have neede of more Grace and then it flowes into us from him accordingly sometimes wee have neede to know our owne weakenesse and then hee leaves us to our selves that wee may know that without him we cannot stand and we may know the necessitie of his guidance to heaven in the sense of our imperfections that wee may see our weakenesse and corruptions that wee had thought wee had not had in us as Moses by Gods permission was tempted to murmure a meeke man and David to crueltie a milde man that thought they had not had those corruptions in them God is forced to mortifie sinnes by afflictions because wee mortifie them not by the Spirit and in the use of holy meanes God doth us favours from his owne bowells but corrections and judgements are alwayes forced Wee may for the most part read the cause of any judgement in the judgement it selfe as if the judgement be shame then the cause was pride if the judgement be want then our sinne was in abundance wee did not learne to abound as wee should when we had it As we say of those that make bold with their bodies to use them hardly to rush upon this thing and that thing in their youth they may be are it out but it will be owing them after they shall finde it in their bones when they are old so a man may say of those that are venturous persons that make no conscience of running into sinne these things will be owing to them another day they shall heare of these in time of sicknes or in the houre of death and therefore take heede of sinning upon vaine hope that thou shalt weare it out for one time or other it will sticke by thee When God visits with sicknesse we should thinke our worke is more in heaven with God than with men or physicke when David dealt directly and plainely with God and confessed his sinnes then God forgave him them and healed his body too Psal. 32. It were a thousand times better for many persons to be cast on the bed of sicknesse and to be God prisoners than so scandalously and unfruitfully to use the health that they have It is an art wherein wee should labour to be expert to consider Gods gracious dealing in the midst of his corrections that in the middest of them we might have thankfull and cheerefull and fruitfull hearts which wee shall not have unlesse we have some mat ter of thankefulnesse consider therefore doth God make mee weake hee might have strooke mee with death or if not taken away my mortall life yet he might have given mee up to a spirituall death to an hard heart to desperation In this latter age of the world God doth not use the same dispensation He doth not alwayes outwardly visite for sinne for his governement is now more inward therefore wee should take the more heede for he may give us up to blindnesse to deadnesse to securitie which are the greatest judgements that can befall us Wee should labour to judge our selves for those things that the world takes no notice of for spirituall for inward things as for stirring of pride of worldlinesse of revenge of security unthankefulnesse and such like unkindnesse towards God barrennesse in good duties that the world cannot see let these humble our hearts for when we make not conscience of spirituall sinnes God gives us up to open breaches that staine and blemish our profession Many men put off the power of Grace and rest in common civill things in outward performances but when wee regard not the manner God regards not the matter of the things wee doe and therefore oftentimes hee punishes for the performance of good duties as wee see in 1 Cor. 11. 30 31. Our whole life under the Gospell should be nothing but thankefulnesse and fruitfulnesse take heed therefore of turning the grace of God to wanton nesse the state of the Gospell requires that wee should deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lust and live righteously and soberly and godly in this present world c. Therefore when we finde our selves otherwise we should thinke Oh this is not the life of a Christian under the Gospell the Gospell requires a more fruitfull a more zealous carriage more love to Christ c. If any man be so uncivill when a man shewes him a spot on his garment that he growes chollerick will we not judge him an unreasonable man and so when a man shall be told this will hinder your comfort another day if men were not spirâ—tually besotted would they swell and be angry against such a man therefore take the benefit of the judgement of others among whom we live this was Davids disposition when hee was told of the danger going to kill Nabal and his house hold so wee should blesse God and blesse them that labour by their good counsell and advise to hinder us from any sinnefull course whatsoever it is Those that trusse up the loynes of their soules and are carefull of their wayes they are the onely sound Christians they are the only comfortable Christians that can thinke of all conditions and of all estates comfortably It is an ill time to get grace when we should use grace and therefore that we may have the lesse to do when we shall have enough to struggle with sicknesse and that we may have no thing else to doe when wee die but to die and comfortably to yeeld up our soules to God let us be exact in our accounts every day God takes a safe course with his children that they may not be condeÌ„ned with the world he makes the world to condemne them that they may not love the world he makes the world to hate them that they may not love the world but be crucified to the world he makes the world to be crucified to them therefore they meete with crosses and abuses and wrongs in the world because he will not have them perish with the world he sends them afflictions in the world and by the world If God should not meete with us with seasonable correction wee should shame Religion and shame Christ and therefore God in mercy corrects us with Fatherly correction In the governing of a Christian life wee are carried naturally to second causes whereas they are all but as rods in Gods hands looke therefore to the hand that smites looke to God in all hee chastiseth us as David saith in the matter of Shimei and as Iob saith It is the Lord that hath given and the Lord hath taken away Wee have oftentimes occasion to blesse God more for crosses than for comforts there is a blessing hidden in the worst things to Gods children as there is a crosse in the best things to the wicked there is a blessing in death a blessing in sicknesse a blessing in the hatred of our enemies a blessing in all losses whatsoever and therefore in our afflictions we should not onely justifie God but glorifie and magnifie him for his mercie
good in Books and to heare good of men that are dead but they cannot indure good in the lives of others to be in their eyes especially when they come to compare themselves with them they love not to be out-sh ined As the Sunne goes his course though we cannot see it goe and as plants and herbes grow though we cannot perceive them even so it followes not that a Christian growes not because hee cannot see himselfe grow but if they decay in their first love or in some other grace it is that some other grace may grow and increase as their humilitie their broken heartednesse sometimes they grow not in extention that they may grow at the roote upon a checke grace breakes out more as wee say after a hard Winter usually there followes a glorious Spring Gods children never hate corruption more than when they have bin overcome by corruption the best men living have some corruptions which they see not till they breake out by temptations Now when corruptioÌ„s are made knowne to us it stirres up our hatred and hatred stirs up endeavour and endeavour revenge so that Gods children should not be discouraged for their falls When the truth of grace is wrought in a Christian his desires goe beyond his strength and his prayers are answerable to his desires Whereupon it is that young Christians often times call their estate in question because they cannot bring heaven upon earth because they cannot be perfect but God will have us depend upon him for increase of Grace in a daily expectation Christ is our Patterne whom wee must strive to imitate its necessary that our Patterne should be exact that so wee might see our imperfections and be humbled for them and live by faith in our sanctification Consider Christ upon the Crosse as a publique person that when he was crucified and when hee died hee died for my sins and this knowledge of Christ will be a crucifying knowledge this will stirre up my heart â—o use my corruptions as my sinnes used Christ as hee hated my sinne so it will worke the same disposition in mee to hate this body of death and to use it as it used Christ answerably as we see this clearely it will transforme us With our Contemplation let us joyne this kind of reasoning God so hated pride that hee became humble to the death of the Crosse to redeeme mee from it and shall I be proud and when wee are stirred up to revenge consider that Christ prayed for his enemies when we are tempted to disobedience thinke God in my nature was obedient to the death and shall I stand upon termes and when wee grow hard hearted consider Christ became man that he might shew bowels of his mercy let us reason thus when we are tempted to any sinne and it will be a meanes to transforme us from our owne cursed likenesse into the likenesse of Christ. When wee see God blasphemed or the like let us thinke how would Christ stand affected if he were here when hee was here upon earth how zealous was hee against prophanenesse and shall I be so cold when hee saw the multitude wander as sheepe without a Shepheard his bowells yearned and shall wee see so many poore soules live in darkenesse and our bowells not yearne Wee must looke upon Christ not onely for healing but as a perfect patterne to imitate for wherefore else did hee live so long upon the earth but to shew us an example And let us know that wee shall be countable for those good examples which we have from others there is not an example of an humble holy and industrious life but shall be laid to our charge for God doth purposely let them shine in our eyes that we might take example by them As the spirits in the arteries quickens the blood in the veines so the Spirit of God goes along with the Word and makes it worke Saint Paul speakes to Lydia but the Spirit speakes to her heart As it was with Christ himselfe so it is with his members Hee was conceived by the Spirit anointed by the Spirit sealed by the Spirit hee was led into the Wildernesse by the Spirit he offered up himselfe by the Spirit and by the Spirit hee was raised from the dead even so the members of Christ doe answer unto Christ himselfe all is by the Spirit we are conceived by the Spirit the same Spirit that sanctified him sanctifies us but first wee receive the Spirit by way of Vnion and then Vnction followes after when we are knit to Christ by the Spirit then it workes the same in us as it did in him When a proud wit and supernaturall truths meete together such a man will have some thing of his owne therefore in reading and studying of heavenly Truths especially the Gospell wee must come to God for his Spirit and not venture upon conceits of our owne parts for God will curse such proud attempts Many men thinke that the knowledge of divine Truths will make them divine whereas it is the holy Ghost onely that gives a taste and rellish for without the Spirit their hearts will rise when the Word comes to them in particular and tells them you must denie your selfe and venture your life for his truth When men understand the Scriptures and yet are proud and malicious wee must not take scandall at it for their hearts were never subdued they understand supernaturall things by humane reason and not by divine light Those that measure lands are very exact in every thing but the poore man whose it is knowes the use of the ground better and delights in it more because it is his owne so it is with those Ministers that can exactly speake of heavenly truths yet have no share in them but the poore soule that heares them rejoyceth and saith these things are mine This life is a life of Faith for God will trie the truth of our faith that the world may see that God hath such servants as will depend upon his bare Word it were nothing to be a Christian if wee should see all here but God will have his children to live by Faith and take the promises upon his Word The nature of Hope is to expect that which Faith beleeves what could the joyes of heaven availe us if it were not for our Hope it is the Anchor of the soule which being cast in heaven it stills the soule in all troubles combustions and confusions that we daily meete withall It is too much curiositie to search into particulars as what shall be the glory of the soule and what shall be the glory of the body rather study to make a gracious use of them and in humility say Lord what is sinfull man that thou should'st so advance him The consideration of this should make us abase our selves and in humilitie give thankes afore hand as Peter did 1 Pet. 1. 1. when hee thought of an inheritance immortall and undefiled and that fadeth not hee gives
committed by him so that this wakeing of conscience shewes that wee are sinnefull creatures Every man by nature though the wisest till hee be in Christ is a slave to the devill who abuses his wits and parts and makes him worke out his owne damnation this is not the condition of a few fooles but the greatest and wisest in the world Satan leades them to honours and voluptuousnesse as a sheepe is led by a greene bough he goes with the streame of mans nature and so is never discerned As a man that is called before a Iudgement Seat being guiltie of many crimes yet the Iudge offers him his Booke as meaning to save him by that meanes but hee cannot read now hee is condemned partly for his former faults but especially because he cannot read and therefore cannot have the benefit of the Law So a wicked man not beleeving in Christ because the remedy is prepared and hee takes no hold of it In this sense as some Divines speake no finne but infidelity condemnes a man for if a man could beleeve and repent no sinne should be prejudiciall to his salvation wee had neede therefore to looke to our faith when want of beleefe seales a man up under sinne a man is imprisoned in his conscience untill he come to Christ and his conscience is his Iaylor his conscience enlightened by the Law tells him that hee is guiltie of such and such sinnes and hereupon keepes him to further judgement There is a miserable cousenage in finne naturally men will deny sinne or else mince it as Adam did and as Saul when Samuel came to convince him I have saith he done the Commandement of the Lord and when hee was driven from that then he did but spare them for sacrifice but when nothing could satisfie then I pray thee honour mee before the people things that we cannot justifie yet wee will excuse them unlesse God come by his Spirit we are ready to shift them off but when the Spirit comes and takes away all these figge-leaves then it convinces him of his miserable condition not onely in generall but the Spirit working together with the Word brings him to confesse I am the man The affections of griefe and sorrow follow upon the discovery of sinne by the Ministery of the Word where the judgement is convinced the affections are stirred up with hatred against that sinne and where this is not there is no convincing when a man cries for mercy as for life this is an argument of sound condition Hee that is truely convinced will be as glad of a Pardon as a Malefactor that stands at the Barre condemned It is the policie of the devill to labour to make us sleight the gracious worke of conviction for hee knowes that whatsoever is built upon a false foundation will come to nothing and therefore hee makes us sleight the work of selfe examining and searching of our selves but sleight this and sleight all for if thou beest sleight in searching and examining thy selfe though wilt also be sleight in thy repentance and obedience Naturally men labour to put out all checks of cōscience by sensuality men are loath to know themselves to be as they are they are of the devills minde they would not be tormented before their time such men when they are alone are afraid of themselves as the Elephant will not come neare the waters because hee hath an ill shape hee would not see himselfe So men by nature will not come neere the light least they should see their ill deformities for nature is so foule that when a man sees himselfe unlesse hee be set in a better condition it will drive him to despaire We ought to have especiall high conceits of the Lordship of Christ as Lord Paramount over all our enemies the feare of death and wrath of God yea whatsoever is terrible indeede hee hath freed us from the feare of it No sinne is so great but the satisfaction of Christ and his mercy is greater it s beyond comparison of Father or Mother they are but beames and traines to lead us up to the mercy of God in Christ. The greatest spite of a carnall man is that he cannot goe to heaven with his full swinge that he cannot enjoy his full libertie and therefore hee labours to suppresse all the Ordinances of God as much as hee can The quintessence and the spirits of the things wee aske in prayer are in God as joy and peace and contentednesse for without this joy and peace what are all the things in the world and in the want of these outward things if wee have him wee have all because the spirits of all is in him Prayer is a venting of our desires to God from the sense of our owne wants and hee that is sensible of his owne wants is emptie a poore man speakes supplications It is not so easie a matter to pray as men thinke and that in regard of the unspiritualnesse of our nature compared with the dutie it selfe which is to draw neere to a holy God wee cannot indure to sever our selves from our lusts there is also a great rebellion in our hearts against any thing that is good Satan also is a speciall enemy for when we goe to God by prayer he knowes wee goe to fetch helpe and strength against him and therefore hee opposeth all hee can but though many men doe mumble over a few prayers yet indeed no man can pray as he ought but he that is within the covenant of Grace A child of God may pray and not be heard because at that time hee may be a child of anger if any sinne lie unrepented of we are not in a case fit to pray will a King regard the petition of a Traytor that purposeth to goe on in his rebellion Therefore when wee come to God we should renew our purposes of better pleasing him and then remember the Scripture and search all the Promises as part of our best riches and when wee have them we should challenge God with his promise and this will make us strong and faithfull in our prayers when we know we never pray to him in vaine When we pray God oftentimes refuseth to give us comfort because we are not in good termes with him therefore wee should still looke backe to our life past perhappes God sees thee running to this or that sinne and before hee will heare thee thou must renew thy repentance for that sinne for our nature is such that it will knocke at every doore and seeke every corner before wee will come to God as the woman in the Gospell shee sold all before shee came to Christ. So that God will not heare before wee forsake all helpes and all false dependance upon the creature and then he get the greatest glory and we have the greatest sweetnesse to our soules th◠water that comes from the Fountaine is the sweetest and so divine comforts are the sweetest when we see nothing in the creature and