at last cry Lord Lord and so prevaile quickly for pardon with him who is infinite in mercy Why but thinke on this O ignorant soule No man can call Iesus Lord but by the Holy-Ghost Thou wilt not in thy greatest need bee able to cry Lord Lord unlesse the Lord bee with thy spirit Death will sting thee conscience will gnaw thee Christ will condemne thee Divels will teare thee and yet wilt not thou bee able to cry Lord Lord have mercy on me unlesse the Lord bee with thy spirit but instead of crying Lord Lord for mercy thou wilt burne in malice against the Lord and curse and blaspheme as Divels and damned wretches doe Hast thou never seene condemned wretches not onely dumme but withall desperate too and leape off the ladder themselves without either asking God or man forgivenesse thus in a spirituall sense and much worse wilt thou doe in the great day of judgement for as much as Christ is not with thy spirit Fourthly a mans spirit without Christ is not onely blind and dumme but deafe too And if a man bee blind and dumme yet if hee can heare hee may make some shift to help himselfe wee follow a thing you know sometimes by the sound when wee cannot see it nor speake what it is but when a man is naked blind dumme and deafe too hee is in a helplesse condition indeed and just such is the state of a mans spirit without Christ For Christ as hee is Eyes and Tongue so hee is eares also to the soule of man Hence it is that Iohn speakes so frequently of spirituall hearing after a Hypotheticall manner Hee that hath an eare c. That is if any man have spirituall discerning let him heare what the spirit saith to the Churches Intimating that a spirituall eare is a very rare thing to bee found that which no man hath but hee which hath Christ with his Spirit that hath had his eares boared by the Spirit of Christ as the Scripture speakes all others are as deafe as Adders and cannot heare the voyce of the charmer charme hee never so wisely I would have all that live in their sinnes seriously consider this too as a further degree of unhappinesse You tell us that you will turne from your sinnes hereafter and obey the call of God in the Ministry of his Word but let mee aske you this have you not hither unto turned the deafe eare upon God yes I and so you will doe for the time to come and the reason of both the same because Christ is not with your spirits Let mercies call corrections call let friends call father call mother call husband call wife call let Ministers call conscience call nay let Christ himselfe call in what voyce hee will still voyce or lowd voyce in words never so pleasing or never so piercing yet wilt not thou heare because Christ is not with thy spirit but with Salomons foole wilt on in thy sins and bee eternally punished Fifthly a mans spirit without Christ is without feeling in a dead Palsie all over which how dolorous such a state is in a corporall sense you know much more dolorous in a spirituall sense I am sure As the spirit of man can neither see speake nor heare so neither can it feele without the spirit of Christ The spirit of man without the spirit of God is dead Christ is to our spirits as our spirits are unto our bodies their life and life is the principle of feeling for the dead feele nothing When Christ which is our life shall appeare c. Where there is no Christ there is no life and where there is no life there is no feeling You know the Apostle speakes of some that were past feeling having given themselves over to lasciviousnesse to worke all uncleannesse with greedinesse Ephes 4.9 There the Apostle speakes of such a senselessenesse as lyes upon the soule by a second act of divine justice All humane spirits by the first act of divine justice upon Adam are naturally past feeling and would give up themselves unto all wickednesse with greedinesse did not God restraine To bee past feeling in this latter sense notes principally a want of divine affection when sinne doth not kindly affect the soule with sorrow as in the former sense when sinne doth not at all affect the soule with sorrow when holy wayes and works do not kindly affect the soule with joy as in the other sense when they do not affect the soul with joy at all but rather disturbe and provoke to passion and malice I would have all that live in their sins seriously think on this also as a further degree of unhappinesse You have heard many powerfull Sermons which you have seene work admirably upon others yet they have made no impressions upō your spirits many hundred more may you heare and no divine impression at last be made and the reason of both one and the same because Christ is not with your spirits and by reason of this your hearts are as Adamants which every stroke hardens but not breaks it Let the master smite and the man smite let God smite and his Ministers smite and conscience smite nay let every member of the body bee smitten with punishment to affect the soule with sin yet will it not stir and complaine unlesse Christ be with it Finally a mans spirit without Christ is without tasting or smelling to these senses also you know the Scripture doth allude and therefore fitly here may I to set forth fully the unhappy condition of every spirit without Christ You know the Apostle speaks of some that savoured not the things of God which is a terme applyed in Scripture to the sense of smelling as well as to the sense of tasting and therefore for brevity sake do I here joyne both senses together in a spiritull way of allusion Why all that have not Christ with their spirits are such as cannot rightly savour spirituall things such put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter I would have all you that live in your sins seriously thinke on this too as a further degree of unhappinesse You come oft times to Wisdomes house and though shee prepare you all spirituall dainties yet you can relish nothing but some by things that lye about the dish rather for ornament thē for food And would you know the reason of this 't is because Christ is not with your spirits If Christ were with you you wold feed on every dish at wisdomes table on promises yea on threatnings too To the hungry soule every bitter thing is sweet saith Solomon All that is good and wholesome goes downe well where Christ is with the Spirit You come frequently to Wisdomes house who keeps a Table here and 't were for a King and yet you have leane shrivel'd soules like men in a Consumption every one tels you that you look as if you were starved speak and live as if you never heard a good Sermon from
in a vision as you may read Then spake the Lord to Paul by night in a vision Be not afraid but speak and hold not thy peace for I am with thee and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee for I have much people in this City Acts 18.9 Thus at another time Christ came to Paul that he might not be left comfortlesse when he was pleading his cause before Anomias and like to be pull'd in pieces And the night following saith the Text the Lord stood by him and said bee of good cheere Paul for as thou hast testified of me in Ierusalem so must thou also beare witnesse at Rome Acts 23.11 At another time Paul and Silas together had experience of this truth that Christ comes to his Church Militant As they were powring out their soules together in prayer Christ wonderfully came to them he came in an Earthquake and made the foundations of the prison shake and so opened all the prison doores and loosed every prisoners bonds Comfortable was Christs comming to Paul and Silas but terrible to the Goaler for he seeing in what manner Christ broke in and rescued his servant would have killed himselfe but Christ came graciously to his soule also and rescu'd it out of the hands of the Devill Happy was it for this man that Christ did finish two workes in one journey to wit come to Paul and Silas and deliver their bodies out of Prison and withall come to their Goaler and deliver his soule out of Prison too In an Earthquake Christ came both to Prisoners Goaler for the Goaler came trembling to the Prisoners of hope as a man in despaire and fell downe saith the Text before Paul and Silas 'T is no matter how Christ come to us so he comfort us before hee leave us Thus I have shewed to you that Christ doth come to his Church Militant The second thing that I am to shew you for the opening of the point is how Christ doth come to his Church Militant To this I will answer First more generally and briefly Secondly more particularly and fully More generally and briefly I answer thus Christ visits his Church Militant as David visited comforted Hanun to wit mediately by his spirit as David did mediately by his servants And I wil pray the Father he shal give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the Spirit of truth c. Iohn 14.16,17 Peter found the truth of this that Christ by his Spirit comes now to his Church Militant While Peter thought on the vision the Spirit said unto him behold three men seek thee But in the second place that I may more particularly and fully answer to this question to wit how Christ doth come to his Church Militant to comfort her in all conditions I will lay before you the generall conditions of mankinde and shew you how Christ by his Spirit as a Comforter comes to us in them The general conditions of mankinde are two prosperity and adversity Prosperity would soon bring the soules of Gods people to a comfortlesse condition did not Christ by his Spirit come to them Satan that evill Spirit is so busie comming to the children of God when in prosperity that did not Christ also come to them by his Almighty Spirit to quench all his fiery darts their soules would soone be comfortlesse the Lord knowes When Peter was warme in the High Priests Hall then the Devill by a Damosell came to him and so far he prevail'd on him that had not Christ lookt back upon him and by his Spirit come to him he had beene in a comfortlesse condition indeed And thus would the condition of good men now be which are warme in their nests with outward things did not Christ come to them when the sons of God be honourable and great amongst the sons of men as David and Solomon Iob Iacob and Abraham were then the Devill in point of polity though not out of love visits them often and by often comming to them then drawes their precious soules into many sins as pride ambition malice sensuality and the like which like Cankers quickly fret and eat out all divine consolation in the soule and leave it like the Prodigall feeding upon husks solacing it selfe with no other joy content then what the bare creature dipt in sin will afford the sense which you must needs say is of all comfortlesse conditions the most and worst comfortlesse Now that these may not be left in this comfortlesse state to perish eternally Christ by his Spirit thus comes to them First in a sweet still voice behinde them as the Prophet speaks saying sometimes in the midst of their sensuality this is not the way to eternall joy no this is the way O sensuall soule walk in it This still voice strikes a damp in the merry sensuall foule of a Christian makes his heart in the midst of vaine laughter sad If this be not prevalent enough to turne him but on againe he will in his sinfull way then Christ comes with a witnesse in thundering and lightning to convince and sting the conscience as he did to the Israelites to bring them to see their wickednesse in chusing a King Untill God thunder'd and lighten'd from Heaven fearfully they layd not to heart their rejecting God as their King but went on strongly and unaffectedly in their way And just thus oft times it is with many of the Sonnes of God in prosperity the still voice of Christ sweetly suggesting and mildely checking for fin is not strong enough to stop and turne them untill the Angell of the Covenant come downe into the conscience and stand with a flaming Sword threatning nothing but Hell and Death if they make on a steppe further they stop nor turne not which though not Christs naturall carriage to his children yet he will in tender love deny himselfe thus farre as to put on an affrighting Vizard upon his smiling countenance and come terribly and save violently by plucking his children out of the fire rather then hee will leave any of his so comfortlesse as to perish remedilesse Christ will speak out and speak plaine as he did to David by Nathan when a still voice and secret silent hints and becks will not do He will come and lay his mouth to a mans eare and cry aloud when he perceives that the pleasure or profit of sin hath made him very deafe he will never leave crying and calling striking and knocking till he hath made the deafe soule heare and humble himselfe with Peter and David and then he puls off the terrible Vizard from his countenance and lookes upon the mourning penitent with a countenance like Lebanon and his lips drop sweet smelling myrrh into his broken spirit and so is not left cōfortlesse according to Christs promise I will not leave you comfortlesse I will come to you But suppose Satan should not be busie comming to the sons of
of the night distilled upon his locks ere thou wouldst give him house roome in thy heart how many mercies how many corrections were all spilt upon thee ere Christ could win thee to respect him canst thou tell if thou canst not think not much if Christ make thee shed a few teares and breathe out a few groanes ere he bring glad tydings of peace unto thee Secondly if thou consider Christ thy visitour there is all the reason that can be that thou shouldst wait patiently till hee come to thee Christ will certainly come to thee Christ will come to thee at the fittest time Christ will come richly when he doth come which are all speciall grounds of patience Christ will certainly come to thee O comfortlesse soule though it may seeme to thee something long first Thou doest not wait for one that will not come at all as the Turk waiteth for Mahomet nay thou doest not wait for one that will frivolously delay the time of his comming Thou doest not wait for one that will deceive thee Christ hath promised to come to thee and he is faithfull and cannot deny himselfe There is two things in faithfulnesse first that a man should own what he hath said then secondly that he should make it good Now both these will Christ do Christ will not eat his words as we say what he hath promised he will confesse and will make good whatsoever labour or losse he be at to do it Christ is not mutable as we are to promise one thing to day and recall it againe to morrow he is immutable and changeth not therfore we are not consumed Thou doest not wait for one that will frivolously delay the time of his comming Christ will not deale with thy comfortlesse soule as those sorry ghests dealt with Christ make excuses one had bought a yoke of Oxen and therefore could not come an other a Farm c. Christ will not tell thee as Abrahā Dives in hell between thy soul him is a great gulfe so that there can be no intercourse between them Nor that from Heaven to Earth is too long a journey for him to make He will not tell thee that the place where thy sick comfortlesse soule lyes is filthy and altogether unfit for him to come to Hee will not tell thee that thy soule is so far gone in griefe and desperate sorrow that 't is in vain for him to come to thee Christ puts none of these delayes upon any of his patients No the ground why Christ stayes is that hee may come at the fittest time and then he will come with healing in his wings if all the Devils in Hell should oppose him which me thinks should be a satisfactory ground of patience to any disconsolate soule If a Physitian yet apply this and that for further evacuation rather then cordials as knowing the body not yet fit for cordials will not any wise man submit patiently to his way so if Christ for bear giving thy sick soule cordials as hee that well knowes thy soule not fit yet for such luscious things wilt not thou with much thankfulnesse acknowledge his great care over thy soule and with all patience waite his leasure I patiently undergoe the paine of drawing plaisters when I know my sore is not fit for healing thus should it be in spirituall distresses wee should patiently undergoe griefe and sorrow untill our soules bee fit for consolation and then we shall bee sure to have it Finally bee sure of this O mourning soule that Christ will come richly when hee doth come and therefore methinkes thou should'st waite patiently for him what Merchant but would waite patiently the returne of his Ship in the longest voiage if hee were sure that it would richly returne at last Christ will come very richly furnished with the comforts of the Holy Ghost which are unspeakable and glorious to your soules that mourne after him and waite for him What the Apostle once spake of himselfe in relation to the Romans that may I truely say of Christ in relation to all that mourne after him And I am sure that when I come unto you I shall come saith he in the fulnesse of the blessing of the Gospell of Christ Rom 15.29 Christ I am sure O mourning soule when he doth come unto thee hee wilt come in the fulnesse of the blessing of the Holy Ghost thou shalt have joy in the Holy Ghost unspeakable and glorious Thou by long waiting art made a more vast Vessell to hold the precious waters of consolation and Christ by long staying doth as I may say the more furnish himselfe with these waters of life to refresh fill and satisfy thy thirsty soule when he comes to thee Christ will heale throughly thy broken heart and binde up all thy woundes he will answer all thy doubts and cleare all thy scruples hee will quiet thy quarrelling conscience and still thy complaining Spirit he will fill thy sadde soule with joy and gladnesse and thy dejected spirit with Songs of thankes giving If these things O mourning soule will not make thee waite patiently till thy Comforter come to thee but thou wilt murmure and repine and fall upon indirect wayes to get consolation know that by this practice thou wilt make thy condition more miserable then at present it is Thou wilt grieve him that should come as a comforter to thee and if thou by sinne make Christ grieve how can Christ by his Spirit make thee rejoyce and if thou set him a mourning that can onely comfort thee by whom wilt thou bee comforted Dost thou thinke to winne Christ to thee by a dogged disposition Christ may pitty and cure thy humours but t' will never bee by consolation He will bring thee to bee lowly and meeke ere thou shalt find rest to thy soule hee will make thee willing to lye under his Feete glad of crummes of comfort and willing to waite for them till Christ hath dined and every Child served If thy corrupt soule hanker after the pleasure of sinne againe because Christ as a comforter doth not come to thee and thou bee resolved to picke and chuse amongst all the sins thy soule knowes to finde out one that thy soule most loves to make a comforter to thee as the Israelites in their dogged humour made them a Captaine to returne to Aegypt againe know this that what sinne thou pitchest upon to make a comforter that sinne will Christ make a Divell to torture thee Christ will make thee know by woefull experience that the sweetest sinne is a bitter and miserable comforter that the least sinne is too great an evill truly to comfort the soule that to goe to the Divell for consolation is to make faster hast for comfort then good speed that neither sinne nor any thing in the world beside sin shall comfort thy soule when he himselfe will not The last Instruction that I have to commend to thee O comfortlesse soule that did'st never yet