forgiven witnessing that he lives as a Christian should do witnessing that he hath the evidences of his justification that he hath a holy life the pledge likewise of future glory his joy is well bred Likewise it is permanent Other mens joy and rejoycing is but as a flash of thornes as the Wise man calls it as it were a flame in thornes as the crackling of thornes which is sooner gone And it is an unseemly glorying and rejoycing for a man to glory in that which is worse then himself and in that which is out of himself as all other things are out of a mans self and worse and meaner then a mans self therefore a man cannot rejoyce in them and be wise It is a disparagement to the wisdom of a man to glory in things that are meaner then himself and that are out of himself A holy Christian hath that in himself and that which is more excellent then himself to glory in This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience All other rejoycing it is vain glorie and vain rejoycing therefore in Jerem. 9. saith he Let not the wise man glory in his wisdome let not the strong man glory in his strength let not the rich man glorie in his riches but if a man will glorie let him glorie that he knowes the Lord to be his and that he knowes himself to be the Lords When he knowes the Lord to be his and himself to be Gods by faith and a good conscience then there is matter of glorying Of all kind of men God doth hate proud boasters most of all for glory is the froth of pride and God hates pride he opposeth pride and sets himself in battel aray against it and who can thrive that hath God for his enemie boasting and pride in any earthly thing it is against all the commandements almost It is Idolatrie it makes that we boast and glorie in an Idoll whereas we should glorie in God that gives it And it is spirituall adulterie when we cleave in our affections to some outward thing more then to God It is false witnesse pride is a false glasse it makes the things and the men themselves that enjoy them to seem greater then they are The divell amplifies earthly things to a carnall man in a false glasse that they seeme big to him whereas if he could see them in their true colours they are false things they are snares and hinderances in the way to heaven and many such names they have The Scripture gives an ill report of them They are vanity and vexation of spirit because we should be discouraged from setting our affections on these things and from glorying in them Therefore let us take heed of false glorying if we will glorie we see here what we are to glory in This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience c. And this we may justify and stand by that it is good It is the Testimony of conscience This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience The testimony of conscience it is a matter and ground of joy to a true Christian here we are to consider these things First to consider a little the nature of conscience And then that conscience beares witnesse that there is a testimony of conscience And that this conscience bearing witnesse is a ground of comfort For the first Every man feeles and knowes what conscience meanes There be many rigid disputes of it among the Schoole men that had leisure enough of all men knew as little and felt what it was as any sort of men living under the darkness of Poperie and superstition and being in thraldome to the Pope and to the corruptions of the times they lived in They have much jangling about the description of it whether it be the soule it self or a facultie or an act In a word Conscience is all these in some sort in diverse respects therefore I will not wrangle with any particular opinion For what is conscience but the soul it self reflecting upon it self It is the propertie of the reasonable soule and the excellencie of it that it can return upon it self The beast cannot for it runs right forward it knowes it is carried to the object but it cannot returne and recoile upon it self but the soule of the reasonable creature of all even from men to God himself who understands in the highest degree though he do not discourse as man doth yet he knowes himself he knowes and understands his owne excellencie And wheresoever there is understanding there is a reflect act whereby the soule returnes upon it self and knowes what it doth it knowes what it wills it knowes what it affects it knowes what it speakes it knowes all in it and all out of it It is the propertie of the soule Therefore the originall word in the Old Testament that signifies the heart it is taken for conscience Conscience and heart are all one I am perswaded in my soul that is in my conscience and the Spirit witnesseth to our spirit that is to our conscience Conscience is called the spirit the Heart the soul because it is nothing but the soul reflecting and returning upon it self Therefore it is called conscience that is one knowing joyned with another because conscience knowes it self and it knowes what it knowes it knowes what the heart is it not onely knowes it self but it is a knowledge of the heart with God It is called conscience because it knowes with God for what conscience knowes God knowes that is above conscience It is a knowledge with God and a knowledge of a mans selfe And so it may be the soule it self indued with that excellent facultie of reflecting and returning upon it self therefore it judgeth of its own acts because it can return upon it self Conscience likewise in some sort may be called a faculty the common stream runs that way that it is a power It is not one power but conscience is in all the powers of the soule for it is in the understanding and there it rules conscience is it by which it is ruled and guided Conscience is nothing but an application of it to some particular to some thing it knowes to some rules it knowes before Conscience is in the will in the affections the joy of conscience and the peace of conscience and so it runs through the whole soule It is not one facultie or two but it is placed in all the faculties And some will needs have it an act a particuler act and not a power When it doth exercise conscience it is an act when it accuseth or excuseth or when it witnesseth it is an act at that time it is a facultie in act So that we need not to wrangle whether it be this or that let us comprehend as much in our notions as we can that it is the soul the heart the spirit of a man returning upon it self and it hath something to doe in
all the powers and it is an act it self when it is stirred up to accuse or to excuse to punish a man with fears and terrours or to comfort him with joy and the like Now Conscience it is a most excellent thing it is above reason and sense for conscience is under God and hath an eye to God alway An Atheist can have no conscience therefore because he takes a way the ground of conscience which is an eye to God Conscience lookes to God it is placed as Gods Deputy and vicegerent in man Now it is above reason in this respect Reason saith you ought to do this it is a comely thing it is a thing acceptable with men amongst whom you live and converse it becomes your condition as you are a man to carrie your self thus it agrees with the rules and principles of nature in you Thus saith reason and they are good motives from reason But conscience goeth higher There is a God to whom I must answer there is a judgment therefore I do this and therefore I do not this It is a more divine a more excellent power in man then any thing else then sense or reason or whatsoever As it is planted by God for special use so it looks to God in all Therefore the name for conscience in the Greek and Latine signifies a knowledge with another because it is a knowledge with God God and my own heart knowes this God and my conscience as we use to say There are three things joyned with conscience It is a knowledge with a rule with a generall rule that is alway the foundation of conscience in a man For there is a general rule Whosoever commits murther whosoever commits adultery whosoever is a blasphemer a swearer a covetous corrupt person he shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven as the Apostle saith Here is the generall rule now conscience applies it but I am such a one therefore I shall not enter into heaven so here the conscience it practiseth with a rule It is a knowledge of those particulars with a generall rule And then it is a knowledge of me of my own heart I know what I have done I know what I doe and in what manner whether in hypocrisie or sincerity I know what I think And then it is a knowledge with God for God knows what conscience knowes he knowes what is thought or done Conscience is above me and God is above conscience Conscience is above me and above all men in the world for it is immediately subjugated to God conscience knowes more then the world and God knowes a thousand times more then Conscience or the world It is a knowledge with a general rule for where there is no generall rule there is no conscience To make this a little clearer all have a rule those that have not the Word which is the best rule of all yet they have the Word written in their hearts they have a naturall Judicature in their souls their conscience excusing or accusing one another they have a generall rule you must do no wrong you must do that which is right In the soule there is a treasurie of rules by nature the Word doth add more rules the Law and the Gospel and that part of the soule that preserves rules is called intellectual because it preserves rules all men by nature have these graven in the soule And therefore the Heathen were exact in the rules of justice in the principles which they had by nature grafted and planted in them Now because the copie of the Image of God the Law of God written in nature was much blurred since the fall God gave a new copie of his law which was more exact therefore the Jewes which had the Word of God should have had more conscience then the Heathen because they had a better generall rule And now we having the Gospell too which is a more Evangelicall rule we should be more exact in our lives then they But every man in the world hath a rule If men sin without the Law they shall be judged without the law by the principles of nature if they sin under the Gospell they shall be judged by the Word and Gospell So that conscience it is a knowledge with a rule and with the particular actions that I have done and a knowledge with God In a word to clear this further concerning the nature of conscience know that God hath set up in man a Court and there is in man all that are in a Court There is a Register to take notice of what we have done besides the generall rule for that is the ground and foundation of all there is conscience which is a Register to set down whatsoever we have done exactly the conscience keeps diaries it sets down every thing it is not forgotten though we think it is when conscience is once awaked As in Jer. 17. The sins of Judah are written with a pen of Iron and with the point of a Diamond upon their souls all their wit and craft will not rase it out It may be forgotten a while by the rage of lusts or one thing or other but there is a Register that writes it downe conscience is the Register And then there are Witnesses The testimony of conscience conscience doth witness this I have done this I have not done There is an Accuser with the witness the conscience it accuseth or excuseth And then there is the Judge conscience is the Judge there it doth judge this is well done this is ill done Then there is an Executioner and conscience is that too upon accusation and judgement there is punishment The first punishment is within a man alway before he come to hell The punishment of conscience it is a prejudice of future judgment there is a flash of hell presently after an ill act The Heathen could observe that God hath framed the heart and the brain so as there is a sympathic between them that whatsoever is in the understanding that is well and comfortable the understanding in the braine sends it to the heart and raiseth some comfort If the understanding apprehend dolorous things ill matters then the heart smites as Davids heart smote him the heart smites with grief for the present and with fear for the time to come In good things it brings joy presently and hope for the time to come that followes a good excusing conscience God hath set and planted in man this Court of conscience and it is Gods Hall as it were wherein he keeps his first judgement wherein he keeps his Assizes And conscience doth all the parts it registreth it witnesseth it accuseth it judgeth it executes it doth all Now you see in generall what the nature of conscience is and why it is planted in us by God One maine end among the rest besides his love to us to keep us from sin and then by smiting us
to drive us to conversion and repentance to turn from our sins to God another maine end is to be a prejudice to make way to Gods eternall judgment for therein things are judged before when God layes open the Book of conscience when it is written there by this Register we shall have much to do to excuse our selves or to plead that we need many witnesses for our conscience will accuse us we shall be self-accusers self-condemners as the Apostle saith Conscience will take Gods part and God will take part with conscience And God hath planted it for this main end that he might be justified in the damnation of wicked men at the day of judgment Now I come to the second particular that conscience gives evidence or witnesse This is the evidence or testimony of our conscience The witness of conscience it comes in this order Upon some generall rules that the conscience hath laid up in the soule out of nature and out of the Book of God the Conscience doth apply those Generalls to particulars First in directing this is such a truth in generall you ought to carry your self thus and thus to do this saith conscience so it directeth and is a monitor before it be a witnesse Well if the monitions of conscience be regarded and heard from thence comes conscience to witnesse that the generall rule that directs in particulars hath been obeyed and so after it hath done its duty in directing it comes to judge and to witnesse this I have done or this I have not done so the witnesse of conscience comes in that manner Now if you would know what manner of witnesse conscience is It is a witnesse that there is no exception against it is a witnesse that will say all the truth and will say nothing but the truth It is a witnesse that will not be bribed it will not be corrupted long For a time we may silence it but it will not be so long nor in all things Some sins may be slubbered over but there are some sins that by the generall light in nature are so known to be naught that conscience will accuse therefore it is a faithfull Judge and Witnesse especially in great sins it is an uncorrupt witnesse It is a true Register it is alway writing and setting down though we know not what it writes for the present being carried away with vanities and lusts yet we shall know afterward when the book of conscience shall be layd open It is a witnesse that we cannot impeach no man can say I had no body to tell me Alas a mans own conscience will tell him well enough at the day of judgement and say to him when he is in hell as Reuben said to his Brethren when they were in Egypt in prison Did not I tell you hurt not the boy meddle not with him so conscience will say Did not I witnesse did not I give you warning Yes I did but you regarded it not It is a faithful witnesse there is no exception against it And then it is an inward witnesse it is a domestcik witnesse a Chaplain in ordinarie a domesticall divine it is alway telling us and alway ready to put good things into us It is an eye-witnesse and an eare-witnesse for it is as deep in man as any sin can be If it be but in thought conscience tells me what I think and conscience tells me what I desire as well as what I speak and what I do It is an inward and an eye-witnesse of every thing As God sees all and knowes all who is all eye so conscience is all eye it sees every thing it heares every thing it is privie to our thoughts As we cannot escape Gods eye so we cannot escape the eye of conscience Whether shall I flee from thy presence saith David If I go to heaven thou art there if I go down into hell thou art there So a man may say of conscience Whither shall I flee from conscience If a man could flee from himself it were somewhat conscience is such a thing as that a man cannot flee from it nor he cannot bid it Be gone it is as inward as his soul. Nay the soule will leave the body but conscience will not leave the soule What it writes it writes for eternity except it be wiped out by repentance As Saint Chrysostome saith Whatsoever is written there may be wiped out by daily repentance You see then it is a witnesse and how and what manner of witnesse conscience is Therefore we should not sin in hope of concealment what if thou conceal it from all others canst thou conceal thy own conscience As one saith well What good is it for thee that none knowes what is done when thou knowest it thy felf what profit is it for him that hath a conscience that will accuse him that he hath no man to accuse him but himself he is a thousand witnesses to himself Conscience is not a private witnesse it is a thousand witnesses therefore never sin in hope to have it concealed It were better that all men should know it then that thy self shouldest know it all will be one day written in thy forehead conscience will be a blab if it cannot speak the truth now though it be bribed in this life it will have power efficacy in the life to come Never sin therefore in hope of concealment conscience is a witnesse we have the witnesse in us and as Esay saith Our sins witnesse against us It is in vain to look for secrecy conscience will discover all Again considering that conscience doth witnesse and will witnesse let us labour that it may witnesse well let us labour to furnish it with a good testimonie Let us carrie our selves so in all our demeanour to God and men that conscience may give a good testimony a good witness it will witness either for us or against us Therefore first of all labour to have good rules to guide it And then labour to obey those rules knowledge and obedience are necessary that conscience may give a good witnesse Now a good witnesse of conscience is two-fold A true and honest witnesse and then a peaceable witnesse followes on it that it may witnesse truth and then that it may witnesse peace for us That conscience may witnesse truly and excuse us conscience must be rightly instructed for naturally conscience can tell us many things The Heathen men Philosophers we may read it to our shame they made conscience of things which Christians that are instructed by a further rule then conscience that have the Book of God to rectifie the inward Book of conscience yet they make no conscience of How many cases did they make scruple of to discover faults to the buyer in their selling and to deal truly and honestly for the second table especially it should make Christians ashamed But besides that rule we have the rule of the Scriptures
will tell them that it is another manner of sin and that it is the fountain of all sin And so for Justification by works conscience it self if there were no Book of God would say it is a false point And then they plead for Ignorance they have blind consciences their Clergy being a subtile generation that have abused the world a long time because they would sit in the conscience where God should sit they sit in the Temple of God and would be respected above that which is due to them they would be accounted as petty gods in the world therefore they keep the people from the knowledge of the true rule and make what they speak equal with Gods word Now if the people did discern this they would not be Papists long for no man would willingly be cozened Let us labour therefore for a true rule And when we have gotten rules apply them for what are rules without application Rules are instrumental things and instruments without use are nothing If a Carpenter have a rule and hang it up by him and work by conceit what is it good for So to get a company of rules by the word of God to refine natural knowledge as much as we can and then to make no use of it in our lives it is to no purpose therefore when we have rules let us apply them In this those that have the true rule and apply it not are better then they that refuse to have the rule because as hath been said an Ignorant man that hath not the rule he cannot be good But a man that hath the rule and yet squares not his life by it yet he can bring the rule to his life there is a near converse between the heart and the brain such a man he hath the rule in his memory he hath it in his understanding and therefore there is a thousand times more hope of him that cares to know that cares to hear the word of God and cares for the meanes then of sottish persons that care not to hear because they would not do that they know and because they would not have their sleepy dull and drowsie conscience awaked there is no hope of such a one It should be our care to have right rules and in the application of them to make much of conscience that it may apply aright in directing and then in comfort If we obey it in directing it will witnesse and excuse and upon witnesse and excuse there will come a sweet Paradise to the soul of joy and peace unspeakable and glorious The last thing I observe from these words is this that The testimonie and witnesse of conscience is a ground of comfort and joy The reason of the joyning these two the witnesse of a good conscience and joy it is that which I said before in the description of conscience for conscience first admonisheth and then witnesseth and then it excuseth or accuseth and then it judgeth and executeth Now the inward execution of conscience is joy if it be good for God hath so planted it in the heart and soul that where conscience doth accuse or excuse there is alway execution there is alway joy or fear the affections of joy or fear alway follow If a mans conscience excuse him that he hath done well then conscience comes to be enlarged to be a Paradise to the soul to be a Jubile a refreshing to speak peace and comfort to a man For rewards are not kept altogether for the life to come hell is begun in an ill conscience and heaven is begun in a good conscience an ill conscience is a hell upon earth a good conscience is a heaven upon earth therefore the testimony of a good conscience breeds glorying and rejoycing Again conscience when it witnesseth it comforts because when it witnesseth it witnesseth with God and where God is there is his Spirit and where the holy Spirit is there is joy for even as heat followes the fire so joy and glorying accompany the Spirit of God The Spirit of glory Now when conscience witnesseth aright it witnesseth with God and God is alway cloathed with joy he brings joy and glory into the heart Conscience witnesseth with God that I am his And it witnesseth with my self that I have led my life thus Our rejoycing is the witnesse of our conscience It is not the witnesse of another mans conscience but my own other men may witnesse and say I am thus and thus but all is to no purpose if my own conscience tell me I am another man then they take me to be But when a man 's own conscience witnesseth for him there followes rejoycing A man cannot rejoyce with the testimony of another mans conscience because another man saith I am a good man c. unlesse there be the testimony of my own conscience Now it is a sweet benefit an excusing conscience when it witnesseth well Let us see it in all the passages of life that a good conscience in excusing breeds glorying and joy It doth breed joy in Life in Death at the day of judgement In life in all the passages of life in all estates both good and ill In good the testimonie of conscience breeds joy for it enjoyes the pleasures of this life and the comforts of it with the favour of God conscience tells the man that he hath gotten the things well that he enjoyes that he hath gotten the place and advancement that he hath well that he enjoyes the comforts of this life with a good conscience and all things are pure to the pure If he have gotten them ill conscience upbraids him alway and therefore he cannot joy in the good estate he hath If a man had all the contentments in the world if he had not the testimonie of a good conscience what were all What contentment had Adam in Paradise after once by sin he had fallen from the peace of conscience none at all A little that the righteous hath is better then great riches of the ungodly because they have not peace of conscience And so for ill estate when conscience witnesseth well it breeds rejoycing In false imputations and slanders and disgraces as here it was insinuated into the Corinthians by false teachers and those that followed them that St. Paul was so and so saith St. Paul You may say what you will of me My rejoycing is this the testimony of my conscience that I am not the man which they make me to be in your hearts by their false reports The witnesse of conscience is a good and sufficient ground of rejoycing in this case Therefore holy men have retired to their conscience in all times as Saint Paul you see doth here So Job his conscience bare him out in all the false imputations of his comfortlesse friends that were miserable comforters they laboured to take away his sincerity from him the chief cause of his joy Yeu shall not
take away my sincerity saith he you would make me an hypocrite and thus and thus but my conscience tells me I am otherwise therefore you shall not take away my innocency from me And in Job 31. 35. Behold it is my desire that the Almighty would answer me and that my adversaries would write a Book against me I would take it upon my shoulder I would take it as a crown unto me Here was the force of a good conscience in Jobs troubles that if his adversaries should write a book against him yet he would bind it as a crown about him And so David in all imputations this was his joy when they laid things to his charge that he had never done he takes this for his joy the comfort of his conscience So St. Paul he retires to his conscience and being raised up with the worthinesse of a good conscience he despiseth all imputations whatsoever he sets Conscience up as a flag of defiance to all false slanders and imputations that were laid against him as we see in the storie of the Acts and in this place and others saith he in one place I passe not for mans sentence I passe not for mans day man hath his day man will have his Judgment-seat and will get upon the Bench and judge me that I am such and such I care not for mans day there is another Judgement-seat that I looke unto and to the testimony of my Conscience My rejoycing is the witnesse of my Conscience Holie men have cause to retire to their own Consciences when they would rejoyce against false imputations so holy Saint Austin what saith he to a Donatist that wronged him in his reputation Think of Austin what you please as long as my Conscience accuseth me not with God I will give you leave to think what you will If so be that a mans Conscience cleares him he cares not a whit for reports because a good man looks more to Conscience then to fame therefore if Conscience tell him truth though fame lie he cares not much for he squares not his life by report but by Conscience Indeed he lookes to a good name but that is in the last place For a good man lookes first to God who is above conscience and then he lookes to Conscience which is under God and then in the third place he lookes to report amongst men And if God and his Conscience excuse him though men accuse him and lay imputations upon him this or that he passeth little for mans judgment so the witness of conscience it comforts in all imputations whatsoever Again it comforts in sicknesse Ezechias was sick what doth he retire unto Remember Lord how I have walked uprightly before thee he goes to his Conscience In sicknesse when a man can eate nothing a good Conscience is a continuall feast In sorrow it is a Musician A good Conscience doth not onely Counsell and advise but it is a Musician to delight It is a Physitian to heal It is the best Cordiall the best Physick all other are Physitians of no value Comforts of no value If a mans Conscience be wounded if it be not quieted by faith in the blood of Christ if he have not the Spirit to witnesse the forgivenesse of his sins and to sanctifie and inable him to lead a good life all is to no purpose if there be an evill Conscience the unsound body while it is sick it is in a kind of hell already Again take a man in any crosse whatsoever a good conscience doth bear out the Crosse it bears a man up alway because a good Conscience being a witnesse with God it raiseth a man obove all earthly things whatsoever there is no Earthly discouragement that can dismay a good Conscience because there is a kind of Divinitie in Conscience put in by God and it witnesseth together with God so that in all crosses it comforts So likewise in losses in want in want of friends in want of comforts in want of liberty what doth the witnesse of a good Conscience in all these In want of friends it is a friend indeed it is an inward friend a near friend to us Put the case that a man have never a friend in the world yet he hath God and his own conscience where there is a good conscience there is God and his holy Spirit alway In want of liberty in want of outward comforts he hath the comfort of a good conscience A man on his death-bed he sees he wants all outward comforts but he hath a good conscience And so in want of libertie when a man is restrained his heart is at liberty A wicked man that hath a bad conscience is imprisoned in his own Heart though he have never such libertie though he be a Monarch a bad Conscience imprisons him at home he is in fetters his thoughts make him afraid of Thunder afraid of every thing afraid of himself and though there be no body else to awe him yet his conscience awes him Where there is a conscience under the guilt of sin unrepented there is the greatest liberty in the world there is restraint for Conscience is the worst prison Where there is a good conscience there is an inward inlargement A good man in the greatest restraint hath liberty Paul and Silas Act. 16. in the dungeon in the hell of the dungeon in the worst place of the dungeon in the stocks and at the worst time of the day of the naturall day I mean at midnight and in the worst usage when they were misused and whipped with all they had all the discouragements that could be and yet they sang at midnight these blessed men Paul and Silas because their hearts were enlarged there was a Paradise in the very Dungeon As where the King is there is his Court so it is where God is God in the prison in the noysom dungeon by his Spirit so enlarged their hearts that they sang at midnight Where as if conscience be ill if it were in Paradise Conscience would fear as we see in Adam Saint Paul in prison was better then Adam in Paradise when he had offended God Adam had outward comforts enough but when he had sinned his conscience made him afraid of him from whom he should have all comfort it made him afraid of God and hide himself among the leaves alas a poore shift We see then conscience doth witnesse and the witness of it when it is good doth cause the soul to glory and rejoyce not onely in positive ills in slanders and crosses but in losses in want of friends in want of comforts in want of liberty And so for the time to come in evills threatned a good conscience is bold It feares no ill tidings Psalme 112. My heart is fixed my heart is fixed saith David wicked men are like the trees of the forrest Isay 7. Wicked Ahaz his heart did tremble and shake as the leaves with the wind The noise of fear
is alway in their eares an ill Conscience when it is mingled with ill newes when there are two feares together it must needs be a great fear And a good conscience when it hath laid up grounds of joy in life in the worst estate and condition of life then it makes use of joy in death for when all comforts are taken from a man when his friends cannot comfort him and all earthly things leave him then that conscience that hath gone along with him that hath been a Monitor and a witnesse all his life-time now it comes to speak good things to him now it comforts him now conscience is some body at the houre of death when nothing else will be regarded when nothing will comfort then conscience doth The righteous hath hope in his death as the Wise man saith Death is called the King of feares because it makes all afraid It is the terrible of terribles saith he Philosopher but here is a King above the King of feares a good conscience is above the King of feares death A good conscience is fo farre from being discouraged by this King of feares that it is joyfull even in death because it knowes that then it is near to the place where conscience shall be fully enlarged where there shall be no annoyance nor no grievance whatsoever Death is the end of misery and the beginning of happinesse therefore a good conscience is joyful in death And after death at the day of judgment there the witnesse of conscience is a wondrous cause of joy for there a man that hath a good conscience he looks upon the Judge his Brother he looks on him with whom he hath made his peace in his life-time before and now he receives that which he had the beginnings of before then he lifts up his head with joy and comfort So you see how the witnesse of conscience causeth glory and joy in all estates whatsoever in life in death after death it speaks for a man there it never leaves him till it have brought him to heaven it self where all things else leave a man Therefore how much should we prize and value the testimony and witnesse of a good conscience And what madnesse is it for a man to humour men and displease conscience his best friend Of all persons and all things in the world we should reverence our own conscience most of all Wretched men despise the inward witnesse of this inward friend this inward divine this inward Physician this inward Comforter this inward Counsellour It is no better then madnesse that men should regard that every thing else be good and clean and yet notwithstanding in the middest of all to have foul consciences But to answer an objection and to unloose some knots It may be said that when the Hearts of people are good yet there a good conscience concludes not alway for comfort VVhere there is faith in Christ and an honest life conscience should conclude comfort here is the Rule this I have obeyed therefore I should have comfort Now this we see crossed oft-times that Christians that live exact lives are often troubled in conscience how can trouble of conscience stand with joy upon the witnesse of conscience I answer the witnesse of Conscience when it is a good conscience it doth not alway breed joy It is because our estate is imperfect here and Conscience doth not alway witnesse out of the goodnesse of it sometimee conscience is misled and so sometimes good Christians take the errour of conscience for the witnesse of Conscience These things should be distinguished Conscience sometime in the best erres as well as gives a true witnesse If we take the errour of conscience for the witnesse of conscience there will come trouble of conscience and that deservedly through our own folly Now conscience doth erre in good men sometimes when they regard Rules which they should not or when they mistake the matter and doe not argue aright As for instance when they gather thus I have not grace in such a measure and therefore I have none I am not the Child of God What a rule is this This is the errour of conscience and therefore it must needs breed perplexitie of conscience A good conscience when it is right cannot witnesse thus because the Word doth not say thus Is a nullitie and an imperfection all one No there is much difference in the whole kind A nullitie is nothing an imperfection though it be but a little degree yet it is something This is the errour of conscience and from thence comes trouble of conscience which makes men reason ill many waies As for instance I have not so much grace as such a one hath and therefore I have no grace Now that is a false reasoning for every one hath his due measure If thou be not so great a rich man as the richest in the Towne yet thou mayest be rich in thy kind Again when conscience looks to the humour you are to live by faith and not by the humour of Melancholy When the Instrument of reason that should judge is distempered by melancholy it reasons from thence falsly Because melancholy perswades me that I am so therefore conscience being led by the humour of the body saith I am so Who bid thee live by humour thou must live by rule Melancholy may tell thee sometime when it is in strength that thou art made of glasse as it hath done some it will deceive thee in bodily things wherein sense can confute melancholy much more will it if we yield to it in matters of the soule it will perswade us that we are not the Children of God that we have not Grace and goodnesse when we have Again hence it is that conscience doth not conclude comfort in Gods Children because it looks to the ill and not to the good that is in them for there are those two things in Gods Children there is good and ill now in the time of temptation they look to the ill and think they have no good because they will not see any thing but ill They fix their eyes on the remainders of their rebellious lusts which are not fully subdued in them and they look wholly on them Whereas they should have two eyes one to look on that which is good that God may have glorie and they comfort Now they fixing their eyes altogether on that which is naught and because they doe not or will not see that which is good therefore they have no comfort because they suffer conscience to be ill led that it doth not its duty And conscience in good men it looks sometimes to that that it should not in others in regard of others It looks to the flourishing of wicked men and therefore it concludes Certainly I have washed my hands in vain since such men thrive and prosper in the world Psalme 37. and Psalme 73. VVho bade thee look to this and to be uncomfortable from thence that thy
estate is not good because it is not such an estate So foolish and as a beast was I before thee saith David because I regarded such things No marvell if men be uncomfortable that are led away by scandals Look to faith goe to the Word to the Sanctuarie I went to the Sanctuary saith he and there I saw the end of these men So conscience must be suffered to have its work to be led by a true rule Again conscience sometimes concludes not comfort when there is ground of comfort from the remainders of corruptions and infirmities whereas we should be driven by our infirmities to Christ. And conscisence sometimes in good men doth not exercise its work in good men it is drawn away with vain delights even in the best men And conscience of its owne unworthinesse and of the greatnesse of the things it lookes for being joyned together it makes a man that he joyes not when he hath cause As for instance when the soule sees that God in Christ hath pardoned all my sins and hath vouchsafed his Spirit to me and will give me heaven in the world to come to such a wretch as I am here being a conflict between the conscience and sense of its own unworthinesse and the greatnesse of 〈◊〉 good promised the heart begins to stagger and to doubt for want of sound faith Indeed if we look on our own unworthinesse and the greatnesse of the good things promised we may wonder but alas God is infinite in goodnesse he transcends our unworthinesse and in the Gospell the glorie of Gods mercy it triumphs over our unworthinesse and over our sins whatsoever our sin and unworthinesse is his goodnesse in the Gospel triumphs over all In Innocency God should have advanced an innocent man but the Gospel is more glorious for he comes to sinners to condemned persons by nature and yet God triumphs over their sins and unworthinesse he regards not what we deserve but what may stand with the glory of his mercy therefore we should banish those thoughts and enjoy our own priviledge the promises of heaven and happinesse and all comforts whatsoever so much for the answer of that objection Now if we would joy in the witnesse of a good conscience we must especially in the time of temptation live by faith and not by feeling not by what we feele for the present but as we see Christ in his greatest horrour My God my God why hast thou forsaken me he goes to my God still We must live by faith and not by sense And then if we would rejoyce in extremities remember that God works by contraries God will bring us to heaven but it must be by hell God will bring us to comfort but it must be by sense of our own unworthinesse He will forgive our sins but it must be by sight and sense of our sins he will bring us to life but it must be by death he will bring us to glorie but it must be by shame God works by contraries therefore in contraries believe contraries When we are in a state that hath no comfort yet we may joy in it if we believe in Christ he works by contraries As in the Creation he made all out of nothing order out of confusion So in the work of the new creation in the new creature he doth so likewise therefore be not dismayed Remember this rule likewise that in the covenant of Grace God requires truth and not measure thou art not under the law but under the covenant of Grace A little fire is true fire as well as the whole element of fire A drop of water is water as well as the whole Ocean so if it be true faith true grief for sins true hatred of them true desire of the favour of God and to grow better truth is respected in the covenant of Grace and not any set measure What saith the Covenant of Grace He that believes and repents shall be saved not he that hath a strong faith or he that hath perfect repentance So Saint Paul saith as we shall see after This is our rejoycing that in simplicity and sincerity we have had our conversation among you he doth not say that our conversation hath been perfect So if we would have joy in the testimony of conscience we must not abridge our selves of joy because we have not a perfect measure of Grace but rejoyce that God hath wrought any measure of Grace in such unclean and polluted hearts as ours are for he least measure of Grace is a pledge of perfection in the world to come This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience c. Hence we may gather clearly that A man may know his own estate in Grace I gather it from the place thus Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity c. Where there is joy and the ground of joy there is a knowledge of the estate but a Christian hath glorying and a ground of glorying in himself and he knowes it he hath that in him that witnesseth that estate he hath the witnesse of conscience therefore he may know and be assured of it If this testimony were not a true testimony it were something but all men naturally have a conscience and a Christian hath a sanctified conscience and where that is there is a true testimony and true joy from that testimony therefore he may be assured of his salvation and have true joy and comfort a Heaven upon Earth before he come to Heaven it self If conscience testifie of it self and from witnessing give cause of joy much more the Spirit of God comming into the conscience The Spirit beares witnesse with our spirits If our spirit and conscience bear witnesse to us of our conversation in simplicity and sincerity and from thence of our estate in grace much more by the witnesse of two By the witnesse of two or three every thing shall be confirmed but our spirits and conscience and the Spirit of God which every Child of God hath witnesseth that we are the Children of God Rom. 8. The Spirit witnesseth with our spirits that we are the sons of God Therefore a Christian may know his estate in Grace The spirit of a man knowes himself and the Spirit of God knowes him likewise and it knowes what is in the heart of God and when these two meet the Spirit of God that knowes the secrets of God and that knowes our secrets and our spirit that knowes our heart likewise what should hinder but that we may know our own estate It is the nature of conscience as I told you to reflect upon it self and upon the person in whom it is to know what is known by it and to judge and condemne and execute it self by inward fear and terrour in ill and in good by comfort and joy in a mans self It is the property that the soul hath above all creatures to return and recoyle upon it self If this be
God with them I trust in God depend upon God in good courses that God do not punish us and give us into desertion for our presumption and then we may know that our state is good Look to S. Paul and see the property of a good conscience it looks back it looks to the present and to the time to come Our rejoycing is this that we have had our conversation hitherto well Is that enough for a good conscience No you have acknowledged me to be as I have written to have a good conscience in my Ministerial course and in my conversation and you shall acknowledge me still This is the glory of a good life that whether a man look above him he hath God to witnesse for him or whether he look to the world to right judging persons he hath them to judge for him he dares appeal to their conscience or whether he look within him he hath a good witnesse from his own conscience which way soever he looks he hath comfort You have acknowledged me and you shall acknowledge I know God will not leave me for the time to come So that which makes up a compleat good conscience is the looking to the time to come as well as to the time past and present A good conscience that is purged by the blood of Christ from the guilt of former sins shall alway have grace to stablish the heart in good resolutions For where there is a cleansing from the guilt where there is pardon of sin there is alway given a power against sin for the time to come We usually say in Divinitie That the grace of God and a purpose to live in any sin cannot dwell in one heart and it is true if there be not a purpose to obey God in all things to leave every wicked way if there be an inclination to any iniquity the heart and conscience is not good A good conscience gives testimony of the time past present and to come And alwaies as I said remember to take God in all your resolutions or else you are liable to S. James his exception in a higher degree Go to nâ—…w ye that say We will do this to day and tomorrow and that in strength and confidence of your own not remembring the uncertainty of humane events how many things may fall out that God may crosse it If it be a presumptuous speech in matters of this life how much more in matters of grace for the time to come which God onely hath in his keeping and gives the will and the deed according to his good pleasure Therefore we should make an end of our salvation with fear and trembling Let us do as S. Paul did trust in God my trust and dependance on God is this that I shall do so because I have a constant resolution to be so to my lives end Therefore joyn them both together every day renew our dependance on God and his Promises The life of a Christian is a life dependant Salvation is wrought out of us by Christ procured by him and our carriage to salvation is wrought out of us by Grace coming from Christ. He keeps the Fountain and he lets out the streams more or lesse as we humbly depend on him so that both salvation is out of us and the carriage to salvation is of Grace all is out of us How should this make us carry ourselves humbly in a dependance on Christ for salvation and the carriage of it And therefore resolve not to offend God in any thing but to trust in God and to look to his Word to trust in God and his Word is all one Psal. 130. Thus we should take S. Paul's course to trust in God and renew our purposes every day And then take S. Paul's comfort to your selves perswade your selves that neither things present nor things to come as S. Paul saith Rom. 8. nothing shall intercept your crown For what he said here before-hand that he experimentally saith of himself 2 Tim. 4. a little before he dyed which was the last Epistle that ever he wrote he saith here they should acknowledge him to the end and there when his end was come what saith he of himself I have fought a good fight I have kept the faith I have run my race now henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of righteousnesse c. Before this time I depended upon God that he would carry me to my end as he hath done and now I am to close up my daies and my Sun is to set this all I have done God that was with me from the beginning is with me to the end I have done all this and what remaines now but a crown of righteousnesse Therefore I beseech you take in trust the time to come as well as any time past resolve well and trust with your resolution live by faith and obedience joyn them both together the one to be the evidence of the truth of the other then take in trust for the time to come all the good that you can promise your selves from God you cannot honour him more I trust you shall acknowledge to the end Saint Paul saith of himself That the grace of God should lead him to his end and that they should acknowledge it you shall not acknowledge me to the end to be rich or to be in favour c. but this you shall acknowledge that I shall be the like man It is uncertain for any thing in the world we cannot promise our selves nor others cannot promise for us but you shall acknowledge this that I will be as I have been to the end You have acknowledged and you shall acknowledge c. Seeing acknowledging is repeated twice as an evidence of a good Christian to approve of the Image of God in another and to acknowledge it Therefore often examine your hearts what you acknowledge do you acknowledge that the abstaining from evil courses from fraud and cunning in your callings that the abstaining from sensual living from carnal policy is good why then take that course resolve upon it Are the courses of Gods Children good why will you oppose them Saint Paul gives an excellent rule Rom. 14. 22. we should not condemn our selves in that which we allow Do you allow in your judgment and in your conscience the best courses as indeed you will do one day then do not condemn your selves in the present for them Happy is that man that condemneth not himself in that which he alloweth saith the Apostle Examine oft-times seriously how your judgment stands in the waies of God how it is built whether upon humane fancy to please any man or upon Divine directions the Word of God If it be so take heed that you do not condemn your selves in those courses and those persons that you allow Do you in your soul justifie such persons why do you not joyn with them why do you not walk their waies are such courses good
See Hope Opinion Confidence Certain account of and looking for death is a not able means to draw us from self confidence p. 136 Gods Children prone to self confidence p. 137 See Trust. Conformity A threefold conformity with Christ p. 118 Conscience Conscience what p. 219 220 c. Three things joyned with Conscience p. 221 God hath set up a Court in man wherein Conscience is 1. Register 2. Witnesse 3. Accuser 4. Judge 5. Executioner p. 222 Conscience Gods Hall wherein he keeps his Assizes ibid. Judgment of Conscience a forerunner of the great and general Judgment ibid. Conscience beareth witnesse p. 223 What manner of witnesse Conscience is viz. 1. Faithful 2. Inward ibid. How to have Conscience witnesse well p. 224 227 An ignorant man cannot have a good Conscience p. 225 Why men have bad Consciences ibid. Papists cannot have a good conscience why p. 226 The witnesse of a good Conscience the ground of joy why p. 227 235 A good Conscience breeds joy 1. In life p. 228 to 232 2. In death 3. At the day of Judgment A good Conscience comforts in all estates and conditions whatsoever p. 228 229 230 Why a good Conscience doth not alwayes witnesse comfort p. 231 232 Means how to joy and rejoyce in the witnesse of Conscience p. 233 Nothing worse then a bad Conscience p. 236 237 238 239 Labour for a good Concience ibid. Commenâ—…atior of a good Conscience ibid. How to have a good Conscience p. 240 Gods Children have place in the Conscience of others p. 320 Contraries God is able to raise comfort out of contraries p. 42 43 God carries on the work of our salvation by contraries why p. 146 Conversation Conversation what p. 266 Christianity may stand with conversing abroad in the world p. 267 Keligion makes a man converse abroad in the world untainted ibid. A Christians Conversation is best where he is best known p. 273 Corinth Corinth a very wicked City yet ever there God hath a Church p. 4 What is now become of the Church of Corinth p. 5 Corinth the Metropolis or Mother-City of Achaia p. 6 See Achaia D. Danger God suffers his Children sometimes to fall into extream perils and dangers why p. 125 126 c. Day Christ hath a Day p. 339 There be two special dayes of Christ ibid. The measure of a Christians joy is as it will be esteemed at the day of Judgment p. 340 We should often think of the day of the Lord Jesus p. 341 See Judgment Death Gods Children are sometimes very sensible and much afraid of death why p. 130 131 How and in what respect the Saints desire death p. 133 Christ was afraid of death and yet thirsted after it how p. 132 133 Gods Children are often deceived concerning the time â—…f their death why p. 134 Death uncertain how ibid. The time of death uncertain why p. 134 135 Certain account of and looking for death is a means to draw us from self-confidence and from the world and to make us trust in God p 136 Physicians fault in flattering the sick and feeding them with false hopes â—…f long life at the point of death taxed ibid. Affliction called Death p. 171 Deliver God doth not deliver his children at the first but suffers them to be brought to a low ebbe to a very sad condition and why p. 171 172 God delivers after he hath done his work p. 172 Gods time to deliver when p. 173 Gods children alway stand in need of deliverance p. 175 God delivers both outwardly and inwrdly p. 176 180 Christians have deliverance from trouble p. 177 A double deliverance of God p. 178 Experience of Gods deliverance in time past a ground of confidence to expect the like for time to come p. 172 178 182 Objection against the Doctrine of Gods delivering his people from trouble answered p. 179 Deliverance various or manifold p. 180 God will deliver his people out of all trouble p. 181 Dispense No dispensing with Gods Law p. 399 Dissembling Dissimulation Grounds of Dissimulation p. 244 A threefold Dissimulation 1. Before the project p. 224 2. In 3. After Objection for dissembling answered pag. 247 Man naturally prone to dissemble p. 244 250 Dissembling to be avoided and declined p. 371 372 A Christian is no Dissembler p. 317 See Simulation Dominion No man hath dominion over anothers faith p. 519 What is no domineering over the faith of others p. 520 What is domineering over the faith of others ibid. Who are guilty of domineering over other mens faith p. 521 The Church of Rome guilty of domineering over the faith of others how and wherein ibid. Grounds from whence this domineering over other mens faith ariseth p. 527 Double Doubling a great sin p. 247 Man by nature is prone to double and the grounds of it p. 250 Some persons and callings are more prone to doubling then others ibid. A Christian is no doubler p. 317 E. Earnest VVHat the Spirit is an Earnest of p. 486 The Spirit resembled to an Earnest in fiv e particulars p. 486 487 How to know whether we have the Earnest of the Spirit p. 493 494 495 How to get this Earnest of the Spirit pag. 501 502 503 Motives to labour for this Earnest pag. 504 505 End Holy men work for holy Ends p. 347 Equivocation Popish Equivocation odious and abominable p. 246 372 516 Errour How Prophets and Apostles were subject to errours and mistakes and how not p. 374 See Infallible Mistake Experience Former Experience a ground to expect like mercies for the future p. 182 to 188 Extremity God sometimes suffers his children to fall into great extremities and why p. 126 127 Gods people are sensible of their extremity p. 129 See Afflictions Sufferings Tribulations F. Faith Difference between Faith and Presumption p. 441 A double act of Faith 1. Direct pag. 488 2. Reflect Of standing by Faith See Standing To have dominion over the Faith of others See Dominion The foundation of Faith must be out of a mans self p. 544 True Faith is built upon the Word or the Scriptures not upon unwritten Traditions p. 544 545 546 Popish Faith not built upon the Scriptures but upon Traditions p. 545 546 Faith sure and certain p. 546 True Faith will persevere and hold out to the end ibid. It 's by Faith that we stand and withstand all opposition whatsoever ibid. Faith a Christians victory by it he conquers all adversary powers ibid. The Sacrament a means of strengthen Faith p. 550 Falshood Falshood to be declined p. 371 372 Father God as the Father of Christ to be praised p. 21 See Praise God the Father of Christ our Father and the Father of mercies how pag. 21 22 Why God is called the Father of mercies p. 23 Why not the Father of mercy but of mercies ibid. Uses to be made of this Title of God The Father of mercies p. 25 26 27 28 29 30 See Mercy Flesh. Flesh what 276 364 Carnal wisdome why called
Christian. Doct. Prayer a means to convey all good and deliver from all ill Reason 1. It is for Gods glory Reason 2. For our good 1. To shew our dependance on him 2. It exerciseth our graces We must pray though God know our wants Doct. 2. Gods Children can pray for themselves Reason Because they are Children Use. Not to put off prayer onely to others Doct. Christians ought to help one another by prayer A general desire in Heaven Reason Gods children cannot so well pray for themselves sometimes As in sicknesse People to pray for the Ministers For what to pray for them Reason Christians 〈◊〉 not the Spirit of prayer all times a like Prayer not a work of gifts but of Grace Diverse gifts in Prayer Reason To humble great Christians Reason To raise up weâ—… Christians Use. Let no man slight his own prayers Use 2. None to be idle in the profession of religion Doct. 4. Prayer prevails with God Reas. 1. It is obedience to Gods order Reason 2. It sets God on work Instances of prevalencie of prayer To pray for the Church abroad How to present the Church in our prayers to God Use. Not to grieve the spirit in any Quest. How to know whether our prayers help the Church Answ. 1. When we help them otherwise as we are able To leave evit courses 3. To hearken to Gods Word An ill condition not to be able to pray What to pray for for the Ministers Health a gift Against merit All other blessings uncomfortable without health To blesse God for health Quest. Answ. To beg the prayers of others in sicknesse Comfort from the prayers of others Object Sol. Object Answ. Obser. Praise followes prayer Ingratitude a horrible sin Praise of many acceptable To be in love with publick meetings Use. Encouragement to union To stir up others to praise God To praise God for others To be good to many that many may give thanks for us Praise wherein it consists 1. Taking notice of blessings 2. Remembring them 3. Estimation 4. In words 5. In doing good Directions to thanksgiving To look what we have cause to be thankful for 2. Dwell on them in meditation 3. Consider our unworthinesse 4. Consider the misery of our selves and others in want of blessings 5. Keep a Catalogue of Gods mercies Motives to thankfulnesse 1. It is Gods tribute 2. It invites God to bestow new blessings 3. It is the begining of heaven 4. None unthankful but divells Reall thanksgiving To shame our selves for our unthankfulnesse It was a Sacrament day Doct. The more eminent men are the more to be prayed for Doct. Christians driven to make apologies Use. Not to think strange if we be driven to it Quest. Answ. Life the best Apology but not enough sometimes A man may speak in commendations of himself 1. For thankfulnesse 2. For example 3. For defence Question Answ. How a man may glory of the graces in him Doct. Christians have their joy Use. To labour for a temper that we may glory A Christians joy 1. In Election 2. In justification 3. In sanctification 4. In the hope of glory A Christian only can stand to his joy Wicked men labour to hide the ground of their joy A Christian not ashamed of his joy 1. It is well bred 2. It is permanent Pride against all the commandements Conscience what 1. The soulit self 2. A faculty 3. an Act. An Atheist can have no conscience Conscience above reason Three things joyned with conscience 1. It is a knowledge with a generall rule 2. Of our own actions 3. A knowledge with God God hath set up in man a Court wherein conscience is 1. Register 2. Witnesse 3 Accuser 4. Judge 5. Executioner Sympathie between heart and brain Conscience Gods Hall Judgment of conscience a forerunner of the great judgment Conscience beareth witness Josephs Brethren Conscience 〈◊〉 witnesse 1. Faithful 2. Inward Use. Not to sin in hope of secrecy Use. To labour that conscience may witness well Good witness of conscience two-fold 1. Labour for good rules An Ignorant man cannot have a good Conscience Why men have bad consciences Papists cannot have a good conscience why 2. To apply them Doctrine The witnesse of a good conscience a ground of joy 1. From the office of conscience 2. It witnesseth with God 3. Without selves A good conscience breeds joy 1. In life In good estate 2. In cvil estate 1. In false imputations A good man looks more to Conscience then to fame 2. In sicknesse 3. In Crosses and losses 3. At the day of judgement Objection Answer Why a good conscience doth not alway witnesse Comfort Directions to joy in the witness of conscience Obser. A man may know his estate in Grace Object Answer Use. To labour for a good conscience that we may have joy Nothing worse then an ill conscience Evangelical conscience The way to have a good Conscience Question Answer Cautions for glorying in grace Difference of simplicity and sincerity Question Answer Saint Paul's conversation in simplicity Simplicity what Simple without mixture Simplicity 1. Not defect 2. Not rudeness 3. Not credulity Why called the simplicity of God Manby nature prone to double The ground of it Ground of dissimulation Of simulation Aggravation of this sin Simplicity opposite to curiosity Simplicity opposed to lying and equivocation Object Answ. All sorts of lies unlawful Lying opposite to society Motives to simplicity 1 It is comely's 2. Doubling inconstant 3. It is part of Gods Image 4. It brings comforts Doubling a great sin The more will and advisedness in sin the greater sin Doubling with men Some persons more prone to doubling then others Some Callings Merchants Lawyers Man naturally prone to dissemble Simile How to get simplicity 1. To consider one day all will be laid open Simile 2. Labour for faith Sincerity what Sincerity of God Doctr. A Christian that looks for joy must have his conversation in sincerity Sincerity in good actions 1. To know all that is good 2. Universal obedience Sincerity looks at God that commands all 3. Performance of lesse duties 4. Uniformity 5. Humble in performance 6. Humble and thankful after 2. In ill actions 1. He intends none 2. He is grieved for them 3. Careful to avoid personall sins 4. Hatred of all sin 5. Care to avoid sinfor the future 3 Sincerity in actions indifferent Actions of calling 2. Recreations Motives to sincerity 1. All else is nothing Why many men of parts die uncomfortably 2. It gives acceptance to all we do 3. It makes us grow to perfection Use 2. Direction Means to get sincerity 1. Get our hearts changed 2. Get assurance of Gods love 3. Labour to mortifie our earthly affections 4. Do all things as in Gods eye 5. Look to the heart the spring of all our actions Use. Exhortation to labour for sincerity Object Answ. Sincerity all that we can plead It will comfort against Temptations at death It comforts in life Not offend against sincerity Sinning against
the Spirit of God is set at peace and is fit for the praise of God and is fit to do good when it is a healthful soul. As in the body it is a sign it is sick when the actions are hindered so it is likewise with the soul. We should blesse God for ability to do good for any health in our souls more then for health of body Do but consider if hwe are to thank God for the instruments of good much more are we to thank him for the good things themselves If we should thank God for the Ministers for now I stand upon that many prayers and praises were given to God for Saint Paul much more should we be thankful for that which we have by the Ministery that is for all the blessings of God for grace and glorie for life and salvation It is the Ministery of life And the power of God to salvation We should be thankful to God for peace We are the messengers of peace We should be thankful to God for grace and for his holy Spirit the Spirit is given with it We should be thankfull especially for spirituall favours A man cannot be thankful to God for health and libertie unlesse first he know God to be his that he can blesse God for spiritual favours Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Ephes. 1. We should be thankful for Christ and all the benefits we have by Christ much more then for any other blessings whatsoever Therefore now seeing we are a Communion let praise be given by many We have greater matters then the health of a Minister or any particular person either our selves or others to be thankful for we have greater cause being to blesse God for the greatest gift that ever he gave even for Christ. The disposition in a feast is to be joyful and chearful to praise God now we are to feast with God and with Jesus Christ. Christ is not onely the food but he invites us he is with us What will we do for Christ if we will not feast with him What a degree of unthankfulnesse is it when we will not so much as feast with him when we will not willingly receive him What will he do for Christ that will not feast with him how unfit will he be to praise God and praise Christ that when Christ makes a feast of himself and gives himself together with the bread and wine representing the benefit of his bodie and blood broken and shed for us and all his benefits if we will not feed upon himself when he stoopes so low as to give himself for us and to feed us with himself what will we do How can we be thankful for other blessings when we are not thankful for himself And how can we be thankful for himself when we will not come and partake of him Let us stir up our hearts and think now to take the Communion As for matter of repentance and sorrow it should be dispatched before It is the Eucharist a matter of thanksgiving we should raise our hearts above earthly things We should consider that we are to deal with Christ and these are but representations When the bread is broken think of the body of Christ and when the wine is poured out think of the blood of Christ and when our bodies are cheared by these elements think how our soules are refreshed by the blood of Christ by faith If we should be thankful to God for bodily deliverance how much more should we thank him for our soules being delivered from hell by the blood of Christ which is the grand deliverance Let us dispose our hearts to thankfulnesse it is a fit disposition for a feast And as I said take heed of sin it choaks thankfulnesse therefore examine thy purposes how thou comest if thou come with a purpose to live in sin thou art an unfit receiver The place we stand in is holy the business is holy we have to deale with a holy God and therefore if we purpose not to relinquish wicked courses and to enter into Covenant with God to abstain from fin we come not aright When thou commest into the house of God take heed to thy feet saith the Wise man take heed to thy affections consider with whom thou hast to deale but if thou hast renewed thy repentance and thy purposes with God for the time to come come with chearefulness with a thankfull disposition thankfulness is a disposition for a feast if it be a disposition for bodily deliverance it is much more for the deliverance of the soule and much more for Christ and the blessings we have by him who is all in all That thanks may be given by many on our behalfe VERS 12. For our rejoycing is this the testimonie of our conscience c. SAINT Paul in these words doth divers things at once First He shews a reason why many should pray for him and give thanks on his behalf you have cause saith he for our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience c. therefore if many of you give thanks to God for me it is your duty my conscience beares me witness that I have carried my self well towards you you have cause to pray for us and to praise God for our deliverance for you have received much good by us God conveys much good by publick persons to those that are under rhem therefore there ought to be many prayers and many thanks for them And again they ought to pray and give thanks for him because they should not lose their labour they should not lose their prayers their incense because it should be for a man that was gracious with God that had the testimonie of his conscience that he walked in simplicity and godly sincerity as he saith Heb. 13. Pray for us for we are assured that we have a good conscience so they are a reason of the former Another thing that he aimes at is the preventing of some imputations he was accused in their thoughts at least and by the words of some false teachers that were his worst enemies as you have no enemy next to the divell to a Minister like a Minister If a man would see the spirit of the divel let him look to some of them Saint Paul had many enemies many false brethren that laid false imputations upon him to disparage him in the thoughts of others in the thoughts of his hearers They accounted him an inconstant man that he came not to them when he promised and that he suffered affliction and it was like enough for some desert they accounted him a despicable man he suffered afflictions in the World he wanted discretion to keep himself out of the crosse Nay saith he whatsoever you impute to me and lay upon me Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience c. Again he aimes at this to lay the blame upon those false brethren
because men are ready to trample upon and to rase out the writing of conscience but the Book of God they cannot therefore that is added to help conscience And God adds his Spirit to his Word to convince conscience and to make the witnesse of the Word more effectuall for although the Word say thus and thus yet till the Spirit convince the soul and set it down that it is thus till it convince it with a heavenly light conscience will not be fully convict That conscience therefore may be able to witnesse well Let us regard the notions of nature preserve them if we do not God will give us up to grosse sins Let us labour to have right principles and grounds to cherish principles of nature common with the Heathens and to lay up principles out of the Word of God to preserve the admonitions and directions and rules of the Word And especially the sweet motions of Gods blessed Spirit For conscience alway supposeth a rule the rule of nature the rule of the Word and the suggestions of the blessed Spirit with the Word Therefore to note by the way an Ignorant man can never have a good conscience especially a man that affects Ignorance because he hath no rule he labours to have none It is not meerly ignorance but likewise obstinacy with ignorance He will not know what he should lest conscience force him to doe what he knowes What a sottish thing is this It will be the heaviest sin that can be laid ro our charge at the day of judgment not that we were Ignorant but that we refused to know we refused to have our conscience rectified and instructed And those that avoid knowledg because they will not do what they know they shall know one day that their wilful Ignorance will be laid to their charge as a heavy sin Labour to have right principles and grounds What is the reason that commonly men have such bad consciences They have false principles they conclude may I not do what I list may I not make of my own what I will and every man for himself and God for us all diabolicall principles And so commonly if a man examine men that live in wickednesse they have false principles God sees not God regards not and it is time enough to repent The cause that men live wickedly is false principles therefore they have so vile consciences as they have their hearts deceive them and they deceive their hearts They have false principles put into them by others they are deceived and they deceive their hearts they force false principles upon themselves Many study for false grounds to live by for their advantage There are many that are Atheisticall that live even under the Gospell and what rule have they the example of them by whom they hope to rife they study their manners they square their lives by them that is all the rule they have And again the multitude they do as the most do and custom and other false rules These rules will not comfort us to say I did it by such an example I did as others among whom I live did or I did it because it was the custom of the times these things being alledged will comfort nothing For who gave you these rules doth God say any where in his Word you shall be judged by the example of others you shall be judged by the custom of the times you live in No you shall be judged by my Word The Word that Moses spake and the Word that I speak shall judge you at the last day They that have not the Word shall be judged by the Word written in their hearts Those that have sinned without the Law shall be judged by that without the Law of Moses God hath acquainted us with other rules We must take heed of this therefore thatwe get good rules take heed that they be not false rules for the want of these directions men come to have ill consciences Where there is no good rule there is a blind conscience where there is no application of the rule there is a prophane conscience And where there is a false rule there is an erroneous a scrupulous a wicked conscience A Papist because he hath a false rule he cannot have a good conscience The abomination of Popery is that they sin against conscience and conscience indeed is even with them for it overthrowes the most of their principles They sin against conscience many wayes I mean not against their own conscience but they sin against the conscience of others For what do they That they may rule in the consciences of men for that is the end of their great Prelate the Tyrant of souls they have false rules that the Pope cannot erre their rule is the authority and judgement of him that cannot erre and he for the most part is an unlearned man in Divinity that never read over the Scriptures in all his life and he must judge all controversies Where this is granted that the Pope cannot erre he fits in the conscience to do what he list And he makes divine Lawes and cursed is he saith the Councel of Trent that doth not equalize those traditions with the VVord of God From this false rule comes all even rebellion it self If he give dispensation from the oath of Allegiance because he cannot erre therefore they ought to obey him and rebell against their Governours All rebellion is from that rebellious rebellion that comes from false principles These men talk of conscience and they come not to Church for conscience sake what conscience can they have when they have false rules To equivocate and lie sins against nature And other rules that give liberty against the Word that children may disobey their Parents and get into a Cloyster c. The most of Popery though there were no VVord of God it is against nature against conscience which God hath planted in man as his deputy his tenant And as they sin against conscience so as I said conscience is even with them For let a man trust to his conscience and he can never be a sound Papist except he leave that and go upon base false grounds because other great men do it and because his predecessours have done it c. I appeal to their own consciences if any man at the day of death think to be saved by his merits doth not Bellarmine after long dispute of salvation by merits disclaime it doth he not put away merits for the uncertainty of his own righteousnesse So their own consciences do wring away the testimony of trusting to merits Again that Original sin is no great sin it is but the cause of sin and it is lesse then any venial sin Oh but when conscience is awaked to know what a corrupt estate it is it will draw from them that which it drew from Saint Paul Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Conscience when it is awaked
naturall to man much more to the spirit of a man For if a man know what is in himself naturally his own wit and understanding which is alway with him bred up with him much more he knowes by his spirit the things that are adventitious that come from without him that is the work of Grace If a man by a reflect knowledge know what naturally is in him in what part he hath it and how he exerciseth it if he know and remember what he hath done and the manner of it whether well or ill then he may know the work of the Spirit that comes from without him that works a change in him We say of light that it discovers it self and all other things so the soule it is lightsome and therefore knowes it self and knowes other things The Spirit of God is much more lightsome where it is it discovers it self and lighteneth the soule it discovereth the party in whom it is As the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have the Spirit whereby we know the things that we receive of God It not onely worketh in us but it teacheth us what it hath wrought Therefore a Christian knowes that he is in the state of grace he knowes his virtues and his disposition except it be in the time of temptation and upon those grounds named before Therefore we should labour to know our estate to examine our selves whether we be in the faith or no except we be reprobates and cast awayes as the Apostle speakes A Christan should aime at this to understand his own estate in grace upon good grounds But it may be objected how can we know our estate in Grace our virtues are so imperfect our abilities are so weak and feeble I answer the ground of judging aright of our estate it is not worthiness or perfection but sincerity We must not look for perfection For that makes the Papists to teach that there may be doubting because they look to false grounds but we must look to the ground in the covenant of grace to grace it self and not to the measure Where there is truth and sincerity there is the condition of the covenant of grace and there is a ground for a man to build his estate in grace on The perfect righteousnesse of Christ is that that gives us title to heaven but to know that we have right in that title is the simplicity and sincerity in our walking in our conversation as the Apostle saith here This is our reoycing c. Therefore Christians when they are set upon by temptations of their own misdoubting hearts and by Satan they must not go to the great measure of grace that is in others that they have not so much as others and therefore they have none nor to the great measure of grace that they want themselves but to the truth of their grace the truth of their desires and endeavours the truth of their affections Hereby we know that we are translated from death to life because we love the brethren This should stir us up to have a good conscience that we may rejoyce Why should we labour that we may rejoyce Why what is our life without joy and what is joy without a good conscience What is our life with out joy without joy we can do nothing we are like an instrument out of tune an instrument out of tune it yiels but harsh musick Without joy we are as a member out of joynt we can do nothing well without joy and a good conscience which is the ground of joy A man without joy is a palsie-member that moves it self unfitly and uncomely he goes not about things as he should A good conscience breeds joy and comfort it inables a man to do all things comely in the sight of God and comfortably to himself it makes him go chearfully through his businesse A good Conscience is a continuall feast without joy we cannot suffer afflictions we cannot die well without it Simeon died comfortably because he died in peace when he had imbraced Christ in his heart and in his armes Without joy and the ground of joy we can neither do nor suffer any thing Therefore in Psalme 51. David when he had lost the peace and comfort of a good conscience he prayes for the free Spirit of God Alas till God had enlarged his heart with the sense of a good conscience in the pardon of his sins and given him the power of his Spirit to lead a better life for the time to come his spirit was not free before he could not praise God with a large spirit he wanted freedom of spirit his conscience was bound his lips were sealed up Open my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise His heart was bound and therefore he prayes to have it inlarged Restore to me thy joy and salvation intimating that we cannot have a free spirit without joy and we cannot have joy without a good conscience sprinkled with the blood of Christ in the pardon of our sins If it be so that we cannot do any thing nor suffer any thing as we should that we cannot praise God that we cannot live nor die without joy and the ground of it the testimony of a good conscience let us labour then that conscience may witnesse well unto us Especially considering that an ill conscience it is the worst thing in the world there is no friend so good as a good conscience there is no foe so ill as a bad conscience it makes us either Kings or slaves A man that hath a good conscience that witnesseth well for him it raiseth his heart in a Princely manner above all things in the world a man that hath a bad conscience though he be a Monarch it makes him a slave a bad conscience imbitters all things in the world to him though they be never so comfortable in themselves What is so comfortable as the presence of God What is so comfortable as the light yet a bad conscience that will not be ruled it hates the light and hates the presence of God as we see Adam when he had sinned he fled from God A bad conscience cannot joy in the middest of joy it is like a goutie foot or a goutie toe covered with a velvet shoe alas what doth it ease it what doth glorious apparel ease the diseased body nothing at all the ill is within there the arrow sticks And so in the comforts of the Word if the conscience be bad we that are the messengers of comfort we may apply comfort to you but if there be one within that saith thus it is true but I regarded not the Word before I regarded not the checks of conscience conscience will speak more terrour then we can speak peace And after long and wilful rebellion conscience will admit of no comfort for the most part Regard it therefore in time labour in time that it may witnesse well An ill conscience when it should be most
comforted then it is most terrible at the hour of death we should have most comfort if we had any wisdom when earthly comforts shall be taken from us and at the day of judgment then an ill conscience look where it will it hath matter of terrour If it look up there is the Judge armed with vengeance if it look beneath there is hell ready to swallow it if it look on the one side there is the divell accusing and helping conscience if it look round about there is heaven and earth and all on a fire and within there is a hell where shall the sinner and ungodly appear If the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the sinner and ungodly appear at that time O let us labour to have a good conscience and to exercise the reflect power of conscience in this world that is let us examine our selves admonish our selves judge our selves condemn our selves do all in our selves Let us keep court at home first let us keep the assizes there and then we shall have comfort at the great assizes Therefore God out of his love hath put conscience into the soule that we might keep a court at home Let conscience therefore do its worst now let it accuse let it judge and when it hath judged let it smite us and do execution upon us that having judged our selves we may not be condemned with the world If we suffer not conscience to have its full work now it will have it one day a sleepy conscience will not alway sleep if we do not suffer conscience to awake here it will awaken in hell where there is no remedy Therefore give conscience leave to speak what it will perhaps it will tell thee a tale in thine ear which thou wouldest be loath to hear it will pursue thee with terrours like a blood-hound and will not suffer thee to rest therefore as a bankrupt thou art loath to look in thy books because there is nothing but matter of terrour This is but a folly for at the last conscience will do its duty it will awaken either here or in hell Therefore we are to hope the best of them that have their consciences opened here there is hope that they will make their peace with God that they will agree with their adversary while they are in the way If thou suffer conscience to be sleepy and drowsie till it be awaked in hell wo unto thee for then thy estate is determined of it will be a barren repentance Now thy repentance may be fruitful it may force theeto make thy peace with God dost thou think it will alway be thus with thee Thou besottest thy conscience with sensualitie and sayest Go thy way and come another time as he said to St. Paul I will tell thee this peace will prove a tempest in the end Conscience of all things in the world deserves the greatest reverence more then any Monarch in the world for it is above all men it is next unto God and yet what do many men regard the honour 〈◊〉 their friends more then conscience that inward friend that shall accompany them to heaven that will go with them to death and to judgement and make them lift up their heads with joy when other friends cannot help them but must needs leave them in death Now for a man to follow the humours of men to follow the multitude and to stain conscience what a foolish wretch is he though such men think themselves never so wise it is the greatest folly in the world to stain conscience to please any man because conscience is above all men Again those that follow their own humours their own dispositions and are carried away with their own lusts it is a folly and madnesse for the time will come that that which their covetous base lust hath carried them to that shall be taken away as honours riches pleasures which is the fuel of that lust which makes them now neglect conscience all shall be taken away in sicknesse or in the time of despair when conscience shall be awaked Now what folly is it to please thy own lust which thou should'st mortifie and subdue and to displease conscience thy best friend and then when thy lust is fully satisfied all that hath been fuel to it that hath fed it shall be taken away at the hour of death or some special judgement and conscience shall be awaked and shall torment thee for giving liberty to thy base lusts and to thy self And those eyes of thy soul that thy offence delighted to shut up there shall some punishment come either in this life or in that to come that shall open those eyes As Adams eyes were opened after his sin why were they not open before he had such a strong desire to the apple he did not regard them but his punishment afterward opened those eyes which his inordinate desire shut So it shall be with every sinner therefore regard no man in the world more then thy conscience Regard nothing no pleasure no profit more then conscience reverence it more then any thing in the world Happie is that man that carries with him a good conscience that can witnesse that he hath said nor done nothing that may vex or grieve conscience if it be otherwise whatsoever a man gains he loseth in conscience and there is no comparison between those two One crack one flaw in conscience will prove more disadvantagious then the rest will be profitable Thou must cast up the rest again they are sweet bits downward but they shall be gravel in the belly We think when we have gained any thing when we have done any thing we shall hear no more of it as David said to Joab when he set him to make away Uriah Let not this trouble thee So let not this ill gain let not this ill speech or this ill carriage trouble thee thou shalt hear no more of this We take order to stop and silence conscience thinking never to hear more of it oh but remember conscience will have its work and the longer we defer the witnesse and work of conscience the more it will terrifie and accuse us afterward Therefore of all men be they never so great they are most miserable that follow their wills and their lusts most that never have any outward check or inward check of conscience but drown it with sensual pleasures As Charles the 9 th who at night when conscience hath the fittest time to work a man being retired then he would have his singing boyes after he had betreyed them in that horrible Massacre after which he never had peace and quiet And as Saul sent for Davids Harpe when the evil spirit was upon him So wicked men they look for forreign helps but it will not be for the greatest men with their forreign helps are most miserable The reason is because the more they sink in rebellion and sin against conscience the more they sink in terrours it shall be the
greatest torment to those that have had their wills most in the world the more their conscience is silenced and violenced in this world the more vocal it shall be at the hour of death and the day of judgement Therefore judge who are the most miserable men in the world although they have never so much regard in the world besides those that have consciences but will not suffer them to work but with sensuality within them and by pleasing flattering speech of those without them they keep it down and take order that neither conscience within nor none other without shall disturbe them if they do they shall be served as Ahab dealt with Micaia These men that are thus at peace in sinful courses of all men they are most miserable they enjoy their pleasure here for a little time but their conscience shall torment them for ever and shall say to them as Reuben said to his Brethren I told you this before but you would not hearken to me and now you shall be tormented Conscience is an evil beast it makes a man rise against himself therefore of all men those that be disordered in their courses that neglect conscience and neglect the means of salvation that should awaken conscience they are the most miserable for the longer they go on the more they sink in sin and the more they sink in sin the more they sink in terrour of conscience if not now yet they shall hereafter If we desire therefore to have joy and comfort at all times let us labour to have a good conscience that may witnesse well And therefore let us every day keep an audite within doors every day cast up our accounts every day draw the blood of Christ over our accounts every day beg forgivenesse of sins and the Spirit of Christ to lead us that so we may keep account every day that we may make our reckonings even every day that we may have the lesse to do in the time of sicknesse in the time of temptation and in the time of death when we have discharged our Consciences before by keeping session at home in our own hearts This should be the daily practice of a Christian and then he may lay himself down in peace He that sleeps with a conscience defiled is as he that sleeps among wild beasts among adders and toades that if his eyes were open to see them he would be out of his wits He that sleeps without a good conscience he is an unadvised man God may make his bed his grave he may smite him suddenly therefore let us every day labour to have a good conscience that so we may have matter of perpetual joy A good conscience especially is an Evangelicall conscience for a legall good conscience none have that is such a conscience as acquits a man that he hath obeyed the law in all things exactly A legall compleat good conscience none have except in some particular fact there is a good Conscience in fact As the Heathen could excuse themselves they were thus and thus and God ministreth much joy in that But an Evangelical good Conscience is that we must trust to that is such a Conscience that though it knowes it self guilty of sin yet it knowes that Christ hath shed his blood for sinners and such a Conscience as by meanes of faith is sprinkled with the blood of Christ and is cleared from the accusations of sin There is an Evangelicall Conscience when by faith wrought by the Spirit of God in the hearing of the Gospell we lay hold upon the obedience and righteousnesse of Christ. And such is the obedience and righteousnesse of Christ that it pacifieth the conscience which nothing else in the world will doe the conscience without a full obedience it will alway stagger And that is the reason that Conscience confounds and confutes the Popish way of salvation by works c. Because the conscience alway staggers and feares I have not done works enough I have not done them well enough those that I have done they have been corrupt and mixed and therefore I dare not bring them to the Judgement-seat of God to plead them meritorious Therefore they do well to hold uncertainty of salvation because holding merit they must needs be uncertaiu of their salvation A true Christian is certain of his salvation because his conscience layes hold on the blood of Christ because the obedience whereby he claimes heaven is a superabundant obedience it is the satisfaction of Christ as the Apostle saith in that excellent place Heb. 9. 24. The blood of Christ which offered himself by the eternall Spirit that is by the God-head shall cleanse your consciences from dead works to serve the living God The blood of Christ that offered himself his humane nature by his divine to God as a sacrifice it shall purge your consciences from dead works The blood of Christ that is the Sacrifice the obedience of Christ in offering himself fully pacified God and answered the punishment which we should have indured for he was our surety The blood of Christ speaks better then the blood of Abel It speaks better then our sins Our sins cry vengeance but the blood of Christ cries mercy The blood of Christ out-cries our sins the guilty conscience for sin cries Guiltie guiltie hell Damnation wrath and anguish but the blood of Christ cries I say mercy because it was shed by our surety in our behalf his obedience is a full satisfaction to God Now the way to have a good conscience is upon the accusations of an evill conscience by the law to come to Christ our surety and to get our consciences sprinked by faith in his blood to get a perswasion that he shed his blood for us and upon that to labour to be purged by the Spirit There are two purgers the blood of Christ from the guilt of sin and the Spirit of Christ from the stain of sin and upon that comes a compleat good conscience being justified by the blood of Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ. Therefore Christ came not by blood alone or by water alone but by water and blood by blood in justification by water in sanctification and holinesse of life Why do we alleadge this now for the Sacrament We speak of a good conscience which is a continual feast How comes a good conscience to be such a continual feast An Evangelicall conscience is a feast indeed because it feeds on a higher feast it feeds on Christ he is the Passeover Lambe as the Apostle applies it 1. Cor. 5. he is the Passeover slain for us and there is represented in the Sacrament his body broken and his blood poured out for our sins he came to feast us and we shall feast with him Hereupon if we bring repentance for our sins past and faith whereby we are incorporate into Christ then our consciences speak peace and as it is in 1 Pet. 5. the conscience makes a
good demand It is not baptisme but the demand of a good conscience When the conscience hath fed on Christ it demands boldly as it is Rom. 8. of Satan and all enemies Who shall lay any thing to our charge it is God that justifieth it is Christ that died or rather that is risen again It boldly demands of God who hath given his Son the bold demand of conscience prevails with God and this comes by faith in Christ. Now this is strengthened by the Sacrament here are the visible representations and seales that we are incorporate more and more into Christ and so feeding upon Christ once our conscience is pacified and purged from all dead works and we come to have a continuall feast Christ is first the Prince of righteousnesse the righteous King and then Prince of peace first he gives righteonsnesse and then he speaks peace to the conscience The Kingdom of God is righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost So that all our feast and joy and comfort that we have in our consciences it must be from righteousnesse A double righteousnesse the righteousnesse of Christ which hath satisfied and appeased the wrath of God fully and then we must have the righteousnesse of a good conscience sanctified by the Spirit of Christ we must put them together alway we can never have communion with Christ and have forgivenesse of sins but we must have a Spirit of sanctification There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared Where there is mercy in the forgivenesse of sin there is a disposition to fear it ever after Therefore if for the present you would have a good conscience desire God to strengthen your faith in the blood of Christ poured out for you desire God to strengthen your faith in the crucified bodie of Christ broken for you that so feeding on Christ who is your surety who himself is yours and all is yours you may ever have the feast of a good conscience that will comfort you in false imputations that will comfort you in life and in death and at the day of judgement This is our rejoycing in all things the testimony of our conscience first purged by the blood of Christ and then purged and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ that we have had our Conversation in simplicity and sincerity c. Our rejoycing is this that in simplicity and sincerity This is the matter of this testimonie of Conscience that is simplicity and sincerity Saint Paul glories in his simplieity and sincerity And mark that by the way it is no vain glorying but lawful upon such cautions as I named before but to add a little A man in some cases may glory in the Graces of God that are in him but with these cautions First if so be that he look on them as the gifts of God Secondly if he look on them as stained with his own defects and so in that respect be humbled Thirdly if he look upon them as fruits of his justification and as fruites of his assurance of his salvation and not as causes And then if it be before men that he glories not when he is to deale with God When men lay this and that imputation upon a man he may rejoyce as Saint Paul doth here in the testimony of his conscience in simplicity and sincerity The matter of the testimony of Conscience wherein he glories is simplicity and godly sincerity or as the words may well be read in the simplicity and sincerity of God such as proceeds from God and such as aimes at and looks to God and resembles God For both simplicity and sincerity come from God they are wrought by God and therein we resemble God and both of them have an eye to God a respect to God so it is in the originall in the simplicity and sincerity of God There is not much difference between simplicity and sincerity the one expresseth the other if you will have the difference simplicity especially respects men our conversation amongst men Simplicity hath an eye to God in all things in Religion opposite to hypocrisy in Religion Simplicity that is opposed to doublenesse where doublenesse is there is alway hypocrisy opposed to sincerity and where simplicity is there is alway sincerity truth to God But it is not good to be very exact and punctuall in the distinction of these things they may one expresse the other very well Simplicity Saint Paul's rejoycing was that his conscience witnessed to him his simplicity in his whole conversation in the world his whole course of life which the Scripture calls in other places a walking Saint Paul meanes this first of himself and then he propoundes himself an example to us How was St. Paul's conversation in simplicity Not onely if we consider Saint Paul as a Christian but consider him as an Apostle his conversarion was in simplicity It was without guile without seeking himself without seeking his owne for rather then he would be grievous to the Corinthians the man of God he wrought himself because he would not give any the least scandall to them being a rich people he had rather live by his own labour then to open his mouth he did not seek himself In a word he did not serve himself of the Gospell he served Christ he did not serve himself of Christ. There are many that serve themselves of the Gospell that serve themselves of religion they care no more for religion then will serve their owne turne Saint Paul's conversation was in simplicity he had no such aime he did not preach of envy orof malice or for gain as he taxeth some of the Philippian teachers Some preach Christ not of simplicity and sincerity but of envy c. Then again as an Apostle and a teacher his conversation was in simplicity because he mingled nothing with the Word of God in teaching his doctrine is pure What should the chaffe do with the wheat Jer. 20. What should the drosse do with the Gold he did not mingle his own conceits and devices with the Word for he taught the pure Word of God the simple Word of God simple without any mixture of any by-aimes So the blessed Apostle was simple both in his Doctrine and in his intentions Propounding himself herein exemplary to all us that as we look to hold up our heads with comfort and to glory in all estat es whatsoever so our consciences must bear us witnesse that we carry our selves in the simplicity and sincerity of God Now simplicity is when there is a conformity of pretention and intention when there is nothing double when there is not a contradiction in the spirit of a man and in his words and carriage outwardly That is simplicty when there is an exact conformity and correspondence in a mans judgement and speech in his affections and actions When a man judgeth simply as the truth of the thing is and when he affects as he judgeth when he loves
them and makes them grow more afterward and recover their former backwardnesse A true Christian is alway on the mending hand An hypocrite growes worse and worse alway till he be uncased altogether and turned into hell These and such like considerations may stirre us up to labour to have a conversation in simplicity and godly sincerity Now how shall we come to carry our selves in sincerity that we may have comfort in all estates That we may carry our selves in sincerity First we must get a change of heart our nature must be changed for by nature a man aimes at himself in all things and not at God A man makes himself his last end he makes something in the world either profits or pleasures c. the term that he looks unto therefore there must be a change of heart a man must be a good man or else he cannot be a sincere man Such as we are such our actions will be therefore we cannot be sincere till we have our hearts changed No man can aim at Gods glory but he that hath felt Gods love in himself therefore as a particular branch of that labour to get assurance of the love of God in Jesus Christ for how can we endeavour to please him unlesse we love him and how can we love him unlesse we be perswaded that he loves us in Christ Therefore let us stablish our hearts more and more in the Evidences of his love to us and then knowing that he loves us we shall love him and labour to please him in all things These are grounds that must be laid before we can be sincere to get assurance of Gods love to us in the pardon of our sins Our conscience must be purged from dead works to serve the living God as the Apostle saith that is we cannot serve God to our comfort till our consciences are sprinkled with the blood of Christ which assures us of the pardon of our sins Therefore saith Zachary We are redeemed that we might serve him in righteousnesse and holinesse before him all the dayes of our life So that unlesse a man be redeemed he cannot serve him in righteousnesse and holinesse before him all the daies of his life that is he cannot serve God in sincerity For who will labour to please his enemy Therefore the Papists maintain hypocrisie when they say we ought not to be perswaded of the love of God for then we ought to be hypocrites for how shall we seek him with the losse of favour and of credit and of life it self if we know not that his favour will stand us in stead if we lose these things for him Again that we may be sincere let us labour to mortifie all our earthly affections to the world for how can we be sincere when we seek for honours and pleasures and riches and not for better things Therefore we must know that there is more good to be had in truth in a down-right Christian profession then in all worldly good whatsoever And if we be hypocrites in our profession there is more ill in that then in any thing in the world This will make us sincere when we can be perswaded that we shall get better things by being sincere in Religion then the world can give us or take away from us For why are men insincere and false-hearted Because they think not Religion to be the true good they think it is better to have riches then to have a good mind these things therefore must be mortified and a man must know that the life of a Christian is incomparably the best life though it be with losse of liberty yea with the losse of life it self Simon Magus grew to false affections in Religion because he thought to have profit by it So the Pharisees they had naughty hearts and therefore they had no good by Religion No man can profit by Religion so long as his heart is naught so long as there is some Idol in his heart A good Christian had rather have a large heart to serve God and rather grow in the Image of God to be like him then to grow in any thing in the world and that makes him sincere out of a good judgment because Christian excellency is the best excellency incomparably For he knowes well what all else will be ere long what will all do good riches honours friends what good will they do in the hour of death There is nothing but grace and the expression of it in the whole conversation that will comfort us therefore he undervalues all things in the world to sincerity and a good conscience Again that we may have our conversation in sincerity let us labour in every thing we do to approve our selves to the eye of God We see the Scripture every where shewes that this hath made Gods Children consciencious in all their courses even when they might have sinned not only securely but with advantage What kept Joseph from committing folly with his Mistresse Shall I do this and sin against God Gen. 39. And so Job in chap 31. he shewes what awed and kept him from ill doing in vers 3. Doth not he see my wayes and account all my steps this was it that kept him in awe So the Church of God Psal. 44. being in great distresse they kept themselves from Idolatry and from the contagion of the times wherein they lived upon what ground you shall see in vers 21. If we had done thus and thus shall not God search it out for he knowes the very secrets of the heart So a Christian being perswaded of the eye of God upon him it makes him sincere The eye of God being Ten thousand times brighter then the Sun he being light it self he made the heart and he knowes all the turnings of the heart The consideration of this will make us sincere in our closets in our very thoughts for they all lie naked and open to his view What is the reason that men practise secret villainy secret wickednesse and give themselves to speculative filthinesse because they are atheists they forget that they are in the eye of God who sees the plots and projects of their hearts and the nets that they have laid for their brethren Therefore David brings them in saying Tush God sees us not And that is the reason they are unconscionable in their desires in their hearts in their secret thoughts It is from a hidden Atheisme For if we did consider that the eye of God sees us in all our intents and actions and sees us in what manner we do all and to what end that he sees every action with the circumstances the aimes and ends if the heart did well ponder this it would prevent a great deal of evil Conscience is the witnesse of our conversation a witnesse that will keep us from offending If there were a witnesse by and that witnesse were a great person a Judge c. it would keep us in our
good behaviour Now when a man shall consider I have a witnesse within me my conscience and a witnesse without which is God who is my Judge who can strike me dead in the committing of a sin if he please this would make men if they were not atheists to fear to sin Let us labour therefore to approve our hearts to God as well as our conversations to men set our selves in the presence of God who is a discerner of our thoughts as well as of our actions and that which we should be ashamed to do before men let us be afraid to think before God that is another means to come to sincerity Another Direction to help us to walk sincerely is especially to look to the heart look to the beginning to the spring of all our desires thoughts affections and actions that is the heart the qualification of that is the qualification of the man If the heart be naught the man is naught if that be sincere the man is sincere Therefore look to the heart see what springs out thence if there spring out naughty thoughts and desires suppresse them in the beginning Let us examine every thought if we find that we do but think an evil thought execute it presently crush it for all that is naught comes from a thought and desire at the first therefore let us look to our thoughts and desires see if we have not false desires and intents and thoughts answerable God is a Spirit and he looks to our very spirits and what we are in our spirits in our hearts and affections that we are to him Therefore as a branch of this what ill we shun let us do it from the heart by hating it first A man may avoid an evil action from fear or out of other respects but that is not sincerity Therefore look to thy heart see that thou hate evil and let it come from sincere looking to God Ye that love the Lord hate the thing that is evil saith David not only avoid it but hate it and not onely hate it but hate it out of love to God And that which is good not only to do it but to labour to delight and joy in it For the outward action is not the thing that is regarded but when there is a resolution a desire and delight in it then God accounts it as done And so it is in evil if we delight in evil it is as if it were done already Therefore in doing good look to the heart joy in the good you do and then do it and in evil look to the heart judge it to be evil and then abstain from it This is the reason of all the errours in our lives because we have bad hearts we look not to God in sincerity Judas had a naughty heart he loved not the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore he had a naughty conclusion What the heart doth not is not done in Religion Thus we see how we may come to have our conversation in sincerity that we may rejoyce in the testimony of our conscience Therefore now to make an Use of Exhortation we should labour for sincerity and esteem highly of it because God so esteems of it Truth is all that we can alledge to God we cannot alledge perfection St. Paul himself saith not I have walked exactly or perfectly no but he saith This is our rejoycing that we have walked in sincerity So if a mans conscience can excuse him of hypocrisie and doubling though it cannot free him from imperfections God in the Covenant of Grace looks not so much at perfection as at truth Here I might answer an Objection of some Christians Oh but I cannot pray without distraction I cannot delight so in good things c. Though a Christians heart cannot free him from this yet his heart desires to approve it self to God in all things and his heart is ready to say to the Lord as David said Lord try me if there be any way of wickednesse in me And therefore he will attend upon all means to get this sincerity He will be diligent in the Word of God for therein the mind of God is manifestly seen The Word of God it is a begetting Word it makes us immortal it makes us new creatures it is truth and the instrument of truth Truth will make truth The true sincere Word of God not mingled with devices it will make what it is The Word of God being his Word who is Almighty it hath an Almighty transforming power from him It is accompanied and cloathed with his Almighty Spirit Truth will cause truth such as it is in it self it will work in our hearts In that mungrel false Religion Popery they have traditions and false devices of men and so they make false Christians such as they are they make strain them to the quintessence and they cannot make a true Christian Truth makes true Christians therefore attend upon Gods Ordinance with all reverence and it will make thee a sound heart it is a transforming Word Those that desire to hear the Word of God and to have their consciences to be informed by the hearing of it they are sincere Christians and those that labour to shut up the Word of God that it may not work upon the conscience they are false-hearted A heart that is sincere it prizeth the Word of God that makes us sincere the Word of God hath this effect especially being unfolded in the Ministery of it that a man may say as Jacob did Doubtlesse God is in this place It is all that is ours nothing runs upon our reckoning but sincerity For what I have not done truly Conscience saith I have not done to God and therefore I can expect no comfort for it but what I have done to God I look to have with comfort for I know that God regards not perfection but sincerity he requires not so much a great faith as a true faith not so much perfect love as true love and that I have in truth as S. Peter said Lord thou knowest that I love thee This will make us look God who is the Judge in the face It gives us not title to heaven for that is onely by Christ but it is a qualification required of us in the Gospel nothing is ours but what we do in truth And again consider That it will comfort us against Satan at the hour of death when Satan shall tempt us to despair for our sins as that he will do we may comfort our selves with this that we have been sincere We may send him to Christ for that must be the way who hath fulfilled Gods will and satisfied his Fathers wrath Satan will say This is true it is the Gospel and therefore it cannot be denied but it is for them that have walked according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh for those that have obeyed God in all things Now when our Conscience shall joyn with Satan and
as S. Paul doth here My care in my course of life and conversation hath been in Simplicity I have cast my self upon God and his government and not looked to the world and in sincerity I have aimed at God in all things I have had no false and by aimes I have not spared even my life by any carnal end I have not served my self either in Religion or in my course of life but I have laboured to serve God in serving my brethren and have led my life by the grace of God and by the Word of grace which I laboured to know that I might follow Let us be able in some measure in truth to say thus And then we may say further with S. Paul That this is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience We shall never want joy And then let the world judge of us as it will there is such a strength and power such a prerogative and majesty in Christian comfort when a man can as I said reflect thus on himself that though in a weak measure yet in truth his conversation and course of life hath been though his slidings have been something in simplicity and sincerity that nothing can daunt it in this world It is above all discouragement above all eclipse of good name the testimony of Conscience which hath Gods testimony with it The witnesse of two is a strong witnesse the witnesse of God and conscience it will so settle our soules that neither ill reports nor any usage in the world shall daunt us we shall have comfort in all the passages of our lives be they what they will Whereas other men that lead not their lives in a constant course of holy simplicity and sincerity they are as the Prophet saith like the leaves of the Forrest shaken with every alteration with every rumour of ill newes But a sound Christian in the worst alteration there may be combustions there may be alteration of State yet his heart is fixed he is not moved Likewise in the hour of death he can say with Hezekias Thou knowest Lord I have led my life in simplicity that I have served thee with a perfect heart that is in sincerity I have desired and endeavoured to grow better which is all the perfection we have in this world sincerity witnessed by growth and strength against the contrary this will comfort us in all the alterations and changes in this world which is as a Sea full of trouble and at the hour of death likewise and at the day of Judgment this is that onely that will make us able to look Christ in the face Truth hath a Divinity in it this simplicity and sincerity more then any earthly thing it hath that in it that is real and spiritual A man that hath the Grace of God in the truth of it there is a great deal of majestie in it There is the greatest majestie in heavenly things when they appear most simple because of their excellency There is some thing of Gods in sincerity so much as a man hath in truth so much of Gods He partakes of the Divine nature as S. Peter saith so much as he hath in truth though it be never so little and being a branch of God it will make him look upon God in the day of Judgment Why because he knowes he is in the Covenant of Grace that he hath title to heaven by Christ. When a mans conscience can tell him that he hath led his life not by carnal wisdome but in the truth of Grace it will make him out-look Satan and all the troubles of the world and look unto Christ with comfort Who would not be in such a state Thus we see a Christian leads his life Not in fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God I will adde one thing more and so finish the verse We may see hence That the most Religious men are the best Statesmen I know proud carnall Machivillian dispositions make a scorn at these positions they think them to be austere and poor principles till they come to death As that Wretch said himself when he came to dye That he had provided for all things but for death but while they are in their ruffe they think they can manage States and do all When indeed they bring the vengeance of God upon their own persons and upon the State they live in For God is neither in them nor with them He is not in them for they want Grace they are led by carnall wisdome altogether And he is not with them God will not give them good successe unlesse it be to increase their Judgement He will not give good successe to those projects that they take up contrary to his rule Therefore those that will be guided by reasons of Religion and submit themselves to the guidance of Gods blessed Spirit they are best for the state of their own soules and best for the publick estate For doth not God know the mysteries of State better then any man Is not he a better Politician then any Achitophel in the world If they have any State-policy that is worth the naming is it not from him Is it not a beam from that Sunne Yes why then who is the better the difference of parts excepted but take them alike a gracious man and another that is not so let the one fetch his counsel from hell from darknesse and the other be ruled by reasons of conscience and Religion there is no comparison God will crosse and curse their projects that are for their own ends both in themselves and in the State too As for the other that are under Grace and the government of Grace God will be wise in them by his Spirit and he will be wise for them Psal. 1. Whatsoever a good man doth it shall prosper it is a large promise How wondrous happy and wise were the Children of Israel when they kept the Covenant of God This is your wisdome to keep the Commandements of God Deuteron 4. and their wisdome made them happy How happy were they in David's time who made the Statutes of God the Man of his Counsel How happy was the State in Solomons time till Solomon did warp and bend to Carnall counsell to strengthen himself How happy was his Government till that time but never after that they were environed with enemies round about but alas who could hurt the people of God so long as they submitted themselves to the government of grace they were alway happy Therefore it is an idle thing to suppose that there will be any good successe by carnal projects no the onely good States-man is the religious man And it was never better with the Church of God before or since the time of Christ then when those were in the stern Do but think of this oft as S. Jude saith God onely wise we must all of us light our candle at that fire All wisdome even this poor spark of reason that God enlightneth every
the conscience in sound principles in good courses in the faith of Christ in holy obedience things that will hold out in life and death If I were to speak to Ministers I would inlarge the point further Let us all in our Conversations labour rather to approve our selves to the consciences of men that they may acknowledge us to be honest downright faithful men rather then to please their humours and fancies for as Solomon saith he that tells a man the truth shall have more favour at the last then he that dissembleth for his conscience will witnesse that he hath dealt rightly and faithfully with him that he is an honest man and goes on in the same principles still Let us therefore first look to our own conscience and then to the conscience of others and if we cannot approve our selves to our own conscience and to the conscience of others alas what will become of us how shall we approve our selves to God and to Jesus Christ at the day of Judgment There is no man but a sound Christian that approves himself to the conscience of another man For any other man it is just with God in his Judgment to find him out first or last he may wind himself into the conscience for a time as the superstitious Papists do but first or last he is found out to be a dissembler and to bring false wares And so for Civil conversation there is none that will have place in the conscience of other men to think them and their courses good but those that are sound Christians For the most those that are not led by the grace of Gods Spirit all mens consciences condemn them they are smitten and censured there and judged there Besides their own conscience which perhaps they will not give leave to tell them somewhat in their ear that they would be loath to hear This you are this you did and this you spake amisse they will not suffer conscience to speak but drown it in sensuality and stifle it they take this course they think they are well enough and they would never be themselves A carnal man will hardly give conscience leave to speak till it will whether he will or no at the hour of death and the day of Judgment when God lets it loose upon him but let them take this course as long as they will yet in the conscience of other men they have no place for they live not as S. Paul saith here in simplicity and sincerity not by carnal wisdome but by the Grace of God This is the benefit that a good man hath in this life that howsoever he have the ill words of carnall men sometimes and their humour is against him yet notwithstanding if they be in the Church and have any illumination any judgment he hath their conscience for him Nay I say more they cannot but think reverently of a man of God of a good Christian I speak not of Ministers onely they cannot but think reverently of them and reverence them in their consciences do what they can for it is not in mens power to frame what conceits they will to frame what opinions they will of men but as there is a necessity of reason as the principles we say are so strong rhat a man cannot say they are false do what he can because the light is visible to the understanding as a man cannot say the Sun shines when it is night when it is dark because it is a sensible falshood so a man cannot deny the principles of any Art if they be principles because there is such a light of truth that over-powers him and as it were compells the inward man So it is here there is such a majestie in grace and good courses of a Christian that another man that lives a wicked life he cannot think of him what he would He may force himself to speak what he list and force odd opinions of him but when he is him sober self he must needs if he have any reliques of conscience in him if he be not altogether a sot he must needs think well in his conscience of such a mans courses This is the majestie and honour of good things that however they may have the humour and passion and fancy of men against them yet they have their conscience for them yea of wicked men when they are themselves Take the wickedest man at the hour of death if he have himself at command that his spirits be not disturbed and ask him whether he justifie the courses of such and such men he will answer Oh yes I would I had led them my self What is that that besots them Sensuality and such courses for men that are not led by the Grace of God are led with outward things which besot the judgment for a time but when that dulnesse is past when a wicked man is stripped of all and is best able to judge then he likes such courses If the worst men shall in their conscience acknowledge the best persons and the best things one day nay they do now if they will suffer themselves to be themselves then let us take such courses as our own consciences may justifie as S. Paul saith here This is my glorying the testimony of my conscience and likewise the conscience of those I live with I write no other thing but what you acknowledge in your consciences your selves And I trust you shall acknowledge to the end This word Trust doth not imply as usually it doth in common speech an uncertainty of a thing a moral conjecture I trust or hope it may be so it may be otherwise but I hope well it is not an uncertain conceit with the fear of the contrary but the word implies a gracious dependant disposition upon God I trust in God as it is so exprest in some other places Now you acknowledge me and I trust in God you shall acknowledge me to the end So here Saint Paul sets down what he resolved to be by the Grace of God and what in the issue he should be because holy resolutions are seconded with gracious assistance And likewise he sets down what they should judge of him to the end I trust as you acknowledge me now so to the end you shall have grace so to do and I shall have grace so to be I shall be as I am and have been I have led my life in simplicity and sincerity and as you have acknowledged me to be such a one so you shall have grace still to acknowledge me I hope or trust I will not enter into any common place onely I will speak that which the Text puts to me I trust you shall acknowledge to the end Here he begins with his hope of their judging of him to continue so to the end Saint Paul here takes a good conceit a good opinion of his children whom he had begotten to the faith in Corinth I hope as you are and as you do judge of
that the Romish Religion indeed is nothing but a meer carnal devillish policy to bring others to be subject to them and to make not only Kings and Princes but to make God and Christ and the Scriptures whatsoever is divine or humane to make all to serve their aimes What do they with Christ but under the Name of Christ serve themselves What do they with the Church but under the name of the Church carry their own ends What do they with the names of Saints and Angels Peter Mary c. but under a plausible pretence carry their own ends and set up a visible greatnesse in this world answerable to the Cesarian Monarchy This is plain and evident to all that will see that it is so and one main way to attain their ends is to rule over the conscience And that they may help all the better forward they have raised in the Church a kind of faith which they call an implicite and infolded faith that people must believe what the Church teacheth though they know not in particular what the Church teacheth and so they lead people hoodwinck'd whither they please themselves To make some Use of it briefly Let us labour to blesse God that hath freed us from this spiritual tyranny O beloved it is a great tyranny when conscience is awaked to be racked and tormented and stung by Scorpions to have conscience tormented with Popish errours as in the point of satisfaction the most of them if their eyes be open they dye with terrour O it is a blessed liberty that we are brought out of Antichristian darknesse that we know we believe and upon what termes we believe and are taught to submit our conscience only to the blessed truth of God that the soul it is the bed as it were only for Christ and his holy Spirit to dwell in and to lodge in and that no man may force the conscience with any opinion of his own further then it is demonstrated out of the Word of God what a sweet inlargement of Spirit do we live in now and our unthankfulnesse perhaps may occasion God to bring us in some degree of Popish darknesse again I beseech you let us stand for the liberty of Christ and the liberty of our consciences against the spirituall tyrant of soules Let us maintain our liberty by all we can by all lawes and execution of lawes by all that may uphold our spirituall liberty for there is no bondage to that of the soul. Do but a little consider the misery of the implicite faith that the Popish sort are under that infolded inwrapped faith wherein they are bound to believe without searching what the Church determines Hereupon they swallow in all doctrines that tend to superstition that tend to rebellion that tends to treason they swallow up all under this implicite faith as if God had set an Ordinance and Ministery in the Church against himself as if he had advanced any Ministery against his own Ordinance When you think of Popery consider not so much particular dotages as about Images and Transubstantiation and Reliques c. but consider the very life and soul of Popery in this opinion the leading errour of all others the tyranny over soules of people and holding them in blindnesse and darknesse It is not a device of mine do but read the Council of Trent in some editions There the late Pins Quartus that sate there daily he made more Articles then the Apostles distinct not proved by Scripture he made Articles of his own to be believed people were tied upon the necessity of salvation to believe them and to believe them with that faith that is due to Scripture And it is a common tenent among them Every man is bound to be under the authority of the Church of Rome under peril of damnation There is the grand errour that 't is a matter necessary to salvation to be under their tyranny Hereby they excommunicated all the Eastern Churches and all former times wherein they were not undes the Romane tyranny for that is but of late six hundred years since they condemned S. Cyprian's time and other times And they made Articles of Religion and established them with this censure that upon pain of damnation men must believe these things as well as the Articles of the Creed As Transubstantiation Invocation of Saints Purgatory and such things they are so many Articles indeed as I say they have more Articles then the twelve Articles of the Apostles We say an errour in the foundation it is not mended after and the first concoction if it be naught all after are naught if there be not good concoction in the stomack at the first the blood is naught and all is naught So this is a fundamental errour and a ground of all errours that they hold they cannot erre and hereupon they come to tyrannize over the consciences and soules of people Therefore I say let us blesse God that hath set our soules in spiritual liberty that now we see God in the face of Christ now we see the means of salvation we see the bread of life broken to us we see Christ unveiled we see what to found our consciences upon we cannot be sufficiently thankful for this Thankfull we may be for the peace of the Kingdome that we have so long a time enjoyed and for the outward prosperity we have so long had But above all be thankful for the peace of Religion for the peace of conscience for the liberty of soul that we enjoy And as I said if any thing move God to strip us of all it will be our unthankfulnesse and our practice witnessing our unthankfulnesse by valuing no more the blessed estate of the Gospel we enjoy Not that we have dominion over your faith This disposition to domineer over the faith of others from abominable grounds it ariseth Partly from pride and tyranny that they would set themselves in the Temple of Christ where he should rule in the hearts of his people And partly out of idlenesse they raise the credit of their own Traditions that they may not be forced to take the labour of instructing the people therefore they fasten a greater vertue upon outward things then there can be only to avoid the labour of instruction And then it riseth partly from guilt they are so in their lives especially if they be looked inwardly into as that they cannot endure the knowledge of people They are afraid that people should know much lest they know them too well and their courses and errours So partly from pride and partly from idlenesse and sloath and partly from guilt they domineer over the faith of Gods people But are helpers of your joy The end of the Ministery is not to tyrannize over peoples soules to sting and vex them but to minister comfort to be helpers of their joy that is to help their salvation and happinesse which is here termed joy because joy is a principal
favour and grace of great persons alway And as the favourable aspect of the heavens upon inferiour bodies promiseth good things and men promise themselves from that favour and good so the favour and grace of God enlarge the soul with joy and comfort And there is that measure of joy in those that are in the free favour of God that they will honour God freely to cast themselves upon his mercy And it is with a disesteem of all things in the World besides it is such a joy as works in the soul a base esteem of all things else St. Paul esteemed all drosse in comparison of the knowledge of Christ and the favour of God in Christ. So in Psal. 4. David saith of some There be many that will say who will shew us any good any good it is no matter but saith the Holy Spirit in David Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon me He goes to prayer he saith not who will shew us any good it is no matter what or how we come by it any earthly good worldly men desire No saith he Lord shew us the light of thy countenance he desires that above all things So he saith Psal. 3. The loving kindnesse of the Lord is better then life it self Life is a sweet thing the sweetest thing in the World but the grace and favour of God is better then that For in this when all comforts fail the Children of God have assurance that neither life nor death nor things present nor things to come nor any thing can separate us from the love of God in Christ which shews it self better then life it self When life fails this favour shall never fail Nothing shall be able to separate us from the favour of God in Christ it is an everlasting favour and therefore everlasting because it is free if it were Originally in us it would fail when we fail but it is an everlasting favour because it is free God hath founded the cause of love to us in himself so much for that Grace be unto you And peace All that I will say of peace in this place is this to shew That True peace issues from Grace It is to be had thence Peace we take here for that sweet peace with God and peace of conscience and likewise peace with all things when all things are peaceable to us when there is a sweet successe in all businesse with a security in a good estate It is a blessed thing when we know that all will be well with us This quiet and peaceable estate issues from grace peace of conscience especially I observe it the rather It hath been the errour of the world to seek peace where it is not to seek peace in Sanctification to seek it in the work of Grace within a man Not to speak of worldly men that seek peace in outward contentments in recreations in friends and the like alas it is a poore peace But I speak of Religious persons that are of a higher straine they have sought peace but not high enough True peace must be selected from Grace the free favour in Christ. This will quiet and still the clamours of an accusing conscience God reconciled in Christ will pacifie the conscience nothing else will do it For if our chief peace were fetched from sanctification as many fetch it thence in error of judgment alas the conscience would be dismaid and alwaies doubt whether it had sanctification enough or no. Indeed sanctication and grace within is required as a qualification to shew that we are not Hypocrites but are in the state and covenant of Grace it is not required as a foundation of comfort but as a qualification of the persons to whom comfort belongs Therefore David and St. Paul and the rest that knew the true power and efficacy of the Gospel they sought for peace in the grace and free favour of God Let us lay it up to put it in practise in the time of dissolution in the time of spiritual conflict in the time when our consciences shall be awakened and perhaps upon the rack and Satan will be busie to trouble our peace that we may shut our eyes to all things below and see God shining on in Christ that we may see the favour of God in Christ by whose death and passion he is reconciled to us and in the Grace and free favour of God in Ghrist we shall see peace enough It is true likewise besides peace of conscience of all other peace peace of successe and peace of state that all creatures and all conditions are peacable to us whence is it It is from Grace for God being reconciled he reconciles all when God himself is ours all is ours when he is turned all is turned with him when he becomes our father in Christ and is at peace with us all are at peace besides so that all conditions all estates all creatures they work for our good It is from hence when God is turned all are turned with him He being the God of the creature that sustaines and upholds the creature in whom the creature hath his being and working he must needs therefore turn it for the good of them that are in covenant with him All that are joyned in covenant with him he fills them with peace because they are in Grace with him This should stir up our hearts above all things in the world to pray for Grace to get Grace to empty our selves of self-confidence that we may be vessels for Grace to make Grace our plea to magnifie the Grace of God We must never look in this world for a peace altogether absolute that is reserved for heaven our peace here is a troubled peace God will have a distinction between heaven and earth But when our peace is interrupted when the waters are come into our souls what must be our course when we would have peace go to Grace go to the free promise of Grace in Christ. Grace and Peace From God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The spring of Grace and peace are here mentioned After the Preface he comes to the Argument which he intends and begins with blessing One part of the scope of this blessed Apostle is to avoid the scandall of his sufferings for he was a man of sorrows if ever man was next Christ who was a true man of sorrow the blessed Apostle was a man of miseries and sorrow Now weake shallow Christians thought him to be a man diserted of God they thought it was impossible for God to regard a man so forlorn so despicable as this man was What doth he before he comes to other matters he wipes away this imputation and cleers this scandal You lay my crosses and sufferings and disgraces in the world to my shame it is your weakness that which you account my shame is a matter of praise I am so farre from being disheartned or discouraged from what I suffer that Blessed be God the Father of
in the Creation and in the Gospel his mercy therefore is above his own workes and above thy workes if thou come in Oyl is of a Kingly nature it swims above all other liquors so the mercy of God like oyl it swims above all other attributes in him and above all sin in thee if thou wilt receive it Father of Mercies In a corrupt estate the special mercy is forgiving mercy if it were not for forgiving mercies all other gifts and mercies were to little purpose for it were but a reserving of us to eternal Judgement but a feeding the Traitor to the day of Execution a giving him the liberty of the priison which is nothing unlesse his Treason be pardoned so the forgiving mercy leads to all the rest Now these forgiving mercies they are unlimitted mercies there is no bounds of them for he being the Father of Christ who is an infinite person and having received an infinite satisfaction from an infinite Person he may well be infinitely merciful and himself is an infinite God his mercies are like himself the satisfaction whereby he may be merciful is infinite hereupon it is that he may pardon and will pardon all sin without limitation if they be never so great never so many This I observe the rather to appease the conscience of a sinner when it is suppressed with terrour and fear of the greatnesse of his sins Consider how God hath set down himself and will be known and apprehended of us not onely as merciful but a Father of mercies and not of one mercy but of all mercies not only giving but forgiving especially Which forgiveth all thy sins and healeth all thy infirmities Psal. 103. This I observe against a pronenesse in us to despair we are not now proner in the time of peace to presume then when conscience is awakened to despair we are prone to both alike For here is the poyson of mans corruption Is God so merciful surely I may go on in sin and cry God mercy and there is an end God is merciful nay the Father of mercies Now in the time of peace sin is nothing with us swearing is nothing rotten discourse is nothing going beyond others in our dealing and commerce is nothing getting an estate by fraud and deceit is nothing The bread of deceit is sweet loose licentious libertine life is nothing and those that do not follow the same excesse and are dissolute it is a strange matter with us they are strange people we think it strange that others do not so and if they be better then we it is but hypocrisie men measure all by themselves so all is nothing Great grosse swearing is nothing men glory in it and to make scruple of it it is thus and thus they have terms for it And what is the bawde for all this Oh! God is merciful and Christ he is wonderous merciful he took our nature that he might die for us c. It is true indeed but when the conscience is awakened then the conscience will tell thee another lesson the conscience will set God as just and Satan will help conscience with accusations and aggravations it is true it is too true the conscience will take part with God and with his word it is true thou hast done thus and thus these are thy sins and God is just And especially at the hour of death when earthly comforts fail and there is nothing but sin set before a mans eyes the comforts that are set before him can do him no good then the conscience will hardly receive any comfort especially the conscienconsciences of such as have gone on in a course of sin in spight of good meanes a conscience of such a man as either refuseth or rejects the meanes because it would favour it self in sin or a conscience that being under means having had it sins discovered to it that conscience will hardly admit of any comfort And there is none but they find it another manner of matter then they think it Sin is a blacker thing then they imagine their oathes that they trifle with and their dissolute and their rotten discourse when they should be better affected upon the sabbath and such like therefore we ought to look to it Well to presse this point of presumption a little further now I am in it We are wonderous prone to abuse this mercie to presumption and after to despaire I consider this before hand that however Gods mercy be unlimited as indeed it is in it self it is so unlimited to those that repent and to those that receive and embrace mercy and mercy in one kind as well as another it is so to those that repent of their sins for God is so the Father of Mercie as that He is the God of Vengeance too he is a just God too The conscience will tell you this well enough when the outward comforts that now you dally with and set as Gods in the room of God and drown your selves in sensuality and Idolatry with the creature and put them in the place of God when they are taken away conscience will tell you that God is merciful indeed but he is just to such that refuse mercies Therefore though his mercy be unlimited to such as are broken hearted to such as repent of their sins for he will glorifie his Mercy as he may glorifie his other attributs he is wisely merciful if he should be merciful to such as go on in sin he should not be wisely merciful Who among men if he be wise would be mercifull to a Child or Servant without acknowledgement of the fault Was not David over merciful to Absalom Yes it was his fault yet out of wisdome he would not admit him into his presence till he was humbled for his fault and made intercession though he doted upon him God is infinitely wise as he is Merciful therefore He will not be Merciful to him that goes on in wickednesse and sin This cannot be too often pressed for the most of the auditors wheresoever we speak the Divel hath them in this snare that God is merciful c. and doth he not know how to use it He is so indeed but it is to repentant souls that mean to break off their course of sin Otherwise if the Mercie of God work the other way hearken to thy doom He that blesseth himself saith God by Moses Denteronomy 29. 16 saith these curses shall not come to me he that blesseth himself and saith Oh all shall be well God is Mercifull c. My wrath shall smoak against him and I will not be merciful to him that goes on in his sins God will wound the hairie scalp of him that goes on in Sin As the Apostle saith Romans 2. he that abuseth the bountie and patience of God that should lead him to repentance he treasureth up wrath against the day of wrath The Scripture is never in any case more terrible then this way In
Esay 28. you have made a covenant with hell and death with Gods judgments but hell and death hath not made a covenant with you You make a covenant think you shall do well but God is terrible to such his wrath shall smoak against such as make a covenant with his judgments and treasure up wrath against the day of wrath Take heed if the proclamation of mercy call thee not in if thou stand out as a Rebell and come not in but go on still then justice layes hold on thee Gods wrath shall smoak against thee As we see in Prov. 1. I will laugh at your destruction speaking of those that would not come in Chidas it is in Esay 27. 11. He that formed them and made them will have no mercy on them nor shew them favour He will have no delight in them They are Ignorant sotts and will not labour to know God and his will to do and obey it he that made them will have no delight in them and he that formed them will reject them It is a pittiful thing when God that made them and formed them in their mothers womb whose creatures they are shall have no delight in them when he that made them his heart shall not pittie them Ezek. 18. 18. he that goes on in a course of sin presumptuously and doth not repent Gods eye shall not pittie him he that made him will have no delight in him Therefore the Apostle because we are disposed and prone to abuse the goodnesse and long suffering of God and the mercies of Christ he saith Be not deceived be not deceived he oft presseth this for neither the covetous nor licentious persons shall enter into heaven Though God be mercifull if thou live in these sins be not deceived thou shalt never enter into heaven God will not be mercifull to the most of those that even now live in the bosome of the Church because they make mercy a band to their sinful courses God will harden himself he will not blesse such he hath no mercy for such to such he is a God of vengeance His mercy is to such as are weary of their sinful courses as I said he is mercifull but so as he is wise What Prince will prostitute a pardon to one that is a Rebell and yet thinks himself a good Subject all the while he is no Rebell cares he for a pardon And shall he have a pardon when he cares not for it Those that are not humbled in the sight and sence of their sins that think themselves in a good estate they are Rebells that have not sued out their pardon there is no mercie to them yet He that made them will not pittie them because they are Ignorant hardned wretches that live in blasphemy in swearing that in corrupt courses in hardnesse of heart that live in sins that their own conscience and the conscience of others about them know that they are sins devouring sins that devour all their comfort and yet notwithstanding they dream of mercy mercy Hell is their portion and not mercy that make an Idol of God Thus it is with us we are prone to presume upon Gods mercy I speak this that we should not surfet of this sweet doctrine that God is the father of Mercies He is so to repentant sinners to those that believe to those mercy is sweet We know oyl is above all other liquors Gods mercy is above all his own works and above our sins But what is the vessel for this oyl this oyl of mercy it is put in broken vessels it is kept best there a broken heart a humble heart receives and keepes mercie As for proud dispositions as all Sinners that go on in a course of sin the Psalmist terms them proud men he is a proud man that sets his own will agaist Gods command God resists the Proud it is the humble yeelding heart that will be led and lured by God that is a vessel to receive mercy It must be a deep vessel it must be a broken vessel deep with humiliation broken by contrition that must receive mercy And it must be a large vessel laid open capable to receive mercy and all mercy not only pardoning mercy but healing mercy as I said out of that Psalme That forgiveth all thy sins and healeth all thy transgressions Therefore those that have not grace and mercy to heal their corruptions to dry up that issue in some comfortable measure thay have no pardoning mercy and those that desire not their corruptions to be healed they never desired heartily their corruptions to be pardoned those mercies go together He is not the Father of mercy but of all mercies that belong to salvation and he gives them every one and he that desires the one desires the other Let us consider how the sweet descriptions of God and how his promises work upon us If they work on us to make us presume it is a fearful case it is as bad a sign as may be to be ill because God is good to turn the Grace of God into wantonnesse But as we are thus prone to presume so when conscience is awaked we are as prone to despair therefore if they work with us this way there is mercy with God therefore I will come in therefore I will cast down my weapons at his feet I will cease to resist him I will come in and take terms of peace with him I will yeeld him obedience for the time to come therefore I will fear and love so good a God If it work thus it is a sign of an elect soul of a gracious disposition And then if thou come in never consider what thy sins have been if thou come in God will imbrace thee in his mercy Thy sins are all as a spark of fire that falls into the Ocean that is drowned presently so are thy sins in the Ocean of Gods mercy There is not more light in the Sun there is not more water in the Sea then there is mercy in the Father of mercy whose bowels are opened to thee if thou be weary of thy sinful courses and come in and imbrace mercy In the Tabernacle we know there was a mercy Seat we call it a propitiatory In the Ark which this mercy Seat covered was the Law now in the Law there were curses against all sinners The Mercy-Seat was a Type of Christ covering the Law covering the curse though thou be guilty of the curse a thousand times God in Christ is merciful Christ is the Mercy Seat come to God in Christ there is mercy in Israel notwithstanding thy great sins If we cast away a purpose of living in sin and cast away our weapons and submit our selves to him he is the Father of mercies that is he is merciful from himself he is the spring of them and hath them from his own bowels they are free mercies because he is the Father of them For he is just by our fault he is severe
conscience of those that are awakened and Satan useth that as a means to despair in every crosse Therefore let us search and try our souls for our sins for our chief discomfort are from sin for alas what are all other comforts and what are all other discomforts If a mans conscience be quiet what are all discomforts and if conscience be on the rack what are all comforts the disquiet and vexation of sin is the greatest of all because then we have to deal with God when sin is presented before us and the judgements of God and God as an angry judge and conscience is awaked and on the rack what in the world can take up the quarrel and appease conscience when we and God are at difference when the soul speaks nothing but discomfort In this case remember that God doth so far prevent objections in this kind from the accusations of conscience that he reasons that he will comfort us from that that cöscience reasons against comfort he doth this in the hearts of his children to whom he means to shew mercy as we see in the poor Publi Lord be merciful to me a sinner saith he God taught him that reasoning Nature would have taught him to reason as Peter did Lord depart from me I am a sinful man and therefore I have nothing to do with God So our Saviour Christ Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden they think of all people they ought to run from God they are so laden with sin they have nothing to do with God Oh come unto me saith Christ. Therefore when thy conscience is awakened with the sense of sin remember what is said in the Gospel Be of good comfort be calleth thee be thou of good comfort thou art one that Christ calls Come unto me ye that are we ary and heavy laden and Blessed are those that mourn That which thou and the Divel with thy conscience would move thee to use as an argument to run away our Saviour Christ in the Gospel useth as an argument to draw thee forward he comes for such to seek and to save the lost sinners This is a faithful saying saith St. Paul that Christ came to save sinners therefore believe not Satan he presents God to the soul that is humbled and terrified in the sight of sin as cruel as a terrible judge c. He hides the mercy of God from such to men that are in a sinful course he shewes nothing but mercy I but now there is nothing but comfort to thee that art cast down and afflicted in the sence of thy sins for all the comforts in the Gospel of forgivenesse of sins and all the comforts from Christs Incarnation the end of his coming in the flesh the end of his death and of all is to save sinners Look thou therefore to the throne of mercy and grace when thy conscience shall be awakened with the sence of sin and Satan shall use that as an argument to draw thee from God consider the Scripture useth this as an argument to drive me to God to allure me to him Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden And Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost Luther a man much exercised in Spiritual conflicts he confessed this was the Balme that did most refresh his soul God hath shut up all under sin that he might have mercy upon all He shut up all under sin as prisoners to see themselves under sin and under the curse that he might have mercy upon all upon all those that are convinced with the sence and sight of their sins he hath shut up all under sin that he might have mercy upon all those that belong to him This raised up that blessed man therefore let us not be much discomforted but be of good comfort Christ calls us For such as are sinners that are given to the sins of the tongue and of the life to rotten discourse to swearing and such like to such as mean to be so and think their case good oh God is the God of comfort To such as I said before I can speak no comfort nor the word of God speaks none they must have another Word and another Scripture for this word speaks no comfort to such that are sinful and wretched and will be so and justifie themselves to be so All the judgments in the Scripture are theirs hell and damnation and wrath that is their portion to drink We can speak no comfort to such nor the word of God that we unfold it hath not a drop of comfort for them God will not be merciful to such as go on in wicked rotten scandalous courses that because hell hath not yet taken them they may live long and so make a covenant with hell and death and blesse themselves Oh but thou hast made no covenant with God nor he hath made none with thee and hell and death have made no covenant with thee though thou hast made one with them but there are two words go to a covenant Death and Hell shall seize upon thee notwithstanding thy covenant Those that will live in sin in despight of the ministery in spight of afflictions there is no comfort to such I speak only to the broken heart which are fit vessels for comfort God is the God of comfort to such What shall we say then to such as after they have had some evidence of their good estate that they are Christians are fallen into sin is there any comfort for such Yes doth not St. Paul in 2 Cor. 5. desire such to be reconciled to God we are as Ambassadors of Christ desiring you to be reconciled if you have sinned so God hath comfort for those that have sinned Christ knew that we should every day run into sins unawares therefore he teaches us in the Lords prayer to say every day forgive us our debts our trespasses there is Balme in Gilead there is mercie in Israel for such daylie trespasses as we run into Therefore let none be discouraged but flie presently to the God of comfort and Father of mercies And think not that he is wearie of pardoning as man is for he is infinite in mercy And though he be the party offended yet he desires peace with us But yet notwithstanding that we shall not love to run into his Bookes he doth with giving the comfort of the pardon of sin when we fall into it add such sharpe crosses as we shall wish we had not given him occasion to correct us so sharpely we shall buy our comfort dear we had better not have given him occasion God forgave the sin of David after he had repented though he were a good man before but David bought the pleasure of his sin dear he wished a thousand times that he had never given occasion to God to raise good out of his evil to turn his sin to his comfort yet God will do this because God
hearts and wayes and presently to apply the balme of comfort the promise of pardon take the present when we have searched the wound to get pardon and forgivenesse daily as we sin daily Christ bids us ask it daily This will make us fit for comfort by discerning the estate of our souls and the remainders of corruption That which sharpens appetite and makes the balme of God to be sweet indeed is the sence of and the keeping open of our wound a daily search into our wants and weaknesses a daily fresh sight of the body of sin in us and experience how it is fruitful in ill thoughts and desires and actions this will drive us to a necessity of daily comfort And certainly a fresh sight of our corruptions it is never without some fresh comfort We see St. Paul Rom. 7. he sets himself to this work to complain of his indisposition by reason of sin in him and how doth he end that sight and search into his own estate he ends in a triumphing manner Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus After he had complained Oh miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this bodie of death There can be no danger in a deep search into our waies and hearts if this be laid as a ground before that there is more supplie and heavenly comfort in God and the promises of God then there can be ill in our souls then the more ill we find in our selves the more we are disposed to fetch grounds of comfort from God And together with this searching of our souls and asking daily pardon let us for the time to come renew our covenant with God that we may have the comfort of a good conscience to get pardon for our sins past and renew our resolutions for the time to come And withall that we may use an orderly course of comfort let us every day feed on Christ the food of life let us every day feed upon something in Christ consider the death of Christ the satisfaction he hath made by his death his intercession in Heaven his blood runs afresh that we may every day feed on it We may run every day into new offences against the law to new neglect of duty into new crosses let us feed upon Christ he came into the World to save sinners to make us happie with peace of conscience here and with Glorie afterward Let us feed on Christ daily as the bodie is fed with cordialls so this feeds and comforts and strengthens the soul. This is to live by faith to lead our lives by faith to feed on Christ every day And likewise if we will keep our souls in a perpetual temper of comfort let us every day meditate of some prerogatives of Christians that may raise our souls Let us single out some or other As for example that excellent prerogative to be the Sons of God What love saith the Apostle that we of Rebels and Traitors in Christ should be made the sons of God That of slaves we should be made Servants of servants sons of sons heires and of heires fellow-heires with Christ what prerogative is this that God should give his Son to mak us that were Rebels sons heires and fellow heires with Christ And to consider what follows upon this liberty that we have from the curse of the Law to goe to God boldly to go to the throne of Grace through Christ our elder brother by prayer to think of eternall life as our inheritance to think of God above as our Father Let us think of our prerogatives of Religion adoption and justification c. Upon necessity we are driven to it if we consider the grievances of this world together with our corruptions our corruptions and afflictions and temptations and desertions one thing or other will drive us to go out of our selves for comfort to feed on the benefits by Christ. And consider what he hath done it is for us the execution of his office and all for us what he is what he did what he suffered what procured all is for us The soul delighting it self in these prerogatives it will keep the soul in a perpetuall estate of comfort Therefore the Scripture sets forth Christ by all terms that may be comfortable he is the door to let us in He is the way the truth and the life the water and the bread c. In sinne he is our righteousness in death he is our life in our ignorance he is our way in spirituall hunger and thirst he is the bread and water of life he is all in all And if we cannot think of some prerogative of Christianity then think of some promise as I said before think of the Covenant of Grace there is a spring of comfort in that that God in Christ is our God to death and for ever and that promise I speak of that All things shall work for the best Let us every day think of these things and suggest them to our owne souls that our souls may be affected with them and digest them that our souls and they may be one as it were And every day stirre up our hearts to be thankfull a thankfull heart can never want comfort for it cannot be done without some comfort and chearefulness and when God receives any praise and glory he answers it with comfort a thankfull heart is alway comfortable And let us stirre up our hearts to be fruitfull in the holy actions the reward of a fruitfull life is a comfortable life besides Heaven God alway in this life gives a present reward to any good action it is rewarded with peace of conscience Besides it is a good foundation against the evil day every good action as the Apostle sayth to Timothie it layes up a good foundation The more good we do the more we are assured that our faith is not hypocritical but sound and good and will hold out in the time of tryall It will be a good foundation that we have had evidence before that we have a sound and fruitful faith What do wicked men carelesse sinful creatures that go on in a course of prophanenesse and blasphemie c they lay a ground of despaire a ground of discomfort to be swallowed up in the evil day then conscience will be awaked at the last and Satan will be ready to joyn with conscience and conscience will seal all the accusations that Satan layes against them and where is the poor soul then As it is with them so on the contrary the Christian soul that doth good besides the present comfort of a good conscience it layes a good foundation against the time to come for in the worst times it can reason with it self my faith is not fruitlesse I am not an hypocrite though the fruits of it be weak and mixed with corruptions yet there is truth in them this will comfort us when nothing
else will Therefore let us every day be setting our selves in some good way for comfort is in comfortable courses and not in ill courses in Gods waies we shall have Gods comforts In those waies let us exercise the spiritual strength we have let us pray to God and performe the exercise of Religion with strength shew some zeal in it let us shew some zeal against sin if occasion be if it be in Gods work in Gods way Let a man set himself upon a good worke especially when it is in opposition for the honour of God and the peace of his conscience presently there is comfort upon it And that we may not be discouraged with the imperfection of our performances one way of daily comfort is to consider the condition of the covenant of Grace between God and us In the covenant of Grace our performances if they be sincere they are accepted and it is the perfection of the Gospel sincerity Sincerity will look God in the face with comfort because he is with the upright so much truth in all our dealings so much comfort And with sincerity labour for growth to grow better and better God in the Gospel meanes to bring us to perfection in heaven by little and little In the law there was present perfection required but in the Gospel God requires that we should come to perfection by little and little as Christ by little and little satisfyed for our sins and not all at once In the condition of the covenant of Grace we must live and grow by grace by little and little and not all at once The condition of the covenant of grace is not to him that hath strength of grace in perfection but if we believe and labour to walke with God if there be truth of Grace truth goes for perfection in the covenant of Grace We should labour for sound knowledge of the covenant of Grace that now we are freed from the rigor as well as from the curse of the law that though we have imperfections yet God will be our father and in this condition of imperfection he will be a pardoning father and lookes on our obedience though it be feeble and weak and imperfect yet being the obedience of children in the covenant of grace and he accepts of what is his owne and pardons what is ours And every day labour to preserve the comforts of the spirit that we have not to grieve the spirit for comfort comes with the spirit of God as heat accompanies the fire As wheresoever fire is there is heat so wheresoever the spirit of God is there is comfort because the spirit of God is God and God is with comfort wheresoever comfort is God is and wheresoever God is there is comfort If we would have comfort continually every day let us carefully watch that we give way to the spirit of God by good actions and meditations and exercises And by no meanes grieve the spirit or resist the spirit for then we resist comfort If we speake any thing that is ill we lose our comfort for that time conscience will check us we have grieved the spirit If we heare any thing with applause and are not touched with it we lose our comfort conscience will tell us we are dead-hearted and not affected as we should be there is a great deal of flesh and corruption that is affected with such rotten discourse And so if we venture upon occasions we shall grieve the spirit either if we speak somewhat to satisfie others that are nought or if we hear somewhat that is ill from others Want of wisdome in this kind doth make us go without comfort many times want of wisdom to single out our companie or else if we be with such to do that that may please them and grieve the spirit and hinder our own comfort These and such like directions if we would observe we might walk in a course of comfort the God of comfort hath prescribed this in the book of comfort These are the courses for Gods children to walk in a comfortable way till they come to heaven More especially if we would at any time take a more full measure of comfort then take the book of God into your hand those are comforts that refresh the soul single out some speciall portion of scripture and there you shall have a world of comfort As for example let a man single out the epistle to the Romans if a man be in any grievance whatsoever what a world of comfort is there fitting for every maladie there is a method how to come to comfort There St. Paul in the beginning first strips all men of confidence of any thing in themselves and tells them that no man can be saved by works Jewes nor Gentiles but all by the righteousnesse of God in Christ All are deprived of the Glorie of God Jewes and Gentiles every bodie And when we are brought to Christ he tells us in the later end of the third Chapter that by Christ we have the forgivenesse of all our former sins whatsoever he is the propitiation for our sins In the 4. Chapter he comforts us by the example of Abraham and David that they were justified without works by faith not by works of their own but by laying hold of the promises of comfort and salvation meerly by Christ and all that saith St. Paul is written for us But in the first Chapter especially because all the miseries of this life come from the first Adam because we are Children of the first Adam death and miserie comes from that he opposeth the comfort in the second Adam and he shewes that there is more comfort by the second Adam then there is discomfort by the first Righteousnesse in the second Adam reigns to life everlasting and Glorie Sin and miserie came by the first but there is the pardon of all sin by the second Adam he doth excellently oppose them in the latter end of that Chapter In the begining of the fifth Chapter he shewes there the method and descent of joy Being justified by faith in Christ we have peace with God Considering that by the righteousnesse of Christ we are freed from sin We have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. And we have boldnesse to the Throne of Grace and we rejoyce in tribulation knowing that tribulation brings forth patience and patience experience and experience hope He sets himself there of purpose to comfort in all tribulation and he saith in these things we rejoyce We rejoyce in tribulation I but for our sins after our conversion after we are in the state of Grace what comfort is there for them there is excellent comfort in the fifth of the Romans If when we were enemies he gave his son for us if he saved us by the death of Christ when we were enemies much more Christ being alive and in heaven he will keep it for us and keep us to salvation now when we are
friends seeing he died for us when we were enemies I but the remainders of corruption in this world trouble us that troubles our comfort the combate between the flesh and the spirit would you see comfort for that you shall see it in Romans 7. Oh miserable man who shall deliver me from this body of death Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So he shewes there what way to have comfort in the combate between the flesh and the Spirit to search into our corruptions to lay them open to God by confession And then in the beginning of the eight Chapter saith he there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus though there be sin yet there is no condemnation though there be this conflict between the flesh and the spirit so he comforts them And for the afflictions that follow our corruptions in this life there is a treasure of comfort against them in that Chapter for doth he not say if we suffer with him we shall reign with him And the same spirit helps our infirmities and teacheth us how to pray We can never be uncomfortable if we can pray but there is a promise of the spirit that stirs up sighs and groanes that cannot be expressed and a Christian hath alway a spirit of prayer at the least of sighs and groanes and God hears the sighs of his own spirit And what a grand comfort is that that I named before vers 28. All things work for the best to them that love God And if God be with us who can be against us And he sends us to Christ if Christ be dead or rather risen again who shall lay any thing to our charge Christ is ascended to heaven and makes intercession at the right hand of God Though Satan lay our sins to our charge Christ makes intercession in heaven at the right hand of God he makes continuall intercession for our continuall breaches with God who shall lay any thing to our charge I but all that power of hell and sin and all labour to separate us from God to breed division between God and us In the later end of that Chapter he bids defiance to all what shall separate us from the love of God in Christ it shall separate his love from Christ first Gods love is found in Christ he shall cease to love Christ if he cease to love us I but we may afterward fall into an uncomfortable case For that he saith neither things present nor things to come shall be able to separate us What an excellent spring of comfort is there in that reasoning vers 32. If God spared not his own son but gave him to death for us all how shall he not with him give us all things eâ—…lse How many streames may be drawn from that spring if God spared not his own son but gave him to death for us all how shall he not with him give us all things else in this world necessar grace provision protection till he have brought us to heaven If he have given Christ he will give all whatsoever is written is written for our comfort I mean this epistle because I would name one instance for all All is written for our comfort as he saith after in the same Epistle The written word or the word unfolded the end of preaching is especially to comfort The Chirurgeon opens a wound and the Physitian gives a purge but all is to restore at the last all that the Chirurgeon aimes at is to close up the wound at the last so all our aime is to comfort We must cast you down and shew you your miserie that you are in and shew you that if you continue in that course hell and damnation belongs to you but this is to make you despaire in your selves and to flie to the God of comfort the law is for the Gospel all serve to bring the soul to comfort Therefore go to the word of God any portion the Psalmes or any special part of the scripture and that by the spirit of God will be a meanes to raise the soul the spirit in the word joyning with the spirit in us will make a sweet close together and comfort us in all tribulation And have recourse daily to common principles all the principles of religion serve for comfort especially the Articles of the Creed I believe in God the father Almightie What a spring of comfort is in that what can befall from a father but it shall turn to good and by a father Almightie though he be never so strongly opposed yet he will turn it to good he is a father Almightie and the Articles of Christ every article hath ground of daily comfort of his abasement in Christ I see my self he is my surety the second Adam I see my sins crucified with him This is the way to reape comfort when the conscience is disquieted when I look upon my sins not in my own conscience but take it out there and see it in Christ dying and crucified in the Articles of abasement to see our sin and miserie all in Christ. For he stood there as surety as a publick person for all What a comfort is this When I see how Christ was abased I see my own comfort for he was my surety if my sins being laid on him who was my surety could not condemne him or keep him in the grave but overcame sin that was laid to his charge surely I shall overcome my corruptions nothing that I have shall overcome mee because it could not overcome Christ my surety his victorie is mine And so if the soul be in any desolation and discomfort all the articles of his Glorification and exaltation his rising again acquits the soul therefore my sins are satisfied for because my surety is out of prison And his ascending into heaven shewes my triumph he lead captivity captive and the enemies that are left are for the tryal of my faith and not to conquer me for Christ hath Lead captivity captive and is ascended into heaven he led all in triumph and sits at the right hand of God to rule his Church to the end of the World he sits for me to overcome my enemies as St. Paul saith excellently Rom. 8. who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods people it is Christ that died or rather that is risen again who fits at the right hand of God And if we be troubled for the loss of a particular friend there is comfort in that article of the communion of Saints There are those that have more grace and that is for me If my own prayers be weak I believe the communion of Saints and have the benefit of their prayers every one that saith Our Father brings me in if I be in the Covenant of grace and of the Communion of Saints If I have weaknesses in my self I believe in the holy Ghost the comforter of Gods elect and my comforter If I fear death I believe the
to do this daily so when we are to comfort others we ought not onely to comfort them but to search them as much as we can what sin is in them and what miserie is upon them and acquaint them with their own estate that they are in as far as we can discerne we may judge of them partly by our selves For we must not prostitute comforts to persons that are indisposed till we see them fitted God doth comfort but it is the abject Christ heales but is the wounded spirit he came to seek but it is to those that are lost he came to ease but it is those that are heavy laden Therefore that we may comfort them to purpose we ought to shew and discover to them what estate they are in that we may force them to comfort if they be not enemies to comfort and to their own souls He is an unwise Physitian that administers cordials before he gives preparatives to carry away the noysome humours they will do little good we ought therefore to prepare them this way if we intend to do them good And then when we see what need they stand in bring them to Christ and the Covenant of Grace that is the best way to comfort them to bring them to see that God is their father when we discern some signs of grace in them For this is the maine stop in all comfort that there is none but they shall find by experience they are ready to say you teach wondrous comforts that there is an inheritance in heaven that God hath provided and on earth there is an issue of all for good and there is a presence of God in troubles this is true but how shall I know this belongs to me This is the cavil of flesh and blood that turnes the back to the most heavenly comforts that are The main and principal thing therefore in dealing with others and with our own hearts is to let them see that there are some signs and evidencies that they are in the covenant of grace that they belong to God Unlesse we see that all the comfort we can give them is to tell them that they are not yet sunk into hell and that they have space to repent But as long as men live in sinful courses that they are not in the state of Grace we can tell them no comfort except they will devise a new Scripture a new Bible if they do so they may have comfort but this word of God and God herein speaks no comfort to persons that live in sin and will do so we should labour therefore to discern some evidence that they are in the state of Grace And ofttimes those are indeed most intitled to comfort that think it furthest from them therefore we should acquaint them with the conditions of the covenant of grace that God looks to truth therefore if we discern any true broken humble spirit a hungring and a thirsting after righteousnesse and a desire of comfort Blessed are those that hunger and thirst it belongs to them we may comfort them If we see spiritual poverty that they see their wants and would be supplied blessed are the poore in spirit be of good comfort Christ calls such If they see and feel the burden of their sins we may comfort them Christ calls them Come unto me yee that are weary and heavy laden If we descern spiritual and heavenly desires to grow in grace and overcome their corruptions if we discover and descern this in their practise and obedience God will fulfil the desires of them that fear him And he accepts the will for the deed There is a desire of happinesse in nature that comforts not a man it is no sign of grace to desire to be free from hell and to be in heaven it is a naturall desire every creature wishes well to heaven but if there be a desire of the meanes that tend to heaven a desire of Grace these are evidences of grace these are the pulses that we may find grace by when they see their infirmities and groane under them and would be better and complain that they are not better and are out of love with their own hearts there is a combat in their hearts they are not friends with themselves When we see this inward conflict and a desire to better and to get victories against their corruptions though there be many corruptions and weaknesses a man may safely say they are in the state of Grace they are on the mending hand For Christ will not break the brused reed nor quench the smoaking flax And where he hath begun a good work he will perfect it to the day of the Lord. He will cherish these weak beginnings therefore we may comfort them on good ground Then besides that in our dealing with them when we have discovered by some evidence that they belong to the covenant that we see by some love to good things and to Gods Image in his Children and by other evidences then we may comfort them boldly and then to fetch from our own experience what a comfort will it be to such When we can say my estate was as yours is I found those corruptions that you groane under I allowed not my self in them as you do not when a man can say from his own experience that notwithstanding these I have evident signs of Gods spirit that I am his then he can comfort others by his own experience And what a comfort is it to go to the experiments of scripture it is an excellent way As now let a man be deserted of God David will comfort him by his experience Psal. 77. Where he saith he found God as his enemie and as Job saith the terrors of God drank up his spirit be of good comfort David would come and comfort thee if he were alive If the terror of God be against thee for sin that thy conscience is awakned be of good comfort Christ if he were on earth would shew thee by his own example that he indured that desertion on the Cross. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me If thou be molested and vexed with Satan Job will comfort thee by his example his book is most of it combating and comfort and so for all other grievances go to the scriptures whatsoever is written is written for our learning Pray to God and he will heare thee as he did Elias Oh but Elias was an excellent man The scripture prevents the objection Jam. 5. he was a man subject to infirmities if God heard him he will hear thee Believe in Christ as Abraham did the Father of the faithful in the promised Messias and he will forgive thee all thy sins Oh but he had a strong faith What hath the scripture to take away this objection In Rom. 5. This was not written for Abraham onely but for those that believe with the faith of Abraham I but I am a wretched sinner there
Christian he is now afflicted and now comforted not for his own sake onely but for the good of others and when he shall be afflicted and how long and what comfort he shall have how much he leaves it to the wisdom of God It is a blessed estate if we could think of it to be a Christian that we need to care for nothing but to serve God we need to care for nothing but study to keep a good conscience Let God alone with all our estate for God will inable us to want and to abound in our owne persons and likewise he will sanctifie our estate for the good of others And a Christian will be willling to be tossed and to be changed from vessel to vessell from state to state for the good of others If his afflictions may do good to the Church he is content that God should withdraw his blessings from him and humble him with crosses If his example may be good to others he is likewise joyfull when God gives him rest and causeth an inward comfort he knows that this is good for others he hath learned in his first entrance into Christianity self-denyall not to live to himself but for the glory of God and the good of others as much as he may We should labour therefore to content our selves in all conditions knowing that all is for the best not only to our selves and Gods glory but for the good of others God when he takes things from us and afflicts us and when he comforts us he intends the comfort of others So we should reason when we indure any thing and when we are comforted certainly God intends the good of others by this therefore I will have a speciall care in suffering to carrie it decently and exemplarily knowing that the eyes of many are upon me I wil carry my self so that God may have glory and others may have edification and comfort knowing that I am but Gods Steward to convey this to others that are of the same body with my self Therefore in our communion we have with others upon any good occasion we ought to express the blessed experience of the comfort of God upon us This is the practise of holy men in their meeting with others to shew them the comforts of God to their soules Come I will shew you what God hath done for my soule saith the Psalmist All are the better for a good man he doth good to all and therefore Solomon saith When a righteous man is advanced the Citie rejoyceth They have cause for he hath a publique mind nothing doth more characterise and is a better stamp of a true Christian then a publique mind A carnall man out of self love may grieve at his own sins and may labour to comfort himself but a Christian thinks others shall take good by me It is the mind of Christ and it is the mind of all the Members of Christ when a man thinks he hath nothing except he have it to improve for the good of others A dead sullen reserved spirit is not a Christians spirit if by nature we have such we must labour to help it with grace for grace is a diffusive communicating thing not onely in the Ministers of God but in every Christian grace will teach them to make savourie their conversation to others this way that whatsoever they are or whatsoever they can do or whatsoever they suffer they study to improve all to the good of others And marke the extent of the loving wisedom and providence of God how many things he doth at once for in the same affliction oft times he corrects some in his Children in the same affliction he tries some grace in the same affliction he witnesseth to his truth in them in the same affliction he doth good to others besides the good he doth to them In the same affliction that others inflict he hastneth the ruine of them that offer it at one time and in one action he hastneth the destruction of the one by hastning the good of the other he ripens grace in his Children making them exemplary to others and all in the same Action so large is the wise providence of God It should teach us likewise to follow that providence and to see how many wayes any thing we suffer any kind of way may extend that if one way will not comfort another may When we suffer and are grieved let us consider withall that he that doth the wrong he hastens his ruine and judgment As Pharaoh when he hastned the overthrow of the children of Israel he hastned his overthrow in the red Sea so a pit is digged for the wicked when they digg a pit for the godly And consider to comfort thy self thou hast some sinne in thee and God intends not onely to witnesse his truth but to correct some sinne in thee and thou must look to that thou hast some grace in thee and he intends the tryall of that Look to these things this shews strong heavenly mindedness when there is self-denyall Let us consider what God cals us to for God looks to many things in the same act wherefore doth God give us reason and discourse but to be able to follow him in his dealing as farre as we can reach to But I go on to the next verse VERS VII And our hope of you is stedfast knowing that as you are partakers of the suffering so you shall be also of the consolation THis verse is nothing but a strengthning of what he said before he had told them that whatsoever he suffered it was for their comfort too and now he repeats it again and sets a seal upon it Our hope of you is stedfast knowing that as you are partakers of the sufferings so you shall also be of the consolation In these words he shews that they shall share in the good with him as well as in the ill that the Spirit of God in them should help them to take all the good they could both by his sufferings and by his comfort For as he by the help of the spirit of God intended the publique good intended their good and comfort in all whether he were afflicted or comforted so he saith here he was assured that as they were partakers of his sufferings so they should be of his comforts likewise Here is the truth And the seal of the truth The truth That they were partakers of his sufferings and should be partakers of his consolations And the Seal is in the manner of affirming these truths Our hope of you is stedfast And in this order I will speak of them First Gods Children are partakers of the sufferings of others The Corinthians were partakers of the sufferings of S. Paul Gods Children are partakers of the sufferings of others many wayes First by way of sympathy taking to heart the estate of the Church and Children of God abroad It grieved the Corinthians to hear that S. Paul was afflicted for
it breeds discomfort and is terrible that way Again in death we leave those that cast their care upon us we leave oft times Wives and Children without Husband or Father those that had dependance upon us and this must needs work upon nature upon a right principle of nature indeed the excesse of it is with corruption alway Again in death there is great pain They say Births are with great pangs and so they are Now death is a birth the birth of immortality no wonder then if it have great pangs therefore nature fears it even for the pangs the concomitants that are joyned with it And then in death nature considers the state of the body presently after death that that goodly body that strength and vigour I enjoyed before must now be wormes-meat I must say to the worm Thou art my brother and to corruption Thou art my mother and the like as it is in Job That head that perhaps hath ruled the Common-wealth the place where I lived it must lie level with others and that body that others were inamoured with it must now be so forlorn that the sight of it will not be indured of our best friends Nature considers what the estate will be there that it shall turn to rottenesse ere long that the goodliest persons shall be turned to dust and lie rotting there till the day of the Resurrection Faith and Grace looks higher but because we have nature as long as we are men these and such like respects work upon nature and make death grievous But besides the glasse of nature and these things here in the World look upon it in the Law of God in that glasse and so nature trembles and quarrels at death Death what is it It is the wages of sin it is the end of all comfort and nature cannot see any comfort after that it is beyond nature Nature teacheth us not that there will be a Resurrection of the body nature teacheth not that the soul goes to God here must be a great deal of Grace and a great deal of Faith to convince the soul of this nature teacheth it not Now when besides this the Law of God comes and faith Death came in by sin and sin is the sting of death death is armed with sin and sin comes in with the evidences of Gods anger here unlesse there be Faith and Grace a man is either as Nabal a stone and a fot in death or as Judas and Cain swallowed up with despaire It is impossible for a man that is not a true Christian that is not a good man but that either he shouldbe as a stone or desperate in sicknesse and Death without Grace he must be one of them If he be a wise man he cannot but despair in the hour of Death For is it a matter to be dallied with or to be carried bravely out as your Roman spirits and Atheists think they account it a Glory to die bravely in a stout manner Is it the terrible of terribles so to be put off when all the comforts in this world shall end and all imployments cease when there is eternity before a man and after death hell and eternall damnation of body and soul Are these matters to be slighted it would make a man look about him if a man have not faith and Grace he must eitherr despaire or die like a stone none but a good Christian can carrie himself well in the hour of death nay a good Christian is sensible of death and till he see Gods time is come he labours to avoid it by all meanes as St. Paul doth here But St. Paul had another ground beyond nature to avoid Death He knew himself ordained for the service of the Church therefore he desired to escape that he might serve God a longer time for the good of his Church Are Gods Children sensible of Death and the danger of it and out of a principle of nature and Grace too How then should carnall wretched men look about them that have not made their accounts even with God the report of Death to them should be like the hand-writing upon the wall to Belteshazer it should make their knees beat together and make their countenance pale it should strike them with terrour and like Nabal make their hearts to die as a stone within them But it is a Use of comfort to poore deluded Christians they think alas can my estate be good I am afraid of Death I tremble and quake at the name of Death I cannot endure to hear of it but it most of all affects me to see it therefore I fear I have no Grace in me I fear I have no faith in me Be not discomforted whosoever thou art that sayest so if thou labour to strengthen thy faith and to keep a good conscience for thou mayest do thus out of a principle of nature nature trembles at Death A man may do two things from diverse principles from diverse respects both without sin For example in fasting nature without sin desireth meat or else fasting were not an afflicting of a mans body but Grace that hath another principle and that desires to hold out without sustenance to be afflicted so here is both a desire and not a desire and both good in their kind So a man in the time of sicknesse and death he may by all meanes desire to escape it and tremble at it out of a principle of nature but out of a higher principle he may triumph O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory and they that believe in Christ shall never die We are in heavenly places together with Christ we are as sure of heaven as if we were there So out of such kind of principles we may triumph over Death by Faith and Grace So let none be discouraged nature goes one way and faith and grace another a man may know when it is nature and when it is grace when grace subdues nature and subordinates it to a higher principle a man need not be much troubled Christ himself our head he was afraid of death when he looked on death as death but when he looked upon death as a service as a redemption as a sweet sacrifice to God so with a thirsting I have thirsted saith he he thirsted after death in that respect looking to his humane nature to the truth of his manhood then saith he Oh that this cup might passe from me but in another consideration he willingly gave his soul a sacrifice for sin to God The desire is as the objects are presented let heaven and happinesse be presented so death is a passage to it so death is the end of misery and the beginning of happinesse so Gods Children desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ as St. Paul did But look upon death otherwise as it is an enemy to nature as it is a stop of all imployment in this world and of all service
be like thy self thou thinkest I hate those that thou hatest that are my dear Children therefore Herod presumed to go on and lay hold on Peter but the Church falls a praying and God smites Herod with a fearful death he was eaten up with lice with worms bred in his body So I say it is no good argument to say I have prospered in wicked courses I do prosper and therefore I shall prosper I have gotten a great deal of goods by ill means and I have kept such ill company and though some mislike my courses yet I hope to morrow shall be as to day c. Take heed blesse not thy self Gods wrath will smoak against such Treasure not up wrath unto thy self against the day of wrath argue not so upon Gods patience It is an argument for Gods Children he hath been my God he is my God and he will be my God it is a Sophisme else for others and as the Prophet Amos saith He that hath escaped the Lyon shall fall into the hands of the Bear so the wicked that escape one danger shall fall into another at length it is no good argument for them to hope for the like of that they have had Nay rather it is the worst outward sign in this world of a man in the state of reprobation of a man hated of God to prosper and have security in ill courses God blesseth him and lets him go on in smooth courses as the streames of Jordan go on smooth and still and then enter into the dead sea so many men live and go on in smooth easy courses and we see at length they either end in despair as Judas or in deadnesse of heart as Nabal So that of all estates it is the most miserable when a man lives in a naughtie course and God interrupts him not in his course with some outward judgment It is a reason onely for the Children of God to support themselves with in a good cause wherein they walk with a good conscience then they may say truly God that hath been my God till now will be my God to the end of my dayes Is God so constant to his Children in his love and in his fatherly care providence that whom he hath delivered he doth deliver and will deliver let us be constant in our service and love back again let us return the echo back again and say I have served God I do serve God and I will serve God because he hath loved me he doth love me and he will love me he hath delivered me he doth deliver me and he will deliver me as he is constant in love to me so will I be constant in respect in reverence and obedience to him Therefore we see the Saints of God as God loves them from everlasting to everlasting being Jehovah as he never alters in his nature so not in his love to them so they never alter in their love to him therefore it is a clause in Scripture expressed by holy men To whom be praise for ever as they knew that he was their God for ever and for ever so they purposed to be his people and to praise him for ever and for ever And because they cannot live here alway themselves they desire that there may be a Generation to praise him for ever and for ever and they lay a plot and ground so much as they can that Gods Name may be known that Religion may be propagated for ever They know God is their God for ever they know he is constant in love to them and they are constant in their love to him and for his glory To whom be glory for ever See here the happinesse of a true Christian that is in Covenant with God he can say I have had my happinesse and my portion I have it and I shall have it for ever Take a worldling can he say so he cannot God will confound his insolence if he should say so I have been rich I have prospered in my course I have attained to this and that means I yet thrive and I shall thrive I is it so No thou buildest upon the sands howsoever God hath done and howsoever he doth thou canst not secure thy self for the time to come Onely the Christian that makes God his rock and his fortress his shield and strong tower of defence he may say he hath had that which is certain he enjoyes that which is immutable and constant God is his portion his eternal portion he hath been good he is good and he will be good to eternity no man else that hath a severed happinesse out of God can say so A sound Christian take him in all references of time he is a happy man if he look back God hath delivered him from Satan from hell and damnation and many dangers If he look to the present he is compassed about with a guard of Angels and with the providence of God God doth deliver him he hath a guard about him that cannot be seen but with the eye of faith The Divel sees it well enough as we see in Job Thou hast hedged him about how can I come to him He looked about to see if he could come into Job to see if the hedg had any breach but there was none Gods providence compassed him about God hath and doth deliver And if he look to the time to come he will deliver he seeth that neither things present nor things to come shall be able to separate him from the love of God And this is not onely true of outward dangers but especially in spiritual God hath been gracious he hath given Christ How shall he not with him give us all things A Christian is in the favour of God now how shall he not be so for ever He hath eternity world without end to comfort himself in that God as long as he is God he hath comfort as long as he hath a soul so long Jehovah the living God will be his God both of his body and soul he is the God of Abraham therefore he will raise his body he is the God that raiseth the dead and he will for ever glorifie both body and soul in heaven Look which way he will a Christian hath cause of much comfort why should he be dismayed with any thing in the world why should he not serve God with all the encouragement that may be when he hath nothing to care for but to serve him As for matter of deliverance and protection it belongs not to us but to him let us do that that belongs to us and he will do that belongs to him if we commit our soules to him as to a faithful Creator in weldoing he hath delivered us he doth deliver us and he will deliver us and preserve us to his heavenly Kingdom VERS 11. You also helping together by prayer for us IN these words the holy Apostle sets down the subordinate means that God hath sanctified to continue
means of the execution of Gods decree and the decree it self of the thing they fall under the same decree when God hath decreed to do any thing he hath decreed to do it by these means so prayer comes as well within the decree as the thing prayed for In Ezek. 36. I will do this but I will be inquired of by the house of Judah I will do it but they shall aske me they shall seek to me first So there is a notable place Phil. 1. 19. I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayers We must not then so reason as to make the chief cause to take away the subordinate means but let us serve Gods purpose and providence let us serve Gods order he hath stablished this order and course let us serve it this is the obedience of faith the obedience of a Christian. The second thing is that Gods childrn are inabled to pray for themselves I observe this the rather because the vilest men that live when they are in trouble as Pharaoh O go to Moses let him pray for me he could not pray for himself he was such a desperate wretched creature he knew that God would not regard him therefore he saith Go to Moses And so Simon Magus who was a wretch yet when Peter denounced a judgment against him Pray thou that none of these things light upon me you are accepted of God my conscience is so full of terrour and horrour and so full of sin that I dare not pray A wicked man may desire others to pray for him but alas his conscience is surprized with horrour for his sins and his purposes are so cruel so earthly and so base that he knowes he cannot pray with acceptance for himself Gods Children as they desire the prayers of others so they can pray themselves they do not desire that others should do all but that they would help together with their prayers Now the reason of this that Gods Children can pray for themselves and must pray for themselves it is because they are children and as soon as ever they are new born they are known by their voyce by crying A Child as soon as he is born he cryes a new born Child cryes as soon as he is new born he cryes Abba Father he goes to his Father presently In Act. 9. as soon as Paul was converted he cryes he goes to God by prayer therefore God when he directs Ananias to him saith he Go to such a place and there thou shalt find Paul he is praying as soon as he is converted he is praying Gods children have the Spirit of Adoption the Spirit of sons God is their Father and they exercise the prerogative and priviledge they have they go to their Father cry to him In Zech. 12. you have there a promise that God would pour the spirit of supplication upon his children they cannot pray of themselves but God poures a Spirit of supplication into their hearts and his Spirit being poured into them they can pour forth their prayers to him again The use of this is not to content our selves to turn over this duty of prayer to the Minister and to good people O pray you for us I we do so but pray for thy self If thou wilt have another mans prayers do thee good thou must help with thy own prayers be good thy self Men turn it off with slight phrases and speeches You must pray for us c. Alas what will our prayes do thee good if thou be a gracelesse blasphemous carnal brutish person if thy conscience tell thee by the light of nature for the Word of God it may be thou doest not care for that thou art so what can our prayers do thee good If thou mean to be so Though Noah Daniel and Job saith God should stand before me for this people I would regard them for themselves I would not hear them for this people Let us be able and willing to help our selves and then we shall pray to some purpose God loves to hear the cries of his Children the very broken cries of a Child are more pleasing then the eloquent speech of a Servant Sometimes the Children of God have not the Spirit of prayer as at other times and then they must do as Ezechias did they must mourn as a Dove and chatter as a Swallow and as Moses at the Red-sea he cried and the Lord heard his prayer though he spake never a word so in Romans 8. The Spirit teacheth us to sigh and groane When we cannot pray we must strive with our selves against unbelief and deadnesse of heart by all meanes possible Sighs and groans are prayers to God My groanes and my sighs are not hid from thee saith the Prophet David And so in Lament 3. 56. The Church being in distresse saith she Thou hast heard my voice hide not thine ear at my breathing Sometime the Children of God can onely sigh and breath and groane to God for there is such a confusion in their thoughts they are so amazed at their troubles they are so surprized that they cannot utter a distinct prayer and then they sigh and breath and groane they help themselves one way or other If thou be a Child of God though thou be opprest with grief yet cry and groan to God strive against thy grief all thou canst and though thou canst not crie distinctly yet mourn as well as thou canst and God knowes the groanes of his own Spirit and those cries are eloquent in his eares they pierce Heaven But this being but supposed as a ground The third Observation is As God conveys all blessings by prayer And Gods Children have a Spirit of prayer So Gods Children desire the prayers of others and it is the duty of others to pray for them You also helping by your prayer for us Christians ought to help one another by prayer The holy and Blessed Apostle was sure of Gods love to him and of his care of him yet notwithstanding he was as sure that God would use both the prayers of himself and others to continue this his goodnesse to him and therefore the greater faith the greater care of prayer and where there is no care of prayer either of our own or of others for us there is no faith at all There is an article of our faith which I think is little believed thought it be said over-much and heard often yet it is little practised I believe the communion of Saints Is there a Communion of Saints wherein doth this Communion stand among many other things in this that one St. prayes for another This is one branch of the Communion of Saints as they communicate in priviledges for they are all the sons of God they are all heirs of heaven they are all members of Christ they are all redeemed by the blood of Christ and so all other priviledgeâ— belong to all alike as there is a communion in priviledges so there is a
who deserved it they think I am a deceiver they think I am wilely no I do not walk so I do not walk in fleshly wisdom as they do that seek themselves and not you So I say Saint Paul aimes at divers things in bringing in these words We see here first of all that The more eminent a man is for place and gifts the more he should be prayed for and the more thanks should be given for him You have cause saith Saint Paul to do it for me for our rejoycing is this that we have walked in simplicity and sincerity c. and more abundantly to you-ward Saint Paul was a brother as he was a Christian he was a Father in regard he had called them to the faith and he was an Apostle In all regards they ought to praise God for him because he was a Father because he was the father of them you have not many Fathers saith he and because he was an Apostle a man eminent by whose meanes God conveyed a world of good to the Church To make way to the main thing Observe this in general that Christians are often driven to their Apologie Especially Ministers the Fathers of Christians holy men in the Church are driven to their Apologie and defence because those that shine in their own consciences wicked men labour to darken them in their reputation that their own wickednesse may be the lesse seen and observed It hath alway been the policy of Satan and of wicked men that so all might seem alike to lay aspersion s upon those that were better men then themselves Saint Paul is forced to make his Apologie to retire to the testimonie of his conscience Our rejoycing is this the testimonie of our conscience c. Therefore make this use of it not to think it strange if we be driven to our Apologie But some may say is not the life the best Apology as St. Peter saith that you may stop the mouthes of gain-sayers Yes of all Apologies life is the best to oppose to all imputations but notwithstanding it is not enough A man is cruell if he make not his Apology and defence sometimes because his imputations tend to the hurt of others being publick persons especially Ministers who have so much authority in the hearts of people as they can gaine by their good life and desert and if any imputation lie upon them they are to clear it in words their life will not serve the turn but they must otherwise make their Apologie if it be needfull for themselves as Saint Paul doth here It is not onely lawful but expedient sometimes to speak by way of commendation of our selves In what cases Not onely in case of thankfulnesse to God to praise God for his graces in us And likewise in case of example to others a man may speak of Gods work in him he may tell what God hath done for his soule and in his soul that God may have glorie and others may have benefit But likewise in the third place and it was Saint Paul's case here a man may speak of himself by way of Apology and defence that the truth suffer not It is a kind of betraying the cause for a man to be silent when he is so accused Though as I said a good life be the best Apology and except there be a good life the verball apologie is to little purpose yet the apology of life oft-times in publick persons is too little In these cases we must speak of our selves and of the good things of God in us But another quere may be here May a man glory in that which is in him of the grace of God that is in him Our glorying should be in Christ in the obedience and righteousnesse of Christ and in God reconciled through Christ can a Christian glory in any thing that is in him which is imperfect I answer briefly Saint Paul doth not here glory in the Court of Justification but in the Court of a Christian conversation therein a man may glorie in the work of grace in him in those inward works and the works that flow from them When a man is to deal with men he may set forth his life nay when a man is to deal with God he may set forth his sincerity not I say in the Court of Justification but in the Court of Sanctification and a holy life There good works are the ornament of the spouse they are her Jewels but come to the Court of Justification all are dung as the Apostle saith Philip. 3. All are dung and drosse not worthy to be named they are not able they are not strong enough all that comes from us and all that is in us it is not able to bear us out in glorying in the Court of Justification All are stained as menstruous cloaths But mark Saint Paul speaks of glorying before men of a sanctified life He glories not in his conversation and sincerity as a title but he glories in it as an evidence that his title is good That whereby he hath his title is only by the righteousnesse of Christ that he hath heaven and is free from hell that is the title but what evidence have you that Christ and his righteousnesse is yours there must be somewhat wrought in you and that is sincere walking So he alledgeth it as an evidence of his state in grace that that was good So we see in what case he gloried in his sincerity To come to the words For the words themselves they contein the blessed temper of Saint Paul's spirit in the middest of disgraces in the middest of imputations the temper of his spirit it was joyful glorying Our rejoycing is this The ground of it is The testimony of our conscience The matter whereof conscience doth witnesse and testifie it is converâ—… sation that is the thing testified of And the manner positively In simplicity and godly sincerity In simplicity you would think this to be a simple commendation to commend himself for simplicitie but it is a godly simplicity whereby we are like to God to be simple without mixture of sin and hypocrisie without mixture of errour and falsehood that simplicity that is despised by carnall wretches that stain and defile their consciences and call them what you will so you account them not simple they despise the tearm of an honest simple man Simplicitie is not here taken for a defect of knowledge as the word is commonly used but for an excellencie whereby we resemble God that is free from all mixture of sin and Ignorance In simplicity and godly sincerity And then negatively Not in fleshly wisdom And then because this setting out of himself might seem to be ostentation to set down his glorying in his conscience and in his simplicity here is a qualification of it likewise indeed I glory in my simplicity and sincerity that is in my conversation but it is by the grace
of God By the grace of God my conversation hath been in godly sincerity and not in fleshly wisdom For St. Paul was wondrous jealous of his heart for fear of pride not I saith he 1. Cor. 15. I laboured more then they all O not I but the Grace of God that was in me he was afraid of the least insinuation of spirituall pride and so he saith here Our rejoycing is the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and sincerity by the grace of God And then the extent of this conversation thus in simplicity and sincerity in regard of the object it hath been thus In the world towards all men that I have conversed with they can say as much wheresoever I have lived And more abundantly to you-ward my care and Conscience hath been to carry my self as I should more abundantly to you-ward with whom I have lived longest This is an excellent evidence of a good man that he is best liked where he is best known Now St. Paul had lived long amongst them and he was their father in Christ and therefore saith he my conversation is known especially to you-ward Many men are best trusted where they are least known their publick conversation is good and plausible but their secret courses are vile and naught as those know that are acquainted with their retired courses but you saith the Apostle with whom I have lived longest with whom I have been most you can bear witnesse of my conversation that I have lived so and so in the world and more abundantly to you-ward This is our rejoycing c. We see here the temper and disposition that St. Paul was in he was in a glorying in a rejoycing estate We see then that A Christian take him at the worst his estate is a rejoycing estate Our rejoycing is this The word in the originall is more then joy for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a glorying our glorying is this which is a joy manifesting it self in the outward man when the heart and the spirit seeme as it were to go outward and as it were to meet the thing joyed in A Christian hath his joy his glorying and a glorying that is proper to himself it is a spirituall joy as it followes after Our rejoycing is the testimony of our conscience So goodis God that in the worst estate he gives his Children matter of rejoycing in this world he gives them a taste of heaven before they come there He gives them a grape of Canaan as Israel they tasted of Canaan what a good land it was before they came thither so Gods Children they have their rejoycing St. Paul swears and protests it 1. Cor 15. By our rejoycing in Christ Jesus I die daily as verily as we joy in all our afflictions so this is true that I say that I die daily Therefore we should labour to be of such a temper as that we may glory and rejoyce A Christian hath his rejoycing but it is a spiritual rejoycing like his estate Every creature hath his joy as St. Chrysostome speaks we do all for joy all that we do is that we may joy at length it is the centre of the soule As rest is to motion so the desire of all is to joy to rest in joy So that heaven it self is termed by the name of joy happinesse it self Enter into thy masters joy Every creature hath his joy proper to him every man hath his joy a carnall man hath a carnal joy a spiritual man hath a holy joy First he joyes in his election which was before all worlds that his name is written in heaven as it is Luke 11. Rejoyce in this that your names are written in heaven and not that the divells are subject unto you And then he joyes in his justification that he is freed from his sins Rom. 8. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Christ and we rejoyce in afflictions being justified first there is the way how this joy comes in A Christian being justified by faith and freed from the guilt of his sin it worketh joy And then there is a joy of sanctification of a good conscience of a holy life led as we see here our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience c. And then there is a joy of glory to come We rejoyce under the hope of glory saith the Apostle Rom. 5 so a Christians joy is suitable to himself There is no other man that can glory and be wise because all men but a Christian they glory in their shame or they glory in vanishing things A Christian is not ashamed of his joy of his glorying because he glories not in his shame Therefore the Apostle here justifies his joy our rejoycing is this I care not if all the World know my joy it is the testimony of my conscience As if he should say Let others rejoyce in base pleasures which they will not stand to a vow let others rejoyce in riches in honours in the favour of men let them rejoyce in what they please my joy is another kind of joy I rejoyce in the testimony of my conscience A Christian as he hath a joy so he hath a joy that he will stand to and make it good There is no other man but he will blush and have shame in his forehead that joyes in any thing that is baser then himself that joyes in outward things he cannot stand to it and say This is my joy but a Christian hath the warrant of his conscience for that which he joyes in and therefore he is not ashamed of it Another man dares not reveal his joy All the subtiltie of the world is to have the pleasures that sin will afford and yet withall they study to cover it that it may not appear Where is the joy of the ambitious His study his thought and his joy is to have respect Haman-like and yet he studies to conceal this he dares not have it known he dares not avow it This is my rejoycing for then all the world would laugh at him for a vain person Again the joy of the base-minded man is in his pleasure but he dares not avow this he dares not say my rejoycing is this for then every man would scorn him as a beast The rich man he joyes in his riches but he dares not be known of this for he would then be accounted a base earthly-minded man Every man would scorn him He studies to have all the pleasure and all the comfort that these things will afford and yet to cover them Because he thinks that there is a higher matter that he should joy in if he were not an atheist A Christian is not ashamed of his joy and rejoycing I rejoyce in this saith he For it is well bred it is bred from the Spirit of God witnessing that his name is written in the Booke of Life witnessing that his sins are
he intends mischief when he pretends he would be a worshipper of Christ and so Absalom he pretends he had a vow to make when he intends murther a dissimulation pretending good when there is an intention of ill before So there is a dissimulation in the project for the present which comes from this doubling when men carrie things fairly outwardly to those with whom they live and yet notwithstanding have false and treacherous hearts As Judas had all the while he conversed with Christ he covered his ill with good pretexts a care for the poor c. So after when the ill is done what a world of doubling is there to cover ill to extenuate it and excuses and translations This is the simplicitie that reigns among men where there is no strength of grace where there is want of simplicitie there is this dissembling And with dissimulation there is simulation that is when we make our selves sometimes worse then we are when we are better then we seeme to be sometimes that wins on us too then we carrie not our selvee simply For if we were good we would be good every where But a man that useth simulation if he be in evill company he fashioneth himself to the company he speaks that which his Conscience checks him for he carries himself vainly and lightly he holds correspondence with the company So that by dissimulation and simulation there is a fault committed against simplicitie which yields the Testimony of a good conscience It is a base fault this simulation which we think to be a lesser fault then the other which is dissimulation for whom do we serve are we not the sons of God are we not the sons of our heavenly Father the sons of the great King and for us to carrie our selves not to be such as we are in the middest of the wicked world it is a great want of discretion Saint Paul would discover who he was even before the bar David would speak of Gods righteous testimonies even before Princes and not be ashamed And this is that which Christ saith He that is ashamed of me before men of him will I be ashamed before my heavenly Father Let us take heed of dissimulation and simulation which are opposite to this simplicity Again this simplicity is opposite to curiosity and finenesse And thus the Apostle both in his calling and conversation St. Paul conversed in simplicity as a Christian and as an Apostle As an Apostle he was not over-curious in words he reproveth those foolish vain glorious spirits that were so among the Corinthians He delivered the Word plainly and plainnesse is best in handling the Word of God for who will enamell a precious stone we use to enamell that that hath not a native excellencie in it self but that which hath an excellencie from something without True Religion hath this with it alway that it is simple because it hath state enough of its own The whore of Babylon hath need of a gilded cup and pictures and what not to set her out but the true Religion is in Simplicity Christ himself when he was born he was laid in a Cratch he was simple in his carriage and his speeches It was a common speech in ancient time when the Chalices were gold the Priests were wood In Religion finenesse and curiosity carrie suspition of falsehood with them Those that overmuch affect finenesse of speech they are either deceived or will deceive That which is not native and comes not from within it will deceive Some falsehoods carrie a better colour then some truths because men set their wits on work to set some colour upon falsehood alway And here take notice of the duty of Ministers that they should utter divine truth in the native simplicity of it Saint Paul as a Minister delivered the plain Word plainly And as a Christian in our common course of life as we should take heed of doubling so of too much curiosity for too much curiosity in diet or apparell it implies too much care of these things which hinders our care of better things as our Savour Christ saith to Martha Martha thou art troubled about many things The soul is finite and cannot be set about many things at once therefore when there is overmuch curiosity in smaller things it implies little or no care in the main What is morethen for decency of place it argues carelessenesse in the main Therefore the Apostle labouring to take off that he bids women that they should not be decked with Gold and broydered haire c. But to look to the hidden man of the heart And therefore Christ took off Martha from outward things because he knew it could not be without the neglect of better things Seriousness in heavenly things it carries a carelessenesse in other things And a Christian cannot chuse but discover a minde that is not earthly and vain when he is a true believer he regards other things as poore petty things that are not worthy estimation A Christian when he hath fixed his end to be like to God to be simple as God is he still drawes toward his end and therefore he moderates his carriage in all things What is unnecessarie he leaves out his end is to be like God and like Christ with whom he shall live hereafter Now the best things are the most simple as the Heavens the Sun and the stars c. There is diversitie but no contrariety there is diversity in the magnitude of the stars but they are of the same nature so in a Christian there are many Graces but they are not contrary one to another So that a Christian hath his maine care for better things he cares not for the world nor the things thereof and therefore he accounts them in comparison of better things as nothing and that is the reason that he is carelesse and negligent of those things that he did formerly regard as having better things to take up his thoughts We see then that simplicitie as it is opposed to doubling so it is opposed to finenesse and curiosity And usually where there is a finenesse and curiosity there is hypocrisy for it is not for nought when men affect any thing Affectation usually is a strain above nature when a man will do that which he is not disposed to by nature but for some forced end it is hypocrisy So the Corinthian teachers argued the falsenesse of their hearts by the finenesse of their teaching they had another aime then to please God and convert souls Usually affectation to the world is joyned with hypocrisie towards God Again this simplicity is contrary to that corruption in Popery namely equivocation what simplicity is that when they speak one thing and mean another when there is a mentall reservation and such a reservation that if that were set downe that is reserved it were absurd Or else there may be a reservation a man may reserve his meaning A man may not speake
all the truth at all times except he be called to it in judgement c. Otherwise truth as all good actions it is never good but when it is seasonable and then it is seasonable when there is convenient furniture of circumstances when a man is called to it For there may be a reservation a man is not bound to speak all things at all times but to waite for a fit time One word in a fit time is worth a thousand out of time but mentall reservation to speak one thing and to reserve another it is absurd and inconsequent and so is dissimulation there is a lie in fact a mans life is a lie that is a dissembler dissimulation is naught A man may sometimes make some shew to do something that he intends not Christ made as though he would have gone further when he did not mean it but dissimulation is that which is intrinsically naught But some man will say Except I dissemble I shall run into danger Well it is not necessary for thee to live but it is necessary for thee to live like an honest man and keep a good conscience that is necessary For come what will upon true dealing we ought to deal truly and not dissemble Those that pretend a necessity they must do it they cannot live else they cannot avoid danger else unlesse they dissemble saith Tertullian very well There is no necessity of sin to them upon whom there lies no other necessity but not to sin Christians they are men that have no necessity lies upon them but not to sin It is not necessary they should be rich it is not necessary they should be poor it is not necessary they should have their freedom and liberty there is no necessity lies upon them but that they be good that they do not sin Can he pretend I must sin upon necessity who hath no necessity imposed upon him by God but to avoid all sin As for lying which is against this simplicity that should be in speech all kinds of lies officious lies or pernicious lies officious lies to do a good turn to help our selves or others with a lie it is a giosse sin It is condemned by St. Austin in a whole Book which he wrote against lying therefore I passe it I shall have occasion to speak somewhat of it afterward It is intrinsically ill every lie because it is contrary to the hint of speech God hath made our reason and understanding to frame speech and speech to be the Messenger and Interpreter of reason and of the conceit now when speech shall be a false Messenger it is contrary to the gift of speech speech should be the stream of understanding and reason now when the fountain is one and the spring is another there is a contradiction it is against nature so it is intrinsically ill It is not onely against the will of God but it is against the Image of God which is in truth It is ill not by inconvenience or by inconsequence but a pernicious lie is inwardly ill jesting lies pernicious lies officious lies all lies let them be what they will they come from the father of lies the Divel and are hated of God who is truth it self Besides that it is a sin opposite to society and therefore by Gods just judgment it is punished by societie all men hate a lyar a false dissembler as an enemy to society as a man that offends against that bond whereby God hath knit men together Now to move us the better to this simplicity this direct course of life that there may be a conformity and harmony between the outward and inward man in the thoughts speeches and actions that they may be one Consider first of all that this simplicity it is a comely thing comelinesse and seemlinesse it is a thing that is delightful to the eyes of God and to a mans own conscience and it stands in onenesse and proportion for you know where there is a comely proportion there all things suite in one As in a comely body the head and all the rest of the members are suitable there is not a young green head upon an old body or a fair face on a deformed body for then there is two the body is one and the complexion another Beauty and comelinesse is in one when there is a correspondency a proportion and harmony in the parts In Revel 13. you have a cruel beast there with the horns of a Lamb there is two there is a goodly pretention and shew but there is a beast that is hid within Dissimulation is double where there is singlenesse and doublenesse there is deformity alway It is an ugly thing in the eyes of God it is a mishapen thing it is a Monster Jacob's voice and Esau's hands words as smooth as oyl and war in the heart It is a monstrous thing Even as there be Monsters in nature so there be in disposition Where there is such a grosse mixture the Devil and an Angel of light outwardly an Angel of light and inwardly a Devil to hide a Devil in the shape of an Angel of light there is a horrible deformity It is a comely thing therefore when all things hold conformity and correspondence in our lives when they are even amongst men when we labour to have sanctified judgments of things and speak what is our judgment and have outward expressions answerable to the inward impressions wrought by the Spirit of God every way then a man is like himself he is one there is not a heart and a heart Adam at the first was every way like himself but after falling from God to the creature the changeable corruptible creature to have his corruptible end he fell to this doublenesse And as S. James saith A double-minded man is unconstant in all his waies That is another reason to move us to simplicity of disposition for where doubling is a man is unconstant in all his waies What doth S. James mean by this where he saith A double-minded man is unsettled Because a double-minded man he looks with one eye to Religion and to those things that are good and with another part of his heart to the world and hereupon he can never be settled any way Why Because having unsettled intentions having false aimes double aimes he will be crossed continually Please God he would he would be Religious that is one intention but now comes the world and Religion to dash one against another and then he must be inconstant because he hath not simplicity he hath not a single eye as Christ saith If the eye be single then the body is light He hath not a right intention a right judgment of things he judgeth too high of the world and not high enough of grace and goodnesse And hereupon it comes that when the world comes to crosse his good intentions having his mind on earthly things because it is crosse to Religion his mind
hidden windings and turnings for plotting makes it more odious of all men doublers are most hateful How shall we come to attain this Grace to converse in the world in simplicity First of all take it for a rule though many think it no great matter to be a dissembler our nature is full of dissimulation since the fall the heart of man is unsearchable there is deep deceit in man Take a Child and see what dissimulation he learns it is one of the first things he learns to dissemble to double to be false We see the weakest creatures what shifts what windings and turnings they have to save themselves It is a vertue to be down-right for therein a man must crosse himself It is no thanks for a man to shuffle and to shift in the world nature teacheth this to dissemble to turn and wind c. A man need not to plough to have weeds the ground it self is a mother to them though it be a stepmother to good seed So we need not teach men to dissemble every man hath it by nature but it must be strength of grace that makes a man down-right Take that for a ground There are a company of sottish men that take it for a great commendation to dissemble and rather then they will be known not to dissemble in businesse they will puzzle clear businesse when a thing is fair and clear they will have projects beyond the Moon and so carry themselves in it as if they desired to be accounted couzeners and dissemblers Alas poor souls nature teacheth men to be naught in this kind well enough Know therefore whosoever thou art that studiest this Art of dissembling and doubling thy own nature is prone enough to this and the divel is apt to lead thee into it This being laid for a ground how may we carry our selves in the world in holy simplicity that may yield comfort to our conciences in life and in death First consider that the time will come that we shall deal with that that will not dissemble with us Let the cunningest dissembler hold out as long as he can he shall meet with sicknesse or with terrour of conscience he shall meet with death it self and with the judgement of God and hell torment although now he carry himself smoothly and dance in a net as we say and double with the world though he make a fair shew yet ere long thou shalt meet with that that will deal simply with thee that will deal plain enough with thee Thou shalt be uncased and laid open to the world ere long let us consider this We see a Snake or Serpent it doubles and winds and turns when it is alive till it be killed and then it is stretched forth at length As one said seeing a Snake dead and stretched out so saith he it behoved you to have lived So the Divel that great Serpent that ancient old Serpent he gets into the Snake into the wilely wit and makes it winde and turn and shift and shuffle in the world but then some great crosse comes or death comes and then a man is stretched out at length to the view of the world and then he confesseth all and perhaps that confession is sincere when it is wrung out by terrour of conscience then he confesseth that he hath deceived the world and deceived himself and laboured to deceive God also If we would have comfort in the hour of death labour we to deal plainly and directly and of all other sins as I said before remember this is that which will lie the heaviest on us as comming nearest the sin against the holy Ghost For what is the sin against the holy Ghost when men rush against their knowledge in malice to the truth known Where there is most knowledge and most will there is the greatest sin Now in lying and dissembling and double-dealing a man comes near to the sin against the holy Ghost for he knows that he doth ill he plots the ill that he knows and when there is plotting there is time to deliberate a man is not carried away by passion Consider the time will come when you will be uncased when you will be laid open and naked and then at that time of all sins this will lie heavy on thee thy dissembling in the world Therefore every one in his calling take heed of the sins of his calling among the rest of this one of double-dealing And therefore that we may avoid it the better labour for faith to live by faith What is the reason that men live by shifts and by doubling in the world They have not faith to depend upon God in good and plain down-right courses Men are ready to say If I should not dissemble and double and carry things after that manner hwo should I live why where is thy faith The righteous man lives by his faith and not by his shifts not by his wits God will provide for us are we not in Covenant with God Do we not professe to be Gods Children Do children use to shift No a child goes about to do his fathers will and pleasure and he knowes that he will maintain him It is against the nature of the Child of God as farre as he knowes himself to be a Child of God to use any indirect course any windings and turnings in his calling let us depend upon God as a Child depends on his father and of all others God will provide most for them that in simple honesty in plain downe-right dealing depend on him in doing good For God accounts it a prerogative to defend and maintain them that cast themselves on him he will be their wisdom that can deny their own wisdom and their own shifts by nature and in conscience labour to deale directly he will be wise for them and provide for them It is his prerogative to do so and not to suffer his Children to be deserted A little faith therefore would help all this and would make us walke in simplicity If we could make God our alsufficiencie once then we should walk uprightly before God and men For what makes men to double This certainly makes men to double they think they shall be undone if they be direct for if they deale directly they shall lose their liberty or their lives or their opportunity of gaining c. Well come what will deale thou directly and know this for a rule thou shalt have more good in Gods favour if thou be a Christian then thou canst lose in the World if upon grounds of conscience thou deal directly in what estate so ever thou art If thou be a Judge if thou be a Witnesse deale directly speake the truth If thou be a divine speak directly in Gods cause deale out the Word of God as in Gods presence come what will whatsoever thou losest in thy wealth or liberty c. thou shalt gain in God Is not all good in him what is all the
good we have is it not from him And the nearer you come to him the more your happinesse is increased the more you are striped of earthly things the more you have in God Hath not he mens hearts in his hands when you think you shall endanger your selves thus and thusby plain direct dealing without doubling if you be called to the profession of the truth c. Hath not he the hearts of men in his hands to make them favour you when he pleaseth In Pro. 10. He that walketh uprightly walketh boldly He that walketh uprightly not doubling in his courses he walketh safely God will procure his safety God that hath the hearts of men in his hand as the rivers of water he can turn them to favour such a man A mans nature is inclined to favour downe-right dealing men and to hate the contrary You see the three young men when they were threatened with fire come what will O King we will not worship the Image of Gold which thou hast set up They would be burned first What lost they by it Howsoever if we should lose as it is not to be granted that we canlose any thing by direct dealing For the earth is the Lords the fulnesse thereof and the hearts of men are his But suppose they doe yet they gain in better things in comfort of conscience and expectation and hope of better things Faith is the ground of courage and the ground of all other Graces that carrie a mans courage in a course of simplicitie in this World Therefore if we would walk simply and have our conversation in the world in this grace let us labour especially for faith to depend upon Gods promises to approve our selves to him to make him our last and chief end and our communion with him and to direct all our courses to that end This is indeed to set him up a Throne in our hearts and to make him a god when rather then we will displease him or his Vicegerent his Vicar in us which is conscience that he hath placed in us as a monitor and as a witnesse we will venture the losse of the creature of any thing in the world rather then we will displease that Vicar which he hath set in our hearts This I say is to make him a god and he will take the care and protection of such a man S. Paul here in all the imputations in all crosses in the world he retires home to himself to his own house to conscience and that did bear him out that in simplicity he had had his conversation in the world The next particular is In Sincerity The Apostle addes to simplicity this Godly sincerity and he may well joyn these two together for plainnesse and truth go together a plain heart is usually a true heart Doublenesse and hypocrisie which are contrary they alwaies go together he that is not plain to men will not be sincere to God Simplicity respects our whole course with men sincerity hath an eye to God though perhaps in matters and actions towards men Sincerity is alway with a respect to God and so it is opposed to hypocrisie a vice in Religion opposite to God Now this Sincerity that the Apostle speaks of it is A blessed frame of the soul wrought by the Spirit of God whereby the soul is set straight and right in a purpose to please God in all things and in endeavours answerable to that purpose and to offend him in nothing I make a plain description because I intend practice there may be some nicer descriptions But I say It is a blessed frame of the soul wrought by the sincere Spirit of God whereby the soul is set straight and right to purpose and to endeavour all that is pleasing in Gods sight and that with an intention to please God with an eye to God or else it is not sincerity It is such a disposition and frame of soul that doth all good that hates all ill with a purpose to please God in all with an eye to God And therefore it is called sincerity of God or godly sincerity and it is called so fitly because God is not onely the authour of it but God is the aim of it and the pattern of it for he is the first thing that is sincere that is simple and unmixed God is the pattern of it it makes us like to God and he is the aim of it A man that is sincere aimes at God in all his courses wherein he aimes not at God he is not sincere It comes from God and it looks to God For naturally we are all hypocrites we look to shewes therefore sincerity is from God And it is the sincerity of God especially because where this sincerity is it makes us aime at God in all things it makes us have respect to him in all things as the creature should have respect to the Creator the servant to the Master the sonne to the Father the Subject to the Prince The relations we stand in to God should make us aime at him in all things The Observation from hence is this A Christian that hopes for joy must have his conscience witnesse to him that his conversation is in the sincerity of God As the Apostle saith here This is the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation c. Now to go on with this sincerity and lay it open a little Sincerity it is not so much a distinct thing as that which goes with every good thing Truth and sincerity it is not so much a distinct vertue and grace as a truth joyned to all graces As sincere hope sincere faith sincere love sincere repentance sincere confession It is a grace annexed to every grace it is the life and soul of every grace and all is nothing without it Therefore it behoves us to consider of it I say not so much a distinct thing from other graces as that which makes other graces to be graces without which they are nothing at all so much sincerity so much reality So much as we have not in sincerity we have nothing to God it is but an empty shew and will be so accounted In Philosophy you know that which is true onely hath a being and consistence all truth hath a being all falshood is nothing it is a counterfeit thing it is nothing to that it is pretended to be An Image is something but S. Paul calls it nothing because it is not that which it should be and which the Idolater would have it to be he would have it to be a God but it is nothing lesse All is nothing without sincerity Therefore let us consider of it And that we may the better consider of it let us look upon it in every action All actions are either Good Ill. Indifferent How is Sincerity discovered in good actions Sincerity is tryed in good actions many waies First of all a man that is
sincere in the doing that which is good he will have a mind prepared to know all that is good to know the good he stands disposed to to know good and to learn by all good means therefore he hath a heart prepared with diligence to be informed in the use of means So far as a man is carelesse and negligent in coming to the means of knowledge and to be put in mind of good duties so far a man is an hypocrite and insincere Again in regard of good duties a true sincere Christian hath an universal respect to all that is good He desires to know all and when any thing is manifested to him he intends to practise all We are here in the presence of God saith Cornelius to practise all things that shall be taught us by God Act. 10. I will have respect to all thy Commandements Psal. 119. 6. one and another The ground of it is this Sincerity looks at God now God he commands one thing as well as another and therefore if a man do any thing that is good in conscience to God he must do one as well as another As S. James saith excellently to this purpose He that offends in one is guilty of all Because abstaining from one sin and doing one good for conscience he will do all for conscience if he be sincere Therefore it is true in Divinity a man that repents of one sin he repents of all if he repent of any sin as it is a sin because all sins are of one nature We must not single out what pleaseth us and leave what doth not please us this is to make our selves Gods The servant must not choose his work but take that work that his Master commands him therefore sincerity is tried in universal obedience Partial obedience is insincere obedience when a man saith This sin I must keep still Herein God be merciful to me This stands with my profit I must not leave this this sin I am affected to as we see in Saul This is insincerity it is as good as nothing to God-ward It may keep a man from shame in the world c. but to God it is nothing A man must have respect to all Gods Commandements it is not done to God else More particularly he that is sincere he will have regard of the main duties and he will have regard likewise of the lesser duties and especially of the lesser such as are not liable to the censure of men or to the censure and punishment of the Law for there a mans sincerity is most tryed In great duties there are great rewards great encouragements but for lesser duties there are lesser incouragements but if a man do them he must do them for conscience sake Therefore this is sincerity to practise good duties though they be lesser duties and though they be lesse esteemed in the world and lesse countenanced to practise them though they be discountenanced by the Devil and by great ones yet to practise them because they be good And to love good things that the World cares not for because they be good The practice of private prayer morning and evening it is a thing we are not expresly bound to but as conscience binds us therefore if a man be sincere he will make conscience of that as well as any other duty because God bids us pray alway So to fear an oath for conscience sake not to swear common or lighter oathes for I count him not worthy the name of a Christian that is an ordinary swearer but lighter oathes a Christian makes conscience of because he looks to God Now God looks to little sins as well as to great and there is no sin little indeed that toucheth the Majestie of God The practice of all duties therefore is a notable evidence of sincerity Herod did many things but he had a Herodias that spoyled all And so if thou obey in many things and not in all thou hast a Herodias a main sin alas all is to no purpose thou art an hypocrite Again for good things one that is sincere in respect to God he is uniform in his obedience that is he doth all that is good 2nd he doth it in one place as well as another and at one time as well as another he doth it not by starts Therefore there is constancy required in sincerity where sincerity is there is constancy to do it in all times in all places Or else it is but a humour it is not sincerity when a man doth it but in good moods as we say Therefore a man that is sincere he makes conscience of private duties as well as of publick of personal duties between God and his own soul as well as of the duties that the world takes notice of in one place as well as another He is holy not onely in the Church but in his closet not onely in his calling as he is a Christian but when he is about his particular businesse He considers he is in the presence of God in every place at all times Saint Paul every where laboured to have a good conversation when he was at the Bar he remembred where he was and he laboured to convert others in the prison he converted Onesimus when he had his liberty he spread the Gospel every where So in all places he was uniform like himself which shewed that he had a good conscience And therefore he doth not say I doe now and then a good action but my course of life My conversation is in sincerity So there must be sincerity in our walking our whole conversation Thus we see in good actions how to try our sincerity A sincere man in the very performance of good duties he is humble because he doth all things in the eye of God he doth it in sincerity with humility he doth all good with reverence because he doth it to God Humility and reverence it is a qualification of sincerity because whatsoever we do we do it in the eye of God therefore we are reverent in our very secret devotions in our closets We carry our selves reverently because when no eye seeth us the eye of heaven seeth us in one place as well as another A sincere Christian is a reverent and humble Christian and this reverence accompanies all his good actions And when he hath done all a sincere Christian that doth them to God he is humble and then he is thankfull for he knowes that he hath not done it by his owne strength but by God and therefore God hath the glory He is humble because they are mixed with some infirmities of his A sincere Christian is alway humble having an eye to God though to the eye of the world he hath done excellent well yet he knowes that God seeth as he seeth he seeth some defects God seeth more and that humbleth him As we see David 1. Chron. 29. 14. saith he Who am I or who is this people that
but to be so indeed at home amongst our friends among those that know us when we are not awed as there is a great deal of liberty amongst friends wheresoever we are let us remember we are alway in the eye of God and labour to approve our selves most to them that know our courses most God knowes more then men therefore let us chiefly labour to approve our selves to him And next to God let us approve our selves to conscience fear conscience more then all the Monarchs in the World because that knowes most and will be most against us And then again for others that know our conversations good men that converse with us let us approve our selves to them most that have the best and the sharpest judgments A true Christian as he loves goodnesse so he loves it most that it should be in his own heart He lives more to God and to conscience then to same and report he had rather be then seem to be And as he hates all ill so he hates even secret ill the nearer corruption is the more he hates it As a man hates Toads and venemous creatures and the nearer they are the more he hates them The most retired carriage of a Christian is most holy and best of all Again where he saith My Conversation hath been in simplicity c. to you-ward Here is a good note for Preachers that if they look to convert any by their Doctrine they must win them by their conversation likewise in simplicity and sincerity Saint Paul being to gain the Philippians to Christ he doth it not by words onely by arguments of Logick and by perswasions onely to convince the understanding of the truth of that which he taught but he demonstrates to them how they should live Walk as you have me for an ensample I shew you that that which I teach is possible by my practice I shew to high and low how I carry my self My conversation hath been in simplicity and sincerity Those that I would convert by my Doctrine I labour by my Conversation to gain them So I say Ministers have here a special direction how to carry themselves And others likewise that have a gaining disposition as indeed we should not stand upon terms of this and that but every one labour to gain others would you work upon others and gain them from Popery c Then not onely shew them arguments to convince their judgments which must be done that is certain but likewise let them see that the things that you speak are possible things things that you are perswaded of And if you be not good and presse them to goodnesse you cannot perswade them of the truth of that you speak they will think it is not possible for then you would act it your selves But when they see one go before them and demonstrate it to their eyes how they should carry themselves this is the way to teach them to be sound Christians indeed But I hasten to the negative part Not in fleshly wisdome c. Here is a secret wipe a secret taxing of the false Apostles and Teachers My Conversation hath been in simplicity and sincerity whatsoever you think of me Not in fleshly wisdome as theirs is Not in fleshly wisdome To distinguish it a little There is a natural wisdome planted in the soul of man even as there is a natural light in the eye to see both things that are hurtful and that are good for the outward man So in the soul of man which is his eye there is an inbred light of natural wisdome a common light to discern of things and of creatures a natural kind of wisdome which may be polished and advanced to a higher degree by experience and Art As the eye of the body it sees better when it is helped with an outward with a forreign light This is natural wisdome There is likewise a Politick or Civil wisdome gotten by observation and increased by observation and withal it is a gift of God though it be a common gift As Achitophel's it was not meerly carnal wisdom that was in him but he had a gift of policy So some men though they be not truly Religious yet God gives them a gift of politick wisdome to be able to discern the difference of things to lay States and Common-Wealths together to be able to judge and resolve and to execute wisely and politickly and prudently It is an especial gift of God This the Apostle doth not aime at neither natural nor civil wisdome though it be a gift of God I say which is increased by observation and by other means Besides this there is a spiritual a heavenly wisdome whereby the soul having a right end and aime set and prefixed to it it directs all its courses to that end whereby the soul is able to deliberate to consult and to resolve on heavenly things and what hinders heavenly comfort and to resolve upon good duties and to resolve against that which is ill to resolve upon all advantages of doing good to the Church and of all hindrances of our selves and the Church and of the places we live in It is a heavenly kind of prudence to guide our own waies yea and to guide others too But besides all these there is another wisdome which is here the wisdome of the flesh which because the flesh hath correspondency with Satan it is also a divellish wisdome for the most part For the Devill plowes with our Heifer the most mischief that he doth in the world it is by the correspondency that he hath with our flesh our enemy within The flesh and Satan do joyne together and work all strongly with the mischievous policie of the world and therefore it is called likewise worldly wisdom And hereupon Christians that are meere professours and not Christians soundly some are called flesh because they are ruled of the flesh and they are called the world because they frame themselves to the wisdom and to the courses of the world and if you would annatomize them there is nothing but the world in them worldly pride and worldly ends And they are called Divells too as Judas was called a divell they plot with Satan by carnall wisdome they yield to Satan they savour not the things of God Men have their name and denomination in the Scripture by that which they are ruled by when they are ruled by the flesh they are called flesh when they are ruled by the world and the evil examples thereof they are called the world And when they are ruled by Satan so far as they are ruled by him they are called Satan One of you is a Devil saith Christ. Not in fleshly wisdome What is meant here by fleshly wisdome If it be fleshly why is it wisdome wisdome is but one there is but one wisdome Wisdome we know in it self it is a knowledge of principles and grounds and deductions and conclusions from principles A wise man
carnal projects and purposes and so much Religion as goes beyond that and discovers him to be false and halting so much he opposeth The wisdome of the flesh is bitter and sharp against all the opposers of it and stirres the cursed nature of man to the opposing of that which is contrary to it Take a carnal man either in Magistracy or Ministery if he be not humbled with pains in his calling and with the Word that he teacheth what doth he most hate in the world what doth he oppose is there any thing but saving grace is there any thing but that which God loves most and which is best for his soul that is the object of his spight and of his poyson and malice To be led by this is even as if a man should be led by a Pirate by a thief by an enemy and what can become of that man to be led as the fool to the stocks as Solomon saith he is in the way of death There is a way that seemeth good to a man in his own eyes but the issues of it are death saith Solomon and that is the way that carnal wisdome dictates to men It hinders also from the reforming of ill Policy overthrowes policy as we say Policy overthrowes Common-Wealths Tell a man that is in place You ought to reform this abuse and that abuse he is ready to think Oh if I be not wary others will enquire into my life too and find me out So this cursed policy this carnal wisdome it makes men unfruitfull in their places by forecasting dangers and so it hinders from doing good and from reforming grosse abominations and abuses So it hinders from suffering when God calls to it it forecasts if you be Religious you must suffer it will bring your good name in question it will bring your life in question it will hazard your estate Whereas indeed all the world is not worth the truth of God and a man loves not his life that will not hate it in such a case if it come to case of confession and standing for the truth in a good quarrel But here fleshly wisdome objects this and that danger as we see in Spira and others And thus man yielding to fleshly wisdome he growes desperate at length There are two men in a man as it were there is the flesh and the spirit The flesh saith as Job's Wife said Curse God and die or Blesse God and die read it whether you will there is the murmuring part in the crosse that bids us curse God and as Peter said unto Christ Oh save your selves this shall not befall you pity your self have regard of your self The flesh when we are to suffer saith as Eve to Adam as Job's wife to him or as Peter to Christ Oh spare your self be wise be wise And to colour the matter the more there must be a pretence of wisdome when as it is the greatest folly in the world to redeem any earthly commodity even life it self with the cracking of conscience with the breach of that peace which passeth understanding and perhaps with the losse of our soules It is the greatest folly in the world it is to be penny wise and pound foolish So we see whensoever we are about to suffer carnal wisdome hinders us As it hinders us from good and in good and hinders us from reforming evil and in suffering when we are called to it So it provokes us to evil and that we may swallow down the evil with the greater pleasure and more deeply it colours ill with good We may thank this politick carnal wisdome that truth and goodnesse ever goes with a scratched face that it goes under disgrace that it goes in a contrary habit and that hypocrisie goes in its ruffe in its colours I say we may thank carnal wisdome for if truth were presented in its own view it would stirre up approbation from all And if men could see vice and wickednesse uncased if they could see it in its own hue they would all detest it Carnal wisdome sees that this is not for the advancing of the projects it hath and therefore it disgraceth that which is good and sets false colours on that which is ill I say it stirres up to ill and it keeps us in ill Carnal wisdome saith You may do this you may continue thus long It deceives us with vain hopes of long life I might enlarge the point You see then what reason Gods Children have not to be ruled by fleshly carnal wisdome By the way let me give this caution That oftentimes that is accounted carnal wisdome that is not The weaker sort they are too blame oft-times to lay imputations upon those that God hath given greater gifts to and they account that carnal wisdome that is not so but is spiritual prudence I must needs adde that caution by the way As for a man to keep his mind and not to speak against evil in all places The prudent man shall keep silent saith the Prophet The times and the place may be such that the prudent man may keep silence it is best to do so And likewise to be cautelous to prevent danger so far as it may be without breach of a good conscience Saint Paul you know when he was called before the Sadduces and the Pharisees he escaped by a shift it was not a sinful shift he said he was a Pharisee and so he set them together and they falling into contention Saint Paul in the mean time escaped Many things might be done if we would take heed of carnal wisdome and that with a great deal of wisdome and approbation too Jeroboam might have settled his Kingdome and yet he need not have set up the two Calves in that cursed policy it was foretold that he should have those Tribes but he would be wiser then God and he would devise a way of his own David might have escaped from Achish the King of Gath he need not have made himself a fool Achitophel might have provided well for himself under David his old Master he need not have proved a Rebel There is nothing that Carnal wisdom doth but Heavenly wisdome will do it better if men could light on it and God would give them better successe in their carriage but there is a way for heavenly prudence I say and that must not be accounted carnal wisdome It is for want of this that people are too credulous Gedaliah he trusted too much he was too credulous to trust considering that men are subject to infirmities and subject to falsenesse it is good to be doubtful to be suspitious sometimes and it is no carnal wisdome neither The very loadstone of a lie is credulity What imboldens people to deal falsly with men they know them to be credulous and weak they will believe any thing But for the most part the errour is on the contrary over much jealousie Your carnal Politicians are over-jealous Jealousie
the greatest judgement that God can shew in this world to give us up to our own wits to our own devices for we shall wind and turn and work our own ruine And that is the hell of Hell in hell when the soul there shall think with it self I brought my self hither God will be exceedingly justified when men by their own wit shall damne themselves When God hath revealed to man taught them this is the way O man I have shewed thee what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee he hath revealed it in his Word doe this and doe that and he hath given conscience to help and yet out of policie to contrive thy own pleasures and profits and advantages in the world thou hast done the contrary When a mans soul shall reason thus My owne wit brought me hither I am damned by wit I am damned by policie a poore policy it is that brings a man to damnation Therefore we should beg of God above all things that he would not deliver us up to our selves As Saint Austin hath a good speech Lord free me from my self from my own devices and policy The divell himself is not such an enemie as I said as our own carnal wit for it is that that betrayes us to Satan Satan could do us no harm unlesse he had a friend within us Therefore beg of God above all things Lord give me not up to my own brain to my own devices for man is a beast by his own knowledge but let thy wisdome and thy will be my rule Again if so be that we ought not to make this carnal fleshly wisdome the rule of our life then let us have a negative voyce ready presently for it whensoever we find any carnal suggestion in our hearts say nay to it presently deny it presently have a jealousie presently when any plot ariseth that is not warrantable by the Word of God and that is contrary to conscience and to simplicity and sincerity presently deny it consult not with flesh and blood as Saint Paul saith of himself Gal. 1. I consulted not with flesh and blood And when you have any thing to do Considering that this is not the rule you are to live by or when you have any thing to resist when you have any thing to suffer Consider what God requires consider what is for the peace of conscience consider what is for the good of your selves and for the good of the Church consult with these advisers with these intelligencers and not with flesh and blood Consider not what is for your profit for your pleasure for your ease but resolve against them Get the truth of God so planted in your hearts that it may carry you through all these impediments and all these suggestions whatsoever And because we cannot do this without a change we cannot have a disposition contrary to carnal wisdome without a change for except a man be born anew except he be a new creature he cannot have holy aimes you must labour therefore more and more to have the spirit of your mind renewed and to grow in assurance of a better estate for what makes men carnally to project for this world they are not sure of a better They reason thus with themselves It may be I may have heaven it may be not I am sure of the pleasures present of the profits present although alas it be but for a short time whereas if thy soul were enlightned with heavenly light and thou wert convinced of the excellent estate of Gods Children in this world in the state of grace That a Christian is incomparably above all men in the first-fruits of heaven in the peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost which is above all prosperity and all profit whatsoever And that in heaven which is above our capacity and reach every way they shall be happy if men were convinced of this certainly they would not prostitute their pates to work so worldly If they were sure of heaven they would not so plod for the earth Let us therefore labour to grow daily in the assurance of salvation beg of God his Spirit to have your minds enlightned And withal to joyn both together to see the vanity of all earthly things which set carnal wisdome on work For first outward things they work upon the sense upon the outward man profits and pleasures are outward things and therefore they work upon sense they work upon opinion in opinion they be so as indeed worldly things are more in opinion then in truth A carnal worldly man he thinks poverty a hell he thinks it is such a misery it is not so Labour to have a right judgmenr of the things of the earth that set carnal wisdome on work to avoid poverty to avoid suffering for a good cause The Devil inflames fancy fancy thinks it is a great hurt to be in poverty fancy thinks it is a great good to be in honour to be in credit to have great place that other men may be beholding to us Alas get a sanctified judgment to see what these things be that set our wits on work What are all these things Vanity and vexation of spirit Let our meditations walk between these two often think of the excellent estate of a Christian in this world and in the world to come and that will set heavenly wisdome on work it will make you plot and be politick for heaven And then withall see the vanity of all other things of pleasures and honours and profits and whatsoever that we may not prostitute our soules to them which are worse then our selves that our soules may not set themselves on work to project and proule for these things that are worse then themselves Let this be your daily practice the meditation of these two things is worthy to take up your cogitations every day To consider the vanity the vexation and uncertainty that accompanies all these things when you have got them as we see in Ahab when he had gotten the Vineyard Besides the vanity of thâ—… consider how you have gotten them and how miserable will you judge your selves presently How doth God meet with the carnal wits of men in the attaining of things The wicked man shall not roast that which he took in hunting He hunted after preferment he hunted after riches to scrape a great deal for his posterity how doth God deal with such he overthrowes them utterly and his posterity perhaps they spoyl all Himself roasted not that which he took in hunting Ahab got much by yielding to the carnal wisdome of Jezabel Hast thou gotten and also taken possession What became of Ahab with all his plots and devices Achitophel and others God may give them successe for a while but afterward he gives them the overthrow Herod he had successe a while in killing of James and therefore he thought to work wisely and get Peter too God struck him with Worms
Pharaoh in the overthrow of Gods people saith he Let us work wisely How wisely they were overthrown and drowned themselves their wisdome brought them into the middest of the Sea Consider the vanity of earthly things And then consider how just it is with God to crosse them either in their own time as the rich fool in the Gospel when he had riches for many yeares This night shall they take away thy soul. That we may not walk according to the false rules of fleshly wisdome let us oft think of these things And to adde another thing out of the Text You see here that S. Paul rejoyced in this That his conscience could witnesse that he had not walked in fleshly wisdome so if you do not walk according to the rules of fleshly wisdome you shall have this benefit your conscience shall glory in it To make it clear to you Take in your thoughts a Politician upon his Death-bed that hath striven so much for riches that hath striven to root himself by policy to attain to such and such places to obtain his pleasure and delights in the world what glory what comfort hath he in this There is nothing more opposite to comfort then plotting for as I said before when I spake of simplicity the more will there is the more deliberation and plotting there is in sin the more is the sin because it is done cooly as we say so of all persons usually if their wits be their own the greatest plotters die most desperately For then their conscience tells them that they have set their wits on the rack to do this mischief and that mischief and here his comfort is cooled his peace of conscience is broken What comfort can there be when that which he sinned for that which he broke the peace of his conscience for that is gone and he must be taken and hurried away from that but the wound of conscience the crack of conscience that remains for ever when he shall think That for which I sinned is vanished but my terrour abides for ever A man therefore that walks after the rules of fleshly wisdome he can never say with S. Paul I rejoyce But on the contrary let a man be able to witnesse to himself as S. Paul could At such a time my fleshly subtle wisdome would have discouraged me from doing good and the wisdome of flesh and blood in others would have discouraged me from reforming such and such abuses but I knew it was my duty and I did it here now is comfort At such a time I was moved to such evil by flesh and blood in my self or perhaps in others as a man shall never want the Devil in his friends the Devil comes to us in our nearest friends but I had the grace to withstand it I was not led by such and such ruleâ—… by my acquaintance or by my own devices but I had grace to resist such motions What a wondrous comfort is this There is nothing so sharp in conflict as this To resist Carnal wisdome it is the shrewdest temptation that is from carnal wisdome and as the Temptation is the strongest so the comfort is answerable When Jezabel shall be offered with her inticements with her colours with her paint and a man can dash her in pieces and cast her out of the window when a man can maintain sincerity and honesty what a comfort is this The greater and stronger the temptation is that is resisted the more is the comfort when we come to yield our soules to God when we come to our account Therefore be not discouraged when you are set upon by Carnal wisdome by strong reasons of others or subtle reasons of your own is it against the rule is it against Conscience is it against the Word withstand it that which is sharpest in the conflict will be sweetest in the comfort Again if so be that Carnal fleshly worldly wisdome for it is all one for the flesh is led by the world and both coâ—…spire together and hold correspondence to betray the soul if it be such an enemy that it hinders our joy and comfort and that it ever we will joâ—… we must not be led by carnal wisdome Then we ought in our daily courses to repent not onely of grosse sins but to repent even of carnal devices and carnal designs Why It is the motion and the counsel of Gods enemâ—… and of our enemy therefore as Davia Psalr 37. and Psal 7â—… when fleshly wisdome did suggest to him carnal motions oâ—… doubting of the providence of God that he began to think well of the waies of the wicked that they prospered that were led altogether by fleshly wisdome he censures himself it is the drift of both Psalmes So foolish was I and as a beast before thee As indeed Man is a beast by his own knowledge as Jeremy saith For all carnal men sympathize either with beasts in base lusts or else with Devils in politick lusts either they are like Devils subtle or like beasts brutish in all their courses Therefore when any base thought opposite to the Majestie of God and his Truth and to the Spirit of God moving our hearts ariseth in our hearts think This is the motion of mine enemy of an enemy that lurks in my bosome of Godsenemy of a Traitor let us renounce it and be abased and censure our selves for it as holy David did So foolish was I c. Crush all thoughts and devices of carnal wisdome in the beginning We see that the Godly they ought not nor do not lead their lives by fleshly wisdome nay take it in the best sense take it for the rules of reason they do not lead their lives altogether by the light of nature but only in those things wherein the light of nature and reason may be a Judge For the light of reason the principle of reason is given us as a candle in the dark night of this world to lead us in Civil and in common actions and it hath its use but yet natural reason it becomes carnal reason in a man that is carnal All things are impure to him that is impure even his very light is darknesse Not that the light of nature and that reason which is a part of the Image of God is in it self evil it is good in it self but the vessel taints it Those that have great parts of learning that have great wits and helps of learning as much as may be what do they they trust in them and so they stain them Therefore Luther was wont to say Good works are good but to trust in good works is damnable So nature and reason and learning they are good in themselves but trusting in them they become carnal when a man neglects better rules for them when men scorn Religion as your Politicians usually do then naturall reason in regard of this tainture it becomes Carnal Not with fleshly wisdome or not with natural wisdom as it is a
seek the glory of God and life everlasting to have spiritual and heavenly ends to seek God in all things The grace of God in S. Paul guided him to lead his life in the simplicity and sincerity of God that is sincerity that looks to and aimes at God in all things And indeed a gracious man and onely a gracious man can look out of himself to an end above himself onely a gracious man can aime at Gods glory at the pleasing of God why because onely a gracious man knowes that he hath better things in God then in the world A worldly man makes himself his term he makes himself his last end because he knowes not better out of himself then in himself he dares not venture upon Gods â—…avour to put all upon that he knowes not whether he be his friend or no he thinks he is his enemy as he may well enough by his ill courses onely the gracious man can put himself upon God he knowes he is redeemed out of a miserable condition into a glorious-estate and if he should be denyed of all the world yet he knowes he hath more happinesse in him then he can look for here he knowes he would be Al sufficient for him he is assured of his salvation therefore he hath higher ends he is sincere in all things God when he is honoured by trusting of him when in sincerity we make him our wisdome and make his Word our rule and the happinesse that he hath promised our chief happinesse that we aime at and rest in him when we honour him so far then he makes a supply of all other things But I spake of sincerity to the full before onely I bring it now to shew how it is a note of a man that makes the Grace of God his guide he walks sincerely he seeks the glory of God Thirdly he that walks by the Grace of God and in the grace of God by it as a rule and in it as a principle he that walks in it and by it and through it you shall see it by the ability that is in him above nature by the things that he doth that other men cannot do that walk not by grace therefore you have a trial of a man that converseth by grace from hence he can crosse the common corruptions of the place and of the time he lives in he is not a slave he is not inthralled to common feares to common hopes to the common joyes and delights that the world is carried withall but as Grace is a thing that is mighty and strong and powerful of it self it is a Spirit the Spirit is like the wind as Christ tells Nicodemus it is a mighty powerful strong thing so it makes him strong it inables a mans spirit to do above himself above that which he could do if he had not grace It makes him deny himself in matter of pleasure in matter of profit it will make him crosse himself in matter of revenge as David spared Saul when he had him in his power It will make him triumph over all estates he can abound and he can want as S. Paul saith Other men are changeable with their condition they are cast down in adversity they are puffed up in prosperity they can deny themselves in nothing they are alwayes inthralled to their base pleasures and profits and honours they are alwayes swayed with some carnal end or other Grace it raiseth a man above nature he can do that which another cannot do he can indure that which another man cannot indure he can dye he can indure shame he can resist that which another man cannot resist In a word you may know Grace in a man that hath great parts of nature How shall we distinguish grace from nature in him Thus you shall have him subdue his parts unto grace and to the rules of Religion If he have a strong wit he will not make shew of the strength of it as though he would break through businesse with his wit but he will consult with conscience You may know a man that is led by grace especially where there are great parts he can deny not onely his corruptions but other things if they stand not at that time with the will of God he forbeares ostentation of learning when he sees it is hurtfull when it is rather to shew himself then to get glory to God or to win soules When a man sees that such and such courses might crush another and advance himself yet if it touch upon conscience he will not do here is a conflict between parts and the Grace of God and goodnesse now when a man in this can deny himself it is a sign that a man makes grace his guide It is not so easie in weaker dispositions for men seem sometimes to be good when it is defect of parts but in men of ability it proceeds not from defect or want of parts but it is the power of Grace onely whereby they are swayed such a man dares not do it he wants not ability or skill but he dares not offend God he dares not seek himself he dares not give scope to his wit and to his vain mind he knowes what spirit in him moves such things and he suppresseth them presently and yields to the motions of Gods blessed Spirit But yet in weaker men a man may know when such a one is ruled by grace thus when a man sees something in him that strengthens nature as Grace takes not away nature but betters it When you see a man that otherwise is simple yet he is wondrous skilful in resisting a temptation skilfull in giving advice skilful in keeping the peace of his conscience skilful in giving reproof even above himself a man may know that he hath a better Schoolmaster that the Spirit of God the Spirit of Grace is his Schoolmaster So that whether a man have strong or weak parts a man may know whether he be led by grace or no. In the weaker it raiseth him above himself in the stronger when the exercise of his parts of nature and grace cannot stand together it makes him deny himself that he may be led by the one he denies the other altogether this is gracious wisdome Again a man may know that he leads his life in gracious wisdome or by gracious wisdome when he fetcheth reasons for his actions not from things below but from Religion from conscience from spiritual things he doth not fetch the reason of his actions from this that this will profit me or I shall advantage my self thus and thus but he fetcheth the reasons and ground of his actions higher this is pleasing to God this is according to the peace of my conscience this is for the good of the Church for the good of the State I live in this is for the good of my Christian brethren The strongest reason of a Christian is that that makes for Religion and for conscience if he may gain in his
Take it in the regiment and goverment of it Take it in the worship Take it in the opinions you may draw all to one of those three heads For the government of it There is a wisdome a wondrous wisdome a fine subordination to one Head the Pope to hear all controversies and under him the Cardinals and under them the Generals and all at Rome and they have th eir Provincials under them here is a wondrous fine subordination butall this is by fleshly wisdome For this beast riset out of the earth and out of the Sea out of the Tumult of the people out of base earthly respects Therefore it is said in the Revelation when the Bishop of Rome became Pope and was at the highest that a Star fell he fell when he rose when he was at the highest he was at the lowest why because his rising was carnal and earthly or lower if you will it was hellish and devillish Their government is opposite to Christs Government and being so it must needs be mightily opposed by him again and therefore it must needs down the fabrick of it being opposite to the frame of Christs Government though it be wondrous witty Therefore in the Revelation 666. is the Number of a man If you mark the frame of the Romish policy it is wondrous accurate it goes smoothly by tens and by hundreds 666. This Babylon is the number of a man a fine policy but it is but the number of a man it is the device of carnal wisdome it self therefore it is divellish wisdome Thus it is in the government of it And their Worship is according to the wisdome of the flesh some wisdome there is in not going to God immediately but by Saints and Angels What! is it not wisdome in the Princes Court first to go to the Favourite and by him to the Prince So is it not wisdome not to go directly to God it is bold rashnesse to come immediately to God but by Saints and Angels This is the wisdome of a man this is the wisdome of the flesh Colos. 2. this is carnal wisdome it is opposite against the truth Doth not Christ bid us come all to him do Angels love us better then he Is not he the great Favourite of heaven I will not enter into controversie but onely shew how they work by fleshly wisdome Here is wisdome when we cannot raise our selves up to God to bring him down to us As in the Sacrament they shew carnal wisdome Oh it is a fine thing that Christs body and ours should be joyned together it seemes to be a fine point that Christ should be hid in the bread c. But here is no spiritual wisdome The union that the Scripture speaks of is by faith ascending into heaven laying hold on Christ there and going back to the crosse and seeing Christ crucified there and so he is meat indeed and drink indeed as we see him crucified and satisfying Gods wrath for us for our sins And so again is it not a pretty wisdome to draw men by pictures and likenesses are not men delighted with the Images of their friends and of their parents and therefore is it not a good religious policy to have pictures of Christ and pictures of God the Father Here is wisdome correspondent to the dealing and affaires of men but all this is fleshly wisdome The Scripture speaks mightily against making of Images the Word of God is directly against it this is fleshly wisdome Grace doth not rule here So that the soules when they go out of this world being very unclean that they should be purged that there should be some satisfaction some Purgatory c. here seems to be wisdome but wherefore serves the blood of Christ then that is the onely Purgatory that purgeth from all sins mortall sins venial sins all sins Again is it not a seeming wisdome to come to heaven by our own works by our own merits that so we may set the people on to good works or else we dull their spirits and endeavours I but this is fleshly wisdome this is devillish wit and so it will prove in the end for the Scripture goes onely to Christ onely Christ. We are saved by faith onely by Christ. I will not enter into the point I onely shew you what a seeming wisdome they have but it is not heavenly but meerly carnal And that their Religion is carnal do but consider that all the points wherein they differ from us may be resolved either to belly-policy or to State-policy either to ambition and riches or the belly Wherefore is their Monarchy all their great preferments but to increase their ambition Wherefore are their pardons and indulgences but to get money basely as some of their own Writers confesse And their Purgatory c. these things be for carnal ends it is a Religion fitted for their own ends They make what they list to serve them Religion Nature Reason Conscience whatsoever is good they make all stoop to interest their own cause in Their orders that is their spiritual good must be their advancement it is but a colour put uponcarnal ends The spiritual good is their own advancement they aime at their own peculiar interest in all their villainies As if God stood in need of our lie as if Gods glory were advanced by the Devil As well their Government as their Religion is lies it is defended by lies by equivocation and rebellion by withdrawing the allegiance of Subjects and murthering of Princes Lawes and Religion and all must stoop to their wisdome under pretence of bonum spirituale These things are known I do but touch them to breed a deeper hatred of this Religion which is altogether fleshly and carnal And so far as they are led by carnal wisdome they are not led by the grace of God Wherefore is their lying for advantage their dispensations and horrible allowing of any thing is it not meerly carnal wisdome In a word their Religion is meerly policy if it be not too good a word for it it is meerly carnall policy it came not from heaven but from the bottomlesse pit Then they fell from heaven when they grew to their highest when they were in their top This I thought good to touch collaterally from the Text which doth characterize a true Christian indeed in his temper that he is joyful when he is as he should be and the ground of it is from a good conscience and that good conscience ariseth out of a course of life and conversation led in simplicity and sincerity to God For Religion hath majesty enough in it self without far fetches and devices And the principle from whence By the grace of God in the evidence of the Spirit and not according to fleshly and carnal wisdome In a word therefore labour that from the evidence of the Spirit having your soules sanctified by the Spirit you may reflect on your selves and look into your lives and say truly
man that comes into the world withall it comes from Christ Jesus In him are all the treasures of wisdome God and God-man onely wise There is no wisdome without him therefore let us submit our selves to his Government let us pray to him and seek for wisdome of him in all things But I go on to the next Verse VERSE XIII For we write none other things unto you then what you read or acknowledge and I trust you shall acknowledge even to the end HEre S. Paul strengthens himself by another course First he retires to his own heart and conscience My rejoycing is this the testimony of my conscience c. and he sets this as a Bulwark against all the slanders and detractions of his opposers whatsoever he sets it as a flag of defiance the testimony of his own conscience But to set himself the more upright in their hearts whom he was to deal withall knowing what a great advantage it was to have the good opinion of them and to wipe away all imputation he passeth from his conscience to their conscience For my own conscience my rejoycing is this that you cannot accuse me that I have led my life by carnal false principles but by reasons of Religion and by the blessed motions of Gods Spirit Nay I can go further then so for what I say of mine own conscience I dare say you can say too for I write no other things then what you read or acknowledge What you read Some take it What you know or acknowledge because these are distinct things The word Anaginoskein signifies to know or to read but usually to read We may well therefore take it so as most translate it here I write no other thing concerning my simplicity but what you read or acknowledge I write of my simplicity simply I speak not of my sincerity insincerely but what I write you read or acknowledge because S. Paul knew he had a place in their conscience they could not but acknowledge what a man he was for the Spirit was wondrous effectual by his Ministery in their hearts and they were his Epistle as he saith in another place and therefore he appeales to their acknowledgment to their conscience We write no other thing c. And for the time to come I trust you shall acknowledge to the end So he doth appeal to their conscience for the present and he doth take in trust the time to come what their thoughts shall be of him and what his estate shall be You shall have Grace to think well of me to the end because you shall have ground to think well of me from my constancy I hope you shall acknowledge to the end and you shall have wisdome and experience of my goodnesse to acknowledge to the end I will give a touch on these things because they be useful and but a touch because I stood somewhat on them before and shall have fit occasion for them severally after We write no other things then what you read This seemeth strange why how could they read other things then what he wrote Yes if he had written falsly if he had not expressed his thoughts in his writings then they had read one thing and he had been another As a woman that is painted there is Prosopon and Prosopeia there is the visage and the true natural countenance she is not the woman she appeares to be her face is one and her self is another but I am as I expresse my self His meaning is I speak of my simplicity and sincerity simply and sincerely I speak not of my vertues to go beyond you but I speak sincerely what I speak you read for I think not that he means his former Epistle but what he wrote concerning himself and the leading of his life that which I speak concerning my self that you read and what you read that I speak It yields me this Observation which though I had occasion to speak of when I handled Simplicity yet I shall now touch it That A Christian man is one man he doth act one mans part He hath not a heart and a heart he is not a man and a man there is a harmony between his thoughts and resolutions between his speeches and his actions they all sweetly accord together what he thinks and resolves on that he speakes what he speakes that he writes what he writes and speaks that he doth he is one man in all he doth not deal doubly It is the easiest thing in the world to be politick to be naught to double the nature of man teacheth a man to be false mans heart is full of naughtinesse it is a hard thing for a man to be one and till a man be a gracious man he shall be a double man Therefore you must take heed of a fault which is called the abuse of signes of such signes as serve to expresse what a man is inwardly Let your inward disposition and the signs that expresse it accord The signs of expression that come from one man to another are speech writing countenance and the like A man should not be one thing within and his speech another he should not be one thing and his writing another he should not be one thing and any other expression another This abuse of signes and expressions when they are one way and the heart another besides the odiousnesse of it to God as being contrary both to his Nature and to his Word it is contrary to his nature for he is simple and sincere he is one in all there is no shadow of change in him there is no mixture As it is contrary to his Nature so it is contrary to his Word that bids us not dissemble nor lie one to another It makes a man most like the Devil who never appears in his own shape but alwayes in another He comes in our friends as an Angel of light he never discovers himself in his own colours Besides all these and such like respects it is the overthrow it cuts the sinewes of humane society for what is the band of humane society but the entercourse by speech and writing and the like Now if there be abuse of these signes that they are one thing and we another that we do not expresse what is the true thought and impression of our hearts all society is dissolved Therefore we cannot too much hate Popish principles of not keeping fidelity with Hereticks as they call them it is the custome of them to deal so As you know in a War of theirs with the Turks the story is well known when the Cardinals had broken their promise after they had in a manner gotten the Victory the Turks even cryed to Christ that he would revenge their treachery and the Turks came again upon them and overcame them and gave them a mighty overthrow Their grosse principle of equivocation and the like which stands in the abuse of expressions and signes Yea their abuse of the blessed sign and seal
an oath which is the sign of all truth between man and man Their abuse of the Sacrament too they have abused all Gods signs and all to ill purposes to swear with private reservations whereas the old principle of Isidore is constantly and everlastingly true Conceive the oath as you will it must be understood as he to whom it is sworn understands it and not as he that swears Therefore undoubtedly Popery must fall every day and judicious men though they be not gracious they see it must fall It should make us hate them deeply because the courses they take are the overthrow of society this abuse of expressions of that excellent gift that God hath given namely the tongue whereby what is in my heart another man may understand and also writing whereby a man may convey his mind many hundred miles Now these excellent gifts that God hath given for society for men to turn them against God and against Society it must needs provoke the Majesty of God And as it is a sin against Society so it is a sin that is punished by society All men must needs hate them that do so those that have no other argument against Popery they have argument enough from their equivocation Those that are not subtile-headed to see other things when they look to the Gun-powder Treason and to their equivocation there is argument enough for any plain simple man to hate Popery Therefore let us be like our selves in all that we do to God or to men I had occasion to presse the Point when I spake of simplicity therefore I will not dwell further on it I write no other thing then what you read or acknowledge He means they acknowledged it in their heart and conscience What I write of my conversation that which you have heard it is no other then that you read and you acknowledge it too for they had felt the power of his Ministery Whence first of all observe That Where the Minister converseth by the Grace of God and not by carnal wisdome God is not onely wise in him but for him He is gracious and good for him he gives him successe in the hearts of others When a man is led by the Spirit of God the same Spirit that guides him in speaking guides his auditors in hearing and gives a sweet and a strong report in their hearts of what he saith What I write of my self you acknowledge that my Conversation hath been in sincerity and not onely my conversation but my Doctrine every way you have acknowledged me the same Spirit that guided me to do so wrought in you an acknowledgment of it in your conscience Therefore if you would have the speeches of the Ministers to take effect you should desire God not only to guide them in what they are to say but likewise with the same Spirit to work in the hearers and when the same Spirit works in both what a glorious successe is there As we see here S. Paul carried himself in his own person and in his Ministery graciously in simplicity and sincerity for it is meant of both he taught simple doctrine without any glozing without any far-fetched beauty from wit or eloquence or the like and he looked to God in his life and conversation and as God guided him so he stirred them up to pray for him as the Word and Prayer they are alway joyned together the Word had a report in their hearts as it had in his own What I speak you acknowledge c. It is not for us to deliver our minds and there an end but when we are to speak we ought before-hand to look up to God and desire his Spirit to be effectuall in us that we may speak in the wisdome and grace of the Spirit and likewise that it may be effectual to them that they may acknowledge it that they may feel in their soules and consciences the power of what we speak and feel in our selves So you see the truth of what I said before That God was not onely wise in S. Paul but he was gracious and good for him in those that he was to deal with And there is the glory of a good Minister that is a humble man and denies carnal wisdome That God will delight to honour himself by using him as an instrument to do good to others God usually will give report of what he saith to the hearts of others Proud men that speak what they speak by carnall projects and carnall wisdome and seek themselves usually the hearts and consciences of other men give no report to them For man naturally is proud and when he sees that the most excellent man in the world hath by-aimes he will not be gone beyond by him say what he will If a man set up sailes for himself he doth not win upon others But he that discovers himself that he seeks the glory of God and the good of the soules that he deales with and denies himself in that which otherwise he could do that useth not the strength of parts which he hath because he would discover the simple Word which is most Majestical in simplicity God seeing this simple and sincere desire he honours and crownes the Ministery of such a man with successe in the hearts of the people Therefore saith S. Paul here I write no other thing concerning my self but God hath honoured me with the issue of it in your hearts likewise that you acknowledge what I say You acknowledge Acknowledge is a deep word it is more then to know it is more then a conviction of the judgment it is when the heart and affections yield when the inward Spirit upon experience yields I feel and acknowledge this is true it is more I say then knowledge The next point then that I observe is this That God doth give his Children that love him in simplicity and sincerity a place in the conscience of men He gives them place in the consciences of those that have conscience for there are some that have no science and therefore they have no conscience as Popish superstitious persons c. But those that deal faithfully that live in the Church and see the glory of God God gives them a place in the conscience of those that they live amongst and deal with And they seek more to have place in their conscience then in their fancy then in their opinion and Imagination and humour A carnal man so he may have the humour the fancy and Imagination of his hearers delighted he regards not what inwardly they may feel from him he regards not how he warms their hearts and conscience and how they acknowledge him within and therefore perhaps if he have a good word for the present Oh a glorious man c. it is all he cares for but he hath no place in their conscience because they feel him not working there and he hath no aime to be there A good man seeks to edifie and build up
that he possibly could fuffer and he laid in the other balance the things that he had in hope and promise and he resolves all that I can suffer that should shake me off from my course it is not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed saith he if you balance both you will conclude this There are many things that may shake us in our Christian course St. Paul thought of all Satans snares I am not ignorant of his enterprizes saith he And then for the world that might cast trumperie in his way saith he I am crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me And for any thing that might happen to him he knew that the issue of all things should work for the best to them that love God he includes himself Rom. 8. saith he We know it before-hand we believe before troubles or evills come come what will the issue of all things is in the regiment and power of God and as he pleaseth all shall work for the best to those that love God and therefore as I am so I will be What should hinder if all things help me nothing can hinder me And then Saint Paul took this course he looked forward still Philip 3. I presse forward to the price of the high calling he forgat that which was behind and he resolved to go forward he had a mind to grow better and better alway and this comforted him that he should hold out to the end For it is the reward of a growing Christian to have a sweet sense of his present state of Grace in Gods favour and to hold out to the end Such a man is like the Sun that growes up still till he come to high noon-day as Solomon saith Saint Paul took this course he strove for perfection he had a crown in his eye a crown of righteousnesse and glory and that will not suffer a man to be idle and cold that hath such a thing in his eye Saint Paul to whet his endeavour not onely looked forward but to glory for as Christ looked to the glorie and despised the shame so Saint Paul looked to the crown and despised all his sufferings Then besides Saint Paul was conscious of his own sincerity for grace carries its own witnesse with it self as he saith here I know my conversation This is the testimony of my conscience that in simplicity and sincerity I have walked before you He knew that sincerity is accompanied with constancie and perseverance It is a rule that alway constancie and perseverance are companions with simplicity and sincerity I have begun in sincerity hitherto now I am sincere and have expressed to you the truth of my heart and of my courses and as I am so I meane to be therefore having begun in sincerity I know I shall end in perseverance and constancy Truth of grace is accompanied with constancy all other things are but grasse they are but shewes they will vanish but sincerity the truth of grace is a Divine thing The Word of the Lord that is grace wrought by the Word of the Lord that endures for ever Where there is truth of grace though it be but as a grain of mustard-seed there is perseverance to the end S. Paul knew this well and therefore he builds his trust on these things on these courses that he took We should all take the like course look to S. Paul's grounds and take his courses those be they that will hold out to the end Judicious consideration of all the difficulties to put into the balance what impediments we shall have from the world and what will be great to us when it is ballanced with the glory to come And withall to aime forward still as S. Paul did And take another course that he took likewise to depend upon grace continually he knew there was a Throne of grace open to him alway for the time to come as well as for the time past and present He knew that Christ in heaven was alway full of grace he knew he should not want in any exigent when he should go to him he knew that God would not destitute or forsake any of his Children them that he hath called to see the necessity of wisdome and of courage and comfort Let us do therefore as S. Paul was answered from heaven say His Grace is sufficient for us if not to keep us from all sin yet to keep us in comfortable courses to keep us in sincerity and simplicity the Grace of God is sufficient to bring us to heaven Let us perswade our selves that if we go on in Christian courses in that confidence God will give us grace to bring us to heaven This was S. Paul's confidence therefore he saith I trust you shall acknowledge to the end because I know that I shall continue in simplicity and sincerity to the end God will keep me I shall have grace to beg and he will give me grace for his gifts in this kind can never be repented of Let us take from S. Paul this course and this comfort This course to trust in God for the time to come to have constant resolutions for the time to come to cleave to God and to good courses Let us every day renew our Covenants in this kind and our resolutions to do nothing against conscience to go on in Christian courses let it be our constant course For as Gods Children know they shall continue to the end so it is wrought from resolution so to do and this resolution stirres them up to depend upon God by prayer that he would knit their hearts to him that they may fear his Name that he would give them Grace sufficient c. that he would establish their hearts as David prayes This resolution it drives them to prayer and to all good courses that God would stablish them in every good work in every good thought and desire and that he would knit their hearts nearer to him Resolve therefore every day in dependance upon God to take good courses that so whensoever any Judgment of God shall come or when the hour of death shall light on us it may not come as a snare that it may take us in good resolutions it is no matter how we dye in outward respects if we dye in good resolutions As we resolve so we are for our resolutions are full of will wishes and resolutions they carry the whole man with them and God esteems a man by his will For if there be impediments that are not impossible to man resolution will break through all God judgeth men by their resolutions Teach me O Lord thy Statutes and I will keep them even to the end I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous Judgments every day take we these promises to our selves and bind our selves with them to God In vowes be chary I do not speak of them now I speak of purposes and resolutions alway take in
why do you not take them Your justifying them in the end will be little to your comfort if you condemne them all your life against your conscience for afterwards it is not so much a work of Grace for you to justifie good courses and to acknowledge good things in most men it is not so much a work of Grace as it is the evidence of the thing and when the cloud of sensuallity and the fume that riseth out of worldly pomp is taken away then the naturall conscience comes to see clearly better things not from the love of them not that it is changed and transformed with the love of them but God so discovers it to them to make them justifie his sentence of Damnation the more he discovered to them better courses then they tooke it shall justifie their damnation We are deceived oft-times in mens ends they acknowledge good waies and good courses and on the other side some of Gods good Children they pronounce the contrary but let none trust to that good courses are so evident and clear that if men be not Atheists they must acknowledge them especially when the impediment that hindred them before is taken away You must acknowledge therefore acknowledge now not in your hearts onely but acknowledge them in laying aside your opposition in casting away your weapons and by joyning with them in good courses set not your hands against good courses and good persons set your tongues to speak for their good Take Gods part stand on Gods side it is the best side if you allow it onely hereafter it will be a barren allowance it will be no comfort to you it often falls out to be so O beloved whatsoever courses else you take they will sink and fall they will sink first in your own soules and none will be readier to condemn you then your own conscience when God shall make you wiser you will censure your selves What folly was it how was I deluded with this ill company and with that as wicked company is wondrous powerfull to infuse ill conceits as the Spies they infused discouragement by the Oration they made of the Giants in the Land c. they altered the mind of the whole people It is a dangerous thing to converse with naughty persons the Devil slides together into the soul with their carnal reasoning and alters the judgement for the time that they are not so wise as conscience would make them and as they might be if they did not hearken to the hissing of the Serpent First if you take any conrse but good your own conscience is by and will be the first that will find you out For sin is a base thing a work of darknesse it must be discovered it is a madnesse it must be manifest to all men Popery and all their slights must be discovered and the Whore must lie naked and stink nothing shall be so abominable as Popery and Popish persons ere long Truth will get the victory in the consciences of people and good courses will get approbation Therefore if you approve them not first you shall be unhappy in this life and everlastingly hereafter this shall be the principal torment in hell that you saw better courses then you lived in and you would not give your judgments leave to lead you There was something better Conscience told you but you gave way to your lusts and to the insinuations of wicked men instruments of the Devill rather then to the motions of conscience and of Gods Spirit that awakened conscience This I say will more ease your torment in hell that you might have done otherwise if you had had Grace but you willingly betrayed your selves you silenced conscience you willingly condemned your selves in the things that you acknowledged were naught you did that which you condemned and you did not practise that which your judgment did allow God will have little to do at the day of Judgment with most men in the Church to condemn them for alas their own consciences will condemn them the consciences of all will condemn them that their courses were naught And that makes wicked men so cruel especially if they get into place of authority they know they are not allowed they are not acknowledged in the consciences of those that are judicious thèy know they are condemned there and they fret and fume and think to force another opinion of themselves upon others but it will not be and that makes them that they cannot endure the sight of them that are of a contrary judgment they think themselves condemned in the hearts of such men and that makes them cruel Especially those that have some illumination they cannot abide their own conscience to take its course they cannot abide to see themselves They think themselves condemned in the judgment of others and those that think they have the prejudice of others that their courses are naught they carry an implacable hatred it is a desperate case Hast thou knowledge that they think thy courses naught and on good ground and doest thou hate them and hate to be reformed thy self will this alway hold out No as I said before truth is eternal that which thou acknowledgest must continue it will be acknowledge it will get the victory at the day of Judgment by Men and Angels truth will have the victory it is eternal Take that course for the present that thou mayest be good for the present and hold out to the end as we see the Corinthians here You do acknowledge me and you shall acknowledge me to the end and testifie to the world that you acknowledge the best things and the best persons that you may be one with them by love here and in heaven for ever hereafter I trust you shall acknowledge to the end To shut up this point Let me seal it up with this Make this Quaere to your selves what estate you are in when you come to the Communion whether it be well with you or no if not why will you live any whit at all in the uncertainty of our lives and the shortnesse of them and the danger of the wrath of God when there is so little between you and eternal Damnation in a doubtful in a dangerous estate Are you resolved to be naught then No if you be not Atheists you will not say so Do you intend to be good and come and make your Covenant with God Yes why then resolve to be so A good conscience looks not onely back to sins past to repent of them but for the time to come it resolves to please God in all things and to hold out to the end Some make a mockery of the holy things of God one part of the year they will be holy a rotten foolish affection of people that are Popish In Lent they will use a little austerity O they will please God wondrously but before and after they are devils incarnate so they make that part of the
can this be a grief to the Minister and not for the damnation of their soules together And they shall find it a heavy and bitter thing to grieve the Spirit of God in others as well as they wound their own conscience both are joyned together What a happinesse is this that the more a man is interessed in the good of another man the more glory if he be a meanes of any good in him he shall have good and you shall have glory The best things in nature are communicative and diffusive the Sun gives light to the whole world so the best man is most fruitful and communicative he labours to gain all men by his acquaintance He knowes this that he is not for himself he is reedeemed for the honour of Christ And then he knows that anothers good will be my glory it will increase my glory and be the object of my glory On the contrary we see a company of wretched despicable creatures let their outward estate be as glorious as it will but I speak of them as Christian eyes judge and esteem of them that draw others on to the same course with them if they be blasphemers themselves they glory to make others so if they be given to sensuality they labour to make others sottish as themselves if they be given to filthinesse they draw others to communion with themselves Well will these people be much for their rejoycing in the day of the Lord think you what will they do when they think of others such as they have neglected altogether that God gave them charge of The very thought of them instead of making them rejoyce it will make them astonished I betrayed his soul he was my friend or my servant I let him live in such sins Good neglected will torment us hereafter But then ill infused by example and by word I poysoned him suppose I have repented my self but perhaps the person that I have drawn to communion in my sin hath not repented what a torment will this consideration be Good neglected will be matter of torment much more evil infused poyson infused When we shall see at the day of Judgment instead of a company that we have gained to God and been a meanes to further their salvation we shall see a company that we have infected with our ill example and our evil perswasions this will be in hell an increase of torment One will curse another and say You brought me hither The father will curse the sonne To get riches for you I crackt my conscience and lost my soul And the sonne shall curse the father By your riches that you lost me I lived a base and sensual life whereas perhaps I might have trusted to my good endeavours otherwise so here shall be cursing The friend shall curse his friend You might have told me of this you strengthened me in evil courses As it will be our glory when we shall see such and such as God hath used as instruments to do good unto so it will be a torment indeed to think Such and such I neglected and betrayed such and such I corrupted I beseech you therefore take heed of it And would you have matter of joy in this world that should joy you when nothing else will joy you as Saine Paul was in affliction oft what comforted Saint Paul First his own conscience that he was a good Christian an heir of heaven a good Apostle but when he wanted joy what would he do when he had no liberty but was imprisoned when he had nothing then he considered How hath Christ dignified me to do good to others this honouring of him to do this it comforted him more then all his imprisonment and abasement and reproaches could discourage him the conceit that God did use him as an honourable instrument for his honour and service to do good to others So the testimony of our Conscience that God hath used us to do good to others not onely to make me to gain heaven but to be an instrument to gain others this will comfort us in the world come what will This should stirre up those that have to deal with the soules of others not only Ministers but all others that have any committed to them that they should labour to make them good to work upon them for the good of their soules that they may have them as matter and objects of their joy at that day If they do not as I said when they are presented to them as persons whom they have neglected and betrayed negligently for want of instruction and reformation of their lives and as persons whom they have infected with their ill example which is worse alas what matter of horrour will they be They will not say of them as S. Paul saith here You are my joy and my crown and my glory but they will be matter of horrour these be they that I havs betrayed and neglected and infected and brought to hell to this cursed condition with my self It will be an increase of the torments of hell at that day all those whom we have hurt any kind of way But what shall it be then of those that have opposed goodnesse that have not only betrayed others by neglect but have maligned good where they have seen it what will become of them that are so far from making others good that they have despighted the Image of God in others and have exercised their bitternesse upon Christ in his members and Ministers To adde one thing more What! these Corinthians that had so many abuses and such weaknesses were they the matter of S. Paul's joy Yes why therefore people must take heed how they leave Churches that have corruptions in them Schisme oft-times is a greater fault then the fault upon which they pretend separation the things for which they pretend a rent are not so great a fault in the Church as the want of Charity in them to do so If Saint Paul would have taken occasion to leave them what good occasion had he alas how many corruptions had they in doctrine and in manners too but yet notwithstanding as ill as they were he saw what good was in them and looked not to the evil he knew that God would perfect the good things that were in them and saith he notwithstanding all their infirmities I see you were ready to reform when I wrote an Epistle to you therefore I doubt not but you will be our rejoycing In the day of the Lord Jesus This is the time it must be taken inclusively I am your rejoycing and you are mine to the day of the Lord Jesus and in the day of the Lord so he means here It is laid as a ground here That Jesus Christ hath a Day It is his day by way of eminency and excellency Jesus Christ hath many dayes two especially The day of his first coming and the day of his second coming The first coming of Christ was the
day of the Gospel when he came to work our salvation His second coming is to accomplish our salvation In his first day he came to be humbled and to be judged to be a sacrifice for us In his second he is to come gloriously to judge the quick and the dead In the first he came to gain a Church to himself by his second he shall come to accomplish the Marriage now is the contract There is the Sabbath after the six dayes of this life the day of the Lord shall appear the Sabbath day the day of Jubilee the solemnization of the marriage the solemn triumph over all enemies The first day was to save our soules especially from the thraldome of sin and Satan The second day this that we speak of here shall be to save our bodies from the rottennesse and corruption in which they have lien rotting in the grave till that day of Christ. As he raised his own body so at that day he shall raise our bodies and make them like his glorious body That is the main Day the Day of all daies for then he will come to accomplish all that day shall never have a night it shall be day for ever As the Cloud that went before the Israelites to Canaan that side toward the Egyptians was dark but the other side was lightsome toward the Israelites so this day it shall be a dark day it shall be both a day of vengeance and a day of glory Saint Paul saith here You shall be my rejoycing and I yours at that day but those that do not believe the Gospel and obey the Ministery of it it shall not be a day of rejoycing to them It shall be a glorious day when all other glory shall vanish all other glory in the world shall be eclipsed even as the Starres are not seen when the Sun appeares in the firmament All the glory at that day shall be the glory of Christ and of his Church To omit other things that may be spoken out of other places of Scripture the Point I will observe hence is this That The measure of a Christians rejoycing in this world in any thing it is the Consideration of what it will be at the great Day of Judgment I say the rule whereby a Christian judgeth things and that measure whereby a Christian measures things to be thus or thus in their excellency and worth it is as they will be esteemed at that day of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here S. Paul saith I am your rejoycing and you are ours at the day of the Lord Jesus What is this a vain glorying to commend him Oh he is a worthy learned Rabbi a great learned Apostle and then that they were such and such people No no They had grace wrought in them and S. Paul saw such evidences of grace in them that at that day they should look upon Christ with boldnesse because they were sincerely gained to the Gospel So then this must be the rule of the worth of any thing to esteem it as it will be then at that day which is a day when all our estates will be determined of for eternal happinesse or eternal misery To explain it a little We do not value things of short continuance because they are short as flowers that are fresh in the morning and cast away at night but we esteem things that will hold out so our rejoycing and glory and comfort we should consider of it how it will hold out Riches avail not in the day of wrath Things have that degree of goodnesse or evil in them they have that degree of vanity or seriousnesse as they will stand out at that day What are riches in the day of wrath even in this world what will riches be then at the day of the Lord Jesus Therefore a Christian values them not they are not the good of a Christian he esteems not the applause of men and pleasures are nothing they are momentany they avail not when conscience is awaked They leave a man and not onely so but they leave a sting behind them If all the good things in the world will stand us in no stead then then what will the sins do that thou hast made so much of what will the sins do that thou hast betrayed and damned thy soul for thy filthinesse and thy betraying of goodnesse what will that do How wilt thou look the Judge in the face when as nothing in the world that is excellent will hold out and avail at that day But what then will avail at that day when Christ shall come to judge both the quick and the dead Why this That thou hast submitted thy self to acknowledge Christ as thy King and thy Priest and thy Prophet and by means of the Ministery thou hast been wrought on and the work of the new creature is begun in thee true and sincere grace that thou darest look on Christ that thou art in the state of grace this will comfort thee in the day of Judgment By this you may discern who take the wisest course he that measures his life by a right measure and rule who judgeth aright of persons and things he judgeth aright of things that values and labours to interest himself in those things that will comfort him in this world and stand by him in the world to come he hath a right judgment and esteem of things What be those things Grace a holy humble gracious believing carriage and disposition when a man gives himself to Christ and renounceth the world and sees the vanity of all things but the estate of Christianity he hath those things in some little measure that shall be perfected at that day Who take the wisest course those that seek to please the humour of men those that seek to feed their own corruptions and the corruptions of others those that will have some present glory in the flesh I but what will they have at the day of the Lord Jesus Surely those that labour to approve themselves in sincerity and truth to Christ Jesus in all things and so that they may approve their hearts to him they care not what the world judgeth of them as Saint Paul saith I passe not what ye judge of me If there be a day of the Lord when he shall be Judge then those are the wisest and the best courses that will hold out at that Day And those that will not we shall be ashamed of them all And that is the reason that many men of excellent parts and endowments are comfortlesse in the time of temptation they did not think to do things with reference to Christ in sincerity to please him fot then they might old up their heads at that day There is a great deal of Atheisme in our hearts we frame our courses to present contentments by reason that we have little belief for the time to come I beseech you let us often have in our thoughts the second coming of
to suspition and the fruit of suspition that is slander to take every thing in suspition and to utter it in words because they would have men of eminency brought down to their meannesse and if they cannot do it indeed they will bring them by reports as low as they can that they speak and unspeak and are inconstant as other men There are many causes of this and therefore S. Paul seeing the basenesse of it he stands the more upon it How shall we arm our selves against this suspition and the fruit of it how shall we carry our selves against this disposition of men among whom we live I answer briefly First labour for innocency that if they will speak maliciously yet they may speak falsly Saith S. Ambrose Et nobis malus c. Our care must be that no man speak ill of us without a lie let us live so that no man may believe them labour for innocency therefore but that will not do Therefore Patience in the next place for innocency could not fence Christ himself who was Innocency cloathed with our flesh if innocency will not prevail to make men hold their tongue from speaking their suspitious minds then labour for Patience But that will not do neither but men go on still then Prayer that was Davids course that God would defend our innocency and take our cause into his hands and bring forth our innocency as the light to judge for us And when nothing else will serve the turn neither Innocency nor Patience c. then just Apology and defence as we see the Apostle doth here defend himself For it is not for publick persons to dissemble slanders and especially for them not to suffer ill suspitions to rest in the hearts of those that are under them Therefore the Apostle is enforced through Christian prudence to his Apology to wipe away the imputation When I was thus minded did I use lightnesse saith he This I Observe in general Now because suspition is a doubtful thing it is either good or evil how shall we know when suspition is naught and evil First of all when it is out of misconstruction when it is from weak grounds or doubtful grounds then it is ill for the ground Or it is ill likewise when it ill affects and swayes and disposeth the mind if it dispose the affections to malice to the suppression of love if it discover it self to come to slander As here in this place they thought presently it was lightnesse in him here was a misconstruction here was a false ground What did this incline them to do From inconstancy presently they flye to his disposition from suspition to slander his disposition They enter into Gods Throne his purposes and projects certainly they were naught Carnal proud man will enter into Gods Throne and judge a mans thoughts and purposes and intentions Then a man may know his suspition is not right when it enters too deep when it riseth from false grounds from suspitious grounds and brings men from actions to go to the disposition Did I use lightnesse or the things that I purpose do I purpose according to the flesh that is Carnally as they thought this entred to his disposition Then again when it stirres us up to speak in slander when we speak without cause or ground Then when it inclines a man from an errour in one thing to go to the habitual disposition in all things As here now because in one thing the Apostle was inconstant and did not come to them they went to his habitual disposition in all things Nay you may see what he is you see what we are like to have from him in other things he doth but purpose things according to the flesh he hath his own aimes I warrant you So when from one thing we presently judge that he purposeth other things according to the flesh that is a bad suspition when a man goes from one thing to the habitual disposition When I was thus minded did I use lightnesse The more to convince them of their suspition and hard surmises he cites them and propounds as it were interrogatories to them I pray answer me saith he When I was thus minded did I use lightnesse as you imagine Or the things that I purpose do I purpose according to the flesh c. After he had cleared his purpose before and cleared his conscience now he comes to propound it to their conscience because he would have them to think that if he were such a man as he shewed himself before that he had a good conscience in all things and a good affection to them that they should not have had a misconstruction of that particular failing that he came not to them when he purposed for particular actions must be construed according to a mans habitual carriage and affection You see how I have laboured in all things to have a good conscience and for you you acknowledge that I purposed to come to you therefore you should construe my actions according to that intention Now having cleared my disposition and intention to you you see your errour in misconstruing my not coming to you So he comes to it in good season after he had freed himself to them When I was thus minded did I use lightnesse c. These things he declines Lightnesse or Inconstancy Purposing or Deliberating according to the flesh And then inconstancy in his speeches that they should be yea yea nay nay The Point that I Observe from the first concerning Lightnesse is That Every Christian especially Ministers and publick men should labour by all means to avoid the just imputation of lightnesse and inconstancy The imputation of Lightnesse is especially to be avoided of those that are in place Lightnesse and inconstancy what is that when a man hath not pitched his resolutions and purposes to one thing when a man doth not stand in his purposes Now a man must avoid imputations of lightnesse especially persons of quality Why Not to speak all that might be said in the Point Especially for this end to preserve authority Authority is that that furnisheth a man in his place in Magistracy or Ministery wondrously to prevail to do good I take not authority here for that which the King puts on them or the chief Magistrate but authority is that high respect that the people have of the eminency of their parts and honesty an impression of somewhat more then ordinary in them this is that authority a beam of excellency that God doth infuse for the strengthening and fortifying of his own Ordinance what reason is there else that a thousand should be subject to one man but that God doth put a Majesty upon his own Ordinance and upon the persons in it and this respect to it must be maintained by a uniform constant carriage Now when people shall see that they are as in their place so in their disposition great
the soul under God A man may keep his wisdome and understanding safe still so he keep it under and let Divine truth sway and bring all in us into captivity to it self But alas the scope of the world is contrary instead of bringing the soul into captivity to Gods truth to be led by him to have no thoughts no aimes contrary to Gods will they make Gods truth a captive and prisoner to their own base affections as S. Paul saith Rom. 1. They hold the truth they withhold it as a prisoner under base affections And whereas all should serve the main end and intend better things they make a counterfeit loving of good things to serve their carnal ends they make heaven serve earth they make God serve man the Spirit serve the flesh they invert the order of things clean which is as contrary to nature if they had wisdome to consider it as that the heaven should be under the earth and the water above the air it overturnes all in Religion when we suffer carnal wisdome to rule all to imprison that light that God hath put into the heart and conscience and the light of his Word to base affections and not to bring all into captivity to the Spirit and the Word When we come to hear Gods Word we should consider that we come not for recreation but we come to a Counsellour to that that should sway and direct all our wayes and words to that that is not onely our comfort in the time of affliction but our counsellour as David saith it was the man of his counsel So we come here to be counselled to hear that which must direct us in the way to heaven we must come with a purpose to be guided by that to be taught As Cornelius faith We are here in the presence of God to hear what shall be said to us from God Saint Paul gives this direction 1 Cor. 3. If a man will be wise in heavenly things let him be a fool first It is a strange thing Let him be a fool that is let him be content to be esteemed so let him be content to lose his reputation of wisdome that he may be wise When he knowes others to be fooles let him take a substantial course that the vain world may think him wise It is hard counsel for of all imputations in the world many and the most had rather be accounted wicked then be accounted fooles account them the veriest fools which are unfit to speak think of them in the highest degree of ill you can oh they have wit enough for that they have learning and parts for that take not away their learning and parts account them not fooles account them what you will Religion masters this base opinion Saint Paul saith Let a man be a fool if he will be wise Let no man deceive himself and think Let poor men be so and so Religion is the private mans good and let them make conscience of such things but for us that are in place and authority we must rule by policy and he knowes not how to rule that is not a Politician Let no man deceive himself there is no man great or small but if he will be wise for heaven let him be a fool let him take courses that are conscionable though he be accounted a fool for his pains Let us be jealous of our own hearts in private and publick let us take heed to our own hearts that the flesh come not in Let us labour to be acquainted with Christ that he may be our counsellour and our guide in all things Specially now when we come to the Communion we now renew out Covenant with God and our acquaintance with Christ Jesus we come to feast with him Do we think to have any good by him any benefit by his death except we make him our King and Prophet to rule and guide us except we make him our Counsellour Therefore let us think before-hand we cannot come as we ought to receive the Communion unlesse we intend before-hand to renounce the flesh Christs enemy can you be welcome guests and resolve after to be led and ruled by his enemy If you will have good by Christs death as a Priest to reconcile you to God as this Sacrament seales the benefits of his death the breaking of the bread and the pouring out of the wine come with a purpose to be ruled and guided by this Counsellour in all things he is the great Counsellour Isai. 9. 7. that is willing to advise us by his Word and Spirit in all the particular passages of our lives and the more we enter into acquaintance with him by the Sacrament and maintain it by private prayer and by all sacred means the more ready he will be to do the office of a friend and counsellour in all the passages of our lives to advise us what is best I had occasion in verse 12. to speak at large of fleshly wisdome therefore I passe it That with me there should be yea yea and nay nay This sets down the manner of inconstancy the form of it yea yea to be on the affirmative part once and then nay nay the negative to be of one mind and peremptory in it and then to be of another mind and peremptory in that this is the issue of carnal wisdome and followes on it The things that I purpose do I purpose according to the flesh that with me there should be yea yea and nay nay insinuating that those that purpose things according to the flesh they are yea yea and nay nay Whence first we may observe which I touched before a little but it issues more properly hence from the dependance That Carnal men are alway inconstant men For a fleshly man led with the flesh being led with the things of the world and they being inconstant he must needs be as that which he is ruled by A man cannot stand safe upon the Ice because it self is not safe a man cannot stand in a thing that stands not that hath no consistence Now a Carnal man he hath no prop to hold him but the things below he cleaves to them and they are inconstant and variable and uncertain He that purposeth according to the flesh is yea yea nay nay Therefore his love is yea yea nay nay If he may have good by you he is yea yea he is for you but can you do him no good he is nay nay he will not own you then Therefore one way to be constant is not to be ruled according to the flesh which I spake of before for they that are are yea yea nay nay Therefore take heed how you trust carnal men in near intimate society as in marriage Or in near friendship never take a man that hath his own aimes and ends for he will respect you no more then he can advance his own ends by you Trust not the Wife of thy bosome saith the Prophet if she
there is a God and God is unchangeably true there would be nothing true in the world for all truth is therefore true because it is answerable to that exemplar truth that is true in God answerable to Gods conceit and decree of things This I observe the rather because it is a fundamental thing it doth wondrously stablish our faith in Divine truths when we know it comes from God that is true If we would seek for evidences of our faith then we must go within us and see what love and what hope what combat between the flesh and spirit there is but if we look for any thing to stablish our faith go out of us consider the unchangeable truth of God whose truth it is God as God creating a reasonable creature he must give him some revealed truth he could not be worshipped else How must we know this revealed truth whereby he will be worshipped by the reasonable creature for no man will be served by his servant as he pleaseth how shll we know these certain truths because they come from his nature God is true and as God is true so our word to you was not you and way that is it was true There is the same ground of the certainty of Evangelicall truth as there is of God himself to be true To add a little further in the Point consider the truth of God every way the faithfulnesse of God as it signifies in the originall as God is faithful Consider what relations God hath put upon him in his divine truth how he will be thought on And then bring those relations to his nature for there we must pitch at last What is he to us and how hath he revealed himself to us Thus and thus What is he in his nature So and so and there we must rest For instance The Lord hath made many promises who is it that hath made them he that is true and unchangably true there the soul rests in the nature of God But what relations hath he put upon him he is a God and a Lord and a Judge and a Father c. Now as he is God he is true therefore he will do all things that a true God should doe he will uphold his creature while he will have his creature continue he will give it life and being and motion And as a Lord he will do with his own what he list and it is not for us to contend with him why he will do this or that why he makes one rich and another poore He is Lord of all and a true Lord therefore we must give authority to this true Lord. And then as he is a Judge he corrects men for sin and rewards them for the good they do As a Judge sometime he punisheth them inwardly in conscience sometimes outwardly All the good we have is from this that he is a faithful and true God therefore there we must rest He is a true Judge he rewards every man according to his works whether they be good or evill And so in the relation of a Father he is a true Father he corrects when time serves he rewards and encourageth when time serves he gives an inheritance to his Children and hath pity and compassion on his Children when time serves He is a true Father Other fathers do this and that out of passion not out of truth and goodnesse but he doth So when we consider God in his relations consider of the attribute of his truth All truth in his Word comes from this God is true This truth is sealed by this that our truth to you our word to you was not yea and nay uncertain Gods truth is not uncertain and variable There is no shadow of change in him and his Word is like himself We say usually in the word of an honest man and that is something In verbum Sâ—…rdotis in the word of a Priest it was accounted in former times a great matter it should be so indeed In the word of a King is a great matter But when God saith in the Word of a God The Word of the Lord hath spoken so It is not yea and nay it was not flexible and doubtful because it is the Word of him that hath the command of all that he saith it is his VVord that is Lord of Heaven and Earth Now when he that saith a thing is the Lord of Heaven and Earth he is Lord of his own Word therefore what he saith is not yea and nay uncertain for he can make good what he saith There is the same ground of Evangelicall truth as there is of God himself to be true I will speak no more in the unfolding of the Point it is plain that God is true Is this true that God is true that he is truth it self then many things issue from hence It is a ground of many other truths It was the ground of all the Uses that S. Paul makes of the Word of God it is profitable every way I will name some principall to avoid multiplicity in a plain Point God is true and his Word is true hereupon the threatenings of God must needs be true even as true as God himself If this be so then unlesse we will make another Scripture another Word this Word is yea That Word that threatens sin that Idolaters and covetous and wantons shall never enter into the Kingdome of heaven Be not deceived saith the Apostle that Word is yea it is true God is true this must follow therefore that whatsoever he saith is true therefore his threatenings are true It is a truth that hath influence into all other truths whatsoever that which is prefixed here by S. Paul not onely as an oath As Gad is true so his Word is not yea and nay but certain but I say it hath influence into all other truths whatsoever threatnings promises directions all are therefore true because God is true Therefore those that shuffle off the threatnings and think they shall do well and blesse themselves Gods wrath shall smoak against them for God must alter his nature and his Word must be altered or else his judgments must stick on them to death and damnation without repentance If God should not be avenged on ordinary swearers and blasphemers if adulterers should live in such sins and ever come to heaven they must have another God and another Word of God this hath said they shall not enter into heaven that live in these sins If it be true as God is true what horrible Atheisme is in the hearts of men to think that God will change his nature though they do not change their course and that the Word of God shall alter though they will not alter what hope can prophane blasphemous persons have that make but a trifle of swearing when God hath said they shall not go unpunished and those that live in a filthy course when God hath said Whor emongers and adulterers God will judge without horrible
Word of God To tremble at the Word of God as it is Esay 66. To tremble at it as men do at thunder The thunder is said to be the voice of God The voice of God shakes the Cedars of Lebanon so it is with the voice of Gods Word Shall the Lion roar and the beasts of the Forrest not tremble Shall God threaten for sins that we are obnoxious to and shall we not tremble at his threatenings Therefore howsoever we hear it as if it were yea and nay yet it is yea therefore let us not think to go on in sin and escape and do well enough No it will not be so he that thinks it is the Word of God he trembles at his VVord and hath answerable affections to all the parts of Gods VVord If God direct he followes if God threaten he trembles if he promise he believes if he command he obeyes he hath a pliable disposition to every passage of Divine truth or else we do not believe it What shall we say then of those that come not so far as the Heathen man did VVe know Felix when he heard of justice and temperance and judgment to come he trembled VVhen he heard of things that he was loath to hear that he should be called to a reckoning for the course of his life he trembled and quaked If we hear these things and live in a course perhaps worse then he and do not tremble where is our faith that the VVord of God is yea that it is undoubtedly true Let us therefore examine our selves what power and efficacy the VVord hath it is a VVord that changeth and altereth the whole man it transforms the whole man It is a VVord of life if we find it hath so altered and changed us we can from experience say it is yea And likewise from particular Promises if we observe Gods Promises made good to us if we find peace of conscience upon the confession of our sins we can say Gods VVord is yea If upon the committing of sin we find God punishing and correcting us we can say Gods VVord is yea and it is a bitter thing to offend God I find carefulnesse is the best course to please God he finds me out in my sins and it is a bitter thing to offend God This is the best way to say in truth without hypocrisie that Gods Word is not yea and nay but yea Thus we see this truth that God is true and what followes thence his Word is true as himself and not inconstant yea and nay Besides all this that I have said Let us make this Use of it not to think Gods Word to be too good to be true but yield obedience to it yield the obedience of faith to it in the Promises Here is a foundation for faith the foundation of faith is without us the evidences of faith are within us by love by purging our hearts and stirring us up to pray c. but the foundation is out of our selves here is a foundation and pillar for faith to lean on God is true and his Word is true and not yea and nay it is eternally true Therefore apply all the Promises in the Old and New Testament to thy self It was not yea to Abraham and not to thee Gods Promises of forgivenesse of sins were not yea to David and not to thee they were not yea to Manasses and not to thee but Gods truth is yea eternally yea Whatsoever was written heretofore was written for our comfort and we are now the Davids and the Manasses and the Abrahams of God we are now the beloved of God for every one in their age are as they were in theirs and as the Promises of God were yea to them and saved their souls because they trusted on them so certainly every Promise of God is a shield for those that will have recourse to it The Name of God is a strong Tower and his Word is his Name whereby he will be known in his Promises Have recourse to it on all occasions relie on the Word wrastle with him when his dealings seem contrary though his dealings with us seem to be yea and nay We have been Gods Children he hath assured us that we were in the state of grace but now he deals with us as if we were not his children he afflicts us he suffers Satan to be let loose on us to tempt us here flesh and blood is ready to say Certainly I am not Gods child can I be thus and thus followed as I am No no Gods gifts are without repentance Hadst thou ever grace God hath said it who is truth it self that his gifts are without repentance Build on it therefore if thou hadst ever any grace where he hath begun he will make an end Where he hath begun a good work he will perfect it to the day of the Lord. Therefore wrastle with God in all temptations when things seem contrary yet alledge Gods nature to him and his Word for both are true and one is true because the other is true He is true in his Nature and true in his Word and free in his decree whatsoever his actions seem to be yet Lord thou canst not deny thy self thou art unchangeable thou art truth it self And thy Word that hath promised regard and respect to humble sinners that repâ—…t and come to thee it is unchangeably true as thy self therefore Lord I will not leave thee though thou kill me as Job saith Here is a ground of wraâ—…ng as Jobâ—…d â—…d alledge the Nature of God and the Word of God against his dealing Let his dealing be what it will his Nature is true and his Word is true therefore his Promises are true which is a branch of his Word that if we repent and confesse our sins he will be mercifull to us Therefore let us not forsake our own mercy This will uphold us as in all temptations so in Divine temptations when God seems to forsake us so Christ himself our blessed head did we cannot have a better pattern when God left him on the Crosse and left him to his humane nature to wrastle with the Devils temptations and the pains of his body and the sense of his wrath My God my God why hast thou for saken me yet he upheld himself that God was his God still and so likewise in the former example of Job I say it is a speciall comfort that Gods Word is not yea and nay as I said it is not doubtful as the Oracles of the Gentiles the Oracles of the Devill but Gods Word is certain Whatsoever it was to any Saint of God heretofore it is to every believing to every humble afflicted soul now and shall be to the end of the world So much for that VERSE XIX For the Son of God Jesus Christ who was preached among you by us by me and Sylvanus and Timotheus was not yea and nay but in him is yea IN the words the Apostle shews in particular
bonds and when he pleaseth he can sue his bonds and God is well pleased with it Therefore indeed there is little difference between a Christian in poverty and a rich Christian onely the one hath more for the present but God is the riches of the other As for a worldling he hath but a Cistern when he hath most the other hath the spring he hath God in Covenant and Gods promises Let us therefore consider every day the exigents we are in whether in want of grace or want of assistance and necessaries or want of comfort and according to that let us consider what we are to do are we at our wits end now is there no hope for this in Israel Yes God hath left us rich and precious promises let us look to them In the next place then from our wants look to the Promises and proportion the promises to our wants ranck the promises it were a good work Oh that we should have so many promises and yet have them to seek when the Devil besiegeth us he layeth siege to shake our consciences and we are to seek in the time of temptation Let us remember the promises answerable to our necessities If we be troubled with sin call to mind the promise of forgivenesse If we be troubled with want call to mind the promise of supply If we be troubled with fear for the time to come call to mind the Covenant of grace the marriage for everlasting God whom he loves he loves to the end God loves us in Christ he loves Christ for ever therefore he will love us for ever So as I said before suit the promises to our present estate And from the promises have a higher rise yet go to him in whom they are made they are rich promises indeed good promises but how shall I know they shall be performed in whom are they made In whom God loves thee in Christ. What is he God and man he is God and therefore able to perform them he is man and therefore he loves thee as his own flesh and therefore he will perform them He is the Son of Gods love God for his sake as Mediatour will perform them heaven and earth shall conspire for thy good rather then thou shalt misse of the performance of the least promise Therefore from thy wants go to the promises and from the promises go to Christ and consider him he is anointed of God for thee he is anointed that he might be thy Christ and thy Jesus that he might be thy Saviour Immanuel God with us that he might reconcile God and us that in office he might be so that he might bring God and us together Consider him And then go to God and consider what relation in Jesus Christ God hath put upon him In Christ God is a Father and what can a Father deny to his adopted son in Christ whom he looks on in his natural Son Christ Yea and to settle our minds the more let us consider the relations that God and Christ have put upon them and the relations we stand in and the many promises we have in Christ who is anointed and sealed by God the Father to be our Saviour and to bestow good upon us God is become our Father what a world of promises is in that word Father what will a father deny to his son What if God had not left particular promises in Scripture if he had left but the relation of a Father it had been promise enough what can a father deny his child And then Christ what relation hath he taken on him he is our Husband what a world of promises is there in that what can a loving husband deny his spouse that he hath given himself for He hath taken upon him to be our head what want of influence can there be from such a head that hath taken all upon him for the body the head sees and hears and doth all for the body so Christ heares and sees and doth all for us What a world of promises is in this relation of a head if there were no particular promise Again Christ stiles himself sweetly our brother what a world of promises are in these relations God the Father is ours Christ is ours here is the grand Promise I will be your God and will give you my Son And then in the third place he hath promised his Spirit he will give his Spirit to them that beg him what a world of Promises is in that promise of the Spirit It is a comforting Spirit a sanctifying Spirit a quickening Spirit a strengthening Spirit all is in the Spirit As our soul doth all that the body doth so it is by vertue of the Spirit all the grace and all the comfort we have God hath promised himself and Christ and the Spirit the whole Trinity There is the grand Promise I will be your God Christ shall be your Christ and I will give you my Spirit If we had not other promises what a world of comfort have we in these Now in what relation stand we to these We are children we are heires we are Temples of the Holy Ghost c. put case our memories do not serve to call to mind particular promises in the time of trouble Consider in Christ how God loves thee he is thy God in Christ how Christ loves thee he hath taken thy nature on him to be thy husband he makes love to thee and desires thee to be reconciled And the Spirit is given thee by Christ he hath promised to give him if thou ask him the holy Spirit is the Spirit of Promise Think therefore of the general of the Covenant of grace and these relations that have the force of promises for sometimes particular promises may not come to our mind perhaps and these will stablish a man against the gates of hell and against all particular temptations This course we ought to take then to feed our thoughts with the promises the promises are the food of faith let not our faith languish and famish for want for want of meditations of God and Christ what relations they have put upon them and for want of meditating on particular promises in all kinds How well thriving might our faith be if we would oft think of these things And to make us the more to think of these things consider that all other things alas what are they when we have not a promise of them in Christ They are all vain fading things they will all come to nothing That which we have by promise grace and comfort and glory they are ours for ever God is ours for ever Christ is ours for ever the Spirit is ours for ever the relations we are in are for ever all other things are nothing they will come to nothing ere long This course we ought to take then that we may have comfort by the Promises Again in the next place if we look to the
kinds of the promises whether to the promises for this life or the promises of Grace If they be promises of this life take heed we abuse not our selves in them There have been grosse miscarriages even from the beginning of the world will be to the end of the world in the false application of outward promises We see the Jews cryed The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Loed as if God had tied himself to that by a perpetual promise Trust not to lying words saith the Prophet you think you are Gods people and that he will alwayes keep you out of captivity challenge not temporal promises without reservation and subjection to Gods will as he shall see goood Babylon saith I sit as a Queen and I shall for ever So mystical Babylon in the Revelation saith I sit as a Queen till her Judgment and destruction come in one day because she trusted to her present temporal estate Let no man promise himself that that God doth not promise in his Word immunity from the crosse for whatsoever Promise of protection and provision we have all is with the exception of the Crosse remember therefore to construc the Promises aright Then again another rule about the Promises is That it is usual with God to perform them in a wonderful manner that men know not how he doth perform them notwithstanding take that for a rule How is that As Luther was wont to say Gods carriage is by contrary meanes he performs them wonderfully He promised Abraham a child but his body was dead in a manner first and Sarah's womb He promised Joseph to raise him up so high but alas the iron entred into his soul first He promised that Christ should come but all was desperate first The Scepter was departed from Judah So he hath promised that we shall rise from the dead but we must rot in our graves first He hath promised forgivenesse of sins that he will be mercifull to us but he will waken our consciences to see our desperate estate that we are forlorn creatures first and unworthy of any respect from him He hath promised us happinesse we that are Christians are the happiest creatures in the world yet in the sense and eye of the world for the present we are the most forlorn creatures that are yet he performes his promise with comfort here and at last will fully manifest his love to us So at the last his Promises shall be wonderfully performed God doth not perform his Promises according to humane policy he will not do thus because we look he should do thus and thus he will crosse our expectation and yet perform his promise Saint Paul looked to come to Rome but he thought not of coming to Cesar by whipping and perill and ship wrack Moses knew he should come to see Canaan did he think to have such a conflict in the Wildernesse alas he thought not of it God doth wondrous strangely perform his Promises by contraries he crosseth our imaginations and conceits directly and yet he is true of his promise Another branch of this is That though Gods Promises be Yea and Amen in his time yet he usually defers his promises for a time and why Among many other reasons To mortifie self-confidence to fit us for his blessings for except he deferred them we should not be fit for them he defers them that we may be fitted for them long before they come That we might mortifie self-confidence to see that he immediately and graciously performs his promise And in the mean time to exercise faith and repentance and desire and prayer therefore he defers them but yet they are Amen at last though he defer Gods time is better then ours he knowes better then we the Physician knowes his time better then the Patient Hereupon comes a duty consequently upon this dispensation of God if he perform his promises wondrously and unexpectedly and perform them in delay let thy duty be answerable to his dealing wait wait upon God tie him not to such and such courses he can transcend and go beyond thy imagination and do more then thou art able to conceive as the Apostle saith therefore wait his good time Hâ—… that shall come will come Stay Gods leisure prevent him not run not before him And as he doth things by contraries so when thou art in contraries look for contraries when thou art in fin and feelest it on thy conscience believe that he is made righteousnesse to thee he hath promised it it is Yea and Amen in Christ. When thou shalt be turned to dust in the grave believe that he will raise thy body this promise is Yea and Amen and as a pledge of it Christ is gone to heaven when thou art miserable remember the Promise thou shalt be glorious with Christ as he is glorious All his Promises are Yea and Amen in contraries believe contraries because in contraries he performs contraries and say as Job doth Though he kill me yet will I trust in him I know thou canst not deny thy self and thy Promises are Yea and Amen In the worst estate that befalls us let us learn to wrastle with God in the Promises and implead his Promises Why Lord thou hast promised forgivenesse of sins to them that ask it thou hast promised grace and mercy and favour remember thy promise thou canst not deny thy self thou canst not deny thy gracious promise thy Word is as thy self thou art Amen and thy Word is Yea and Amen onely give me grace to wait thy good leisure yet I will not let thee depart without a blessing I will hold thee till I have received a gracious answer as Jacob wrastled with him till he had the blessing Let us labour to answer the promise with our faith and labour to bring our soules to be like his Promises they are Yea and Amen though they be not presently performed let us constantly believe a constant Promise let us cleave to God let us have a Amen for Gods Amen Are the Promises Amen Amen let the soul say Lord So be it so it shall be I will seal thy Amen in thy promise with my Amen in my faith so let us have an Amen for Christs Amen They are all and will be all Amen in Christ in fit time all the gracious Promises will be Yea and Amen let our soules echo and say Amen For our faith must answer the Promises faith and the Promises be correlatives for the promise is not except it be applyed Let faith answer the promise let us labour to be established in the Promises in Gods Word Shall we have certain Promises and shall we waver and stagger Therefore let us complain Lord thy Promises are sure and certain as thou hast said what is the reason I cannot build on them Oh my unfaithful heart Let us condemn our unbelieving our lying hearts that call the truth of God into question and make that which is
Covenant A Covenant is with condition with stipulation a Legacie is an absolute thing when a man gives a thing freely without any condition So though the promises be propounded by way of Covenant with stipulations to and fro in the passages of them as a Covenant yet in regard of Gods gracious performance to them that depend upon him all the promises are Legacies Therefore Gods promises and Gods Covenant they are called a Testament as well as Promises They are called a Will A Will shewing what God will give us freely in the use of means as well as what our duty is in the Covenant Therefore our estate is happy in Christ if we depend upon God in the use of means He will give us all things that are necessary that he hath promised nay he will give grace to fulfill the Covenant if we beg it If a man be carelesse and live in sinnes against the Covenant he cannot perform the Covenant and let him not alledge this that he cannot for God will give grace to them that are careful to fulfill it Let such a man as neglects the performance on his part expect no good from God while he is so let him expect vengeance for all the threatnings of God are Yea and Amen as well as his Promises to them that live in sins against conscience Those that will not expect grace to serve him for the time to come all the threatnings are Yea and Amen there is no comfort for such I beseech you therefore consider it is a terrible thing to live in a State without God and without Christ to have no care of the performance of that that we have bound our selves to God by the Sacrament and in our particular vowes for his threatnings are effectual as well as his promises In Zech. 1. 5. there he tells the Jewes of the Prophets that had threatened many things The Prophets are dead saith he that threatned your fathers but for all that the threatnings lighted on them The Prophets where are they They were but men but when they were gone the threatnings lighted on your fathers Jeremy dyed but the Captivity that he threatned it did not dye they were carried captive 70. years So we threaten the vengeance of God on obstinate sinners that will not come in to the Gospel we are not Yea and Amen in regard of our being we die but our threanings are Yea if they be not reversed by repentance the threatnings are Amen as well as the Promises It is an evidence therefore we do not believe if we have not care to make good the Covenant on our part Again another evidence of a Child of the promises of a man that believes the promises it is inward opposition of the flesh and hatred of fleshly men for as it is Gal. 4. The son of the bond-woman persecuted the son of the free-woman A true down-right Believer is a son of the free-woman a son of promise and the flesh in us opposeth it like Ishmael like Job's wife and like Sarah that laughed when the promise was made we have an Ishmael and a Sarah in us I can this Promise of life everlasting when I am rotten and this promise of forgivenesse of sins and that good will be good to me if I crack not my conscience if I take this and that course shall these promises be performed here is opposition We cannot believe the Promises without much opposition So carnal men they mock and deride the counsel of the poor as the Psalmist saith The children of the promise that depend upon Gods mercy in Christ they are persecuted by fleshly Justitiaries and they that look to be saved by themselves without a promise they will not be beholding to God so much their proud swelling hearts rise against Christians that honour God by trusting in his promises and will be saved by promises A proud Popish person his heart riseth against a holy Christian that is a son of the promise he scorns him You intend to be saved by the righteousnesse of another no we will not be so much beholding to God we will satisfie for our selves we will merit heaven our selves God shall not be beholding to us to trust in him we will bring somewhat our selves we will buy it out Can these men have humble hearts Nay can they have any other then malicious persecuting hearts against humble believing Christians that honour God by trusting in his promises You know Isaac was a son of the Promise how was he born not according to the course of nature Sarah's womb was dead Christ was the Son of the promise how was he born not according to the course of nature for his mother was a Virgin So a Christian is a son of the Promise he is begotten where there is nothing in the course of nature likely where there is breeding for sin no works no righteousnesse then he believes in Christ. Isaac was a notable type of Christ and a son of promise he was begotten besides the course of generation so a Christian is not begotten as a proud Justitiary by works but he shewes himself therein to be a true believer he is begotten against the course of nature when he sees a barren heart and sees as little disposition in his heart to be a Christian as was in the Virgins womb for Christ to be born How was the Promise made to the Virgin She could not conceive how this should be since she knew not man It was replied again The Holy Ghost shall overshadow thee her heart closed with that speech and Christ was conceived then So the barren heart of a Christian if it can believe his sins shall he forgiven and he shall have life everlasting if he can honour God in believing that he will keep him in life and death let the heart close with these Promises and a Christian is begotten he is a son of the promise As for the proud Justitiary that will have something in himself to vaunt of and will persecute others that are true Christians he relies on no promise A Christian when he sees nothing to rely on but the promise he closeth with the promise and Christ is begotten in him at that very instant To name no more evidences you see how we may examine our selves whether we trust in and cast our selves upon the Promises of God or no if we do we shall find them Yea and Amen Consider it therefore and be glad of these Promises and when you have them go to God in Christ for the performance of them Take the counsel of that blessed man that in these latter times brought the glorious light of Religion to light Luther I mean to whom we are beholding for the doctrine of free grace more then any other Divine of later times Go to God in Christ in the Promises Christ is wrapped up in the Promises the Promises are the swadling cloathes wherein Christ is wrapped as he saith We must not think of
care not to encrease their knowledge The more we know of God the more we shall trust him The more we know of a man that we have bonds from that he is an able man and just of his word we shall trust him more and the more our security upon his promise and bond is encreased so the more we know of God as he hath revealed himself in his Word and his voluntary Covenant he hath made with us and performed in the examples of Scripture the more we know him the more we shall trust him And this must be a spiritual knowledge not onely a bare naked reading but it must be spiritual like the truth it self We must see and know spiritual things in their own light to know them by their own light is to know them by the Spirit You know the Spirit dictated the Scripture to the Prophets and Apostles the Spirit did all they wrote as they were acted by the Spirit Now the same Spirit must inform our understanding and take away the vail of ignorance and infidelitie I say the Spirit must do it we must know spiritual things in their own light Therefore a carnal man can never be a good Divine though he have never so much knowledge an illiterate man of another calling may be a better Divine then a great Scholar Why Because the one hath onely notional knowledge discoursive knowledge to gather by strength of parts one thing from another Divinity is a kind of Art and as far as it is an Art to prove one thing by another so a natural man may do wonders in it and yet know nothing in its own spiritual light That is the reason the Divel himself knowes nothing he is a spirit of darknesse because he knowes nothing spiritually and comfortably therefore as there must be humility and faith for our stablishing so there must be spiritual knowledge It is said here that God stablisheth us the same God that stablisheth us must give us faith whereby we are stablished and he must give us knowledge Beg of God that he would vouchsafe us his Spirit when we read the Scriptures beg of God that he would open our understanding by his own Spirit that as there is light in the Scriptures so there may be in us You know an eye must have light before it can see the light light is full of discovery of things in it self I can see nothing except there be light in my eye too there must be a double light so there must be a Spirit in me as there is a Spirit in the Scripture before I can see any thing God must open our eyes and give us spiritual eye-salve to see and then the light of the Scripture and our light together is suficient to found a saving faith as stablishing faith on What is the reason that a Christian stands to his profession though he be weak when the greatest learned men in the world flinch in persecution The knowledge of the one is spiritual and heavenly he hatht ligh in him the other hath no divine spiritual light when light is ioyned with light the light in the soul with the light in the Scripture it makes men wondrous confident To this end labour to be acquainted with Gods Word study the Scriptures and other Treatises of that kind that you may be able to hold fast the truth that it be not wrung from you upon any occasion And in reading it is a good course to observe the main principal undeniable truths such Dogmaticall truths as are clear and evident and to lay them up and oft make queries to our selves Do I understanst this or no Yes I do this I know is true build on it then and bottom the soule upon it And so if it be matter of promises these promises are undeniable true I will stay my soul upon them And so when we meet with plain evidences in the Scriptures that crosse our coruptions that meet with our known sins then consider of those places as Jewels and lay them up that you may have use of them as occasion serves All things have not an equall certainty in Scripture to us some things we may have an implicite faith in but the main we must have a clear apprehension of There are some things that concern Teachers more to know then others by reason of their standing in the Church it is sufficient that in preparation of mind we be ready to imbrace further truths that shall be discovered but in fundamentall truths it is not so we must have our hearts stablished upon them that as they are certain in themselves so they may be certain to us And often let us examine our selves Would I die in this and for this would I stand in the defence of this against any this will make us make much of so much truth as we know and labour to grow in truths in that kind And take no scandal to hear that any shrink from the profession of the truth and the maintaining of it that are of great reputation Was Christ the worse for Judas betraying of him and for Peters denying of him was Paul's truth the worse because he had many enemies Elymas the sorcerer and others Is the truth the worse because there are many that have carnall outward dependance that seeme to shrink when they should stand out The truth is not the worse it is the same truth still truths are eternall in themselves and in the good they bring if they be believed The Word of God endures for ever it is not variable as man is and therefore be not discouraged though men discountenance it remember whose truth it is for whose good it is given the Word of God it is a soul saving truth And retain the truth in love Love is an affection with which we should receive the truth or else God will give us over to uncertainties They in 2 Thess. 2 10. had the truth but because they received not the Love of the truth therefore God sent them strong delusions that they should believe a lie O how lovely is the truth The certainty of our estate in Christ the glorious priviledges that come by him that the gifts of God are without repentance that God looks on us not for foreseen faith or works but such as he had decreed to work himself How comfortable how lovely are these truths being the Word of God notwithstanding some seek to shake them These very truths should be retained in love And indeed the truth is not in its own place till it be fixed in the heart and affections and in a good conscience which S. Paul makes likewise the vessel of the truth and those that care not for that they make shipwrack of the truth And what truths you know labour to practise and then you shall be stablished If any man do the will of my Father saith our Saviour Joh. 7. 17. he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God
have it in Psal. 1. As the chaffe that the wind driveth to and fro because it hath no consistence it is a light body or as the drosse Psal. 119. God shall destroy the wicked as drosse see how the Scripture compares men not onely for their wickednesse but for their misery that have no certain being but on earthly things though they be never so great and as they think deeply rooted when troubles come they are as drosse they are as chaffe that hath no firmnesse before the wind when the wind of Judgment comes they are as stubble presently wasted and brought to nothing I beseech you therefore without deceiving of our own hearts let us enter into our own soules and examine for our knowledge first and then for our boldnesse What doest thou know in Religion that thou wouldest die for or die in we are stablished in no more to purpose then we would dye for Are those truths thou knowest so firmly wrought in thee by the Spirit of God hast thou such experience of them such spiritual sense and taste of the goodnesse of them that thou wouldest be content to part with thy life rather then to part with them thou art stablished then by the Spirit of God in Christ. I do not speak of every little truth it needs not that a man should die for that but I speak for fundamental truths canst thou prove them so out of the Scripture and doest thou find the testimony of Jesus Christ witnessing to thy heart that they are true then thou art confirmed and stablished in these truths I beseech you let us often examine upon what grounds and how firmly we know what we know For have we not many that if the Adversaries should come would conform to Popery and joyn themselves to Rome because they cannot back their principles with Scriptures and because they have not a spiritual understanding and apprehension of Divine truths Now he that is stablished stands firm against temptations and against arguments he will not be won away from his faith but remains unmoveable Therefore I say let us often examine our selves in this particular I believe this and this against the Papists and others I but how shall I stand out for this If tryals should come am I able to prove this from the Scriptures so clear as if it were written as he saith with a Sun-beam The temptation and assaults of the Devil by mens subtile wits and arguments will shake our judgments will hurt more and if time should come try us better then fire and fagot Those Spies that brought an evil report upon the Land of Canaan we see that though the Land when it was won was fruitful enough and the conquest of it honourable c. and therein those Spies discovered their own weaknesse yet when they had made that shrewd Oration and brought subtile arguments to the eye of flesh and blood we see I say how the people were discouraged and how they staggeted So a man that is not stablished he may sometimes have shrewd men to deal withal perhaps Atheists Papists Jesuites and the Devil joyning with them to unsettle men and they will prevail if men be not well settled and stablished before And so for the course of our life and conversation amongst men we should examine how we are stablished in that for we are not onely to stand firm in cases of Religion but for causes of honesty John Baptist was as good as a Martyr though the cause he dyed for was not Religion but a bold telling of Herod when he thought he took an unlawful course in keeping his brothers Wife An honest man may dye and suffer much for civil matters Therefore examine your selves in this I have undertaken this cause upon what ground in what confidence how far would I willingly go in it could I be content to lose the favour of great ones to dye in the quarrel if need be So far as a man is stablished by Gods Spirit so far is he settled also in this You have had Heathen men that would stand out firmly even to the death against all disfavours against all losses and crosses for evidence of Civil truths as you have it storied of Papinian an excellent Lawyer that in the defence of right stood forth to the losse of his life and many other the like examples have been But much more doth the Spirit of God stablish men this I understand this cause is good this I will stand in come what will when I am called to it Let us oft call our selves to an account what we believe and upon what ground what we do and upon what ground we undertake it whether on grounds of conscience or out of spleen and passion When a man undertakes things on natural grounds in great temptations if God do not assist him he will sink Take the strongest courages that are if they have no more but nature though they may stand out sometimes to the shame of Christians yet in some cases they will shew themselves to be but meer natural men And therefore labour for the Spirit to stablish us It is not necessary that we should enjoy our wealth nor the favour of men nor our life it self but it is necessary that we should keep a good conscience it is necessary that we should be saved it is necessary that we should look upon our Judge with confidence at the day of Judgment It becomes Christians who besides the light of nature have the Spirit to stablish them to be settled in their courses to look that the conscience be good the cause good the aym good If such a one give over when the cause is clear and good it is a sign that his heart is not stablished by the Spirit of God in Christ he hath either corrupt aymes or else he is weak and understands not the grounds of Religion and the vanity of this life as he should do There are none that flinch and give over in a good quarrel but either it is from hypocrisie that he pretends to believe in Christ and life everlasting and yet he doth not or else it is from extream and wonderful weaknesse which if he belong to God he shall recover as Peter did and shall stand more strongly another time It is but a forced a false encouragement and stablishing when a man that hath not the Spirit of God shall set light by death though perhaps he die in a good quarrel and with some comfort For when a man shall know that after death there is a Judgment and that God hath many things to lay to his charge when his conscience shall tell him that he is guilty of a thousand deaths if he be not in Christ and his pardon sealed by the Spirit of God in the blood of Christ is it not madnesse to be couragious in that which he cannot conquer It is good for a man to be couragious in time of conquest It is a dastardly thing for
the foot yet all have communicated by the Spirit from Christ the head So that the third person the Holy Ghost that sanctified the humane nature of Christ that filled and enriched it with all grace and anointed Christ the same Spirit enricheth all his mystical members As there is one Spirit in Christ and that sacred body he took on him so there is in the mysticall body but one Spirit quickening and enlivening and moving the head and the members He is a head of influence as well as a head of eminence Of his fulnesse we have all grace for grace He is first anointed and then we are anointed in him We will first speak of it as it hath reference to an oyntment and then as it hath reference to the persons anointed In the first place then why are graces here called anointing I answer they are called anointing from reference to that composed oyntment in Exod. 30. where you have the composition of the holy oyl laid down But in particular you may observe these five particulars in which the relation standeth First Oyntment is a liquor supereminent it will have the highest place it will have the eminency and be above all other liquors and in that respect it is a royal liquor so the graces of Gods Spirit they are of an eminent nature Spiritual gifts are above the gifts of nature and spiritual blessings are above earthly things the grace of God is a supereminent a royall thing it will be above all even above our parts of nature if a man have by nature a strong wit grace will subdue his wit so that he shall be onely witty to salvation he shall be onely strong to defend the truth and to do nothing against it he will subjugate and subordinate his parts and whatsoever excellency he hath by nature to grace cast all at Christs feet count all as dung in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Christ. And so again grace is above corrupt nature above all our corruptions it will bring them under it will subdue corruptions temptations afflictions any thing what you will that is either natural or diabolical for grace is spiritual and that which is spiritual is above all that is below Grace is of an invincible nature it will bear sway by little and little it is little in quantity but it is mighty in operation And it is above any outward excellency whatsoever if a man be a King if he have this anointing it makes him better then himself he is better in that he is a Christian that he hath this sacred anointing then for any other created excellency under heaven whatsoever yea though he were an Angel Grace hath its derivance and influence from Christ who is higher then all and will be above all and so will grace That is the first Other liquors the best of them will be beneath but oyl it will be above all It is compared to oyntment in the second place because that oyntment is sweet and delightful so was the oyntment that was poured upon our Saviour by the woman in the Gospel therefore the Spouse in Cant. 1. 3. speaking of Christ Because saith she of the savour of thy good oyntments thy Name is as an oyntment poured forth therefore do the Virgins love thee The graces that are in Christ are so sweet that they draw the Virgins they draw all believers after him So grace in a Christian it makes us sweet it sweetens our persons and our actions It sweetens our persons to God God delights in the smell of his own graces it makes us delectable for Christ and his holy Spirit to lodge in our soules as in a garden of Spices It makes us sweet to the Church to the communion of Saints A gracious man that hath his corruptions subdued is wondrous sweet his heart is as fine silver every thing is sweet that comes from him When the woman poured the box of oyntment upon Christ the whole house was filled with the smell thereof so the whole Church is filled with the savour of the graces of good men that either do live in the present times or have left their graces in writing to posterity A wicked man is an abomination to God and so are all his actions he that is in the flesh cannot please God a civil man that hath not this anointing all that he doth is abominable to God all things are unclean to the unclean even their best actions have a tincture of defilement from their corruption without this oyntment we are not sweet neither to God nor to others therefore the Scripture terms men in the state of nature Swine and Goats stinking creatures and so indeed they that have not this anointing they are stinking Goats and shall be set at Christs left hand except they have grace to sweeten their understandings and affections and to draw them higher then nature can Likewise grace is full of sweetnesse to a mans self it sweetneth our nature and our actions to our selves a good conscience being privy to it self of the work of grace is a continual feast the conscience of a Christian once renewed by grace inlargeth the soul and fills it with sweet peace and joy in believing Thirdly the graces of the Spirit are called anointing because anointing strengthens therefore usually Warriours and Combatants amoug the Heathen that were to encounter were first anointed so there is a Spirit of strength in all those that are true Christians which they have received from God whereby they are able to do that that worldlings cannot do they are able to deny themselves to overcome themselves in matters of revenge c. they are able to want and to abound to beare crosses to resist temptations and as the Apostle saith able to do all things nothing can stand in the way of a gracious man no not the gates of hell he that is in him Grace is stronger then he that is in the world the least measure of grace though it be but as a grain of mustard-seed is stronger then the greatest measure of opposition though strengthened with all the power of hell In the fourth place oyntment makes the joynts of the body nimble so this spiritual anointing it oyles the joynts of the soul as I may say and makes them nimble and ready to serve God in newnesse of Spirit and not in the oldnesse of the letter Gods people are called a willing people and a chearful people ready to every good work And there is good reason for it for they have an inward spiritual anointing that makes them active and nimble in every thing they do that Spirit that sanctifieth them that Spirit telleth them what Christ hath done for them that there is no damnation to them that God is reconciled to them that they are freed from the greatest dangers that all is theirs and so their joy and nimblenesse is from good reason and there is a spirit of love in them unto God and Christ which makes them nimble
to domineer over faith because it is onely a drawing from outward inforcement to the use of means Again it is not a ruling over faith nor a base slavery when men hear the Word of God opened directly and clearly when men shall perswade others according to their own judgment that this is so and when others shall yield There is some faith that may be called in some degree implicite faith and obedience that is not sinful but good and discreet As when men by their standing in the Church and by their experience and holinesse of life are thought to be men that speak agreeable to the ground of Scripture though they have not a direct rule and place of Scripture for it other mens conscience may follow what they say I have been directed by such men at such times that by reason of their calling have opportunity to advise But this frees it from base service that it must be with reservation till it appear otherwise by some place of Scripture or till better counsel may be yielded obedience to others with reservation and counselling with others this is no domineering because it is with reserving our selves to a further discovery and a further light That the Moralists use to call the opinion of an honest man where the Law speaks not it is much to be esteemed especially an honest discreet Christian when the Law of God speaks not directly then he that speaks out of conscience and some light he may perswade another man with this reservation till further light be discovered this is no domineering over faith I might take away many things that might breed a suspition as if we domineered over the faith of others when we do not But to come to shew you this positive truth what this tyranny over the faith of others is and where it is practised Those tyrannize over the faith of others that do equalize mens Traditions some Canons of their own with the Word of God and presse them with equal violence perhaps more because they are braâ—…s of their own brain Those that will devise a voluntary worship of God and so intangle people and tell them This you must do when there is no ground for it in the Word of God it is will-worship God loves willing worship when we worship him willingly but he loves not-will-worship when it is the device of our own brain how we will serve him As if a servant or a slave must devise how his Lord will be served what impudency is this if we consider what God is They tyrannize over peoples consciences that equalize their own dotages though they account them witty devices and their own inventions with the worship of God that jumble all together as if conscience were equally bound to any device of their own as to Gods Word Again those do tyrannize over the faith of others that think they can make Articles in Religion to bind conscience Those that think to free themselves from the danger of errour as if what they said were unfallible they tyrannize over others Those that for trifles excommunicate whole Churches because they hold not correspondency with them in their errours they tyrannize over the faith of others Those that withhold the means of knowledge that so in a dark time all their fooleries may be more admired As we see masks and such like overly things they must have the commendation of some light that is not so glorious as the Sun to win admiration of men so those that would win admiration of their fooleries they shut people as much as they may in darknesse that they may have their persons and all other things in admiration this is to tyrannize over faith and to hinder them from that that is the means to reform them better But who are guilty of all this We see what Church especially is guilty of this of domineering over the faith of others that is the Church of Rome The Councell of Trent equalizeth Traditions with the Word of God they divide the Word of God into the written and unwritten and under a curse they pronounce that all must be received with the same reverence And then they have devised a will-worship of their own and follow and force their will-worship with greater violence then the worship of God and they set Gods stamp upon all their fooleries to gain authority under the name of Christs Church and the Word of God they carry all Again you know they hold the Church to be infallible they hold the judgment of the Pope the man of sin to be infalible he cannot erre and hereupon whatsoever he saith it must bind conscience because he is in his Chair and cannot erre whatsoever he saith is the scope of Gods Word infallible And this is a fundamental errour as we call it a first lie a leading lie This is moving to errour this is the mover that moves all other errours under it For where upon is all the abominations of Popery justified They are iustified by this though they seem ridiculous grosse and blasphemous they came from the Church and the Church is virtually in the Pope An absurd Position that the whole Church should be virtually in one man yet that is the Jesuitical opinion and the Church cannot erre therefore it is good because these tenents come from him whose judgment is infallible That is the errour that leadeth to and establisheth all other errours under it it is the first lie And in lies there is a leading one goes under another they never go alone so this is the leading lie of all Popery that the Pope cannot erre by this means they domineer over the faith of others and make the people even beasts indeed But to see the indignity of this that the Pope cannot erre it is the greatest errour of all and the prevention of all amendment on their side do you think that they will ever amend their opinion when they hold this that is a block in the way of all reformation that the Pope can erre for deny that and you call all the fabrick of their Religion in question and grant that it stops all reformation on their side What reformation may we hope for on their side that hold this Position that they cannot erre Hence come all their treasons and rebellions they have some dispensation from the Pope and he cannot erre though he prescribe rebellion and treason Another opinion they have that the Church is the Judge of all Controversies in which the faith of men must be resolved at last but it is the Pope that the Jesuits mean Now this is indeed to domineer over the faith to make a man of sin to be a Judge over all points of faith and faith to be resolved at last into that into the judgment of the Church The Church hath an inducing power a leading power perswading to the belief of the Scriptures and to hear what God saith in his Word but
and delight in what we single out but in his own course and way And if Naaman the Assyrian that thought the rivers of Damascus were as good as Jordan and therefore he thought it a fond thing to wash there if he had not yielded to the counsel of his servants he had gone a leper home as he came but he was wiser So those that cavil at the Ordinance of God they may live and die Lepers for ought I know except with meeknesse of spirit they attend upon the Ordinance But you will say Those that are true Christians and good men they are oft-times cast down by the Ministery and brought to pangs of conscience therefore what joy can there be how are they helpers of their joy If they do so yet it is that they might joy S. Paul did bring the Corinthians here to sorrow but he brought them to sorrow that they might joy as you have it excellently set down 2. Cor. 7. 8. For though I made you sorry with a letter I do not repent though I did repent I was sorry that I was forced to be so bitter against you for I perceive that the same Epistle made you sorry though but for a season now I rejoyce not that you were made sorry here is a sweet insinuation but that you were sorry to repentance for you were made sorry after a godly manner that you might receive dammage by us in nothing So the sorow that is wrought by the Ministery in the hearts of people it is a sorrow to repentance a sorrow tending to joy We say of April that the showers of that Moneth dispose the earth to flowers in the next so tears and grief wrought in the heart by the Ministery they breed delight in the soul they frame the soul to a delightful joyful temper after And that is part of the scope of this very text we are helpers of your joy and therefore if I had not spared you but had come in severity all had been for joy so whether the Minister open comfort or direction it is for their joy If they see them not in a state fit then to discover to them their sin and danger and to tell them that they must be purged by repentance before they can receive the Cordial of joy but all is for joy in the end A Physician comes and he gives sharp and bitter purges saith the Patient I had thought you had come to make me better and I am sicker now then I was before but he bids him be content all this is for your health and strength and for your joyfulnesse of spirit after you will be the better for it so in confidence of that he drinks down many a bitter potion So it is with those that sit under the Ministery of God thought it be sharp and severe and crosse their corruptions yet it is medicinal physick for their soules and all will end in the health of the soul in joy afterwards It will be objected again The Word of God and the dispensation of it it is for Doctrine to teach and to instruct and not especially to joy that should not be the main end for we see in Rom. 14. Whatsoever was written was written for our learning so in 1 Cor. 14. he that speakes speaks to edification and exhortation as well as to comfort It is true but all teaching and all exhortation and all reproofe they tend to comfort even Doctrine it self tends to comfort For as it is with divers kinds of food they have both a cherishing vertue in them to strengthen and a healing vertue to cure So it is with the Word of God the doctrinal part of it hath a comforting force And indeed doctrine is for comfort for what is comfort but a strengthening of the affections from some sound grounds of doctrine imprinted upon the understanding whereof it is convinced before The understanding is convinced throughly before the soul can be comforted throughly Therefore the Scripture tending to doctrine that being one end of it tends likewise to comfort because that is the issue of doctrine for what is comfort but doctrine applyed to a particular comfortable use As in Plants and Trees what is the fruit of the tree nothing but the juice of the tree applyed and digested into fruit so indeed doctrine is that that runs through the whole life of a Christian and the strength of Doctrine is in comfort Comfort is nothing but doctrine sweetly digested and applyed to the affections He will never be a good comforter that doth not first stablish the judgment in some grounds of doctrine to shew whence the comfort flowes So that howsoever there be many things in Scripture that are doctrinal yet in the use of them those doctrinal Points tend to joy and comfort As I said in meat there is the same thing sometime that both nourisheth and likewise refresheth as a Cordial So the Word of God both nourisheth the understanding and is as a Cordial to refresh and comfort and it is a kind of joy to the soul to have it stablished in sound doctrine that is the ground of comfort So that notwithstanding any thing that can be objected the end of the Word of God especially in the dispensation of it is to joy and comfort Which should teach people to regard the Ministery in this respect that it is a helper of their comfort that they do not grieve those that help their comfort for what is the end of a Minister as a Minister but to make others joy that both God in heaven and the Angels and Ministers and all may rejoyce together in the conversion of a Christian. Now for people to vex those that by vertue of their calling labour to help forward their joy is very unkind usage yet it was the entertainment that our blessed Lord and Master himself found in the world And S. Paul himself saith The more I love you the lesse I am loved of you And then it should move people to lay open the case of their soules to their spiritual Physicians upon all good occasions People do so for the Physicians of their bodies they do so in doubtful cases for their estates is all so well in our soules that we need no help nor comfort no removing of objections that the soul makes no unloosing of the knots of conscience is all so clear or are men in a kind of numbnesse and deadnesse and Atheism that they think it is no matter that they put all to a venture and think all is well It were better for the souls of many if they had better acquaintance with their spiritual Pastors then they have for their calling is to help the joy of the people and how can they help it except they lay open their estates to them upon good occasion what do they herein but rob themselves of joy they are their own enemies I passe to the third They are helpers of joy
more perform the conditions of the Covenant of grace of our selves then the Covenant of the Law Nature cannot do it because it must be done by the Spirit altogether Now here is a foundation for faith to stand on God so farre condescends as he gives his Word and his Seal and his Oath with his Word to convey that Word by way of a Covenant and to make that Covenant a Testament and Will to us that he will do this and to seal that Will with his own blood for a Testament is of no force till the Testatour be dead his own blood hath sealed the Testament you see here what ground there is for faith to stand upon Then again the sweet relation that God hath taken upon him in Christ he is our Father faith builds not on naked God divested of his sweet relations for then he is a consuming fire but upon God a Father in Christ what a sweet thing is it to consider God a Father In Christ the nature of God is Fatherly to us and our nature is sweet to him We are sonnes in Christ his nature is sweet to us and ours to him he will surely perform his relations For in Christ he is a Father not in creation onely but in the Covenant of grace Faith relies upon the Word of God upon the Covenant and Testament and upon God himself altered and changed in the Covenant of Grace to be a sweet Father But what is a further ground of this The nature of God himself who is a Father for if God himself were not cloathed with properties that might satisfie faith and satisfie the soul fully though he were a Father it were not a sufficient ground for faith But now who hath taken the relation of a father upon him God who is infinitely good infinitely merciful above all our sins it must be infinite mercy faith would not have footing else For the soul will so upbraid in the sense of sin that if God were not a Father and a Father infinite in mercy nothing but infinite mercy will satisfie the soul when conscience is awaked and infinite power to subdue all enemies and infinite wisdome to go beyond the reach and subtilty of all the Devils in hell God is such a Father as in his Nature is of infinite mercy and wisdome and power here is a foundation for faith to lay hold upon indeed to have a Father and such a Father that is Jehovah there we must rest in his essence he is Jehovah I am he is eternal and immutable an eternal being of himself and he gives being to all and all things have their dependance upon him The Devils in hell and wicked men he can quell them all and substract their being and turn them to their first nothing from whence they came You see if we resolve all to Jehovah I am to the eternity of God and then to his nature cloathed with power and wisdome and mercy and then to his relation of a Father and then how he condescends to convey himself sweetly by way of Covenant and Testament I beseech you is not here a foundation for faith to build upon in the Word of God when God hath thus opened himself to us You see what this standing is And how by faith we stand and what faith stands on and may well stand on To come to some Observations then First of all Observe hence That The foundation of faith must be out of a mans self That bottom that a man must lay his soul upon must be out of himself it must be Divine it must be God For the soul rests not till it come to God and if the Word were not Gods Word it would not rest on that God must open himself by his Word It must be Divine revelation that the soul must stand upon and at last resolve to pitch and build and rest there It must not be humane authority therefore not the authority of any creature that the soul must stand on because that that the soul stands on must stand it self Now nothing hath a firm consistence but that which is Divine Which I prove thus There is no creature but though it be true and good yet it is changeably true and may be otherwise then it is and yet be a creature still and a good creature There is no man but he is changeable and is changeable as a creature and as a creature severed from the consideration of sin he is changeable The very Angels are changeable as they are creatures all things created are mutable it is the Observation of Damascene Now that that is the foundation of faith must not onely be true but infallibly and unchangeably true there must be no danger of errour in that that faith layes it self upon It is an old rule Falshood cannot be under faith because faith must lye upon truth infallible and immutable truth and who is so but God and what revealed truth is so but Divine truth Therefore faith onely relyeth upon the first good and the first truth upon God and his truth Therefore we may see what to judge of that controversie between us and our adversaries that would have our faith to be resolved into the authority of the Church and not of the Scriptures and by consequent not to the authority of God himself The question is Who hath the best standing the Papists or we We say we stand by faith therefore we stand better then they They say they stand by faith too but how Their faith is resolved into the authority of the Church at length and there they rest But I say even by the confession of themselves or of any reasonable man the Word of God is more Divine then the authority of the Church can be For the authority of the Church is therefore infallible and true because the Word of God saith so That he will be with the Church c. and save his Church The ground is determined upon the Word Now the Word to which they have recourse to prove that they cannot erre that must be trusted before them if they have credit from the Word the Word must be believed before them before men for there is no man if God speak by him but he speaks by him so far as he understands the Scripture and builds upon the Scriptures first Therefore we must first found our selves upon the Scriptures and upon men as far as they agree to the Scriptures If the Scriptures were not the Word of God indeed they could not be the foundation of faith we could not stand upon them but they are the Word of God indeed for men wrote as they were inspired by the Holy Ghost Now that that comes from men it is not infallibly the Word of God but if they speak any thing that is good it is so far as it is agreeable to the first truth the Word of God Indeed the resolution of their faith is very rotten and unsound and bewrayes what their
to his Children and what are the last comforts of all the comforts reserved at home when God shall be all in all Now there are some drops of comfort conveyed in smells some in garments some in friends some in diet here a drop and there a drop but when we shall have immediate communion there with the God of comfort himself what comforts shall we have there God comforts us here by providing for us and giving us things that are comfortable Or by giving reasons and grounds of comfort which are stronger then the reasons and grounds of discomfort reasons from the priviledges and prerogative of Christians c. the scripture is full of them But likewise which is the best of all and most intended the inward inspiring of comfort with the reasons and grounds he inwardly conveyes comforts to the soul and strengtheneth and supports the soul. And he doth this not onely by the application of the reasons and the things that we understand to the soul but by opening the soul to embrace them for sometime the soul may be in such a case as it may reject comfort that the consolation of the Almightie may seem light to it sometime there may be such a disposition of soule that the chiefest comforts in scripture yield it not comfort they are not embraced the soul is shut to them God provides reasons and grounds of comfort and likewise he applies these comforts by his spirit to the soul and he inwardly warmes and opens the soul to embrace comfort he opens the understanding to understand and the will and affections to embrace or else there will be no comfort Many are like Rachel her Children were gone and it is said of her Shee would not be Comforted God is the God of Comfort as he gives the matter and ground of comfort and reasons out of his holy word above all dsscomforts so by his spirit he frames and fits the heart to entertain these to take the benefit of them He comforts us in all tribulation To comfort is to support the soule against the grievance past or felt or feared There may be some remainders of grief for what is past grief present presseth most and grief feared Now God comforteth whatsoever the grievance is by supporting the soul against it as I said before We are in tribulation in this life and yet in all tribulations God doth comfort us to add to that I said before of this point let us therefore go to God in all the meanes of comfort because he is the God of it and he must comfort us Therefore when we send for divines or read Holy books for we must use all meanes we must not set God against his meanes but joyn them together to add that caution by the way We may not therefore necessitate the God of comfort that because he comforts us therefore we will neglect reading and prayer and conference with them that God hath exercised in the schoole of Christ who should speak comfort to the wearie soul by their office No No God and his meanes must be joyned together we must trust God but not tempt him to set God against his meanes is to tempt him that because he is the God of comfort therefore we will use no meanes no Physitian for the body or for the soul this is absurd he is the God of comfort in the means he comforts us in all tribulation by meanes if they be to be had If there be no meanes to be had he is the God of comfort he can create them and if it be so far that there be no meanes but the contrary he is a God that can comfort out of discomfort and can as I said make the greatest grounds of comfort out of the greatest discomforts But he is a God of the meanes if they be to be had if there be none then let us go to him and say thou God of comfort if thou do not comfort none can comfort if thou help not none can help and then he will help and help strongly It is necessary to looke to God what ever the meanes be it is he that comforts by them Therefore let him have the praise if we have any friend any comfort of the outward man or any solace of the inward man by seasonable speech c. blessed be the God of comfort who hath sent this comforter who hath sent me comfort by such and such let him have the praise whatsoever the means be the comfort is his And that is the cause that many have no more comfort they trust to the means overmuch or neglect the means Again if God comfort in all tribulation Let Christians be ashamed to be overmuch disconsolate that have the God of comfort for their God who comforteth in all tribulation Why art thou so cast down Is there no Balme in Gilead for thee Is there not a God in Israel It is the fault of Christians they pore too much on their troubles they look all one way they look to the grievance and not to the comfort There is a God of comfort that answers his name every way in the exercise of that attribute to his Church therefore Christians must blame themselves if they be too much cast down and labour for faith to draw near to this God of comfort It should make them ashamed of themselves that think it even a duty as it were to walk drooping and disconsolatly and deadly to have flat and dead spirits What is this beseeming a Christian that is in Covenant with God that is the God of comfort and that answers his title in dealing with his Children that is ready to comfort them in all tribulation what if particular comforts be taken from thee is there not a God of comfort left he hath not taken away himself What if thou be restrained and shut up from other comforts can any shut up Gods Spirit can any shut up God and our prayers Is not this a comfort that we may go to God alway and he is with us in all estates and in all wants whatsoever So long as we are in covenant with the God of comfort why should we be over much cast down Why art thou so troubled oh my soul David cheeks his soul thrice together for distrust in God he is thy God the God of all comfort What course shall we take that we may derive to our selves comfort from this God of comfort who comforteth us in all our tribulations Let us consider what our malady and grievance is especially let us look to our spiritual grievance and malady sin for sin is the cause of all other evils therefore it is the worst evil And sin makes us loathed of God the fountain of good it drives us from him when other evils drive us to from him and therefore it is the worst evil in that sense too Again in the third place look to the discomforts of sin especially in the discomforts of
is unsettled Again by terrours of conscience a double-minded man that will please God and yet be a worldling is unconstant in all his wayes If his eye were single then all his body would be light that is if a man had a single judgment to know what is right to know what in life and in death to stick to all would be single the judgment and intentions go together when a mans judgment is convinced of the goodnesse of spiritual things upon judgment followes intention When a man desires and resolves to serve God and to please him in all things then all the body and his affections are lightsome his affections and his outward man goes with a single eye A man that hath a false weak judgment and thereupon a false weak double intention his body is dark he hath a darksome conversation A double-minded man is unconstant in all his wayes Therefore we should labour for this simplicity in all our conversation Again we should the rather labour for this simplicity because it is part of the Image of God therein we resemble God in whom is no mixture at all of contraries but all is alike And as it resembles God so it bears us out in the presence of God and our own conscience as he saith here Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity c. Now God is greater then conscience A man that carries himself in simplicity and in an uniform even manner to God and to men that man hath comfort in his conscience and comfort before God And of all other sins the time will come that none will lie heavier on us then doubling both with men and with God when it will appear that we have not been the men that we carried our selves to be The reason is the more will there is in a sin and the more advisednesse the greater is the sin and the greater the sin is the greater the terrour of conscience and the greater that is the more fear and trembling before God that knowes conscience better then we do Now where there is doubling where a man is not one in his outward and inward man in his conversation to men when there is a covering of hatred and of ill affections with contrary pretences there is advisement there is much will and little passion to bear a man out to excuse him but he doth it as we say in coole blood and that makes dissimulation so grosse hecause it is in cold blood The more will and advisement is in any sin the greater it is so the aggravation of sin is to be considered and where temptations are strong and the lesse a man is himself so there is a diminution and a lesse aggravation as when a man is carried with passion with infirmitie or the like But usually when men double they plot David he plotted before and after his sin he doubled before and after his sin that was laid to his charge more then all that ever he did in his life He was a man after Gods own heart except in the matter of Uriah Why Because in that he plotted We see before what many shifts and windings and turnings he had to accomplish it He sends Uriah to Joab and gives him a letter to place him in the fore front and useth many projects And after it was committed how did he cover it and when it was hid from men he would have hid it from God a great while till God pulled him from his hiding place and made him confesse roundly Psalme 32. till he dealt directly with God My bones were consumed and my moisture was turned into the drought of summer He did it from men and would have hid it from God Therefore because there was much plotting in that sin that is set down as the onely blemish in all his life He was a man after Gods own heart except in the matter of Uriah Many other faults are recorded in the Booke of God of David but because there might be some excuse they were from infirmity or out of passion or oversight c. they are not so charged on him But this was with plotting it was in cold blood there was much will and advice in it therefore this is doted for a great sin And if it be in our dealing amongst men we should consider who it is we deceive who it is we go beyond in doubling who it is that we circumvent and who it is that doth it Are we not all Christians we are or should be all new creatures And who do we do it to to our fellow-members and to our brethren Therefore in 1. Thess. 4. when the Apostle disswades the Thessalonians from this from double dealing and double carriage to men saith he You are members one of another Let us consider who we are and whom we deal with Now there be some persons and some courses that are likelier and more prone to this doubling then others for want of this grace of simplicity Wherethere is strength of parts there is oft-times a turning of them against God and against our brethren where Grace hath not subdued strong Imaginations strong thoughts and brought all under it there is a turning of those parts against God and against our brethren And as it is in particular persons So some callings are more prone to double-dealing to this carriage that is not fair and commendable before God nor comfortable to the conscience As we see now adaies it reigns every where in every street We see amongst men of Trade Merchants and the like there is not that direct dealing they know one thing and pretend another So likewise in the Lawes there are many imputations I would they were false that men set false colours upon ill causes to gild a rotten post as we say to call white black and black white There is a woe in Esay pronounced against such as justifie hard causes such as call evill good and good evil it is a greater sin then it is usually taken for So go to any rank of men they have learned the Art of dissimulation in their course they have learned to sell wind to sell words to sell nothing to sell pretexts to overthrow a man by way of commendations and flattery such tricks there are which are contrary to this simplicity To cover hatred with fair words to kill with kindnesse as we say to overthrow a man with commendations To commend a man before another who is jealous of the vertues he commends him for To commend a man for valour before a coward to commend a man and thereby to take occasion to send him out of the way To commend a man and then to come in with an exception to marre all To cover revenge and hatred with fair carriage thereby to get opportunity to revenge such tricks there are abroad which oft-times discover themselves at length For God is just he will discover all these