his owne sheepe and whereby hee will owne them for his Certainely as the Lord himselfe knoweth them that are his as the Apostle speaketh 2 Tim. 2.19 so he hath set that marke upon them as whereby themselves also may know that they are his I know my sheepe saith he Ioh. 10.14 And I am knowne of mine Wee know saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 4.13 that we dwell in him and he in us O what a happinesse is this to a Christian to be sure of this And on the other side what sound comfort can a man have in life or death if he be not sure of this Alas the more confident that any man is of his interest in Christ the more wofull will his case bee if when hee shall appeare before Christ Christ will not owne him because he findeth not his marke upon him or if when his owne conscience shall be awakned he shall looke and search for Christs marke upon himselfe and cannot be able to finde it When Christ shall say to them that were confidently perswaded that they had great interest in him I tell you I know you not whence you are depart from me as we read Luke 13.27 28. he will one day say to many such persons there shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth saith our Saviour If you aske mee What marke is that Christ useth to brand his sheepe withall whereby he will owne them and whereby themselves may know that they are his I answer It is his holy Spirit which he giveth to all that truly believe in him He that is joyned to the Lord saith the Apostle 1 Corinth 6.17 is one spirit As if he had said He hath in him the very same spirit that is in Christ. If any man have not the spirit of Christ saith the Apostle Romans 8.9 hee is none of his Therefore also is the holy Spirit called the Lords seale that he setteth upon his and whereby he doth use to marke them After ye believed in Christ saith the Apostle Ephes. 1.13 ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise When once a man findeth that he hath this seale this marke upon him he may confidently and comfortably conclude that certainely he is Christs and Christ is his and till then hee can never know it Hereby wee know saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 3.24 that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given us and 4.13 Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his spirit But may not this marke be counterfeited will you say May not a man easily mistake and be deceived in this and thinke he hath the Spirit of Christ when he hath it not indeed I answer Yes that hee may or els wee should not bee so oft and so earnestly charged as we are 2 Corinth 13.5 to examine our selves to prove our owne selves and Galat. 6.4 Let every man prove his owne worke But yet by the fruits and effects of the Spirit that he findeth in himselfe the true believer may certainely know that the Spirit of Christ doth dwell in him indeed I have oâ—t had occasion heretofore to speake of sundry fruits of faith and effects of the Spirit whereby he that is in Christ and hath