takes us off from sinne rather by the bitternesse of it then the sweetnesse of himselfe Suppose O soule as yet thy abstinence from sinne proceeds from feare rather then love yet know its Gods way thus to traine up his children How many have first abstained from sinne out of feare of Hell who yet afterward have been helped to abstaine from it out of love to Christ some who at first could not be kept from sinne if they had not been told of Hell death and damnation have yet in time sincerely profest they would abstaine and avoyd sinne if there were none of those things at all so it hath been with others so it shall be with you Let thy principles be as low as thou fearest oh soule and yet thy feare argues them higher then thou thinkest yet I say suppose them low now they may be high ere long God by degrees will heighten both thy practise and thy principles But Thirdly Jesus Christ knowes how to passe by low principles as well as pardon lewd practises He that can and doth forgive acts of sinne when very high can and will forgive abstinence from sinne when the principles are low Indeed Christ highly embraces soules who are yet principled but low Nathaniels first principle of faith in Christ was it seemes but low Iesus hints it was but this because he had told him that he saw him under the figg-tree as 't is Joh. 1.50 Suppose thy abstinence from sin be as low principled as his faith in Christ yet Christ knowes how to love thee as him therefore Lastly Know you that happinesse depends not upon your acts or principles of abstaining from sinne but upon the bloud of Christ that takes away all sinne The Apostle knew that if he should have said 1 Joh. 1.7 2.1 himselfe and other beleevers had no sinne he should have spoke amisse but sure he was of this that the bloud of Christ would cleanse from all and that if any sinned they had an Advocate with the Father and these things he writ that they might not sinne wherefore then O soule who abstainest from sinne be not cast downe for feare thy principles of abstinence are too low but rejoyce in this that the bloud of Christ shall take away the guilt of all thy lewd practises and much more the guilt of low and meane principles But yet O soule know this gives no liberty to sinne O no sayest thou it doth not and God forbid that I should sinne because of this grace I desire for ever to avoyd sinne and oh that I could doe it from holy and high principles Quest I pray help me herein Answ For thy helpe O soule in this kinde there are three things which I offer to thy thoughts as meanes to heighten thy principles in abstaining from sinne First Eye Christ as dying for sinne its low to abstaine from sinne for feare least it should spill our bloud but its high to adstaine from sinne in faith that it hath shed Christs bloud Eye thy Saviour on the Crosse O soule and that wil secretly and spiritually beget these thoughts in thee Shall I sinne for whom Christ dyed Did sinne kill him and shall not I therefore leave it Did he lay downe his life for my sins and shall â—ot I abstaine from my lusts for his sake The thoughts of this that sinne cost thy Saviours Bloud will heighten thy principle in abstaining from it Secondly Looke upon your selves as dead to sinne in your Saviours death for sinne if thou art dead to it thou wilt abstaine from it and if thou abstaine from sinne upon this principle thy principle is high The Apostle Paul teacheth this principle Rom. 6.11 Reckon ye your selves to be dead indeed unto sinne this is a conclusion which Logically he would have Christians to draw from Christs death The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. logically and rationally to conclude 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. That they are dead to sinne and if they thus conclude he hints the conclusion may be maintained for t is so indeed The soule is high in holinesse who avoyds sinne because t is dead to it Why O soule thou art indeed dead to sinne and if upon that reckoning or if from that reasoning thou abstaine from sinne thy abstinence is preciously principled Adde to this Lastly the remembrance of this viz. That sinne alone eclipseth love and this thought will beget hatred against sinne to purpose Hatred begotten or springing from love is great Why this thought O soule that sinne only cloudeth thy Saviours love will make thee out of love to his love hate sinne and so abstaine from it indeed And abstinence from sinne upon this account is high I know O soule you love discoveries of your Saviours love now then remember this Its sinne and sinne only that can hide love and if thou remembrest that thou wilt abstaine from sinne upon a principle of love to love and if thy principle be such thou wilt not have any cause to be cast downe or disquieted about it CHAP. 13. Satisfaction to cast downe soules troubled about the sinne against the Holy Ghost SAtan makes some soules dejected Case feare they have sinned unto death c. the sinne against the Holy Ghost and many soules cast downe Satisfaction are perplexed with this feare Now I shall seeke to remove this feare and to satisfie dejected soules in this case by the proposall of these particulars Definitio descriptio differunt apud logicos First It s very uncertaine what this sinne is I thinke none can exactly define it and few can well describe it now it s strange that thou shouldest feare more strange that any should conclude themselves guilty of such a sinne the knowledge of which is so uncertaine Secondly T is very certaine many soules especially dejected ones take that for this sin which is not It s true in a sence every sinne is a sinne against the Holy Ghost for he is God even as the Father and the Son but t is as true every sinne which is so accounted is not the sinne against the Holy Ghost of which the Scriptures speake as unpardonable Two sins I finde eminently urged by dejected soules against themselves as the sinne against the Holy Ghost that is to say 1 Sinning against cleare light and Conscience 2 Sinning against taste of love and experience But certainly t is possible for a Saint to commit sinne of both these kinds and yet not to sinne the sinne against the Holy Ghost I doe make no doubt but Davids sinne in the bed-businesse of Bathsheba had both these ingredients It cannot be doubted but his light was cleare that Adultery was a sinne and not to bee committed the expresse letter of the Commandements which David was well studied and skill'd in forbids it and for sinning after sweet experiences who doubts it David had sweet experiences of God when he was delivered from the Philistines Psal 56. and from
a substance Doe not dispute thy selfe O soul into doubts rather receive satisfaction Christ will not lose any that are given to him It s his Fathers will he should not as he saith Joâ— 6.39 And surely hee 'l be faithfull to his Father Oh therefore be not thou fearefull of falling but if thou wilt fear let it be with a feare of diligence to keepe thee from security let it not be with a feare of diffidence to fill thee with sorrowes Christ who in no wise would cast thee off when thou commest will in no wise lose thee now thou art come If thou wander hee 'l seeke thee if thou fall hee 'l raise thee yea and what ever may be thy feares hee 'l uphold thee in his Grace even to the Grave and besides hee 'l raise thee up againe at the last day Thus have I passed through those particular Cases which I proposed to my selfe to resolve But alas all that I have said is but dead unlesse Christ quicken it READER pray over these conceptions that a spirit of life may come into them that they may so quicked dejected Soules that they may arise and say to themselves Why are we cast downe and why are we disquieted Let us not give way to our feares and sadnesse but exercise our faith and patience for we shall yet see God as the health of our countenance and as our God But these things are more fully to be spoken unto in the following Sections CHAP. 15. Cure for Soules cast downe by remainder of corruption HAving past through the particular cases of dejected soules I thought it not amisse to adde by way of supplement unto them some other I remember I touched upon eight grounds of Spirituall dejection and least upon the mention of them any soule should be troubled I shall offer somethings to satisfie such who is or may be cast downe about them so that as in the former Section I indeavoured to satisfie the particular feares of dejected soules I shall in this endeavour to cure the generall causes of all dejection Divines know there is a difference between a Cause and a Case the one is the bitter seed the other the sower fruit of dejection Now as I have said something to the one so shall I likewise speake a little to the other To begin then in that order in which I prepared them The first cause of Spirituall dejection was the remainders of corruption Cause this indeed is the root and ground of all dejections And in order to the Cure of a soule cast downe in the sight and sence of remaining corruption I shall lay downe these considerations First Cure Consider that the worke of Christ upon the soule doth not in this Life altogether destroy Place these 2 Sheets k l next after Fol. 132. sinne As long as the soule is in the body there will be sinne in the soule even Paul had a body of sinne and death in him and till death destroy the body thou must not looke to have sinne altogether dead in thee This is granted by all and why should it be questioned by thee O dejected soule Secondly Consider remaining corruption will worke one time or other A Dogge though in a chaine will barke and sometimes bite too a man cannot carry fire in his bosome but sometime or other it wil heat him if it doe not burne him Thou cryest out O dejected soul that they remaining corruption doth oft disturbe thee but why shouldest or how canst thou expect the contrary While thou dwellest in this house of Clay that Dunghill wil annoy thee But Thirdly Remember corruptions groaned under as a burden are rather a ground of rejoycing then of dejection for First it argues a life of bolinesse to feele a weight in sinne Dead men feele no weight be it never so heavie and Secondly it argues an activity of life to groane Many soules rather glory in then groane under a weight of sinne but it is a speciall mercy thou art not as they are Fourthly Beleeve it O soule Jesus Christ doth simpathize with thee under this thy burthen While thou groanest under and art cast down at the sight of remaining corruption thou art the object of Christs compassion It is a good plaister for any sore to consider the pitty of our Saviour Christ pitties thee O poore dejected soule to see thee labouring and groaning under the remainder of sinne Heb. 4.2 Fifthly Consider remaining corruption shall never ruine thee As the remaining Canaanites did not could not ruine Israel in the promised Land so neither shall remaining corruption ever ruine thy soule Could corruption ruine thy holinesse joy salvation glory c. thou mightest be much dejected indeed but that it cannot shall not doe Thy holinesse thy joy thy salvation thy glory c. are all safe in the impregnable bulwark Christs hand which is the infinite power of God and though corruption remaine in thee it shall never ruine these Sixthly Consider Jesus Christ dyed to redeeme thee from the remainders of corruption And doe thou act thy faith on thy Saviours death for thy sinnes death the vertue of his death remaines to keep under corruption from having dominion It is thy duty and let it be thy care and endeavour to goe to Jesus Christ for strength against and victory over thy remaining corruption therefore up and be doing that is beleeving Doe not sit solitary as one cast downe to see some remainders of sin Suppose O soule you had seene some gallant Captaine rescuing a person or place from the power of some potent enemy by breaking the strength and power of the Enemy and by taking up his abode in some Castle neare the place Suppose after this there should appeare some scattered Parties should the person or place be dejected at the remainder of a routed adversary should not they rather goe to their Conquerour and Captaine and intreat him to suppresse those remaining forces Beare up O cast-downe soule the case is thine Christ the Captaine of thy salvation hath routed the maine body of sinne upon his crosse and spoiled corruption of his chiefest strength he hath set up a garrison in thy soule and put in a party strong enough to repell and keep under the remaining forces O goe to him stirre up his Spirit to come forth and to bring thy Conquerours sword to check and suppresse thy tumultuous enemies I meane to lift up thy Saviours crosse against thy corruptions And beleeve it soule there is a vertue still in that Crosse to keep the remainders of corruption under Be not therefore cast downe but beleeve and if thou by the Spirit whom Christ hath put into the garrison of thy soule doe goe forth and mortifie sinne thou shalt live and it shall dye at last CHAP. 16. Cure for Soules cast downe by falls into sinne THe second cause of Spirituall dejection was as I mentioned falls into sinne This casts down the soule that the remainders of corruption doe
him Our prayers have been rather the fruit of our heads and babbling of our lips then the breath of our hearts and panting of our spirits And yet say some soules Suppose our spirits were in prayer We feare Gods spirit was not The father seeketh such to worship him as do it in the spirit and the Apostle calls for praying in the Holy Ghost Now though our own spirit was in our prayers we feare Christs spirit was not It may be wee have prayed in the gifts of the spirit But what are they without the spirit himselfe Againe say the same dejected soules although wee should thinke and hope that we have prayed both in the sincerity of our own spirit and in the strength of Christs spirit yet we feare whether ever God hath regarded Surely he hath been alway angry with for as yet he never answered any of our prayers And to call and not bee heard to pray and not be answered Pro. 1.28 is a threatned judgement This oh this is our feare that we are those at whose calamitie God will laugh as it is Pro. 1.26 Secondly There are others who in their dejection vent other feares As now about the word whether ever it came to them as the word of God and as good seed upon good ground Alas cryeth one poore dejected soule I have heard the word often preached but I fear to no purpose for I thinke I never heard God in it It was the praise of the Thessalonians that they heard the word not as the word of men but as the word of God But it s my shame and sorrow I have rather heard men then God I read saith the soule the Parable of the Sower and I remember there was but one good ground which received the seed aright and I fear I am none of that I doubt I am the high-way-ground or the stony or the thorny but sure I am not the good ground i. e. one who with an honest and good heart having heard the word doth keep it for sure I bring not forth the fruit with patience Thus the fears of some dejected soules work about the word But Thirdly Other dejected souls breathe forth feares about the Promises As whether they have right to them or did ever in the spirit close with them Oh say some soules the Promises are indeede exceeding great and precious But are they ours wee doubt it my soule doubts saith one when I reade the Promises I doe rather read the riches of others then my owne Alas I feare they are none of mine and I dare not indeed cannot close with them Sometimes I have climbed the outside of the Promise I have read the letter but alas I never was in the inside in the spirit of a Promise It s likely many hung upon Noahs Arke without But none were saved but those within And I feare I was never within the Arke of any Promise Fourthly Some soules when cast downe feare their very abstinence from sinne As now whether they did or doe abstaine from sinne in a slavish way for feare or in a Sonne-like way for love I feare saith the soule I have and I do abstaine from sin rather from rationall then from pious principles I doubt I dread the coale of corruption rather for the fire of it which will burne mee then the filib of it which will blacke mee I doubt its the cudgell of wrath that drives me backe rather then the coard of love which keepes mee in from sinne Good soules abstaine from sin from heavenly principles as love of God desire of holinesse and I feare my principles are hellish as feare of damnation and or at best but earthly as shame of men and the like Fiftly Some soules when cast down cry out Oh the sinne against the Holy Ghost I feare saith a dejected soul I have sinned unto death I have sinned against such strong light and such sweet love that I feare my sinne is now the unpardonable sinne which shall not cannot bee forgiven I may well bee cast downe if that bee my case which was Judas his and I feare it is Christ saith all sinne and blasphemy shall bee forgiven but that which is against the Holy Ghost Alas here is my fear that I am guilty of that sin Sixtly The feares of some when cast downe doe not worke thus high yet they vent themselves thus Oh we feare we shall fall away Angells fell Adam fell others fall and are we surer then they Surely we are not so strong and therefore not so sure Many have gone beyond me in the spirit and yet saith the soule have ended in the flesh and I feare I shall doe so too I goe but softly I fall often I looke backe many times and I doubt I shall never persevere unto the death what is it to begin well and end ill what is it to have Ephraims righteousnesse A morning dew Alas mine is no better if so good This is my case and I may well be cast downe for I fear I shall fall The promise of the Crown is to perseverance Hee that is faithfull to the death shall have the crowne of life But I feare I doubt I shall not hold out neare unto death for my heart misgives me and I feare I shall fall away ere long and loose all at last CHAP. 8. The other branch of the workings of spirituall dejections which is greife and sorrow HAving now gone over sundry doubts and feares which are the workings of spirituall dejections I shall touch in a word only upon the other branch viz. That of greife and sorrow For As the soule when it s cast downe is full of feare so likewise its full of griefe Disquieted David vents himselfe not onely in feares but in sorrowes His teares were his meat day and night as it is vers .. 3. He went in mourning ver 9. Sighs complaints expostulations those also are the workings of spirituall dejection Ah Lord what palenesse of face what wringing of the hands what watering of the cheeks doth dejection produce what beating of the breast with the Publican what weeping and crying with Rachell what questioning and crying with Mary doth casting down cause There are two appearances of these kind of workings 1 Within The soule tosseth it selfe up and downe the heart rowles and beates as if it would breake its passage through the body How doth the soule talke with its selfe and aggravate its griefe How is the heart smitten and withered as grasse as t is Psal 102.4 The bowells boile and rest not as t is Job 30.26 2 Without The lips quiver as t is Hab. 3.16 The eyes run down all the night as Lam. 1. the voice that speakes faintly And is there any sorrow as mine was ever soule as I am Did you ever meet with any in my case Thus griefe vents it selfe and thus doth the disquieted soule as it thinkes ease it selfe But I neede not go about to paint these sorrowes some soules are able
But the soule convinced by the spirit is convinced of this sin as of the sin of sinnes viz. unbeleefe Oh saith a soul which is convinced by the spirit I know drunkennesse is a sin uncleannesse is a sinne pride a sin c. But I know unbeleef is a sin as great ray greater then them all This is laid upon my spirit that Christ is come into the world sweetly discovering the love of God freely tendering reconcilement in his blood But I Oh I did little see and much slight him I did not make it my worke to go after him nor have I been willing when he hath come after me to accept him And this oh this hath been nay I fear 't is still my sin Oh this base vile damnable unbeleefe is that which hath and doth lye upon my spirit Other sins put me in an â—â—â—solute necessity of salvation and this sealed me under damnation HEE THAT BELEEVETH NOT HE IS CONDEMNED ALREADY Oh that Scripture tooke hold on me Christ came and was willing to imbrace but I would not beleeve He came sweetly weeing and I stood out sinfully rejecting He tendered grace freely and I did put off that tender wretchedly He said come unto me and I le ease you and I did not could not would not beleeve and therefore came not to him This O this I am convinced of as my sin and this I doubt is my sin to this day The truth is I can hardly beleive yet that Christ came to save sinners Why say Oh soul doth not thy heart answer to these things as face to face is there not a copy of this complaint in the secret tables of thy heart If there be pray who should nay who could write it but the spirit Who could take these things of Christ and reveale them unto thee but the spirit Surely if none can call Jesus Lord but by the spirit as it is 1 Cor. 12.3 Then none could be convinced so far of sin for not receiving of or beleeving in which is all one this Lord Christ but by the Holy Ghost But Secondly What is the great principle upon which you are most convicted Is it SENSE or HOPE of divine love It may be thou hast sometimes tasted how good the Lord is Peradventure you have had some sence of the love of God Or It may be you have only sometimes attained some hopes of divine loves Now is it this that doth most affect thy heart in thy conviction Doth not thy soule say Oh! what a vile wretch have I been who have despised the riches of Gods goodnesse and who have not been led thereby unto repentance Standest thou convinced of the greatnesse of sins by the consideration of the greatnesse of his love Because God hath been is and thou hopest will be exceeding good Art not upon this convinced that thou art and hast been exceeding bad Surely so much as love and sweetnesse hath had an influence upon thy conviction so much the spirit hath been in it The hand of wrath may convince a Pharoah that he hath sinned but an eye of love will make a Peter weep bitterly Therfore Thirdly In thy convictions for sin what sight hast thou had of Christ The spirit where he convinceth of sin he also convinceth of righteousnesse as t is John 16.10 i.e. the spirit convinceth the soule that albeit it is unrighteous yet there is a righteousnesse in Christ which it may have The spirit where he is a messenger of sin comming in and convincing the soule thereof he is also an Interpreter taking the things of Christ and so shewing thereof unto the soule the spirit is that one of a thousand to shew unto man his uprightnesse as t is Job 33.23 An hypocrite may be convinced by the Law but alas in that conviction he sees only a Moses But a Saint is convinced not only by the Law but the Gospell and therefore in his conviction he sees a Messiah Canst not thou say O soul when thou wert convinced that thou wert a sinner thou wert also convinced that there was a Saviour Didst not thou see a remedy as well as a disease a healing plaister as well as a killing wound A Saviour as well beseeching sinners to come unto him that they might have life as blaming of them for not beleeving in him that they might be free from death Surely soule its the spirit who giveth life the letter killeth Where the letter convinceth only it doth leave a soule under the sentence of death But if together with the sentence of death for sin thou didst also see the hopes of life in a righteousnesse then there was something more and higher then the letter in thy conviction even the Holy Ghost If then when thou wert convinced thou didst see unbeleife as the great sin and divine love as the great aggravation of that unbeleife and yet withall a sight of free and full righteousnesse tendred as a cure of both If I say thou didst see these things in thy conviction why art thou cast down O soule and why dost thou fear the spirit was not in thy conviction To go on then to the last branch of this fear and doubt Thou sayst O soul that dost fear thy comfort was not from the spirit At lest thou sayst thou dost doubt it It s true after thy storme thou didst heare a still voyce but sayst thou was the spirit in that voyce Sometimes even after conviction thou dost say thou didst feel comfort but thou fearest whether it were from the spirit or from the letter and fancy c. Why now in order to the scattering of this fear let me intreate you to consider these three things First Whence it was that thy comfort was fetched which was brought to thee was it not such as one of a thousand could not bring came it not from Jesus Christ who can only give man his righteousnesse as it is Job 33 23. He shall take of mine and shall shew it unto you saith Christ of the spirit Job 16.15 Where the spirit brings in comfort it is still shewed to be fetched from Christ Alas canst not thou say It was not from any creature men or Angell that the hope of your comfort came Alas miserable Comforters were they all But it was onely from Christ where the spirit comforts he doth it still in a discovery of Christ As he shewes Christ pierced by the soule and useth that sight unto conviction so he discovers Christ willing to imbrace the soul and useth this sight unto consolation The peace and comfort of some is rather from a cessation of the trouble of conscience then from a sight and discovery of Christ Now if thy comfort came only from an apprehension of Christ and from a sight of the things in him why art thou disquieted as if thy comfort were not from the spirit Since as no man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him 1 Cor. 2.11 Even so the
intends a cure in this opening the wound Some Hypocrites have a seared conscience I feare they are incureable But this discovery of thy disease is a signall of health Christ deals well with those whom he wounds he hath balme for the bruised Many a wretch playes the hypocrite all his life and goes into hell in the conceit he lived in Yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Signifies a Player usually t is rendred Actor by the Latines some shall come conceited of sincerity at last saying Lord Lord But Christ will then make them know what they are It s mercy that he discovers thee to thy selfe here The Publican is better in his sackcloath confessing then the Pharisee in his vizzard praising But. Sixtly Add to al this the consideration of the promise of the spirit to them that aske him Lu. 11.13 Though thy spirit be hypocriticall yet Christs spirit is sincere Christ hath promised to send him It s but aske and have David it seemes was in your case and he prayed Renew in me a right or a sincere spirit And you know what incouragement he gives This poore man said he he speaks as if he were as poor as thou oh soul cryed and the Lord heard him Psal 34.6 It s the Covenant of promise that he will give a new heart Object T is so indeed but alas I have prayed and yet not received and therefore my joy is not full I have groaned under this hypocrisie many yeares And yet see not the promise of the comming of Christs spirit c. Answ Surely thou art mistaken O soule in saying the spirit is not come Those groanes of thine are his That softnesse is an effect of him Peradventure all thy hypocrisie is not yet cured I said in this life it would not be The spirit will be a refiners fire all your dayes It s true he could burne up all at once but thou couldest not bear it Such a fire would breake thee Gold-smiths proportionate their fire else the refining pot would crack Certainly the Lord Christ considers we are but earthen vessells therefore the refining fire is heated accordingly The spirit purgeth out hypocrisie by degrees In time he 'l have purged out all Even this dejection of thine is a degree of purging And this fruit thou shalt have of this feare That thy feare of hypocrisie shall worke for thy sincerity why then art thou cast downe O soule be not disquieted so with the feare of hypocrisie trust in God waite on the spirit for thou shalt yet praise him as sincere to thee and making thee so to him CHAP. 6. Satisfaction for soules who fear they shall never get the victory over corruptions THe next sort of cast down soules which I would indeavour to raise up Case are such as are much disquieted and cry out upon their corruptions Oh say they corruptions are strong and we are weake They fight we oppose as well as we can but we doubt the conquest We feare corruption will get the day well may we be cast downe while we lye under this fear c. Now for the satisfaction of such souls and in order to the lifting up of their dejected spirits I would offer have them to consider these things First This combate may consist with Satisfaction and indeed ever is with a state of grace It s the weaknesse of some to think and say that their conquest is compleate and that they are in perfect quiet Surely I say these words are rather discoveries of weaknesse then of strength and perfection Israel was not at rest when in Canaan Neither are those soules who are troubled with and for sinnes in Aegypt It s not an Israelitish spirit to say either others or our selves are in Aegypt because we have still combatings Even in Canaan they had their combatings God left some there to keep his people in action Doe not thinke especially do not conclude thou art still in Aegypt because thou art not freed from fightings and feares Beleive O soule thou mayest be in the land of promise and yet be troubled with the combates For Secondly Even choyce Saints have been as you are i.e. pestered with corruptions and troubled with fear of conquest Paul had been as high as any even in the third heavens and yet he had his buffettings yea and he crys out of them again and again You think your selves sometimes in a sadder estate then any And you say were ever any so wretched as you are Yes O soule Paul even Paul who came behind none nay who was before any in grace and guifts he was as wretched as you are And he crys out so O wretched man that I am Marke that I am as if none other were as he It s a comfortable and raising thought O ye cast downe soules Other choyce Saints have been in as wretched a condition as you are by reason of the combatings of corruption Thirdly Consider it s a rich mercy to have a heart to strive with and to be affraid of corruption Many a wretch is at peace with sin yea many are in Covenant with hell and death Some there be who are so far from fighting with and fearing of corruption that they pay tribute to it and make provision for it Many a wretch is a voluntary conquered captive unto sin And its mercy that you have a heart to strive Time was when you were free from righteousnesse i.e. had none at all and then you served sin It s grace that now you do oppose it and deny to yeeld service to it Were you at peace with sin you might feare your enmity with God But being at warre with it you may have peace in him But. Fourthly As long as your soul is kept up in a striving way it s a sign of strength Why should you say you are weake and feare c. sith you are so strong as to fight Weake ones are not fighters had you not some divine strength you could not stand before corruption But seeing you are after long fighting able yet to stand and strive why are you cast downe as if you should not get the day Consider O dejected soul that it argues a tree to be well rooted that stands after much blowing And it s a signe of a strong and valiant souldier if he keepe to his ground and flinch not notwithstanding great combating And certainly it may argue unto thee that through Christ thou art yet strong In as much as still thou art able to strive Object Oh but I feare for future thou wilt say because as yet sin stands strong notwithstanding all I doe against it I feare I shall never after all my striving get the victory over it Reply But why O soule shouldst thou thus feare Peradventure as yet thou hast not resisted unto blood in striving against sin Bear up yet a little longer strive yet still sin will bleed and fall ere long For Fiftly Consider It s no argument that you shall not
conquer because as yet you have not Thy soule may be victorious though not yet That party that is put hard to it at first may come off with the conquest afterward It s a certaine truth that Jesus Christ shall get the full conquest over all things and that he shall bring every thing into subjection to himselfe But now we see not yet all things under him Heb. 2.8 It were a saying fallacious at first hearing to say Christ shall not put all things under him because as yet we do not now see it What if as yet thou hast not got the victory over corruption Mayest not thou be a conqueror hereafter although not new Some that have been worsted in the morning have yet been conquerers ere â—ight Operis victoria finis It s the end that declares the conquest Be not cast down O soule notwithstanding thy corruption doth as yet hold up thou mayst in the end conquer for all that But besides pray consider Sixtly That your soul gets many a victory that you mind not You rout sin many a time if you did but marke it Your soule is so eager after a full and finall conquest that you do not observe many particular successes you give pride unbeleefe uncleannesse c. many a desperate gash but though it be desperate in the heat and height of your spirits you regard it not because t is not dead Say O dejected soule hath not Christ helped thee many a time to put a temptation to flight yea and to give thy corruptions a wound And if so why art thou cast downe with feare of being conquered Christ will perfect victory for thee in the end However mind it Seventhly Sin shall never get the victory ever you Had you but faith at lest could you beleeve this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so is it used and translated Lu. 22.25 you would not feare Is it not expresly said Ro. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you The word signifies to have Lordship Peradventure it may give you a foile but it shall not finally give you a fall It shall never Lord it over you by vertue of a full and finall conquest 'T was said of the Romans that they were sometimes overcome in battell Victi in praelio aliquando in bello nunquam Caesar Com. but never in the War the meaning is they were sometimes routed in an on-set but never conquered Certainly O poor dejected spirits you shall never be totally conquered by your corruptions Christ hath said it that the gates of hell shall never prevaile against his Church So said D. Sibs upon the Cant. page 5. And there is the same regard of the whole Church and of every particular member in regard of the cheifest priviledges 〈◊〉 graces that accompany salvation Hell neither without thee in temptations nor within thee in corruptions shall never prevaile against thee O soule thy Lord hath delivered it and why shouldest thou doubt it Adde to all this Lastly If you could but beleeve you might see victory waiting on you over every corruption Had you Pauls eys even in that combate the sence of which makes you as it did him groane you could see the conquest And be able to be so farre from being cast downe with a feare of being conquered as that in the faith of conquest you would as he did thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 7.21 Christ dyed as well to free you from the conquest of sin here as the condemnation of it hereafter In his death you dyed and by the vertue thereof sin in you shall be crucified The Apostle bids you indeed reckon upon this as t is Rom. 6.11 Mind these things O cast down soule and in the consideration of them rouze and raise up your spirits and say why are we cast down and disquieted with fears lest corruption should be too hard for us or doubts that we should never conquer it The Apostle hath said it shall not have dominion over us yea and that we are in all things more then conquerors through Christ CHAP. 7. Satisfaction for soules doubting whether as yet they have closed with Christ THe seventh sort of feares which fill the soule when it s cast downe are about its closing with Christ Case Some there are as I noted that when they are cast downe cry out Oh they fear they never did truly close with Christ in all their lives at lest in a saving way They have so many feares and so little faith so much doubting and so little assurance that they thinke and fear they never did in a right Gospell way close with Jesus Christ Now that I might satisfie such soules and raise them I shall propose these particulars First Satisfaction It s possible to have closed with Christ and yet to doubt it All experienced Divines and Christians know that faith and doubting may dwell together It s true faith as faith doth not doubt but yet where faith is there doubting may be Experience witnesseth to this that hypocrites may and doe thinke they have closed with Christ when they have not And why should not we conceive as well on the other hard that Saints may have closed with Christ and yet think they have not It may indeed be questioned whether the soule doth act faith and know it not But I thinke it cannot be denyed but that the soule may have faith and not act it Peradventure it s not possible in the act of closing to be ignorant thereof But certainly after the act t is possible to doubt Inasmuch as the soule may question whether that act were right I do not fear to lay downe this as an undenyable truth that soules may have closed with Christ and yet doubt it This is the first thing I propose The second is It s possible that all the grounds upon which the soule questions its closing with Christ may be weake and false As the grounds upon which hypocrites conceit their faith to be good may be and are false and insufficient So likewise the grounds upon which a sound beleever may question his faith as bad may be fallible and false too In this case a Saints feare and an hypocrites presumption may be both alike groundlesse These grounds I find amongst others as the main of this feare 1 Want of assurance 2 A not seeing of Christ sweetly 3 An inabillity to trust Christ for other things 4 Some kinde of blasphemous thoughts of Christ Now neither of these are grounds firm enough to build this upon that ones closing with Christ is false First Want of assurance cannot make â—ut a not closing with Christ Assurance is rather a consequent i.e. a thing that followes then a concomitant i.e. a thing that goes with our closing with Christ I know some that make assurance and faith all one But as yet I am unconvinced of any thing that might make that good that every soule that hath closed with Christ is assured thereof I
Soul in the cave Psal 57. yea and he composed a special choyce Psalme upon each occasion therefore he stiles them Michtams i. e. golden Psalmes and yet it was after all this that he fell in that foule businesse I might instance in Peters Case which seemed and in a sence did exceed Davids and in the case of others and yet none ever charged them with the sinne against the Holy Ghost so that t is cleare many are mistaken in this sinne and why mayest not thou be mistaken oh soule who fearest it Thirdly There are some soules who are not at present capable of that sinne my meaning is that cannot possibly at present be charged with it as now such as are not very highly enlightened such as have not had any great or high income of joy and sweetnesse such as have not been eminent and long professors All Divines conclude that a person sinning the sinne against the Holy Ghost must be supposed to be 1. One much enlightened 2. One who hath tasted of the heavenly gift and the joyes of the Holy Ghost yea and 3. One who hath been some famous and forward Professor Now alas poore soule thou cryest out thou art but a babe a novice one who knowes little and hast tasted lesse one who hath small light and weake life and no joy or comfort at all one whose highest degree of knowledge is but as yet a beame whose greatest income of joy is but a drop who art a stranger to tasting of the heavenly powers and the world to come and who yet art no forwarder then humbly to professe to desire to feare Jehovah and to love Jesus Thou dost often sigh these sayings and seale to them as true and this may secure thee from being guilty of the sinne against the Holy Ghost sith at present thou art incapable of that sinne But Forthly The soule guilty of this sinne cannot be troubled for it at least so as to desire to repent of it and to have Christ to pardon it Thy feare thy trouble thy disquiets O soule argue thou art free from this sinne for wert thou guilty of it thy heart it would be hardred and could not desire to repent thy Conscience it would be seared and no way disquieted for it yea and thy desires would be dead so as that thou wouldest not pant after Christ nor the Spirit thy very feares and disquiets should answer in this case themselves they could not would not be in thee if this sinne were committed by thee a senslesse and troublelesse soule ever goes along with this sinne and therefore know this Fifthly None can be guilty of the sin against the Holy Ghost but such as First totally fall away from both Practise and Profession of all godlinesse and Religion as t is Heb. 6.6 Secondly Directly doe despite unto the spirit of grace as t is Heb. 10.29 and Thirdly Such as doe directly and plainly and professedly oppose and speake evill of the wayes of Christ which sometimes they professed Now tell me O soule and beware of false witnesse against thy selfe Quest First Art thou totally falne away from both the practise and profession of godlinesse Dost hold no points of Faith Dost doe no acts of Religion Dost make no profession of Jesus Christ Answ Surely I heare the say I desire to beleeve and the Lord help my unbeleefe I desire to walke exactly to have a good Conscience to God and man and this profession I make that if I know my heart I desire to worship the God of my Fathers according to that order of the Gospell which many count and call Heresie well then O soule thou art not totally falne away which yet thou wouldest be if thou wert guilty of the sinne feared But Quest Secondly Say soule and doe not eclipse the truth of Gods grace in thee Darest thou doe despight to the Holy Ghost Ans Surely I heare thee answering I tremble at the thought thereof I would not for ten thousand worlds speake the least evill of that good Spirit I am so farre from despiting him that I doe earnestly desire him and waite for him Alas this O soule would not could not be wert thou guilty of this sinne Then Thirdly answer O soule Dost thou oppose godlinesse Quest What dost or darest thou persecute such as desire to walke with Christ c Answ Is not this thy reply to this That thou rather pittyest thy selfe for not being so forward as others then persecutest them for being before thee Yea thou art so farre from opposing those that are godly that thou wouldest if Christ would help thee suffer any persecutions rather then leave off thy endeavour to be godly Now certainly O poore dejected soule thou art not guilty of the sinne thou fearest for if thou wert thou wouldest fall away wholly and speake evill of the Spirit directly and oppose godlinesse professedly sith these things doe ever accompany that sinne against the Holy Ghost But Lastly there have been precious soules who sometime feared their sinning against the Holy Ghost and yet have afterward enjoyed the sealing of the Holy Ghost See the Bookes of them Mistris Drake Mistris Wight and others of late have brought forth this experience fully to light that soules who have sometimes questioned their sinning unto death have yet found the Spirit sealing them up to life and Mistris Drake breathed out a little before her death this comfortable counsel Never let any despaire how desperately miserable soever their case be Wherefore then rouze up thy selfe O dejected soule thou who now fearest the sinne against the Spirit mayest ere long boast of the seale of the Spirit Trust thou in Christ for thou shalt yet praise him for joy and assurance given in by that Holy Ghost against whom at present thou fearest that thou hast sinned CHAP. 14. There remaines yet one Case more which being spoke unto puts an end to this Section NOw this Case is the feare of falling away after all Case Many a poor soul which is satisfied it may be for the present in its state yet questions it for the future Oh! say some soules we feare we shall never hold out many have gone farte and yet have perished at last for want of perseverance indeed this is usually the last trouble of dejected soules and in this as in a last refuge they shelter their feares Suppose say they our case be now as good as the Angels at first as good as Adams in Paradice yet Adam fel and Angels fel and we fear the like Now unto these soules I would offer these particulars Satisfaction in order to raise them from under this dejection First Blessed is the soule that feareth alway The soule standeth surest while it trembleth the Apostle adviseth him that standeth to take heed least he fall And the way to stand is not to be high minded but to feare as it is Rom. 11.20 Many had never fell had they ever feared Peters presumption was his fayling
say Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within me blesse his holy name who forgiveth all thine iniquities and healeth all thy diseases Quest Prethee mind this and say doth it not speake to thy dejection Answ No wilt thou say I would beare sicknesse but that I feare death This thought I shall dye is that which casts me down Reply 'T is true I thinke and I know here is the bottome of the doubt and dejection to speake therefore to it directly I le grant it thou shalt dye though it may be not now but suppose I say now Case even now thou shalt die yet consider these things and thou needest not be dejected First Christ came to deliver thee from this feare Cure It s the feare of death that doth more deject then death it self Now remember Christ came to free thee from this feare For as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himselfe likewise tooke part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devill And marke it deliver them who through the feare of death were all their life time subject unto bondage Heb. 2.14 15. Consider Christ hath destroyed him that had the power of death the Devill and hath delivered thee Couldest thou beleeve this and why shouldest thou not thou mightest triumph But Secondly Christ hath tooke away the sting of death Death is a Bee having the hony of deliverance from this vile body c. but it hath no sting For what saith the Scripture The sting of death is sin the strength of sin is the law but thankes bee to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ goe thou to that glorious chapter 1 Corinth 15. and read it O thou that art dejected with feares of death Thirdly Christ will be with thee in that hour thou fearest Thou shalt not dye alone for though all thy friends shall leave thee yet wil not Christ This David knew for speaking of his shepherd and who is the shepheard but our Lord Jesus as t is Hel 13.20 He saith although I walke through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evill he needed not for observe what he saith THOU ART WITH MEE thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me Psal 23.4 Albeit thy relations bid thee farewell and shake hands as not being willing nor able to keep thee longer company yet Christ wil not leave thee nor forsake thee In truth in life nor death hee 'le never doe that as t is Heb. 13.5 Fourthly Death shall be no death to thee A change it wil be and that from worse to the better but it s not a death Did not Christ say it Whosoever liveth and beleeveth in me shall never dye yea though he were dead yet shal he live John 11.26 Thou must not call that death which the Scripture cals but sleep The Scripture speakes of the dead in Christ that they sleep in Jesus 1 Thess 4.14 And she is not dead but sleepeth and our friend Lazarus sleepeth Now why shouldest thou O soule who art weary be cast down with the thoughts of sleep Fiftly Christ hath sweetned death for thee He hath layne in the grave and so honoured and softned that bed unto beleevers Would any child be afraid to lye in its mothers bed Is it not an Honour to lye down in the same bed in which the King of glory lay Art dejected O soule to go into thy Saviours Sepulchre what art thou cast downe with the feares of gain to dye is gaine said Paul Philip. 1.21 Sixtly Christ will raise you up againe Hee hath said so and if he should not he would not only breake his own word but disobey his fathers will neither of which hee 'l doe This is the fathers will who hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should loose nothing but should raise it up at the last day This Christ spake once yea twice and pray marke it wel John 6 39 41. Christ O soul wil raise thee up againe Should the child be afraid to goe to sleep at night when his Father promiseth to raise him up in the morning Christ hath promised to raise up your bodies again yea and he hath promised to give you a new spirit into the bargaine for t is sowne a Naturall but raised a Spirituall body Put all this together O thou dejected soul and tell me now What cause hast thou to be cast downe with the thoughts of death May not these considerations cure that cause of thy dejection Thou art now troubled with sicknesse weaknesse paines c. but let death come doe not feare it and thou shalt be cured of all Diseases yea and which is better freed from all defilements Methinkes therefore you should rather desire to be desolved then feare death and imitate those who groaned to be uncloathed of this earthly house as knowing they have a better even a building with God an house not made with hands eternall in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 Goe O cast down soule to that Scripture and thou wilt in it finde a Cordiall to cheere and cure thy spirit in this feare CHAP. 22. Cure for soules cast downe and dejected by the sence of Divine wrath A Little wrath of the Almighty casts the soule very low Cause even as low as Hell for what else is Hell but Divine wrath felt How many dejected hearts are there that cry out that the Almighty is angry that he frownes upon them and that every wrinckle in his forehead is a grave burying all their comforts When men smite God can cure and when God giveth quietnesse who then can make trouble but when be hideth his face who then can behold him Job 34.29 Indeed this is a sad cause of dejection and it puts the soule into a very dejected case indeed yet it is not incurable a soule that is cast down by the sence of Gods wrath may be raised if Christ will helpe it to minde and beleeve these particulars First This case is not singular even many holy men and women in all Ages of the world have been in this condition Cure Company is a comfort even in misery Thou needest not cry out O soule and say Was there ever sorrow like unto mine Yes there was thou feelest thine owne paine but David Job Heman Hezekiah c. felt as much peradventure more wrath then thou dost but why doe I speake of particulars When as I remember the Lord had not mercy but INDIGNATION upon Judah and Jerusalem i. e. the whole body of Israel threescore and ten yeares Zach. 1.12 yea as the body so the head of all the godly was made sensible of Gods wrath for Christ drunk the cup of his Fathers wrath it is more then a bad and unsound way of arguing I am under Gods wrath and therefore I am not Gods Childe This way of arguing condemnes all Gods