us to stoope and doe lowly obeysance to him by a Jam. 4.12 acknowledging his authority in what hee commands and b Ps 119.128 by keeping the heart in a continuall readinesse to set about what shal be commanded us from him and c Ier. 42.5 6 1 Sam. 3.9 by resting in his will when it is revealed d Gal. 1.15 16. Heb. 11.8 without resisting or gaine-saying and not only by a faithfull dependance upon him and hanging upon him from day to day as a childe upon the mothers brest by all which wee advance and lift up the Lord in our hearts but also when wee are ready to make an open profession of him not fearing the face of man when Gods cause comes in question Then a man is right in his way when hee gives up himselfe to bee wholly for God when al his ends projects and purposes are subservient and subordinate unto him and his glory We read of Caleb that when the false Spyes e Num. 13 28.30 discouraged the Israelites from entring into Canaan by telling them of Cities walled up to heaven and of the Gyants the children of Anak his spirit was mightily stirred and he sayd f Num. 14 8 Let us goe up at once if the Lord delight in us he will bring us into this Land For which standing in Gods cause the Lord gives this testimony of him That g Num. 14.24 Ad verbum implevit post me he had another spirit with him and that he hath followed mee fully The Hebrew word is a metaphor taken from a Shippe under sayle which is carried strongly with the wind as if it feared neither rockes nor sands Iehoshaphat also h 1 Chr. 17.6 had his heart lifted up in the wayes of God he was more couragious and bold in promoting the true worship of God than Asa his father was With a high Spirit he tooke away Idolatry contemning perill hee tooke away the high places and groves which either his father left or the people in the latter end of his reigne brought in againe David but a youth was mightily stirred up in Gods cause wheÌ„ Goliah railed on the hoast of the living God thy i 1 Sam. 17.32.48 servant saith he wil go fight with this Philistim drawing neere him to fight hee hasted and ranne moved with fervent zeale to be avenged on the blasphemy of Gods name It is said of Baruch in the repayring of the wall of Ierusalem he k Neh. 3.20 Se occendit repayred earnestly or as some read it he fired himselfe burst out into heat angry with himselfe and others that were so slothfull in working so finished his portion in a shorter time This stirringnesse of Spirit did appeare in Levi who preferred Gods glory to all naturall affection l Deut. 33.9 Who sayd to his Father and his Mother I have not seene him neither knew hee his owne brethren or his owne children for they observed thy word and kept thy Commandement Thus also have the holy Confessours and blessed Martyrs done whose Spirits wee should desire to be doubled upon us in these evill and backe-sliding dayes who living incurst and cruell times in Gods cause and for his sake m Rev. 12.11 loved not their lives unto the death but thought the prison a Who will ever beleeve that I shall say or what man will ever thinke in the deepe darke dungeon to find a paradise of pleasure in the place of sorrow and to dwell in tranquillity and hope of life in a cave infernall to be found ioy of soule where other men doe shake and treÌ„ble there strength and boldnesse to be plenty Algerid his letter Fox Act. Mon. â—ol 2. p. 181. a paradise and great iron chaines great b Marsac going to the stake to be burned with two others with ropes about their neckes seeing himselfe to be spared by reason of his order and degree desired to have one of those precious chaines about his necke in honour of his Lord Fox ib. p. 141. Luther resolved to appeare at Wormes though all the tyles on the houses should be Divels ornaments and embraced the flames as cheerefully as Eliah did the fiery Chariot that came to fetch him to heaven O when the love of their deerest Redeemer had once warmed their hearts they were mightily inflamed and like Davids three Worthies who for Davids sake brake through the hoast of the Philistims so these were ready for his sake to undergoe all hard adventures to looke all dangers in the face and to breake thorow an hoast of Deaths and Devils Section 8. About stirring up ourselves in the reading and hearing Gods holy Word IN regard of Gods holy word when wee are to be exercised in the reading of it or hearing it preached or read it is our duty to stirre up our selves as 1. In reading the holy Scriptures when thou takest up the Bible into thy hand to read looke upon it as upon the most blessed booke that ever eye saw and that no booke in the world hath that in it c Quid est Scriptura sacra nifi quaedam Epistola omnipotentis Dei ad creaturam suam Greg. which concernes thee so much containing in it the whole counsell of God for thy good And as children are stirring and wakefull when they heare their fathers Will reade to know and understand what is left them there so ought wee to stirre up our selves considering those many rich and precious Legacies which our Savior hath bequeathed unto us in that last Will and Testament of his sealed with his owne blood So in hearing the Word read wee have a notable example in Ezra his time that n Nch. 8.3 when hee read in the booke of the Law from morning to mid-day the eares of all the people were attentive to the booke of the Law 2. In hearing the Word Preached it is our duty to stirre up ourselves with all the life of attention we may as hearing the Lord speaking in his Servants Hither tend those pressing exhortations in Scripture To o Isay 55.3 incline the eare To be p Jam. 1.19 swist to heare Flying to the places of assemblies as q Isa 60.8 Doves to their windowes The Bereans are commended for this that they heard the Word r Acts 16.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all readinesse and alacrity In hearing the Word we are to Å¿ Psal 24.7 lift up these everlasting doores to set wide open the doores of our hearts that the King of glory may come in We are to choose the Word as our t Psal 119.111.173 portion for the goodnesse beauty and truth of it To bring hearts and affections answerable to the matter in hand when the Lord threatens to bring feare when he promiseth to bring u Neh. 8.12 joy to * 2 Chro. 34 27. Luke 3.10 yeeld willingly to the stampe of every truth as the Wax to the Seale To set the heart strongly
long as Hel is Hel and God is God Section 10. How we should stirre up our selves in sanctifying the Lords day IN sanctifying the Lords day it is our duty to stirre up our selves both in longing for it before it comes and highly prizing it when it is come n Isa 58.23 making it the ioy and reioycing of our hearts It is recorded of the godly Jewes before our Saviours time that they called the Sabbath o Wemes Christ Syn. p. 76. Desiderium dierum the desire of dayes the most desired day Every moment of this day should bee precious as having Gods blessing more immediately annexed unto it and unto all those duties performed in it having as it were his Image and Superscription more lively portrayed and engraven upon it and therefore to be improued by us to our uttermost in all the parts and duties of that day Section 11. How wee are to stirre up our selves in our partaking of the Sacraments IN the use of the Sacraments it is our duty to stir up our selves 1. In regard of the Sacrament of Baptisme How to stir up our serve to make use of our baptisme to our selves and our children both to our selves and our children and that in these respects 1. By calling to minde what wee and our children are by nature children of wrath both wee and they all of us like still-borne children borne p Ephes 2.3 dead in trespasses and sinnes q Ezec. 16.6 weltring in the blood of the sins of our first parents empty of all grace prone to all wickednesse though as then not able to put it forth in outward Act no more then young Vipers or then the Cubs of wild beasts which yet when wee grow up to ripenesse and strength are ready to breake forth to doe any mischiefe if wee be not restrayned 2. By interesting our selves and our children in the Covenant of Promise whereof Baptisme is the Seale This is done by dedicating and resigning up our selves and them to be Gods people as Hee in the Covenant r Gen. 17.7 offereth himselfe to bee a God to us and ours and withall praying for our selves and them that we and they might Å¿ Gen. 17.18 live in his sight How should it provoke us to wrestle with God to convey a Covenant and Sacrament of life unto our children since wee have conveyed to them nothing but sinne and wrath and the fruit of both which is death 2. By growing up our selves and training up our children to keepe the Covenant on our parts that the Lord may delight to t Gen. 8.19 bring the blessing of the Covenant upon us and ours 3. By walking in the purity of Gods Ordinances with a pure and an honest heart for want of the former Gods wrath burst forth against Gedeons children Iudg. 8 27. and against Eli and his 1 Sam. 3.13 For want of the latter against Amaziah 2 Chron 2 5.2 which David sought to prevent by giving his sonne Salomon better counsell 1 Chr. 28.9 2. In receiving the Lords Supper How to stir up ourselves in the right use of the Lords Supper it is our duty to stir up our selves 1. By considering the great need we stand in of such an Ordinance what need Christ to be dispenced to us as Bread to strengthen us and Wine to quicken us if we were not of our selves weake and dull and even starved creatures without him 2. u 1 Cor. 11.28 By examining and searching out the feeblenesse of our best graces and the strength of our manifold corruptions that so as by searching into the sores and wounds of the body the body is payned and grieved so by searching into the sores and wounds of our soules our hearts may be inwardly pricked and afflicted 3. By reforming our selves and our families before wee come to partake in this Supper For if wee bee uncircumcised our selves we discovenant our selves and them as on the contrary if the Master of the Family bee a true beleever the Covenant is made with him and his houshold Therefore when Zacheus was converted Christ sayd This day is Salvation come to this house Luke 19.9 for as much as hee also is the Sonne of Abraham And hence wee read in the Acts when the master of a Family was turned to the faith that he was baptized and his whole houshold and therefore also it lyes upon us not to leave them at home so nor to bring them with us uncircumcised so farre as it lyes in us to use the means for their good Exod. 12.48 Christ was carefull to a 1 Ioh. 13 8 10. wash his Disciples feet to purifie their hearts against the Sacrament Such new wine as Christ is would bee put into new bottles 4. By beholding Christ in the Sacrament as it were crucified before our eyes that we might mourne the more seriously in remembrance of the sins by which we have pierced b Zac. 12.10 him 5. By admiring at the wonderfull goodnesse of God to our soules who when we were as c 2 Sam. 9.8 with 19.28 dead dogge as Mephibosheth said to David yet the Lord is pleased to set us at his owne Table to feed us with the Body and Blood of his owne Sonne and thereby to make us one body and spirit with his Sonne giving him to us and us to him that wee might partake in all the precious blessings hee hath purchased for us both for this life and for a better and therefore we are to feed upon him with faith and exceeding joy for all his abundant goodnesse to us herein 6. By setting up Christ whole Christ in our hearts as our King Priest and Prophet that he being received into us may rule us and teach us and pacifie us and purifie us and f Gal. 2.20 live our whole life in us Lastly by cleaving the more to our brethren in al love and deare affection whom wee see to communicate with us in the same Christ 1 Cor. 10.17 2 Cor. 12.13 and called of God to partake in the same Table with us Section 12. How to stirre up our selves in laying hold on the Promises IT is our duty to stirre up our selves to conceive confidence in our hearts in taking hold of God as hee hath offered himselfe in his Covenant Promises the speciall thing mentioned here in the Text and a point of great use through the whole course of our lives on which I shal a little more insist opening the phrase what it is to take hold on God and shewing how the Scripture calleth for this duty The phrase is put for the Act of beleeving which because it is to bee performed by the whole man and all the powers of it and is the great Act of all others and includes all others therefore it is set forth to us in Scripture by all the severall Acts of each member or faculty in a man So elsewhere it is called Seeing 1 Pet. 2.3 performing
to every word of God x 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 4.15 cleaving inseparably to every truth binding them close to the soule y Deu. 32.46 Set your hearts saith Moses to all the words which I testifie amongst you this day which you shall command your children to observe to doe all the words of this Law for it is not a vaine thing for you because it is your life and through this you shall prolong your dayes 3. For Ministers and such as are to preach the Word it is their duty to z In Bucholsero vivida omnia fuerunt vt vida vox vivida oculi vividae manus gestus omnes vividi Mel. ad in vit ipse p. 556. stirre up themselves in the carefull discharge of this their weighty calling 1. The Names given in Scripture doe all imply laboriousnesse and great intention They are called a Ezec. 3.17 Watchmen b Ier 23.4 Shepheards c 1 Cor. 3.10 Builders d Mal. 3.1 Messengers e Tit. 1.7 Stewards c. 2. Their worke set them as dealing with the precious soules of men and to call home wandring lost sinners cals for so much They are to Preach with all f Acts 18 2-28 diligence g 2 Tim. 4.2 earnestnesse and instancy in season out of season with courage and freedome of spirit h Isa 58.1 Ier. 28.17 fearelesse of the face of man With great i Phil. â— 8 earnest desire of the salvation of Men and the people committed to them This made the Apostle Saint Paul to enter into great k Col. 2.1 conflicts and combatings for the Colossians and to bee pained and afflicted as a woman in l Gal. 4.19 travell O me thinkes what should not one doe to keepe one soule from perishing everlastingly if any m Hic est ille Farellus qui nullis difficultatibus fractus nullis minus convitiis verberibus denique inflictus teritus Mempel-garoenses Aquilâ—enses Lausanenses Geneâ— eâ—ses Noacomenses Christo Lucrifecit M l. Adam Decad. in vita Farel p. 115. paynes and study would doe it if denying a mans credit profit pleasure and ease would doe it if stooping and yeelding and laying our hands under their feet would do it if prayers and teares would doe it or if like Clouds we should sweat our selves to death so soules might bee brought home to God it were a blessed way of dying Section 9. Of stirring up our selves in Meditation THe minde being quieted and composed and deepe silence and attention being caused in the whole man thy spirit being awed with the presence of God draw forth the subject matter thou wouldst meditate of and to stirre thee up in the duty take these two helpes First in things that are good and of a divine and heavenly nature labour to see them at their best present them to thy selfe in their prime and beauty To give some Instances 1. If thou wouldst meditate of God labour to see him in the glory of his Attributes as Moses saw him Exod. 34.5 6. 2. If thou wouldst meditate of Christ ay me at the highest and most raised apprehensions of his excellency see him in his Nature and Offices or hanging on the Crosse or sitting at the right hand of God as Steven saw him Acts 7.55 and Isa chap. 9. view him in those places wherein Paul represents him Heb. 1. and Col. 1.13 to 21. 3. If thou wouldst meditate of heaven and the glory of it labour by the eye of faith to penetrate into it and to see it at the best as Paul saw it being caught up into the third heaven 2 Cor. 12.12 and as Peter represents it 1 Pet. 1.4 4. If thou wouldst meditate of Gods Love to thee in Christ See it at the best in the dimensions of it in the bredth length heighth and depth of it Ephes 3.18 19. Thinke from whence thou art brought to what things advanced thy selfe digged out of the rubbish and ruines of forlorne mankinde and placed as a living stone in Gods building 1 Pet. 2.5 as a brand pluckt out of the fire Zach. 3.2 and like Ionah from the belly of hell cast up upon the dry land and made a childe of God and heire of life 5. If thou wouldst meditate on the Promises looke on them at their best as most fresh and greene as they grow out of the heart of God and brest of Christ their native and proper seat out of whom they are but as fading and dying things They being in their full strength and vigor as ever the same yesterday and to day and for ever what Gods people have heretofore found them to bee they are still the same unto us like silver tryed and purified seven times Psnl 12.6 and have as much life and comfort in them as formerly in Abrahams Heb. 11.13 or in Davids time what ever they could speake of them Gods people in this age of the world are able to report the same Secondly if thou wouldst meditate on things which are in their nature simply evill labour to see them at their worst Take for instances 1. If thou wouldst meditate of sinne and the nature of it see it at its worst even worse than the Divell himselfe for what made him a Divell but sinne it was sinne spoyled him he was a glorious Angell till hee was acquainted with sinne Thinke it is that which is most contrary to the most holy Nature of God and is the sole Object of all his hatred whereas his love is dispersed to severall things his Selfe his Sonne his Children c. Thinke it is that which makes the greatest separation betweene God and us and to be without God in this world which onely makes a man accursed which all miseries of themselves can never doe This blots out the Image of God stamped on us at our first Creation which being lost all Paradise could not make Adam happy This conformes us to the Image of the Divell and causeth us to have communion with him who is Gods greatest enemy This is it that grieves Gods most Holy Spirit and sends him sad to heaven when wee resist his motions and rush into evill 2. If thou wouldst meditate of Gods wrath looke upon it as at the worst as it keepes burning and glowing those everlasting flames and can blow the coales of a thousand hels more the least sparke of which let fall into the Conscience sets all on a flame which without the sprinkling of Christs blood and the teares of true Repentance can never bee quenched 3. If thou wouldst meditate of the state of a soule that is lost thinke of it as at worst even as of a forlorne helpelesse hopelesse creature covered with shame and horror and lying amidst the pangs throbs throws of guiltinesse which is the Worme that never dyes Mark 9.44 of whom all mercy pitty and comfort have taken their leaves for ever being there to remaine in that dungeon of fire so
meditating on the Promises themselves pondering and musing upon them Whence the Spirit of Christ beheld in the Promise is conveyed unto us b 2 Cor. 3.18 to transforme us into the likenesse of Christ by it Section 13. Of stirring up our selves in duties of Love and Mercy THus of some Duties which have a more immediate Relation unto God about which wee ought to stirre up our selves now to goe forward and to instance in some duties which have reference to our selves or others In all workes of Love and Mercy towards others it is our duty to stirre up our selves that wee c 2 Thes 1.3 abound in them and wee should have d 2 Cor. 8.16 an earnest care about them whether it bee in regard of the bodies or soules of others or any other way Our love should be e 1 Thess 1.3 laborious ful of the f Rom. 12.10 bowels of tendernesse and compassion to be kindly affectioned to be g 1 Tim 6.18 ready to distribute willing to communicate Where we see grace in any eminency to have our hearts knit to such h 1 SaÌ„ 18.1 2 as Ionathans was to David i Heb. 10.24 To consider one another and to provoke to love and good workes Some we may finde in soule troubles with k Nehe. 2.2 Gen. 40.6 7 countenances sad and dejected faces pale and wan heavy-eyed and sighing as they goe now to stirre up our selves to come to their i Iob 4.4 help and succour by all the wayes wee can if it bee thy friend or any thou canst any way reach never give thy selfe rest but let it pitty thy very heart cry to God for their ease and deliverance and if God have given thee the skill of a Spirituall Physician with a tender hand bind up the bruised Spirit Some also are m Rom. 14.1 weake in faith these wee should support Some are feeble-minded apt to bee discouraged thes n 1 The. 5.14 to streÌ„gthen Some are overtaken with frilings and temptations these to o Gal 6.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set aright as a bone that was out of his place as the word there signifies some grow disorderly and scandalous these to p 1 The. 5 14 reprove some grow cold luke-warme and are like to q Heb. 12.15 fall away these to quicken and rowse up from their drowsinesse Section 14. Of stirring up our selves in regard of our Christian race IN regard of our Christian race we are set to run it is our duty to stirre up our selves r 1 Pet. 1.13 to gird up the loynes of our minde to runne like the two Disciples to our Saviours Sepulcher who ranne with all their might who should come thither first Wee should not stay for company in this weighty businesse Å¿ Quoties cogitas de perfestione virtutum noli considerare quid alii minuâ— habeant quam tu habeâ— sed quid â—s minus habis quam habere iam deâ—bes Filg neither are wee to content our selves with the pace of carnall professors temporary beleevers or lazy Christians nor with that pace which wee our selves do or have gone nor should wee looke backe to see who comes after but thinke thou art upon life and death therefore t Heb. 12.1 to cast away every weight and the sinne that doth so easily beset us nothing in the world should cause us to step aside but to runne u Pro 4.25 forth right Wee should now * Phil. 3.13 forget all things that are behinde reaching out to the things which are before To this end we should set before us that x Heb. 12.1 cloud of witnesses those blessed servants of God who have gone before us who have finished their course and kept the faith to their latest breath especially y Heb. 12 2 looking to Iesus the Author and finisher of our faith who for the ioy that was set before him endured the crosse despising the shame and is set downe at the right hand of the Throne of God Our Savior Christ is not as a dead marke Note who helpes not the runners at al but looking to him by faith he guideth us in our way with his eye Psal 32.8 enlargeth our steps and gives us strength that wee faint not but still helpeth us to t Phil. 3.14 presse toward the marke till we obtaine the price of our high calling of God through him And this wee ought to doe with the more care and earnestnesse there being so many that look upon us whom wee may encourage by our example either in doing or suffering Wee little thinke how many doe eye us in our Christian walke and what good wee may doe by a Phil. 2.15 holding forth the light of a good example how it may b 2 Cor. 9.2 1 The. 1.6 7 provoke others to mend their pace and to runne with the more cheerefulnesse having some to lead the way before them Section 15. How we are to stirre up our selves when our last end approcheth VVHen our last end approacheth and wee lye upon our last bed if God bee so mercifull to us as to afford any strength ease or respit from paine freedome from Temptation or to continue the use of our reason and memory it is our duty to stirre up our selves that we quit our selves well in the last act of our life and this is done 1 By a carefull preparation of our selves for our blessed change and departing hence by making our reckonings even and expressing by all signes and tokens our c Phil. 1.12 desire of being dissolved and to be with Christ Now to stirre up our hope and earnest expectation of the accomplishment of all those blessed promises of the life to come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The same word used Rom. 8.19 according as the Apostle speaks of himself Phi. 1.20 the word used by him there signifies to reach out ones necke in looking after somewhat we greatly desire and earnestly expect to come unto us Ask is said of d Iudg. 5.28 Sisera his Mother she looked out at a window and expecting the returne of her sonne shee cryed Why are his Chariots so long a comming So now the soule should be looking out and reaching forth it selfe expecting that good howre when God will send for it O when the immortall soule which hath long so-journed in this sinfull flesh shall beginne to e Intrepidè purgamus ad Redemptorem nostrum Iesum intrepidè ad Patriar charum concilium trepide ad patrem nostrum A braham enm dies adveneris prâ—fie sâ—amur Ambr lib de bono mortis draw neere to the confines of eternity there being it may bee but a few houres and as it were but a step betweene it and everlasting blessednesse and those beatificall visions which infinitely transcend all that ever mortall eye saw as farre as the glory of the greatest Princes Court doth the meanest Cottage how should wee beginne