of the holie apostle Saint Iames who counselleth vs Iames 5.16 to confesse our sinnes one to an other and to pray for one an other But alas say you how should I pray for you True praier is not a set order of fine wordes when I can not pray for my selfe If you cannot pray in set wordes and in fine order can you not therefore pray at all can you not sigh and groane inwardly in the true feeling of your soul as one that is so greatly oppressed with griefe that he hath not a tongue to vtter that which he hath within his minde If you can sigh and grone after this maner be of good comfort For you haue learned long since from some of your faithful teachers who haue many times soundlie taught this point from the word of God and that of purpose for the relief of weake consciences that you pray verie effectuallie Your sighes are prayers which the spirite from whom they proceed vnderstandeth right well yea although there is not so much as anie one worde vttered to expresse them Wordes are for our vnderstanding that we may thereby knowe one anothers meaning But the hoke spirite which is our comfortable schoolemaister and searcheth the deepe things of God knowes our meaning and thoughts before we speake yea although we speake not at all For as the Prophet Dauid saith Psal 139.2 He knowes our thoughts long before And the Apostle saith the spirite helpeth our infirmities for we knowe not what to pray as wee ought but the spirite it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed These sighes breaking out violentlie from the consciences of the godlie The sighes of the Godlie are acceptable prayers are prayers and loude cryes acceptable tâ— the Lord and pearcing deepelie into his eares as appeares in Exodus 14.15 Where the Lorde demaundeth of Moses why hee cryed so vnto him whereas the wordes of the Text make no mention of anie one worde hee spake or vttered I pray you tell mee this one thing A similie if the childe of your owne bodie whom you loue dearelie and which is vnto you as your owne soule shall be sicke and being full of paine shall moane him selfe vnto you tell you howe sicke hee is where his paine doth holde him and shall entreate you euen as you loue him to doe what you can to ease him will you not doe it both willinglie and readilie yea will you not doe whatsoeuer you are able euerie kinde of way for the ease of your deare dearling But if his paine shall encrease and grewe so great that it takes awaie his speech so as bee is not able to speake a worde but to fetch deepe sighes and to moane himselfe vnto you by most greeuous groanes will not these groanes pearce your heart more deepelie and cause the bowels of compassion to yerne in you more stronglie to straine your selfe euen to the vttermost of all your power to affoorde him as much comfort as is possible both by your selfe by others shall the groning of your child worke great pitie in you and shall not the the mightie groanes of your poore sicke soul moue the Lord your God to greater compassion The Lord exceedeth al men in goodnesse and compassion and therefore will heare and helpe you readily If in such a case you will be so readie to heare and helpe know you for certentie the Lord will be more readie to heare and helpe whensoeuer you shall in the anguish of your soule groane vnto him For looke how farre he exceeds you and all other in goodnesse so farre also doth he exceede you and all other in mercie and compassion Beside all this there is no sacrifice more acceptable in the sight of God then the sighes and groanes of a troubled minde Psalm 51.17 The sighes of the spirit aâ—e to be regarded For so saith the Prophet The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit a contrite and broken heart O God thou wilt not despise Therefore make as good account of the groanes and sighes of the spirit as of any prayer you can make euen in the best words you can deuise And for a farewell of this matter remember that the godlie and good king Ezekias Ezekias could not pray but chatter could not in smooth and fine wordes poure out his prayers before the Lord in his great sicknesse but chatter like a swallow or a â—rane as hee confesseth of himselfe Esa 38.14 Consider also that the poore Publican being ashamed of himselfe The Publican prayed feruently but saide little by reason of his sinnes and feareing to lift his eies toward heauen could not deliuer his minde at large in fit and choise words but with much paine Lu. 18.9 10 c. at the last he breakes forth after this manner O God be mercifull to me a sinner Neuerthelesse our Sauiour Christ giueth sentence on his side that he went home more iustified then the proud Pharisie who had both words and winde at will Your fist obiection doth thus offer it selfe That you cannot leaue sinne The fist obiection and answere of leauing sinne And that which doth more trouble you you cannot leaue those sinnes which you haue vowed to leaue but you fall againe into them First you reason thus against your selfe that you can not leaue sinne No maruell Sinne cleapes too fast to our nature to part with it in haâ—â—e for although you be one of Godes saintes and haue receiued the spirit of sanctification in measure to fight the Lords battels against sinne and hell yet are you no Angell in this world so as you can altogether ceasse to sinne because you carrie and shall carrie vnto your graue a bodie and soule subiect to sinne Therfore you must fight this battel euen so long as you haue breath and life This enemie of yours is so strong No perfect conquest ouer sinne vntill death that he will neuer be fullie ouercome vntill you haue ouermastred him by death And then you shall haue a full and perfect conquest ouer him and all your enemies In the meane time plucke vp a good heart gird you fast with all your Christian armour Christian coâ—â—age and armor put on your complete harnesse and euerie part thereof as you finde it set down in the sirâ— chap. of the Epistle written to the Ephesians Ephe. 6.13 14 c. take your weapon in one hand I meane the sworde of the spirite and your buckler in the other that is to say the shield of faith Lay about you lustily with all the strength and cunning you haue Yea bee strong in the Lord and in the power of his might And fear not the issue Be carefull to fight Christ his â—attell and feare not the issue although you latch and catch many a sore blowe no though you be foiled and wounded because you haue a valiant captaine Christ Iesus your Samour who hath alreadie himselfe gotten
the victorie for you and who will not shrinke one foote from you vntil such time as you also haue gotten the victorie For in all these things wee are more then conquerours through him that loued vs. Rom. 8.37 And that you may haue the more courage to fight this field without fainting vnderstand thus much All the faithfull doe fight one and the same battell that all the faithfull doe ioyne hands with you to fight out this battell The holie Apostle Paule had receyued a great measure of sanctification aboue manie thousandes of Gods children yet could not hee get the full mastrie ouer sinne but that full sore against his will to his hearts griefe hee fell into it Therefore with sorrow of soule hee complaines in the seuenth Chapter to the Râ—mames Rom. 7.19 That the good which he would he did not Paule fought a bloâ—die field with sinne but the euill which hee would not that did hee And that it may be well vnderstoode that this was not onelie a sharpe hote skirmish for a short fit but a set battle to continue to the ende of his life you may reade howe after sundrie and diuerse greeuous complaints of his owne weakenesse and of the strength of sinne as a man that is wearie of his life for no cause but this onely that he could not leaue sinne hee breakes out into these wordes of great passion Vâ—â—se 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer mee from the bodie of this death Poul could not â—eaue sinne as he desired In which speech he doth bewray two things First that hee could not leaue sinning although it was his whole studie and the onelie thing among manie which he most earnestlie desired Therefore he calles himselfe a wretched man because he carries about a bodie of sinne and death Secondly that hee had as longing a desire to cease from sin as any man could haue And therefore hee asketh this question Who shall deliuer me Nowe tell me I beseech you is it not thus with you The godly would saine leaue sinne and so would you with all your heart Would you not faine leaue sinne if you could and that with all your heart are you not wearie of it and sore grieued for it Must it not needes bee thus because you complaine so greatly you can not leaue sinne You sinne in deede but not willingly nor of set purpose â—say 5.18 you drawe not sinne vnto you with cart ropes as the wicked doe but you are violentlie drawne by the furie and violence of sinne The godly sinne 〈◊〉 willingly as the wicked You hunt not after iniquitie to pursue and followe after it with the intisements thereof But sinne hunts and pursues you till you haue lost both winde and strength and so it may bee you are manie times taken prisoner In which case you are no more to bee blamed then a Souldiour who in battell is full sore agaynst his will taken prisoner of his enemie which thing is most manifest to your owne conscience because when you are taken and you perceiue it you behaue your selfe as a man which is fallen into his enemies hande For your heart is greeued â—â—d your soule wonderfully troubled your sâ—eepe departeth from you you can eate no meate that doeth you good you take no pleasure in anie worldlie thing there is no mirth in you but you are all heauie and sad If you bee in companie where you are prouoked to bee merrie you laugh but for companie for it is but from the teeth forwarde To bee short so long as you are holden captiue of anie sinne you are wearie of your life Therefore all your studie is howe you maie breake off the fetters of sinne The godly study how to breake off the fetters of sinne and bee deliuered whereto you applie all your wit power cunning and skill And if through the great goodnesse of God you get anie aduauntage to escape there was neuer anie fowle more glad of a faire day or bird that hath broken out of the fowlers net more ioyfuil then you are of so happie deliuerance And when you are deliuered you are euer afterwards more carefull a great deale that you fall not againe into your enimies hand Againe you make not a trade of sinne The wicked do trade in sinne to follow it dayly and houreâ—â—e as the workers of imquitie Mat. 7.23 who follow it as carefully and continually as any man followes his occupation whereby hee must liue Ps 1.2.3 But the trade which you follow and the way wherein you walke with delight is the continuall meditation of the lawe of God with an earnest desire to practise it in your whose conuersation Coloss 3.2 Your minde and affections are not set vpon the earth but vppon heauen and vpon those things which may bring you to heauen It is better with you then you thinke for and therefore be thankfull and â—heere vp your heart in the Lord. Therefore in the true acknowledgement of Gods great mercy towards you you may with peace to your soule saie with the Apostle Paul in the seuenth chapter to the Romans and the fiue and twentieth verse I thanke God through our Lord Iesus Christ because in my mind I serue the lawe of God although in the flesh that is in that part which is vnregenerate I serue the lawe of sinne Touching that other point namely that you fall often and againe into that sin which you haue vowed neuer to coÌ„mit againe It is no wonder in this corruption to sinne often in the same sinne for as much as the same is against your wil through great infirmitie and not of anie set purpose although I wish you in anie wise to be as carefull as may be therein and to vse all good and holie meanes of watching ouer your affections and auoiding all those occasions All good meanes must be vsed against euerie sinne whereby you may bee drawen forward into aâ—e the least sinne by praying fasting and such like holie exercises whereby you may be better strengthened against all assaultes of sinne yet would I not haue you to discourage your selfe too much with the consideration thereof Consider wisellâ— and apply with reuerence For this you knowe that one which walketh in a supperie way or vpon ice may against his will yea though hee looke neuer so well to his feete not onelie take the first but the second and the third fall yea manie falles notwithstanding that he thinketh to set his foote maruelous sure Abraham although hee was the father of the faithfull Abraham fell more than once into one sinne and for his godlinesse highlie commended in the Scripture yet through great weakenesse lyed first in Egypt to Pharao in denying Sarah to be his wife These examples are to comfort such as woulde leaue sinne and not to encourage any to liue in sinne Genesis the twelfth chapter and thirteenth verse Againe hee
separated from his mothers wombe and therewithall you can not bee ignorant how sharply he was handled when the messenger of Sathan was sent to boxe and busset him verie sore and that for a long season so that although he praied often and earnestly 2. Cor. 12 7 8 9. yet could he not be deliuered This only he receiued as an answer from the Lord that his grace should be sufficient to vnderprop and stay him in his greatest temptation for my power saith he is made perfect thorow weaknesse Passe not by this example without some good meditation In this resolution he rested himselfe as well contented vntill such time as the Lord should grant him full release These are choise examples of choise persons Trouble of mind a great priuilege of Gods fauour and not many such to be sound in the whole bodie of the Scripture that you may consider how great a priuilege of fauour God hath vouchesafed vpon you to make you equall with his dearest children and that in such afflictions as for their suffering of them they are aboue many thousands most renoumed But why stand I vpoÌ„ these examples when as Iesus Christ himselfe being the sonne and heire in whom onely the Father is most highly well pleased was not onely in measure and mercie thus chastised as you are Mat. 3.17 The Sonne of God most troubled but as we say commoÌ„ly beaten without mercy yea hee was turned and beaten so as through the exceeding great anguish of his seule Luke 22.44 he sweat such a sweat in the garden as neuer man sweat the like that is drops like drops of blood trickling downe to the ground your affliction is but a flea bâ—â—ing to that which your Sauior hath suffered for your sake that you might haue case Yea further being brought and hanged vpon the crosse beside all the villanâ—e offered and done to him by the malitious cruel Iewes his owne father handled him so extremely not like a father but as a most iust iudge that he could not any longer bite in his griefe but in great bitternesse he breakes out into these wordes sauoring of deepe despaire Mat. 27 46. my God my God why hast thou forsaken me These words I say sauor strongly of despaire because he cries out that God had forsaken him yet was he farre from despaire because in the greatest conflict with Hell and Saâ—han his whole trust was in God and therefore with great confidence not once but againe he doubleth his speach saying My God my God Thus you haue not onely many of the faithfull but the sonne of God clad in your nature more then a partner with you in your sufferings Rom. 8.28 which I haue alleadged to this end that you may know that as aâ— things worke for the best to those that loue God The shâ—rpest afflâ—ct onâ— worke the sweetest comfort euen to them that are called of purpose so this affliction of yours which because it is so sharp shal therefore worke your good a greaâ— deale the rather For experience teaheeth that that purgation which for the time doth work most strongly and putteth the patient to the greatest paine doth in the end bring the most ease to him who hath receiued it One exception But it may be you will take exception against this last example of Christ Iesus and say that hee was not so tormented for his owne but for your sinne Hebr. 4.15 1. Iohn 2.1 2. because he was without sinne Therein you speake most truly for the Apostle saith Rom 4.25 Hee was deliuered to death for our sinnes as if he should say whatsoeuer griefe or torment hee endured liuing or dying hee endured it for our sakes that the whole fruit coÌ„fort therof might redound to vs. And to this agreeth that which is written in the first Epistle of Peter 1. Pet. 2.24 Who his owne selfe bare our sins in his bodie on the tree that we being deliuered from sinne should liue in righteousnesse by whose stripes we are healed From henceforth therefore may you reape no small comfort for the peace of your conscience in the greatest heate of temptations Christ hath suffred the torments of hell that we might not suffer them yea that you may neuer suffer them For in as much as he sufred not for his owne but for your sinne you may be therfore well assured that you shall neuer taste of those hellish torments which your sinnes haue deserued and that because your suretie your mediatour your Sauiour Iesus Christ hath in your nature but in his owne person euen to the vttermost of Gods iustice suffered them for you that you might neuer luffer them but be fully and for euer discharged both in this world and in the world to come For as the Apostle witnesseth Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus Another exception Here again I know wel you wil thus reply that you will grant To be in Christ Iesus is true happines to him or her which is â—ssured thereof there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus that must needes be true But all the doubt lies in this whether you your selfe bee in Christ Iesus or not For of that cannot you be persuaded If you could be assured therof then you would not doubt but you were without all danger of condemnation But this is one point which doth work no smal trouble in your conscience Go to then let this be one chief point to deal with you in And first to begin withall let me ask you this one question And I do not only pray A great charge but on Gods behalfe for his glory and the good of your soul I charge you to answer me plainly truly Once assured and euer assured of saluation Had you euer any assurance of saluation in al your life were you euer persuaded by the preaching of the word to be saued by the death of Christ Iesus An vnsained soâ—oâ— for sinne a deadly hatred a sound purpose of amendment are vndoubted maâ—ks of Gods childe did you euer feel the power of true repentance in your soule by these marks that you were more greeued sorie at the heart for your sins then for any thing in the whâ—le world did you and doe you beare a deadly hatred against them 2. Coâ— 7.9 10 11 as against the diuell himselfe did you and doe you purpose to the vttermost of your power to forbeare and forswear the practise of them all Luke 7.15 See you aâ—swerâ— to euerie artiele truely as you will answere at youâ— perill and to walke in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of your life did that worde which you haue heard so long so soundly and so powerfully preached to your conscience Psal 1.2 Phil. 3.8 which you reade so diligently wherein 〈◊〉 meditate and take so great delight as that you count al