a little yet inflaming and increasing the disease more So that these worldly joys being not universal nor pure and unmixed yea being the seed of eternal grief and torment therefore they may be well excluded from the name of joy and the Doctrine be truly asserted That God is a God of consolation onely to believers Let us explicate this truth And First We are to know That God doth not only vouchsafe grace but comfort also and delight to his people in the exercise of those graces He doth not only give bread that strengthens but wine that makes the heart glad Grace that carrieth us out to honour God to love him and live to him but comfort that is for our encouragement that is to sweeten and facilitate the heart in doing so So that if a man have never so much grace and holiness yet if he want this conlation as you see it was with Job with Jeremiah with David when Psal 51. he prayed so earnestly for the restoring of it again to him all his desirable things perish Christ himself under those agonies he conflicted with had an Angel to comfort him So that you see they are two distinct gifts of God to give Grace and to give comfort therefore the holy Ghost hath a two-fold work both to sanctifie and also to comfort yet though distinct God doth many times joyn them together yea there is some unusual impediment if joy doth not alwayes follow grace and that like Castor and Pollux they do not alwayes appear together Therefore Godlinesse is comprehended under the name of gladnesse in that expression Ps l. 45. 7. applied to Christ Heb. 1. 9. Thou hast anointed him with the oyl of gladness as Christ was so also are his members thus anointed with the oyl of gladnesse God then doth not only sanctifie and make his people holy but he also doth fill their hearts with joy and gladness Thus Acts 9. 31. They in the Churches walked in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the holy Ghost Only when we say That God giveth his people comfort as well as grace You must know the comforts are of two sorts Sometimes they are concomitant so that even in the very exercises of grace they find unspeakable joy and sweetness The very Heathens had some glimmering of this when they said Virtus was sibi ipsi praemium Virtue it self was a reward as well as duty because of the great tranquillity and contentation of mind that it brought to the soul Even as wicked actions have an immediate horrour and remorse of conscience accompanying them And then 2. There are consequent joyes which follow after the work is done as Paul found at the 12th verse This is our rejoycing the testimony of a good conscience So that a man of an ill conscience who hath stings from that though all the world applaud him yet he cannot have any true solid joy Quid proderit tibi non habere conscium habenti conscientiam The Martyrs they found concomitant joyes in their most dreadfull sufferings Act. 5. 41. The Apostles went away rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christs Name They minded not their stripes nor their reproach and disgrace but they went away rejoycing not from hearing the Word from prayer from such holy Ordinances but even from scourges and stripes But in many other duties and services for God though for the present we may feel no joy yet there are subsequent joyes that may arise long after For as sinne may not sting for a while as we see in Joseph's brethren the guilt of their conscience awakened them many years after So the comfort of holy duties though for the present thou mayest not apprehend them yet sometimes or other God will revive them Secondly Although God giveth not only grace but comfort to his people yet we are not to serve him onely for comforts sake but for his own sake and that while he denieth us the brests of consolation to suck on yet we are as fervently and zealously to obey him as ever It is many times the sad complaint of Gods children that they want comfort and thereupon are dejected and discouraged they care not for praying for hearing they have no heart for the Ordinances and all because they find their hearts like a barren wildernesse full of howling beasts Oh when they have comfort then they can runne the way of Gods Commandments then they have fire in their bosome But when this is gone they become like a stone or a lump of earth But although it be true That the joy of the Lord is our strength Nehem. 8. 10. yet for all that it is too low and mercenary to serve him onely for comfort This is Amor concupiscentiae not amicitiae towards God The grace of love carrieth us to God so that we choose him and delight in him above all things that though he should not give us Heaven and everlasting glory yet we were to love him because he is the supream and most excellent good How much more than are we to serve God to be diligent in his work though we find not those experimental suavities upon our souls for the present Therefor thou art to deny thy self in this matter of joy when God dispenseth it to thee walk thankfully humbly and fruitfully under it And when in darkness in desolateness of soul yet let not thy soul abate in love and service to God The Stoick was so severe that he thought he could not be virtuous who did any virtuous action for the delight and sweetness that followeth it They would not have Virtus propter voluptatem but voluptas propter virtutem How much more should our Christianity teach us to preferre Gods will and his honour above all consolations If Job said Though he kill me yet I will trust in him then do thou though when thou askest for bread he give thee a stone when thou askest for fish he give thee a serpent yet still say I will own him as a Father honour him as a Father Christ when he was in those agonies and destitute of all comfort yet he did not refuse to accomplish the will of God Thirdly As God giveth comfort to believers so he doth it proportionably and sutably to their tryals necessities and wants Greater tryals need greater comforts greater temptations need greater consolations Thus the Apostle at the next verse As our sufferings abound so our consolation also aboundeth through Christ One drop of honey is not enough to sweeten the salt waters of the sea neither can small consolations equal great afflictions Hence the wisdome and goodness of God is most remarkable that he reserveth his comforts for such times and seasons when the soul doth most want them Now if ever the Lord must comfort else they shall be overwhelmed as in the time of our first conversion to God when our sins lie with all their weight upon our backs when we see nothing but terrour which way soever
of his love this riches of his grace should exceedingly melt thee it should be like fire that assimilateth every thing into its self now when this love like so many coales of fire is in thy breast it cannot be but that it will open thy heart and thy mouth wide to praise the Lord. This is our corruption we love the mercy it self but not God that giveth it we delight in the comforts that are bestowed upon us but do not rejoyce in God from whence they come If therefore thou findest thy heart frozen and dull thou canst not raise it up to bless God meditate much upon the love of God to thee so vile and unworthy 4. An heavenly heart is necessary to bless and praise God The praising of God is Angels works and the imployment of the glorified Saints to all eternity Praise is comely but it is from clean hearts and clean mouths We need the Spirit of God to inable us to thanksgiving as well as to prayer Psal 119. 7. I 'le praise thee with uprightness An hypocrite who giveth God glory by his mouth but reproacheth him by his life not only his prayer but his praises are abominable Hence Psal 50. ult it is said Who so offereth praise glorifieth God But lest you should extend this to every man See what is added And who so ordereth his conversation aright c. If a man praise God in never so melodious a tune but then there is no harmony nor order in his life this is a reproach to God We may benedicere linguâ when we do maledicere vitâ There is a real praising of God by exercised holiness as well as verbal by the tongue In the Sacrifices of thanksgiving Levit. 7. 10. Whosoever did eat thereof that had uncleanness upon him he was to be cut off By this is typified how unpleasing the praises of such are who live in their sins it is as uncomely as a pearl in the Swines mouth It is true God doth greatly condescend to accept of our praises for he hath millions and millions of Angels continually praising of him who have not the least blemish or spot upon them but yet he is pleased to take this Sacrifice at our hands In the Sacrifice of thanksgiving Levit. 7. 13. there was leaven allowed Junius observeth That whereas God allowed leaven in no other Sacrifice though Bonfrerius thinketh otherwise and that leaven only was forbidden so farre as to be offered but the common opinion is otherwise why then was leaven allowed only in this Sacrifice Hereby to teach us saith Junius that there is corruption and sinfulness in our best actions and that we need the righteousness of Christ that they be accepted of Even then in our praises there is matter of humiliation there is some bitterness yet through Christ we are accepted of But though all pollution cannot be purged out yet he that liveth in a wilfull way of sinning cannot give glory to God acceptably 5. He that praiseth God must do it voluntarily readily chearfully otherwise it is not worthy the name of praise As God loveth a cheerfull giver so especially a thanksgiver To praise God with an heavy lumpish unwilling heart is a contradiction to the duty in thy hand it is as if we should say a black Sun or a cold fire Lev. 22. 29 30. The Law about a Sacrifice of thanksgiving is that when they offer it it must be at their own will which argueth the readiness and willingness that ought to be in us at that time and then on the same day it was to be offered they were to eat it all up to leave none till the morrow whereas in other Sacrifices they might And this was to shew that he who would give thanks to God he must do it speedily he must not delay or put off So that by this you see a praising frame of heart requireth a most curious exact temperature It 's that Apothecaries ointment which belonged to the Highpriest onely made up of choice ingredients A sinfull heart cannot praise God and a worldly heart cannot praise God that wants wheels to its chariots wings to flie up with The Lark lifteth her self off from the earth ere she begins to sing And then a sorrowfull dejected heart that cannot praise God no more than a string in the instrument too much wetted can cause a melodious sound In the next place Let us consider the encouragements thereunto And 1. The excellency of this duty is apparent in that the heart is naturally so froward and opposite to it It may cause some wonder why the soul of a man should be slow to this work and commonly all are more in petitions then in thanksgivings Hence David Psal 103. though a man more exercised in this service than any one called therefore the sweet singer of Israel and who is not contented himself to praise God but cals upon all the creatures in Heaven and earth yea the most inconsiderable ones to praise God yet he finds some listlesness and slothfulness in himself see therefore how he prepareth and stirreth up himself as the Cock doth before his crow Bless the Lord O my soul and let all within thee praise his holy name His heart doth need calling upon his soul must be moved and quicknnd ere it doth his duty Conclude then certainly this duty is most excellent it is very pleasing to God because I am so backward I am never scarce in a praising temper one clog or other is upon me 2. Consider That the Scripture vouchsafeth it the name of a Sacrifice Heb. 13. 15. Where you have the duty commanded the time when and the manner how Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God and that continually As David said Seven times a day will I praise thee Ps 119. 164. It is a sacrifice and every sacrifice must have fire there must be zeal and fervency but by whom must we offer it it is by Christ so that he is the Altar upon which the incense of prayers and praises are to be offered to God By him we have both power and acceptance to praise God and in this sense all the people of God are called Priests and they have the sacrifices of praise continually to offer up unto God Hence to praise God is expressed Hos 14. 2. by rendring the calves of our lips 3. It is a debt that is due to God He that hath commanded thee to pray to him hath also enjoyned thee to praise him Yea this is all that God looketh for Thou canst not satisfie God for thy sins committed thou art not able to repair his honour and glory shouldst thou be damned a thousand times over yet it could not recompence to God according to what thou hast dishonoured him Therefore seeing this is the only debt God obligeth unto why should we not be more diligent in it If he had required some greater service of us and more terrible to flesh and blood ought
affirme things to be so and so There are also Promissory lyes whereby we doe promise to doe such and such things but afterwards breake these engagements And the Apostles speech may relate to both these kinds of lies and both these are sinnes against the second Table either when we affirme any thing falsly or perfidiously breake our promises For seeing words are instituted to signifie our sense and minde to others if we abuse them to other ends we doe hereby destroy the end of speech and so as much as lieth in us overthrow all humane commerce and society But in a Promissory lye there is a further aggravation of the sinne because hereby the rules of justice are broken for by promise another man cometh to have a right to the thing promised The Corinthians in this Text had a right to Paul's presence when he had promised them Now where grace is in a man that doth so sanctifie him that he taketh heed of every way of lying whether in words or promises It is true Aristotle speaketh of this verity as a moral vertue And there are some who have as it were a natural justice their words are as good as oaths their promises are as good as bonds and bils Some Heathens have been famous for such a truth in their conversation but yet godlinesse maketh a man keep from lying and falshood upon other grounds then such natural just men which is good to be observed because many are so apt to build the comfort of their souls upon it For 1. Such natural true men they are so onely from the Principles of a natural conscience not from the principles of sanctification within them If you ask them Why they doe it or observe the ground you shall see it is onely because the light of Nature instructeth them herein And although this be commendable yet it is not enough to make it godlinesse in them for what is done in a godly manner ariseth from a principle of godlinesse which is the new nature within a man So that it is one thing to abhorre lying from a meer natural conscience and another thing to do so from a supernatural light within them 2. You may observe a difference in the motive The godly man dareth not lie because God forbiddeth because it 's a sinne that he abominateth whereas the natural true man never minds the Scripture it is not from the word of God that he doth it but because it is a laudable thing amongst men They will greatly praise such a man that is so constant It 's the glory of men they look at not the command of God 3. That such men are true and just but not from a godly principle is plaine Because they doe not receive all other holy duties The same God that hath commanded thee not to lie not to deal falsely hath also commanded thee not to be drunk he hath commanded thee to sanctifie the Sabbath to keep up Family-duties to love those that are godly and to delight in such whereas many times none are more bitter enemies to the power of godlinesse and the beauties of holinesse then such natural just and true men Oh therefore that such would not stay in that Thou doest well that thy words are sure that thy speeches and actions are just but doe not stay here doe not thinke thou hast enough for Heaven For though you doe all these yet if you delight not in godlinesse if you love not those that are holy men if you cannot abide this strictnesse and precisenesse in religious duties know that thou art but half a Christian yet there are duties of the first Table as well as the second and how greatly mayest thou charge thy soul with such sins didst thou not put thy trust and hope in thy true and just dealings Thirdly Divines do usually speak of a three-fold kind of lying There is a pernicious lie a sporting lie and an officious lie 1. A pernicious lie is when we speak that which is false to the hurt and damage of another 2. A sporting lie is when we do in merriment affirm things that are false only to please and delight 3. An officious lie or mendacium misericors as some call it a mercifull lie is when we tell a lie but it is for the good of another to save him out of danger or death such was Rahab's lie and the lie of the Midwives For though God rewarded them for the maine yet it doth not follow he allowed their lie but pardoned it It is disputed by some Whether this be a sinne or no And Luther is so farre from making it a sinne that he speaketh of it as a duty in Genes And Musculus also alloweth of it Yea Comment in Johan cap. 8. he hath this strange division Mendaciorum quaedam fuit licita bona quaedam excusabilia quaedam levia quaedam vitiosa quaedam diabolica But certainly though sporting and officious lies are not so great sinnes as pernicious yet they are all intrinsecally evil and so cannot be made good for any advantage of the world To lie that thou mayest deliver a man from death is not lawfull because of the Apostles Rule We must not doe evil that good may come thereof Rom. 3. 8. Even as adultery and fornication may not be committed under any pretence whatsoever no not by a woman to save the life of her husband of which case some speak of So it is also with a lie being a sinne intrinsecally and of its own nature and therefore can never be made good Hence it is that it is forbidden without any limitation to this lie rather than another Levit. 19. 11. even as stealing and dealing falsly are Therefore Cassianus is of opinion That it is lawfull to use a lie as we doe Hellebore to depell some grievous danger and that the Patriarchs for this end did sometimes use lies is wholly to be exploded Plato was first the authour of this opinion That Magistrates might use Mendacio ut medicamento from whom Origen and his followers were infected in this point But as we heard every lie is of its own nature a sinne because as the Schoolmen say It 's Actus cadens supra indebitam materiam For words are naturally the signe of our meaning and to use them otherwise is unnatural And this should make us be the more wary in our ordinary sporting discourses For how few do attend to this sinfulnesse of the tongue herein But if of every idle word a man shall give an account then much more of every lying word though it may seem no such great matter to us It is certaine the Martyrs thought no such lies lawfull no though thereby they might have escaped cruel torments Yea they are blotted with ignominy in Antiquity who either by favour or money would accept of a Certificate or Testimonial that they had sacrificed at the Altar when indeed they had not and thereby preserving themselves But what gain is this to save a
them and to give them daily food watching over their souls and therefore their title of Shepherds and the people being called a Flock do evidently demonstrate the necessity of a Ministry not only at first as miracles were but perpetually even to the coming of Christ Thirdly There is in the Description the Formal Cause to which also may be reduced the Final Cause The Formal Cause is in the publick and solemn observation of that Church-communion which God hath required I shall only mention that formal and external Communion wherein it consists And that is 1. In the solemn assembling and meeting of themselves together Heb. 10. 25. The Apostle doth there reprove the neglect of this duty which is the seminary and fountain of all holiness while the coals lie together they keep their heat and inflame one another Thus it 's our communion in the Assemblies that is the means to keep up grace and holiness How much did David bewail his banishment from the Ordinances as you heard And is it not the highest censure and most dreadfull punishment that can be for a Christian upon just grounds to be cast out of the Church Is not this to fall into the Kingdom of Satan Is it not to be delivered up to him Now then if it be next to hell it self thus to be cast out of Church-communion and the publick Ordinances Why doest thou wilfully bring this upon thy self Thy own slothfull and prophane careless heart makes thee neglect the publick Assemblies This is a sinne of an higher nature than thou art aware of for God is present in Church Assemblies you have the benefit of the prayers then poured forth the Ordinances are of enlightning and quickning efficacy Now for thee voluntarily to deprive thy self of this spiritual advantage is a sinne of an high degree Indeed when want of health or other just impediments keep us from the Assemblies God can then make up the publick benefits in private But I speak of a voluntary wilfull omission of such publick Communion Oh little do such men consider that they have but a day Their life is but a day and the season of grace is but a day and doest thou neglect that day when it may be thou shalt never have such a day again never have a Sabbath any more That carnal plea also of getting as much good at home and they can edifie themselves as well with reading books in private unless in case of necessity as I said is ungodly and unjustifiable excuse for this is to make Church-communion and holy Assemblies to be of no necessity and so wholly to overthrow them 2. In this solemn meeting there are these publick duties wherein the Church is to imploy her self 1. Publick prayer to God This in the primitive times was done so servently and zealously that they did even seem to besiege Heaven and to take it by force Oh what prevailing power must the Church have with God when they are so many wrestling Jacobs If the effectual servent prayer of one righteous man prevaileth much how much mâ—… joyned together If it were a Congregation of Joâ—…s how mightily should we prevail with God But we mâ—… Chrysostome How are all the grave and holy things of Goâ—… formality and a shew How many in our Congregatioâ—…end to this publick duty of prayer They fear not lest â—…any Aâ—… in the Congregation So that for thy deadnâ—… the sinnes â—…est in God be angry with our Assemblies and â—…t be graciously â—…ent with us Thou art a dead flie in this box of ointment The prophane man little thinketh what obstructions he makes in our publick petitions by his wickedness unrepented of 2. There is the publick preaching of the Word And this necessarily supposeth a formed and stated Church wherein are Governours and governed Those who by Office preach and those who by duty hear This publick Ministry in the Church of God is not for convenience or good order meerly but it is an institution of Christ and hath several effects attributed to it as conversion of such who are in their natural condition the edifying of those who are converted for instruction that men be not led aside with errours and strange Doctrine for rebuke and reproof of such who walk disorderly c. And therefore because of the necessity of it those who have commission to do it have manifold directions about it To preach in season and out of season and the reason seemeth strange Because there are many who will not endure sound Doctrine 2 Tim. 4. 2. Yea there is a wo to them if they be negligent herein 1 Cor. 9. 16. And in all this they are to be instant and industrious it being a cursed thing to do the work of the Lordnegligently The matter they preach must be holy savoury and nourishing compared therefore to food You are to come to a Sermon with an hungry stomack Yea as new born children ye are to swallow down the sincere milk of the Word And therefore to preach froth and meer fancifull things is as absurd as if a man should invite another to a dinner and provide him nothing but the pictures of some meat It 's compared to seed the Husbandman will not sow his ground with chaff Yea it 's compared to a two-edged sword that is quick and piereing into the very secret thoughts of mens hearts It is for want of such soul-piercing and soul-saving preaching that people are lulled or sleep in their sinnes that there is nothing but formality and customariness in most men The word of God is to flash in your faces like so much lightning and to make even the proudest and the most scornfull to tremble within them They must speak as the Oracles of God What is that but as men filled with the Spirit of God breaking out like fire from them And with such proportionable affections are you to hear This is to meet as the Church of God no man sleeping no man drousie or wandering and roving in his mind but to say with the Centurion We are all here to hear what God will say to us 3. The Administration of Sacraments according to Gods order and such holy wayes as he hath appointed The Sacraments are of infinite consequence to the Church of God and when people through their ignorance and prophaneness make themselves unfit subjects they are enemies to their souls For though God be present in the Word and prayer yet his sacramental presence is in a more indeared and peculiar manner Lastly There is that godly Discipline and holy Order in Church-communion which is as the hedge to the field of corn Take away this holy order the Church will become a gangrened body either with heresies or prophaneness Hence is that binding and losing of sinners Hence is that command of casting out wicked obstinate persons of pirging out the old leaven because a little leaven will quickly sour all 1 Cor. 5. Hence also are those duties of admonishing and noting such
true Saints in gifts and graces despise and contemn such as are below them to judge them no Saints or not godly at all That there is such a disposition even in grown Saints appeareth Rom. 14. where the Apostle giveth several Rules to strong Christians especially That they judge not or despise him that is weak and one reason amongst others is Because God hath received him If therefore he be one whom God hath received for whom Christ died though subject to many weaknesses and infirmities take heed of contemning him Such a supercilious censorious spirit is farre from the Spirit of Christ who when he saw one not farre from the Kingdom of Heaven though not yet in it yet it 's said He loved him and encouraged him Hence in the second place This real Saintship is alwayes growing and ought to be more and more proficient continually It is an high delusion to dream of such a perfection that they are above Ordinances that they are of so full a stature in grace that one cubit cannot be added to them This is to let the Devil get thee up to the pinacle of the Temple and then to throw thee headlong into hell yet such sad delusions have been on some that coming to the Sacrament they have said They have had as perfect love as Christ himself But this is against the continual current of the Scripture which presseth to grow in grace to bring forth more fruit And 1 Cor. 7. to perfect holinesse in the fear of God Paul himself though a Gyant to us Dwarfs yet Phil. 3. Accounted not himself to have apprehended but forgat what was behind and pressed forward to the mark Cloppenburge a learned man thinketh That even Christ himself did feed and nourish his soul by meditating on Gods Word and that in the use of the Sacraments his faith was more confirmed for to go through that work of redemption for us This may seem hard to affirm of Christ who had the Spirit without measure But it is very true of every Saint on Earth though never so exalted and enabled by grace that he needeth the Ordinances that he is to perfect and fill up that vacuity and emptiness which is in him so that he may say with Ignatius when going to be sacrificed for the truth Nune incipio esse Christianus I do even now begin to be a Christian to be a Saint I am but a babe yet I am but a beginner yet Thirdly This Church-Saintship therefore doth consist with many imperfections and weaknesses so that we need a constant and daily remission of sinne through the bloud of Christ This is greatly to be observed because some have dreamed of such a perfection in this life that if not alway yet for some time we may be without any sinne at all and therefore they tell us of Saints in the Church which need no pardon or forgiveness as if to be a Saint in the Church and a Saint in Heaven were all one but our Saviour in directing all to pray for the forgivenesse of sin I say all that are to pray are to pray so doth plainly confute this And the Apostle John saith That if we say we have no sinne in us we deceive our selves and indeed we sinne in saying so And this is the more to be observed because the dear children of God think this title of Saint too glorious and great to apply to themselves who are compassed about with such infirmities How can I be called a Saint and yet so dull so sluggish so froward earthly and often disordered in heart But you are to know that though Saints yet we are not to be justified by our Saintship we need the imputed righteousness of Christ to cover the imperfections of our Saintship yea some have not lost their Saintship and yet have fallen into foul sins for a season David Peter and others did not cease to be Saints in those sad falls though their holiness was drawn inward and as the juice of the Tree in the Winter was hid in the root under ground but these Suns were not alwayes in an eclipse at last they did recover to their greater advantage in holiness and to be a pillar of salt to all other Saints Nor to be high-minded but fear Fourthly To be a Saint is a denomination from our conformity to the will of God as a rule of our lives So that if you ask What is it to be a Saint It is to be one born again by the Spirit of God making the word of God to be the rule of all his actions So that Gods Word must try whether thou art a Saint or no not thy own thoughts or the applause of others can make thee a Saint but thy life regulated by Gods Word The Papists cry up their Saint Francis whom they equallize to Christ in many things but his Saintship must be tried not by his voluntary poverty or strict observance of humane traditions but by a consonancy to Gods Word Thus who ever is cried up for a Saint still we must examine How doth the Word and his life agree Is he as it were a walking Bible Doth he will what that wils and nill what that nilleth And this further also may inform us That we are not to make a man a Saint because of a particular opinion in some way of Church-Government as if none could be Saints but of such an opinion For the word Saint denoteth One made holy by the Image of God restored in him though he may differ from another Saint in a Church-way For although it be our duty to study out the mind and will of Christ concerning Church-order and with his Institutions only we may expect his gracious presence yet such is the corruption and weakness upon the understandings of the best that though Gods Spirit will lead them into all necessary truth yet they may fail in some accessories and so one Saint may differ from another yea and write against another though such things do prove as Calvin said of Melancihons difference from him Pessimi exempli of very evil example and confirm the adversaries of godliness in their dangerous prejudices against it These things thus laid down let us consider Why all the fore-mentioned steps of a Church-Saint are nothing without the latter To be a Saint by the outward Covenant by dedication to God by outward profession and vocation Yea to be a Saint having some works of Gods Spirit on us unless we be born of God and so have holy Natures holy affections and an holy conversation it 's to be like the foolish Virgiâ—s who have lamps and those lighted but want oyl Let us therefore consider What may provoke us to be Saints indeed And 1. What matter of shame and reproach is it to have the name of a Saint only and nothing else Thy life not the life of a Saint thy words thy actions not the expressions of a Saint Is not this ridiculous even as
there are sinfull and unjustifiable grounds of some persons who do not joyn themselves to any Church-society and that may be either from a Corrupt Opinions or a Corrupt Heart though they seldom be separated from one another First From a Corrupt Opinion As 1. Of those who call themselves Seekers confessing they cannot yet find a Church to which they may joyâ—… For they affirm That since the Apostles dayes there are no Churches and therefore till they can see Apostles Apostolical gifts and miracles with the like effusion of the holy Ghost upon persons they cannot own any Church But this is against those Texts of Scripture which speak of a perpetuity of the Ministry and the duty of receiving Sacraments till the coming of Christ which could not be if there were no Church 2. Another corrupt opinion is of those who call themselves high Attainers These make themselves above the Church-ordinances they need them not yea some Anabaptists in Germany made themselves above the Bible living wholly upon spiritual revelations and called those who would leave to the Scripture as a Rule Creaturistae as depending upon a creature But the Scripture and Ordinances are necessary to quicken grace in the most holy and there are none so spiritual but they need them daily to comfort or instruct them yet such have their publick Assemblies wherein they deliver their opinions to be received But if people ought to be above all Ministry and teaching then also above theirs And certainly if those places of being taught of God and having an unction which teacheth us all things be against our Ministry it is also against theirs 3. There may be a corrupt opinion which though it be not against Church-communion absolutely yet they judge it Arbitrary and not necessary Of this opinion Grotius seemed once to be for he is thought to be the Author of that Book which asserts Quod non semper communicandum per symbola and Rivet in his Dialysis against him chargeth this upon him that he was not a member of any Church acknowledging it a just hand of God upon him that at his death when a Minister was brought to him he was wholly sensless So that he who in his life time cared not for Church-communion could not have any benefit by a Minister of the Gospel at his death 4. The last corrupt opinion by which men may not joyn to a Church may be from a superstitious conceit whereby men thinking it impossible to have salvation in the world have imprisoned themselves as it were in Cells and holes of Rocks thereby to give themselves wholly to divine Contemplation Thus the Monks Eremites and Anchorites of old For though some of the most ancient are excused as being driven thereunto by persecution yet the latter seemed to be transported wholly with superstition and therefore in that they lived solely not coming to the publick Ordinances of God in a Church way it was not justifiable by Scripture Indeed if they took their times to come to publick Societies and receive Sacraments as Rivet affirmeth against Grotius Dialys pag. 106. pleading their example for being of no Church then they are to be excused à tanto though not à toto The second unlawfull ground of keeping from Communion with Church-assemblies is A prophane Atheistical disposition that look upon a Church and a Church-assembly as humane devices to keep men in awe or if they be not so eminently Atheistical yet their love to their lusts and pleasures to the world and contents thereof make them weary of the Sabbaths and publick Ordinances as those in Amos 8. 5. When will the Sabbath be over that we may set forth wheat to sell How many are there that comes as seldome as ever they can to these publick Assemblies and when they do come it 's but for custom and fashion not that they ever found any spiritual good or expect and desire any Therefore let the Use be of Instruction that as ye are not to rest in any Church forms or external Communion to think that the very bodily doing of them will save you So on the other side Take heed of voluntarily and wilfully neglecting the publick Assemblies How have the godly when banished and driven from them bewailed their misery whereas thou dost voluntarily absent thy self Think how it may lie upon thee at thy death when thou shalt remember the many Sabbaths the many Ordinances thou hast neglected and now if God would give thee but one day or one hour to make thy peace with him thou wouldst judge it a great mercy The second Observation is from the Universality All the Saints There are none so mean so inconsiderable but this Epistle is directed to them as well as the most eminent From whence observe That the soul of the poorest and meanest Saint is not to be neglected That as the rain falleth upon the least spire of grass as well as the choisest flowers so ought all ministerial planting and watering to be to the meanest plant in Christs garden as well as the chiefest Though Christian Religion doth not abolish civil Polity nor the distinctions and relations of Magistrate and Subject of Master and Servant but strictly enjoyneth their respective duties yet in respect of religious considerations all are but as one Thus the Apostle notably Gal. 3. 28. There is neither bond or free male or female but all are one mark that in Christ Christ looketh upon all as one man And certainly if Christ in shedding his bloud for his people had an equal respect to the meanest with the greatest he died for the godly servant as well as the godly master the godly poor man as well as the godly rich man Then it behoveth all Christians to imitate him in this Whosoever is a Saint though he be never so contemptible do thou own and imbrace such else we do not love the brotherhood we do not love a godly man because he is godly but because he is great or rich or may advantage thee in the world Paul will not except or leave out one of the Saints in all Acbaia SERM. XXII How Grace and Peace and such like spiritual Mercies and Priviledges are to be desired before any temporal Mercies whatsoever 2 COR. 1. 2. Grace be to you and Peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ HItherto we have considered the Inscription we now come to the Salutation which is in these words and it containeth matter of prayer It is not any earthly or temporal mercy he prayeth for but what is heavenly and spiritual The Apostle Paul doth constantly use this Salutation only in both those Epistles to Timothy and Titus which were Church-officers he interposeth Mercy between Grace and Peace Calvin thinketh he putteth it in his Salutation to Timothy because of his dear affection and love to him but why should he do it to Titus also Certainly it ought to be considered that only to Church-officers he useth
fancies and opinions making such a grace as we would have and then go to the Scripture to confirm it but the word of God must be the alone Rule in this case So that by the Scripture alone we shall not give too little nor on the other side attribute too much to it making Gods grace to be such a thing not indeed as it is but such as we would have It is good therefore to attend to the Scripture and to lay all our own thoughts and all humane Authorities aside that so the Scripture grace of God may be found out Now these Characters we may have of that grace the Scripture commends in God 1. That the Scripture-grace doth begin all the good in us We do not prevent God but he prevents us Thus our Saviour You have not chosen me but I have chosen you We love him because he loved us first So that the word of God doth still resolve the original of all we have into this grace of God as Rom. 9. and Rom. 11. Ephes 1. Whosoever therefore makes something in us to begin and then Gods grace to be subsequent he setteth not up grace in a Scripture-way Therefore there are no antecedent merits or dispositions in us for which God doth afterwards bestow his grace upon us The very first desire inspiration and least unseigned groans after Christ is from this grace of God Therefore the beginnings of what is good is attributed to God as well as the progressives yea the initials most of all because then we were dead in sin and in a state of enmity against God 2. The grace of God which the Scripture commends as to our Sanctification and conversion is not meerly suasory and by moral arguments or in an universal indeterminate and ineffectual manner till we by our freewill content to it but it 's a grace that takes away the heart of stone and giveth an heart of flesh it 's a grace that gives a new birth and maketh us new creatures Which expressions do suppose that we had not so much power as to consent unto grace till grace doth enable us It is a grace that giveth us both to will and to do It 's a grace that makes us to be what we are and so to differ from another whereas if we did co-operate with grace or make Gods grace effectual then it would be we our selves and not Gods grace that should make this difference 3. The grace of God which the Scripture commends as to our Justification is imputed grace not inherent evangelical grace which justifieth us is external though by faith received into us and made ours And this is greatly to be observed for what godly man when he goeth for Justification and consolation doth not more attend to inherent grace than imputed This truth is the very heart and marrow of the Gospel It is about this that there is so much doctrinal and practical contending Whether grace inherent in us or imputed to us be that which we must rest upon and lean upon when God enters into judgement with us We say only imputed grace others say inherent and that because the Apostle excludeth works not only meritorious work but godly works works of grace done by us And here now the Adversaries seem to insult saying The Apostle excludeth works only of the Law such as are done by our natural strength or perfect works or works that merit but this is to distinguish where the Scripture doth not and whereas it is said that the works of grace cannot be opposed to grace because they flow from it they are effects of it It 's answered that works of grace cannot indeed be opposed to that principle of grace within us from whence they are said to flow but they are opposed to that grace which is said to be the effect of them viz. Justification and remission of sins So that though works of grace do not oppose internal renovation yet they do justification which they say is produced by them Again whereas they say That none extoll grace more than they do because they make grace inherent to make us accepted of with God Whereas the Protestants debate it denying it this noble work For say they will not grace be most advanced in Heaven when we shall be justified by that perfection of holiness which is within us But to this also it 's answered That it's imputed grace which is Evangelical grace and that we are to exalt in this life In Heaven indeed this Evangelical and imputed grace will cease though all glory will be given to that because by it we are brought to perfect inherent grace Lastly The Scripture-grace though it be not for good duties yet doth alwayes require the study of them and diligent attending thereunto So that as we must not with the Papist make our duties thrust out grace so neither must we with the Antinomians make grace to thrust out duties for both these do consist together Therefore as the Scripture speaks of Gods grace so it doth also of those holy duties which if we do not diligently perform we cannot have any portion in everlasting happiness Use of Admonition To pray for that spiritual wisdome that we may joyn Gods grace and our holiness to be conscionable in performing of the later but to relie only upon the former Especially take heed of such wayes and courses that shall put thee out of this warm Sunne that shall make thee to walk in darkness not feeling the comfortable beams thereof Oh remember it is this alone that makes life and death comfortable It is true thou mayest be under this grace of God yet by some cloudy temptations upon thy soul thou not be able to perceive Oh but let thy earnest prayer be That Gods grace may not only be to thee but this may be evidenced to thee Thou canst never have true solid peace and quiet contentation of soul till this be all the food as it were thou livest upon till this be all the cloaths thou coverest thy nakedness with SERM. XXV Of the Nature of true Gospel peace and wherein it chiefly consisteth 2 COR. 1. 2. Grace be to you and Peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ VVE are now come to the second thing which the Apostle doth so cordially wish these Corinthians and that is Peace Grace is the Cause Peace is the Effect Grace is the fountain Peace is the stream This word Peace among the Hebrews comes from a root signifying to be whole and sound because by Peace they did mean all good and prosperity as by Warre the Hebrew word coming from a root signifying to eat and devour they meant all misery and destruction And among the Hebrews this was their ordinary salutation and greeting Peace be to you intending thereby all prosperity and happiness And so some expound it here by Peace understanding a prosperous and successefull proceeding of all their affairs But though this is not to be excluded yet
Scotists they say That as there are affections seated in the sensitive part which are called fear joy grief c. so they make some things answerable to these in the ministerial substances For it may seem the soul when separated from the body doth love joy yea and Angels themselves not that they are to be called passions in them because not corporeal but they are so in us Now this distinction is made great use of by Casuists There is say they a rational love and a sensible love A godly man may sometimes feel a more sensible love of his children then he doth of God yet he is not to be discouraged or to think he doth not love God better than his children For according to his rational love which consists in the esteeming and prizing of Christ so he would part with all these when God calleth rather than deny his cause Indeed a learned Writer rejects this distinction of love intensive and appretiative Cocceius de foedere because we are bound to love God saith he with all sensible affection as well as rational esteem but no doubt the distinction well explained is of great use It is made use of also in regard of sorrow for sin Some tender hearts complain they can shed tears they can sensibly weep and mourn for the losse of a father or a child but they cannot do thus about their sins Here again we succour them saying There is the passion of sorrow which stirreth bodily and the grace of sorrow which affects the mind and the will Thou doest detest and hate sinne thou judgest any evil to be suffered rather than that committed thou hast an unspeakable displicency and dislike of what thou hast done here is godly sorrow though it be not passionately expressed in thee therefore repentance is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of the great change upon the mind Thus it is also of great use in the matter of joy There may be a rationall solid joy arising through faith whereby the soul will enjoy a peaceable tranquillity and serenity when yet no bodily affectionate joy may much be perceived The Heathen could say Gaudium est res severa Lastly We are to distinguish in this Objection concerning the matter of thy joy Although God hath denied thee outward arguments of joy thou hast no health no friends no outward supports to rejoyce in yet thou hast the favour of God and his precious promises that are heavenly ravishment to thee When Paul and the other Apostles were in dangers often in troubles often yet at that time their hearts were replenished with spiritual consolation Hast thou therefore no comfort because thou wantest such outward ones as thy heart desireth Let not soul-consolations seem small to thee though with Lazarus thy condition be so straitned that thou canst not get so much as a crum of bread Again distinguish of the degrees of thy comfort There is lesse comfort and more comfort yet comfort there is a greater and lesser flame of fire yet both fire still Thus though comfort even the least be like fire in the bosome warming of the heart yet it is capable of intension Sometimes comfort overfloweth and like the Sunne dispelleth every cloud away Sometimes again comfort is there but in a combate in an agony conflicting with fears and sorrows Now wilt thou call that only comfort which drieth up every tear which removeth every sigh No you must not expect perfect comfort any more than perfect faith perfect love The Devil and sinne doth not only oppose thy graces but thy comforts Therefore bless God and be thankfull for a drop of comfort though thou hast not as much as thou desirest Oh consider how justly God might make thee a Cain fearing every thing should kill and damn thee How justly may he make thee a Magor Missabib fear round about thee and all fear within thee Thus God might make thee a terrour to thy self should he deal with thee according to thy sins So that you must not only account great comfort comfort but even be thankful for more sparing dispensations of it Lastly Distinguish about the time of comfort What though sometimes thy soul seemeth to be like a wildernesse full of howling beasts what though in some tribulations thou criest out with David Hath the Lord forgotten to be gracious Yet this Sunne afterwards breaketh through the clouds so that thou canst say with David Sorrow may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning And Psal 126. 5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy You must know that God hath seasons of joy As there is a time to reap and a time to sow so saith Solomon There is a time to laugh and a time to mourn Job had indeed been a long while without the comforts of God but at last you read all was abundantly made up again We must not therefore judge of comfort by one time or by one tribulation but compare all together as in matter of grace the godly are not to judge of their estate absolutely by some particular temptation for then they might passe false judgement upon their selves 5. To clear this truth yet more Consider of Gods tender and offer of comfort But it may be thy heart is froward and unbelieving rejecting the consolations of God For although we say God comforteth his in all tribulation yet that must be understood so as that his people do their duty God comforteth the godly afflicted but it is the godly believing the godly preparing and setting himself to receive comfort he must not be as Rachel that refused to be comforted as God speaks once or twice to us in his Word for such or such a duty but if we refuse to hear if we attend not we go on in rebellion yet God offers sanctifying grace to us Thus it is also for comfort God comforts again and again by his Word by his Ordinances he often suggests precious and sweet arguments of joy to thy soul but thou art peevish dejected and so they are not received as we cannot write on wet paper neither will the moistened strings of the instrument make any melodious sound If therefore thou hast not comfort in thy troubles mayest not thou blame thy self If every Israelite had not manna in the wilderness he may condemn himself God did rain enough but his negligence slighted the getting of it SERM. XLI The Works of Gods Spirit upon his People are not only for their good but likewise for the Advantage of others 2 COR. 1. 4. That we may be able to comfort them who are in any trouble c. THe next particular to be considered of in his text as it stands divided is the final Cause of Gods comforting his people especially those that are in any office in the Church which is That we may be able to comfort others So that in this latter part we are to consider the final Cause it self which is To be able to comfort others Nihil
experimental knowledge which may be accompanied with some kind of sensible affections Mat. 13. the temporary believer received the word with joy You see then that some may have joy and that from the Word yet this not be the true saving knowledge or faith Heb. 6. some are there also said not only to be inlightened but to have tasted the good word of God Here you may observe that some may tast may have joy all which do inferre some affectionate inward experimental workings on the soul and yet not attain to have the true and honest heart And the reason is because these affectionate workings they are but transitory they quickly vanish away There is no setled constancy or permanency in them So that we are not to give credit to all the affections nor to all inlargements that we may find in our selves even about holy things but we are to be sure that there be deep rooting enough Hence Fourthly All experimental workings of the soul are to be judged and tryed by the Scripture Our hearts being full of guile and imposture the devil also transforming himself into an Angel of light hence it may come about that we may have the experience of much joy of many inlargements and yet all the while be in the devils waies Hence it is that all Sectaries almost will tell us of the great support and comfort they have had and that ever since they embraced those new waies yea some make themselves to be the only spiritual men that all other are in the flesh as Tertullian wrote a Book against the Orthodox stiling it Contra Psachicos as those that were meerly natural in the mean time he pretended to private revelations The experiences therefore which we find in our souls we must examine and try lest we make that to be of God which is indeed of the devil No doubt many deluded souls in dangerous and damnable waies comfort others of the same way with them by that comfort wherewith they are comforted not of God but of the devil Therefore let our experiences especially of comfort be judged by the Word in these Particulars First In the manner and way how thou comest by them Are they by the Scriptures truly understood I say truly understood For if thou abusest Scripture putting thy own sense upon it and thereby receiving comfort it is no longer then Verbum Dei but verbum tuum thou wrestest it and makest it thy own or the devils and not Gods If therefore thy experience of comfort be grounded on the Word if thy consolation flow from hence then this will abide That we through comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Rom. 15. 4. The Spirit of God doth first lead into all truth and then into all comfort Secondly In the original and the efficient cause is it from God from the Spirit of God Or from the devil who may harden thy heart and make thee have such joy as mad men have not feeling their own misery The comfort and the joy that is truly so is still attributed to God and the Holy Ghost as the fountains thereof Thirdly Doth thy experience of Consolation make thee more humble and empty Doth it drive thee out of all thy vain carnal confidences This argueth it cometh from God if with the Centurian when Christ cometh to thy soul thou sayest Lord I am unworthy this joy this consolation should enter into me And therefore the more comfort the more lowly and debased in thy own eyes And never more then when the most joy This is a good experience of comfort as coming from God So also if this comfort be conducing to holinesse if by this thou art more quickned to mortifie sinne to subdue the corruptions that remain if this be like oyl to the wheeles thou art more fervent more zealous in all holy duties then make much of this comfort for it cometh from Heaven If then we have the experience of Gods working upon our souls both in the way of grace and the way of comfort then and never till then are we fitted to deal with the souls of others And there are these Reasons First None can wisely be a Physician to heal a disease in another unlesse he have skill and understanding in the nature of it and the fit remedy for it Now while a man hath no experimental knowledge of Gods workings upon his own soul he hath no skill no heavenly heart about the diseases in others souls Bring a poor wounded soul that is burdned with sinne that would be directed into Evangelical comforts to a Pharisaical self-righteous Doctor and alas he will as Ely thought the poor weeping woman bitter in soul and praying to God to be drunk so will these think such an one mad and foolish Hence you heard Christ would be tempted as we are that he might succour those that are tempted that he might have the tongue of the learned to speak to such who are weary Those that have not been thus humbled thus exercised thus comforted they are no waies able to be any helpfull comforters but like the Priest and the Levite will passe by those who are thus wounded Secondly As such can have no skill or understanding so they cannot have any sutablenesse of pity and compassion to those that are so afflicted in spirit and needed comfort She said Non ignara mali miseris c. The experience she had of miseries made her pity those that were in the like God would have the Jews be kind to strangers because they had once been strangers themselves Thou that hast been in the deep waters of Gods wrath thou that knowest how insupportable it is to feel the frowns and wrath of God for sin with what melting bowels with what pittifull affections wilt thou be like the good Samaritan Hence it is that as the Lord Christ himself did conflict with the wrath of God being in unspeakable agonies so also many of the choicest servants of God especially Ministers have been under the harrow and hammer of these desertions that they may be more polished for Gods building Luther doth manifest in several places what the great works of God were that he felt on himself so that though of a stout and undaunted spirit yet the anger of God did beat him to powder and finding no help for his afflicted soul in any Popish Principles no more then the Dove could place of abode while the waters did overflow at last when it pleased God to comfort him by Evangelical comforts through a right understanding of Christ and righteousnesse what a tree of life did his tongue become to others How many did he comfort by those comforts God had comforted him Calvin also it 's noted of him that he was a man of deep and retired thoughts within yet did retain them much in his own brest and no doubt by this he was the more prepared to be an excellent Instrument in the Church of God We see
Church and so it must be understood indefinitely not determinately of this or that person It is true indeed there was in the primitive times among other extraordinary gifts that of the discerning of spirits if by Spirit we are not rather to mean Doctrines pretended to be of the Spirit as 1 John 4. 1. rather than the hearts and frames of mens spirits For although absolutely originally and independently it be Gods only prerogative to know the hearts of men yet in some cases as in Elisha with Gehezi God may reveal the thoughts and secret motions of heart to others but this is extraordinary not constant no more than working of miracles So that it is a very absurd opinion of those that are called Quakers who say That light within them discovers what is in other mens hearts abusing that place The spiritual man judgeth all things whereas the Apostle there informeth us 1 Cor. 2. 11. That no man knoweth the things of a man save the Spirit of man which is within him The perswasion then or hope Paul had of these Corinthians was not divine and infallible in which he could not be deceived but of an inferiour nature yet not light and foolish neither for he saith It was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 firme and stedfast Hesychius renders that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unshaken that is not like the waves of the Sea So that Pauls hope did not fluctuate about him and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abiding continuing It was not hope at sometimes and fear at another but it did abide and dwell in him Observe That it is a great encouragement to a godly Minister to see good grounds for the hope of true grace and stedfastnesse in Gods wayes in the people committed to his charge This was that which did here refresh Paul that though he was put to many exercises and temptations about them yet his hope was that as it is said of Lazarus his sicknesse was not unto death but that the glory of God might be manifested So those failings and decayes amongst the Corinthians were not for their destruction but by their recovery and repentance to manifest the truth of grace more in them In most of Pauls Epistles you may see this spiritual and publick affection in him where any are decaying or falling off there his heart is wounded within him where any flourish and continue stedfast in holinesse there he rejoyceth and triumpheth How notably doth he speak 1 Thess 3. 7. We were comforted over you in all our afflictions by your faith for now we live if ye stand fast in the Lord. Here we see Paul did not so much regard his own afflictions and distresse as the grace of the Thessalonians and because they did not abate in their faith by the afflictions they met with therefore this comforted him in all his distresse Yea he professeth he liveth if they stand fast as if their Apostasie would be worse than all his troubles to him yea would break his heart and be his death The Epistle also to the Galatians who began to decay and to end in the flesh after their beginning in the Spirit doth abundantly declare what agonies he was in about them Galat. 4. 19. Little children of whom I travail again in birth he compareth those troubles and exercises of his mind about them to the pangs and groans of a woman in travail Who hath bewitched you Galat. 3. 1. By this you may gather that the joyes of Paul did ebbe or flow according to the increase or decrease of the graces of these he had spiritual inspection over To discover this truth Let us consider What things made Paul have such hopes about these Corinthians and apply these things to our selves And First Their amendment and repentance by the former Epistle wrote to them in that you may see the body of the Church of Corinth was almost like Jobs or Lazarusses body full of spiritual loathsomnesse corruptions in Doctrine and practice and some of them in a very high nature for which our zealous Apostle as the Lord Christ once did maketh a rod to drive these corruptions out he is both a light shining and burning he keepeth to that rule which he giveth Timothy Rebuke sharply and reprove in all Doctrine He is salt to these Corinthians Now these sharp reproofes do not provoke them to discontent to impatience but it had a savoury and spiritual operation upon them If he said Genus quoddam est Martyrii reprehensionem patienter ferre It 's a kind of Martyrdome to suffer reproof patiently then these Corinthians were Martyrs in this sense for they did not onely take these rebukes well but are thereby put upon a zealous and powerfull repentance So that when this spiritual Physician saw his medicines kindly operate then he began to hope well of them On the other side we se the Prophets complaining of Jerusalem as incurable Because she slighted the Prophets and stoned them so that there remained no more remedy for them The Prophets complained They stretched out their hands all the day long to a rebellious people and that the bellows were consumed yet the drosse was not purged away This then is a very hopefull symptome about a people when we see by the Word preached that their hearts are broken that they are counvinced and ashamed of what they have done and reforme for the future The Apostle speaketh fully to this 2 Cor. 7. 8 9 10 11. This self same thing that you were made sorry after a godly manner what carefulnesse it wrought in you yea what zeal what revenge c. In all things you have approved your selves to be clear in this matter Oh the carefulnesse and zeal that was in the Corinthians after Pauls admonitions to repent and reform So that he had good grounds to say Our hope of you is stedfast Oh then let our Congregations be examined and tried in this very particular What repentance and reformation hath the prophane man shewed after the many admonitions to him What Reformation is there made about the holy and strict observation of the Sabbath What carefull performances of holy duties in thy family concerning which thou hast heard so much Oh that we had cause to say of such persons of such families though once we fear'd for them though once we mourned and grieved for them yet now we rejoyce and our hope of them is very stedfast But may we not cry woe woe and again woe to our Congregations that are like Golgothaes places not of dead mens skuls but dead hearts yea dead men according to that of our Saviour Let the dead bury the dead Have not the Ministers of God been many yeares laying the Axe of the Word to the root of prophanenesse and ignorance which is in most families in most Congregations Yet how greatly doth it abound Surely of such families of such Congregations we may with grief of heart say As yet we have no hope Secondly This is more particularly
manner how thou bearest it Thirdly These truths about suffering for Christ are usefull even to such who enjoy all freedom and abundance because there is a two-fold Martyrdom Martyrium cordis and Martyrium corporis a Martyrdome of the heart and a Martyrdom of the body If therefore thou art not called to suffer bodily it is certain thou must suffer spiritually Habes quod in te occidas if others do not martyr thee thou art to martyr thy self Hence is that duty Of offering up our selves as a Sacrifice to God Hence it is we are commanded To deny our selves to take up our crosse to pull out the right eye to cut off the right hand and the constant practice of Christianity is To mortifie the flesh to crucifie the flesh Insomuch that the ancient Writers do frequently compare this soul-mortification to the bodily Martyrdom He that doth abstain from the seeming pleasures and profies of slane this man is a spiritual Martyr He that doth crucifie his will that doth subdue and conquer his corruptions it is as much from the grace of God as he that is enabled to lay down his life for Christs sake all these come from the same principle There is required an insuperable divine and efficacious power of grace to bring the heart to any holy duty to avoid any sinne from pure and holy motives It is therefore of consequence to hear of the consolations which God giveth in sufferings for if thou hast not corporal sufferings thou hast spiritual ones and therefore God he will proportion thy comforts to thy exercises Fourthly It is good to understand and possesse our souls with the afflictions of others that hereby we may acknowledge the mercy of God to us if he give us Sun-shine dayes when others have lived in trouble some times Say not then What are these Sermons of suffering to us who are not exercised for they greatly concern thee seeing that hereby thy heart is to be raised up to more thankfulness to more joy in blessing and praising of God Is it not a mercy that thou didst not live in Queen Maries dayes That thou art not one of those mentioned by the Apostle Who wandered in sheepskins and goatskins who had no setled aboad or quietnesse in any place They did eat their bread with trembling and drink with fear and astonishment flying from one place to another parents bereaved of children husbands of wives Now when thou shalt consider what sad times many of the people of God have lived in and thou hast daies of peace and abundance Is not this like fire in thy bosome to inflame thee with the love of God and constantly to blesse him Fifthly It is good to know the sufferings of others though thou art freed because none knoweth when the time of thy trial may come The times of the Churches peace and of her troubles are in Gods hands and these times are only known to himself Thou knowest not what heavy sufferings thou mayest be put upon ere thou diest and therefore it is good to be providing the whole armour of Christ before the day of fighting doth approach The Mariner hath not his instruments to provide in the midst of the storm but he doth prepare for it so neither is the souldier then to furnish himself with weapons when the enemy is approaching to him Do thou therefore hear much know much and be instructed much about the patience and sufferings of the Saints that when God shall call thee to it it may not seem a strange and a new thing to thee Use of Instruction not to be afraid to hear of and know all the difficulties and calamities which will accompany the powerfull way of owning Christ How carnal and self-seeking are our hearts with the Disciples to flee from Christ when he is carried to the Crosse We would receive good from Christ but not evil whereas if thou doest consider it thou shalt find the earthly and the worldly man is more afflicted and troubled in getting the things of the world then thou in obtaining of Heaven and what a shame is it that they shall be more patient and enduring for these worldly goods then thou art for heavenly Doth not the earthly man say to his gold what shall separate us from the love of it Doth he not say for the love of thee I am killed all the day long This is the golden Image that every one fals down and worships Oh then shame thy self saying How much can these suffer How much can these bear and for that which will damn them at last But my carnal fearfull heart is afraid to suffer for Christ who will give me eternal glory Shall the Devil have his martyrs the world its sufferers and shall not Christ have such as will leave all to have all by him again SERM. LIX The Ministers of the Gospel find much opposition from the carnal and worldly Professors Who are these carnal and worldly Professors 2 COR. 1. 8. Of our trouble which came to us in Asia THe next thing considerable in the Text is the description of that tribulation which did fall upon the Apostle which was so necessary and usefull to be known In which we have 1. The Nature of this exercise expressed in the name it hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. There is the place where in Afia 3. There is the aggravation of it Of which in its time The exercise it self is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beza in Annotat. in Cor. cap. 13. saith this word is properly rendred affliction not tribulation for that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rather than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hence he sheweth out of Tully that Affligo is properly to throw a thing to the ground so as to presse it down and therfore is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word then signifieth not an ordinary trouble but such as doth most strictly constringe and bind pressing a man to the ground and this he saith did come upon him in Asia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not that it came by chance or fortune or by the meer malice and power of men no it came by the special appointment of God in much wisdome and mercy thereby propagating the Gospel For afflictions are so many arrows delivered out of Gods quiver which are sure to hit the mark they are destined unto Here is no more difficulty in the words only Expositors question What this trouble was he met with in Asia Where may we find any thing about the particulars of it Cajetan on the place acknowledgeth That concerning this trouble in Asia he could read nothing in any Book that was authentick yet it seemeth not to referre generally to all the troubles he met with in publishing of the Gospel but to some eminent singular one and therefore he saith the trouble not troubles in the plural number Some learned men therefore referre this to those passages mentioned in the former Epistle to the Corinthians 1 Cor.
trust in their Christianity in their prayers in their Baptisme in receiving of the Lords Supper They put confidence in these things as if they were God and Christ Neither have the Ministers of the Gospel lesse work to do with Christians in this respect than the Prophets had of old with the Jewes Insomuch that then onely we come to be a spiritual people when we can discern between Ordinances and Christ in the Ordinances when we look upon Duties as the field and Christ as the pearl hid in that field When we look upon the Ordinances as the hemme of Christs garment we touch but we look for vertue to come forth from Christ himself But when shall the Ministers of the Gospel perswade in this matter How long will it be ere you put a difference between doing a duty and trusting in a duty between presence at an Ordinance and enjoying Christ himself in that Ordinance And thus farre men destitute of true solid grace may yet have some external apparent righteousness and other spiritual objects to rest upon Let us in the next place consider Wherein a godly man yea an eminent Paul may become guilty of trusting in himself For seeing God hath taken that way for our justification which is wholly to take us off our selves and the Gospel-grace is therefore exalted that we may be debased how can it come about that the dregs of this sinne should still be polluting the most holy man But First Even a Paul an eminent godly man may sinfully trust in those spiritual gifts and assistance which God hath vouchsafed to him rather than others This spark of fire will quickly kindle in tinder Hath God given a man great gifts great abilities in prayer great enlargements above others It must be the great work of grace to keep this man humble and low so as not to trust on them 2 Cor. 12. 7. Paul there declareth what wonderfull honour God had vouchsafed to him he was lifted up to the third Heaven he had abundance of revelations So that God did in many extraordinary wayes communicate himself to Paul But could Paul be thus lifted up upon the pinacle and his head not turn round Can he drink of this wine and not be giddy No he is in much danger and therefore observe what way God taketh with him at the seventh verse Lest I should be pufft up above measure there was given me a thorne in the flesh a messenger from Satan to buffet me What this was is greatly disputed by the learned to be sure it was so heavy and burdensome a temptation that he prayed to God often That it might be removed but God would not take it off and the reason is twice declared Lest I should be puffed up above measure what is this but to have confidence in his gifts and revelations with those extraordinay dispensations of Gods love to him If then the greene Tree be so apt to receive these sparkes of vain-glory and selfe-confidence what shall the dry Tree do Examine then thy self the more Gods assistance is with thee Art thou the more lowly in thy owne eyes Doest thou find an holy fear and trembling under these approaches of God to thy soul Art thou affected at these wonderfull workings of God upon thee as Peter when he saw that great miracle about the fishes presently to remember his own sinfulnesse Or as those in the Old Testament who when they had any glorious apparitions of God vouchsafed to them were so considerative of their own frailty and imbecillity that they generally thought they should die immediately Thus the more Gods gifts abound in thee doest thou the more go out of thy self And think now I am in a temptation the Devil is ready to puffe up with self-content and so to make these great gifts to become a snare to thee to turn these ear-rings as it were of gold into an Idol to worship it This is the reason say some why Ezekiel is so often called Sonne of man because of those great visions he had in reference to Jerusalem And Daniel likewise is once called the Sonne of man for he had great revelations concerning the Church of God Now this Title of Son of man might greatly debase him under those great priviledges God seldome useth his people as great instruments in his service but he doth something or other that shall be like a Memento esse hominem Even as that hand of Moses in the stretching out whereof so many miracles were wrought was affected with a Leprosie that so the power might be given to God and not to Moses Thus God doth wisely mingle gifts and infirmities dispenseth glorious priviledges and manifold chastisements that so the balance may descend downwards as much as it ascends upwards That a gracious man should have that true in him which is said of the Element In tantum ascendit in quantum descendit Secondly A godly man may sinfully trust in his Graces in his Holinesse in his faith and love of Christ So that what the pharisaical man doth about his apparent and external holinesse the godly man in some measure may doe about his real graces Insomuch that many times they have not the reward of a duty and the comfort of it in their own hearts by secret pride and confidence arising in their heart after they have done Therefore as pure motives are to beginne so be sure in the same to conclude thy holy duties Let not the Dragon devour the child as soon as it is borne Take heed of that Euge Bernarde benedicis Thou preachest well thou prayest well thy heart hath been as thou wouldst have it For this is the danger of self-confidence it breedeth out of holy duties other sins are committed because of sinfull temptations but here poison is sucked from the sweet herb and thy evil ariseth from thy good No wonder then if the godly have many exhortations To worke out their salvation with fear and trembling Not to be high-minded but fear Though they stand to take heed lest they fall for they are apt to trust in their own strength and their own power and this maketh way for their fall as in Peter Mark 14. 31. He would not believe he should deny Christ though the Lord told him he would Yea the more vehemently he affirmed he would not though he should die Yea saith the same Evangelist Likewise also said they all They were all confident as well as Peter though not so much yet as Peter did grosly deny Christ so all the rest fled from him By this you see how dangerous it is to put any trust in our owne graces Remember that place Ezek. 33. 13. If a righteous man trust to his own righteousnesse and commit iniquity c. By trusting to himself he begins to fall Let then the Use be even to those who are most godly to take heed and watch against this subtil sinne that may be in thy heart that may creep into thy graces
especially when we speake of spirituall mercies such as justification and reconciliation with God Aegid Coninck de arteb supernat de spe a Popish Writer maketh a threefold hope or trusting in God One he calleth Pelagian and that is when we rest upon God only because of our own merits and our own strength and this he doth reject as well he may for this is not to trust in God but in our selves A second hope he calleth Lutheran and that is when he trusteth only in the grace of God excluding all merits this also he rejects and thereby also the only hope the Scripture commends to us The third hope he cals the Catholick trusting in God and that is partly upon the grace of God and partly upon our own merits yet wrought also by the grace of God But to think of merits or to speak of merits when we come into the presence of so great and holy a God whose Law we break daily and in all our best duties faile exceedingly is to play the Pharisee and not the Publican who yet only was accepted with God The second way of trusting therefore viz. only in the grace of God excluding all our own strength is that which is approved of by the Word of God So that till we be sound in our judgement about this Point we cannot rightly trust in God In the next place a second main particular to cleare the Doctrine about this trusting is to consider the excellency of their grace that so we may thereby be the more exercised therein For 1. It is many times put for the whole worship of God because he that doth trust in God he will be sure to performe all those other duties God doth require Thus Psal 115. 9 10. when the house of Israel and Aaron are exhorted to trust in the Lord by that is meant the whole worship of God even as to fear God is sometimes also put for the whole service of God The excellency and dignity of the grace appeareth herein 2. It is therefore excellent because the Lord so delighteth to put us upon the daily practice of it Insomuch that whatsoever he doth for his people either in spirituall or temporall mercies they do obtaine it wholely by trusting What is that great way whereby we are justified before God how come we to obtain this blessed priviledge It is only by faith And what is this faith but a trusting and resting upon Christ alone So that the most noble and essentiall consideration in justifying faith is that it doth make the soul rest and depend on the Lord Jesus God would not justifie us by any other way by working by doing but by trusting which doth greatly demonstrate the acceptableness of this grace to God So also for temporall mercies that assertion twice or thrice used The just shall live by faith doth in part relate to those temporall promises which God maketh for the preservation and support of his people and now God will have these performed to such who wait on him who trust on him It is not the just shall live by love by repentance but by faith God therefore would have us wholly depend upon him for every mercy we have hence we are commanded to pray for our daily bread trust not in thy store or treasure trust not in thy labour and skill but be every day at the Throne of grace begging for every mercy thou desirest Oh but what dishonour is there to God in this respect Doth not the rich man look more to his revennues then Gods promise Doth not the Tradesman look more to his custome and his gaines then Gods power yea the labouring man is apt to trust in his health and strength as if he needed not to depend upon God all the while he hath that Sanitas pauperis est patrimonium a poore mans health is his patrimony his freehold and he is apt to make it his god to trust in What excellency then is in this grace when no mercy either spirituall or temporall can be obtained but by the exrecise thereof For the soul you must trust God and the mercies thereof for the body you must trust God and the mercies thereof And observe the deceitfullness of thy heart herein who trusteth in Christ for thy justification and salvation but art full of disquieting cares and feares about thy externall preservation and maintenance Oh foolish and unwise which is greater salvation then rayment and food and yet thou art perswaded God will do the greater but doubteth about the lesser 3. It is excellent because it doth indeare God to us and in a peculiar manner obligeth God to look to us For when the soul can say O Lord I renounce all other helps I trust not in any other support I leave all things to adhere to thee this doth in particular manner ingage God to look upon us as his own and so to defend us Thus David argueth Psal 16. 1. Preserve me O Lord for I trust in thee Psal 7. 1. In thee O Lord I put my trust save me so 1 Chron. 5. 20. it is said of the Sons of Reuben when they were in great distress yet the Hagarens were delivered into their hands because they did put their trust in God It is also attributed unto Hezekiah as a great and glorious honour to him 2 Kings 18. 5. That he trusted in the Lord God of Israel and Verse 7. The Lord was with him and he prospered Therefore the committing of our selves into Gods hands is a speciall way to secure us 4. The excellency of this grace is seen in the difficulty of it and transcendency to flesh and blood for if Aristotle could say homo was magis sensus quam intellectus more sense then understanding putting forth the acts thereof more then of reason we may say much rather he is more reason then faith The difficulty of it maketh the People of God oftner in distracting feares and carking cares then in any other sinnes David who professeth his trust in God yet how often tempted to difidence Asa a good man 2 Chron. 16. 12. is blamed that in his disease he sought not to God but to the Physicians It was lawfull for him to seek to them but because he rested wholly on them and not on God therefore is he thus taken notice of seeing then it s our duty to use meanes and not to expect that God will in a miraculous and immediate manner work all things for us Hence is the great difficulty in this matter so to use them as not to put confidence in them Alas all the Creatures all the second causes by their own power without Gods blessing could do us no good our cloathes would not warme us our food nourish us unless God command it Hence our Saviour saith Man doth not live by bread alone but by every word proceeding out of Gods mouth Matth. 4. 4. It is not then the Creatures it is not the conditions and
his deare Son You see what the condition of every man is till converted it is said to be under the power of darkness How unspeakeable is the misery of all unregenerate men who are thus the Devils prisoners bound hand and foot that they are not able to shake off any one sinne they are accustomed unto neither are they willing to be delivered They do not mourne and groane after a Redeemer how inlarged therefore should the heart of a godly man be when he shall see himself thus delivered the time was I could not give over my loose and wanton wayes I could not part from my prophane and wicked Companions the time was I hated such as feared God I could not indure any holy strictness any family-family-duties The time was when the cares of the world did lord it over me so that neither praying or hearing or any holy Ordinances had any influence upon me being so greatly inslaved to those earthly thing but now blessed be God the snare is broken and my soul like a Bird is escaped I can now run with delight in the wayes of God Oh how blessed a deliverance is this to be saved from thy former impieties to be delivered out of thy old blindness and wickedness Seest thou not in what miserable bondage many persons are intangled in by their lust They have some convictions some terrors upon their conscience they cry out oh that they could never fall into such sinnes again and yet upon every temptation hideously relapse again Augustine before his full conversion to God complained of this captivity exceedingly If therefore God hath delivered thee from thy former unregenerate estate if he have made thee a new Creature then know the goodness of God towards thee is more then ever can be comprehended by thee It cannot enter into thy heart to conceive of the fullness thereof But because this deliverance is not compleate and perfect in this life as appeareth Rom. 7. where Paul complaineth of a captivity still he was plunged into he breaketh out at last into that affectionate expression Who will deliver me from the body of this death Oh how blessed and happy will that day be when thou shalt have no more thornes in thy side or rather in thy heart no more Jebusite to disquiet thee but all sinne with the effects thereof shall be wholly dryed up 3. There is a spirituall deliverance in respect of the continuall temptations we meet with in this world to draw us to sinne and to make us turne the back upon God That we may alwayes have Gods protection herein we are taught to pray even as often as for our daily bread that he would deliver us from evi'l Luke 11. 4. and herein the Lord doth vouchsafe more daily deliverance to us then we can possibly apprehend Every condition every mercy every affiction would be a temptation to us to allure us to sinne did not the Lord daily deliver What is it that keepeth thee from the Apostacy of others and so from the wounds and gashes of Conscience which usually fall thereupon but the meer delivering mercy of God Thus you see in how many particulars God doth deliver his people but as the Doctrine is It is not enough for God to deliver once unless he doth it daily continually never withdrawing his arme from under us and the grounds of the necessity of continued mercy are these 1. Because of our utter inability and impotency to continue the same to our selves If the Lord doth bestow such and such deliverances on us leaving us afterwards to our selves that we by our own wisdome and power should preserve our selves Alas This would immediately prove a ruine to us for we can no more continue the deliverance then we could procure it at first he that hath delivered must be the same that doth deliver It s not God that hath delivered and then we who do deliver Humble thy self therefore thankfully under all Gods mercifull dispensations towards thee say O Lord I depend on thee for daily bread for daily grace for daily pardon for daily preservation The same infinite power and wisdome is required to uphold thy mercy as was at first to bring it to thee 2. This continuance of mercy is requisite not only from our naturall imbecillity but also our morall unworthiness So that though the Lord hath delivered once and twice yet we are apt to be so unthankfull and forgetfull that the Lord may deliver no more Oh how often do we forfeit the good mercies that God vouchsafeth us how often have we provoked him to take away his good gifts from us but it is his mercy it is his goodness to continue them unto us Every day thou dost enough to make God take away all he had bestowed upon thee Even as when he had made man who revolted from him and was plunged into obstinate wickedness it is said Gen. 6. It repented him that he made man and it grieved him at the heart an expression to humane capacity to shew how unworthy a Subject man was now become of all that love God had shown to him and maist thou not feare when thou lookest upon thy own barrenness and unworthy dealings with God that God doth repent that ever he thus honoured thee that ever he thus blessed thee that ever he vouchsafed such grace to thee and so take all from thee Take Saul for an instance how many personall favours did the Lord bestow on him but at last God quite forsooke him because of his Hypocrisie ane Rebellion If therefore we consider how forgetfully and wretchedly we walk under Gods mercy we may evidently see that if the goodness of God did not continue them as well as at first bestow them we should quickly be stript of all How many not persons only but Churches for want of the continuance of Gods mercies are of Gardens become a very Wilderness Is God to the Nation of the Jewes as to the Churches of Asia as he was once so that the demerit which is upon us after mercies received our not improving of them for God may provoke God after the good he hath done for us to bring all evill upon us 3. It is necessary the Lord should continue mercies and deliverances as well as at first vouchsafe them to us because our dangers our temptations continue They that renew their disease daily must also renew their Physick They that fall daily need to be raised daily Iterated troubles need iterated deliverances It is true there are some mercies that cannot be iterated any more the benefits of them may but not the mercies themselves Thus the Creation of the world was at first and it would be absurd to pray that God would create it So the Incarnation of Christ this was once done that it cannot be done any more Gods Predestination likewise of his people was from all eternity neither can it be iterated But then there are other mercies which are duely to be
Therefore the Pelagians and Semi-pelagians of old these did so set up duty and their own power therein that they did take off from Christ and his grace The former they held not grace necessary unless it were for the more easie working ad facilius operandum but if this were so then Christ was in vain in respect of any absolute necessity The latter they held our endeavours our desires and groans did go before and then grace was bestowed upon us to put them into effectual operations But all this is derogatory to the grace and power of God who of spiritually dead makes us to live a supernatural life being made new creatures and so act from that principle of life infused into us Secondly We do exercise our selves in prayer and other Ordinances without any dishonour to the grace and power of Christ when we attribute no merit or causality to them And this is a step higher than the former For in Popery besides Christ they press the necessity of holy works as merits but they acknowledge the grace of God to be the foundation thereof They say our faith our love our repentance must be the fruits of the Spirit and the effects of Gods grace but then they destructively adde That these do merit eternal life and by such duties we make compensation to the justice of God Now you must know that they plead not for merit in a rude and grosse manner as if the works flowing from us did deserve a crown of glory but as we are enabled to them by grace and thereupon they say to call the graces we are enabled unto by Christ menstruous cloaths or dung and drosse they think to be a manifest injury to God himself But certainly when Paul would not be found in the righteousnesse he had And Abraham and David were not justified by the works they did though regenerated persons This doth fully overthrow all merit under any distinction whatsoever Look then thou distinguish between the necessity of the duty and the merit thereof See thy self bound to the use of all Ordinances but attribute no condignity to them to make thee worthy of Gods favour Thirdly Then we derogate not from Christ when in the constant exercise of these we rest onely upon him for our justification Though we pray for our selves and others though we diligently attend to the whole course of godliness yet in regard of reconciliation with God and acceptance of our persons we go out of all to Christ alone It hath pleased the Father that in Christ all fullnesse should dwell Col. 1. 14. Fullness is not to dwell in thy duties or graces but in Christ Hence also Ephes 1. 6. We are accepted of in the beloved It is not then in our own performances nor in any thing that we can do that we are to look for acceptance David though living under the Old Testament dispensations yet saw so much of Gospel-light and Gospel-grace That if God entered into judgement with his servant no flesh could be justified in his sight Psalm 143. 2. Doe not then confound sanctification and justification together which is the continual errour in Popery Be diligent in active righteousness but rest in passive viz. that righteousness of Christ imputed to the believer Fourthly We performe duties and Ordinances without derogation to Christ when we put no trust or secret confidence in them but look upon them onely as the signes and evidences of Christs dwelling in us We may indeed be much comforted and rejoyce in the discovering of graces in our hearts but to put any confidence in them to rest upon them as if in them we might stand before God This is to mistake and to give to our graces what belongs to Christ and that Christian must have a discerning spirit even an Eagles eye that can difference between comfort from duties and resting in duties Then also we put no trust in them when we are by them lifted up to draw nigh to Christ when they are to us what the tree was to Zacheus to raise us up higher that we may have communion with Christ If then we look upon our graces as the restimonies of Gods love and exercise our selves in duties as those whereby we draw nigh to Christ himself then Christ is glorified not dishonoured by them Fifthly Then we use spiritual duties oppositely to the honour of God when we thinke to profit him or advantage him thereby When we have done all we are to judge our selves unprofitable servants as to God God needeth not any of our service He hath millions of Angels and thousands of the spirits of just men made perfect which offer him praise and honour without the least spot and defilement So that it is his gracious condescension to accept of our duties It is his mercy that he will regard our prayers They are liker to noisome vapours than to frankincense and yet God is pleased to receive them as such If therefore thou art after all duties exceedingly debased and humbled saying Who am I Lord And what am I that I should be received into thy presence and so going from duties not as giving to God but receiving from him not as if thou hadst honoured him but he had honoured thee then Christ and duties are well accorded together Use of Instruction What subtil and secret refined wayes of sinning the heart of man is guilty of For whereas all will conclude that not to pray not to be diligent in duties is to oppose Christ and withstand him there is a more mystical and undiscerned way of opposing Christ and God which is by religious duties and Ordinances when we make them more than means when we give merit to them and put any confidence in them How heavy an aggravation is this while we pray to God to provoke God while we call on Christ to dishonour Christ Search out therefore for thy sins not onely in the open wayes of impiety but in the paths of holiness In thy prayers in the ordinances look to find out sinnes there as well as temptations of more dissoluteness The works of the Law kept men off from Christ as well as the works of the flesh SERM. LXXX The highest in Gifts and Graces should desire the Prayers of the Meanest And People ought to Pray for their Ministers as well as Ministers for their People 2 COR. 1. 11. You also helping together by Prayer for us THis Text you heard is declarative of the meanes which were to be used by the Corinthians that the mercy Paul trusted in God for might be accomplished The meanes that is Prayer but a labouring Prayer and with accord and agreement yea such an helping in Prayer as is a debt of service and ministration to their spirituall guides The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when taken strictly and distinctly to other words that are also rendred prayers and supplications as some would expound that place 1 Tim. 2. 1. doth signifie prayer only in
above other private Christians yet remember thou wantest their prayers They that cannot help thee by counsell and advice they that cannot help thee by direction yet may by prayer Therefore do nothing that may abate their zeale and love in prayer for thee It may also teach thee humility in this respect When thou findest great inlargements good success in thy Ministry be not lifted up as if God did this for any righteousness it may be in thee but because of other mens prayers attribute such things to their prayers rather then thy graces But we proceed to the second Doctrine which is Secondly That people do owe unto their spirituall guide as a debt of service their earnest prayers for them Thus much you heard was implyed in the Greek word Those that sow unto you spirituals are not only to reap of your carnals but also of your spirituals you are not to communicate only with him that teacheth you in your temporall good things but your spirituall also Thus the Church looked upon it as a duty to make supplications for Peter when he was in Prison and certainly the spirituall labourer is not only worthy of his wages but of your heartiest and most fervent prayers and those people who do neglect this duty it is a signe that they never get good by the Ministry nor is it their desire to do so Hence so much labouring and Preaching becometh so ineffectuall to thee Thou art the same ignorant and prophane man as thou wert many years ago Is not this because thou never rightly prayest to God that the ministry may be blessed to thee But to inlarge on this Consider 1. That it is a wild and absurd opinion of the Socinians who hold that prayer is only commanded in the New Testament That Christ made it a new precept to pray so that although the godly in the Old Testament did pray yet they say they had no command for it This they make one of the new Evangelicall precepts Christ brought into the Church but this doth openly contradict Scripture Doth not the Scripture say Call upon me in the time of trouble doth not the Old Testament say Seek ye the Lord while he may be found was not the Temple of God called the house of prayer doth not Solomon in the Dedication of his Temple suppose that its a peoples duty under judgments to pray and humble themselves under Gods hand that so they may be removed from off them It was therefore alwayes a duty both in the Old and New Testament to pray to God 2. Though prayer be the meanes whereby God accomplisheth great things for his people yet we must not put any merit or confidence in our prayers To be proud of thy prayers is a great absurdity for thy prayer to God doth testifie that thou art nothing that thou canst do nothing for if thou canst do things of thy selfe why needest thou pray That is the reason the Socinians give why in the Old Testament there needed no precept of prayer because there was then nothing promised but they were able to fullfill the condition thereof by their own power But the foundation of that is rotten for they had the same spirituall things promised only more obscurely that we have and were no wayes of themselves to performe their conditions otherwise we will grant that what a man can do of his own power independently upon God he needeth not pray for it but there is nothing wherein man doth not need the gift of God whether for temporall or necessary things and seeing the way to have it is only by prayer this exalteth God and debaseth man so that it is a contradiction to the duty in hand when we rest upon our prayers as if the beggar should be proud from his asking of almes 3. The duty of prayer is reciprocall Ministers are to pray for their People and People for their Ministers This Paul who so often desireth the Churches prayers doth as often demonstrate his continuall and fervent prayers for them yea though a people be never so unworthy so wretched and malicious yet they will say with Samuell God forbid I should cease to pray for you so that thy prayers for those who labour in the work of the Lord are not in vain They are recompenced with prayers again and never are people a blessing and comfort to a Minister nor is a Minister a blessing to them till there be this mutuall praying for if the prayer of one man doth prevaile much how much then will the prayers of many righteous persons for each other So that we see why the Devill and his instruments are so busie in sowing of discords and contentions between Pastor and People why instead of praying for one another there are slanderings detractitions and malicious oppositions of one another for by this discord the Devils Kingdome is promoted and their prayers for one another are hindred 4. When we say That its a debt which people owe to pray for their spirituall guides this supposeth that the people whom he watch over should be both a gifted and a gracious people Gifted Such who are able to make their requests known to God and that with others as well as alone for how can it be expected that he who cannot pray for himself will ever pray for the Minister Would it not be very ridiculous to desire the prayers of many who live under our continuall teaching Pray Alas they never prayed in their lives They never pray for themselves or for others But gifts without grace are like a tinckling Cymball God will not hear the prayers of wicked men Therefore our people ought to be gracious as well as gifted They must have pure hearts and pure hands how uncomely are holy prayers in an unholy mouth There must be no dead flye in this precious box of Oyntment Oh then that our Congregations were awakned to be such a people that can discharge spirituall duties to a spirituall overseer Do you by your prayers help on the work of their ministry for our Preaching alone without your effectuall praying will not have its blessed effect 5. There are many particulars in which your soules are to be emptyed in prayer for them for their preservation and safety As here Paul prayeth for their workes sake they are exposed to the hatred and rage of man if the shepheard be scattered the sheep will quickly flye now because their calling is to remove the sinnes of people to set the Kingdome of Christ in the place where they live therefore none meet with more absurd and unreasonable adversaries then they do for this Paul desireth their prayers 2 Thes 3. 2. That he might be delivered from unreasonable men 2. You are to pray for them in this particular also that their Ministery may be successefull That the word they Preach may find roome in the hearts of the people As it is the Ministers duty to give himself to study and to
we not to have done it 4. One chief motive which is to put us upon all holy obedience unto God is Thankfulness There are two great and principal parts of Divinity the one is De gratià Dei of the grace of God and the other De gratitudine hominis of mans thankfulnes There are indeed several reasons why we are commanded to abound in holy works but one of them is thereby to testifie our thankfulnes to God that though we cannot do anything to merit at his hands though Christ as Mediator hath purchased all spiritual priviledges so that we cannot do any holy duty as a cause to procure them yet to manifest our thankfulnes to God we are ready with delight to do his will 5. A thanksgiving heart is the most proper and sutable disposition to the Gospel dispensation wherein grace doth in so many wonderfull effects demonstrate it self Now praise doth properly answer to free grace and love Eph. 1. 16. Gods predestination and his adoption it is That we should be to the praise of the glory of his grace These new songs should alwayes be in our mouths And again v. 12. That we should be to the praise of his glory So that if you say Why did God predestinate thee It is to his praise Why doth he convert It is to his praise Thus he adopts he justifieth that we might be only to his praise Thus 1 Pet. 2. 9. we are a chosen generation a peculiar people that we should shew forth his praises The children then of free grace must be the children of praises and thanksgivings unto God Every power of the soul every part of the body should be a tongue as it were to glorifie God Were we more affected with the depth breadth and length of this grace of God we should be more abounding in this duty of blessing God David cals his tongue his glory though some apply it to the soul because of this work Lastly If we praise not God when mercies are obtained by prayer it discovereth a rotten and insincere heart It argued thou never didst pray for mercies upon right grounds to glorifie God to be thereby more instrumental in our service of him but only for our own ends and our own necessities For he that prayeth spiritually will praise God cheerfully he will more rejoyce in the favour of God because God heareth his prayers then the benefit obtained If then thou neglectest this duty of thanksgiving thou discoverest a prophane earthly heart that thou preferrest the mercy desired above the glory and honour of God and therefore it will be just with God never to hear thy prayers more For thankfulness is the only way to preserve mercies and to have more added SERM. LXXXII God is the fountain of all our Mercies they are his Gifts and why 2 COR. I. II. That for the gift bestowed upon us THe second part in order to be treated of is The Object matter for which or that for which Paul would have solemne thanksgiving after such solemn prayer The gift bestowed upon us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This temporal deliverance he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it came from the favour of God not from any merits or deserts in Paul Some make a difference between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was applied onely to the common gifts of Gods Spirit especially those which Divines call Dona ministrantia Gifts of service and the Schools Gratiae gratis datae and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the grace and favour of God in a special manner or to the effect thereof which is inherent grace in the soul These graces are called Dona sanctificantia Gifts that doe truely sanctifie those that have them The Schooles falsly call them Gratiae gratum facientes But though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be often applied to such common spirituall gifts as 1 Cor. 12. alibi Yet sometimes we must thereby understand sanctifying grace and justifying grace Rom. 5. 16. Rom. 11. 28. And indeed if we will make any difference it seemeth to be this rather that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the Effect and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Cause as Rom. 12. 6. Having gifts according to the grace that is given to us Hence it is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is generally translated gift in the New Testament So Favorinus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that what the Scripture other where calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jac. 1. 17. Act. 8. 21. Psal 1. 17. it may be the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 onely it doth properly signifie such a gift as maketh to the publick and spiritual advantage of the Church onely in this Text it may have the general signification and the special The general Paul's Deliverance was a temporal gift It was a mercy in these outward things a preservation from death either violent as the common exposition you heard is or from natural For Baldwin the Lutheran Expositor thinketh it may well enough be understood of some desperate sicknesse Paul was afflicted with Howsoever this outward mercy of preservation is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it may have also the special signification of a Paul's life and preservation was a gift in this sense for hereby his ministerial labours might be more successefull But this latter consideration will come in in the close of this verse Let us take notice of the general one Paul's life and preservation it is a gift From whence observe That not onely spiritual mercies which are above natural causes but even our ordinary temporal enjoyments are the gift of God It 's not Gods gift onely to sanctifie us to justifie us but to give us our health our food our preservation so that we live wholly upon the meer bounty of God we are all so many Almes-men the world is an Almes-house Man doth not or cannot obtaine the least mercy with his owne wisdom and power without the blessing of God This is a necessary truth For we look more upon these ordinary mercies as the fruit of our own labour than as Gods meer free gift The Apostle Jam. 1. 17. saith Every good gift is from God Every gift whether natural or supernatural what have we that we have not received is true both in nature and grace For although in the sense that Pelagians did it was very erroneous to confound Creation and Nature with grace yet in this respect we may say That Creation and Preservation is of the grace and favour of God because he communicated of his goodnesse to the creature onely from his meer favour But to speake after the Scripture-language onely those spiritual favours and Church-priviledges which conduce to eternal blessednesse are called The grace of God So that health life and other mercies though they be The gifts of God yet are not called The grace of God However
that is not probable It is then for that deliverance vouchsafed to Paul that they are to be thankfull and the reason is clear because mercies vouchsafed to Paul were their mercies also From whence observe That the mercies vouchsafed to the pastors and guides of the Church are to be accounted the Churches mercies What advantage comes to the shepherd it redounds to the sheep The rain that fals upon the mountains descendeth to the benefit of the valleys Your life your comfort is bound up in theirs Paul indeed said We live if you stand fast It was his comfort his life to see them preserved from Apostasie by persecution 1 Thess 3. 8. And on the contrary the Church may say of her guides We stand fast if you live As mercies to the publick Magistrates are to be accounted the peoples mercies so the mercies of Church-officers are to be reckoned the Churches If the Pilotes be in danger it can never be well with the ship When Elijah was taken away the cry was The chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof So great a mercy was one Prophet accounted to be We have a notable instance of the holy care of the Philippians about their Pastor Epaphroditus Phil. 2. 26 27. when he was sick unto death how heavily did they lay it to heart Insomuch that Epaphroditus was exceedingly grieved that they had heard of his being sick he knew it would so greatly afflict them Yea Paul accounted it a mercy to him also that God did heal him For though Paul did recover many out of their diseases yet this gift was not when they pleased and it was least of all extended to those that were of their intimate acquaintance but rather to such as were brought to them that so the truth of their miracles might be more manifested Use of Instruction How happy and blessed a thing it is when people are able to do their duty herein To look upon all the favours and good providences of God to the Ministers of the Gospel as their own mercies their health encouragements preservations as their owne but how bitterly doth Satan fill the hearts of some men who out of love to their lusts and their errours look upon their godly guides as the greatest burthens and would heartily rejoyce in any evil that should befall them This is clean contrary to those gracious loving and indeared affections which ought to be in people to their spiritual shepherds SERM. LXXXIV Of our Glorying and Rejoycing in our Gifts and Graces Why and how it is lawfull and how not 2 COR. 1. 12. For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you-wards THis verse as appeareth by the raciocinative particular or note of inference For is brought in as a reason of something which went before But Interpreters do differ about the coherence thereof Some make this to be a reason of that hope and trust he formerly spake of which he had in God Though he did trust in Gods mercies yet not in them alone but in his own endeavours also Hence Aquinas from this saith That hope doth arise from the mercy of God and mans merits But this doth not consist with Scripture Others do make it part of his Apologetical Narration defending himself as against that crime of inconstancy and levity which was cast upon him because of his promise to come to them which yet he did not and therefore they think these words look backward and not forward Calvin and others which is most probable referre it to the words immediately preceding viz. their prayers and praises to God in his behalf This is given as a reason why they should be thus tender about him because he had obtained grace to be faithfull he had not sought himself or his own glory he had not walked in hypocrisie and fraud but had been kept by the grace of God in all sincerity in his conversation in the world not only at Corinth but every where else Now it is a great motive and encouragement to pray for such The Apostle useth this argument Heb. 13. 18. Pray for us for we trust we have a good conscience in all things The connexion then being thus discovered we come to the Text absolutely considered and therein we may consider 1. The ground and reason it self 2. That which is affirmed and predicated of it And this is set down in the fore-part of the verse and therefore we shall begin with it The words are This is our rejoycing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is rendred by most our glory or our boasting The Apostle doth very often use the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it seemeth to come of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the neck and so is a metaphore signifying for the most part pride and loftinesse taken from horses whose pride will be discovered by their neck and therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as Homer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that for the most part it is taken in an ill sense Hence Hesychius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and with Budaeus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a proud boaster and bragger but with Paul it is used sometimes in a good sense as here For the word is used in a three-fold sense gradual to one another 1. To rest and relie upon a thing 2. From thence to rejoyce and to be glad in it 3. From thence to declare and publish this with boasting Now though Paul did not put confidence and trust in his good and sincere conscience yet from the perceiving of that he did rejoyce Whereas then we see Paul rejoycing and glorying from the testimony and evidence of that grace he had in him We may observe That an holy glorying and rejoycing in the graces of God we perceive in us is allowed and lawfull I say an holy glorying for the heart may quickly degenerate into a proud sinfull boasting Therefore this truth must be warily bounded So that the dejected and tempted soul may be quickned to its duty of comfort and not to deny the work of grace that it may feel and the proud pharisaical spirit may be debased The valley must be exalted and the mountain made low It is true indeed we have the Scripture saying Let him that glorieth glory in the Lord. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdome 1 Cor. 1. 31 And if Abraham had not wherewith to glory who can have Yea the Apostle saith expresly Rom. 3. 27. That glorying is excluded by the law of faith But in what sense this is to be understood will appear when we come to manifest how many wayes it is not lawfull to glory or to rejoyce no not in our gifts and graces Only this Text maketh it plain that in some sense our graces may be matter
of this Therefore First We may take notice That there is a two-fold testimony of our conscience which doth afford matter of rejoycing either particular as to some matter of fact or one particular business especially when calummated by adversaries Or secondly General which is to the whole frame of our heart and our whole conversation These two are greatly to be distinguished For we see David in many places praying to God That he would reward him according to his innocency and deal with him according to the righteousnesse of his hands and he doth many times appeal to God concerning his integrity Now this was from a testimony of his conscience to a particular fact Saul and others did maliciously accuse him laying to his charge things that he never did Of this Paul speaketh also 1 Cor. 4. 2. I know nothing by my self He did not matter those crimes that the false Apostles burdened him with because his conscience did clear him as to any grosse neglect in his ministerial course Now you must know that many a natural or moral man may have in some cases this particular testimony of his conscience and receive comfort from it and yet be farre enough from the state of grace How many persons in the world are slandered by some malicious adversaries as guilty of such crimes which are altogether false Now happily thou art pure and free from them thy conscience justifieth thee and thou hast comfort from this but this is not all which God requireth Therefore there is a second testimony of the conscience which is General and that speaketh to the whole man witnessing that thy whole conversation is unblameable and that thy heart in the universal inclination thereof is wholly for God and against sinne It is this general testimony that is the foundation of true comfort A man may be free and innocent as to some particular sinnes and yet the state of his soule be in gall and bitternesse Secondly This testimony of the conscience even in general witnessing unto thee thy state of grace may be considered two wayes For either it may be supposed or expected that it should testifie unto thee an heart and life free from all sinne failing in nothing at all Or else To witnesse sincerity and uprightnesse for the main though failing in many things If then a Christian should resolve to take no joy unlesse his conscience can witness perfection and an immunity from any failings such an one must resolve to have no comfort all his life time but if it witness the main bent and frame of thy heart to be for God though carried aside often through the violence and deceitfulnesse of temptations from this thou mayest rejoyce This is much to be observed for why are the discouragements and disconsolateness of Gods own children so great but because their conscience telleth them of several failings and they desire some testimony of a perfection Satisfie your selves therefore and regulate your thoughts in this particular And thus we must expound that place 1 John 3. 20 21. which at first appearance seemeth to speak very terribly If our hearts condemn us God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things This Text if not rightly understood is enough like Belshazzars writing in the wall to strike us with trembling For is there any man living whose heart doth not condemn him for sinne Doth not this very Apostle say 1 John 1. 8. If we say we have no sinne we deceive our selves and no truth is in us If then we have sinne how can our hearts but condemn us And then God knowing our hearts and seeing more evil and errour in us then we can understand must condemn us much more What is this then but to fill every godly man with despair But that the Apostle himself may not speak a contradiction we must have recourse to the mentioned distinction viz. That our hearts condemn us justly for the main that our foundation is rotten that we love sinne more than God then we have cause to be wholly cast down but if our hearts do not condemn us for the main only for those imperfections and frailties which we cannot perfectly be purged from in this life then we may have confidence towards God Thirdly Our conscience may be considered as Habitually able to testifie or as Actually and immediately prepared This is necessary to be observed For every regenerate man having his conscience sanctified is thereby habitually able to give a good testimony but many things may intervene that hinder it in its actings Even as the Sunne is able to give a clear light to the whole world but clouds and mists may hinder the actual communication of it And thus it is often with the children of God their conscience is sanctified but many doubts arise many scruples and fears do interpose so that they have not that actual witness in their conscience which they might have So that as in sanctification there are the principles of grace though the exercise of them may be stopt So it is in matter of consolation there is the foundation and fountain of it though the stream may be troubled And this should make us wary so to walk as not to put stops and checks in the way of conscience especially to labour for a sound judgement and a full perswasion in things to be done For the more doubtfull and scrupulous we are the less firm and clear is the testimony of our conscience as appeareth Rom. 14. 22 23. Fourthly We are to distinguish of the testimony of conscience as alone and separate or relating wholly to the blood of Christ in whom alone all our acceptance and cause of comfort is contained Whereas if a man should attend to the testimony of conscience alone though to his best actions he would have more cause to fear and tremble from that then rejoyce Therefore the Scripture attributeth the purging of our conscience to the blood of Christ there is no mans conscience can be good and truly peaceable that doth not look to Christ that saith not with John Behold the lamb of God that taketh away thy sinne as well as behold the holy duties thou hast lived in Heb. 9. 14. How much rather shall the blood of Christ purge your conscience from dead workes Let conscience then alwayes eye Christ look to him as well as to our graces For the goodness of an evangelical conscience lieth not in this to testifie thou hast not been such a sinner or thou hast not such failings but though thou hast been such yet repenting and believing through the blood of Christ thy conscience is not to condemn thee for them because pardoned Now the conscience of a civil and pharisaical man which comforts from works done doth not at all relate to Christ and by this thou mayest find the deceitfulness of it seeing that by Christs blood alone it cometh to be truly purified Use 1. Of Instruction How few they are that have this
God onely when the heart doth in the chiefest manner close with God and center upon him as the ultimate end through Christ And therefore simplicity of heart is the same with onenesse of heart When a man doth not love God and the world too serve God and lusts also For though our Saviour say This is impossible yet many whose whole souls are engaged to the world and the things of the world do yet please themselves as if they loved God also which yet is as impossible as with one eye to look downwards and another to look upwards That heart and heart which some Kings in the Old Testament are charged with was because they did halt between God and Belial They would not serve God alone Simplicity then is opposed to inconstancy and unsetlednesse of spirit when a man doth not with full purpose of heart cleave to Christ and take him upon all his terms but in some things is for him and in some things is against him At some times he prayeth and calleth upon God at other times again he giveth all over This is opposite to singleness of heart The Apostle James calleth such an one Chap. 1. 8. A double minded man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man with with two soules as it were So that this very particular is greatly to be heeded it will penetrate and search to the very bottome of the soul Most men undo their soules in this point they have but wishings and wouldings in religious things they have aguish workings of heart sometimes hot and sometimes cold They have not taken our Saviours counsel To sit downe and bethink themselves what it will cost them to be the Disciples of Christ what lusts they can part with what sufferings they can endure what powerfull and fervent service they can doe for God And hence it is they are like a reed shaken with every winde Instability and inconstancy cannot in a predominant manner consist with this simplicity of heart no more than heat and cold in gradu intenso There is no godly man but bewaileth the unsetlednesse the unevennesse of his heart that he is not alwayes as believing as heavenly-minded as weaned from the world as he is at sometimes but this is gradual only his heart hath for the main fixed on God though it be thus tossed up and down even as the ship may be anchored fast to the earth yet the waves and winds may move it up and down but they cannot remove it Thus the heart which hath godly simplicity is fundamentally fastened upon Christ although many temptations intruding may sometimes cause it to shake and totter Fourthly Simplicity of heart is consistent in the uncompounded frame thereof It is not made up of several heterogeneals as if there were metal of silver and lead or gold and copper and so is the same with purity Every hypocrite hath a mixt heart it is compounded of several ingredients for being it is glewed to the creatures and to several lusts because these are many therefore he hath not a simplicity but multiplicity in his heart Divines doe usually make simplicity to be one of Gods Attributes because he is a most pure act compounded of no parts Therefore he hath the highest simplicity in his Essence And the Angels they are also called simple substances because they are next unto God Yea the Philosophers call the Heavens though a body yet simple because not compounded of elements as sublunary things are The notion then of the simplicity of the heart is seen in this when it is not compounded it hath not the mixture of other things with spiritual and hence it doth appear that no man in this life hath perfect and absolute simplicity none hath his graces wholly pure because some corruption is mingled with our duties There is a composition of wine and water of flesh and Spirit of Grace and Nature in the best but yet it is not predominant in the godly The tares do not choake the wheat The Iebusite doth not drive out the Israelite Onely this may serve to keep the godly humble and low in their owne eyes they have not that purity and singlenesse of heart they ought to have yea and earnestly desire Doest thou ever goe about any holy duty wherein thou doest not find corruption presently intermingling it self Doth pure grace work alwayes How much of flesh and self doth interpose But yet for the main thy heart hath simplicity Fifthly Simplicity consisteth in an even equal and uniforme way of obedience The course of a mans life is for the general of the same complexion alwayes praying alwayes believing alwayes mortifying of sinne alwayes heavenly mindednesse I doe not speak this as if there were never any interruption sometimes natural as in sleep and otherwayes because the soule being finite cannot attend to many things at once sometimes moral by sinne or at least carelesse and dull affections but the course of his life or as the Scripture calls it The way of a man that is generally of the same consonancy Whereas Hypocrisie is full of uneven and unequal actions sometimes mountaines sometimes valleys There are many Hyperbatons as it were in the oration of his life his life doth speake in different Dialects he can say Sibboleth and Shibboleth too Thus David describeth the godly man as Meditating and delighting in the Law of God day and night And the Apostle John speaketh once or twice That those who are borne of God sinne not neither can they Not because they have not divers infirmities but because the full purpose and habitual inclination of such a mans heart is uniformely to Gods commands Therefore you heard that the opposite to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If you looke upon many examples of those who did many things for God yet wanted this simplicity you shall finde a great difformity in their lives their lives speake contradiction they are not the same men at one time they are at another Thus Soul at first very zealous to promote the will of God yea from this he did put all the Witches to death and yet at another time he himself maketh recourse to such So Jehu how active is he to destroy Baal's worship but yet he retaineth Ieroboam's worship If it was good to destroy Ahab's worship because not commanded by God was it not also good to demolish Ieroboam's seeing that also had no command from God But where there is no simplicity of heart you may observe a great deal of unevennesse yea and contradiction in that mans conversation Sixthly Simplicity of heart doth mainly lie in this To have our outwards and inwards all of the same nature To be such cordially and internally to God as outwardly we appeare to be So that if you aske What is this simplicity In the general we may say the adequate conformity and agreement betweene the heart and our profession Out of the heart we pray we heare we professe So that
not only apprehensiva but quietativa not only apprehensive but quietative it brings the soul to its center to its non ultra whereas reason doth but satisfie till a man come with a stronger and one argument like the circles in the water begets another So that whereas it was Iulian's objection against the Christian Religion as low and contemptible because it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only believe yet this indeed is the glory of it this setleth and composeth when philosophical ratiocinations did carry them into endless contentions Therefore that is good counsel of Austins Noveris te esse fidelem non rationalem It is faith not syllogisms that brings an established mind in Religion It is true indeed Christianity hath her use of Reason and Arguments and there is an Habitus Theologiae whereby we do demonstrate the points of Divinity but this is when faith hath laid the foundation Fides facit argumentum non argumentum fidem as it doth in the liberal Arts Reason buildeth upon Faith not Faith upon Reason If therefore thou complainest of the diversity of Sects of the multitude of opinions that swarm every where there is no such way to escape splitting thy soul at such rocks as to pray for this godly simplicity of mind I say holy simplicity not a foolish popish blind obedience that is not faith The fool believeth every thing Faith hath alwayes an evidence and knowledge of the testimony though the thing believed may be above the comprehension But when truths out of the Scripture are with sufficient evidence held out to thee then simplicity is required to yeeld firm assent thereunto and not to dispute by humane arguments whether it can be so or no. Therefore the wisdome which is from above Jam. 3. 17. is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 easily to be perswaded As in respect of the objects to be believed and the instruments who propound it there is necessary Piscatoria simplicitas which is more than Aristotle's subtilty or his Minutiloquium as Tertullian calleth it So there is such an humble simplicity required on the subjects part who are to receive these divine truths I am the larger on this as being assured the best antidote against all heresies and the surest remedy to preserve from doctrinal Apostasie is this simplicity of mind But Secondly This simplicity is no lesse signally seen in the Will which is to cast away its contumacy stubbornness and propriety resigning it self wholly up to Gods command The Lord hath commanded it therefore I obey not disputing with flesh and blood whether this will be for my advantage honour or profit but the will of God boweth him into all ready compliance It is the Apostles advice Phil. 2. 14. Do all things without mumurings and disputings that ye may be sincere Here it is plain that sincerity is manifested when we willingly do our duty not murmuring and quarrelling at it Even as we read of Abraham though commanded by God to sacrifice his own sonne with his own hands when he might have had so many fair arguments against it yet he readily applieth himself to his duty and so when commanded to come out of his own countrey and to go he did not know whether yet he willingly obeyeth this is simplicity And so it was with Paul Galat. 1. who immediately obeyed the call of God Not consulting with flesh and blood whereas Saul because he did not obey in simplicity but waved the commands of God upon religious pretences his rebellion was accounted aâ— witchcraft not believing that Obedience was better than Sacrifice 1 Sam. 15. 22. Thirdly This simplicity is seen in an holy boldnesse to do our duty to be zealous for God to reprove sinne though there be never so many Lions in the way It is true the wisemen of the world call this simplicity indeed making it the same with folly Thus most of our Christian duties if fervently and zealously performed are nothing but folly and silliness to carnal policy But to appear for God and to own his wayes among a crooked and malicious people is an excellent mark of simplicity whereas hypocrisie measuring all things by its safety honour and profit becometh like the shadow to the body suâ—eth it self to every corrupt humour of others But this plainness of heart maketh us with David Psal 119. to speak of the Law even before Kings and alwayes to obey God rather than men So much shrinking from thy duty because of the fear or favours of men is so much want of simplicity Hence Varinus makes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 boldnesse and freedome Oh then pray exceedingly for this simplicity of spirit that will make thee constant bold and zealous for God! How often may thy conscience convince thee that sinfull fear or foolish shame or carnal affections have made thee not do thâ—se duties with singleness of heart as thou shouldst have done How many times hast thou betrayed the truth by sinfull silence How many times hast thou wounded thy spirit by holding thy tongue whereas this holy simplicity would have imboâ—dened thee It is true there is Christian prudence required also there must be the wisdome of a Serpent as well as the innocency of the Dove Discretion is the salt to season our Sacrifices and there must be this salt as well as the fire of zeal but we must look the Serpent doth not eat up this Dove that discretion doth not devour this simplicity Thus much of simplicity as it relateth immediately to God Now because the Apostle useth the word largely relating to his ministerial conversation as it did reach to men we shall take in briefly the consideration of that also And First Godly simplicity maketh a man inoffensive to men This simplicity maketh a man harmlesse and unblameable as to others Christs Disciples are compared to Sheep not to Bears for cruelty or Foxes for craft in doing mischief therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Apostle saith I would have you simple in malice Rom. 16. 19. The leven that was forbidden in the Sacrifices did signifie malice and sourness So that where this simplicity is a man is wonderfull harmless is not injurious doth no wrong The word used in that place of Rom. 16. 19. is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which though it properly come from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet some make it from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if to say without horns The people of God are meek and lowly as it 's said of Jacob He was a plain man but Esau rough and hairy which may relate to their manners as well as bodily constitutions not but that they can be as bold as Lions in the cause of God Simplicity is consistent with zeal and courage for God Moses was the meekest man upon earth yet in the case of Idolatry and the peoples uncleanness how forward was he to have severe punishment
Prophets presence as if all had been well Oh then how vain is it to hide thy designs and intentions to men to make protestations and professions of thy integrity to men if the all-seeing eye of God behold other things in thee What greater obligation can there be to have all the motions and turnings of thy heart cordial and faithfull towards God seeing no man can more perfectly behold the outward gestures of thy body then he doth the inward motions of thy soul Oh say God knoweth what I think what my heart is upon what is the spring of every duty I do Secondly Sincerity respecteth God As he is the first cause and the last end The Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end of whom are all things and to whom are all things Rom. 11. 36. Now this two-fold property in God the sincere man doth greatly improve First As he is the Efficient cause so that he expects all-sufficiency and power from the grace of God alone The Scripture dot frequently affirm That it is by the grace of God alone that we are able to do any good thing therefore the sincere man dareth not sacrifice to his own nets dare not give any thing to his own power and free-will neither dare he rob Christ of his glory by setting up Angels and Saints as Mediators under any nice distinctions whatsoever he trembleth to dispute against the grace of God lest he want the blessed effects of it in the greatest necessities You may observe David and Paul who expresse such remarkable sincerity towards God that they go out of themselves depend on God alone and not onely do they acknowledge God the supream giver of all the good they enjoy but also they make him the ultimate end to whom they referre all things remembring the Apostles rule 1 Cor. 10 31. Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God This is a very hard lesson to do a very difficult duty to be performed but yet the sincere man he overlooketh all second causes and instruments with his Eagles-eye he gets up as it were into the mountain and leaveth all his carnal interests below as Abraham did his beasts and servants when he went to sacrifice Isaac This single and pure intention of Gods glory is not so easily accomplished as it is quickly and commonly pretended Oh how rare a thing is it to eat and drink to study and preach that hereby God may be glorified How closely doth some carnal respect or vain-glorious motive follow thee in the duty as Asahel did Joab which thou canst not make depart from thee till thou thrust it as it were thorow the fift rib till thou give it its mortal blow by mortification Thirdly The sincere heart relateth all to God In regard of his Sovereignty and dominion over him Because God is the supream Lord and Lawgiver who only can impose Laws upon the conscience therefore in his obedience he doth principally look to the will and authority of the Lawgiver This is a notable character of sinceâ—ity to obey because thus saith the Lord it is his will and as the supream orb doth carry along with it the inferiour orbs though against their particular inclination Thus doth the will of God because supream bring the creatures will into obedience when corrupt inclinations do propound a contrary way It is the matter of our prayer which we are constantly to pour forth unto God That his will may be done his will not our will Therefore if sincerity have a throne in thy heart thy sense will be as soft wax to receive any stamp or impression from God what God commands though against pleasures profits and all the inclinations of thy corrupt heart thou doest readily submit unto Thus thou offerest up thy self as an whole burnt-offering unto God Lastly This sincerity doth respect the wisdome of God in all those sharp and bitter providential temptations that a man may be exercised with for his faithfull service to God The Scripture doth frequently inform of this what cups of wormwood they must drink that will be Christs Disciples what crowns of thorns they must endure upon their heads who expect crowns of glory from him Now the heart that is sincere doth not cavil and murmur at Gods dispensations herein though so unpleasing to flesh and blood but doth wholly acquiesce in the wisdom of God filencing the impetuous motions of his Spirit God is wiser than I he knoweth this is better for me then I think it is For certainly all discontents do arise from this we think God might have shewed more love to us and more wisdome if he did not suffer such and such things to come upon us Therefore afflictions and persecutions are the special Touchstone to discover our sincerity This fire will manifest whether we be gold or drosse these winnowings whether chaffor wheat The hypocrite wanting root doth commonly begin to wither when the Sunnes scorching heat doth arise and if they are at any times afflicted for Christ it is against their wils so that with Simon they are compelled to carry the crosse of Christ but sincerity doth not only admire the wisdome of God in such dispensations but justifieth him and condemneth its self Thus you see what are those high and sublime things a sincere man looketh at in all his religious wayes That whereas in a bodily way the beast looketh to the ground when man hath an upright look towards Heaven So even every natural man hath a soul bowed down only to earthly respects while the sincere heart ascends up to God himself Therefore it is that he doth prudently escape all those ambushments that low inferiour ends are apt to lay in his way thereby to intercept him from arriving at God himself We cannot reckon all the inferiour and unworthy ends that are apt to interpose no more than the creeping things in the Sea onely some few we may instance in As 1. Vain-glory and Self-applause that many times clippeth the wings of our souls that while we are moving to Heaven this maketh us fall to the ground This made the Pharisees lose the heavenly reward of all their religious duties And how often have the holiest of men complained of this Dalilah this sweet poison this flattering enemy Is it not the worme that devoureth the sweetest flowers and the ripest fruit This maketh death in the pot even damnation in excellent duties therefore the sincere man doth constantly watch and ward keeping a strict search into his heart that no such thief enter in and steal away his treasure A second inferiour and base end which would corrupt us in the service of God is The external greatnesse of honour or the seeming profit of wealth This dust hath often blown into the eyes that they have not been able to look up What glorious things did Jehu do for God If you look upon the external actions only But his heart was not sincere
in this it was a temporal Kingdome that he aimed at and the earthly advancing of himself And the third kind of hearers they did not apostatize but the love of the world and the deceiveablenesse of riches these things like weeds did grow up with the good corne It was Simon Magus his hainous transgression to desire the Holy Ghost for money And hath not this been as wickedly practised sometimes to make use of the gifts of the Holy Ghost or at least the pretence of them for earthly gaine To be religious for gaine to make a profession for earthly advantages what is this but to make use of God and his wayes for money And if you say These are base and unworthy ends indeed this is to be a Judas to sell Christ for money an Esau to sell our birthright for pottage Therefore you must know that if we could as the Peripateticks enjoyne do virtuous actions for virtues sake yet this were too low an end for a sincere Christian when men do righteous actions for the publick good when men performe religious duties meerly to please and content their consciences These that are good as proxime and secondary ends being made the ultimate do deprive the duties of their true proper sincere Christianity This is to take John Baptist for Christ or as some did to take Christ onely for some great Prophet This is to judge sincerity and godlinesse a lesse thing than it is to take a counterfeit for a precious pearl And therefore the motive of duties in Popery is wonderfully short of true spiritual ones even as their faith of true divine motives as they resolve their faith into the Authority of their Church so their religious duties into their own power and merit Whereas to be holy so as to rest in our holinesse and to make that our utmost end is to unthrone Christ and to put our graces in the room of Gods grace So that we are not onely by sincerity to overlook all earthly objects but even all duties and inherent graces joyning with Christ onely as the beloved of our souls This sincerity is that which maketh the way to Heaven so narrow This is the reason why many are called but few chosen If the external performance of duties were enough many thousands would go to Heaven more than do but sincerity is that which makes every holy duty so difficult SERM. XCII A further Discovery of the Nature and Effects of Godly Sincerity 2 COR. 1. 12. In godly sincerity GOdly Sincerity you heard did raise up the heart of a man above all low and inferiour ends fixing it upon God only Now because I have spoken much of this upon other occasions I shall briefly dispatch this subject at this time laying down several Propositions which will partly be descriptive of the nature of this sincerity and partly manifestative of what are the effects of it And First This sincerity doth comprehend an Universality in it Hypocrisie dealeth in pieces and parcels it doth many things and it omitteth many things whereas sincerity comprehendeth all the essential parts of Religion it is not defective in necessaries though it hath not perfection of degrees yet it hath of parts Therefore sincerity is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 compleatnesse of all parts and limbs when a man hath every part of the body that is his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lot or condition or portion to have 1 Thess 5. 23. Hence Jam. 1. 4. it is called entire that ye may be entire wanting nothing It was the fault that Christ found with the Church of Sardis Revel 3. 2. That he had not found her works perfect before God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 filled up There were many empty hollow places and vacuities as it were wanting this grace and that duty which would have made her compleat Now there are several kinds of Universalities wherein this sincerity doth discover it self There is an universality of the Object matter about which it is exercised It maketh a man carefull to performe the greatest duties and the lesse duties It accounteth nothing little wherein the command of God is concerned that is a great God It abstaineth from great sinnes and little sinnes It accounteth no sinne little which cannot be purged away but by the blood of Christ Again it doth faithfully respect all the Commandments of God such as are terminated upon God himself or such as relate to man Paul expressed this sincerity when he called it A conscience void of offence both towards God and man Act. 24. 16. He knoweth true Religion cannot be without righteousnesse nor godly righteousnesse without the duties of Religion Furthermoee there are duties of suffering for Christ as well as of doing for him Sometimes it is farre more unpleasing to flesh and blood to suffer for Christ then to be doing for him But the sincere heart is prepared for both he doth not capitulate with Christ about what he shall be put upon Therefore it is that he is willing to take up the crosse and to follow Christ he accepteth of those duties where self-denial and self-mortification are requisite as those which may be more gratefull and acceptable unto a man Oh how much easier is it to preach these things and to hear these things then to practise them As there is an universality of the Object so also of the Subject where this is every part of the soul is sanctified There is not illumination without sanctification gifts without grace but the whole man is rightly constituted Hence we told you sincerity is not properly a grace but it 's the modification of grace every grace is to be sincere 1 Tim. 1. 5. There is a pure heart a good conscience and faith unfeigned So that sincerity is a property and an affection of every grace it 's not repentance unlesse sincere it 's not faith except sincere Again There is an Universality of time and place A sincere man is godly in times of prosperity as well as of adversity in times of health as well as of sicknesse on the week day as well as the Sabbath And so for places Paul saith in the Text it was in the world as well as at Corinth At some times in some places and with some company to pretend onely for God this discovereth hypocrisie in the bottome Secondly Sincerity is herein remarkable That it goeth to the bottome and root of sinne It doth not onely take away the external acts and so make a smooth skinne but it giveth good vitals and inwards especially it setteth against that rotten core that is in every man viz. a deceitfull and false heart towards God and man It is knowne what the Psalmist concludeth of every man Psal 116. 11. which the Apostle maketh use of Rom. 3. 4. Every man is a lyar that is of himselfe and in his owne nature otherwise David and Paul were not lyars in delivering of this truth neither are regenerate men lyars so farre
with God So that the Israelites are a perpetual instance to confirme this Doctrine that it is not so much to be regarded how holy and repenting we may appear sometimes but what we are constantly that is to be regarded To clear this take notice First That the Scripture speaketh of a two-fold conversation and the one directly contrary to the other whose ends also are contrary The first of these is A wicked carnal and natural one which all live in till God by his gracious power deliver us from it What is every mans conversation till grace change him but a continual road of evil actions he goeth from one sinne to another he is alwayes like himself as the worm is ever creeping upon the ground you never see it flying like a bird up to the clouds This is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our former conversation Ephes 4. 22. which is corrupt according the deceitfull lusts thereof The first conversation then of every one by nature is that of the old man original and actual sinnes conjoyned together into one body as it were so that he is a masse or lumpe of sinne This is daily corrupted by deceitfull lusts That as worms are continually eating into the Tree till they have destroyed it Thus are lusts constantly breeding in a man even till they have devoured him Now saith the Apostle This must be put off we must leave this former life and take up a new one Oh how few are there that can say They have put off their former conversation As they were prophane proud earthly so they are still They cannot say It was indeed their former drinking their former swearing but it is their present praying their present humiliation of themselves Their latter conversation differeth from the former as much as the day doth from the night that went before it This is also called a vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers 1 Pet. 1. 18. It is a vain one for all the life we live till regenerated is spent in vain we attain not to the true and proper end of living Thy eating thy drinking thy buying and selling is all in vain by none of these things wilt thou please God and so arrive at last at eternal glory Yea it were well if it were only vain missing its end but it 's meritorious of eternal flames in hell This conversation is said to be traditional by our fathers If the Apostle speak of Gentiles then it is true that children follow the evil and ungodly examples of their parents they will not seem to be better and wiser than they are if of the Jewes which is more probable then it relateth to those superstitious exercises of Religion which their fathers added to the command of God And although they rested and gloried in these as thereby highly honouring of God yet all was but a vain worship a vain Religion So then a mans evil conversation is not only to be extended to his vices and sinnes but also to his religious duties when either not instituted or if commanded yet not performed in that spiritual manner which the Law of God doth require So that a mans conversation in his praying in his coming to Church in his religious deportments must be altered as well as prophane wayes Thou must leave off thy former way of praying thy former way of hearing The second kind of conversation mentioned in the Scripture is A godly and an heavenly one So that although we live upon the earth yet our principles aims and ends carry us up to the enjoyment of God This is called a good conversation Jam. 3. 13. where all divine faith and spiritual wisdom is said to be demonstrated by a good conversation It is not Doctrine faith profession or gifts that men look at but the conversation that speaketh a Christian that speaketh a Minister more than ten thousand excellent discourses Plus oculis quam auribus creditur said Seneca So that a good conversation is more demonstrative of godlinesse then good gifts good parts a good faith Thy prayers are good thy conference and discourse is good Is thy conversation also Hence Paul exhorteth Timothy as a Minister to be a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An example 1 Tim. 4. 12. to believers in word in conversation In word that is in his Doctrine and preaching In conversation that is in the exercise of all holy duties So that you see a man is above all things to look to his convesation that it be good For as this is a special means to edifie and build up others so none can take comfort from the choisest abilities the most fervent duties the purest Church-wayes unlesse there be a good conversation to uphold him Hence you see Paul doth not runne to his Apostolical Office to his great miracles to the wonderfull revelations and gifts bestowed upon him but to his conversation in the world as if that were a greater conviction of all adversaries then the most glorious Church-prerogatives or priviledges that can be Hence a godly conversation is a special means to convert others The Apostle speaketh fully to this concerning godly women who have Heathen or wicked and ungodly husbands that they should look to their duty That they may without the Word be wone by the conversation of their wives while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear 1 Pet. 3. 1 2. he saith Without the Word not but that the Word is the onely ordinary means of conversion but because their conversation may be an occasion and introductory meanes to bring them to the Word As Austin said He should not have believed the Scriptures but for the Church because that was the introductory motive though the Scriptures themselves were the cause of his faith By this we see how much regard we are to have to our conversation for by it many may be converted or be subverted What a wofull thing will it be if thou by thy life hast given a just occasion to drive men off from godlinesse They were coming on but thy conversation drove them back It is true when wicked men doe wickedly from their owne corrupt hearts take an occasion to be offended at Gods wayes as some did when they heard Christ preach saying It was an hard saying who can bear it And from thence took an occasion never to follow Christ more John 6. 60. then the guilt of such men lieth at their owne doore They are offended where there is no just cause it 's Scandalum acceptum not datum But if thou doest by any sinfull and unwarrantable practises alienate men from Religion make them think the worse of godlinesse for thy doings then remember that dreadfull sentence of our Saviour Woe be to that man by whom offences come Matth. 18. 7. This is likewise called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Your good conversation in Christ A Scripture-conversation is a conversation in Christ that is partly by the rule and guidance of Christ We live not according
to the course of the world not according to the lusts of men but as Christ hath commanded so we live and then partly because by Christs blood we do obtain this life he hath redeemed us from our former evil wayes he hath purchased a liberty for us and then partly because our life is terminated in Christ and we doe objectively propound him in all our wayes as Paul saith Galat. 2. 20. I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Christ is the principle or authour Christ is the means and way Christ is the finisher and end of this life In the next place let us consider What goeth to make a mans conversation godly that we may say it is not some sudden motions or transitory workings but his conversation that is according to the Gospel For if some particular good actions at some times were enough to make a man godly then the way to Heaven would be no longer a narrow but a broad way Now in this description you must not expect a metaphysical or punctual decision of how many actions goe to make a mans conversation So that if he come up to such a number yet if he want one more then it cannot be called his conversation but we must understand it morally and in a large sense Briefly therefore to a mans conversation there is required as the foundation of all First A principle of regeneration to be made a new creature There must be spiritual life before there can be spiritual motions and actions So that if men are brought sometimes to what is holy by external motives because they have godly parents godly Magistrates godly Governonrs as Joash all the while Jehoiada the Priest and his Uncle lived This cannot be called a mans conversation there is not a new nature within but outward motives prevail with him and thereupon as they ebb or flow so is there a variation and change in his practices Secondly There must be a predominancy in his heart and affections to what is holy Christ must be his treasure he must love him more than any thing in the world then father or mother or life it self For if the soul be not thus principally fixed on him when that which is dearer and more loved doth suggest it self then they leave Christ This is plainly seene Matth. 13. in those hearers who believed for a while and brought forth some fruit but then when persecutions did arise they fell off then these seeming vines became thorns Thirdly There must be an actual improvement of those habitual principles of grace that are within For though a man have never so much grace within yet if it be not improved by outward exercise we cannot call it a godly conversation and therefore it is a vain thing for men to appeale to the goodnesse of their heart and their good meanings for the conversation is more to be believed than all these There must then be these streames as well as the fountain we must shew our faith as you heard by a godly conversation so that this relateth most to the exercise of grace though it presuppose the fountain and root within Lastly To our conversation There are required pure and heavenly motives that we do holy duties for holinesse sake That we follow Christ for Christs sake not for loaves The old Rule is A quatenus ad omne valet consequentia He that doth a godly duty because godly will do all godly duties As the fire because it burneth naturally it burneth in one countrey as well as another Thus a Christian because carried out purely and naturally as it were to the things of God doth own them every where in all places in all companies That which is godlinesse at one place and in one company is godlinesse in another Onely we must necessarily take along one Caution lest we condemn all the generation of the godly for hypocrites A mans conversation is godly though in many things he faileth by common infirmities though in all things he cometh short of that perfection which is required of him Yea though for a season through prevailing temptations he fall into and lie in some grievous sinnes David's conversation may be called godly he was a man after Gods own heart And Peter's conversation may be godly though he had such a foul fall So that infirmities yea sometimes grosse sinnes fallen into through urging temptations cannot be said to make a mans conversation wicked when the general inclination of the soul is set for that which is good It is true he that doth customarily and habitually sinne he is not borne of God neither can a regenerate man sinne so as the Apostle speaketh 1 Ioh. 3. 9. Every swoon or fainting is not death yet such having the seed of grace within will as Trees that seemed to be dead all winter because there is life in the root at last revive and flourish when the spring of Gods grace shall draw it forth This is necessary lest the Doctrine of a godly conversation seem onely an Idaea like Tullies Oratour and that it cannot be found any where in the world In the last place let us see what profitable Uses may be drawn from this truth And First Of Instruction who are to informe themselves their conversation is not holy notwithstanding some good things may sometimes be found in their lives And 1. Such who in fear of death onely and in times of sad dangers doe call upon the Lord and cry out of their sinnes Is this your conversation Doe ye ever thus but in some times of exigency It is greatly disputed Whether a death-bed repentance can ever be sincere The Socinians are too rigid denying the salvation of such persons because they have no time to shew forth good works in their conversation But as this may be too rigid so on the other side Austin and others put it greatly to the doubt Non dico damnabitur sed nec dico salvabitur then is the conversation holy when in all conditions rich or poor sick or well living or dying thou doest diligently seek the face of God 2. Such cannot plead for an holy conversation in the world Who are onely such in some companies and in some places Many of the Nations became Iewes for fear of them Thus if thou because the company thou art with is religious or in the place where thou livest godlinesse is owned with credit then thou wilt also doe as they doe talke as they talk This is not thy conversation Paul was godly in all the places of the world even at Rome and where he was in the greatest danger Lot was righteous in wicked Sodome It is not with a godly man as they say of some Trees in one Countrey they bring pleasant and wholsome fruit but if transplanted into another soil poisonous and destructive So he in some places speaketh for godlinesse and in other places to laugh and deride it This is not thy conversation 3. Neither
noble effect of the Preaching of the Word that it becomes spiritual seed to give men a new spirituall life as well to feed to nourish them therein James chap. 4. 18. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth and John 17. Sanctifie them by thy word When therefore the Ministers of God do not onely become Instructers but Fathers as the Apostle saith he was to these Corinthians this is matter of great joy Though ye have ten thousand Instructors yet not many Fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel 1 Corinth chap. 4. 15. This then is a foundation of much indearing comfort when a people can owne their Minister to be a Father to them and he them for his spiritual children when by his Ministry they are able to say I was enlightened I was converted I was sanctified Surely if Aristotle say We can never recompence the Gods nor our naturall Fathers neither are we able to requite our spiritual Fathers Although as in nature it is observed that love though it be fire yet it doth descend not ascend so it is in spirituall relations Such Ministers who have been instrumental to the conversion of any do far more rejoyce in such a people then they can in the Minister Hence the Apostle speaketh most affectionately in an overflowing manner 2 Cor. 6. 11 12 13. O ye Corinthians our mouth is open unto you our heart is inlarged ye are not streightened in us but in your own bowels now for a recompence in the same I speak as unto children be ye also enlarged Here you see Pauls heart was more inlarged to them than their 's to his This then is an unspeakable mercy when we shall be able to say with the prophet though in another sense Behold I and the children which thou hast given me Isa chap. 8. 18. Or as it is said of Christ after all his sufferings for us He shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied He shall see his seed and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand Isa 53. 10 11. Fourthly Then are they rejoycing to a Minister when they are a ready and willing people in all Gospel Duties when they are his living Sermons his walking Sermons when they endeavour to adorn the Gospel by their conversation when there are no profane persons no bitter roots growing up amongst them but a Garden without weeds a floor of pure wheat without chaff a net of good fish onely a field of wheat without tares It is true there is no such people no such Church to be exspected in this life But the less weeds the fewer brambles the greater joy to the Husbandman What a glorious commendation doth the Apostle give this Church 2 Cor. 2 3. when he calleth them his Epistle to be read and known of all men Yea he saith They are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ O what unspeakable gladness of heart would it be to a Minister to be able to make such an holy boast of his people That they are his Sermons to be read and known of all men we may know what he preacheth by the lives of his people The Apostle instanceth in one Duty viz. their Liberality to the poor Saints of God 2 Cor. 9. 13. For thereby they did glorifie God by their professed Subjection to the Gospel This is blessed when a people in all Gospel Duties will not cavil and be contentious but declare their professed subjection thereunto 5. When they are a people willing and ready to submit to the whole Order of Christ To reâ—orm all corruptions and abuses as also with much Repentance to manifest their sorrow for any negligence and remission herein These very Corinthians as they were matter of joy so also of much trouble of much trouble of much sorrow and Humiliation Hence he speaketh remarkeably 2 Cor. 12. 20. I fear least when I come I shall not finde you such as I would and that I shall not be found unto you such as ye would and least when I come again my God humble me among you and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already and have not repented of their uncleanness By this you see that though the Apostle had much rejoycing from them yet he had also much Humiliation Many did not repent and therefore put him to more severity than he would Now then that Paul may not contradict himself They could not be his rejoycing and mourning also Therefore we must either hereby gather that the Corinthians were unconstant sometimes hopfull and reforming and afterwards again relapsing or else this is spoken not in respect of all but some of them who did grosly fail in their duty For if we consult with 2 Cor. 17. there we shall see the Apostle wonderfully affected with the joy that he had by seeing the good effect of his former Epistle upon them for thereby they did set upon Church-order they purged out the old leaven they manifested much godly sorrow indignation and zeal and every way endeavoured to approve themselves unto Paul and this did so exceedingly rejoyce him that he saith Vers 4. Great is my glorying of you I am filled with comefort I am exceeding joyfull in all our tribulation In the midst of all his troubles this rejoyced his heart that they did themselves assist to the casting out of wicked persons and were exceeding sorrowfull for their former negligence herein Thus then when a people are ready to observe all the Orders and Instituions of Christ this is matter of great joy But because many Churches have received but half Christ as it were hence also their Ministers have received but half joy Some Protestant Churches received the Doctrine of Christ but not the Discipline Some were for Orthodoxy in judgment but not purity in lives Some were willing to cast of the Antichristian yoke but then would not submit to the rod of Christ And by this means many faithfull Pastors have gone to the grave with great grief of heart Oh it is a sad thing when people are so willfull as to necessitate a Minister to remove from them because they will not receive the whole Order of Christ so that he is limited in his Ministerial Administrations and cannot do all he desireth Thus these Corinthians failed also about holy Order in reference to the Lords Supper which maketh him begin his discourse about it after this manner Shall I praise you in this I praise you not 1 Cor. 11. 22. There are many other particulars which rejoyce a Faithfull Minister as when they continue from not falling off from the truth either by false Teachers or afflictions which is so great a matter that the Apostle saith 1 Thes 3. 8. We live if ye stand fast in the Lord likewise when they are a growing people and do not continue as babes but are carried unto perfection and do not stand still but walk in the truth 〈◊〉 I have
of their hearts all the purposes and intentions of the soule in holy duties shall be made manifest it shall then be discovered who was faithfull and who was insincere and wilt thou anticipate this day Little doest thou thinke how much such as feare God in truth doe bewaile that partial hypocrisie and insincerity which is within them how greatly they feare lest they should deceive themselves and doe holy duties for false ends and not out of pure respect to God himselfe Such then shall have praise of God and their integrity manifested before Angels and men Thirdly There will be a change of mens thoughts as to the godly In respect of their external estate and condition They have for the most part the evil things of the world when the wicked enjoy the glorious things thereof Are not afflictions troubles and miseries as inseparably following the people of God as the shadow doth the body Doth not our Saviour fore-warn his Disciples of the great trouble that they shall meet with in the world Doth not Paul himself say 1 Corinth 15. 19. If we have hope in this life onely we are of all men most miserable Of all men Because other men will follow the pleasures and profits of the world Other men will suck out the honey that is to be had in the creatures They will escape all misery and persecution by becoming any thing in Religion and thereby save themselves out of danger but as for the godly they are as sheep appointed for the slaughter all the day long Their tender conscience and feare to sinne against God putteth them into many losses and disadvantages which the men of the world can imbrace Now it being thus with them this doth exceedingly prejudice men against godly men Their outward condition is many times dangerous they seeme to be cast off even by God himselfe as if he did not love them or owne them for his and this keepeth off many from walking in the pathes of holinesse If the applause honour and great things of the world did accompany the power of godlinesse then all would strive to enter in at such a broad gate but because it is with them as with Christ they appeare with no external glory and lovelinesse upon them Hence it is that of all men they will not owne such or joyne to such But this great day will make you have other thoughts of their condition when you shall see their sackcloth taken off and robes of honour put upon them when you shall see these Lazarusses with no more sores on them or desiring crummes from the Table but placed in Abraham's bosome This will make you then to wish Oh that we had endured the same hardship gone through the same wildernesse seeing they have now arrived at such a blessed Land as they are In the third and last place The thoughts and apprehensions of men about Christ will be greatly changed at that day from what they have at present in two particulars especially First When Christ is offered now to us and we may be made partakers of him yet we refuse him we will not receive him we had rather have our lusts than Christ we love father mother and life it selfe more than Christ Such low thoughts have we of him now But oh the time is coming when Christ and onely Christ will be in request At that day he is happy who shall have an interest in Christ Those Gadarens that intreated Christ to depart out of their coasts regarding their hoggs more than he with what confusion will they behold him at that day We shall then see there is good reason for that Doctrine He that loveth father more than me or he that loveth life it self more than me is not worthy of me Matth. 10. 37. For happily flesh and blood may for the present say This is an hard saying who can beare it To love Christ more than father that begat me and maintaineth me from whom happily I may expect great and large gifts Or better than life which is above all earthly mercies Will Christ be as good as these to me Shall I not lose by loving him more than these But if a man consider what Christ is How he will appeare at that day How happy are they who can claime an interest in him Then they will see reason why Christ should be preferred above all Now we are for Barabbas rather than Christ Now Christ knocketh at the door to come in and we will not open to him But who is there then that would not cry out Oh let Christ justifie me let him sanctifie me let him save me Thus the stone that is now refused will be the head corner-stone Secondly Many deceive themselves in their thoughts about Christ apprehending onely love and willingnesse in him to save They never thinke of Christ but as a Saviour Though never so polluted by sinne yet they call him their good Saviour their blessed Saviour but at this day thou wilt then have other thoughts Thou wilt then see he can damne as well save he can be a Lion as well as a Lambe This mercifull Saviour will be a severe and just Judge Thus Revelat. 6. 16 17. you have the great men and rich men of the earth hiding themselves in Dens and calling to the Mountaines and Rockes to fall upon them and hide them from the wrath of the Lambe for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand Thus you see that your thoughts about Christ at that day will be wholly changed You that thinke onely of mercy that speak onely of mercy that look onely upon Christ as a Saviour What trembling will this be to you when you shall see him come as a Judge with ten thousand of Angels when you shall heare him pronounce his terrible sentence upon ungodly men then how will your hearts melt within you Then you will beginne to say within your selves Oh that we had not made an Idol-Christ that we had not fancied a Christ to our selves This is not such a Christ as we looked for This is not such a Christ as we expected Even as the Jewes looked for another Messiah then was indeed to come which proved their destruction So also many doe fancy to themselves such a Saviour made up onely of mercy at that great day And therefore whereas they promise to themselves peace they will meet with horrour and desolation And thus much for those particulars The next general Proposition is That there will be a wonderfull change upon mens thoughts in reference to Gods dispensations and his providence in this world Gods proceedings here below have beene the subject of many Heathens disputes Yea David and Jeremiah were ready to stagger and fall with the consideration of Gods various dealings in this world especially that particular went deep into them why God should let the wicked live in all prosperity and at hearts ease and in the meane while the
whereas this inconstancy may be discovered either in our civil and moral conversation or in our religious and holy concernments I shall begin with the first Let us consider the sinfulnesse of inconstancy in civil respects which may be manifested in these particulars First When we are not consistent with our selves in our assertions and affirmations This is a great dishonour to God and our selves when we will say and unsay things affirme one thing at one time and the contrary at another And in this case Inconstancy is the same with lying Thus it argueth a light vain heart to talke one thing one time and another thing another time Hence the Rule is Oportet mendacem esse memorem A liar must have a good memory and as others say A liar must have a good pair of legs that he may runne away for he will quickly be discerned if he stay long in one place Now we may not wonder if Paul would not be thought guilty of a lie For the way of lying is inconsistent with the state of grace as Colos 3. 9. Lie not one to another seeing ye put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man Observe the Apostles argument you that are made new creatures you that have the Image of God repaired in you how can you lie to one another Hence you have David praying for the grace of God herein Psal 119. 29. Remove from me the way of lying And vers 163. I hate and abhorre lying but thy Law do I love Mark the opposition no man can love God and his Word but he must abhorre lying But how little do people generally take heed to themselves herein They think not their gracelesse and unregenerated hearts may be discovered by such inconstant lying words as well at by grosse enormities Oh therefore look upon it as a very hainous sinne not to be a person of gravity consistency and harmony in thy words Can there be a greater reproach then to say of a man he will say and unsay there is no heed to be given to his words We are not to believe all things they say if this were onely thy dishonour it were not so much matter but it cometh from a corrupt heart within Now the people of God above all persons are to look to their words in this respect because with Paul they have their enemies to observe them And we see how prophane persons are apt to charge them with this that though they will not swear yet they will lie This indeed they do because of their enmity and malice to such as feare God but be thou sure to give no occasion herein for them to blaspheme We see this holy Apostle in a solemne sacred manner sometimes calling God to witnesse That he speaketh the truth and lieth not 2 Cor. 11. 31 Gal. 1. 20. Secondly This inconstancy and mutability in civil respects is discovered in our promises Yea when it becometh a crimson sinne then it is manifested in our promissory oaths lightly and perfidiously breaking of them Now as to abstain from all lying and to speak the truth to every man is made a property of a godly man So also it is a character of a godly man to keep his promise to be faithfull to that though it should be to his own damage Psal 15. 4. He that sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not Though his Word and promises prove afterwards prejudicial to him yet he preferreth truth above all earthly respects whatsoever It is true Divines have a Rule In malis promissis rescinde fidem A sinfull promise is not to be kept for that would be to adde iniquity unto iniquity and to double thy sinne But in things that may be inconvenient to thee thou art not to use lightnesse and easily break thy word Thus then it is a character of a godly man to look to his promises to be very carefull to observe them It 's unjustice to break them because by a promise thou becomest a debtor to another And do you see Paul so carefull lest he should be thought to be yea and nay And art thou carelesse about thy word Oh you must know that true Religion and godliness doth not consist in the duties of the first Table but of the second likewise Do not think that this is godlinesse enough to pray to perform holy duties to be often in religious Ordinances No but thou art to abound in all truth and faithfulnesse towards man to avoid all lying all falshood in promises and so to have truth both towards God and man But how apt are our hearts to deceive us in this kind Some think their righteousness towards man because their words are as good as oaths that therefore they shall go to Heaven though they be not forward in religious duties they have no family-worship of God they do not walk singularly to the course of the world and others again they are ready to think that their religious duties their forwardnesse and zeal therein though they regard not words and promises though they neglect the duties of righteousnesse yet their condition will be good enough Oh but remember this passage of Paul for ever Be not hasty to promise labour not to forget what thou hast promised which will be if thou hast a conscientious regard unto thy self herein For when thou doest not think it matter of conscience when thou thinkest godliness is not much concerned herein no wonder then if thou art so often found faulty herein The Scripture is very frequent in pressing these duties of truth and righteousness between man and man Thirdly This mutability in civil affairs is seen in our affections our love and respect to men It is a mans duty to be a faithfull friend to such whom he hath cause to respect and therefore of a friend suddenly to become an enemy for one while to love and another while to hate this is to be yea and nay Men may be unfaithfull two wayes 1. When all the love and respect they professe is in hypocrisie Their tongues and their hearts doe no wayes agree Joab's Ave and Judas his Salve when they intended destruction is famous even to a Proverb David often complaineth of such deceitfull men but then there are unfaithfull men who once did love and were real for the time in their respects but then 2. Upon carnal sinfull grounds alter their affections again Such perfidious and inconstant dealings are abominable to God and man It is one great part of David's complaint that maketh him so solemnly cry unto God for help even becavse the faithfull fail from among the children of men Psal 12. 1. It is true a man of no godliness may be a faithfull friend there are great instances of such friends amongst Heathens and the wisest Writers amongst them have serious Discourses about Friendship But godliness only doth rightly order and regulate this faithfull friendship That is a Rule to be abhorred by all
therein that do denominate him and seeing they are either the Spirit or the flesh every one either walketh in the flesh or the Spirit let a man faithfully search into his own bosome and observe what hath the predominant efficacy what he may call his principles he purposeth and liveth by and the rather because In the fourth place These principles though efficacious yet are manytimes latent and hidden It is a Rule Principia sunt maxima virtute minima quantitate Therefore being thus secret and inward it is not easily found out what principles we walk by Do those that walk after the flesh know they do so Do they believe so Do they complain of such a rotten and sandy foundation No they rather applaud themselves even the most carnal men that are do judge their principles good and right they have a good heart and good ends No doubt when Paul persecuted the Church opposed so zealously the way of Christ though in all this he was acted by fleshly principles yet he thought them Religion and service of God It is therefore our duty to examine and search into every corner of our hearts to find out the bottome of thy soul For thou art never able to judge of thy condition whether good or evil till thy principles are made manifest in thee How often mayest thou flatter thy self as doing things for God and his glory when it is thy own corrupt self thy own glory thy own advantage Fifthly These principles of the flesh are not onely in our external dealings with men or in grosse bodily sins but in religious duties and our sacred performances Oh consider this diligently A man may pray after the flesh hear after the flesh preach after the flesh and that is when a fleshly motive putteth us upon spiritual duties The Pharisees when they prayed they did walk according to the flesh and those who adored Angels and introduced voluntary worship these had a fleshly mind Col. 2. 18. Men are in the flesh and walk in the flesh not onely in respect of grosse sinnes and bodily iniquities but even when in spiritual duties they are led by sinfull motives Thus Jehu when he purposed the destruction of Ahab and his family the overthrow of Baal and his worship he did all this after the flesh When Judas resolved to follow Christ to be his Disciple all this was a resolving according to the flesh Now this we should hear with trembling and an holy fear my religion may be flesh my holy duties flesh my profession of godlinesse nothing but flesh For though the duties themselves are good and commanded by God yet the principles from which they flow may be the flesh in thee Do not take therefore all holy performances to come from a principle of sanctification in thee Did hypocrites and temporary believers diligently consider this it would be a special means to prevent their final destruction Lastly The principles of the carnal and the spiritual are directly contrary to one another even as light and darknesse and therefore one can never agree with the other Prov. 29. 27. An unjust man is an abomination to the just and he that is upright in his way is an abomination to the wicked Every godly man cannot but abominate the way of the wicked and then the wicked abominateth the way of the godly so that there can never be any agreement Now both strive for their principles dispute for their principles The godly man urgeth his and would bring men off to them The wicked man is as resolute for his principles and is active to have them take place And from hence is that enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent Now it 's a godly mans duty to keep close to his principles not for a moment to depart from them This is to betray God and his conscience But the wicked man he is bound to leave his to come out of them with all haste for they will be his damnation at last In the next place let us consider What are the principles of a godly man by which he thinketh purposeth and liveth So that if at any time he deviateth from this his heart is smitten his soul melteth saying This is not according to my principles I have not thought said or done like my self Now there are two general principles of a godly man whereby he is kept from purposing or living according to the flesh The one I may call Principium cognoscendi The other Principium essendi or rather efficiendi For the first which is the principle of knowledge by which we are to regulate our selves in faith and manners that is the holy Scriptures which are a perfect sufficient and adequate Rule to live by how contemptuously soever the Papists on the one hand and Enthusiasts on the other do speak of it We see the Apostle Paul 2 Tim. 3. 15 16. directing Timothy though so eminent in the Church of God to the Scriptures not to the immediate inspirations but unto them which he had known from his youth giving admirable commendations of them from the efficient cause they were by the inspiration of God who would not regard what God himself saith That will prove true and every thing contrary to it a lie and then the adjunct property holy they are holy Scriptures By these alone thou wilt be enabled to have an holy nature and to live an holy life As those that keep in Apothecaries shops smell of the ointment thus those who exercise themselves in the holy Scriptures they become holy they are conformed thereunto Such a man is like a tree by the water-side bringing forth his fruit in due season Again they are commended from their end which is to make us wise to salvation This is the desirable and ultimate end of all men to be saved But we are ignorant of the way how to attain it we mistake the paths that lead thereunto and therefore the Scripture only giveth us wisdome herein Furthermore they are commended from a four-fold effect For Doctrine correction reproof and instruction in righteousnesse with the consequent thereof That the man of God even Timothy and such who are in holy Offices of the Church may be throughly furnished for every good work By this we see what is the Rule a godly man walketh by it is the Scriptures he believeth according to them he worshippeth according to them he liveth according to them Oh the holinesse and admirable lovelinesse that is in his life who thus walketh according to Scripture Oh remember that you have no other Rule to walk by in reference to heavenly things Thy Religion must be a Scripture-religion thy faith a Scripture-faith thy repentance a Scripture-repentance thy godlinesse a Scripture-godlinesse else at the day of judgement thou wilt have that sentence upon thee which was an hand-writing in the wall against that great King Thou art numbered and weighed in the balance and art found
sense would be more properly said to erre if under such impediments it did not represent as it doth First One impediment in the sense is the two long distance of the Object from the eye to instance in this senfe As we judg the Sun less than the earth because of the vaste distance from us so that till a man take Astronomical Instruments and correct Sense by Art he misjudgeth about the Suns magnitude thus is it here When we go to judg of Gods Promises to us or his Church we finde not the truth of them because the wayes of God are too remote from us his thoughts exceed ours as much as the Heavens do the earth Therefore we must necessarily erre till we go to the Scripture that is as it were the Artificial Instrumennt whereby we are able to behold that truth in Gods proceedings which otherwise we could not A Second Impediment is the medium indispositum when the means of seeing is Indisposed as when we look upon a stick in the waters or the Sun through a dark cloud Thus many times when we judg of Gods proceedings according to his Promises we look through False mediums we think according to the Principles that men would do in the world as Luther said We would think that God should destroy Pope and Turk immediately but all this is because we look through an indisposed glass in this particular Lastly The eye cannot judg right of its Object when the visive faculty is disturbed when that is infested with any evil humors Thus the spiritual eyes even of a Godly man are in some measure vitiated and therefore are not able to behold that glory of God in carrying on the Affairs of his Church and by those very wayes which we would think tend to the destruction of the things promised by them he doth fulfill them for the wayes of the Lord are wonderfull to us in making good his Promises and commonly they are fulfilled by those means which seem contrary to them even as he cured the blinde man by mingling spittle with clay which he laid upon his eyes And thus the Godly soul may finde how God is true in spiritual Promises to his soul for he obtaineth comfort through desertions the way to Heaven he findes through Hell yea in sanctifying Grace he cometh to higher Degrees in Grace even by his Failings So true is that of Suarez Aliquando substractio gratiae est ad finem gratiae The end of Grace is accomplished by the gradual substraction and suspension of Grace for a time But I must not inlarge herein Lastly This truth of God is the foundation of all Religion and Godliness For if there were no truth in the Scriptures which are Gods truth if there were no truth in the Promises or Threatnings into what a Chaos and Confusion of wickedness would all men fall There would be no difference between Hell and this World So that Gods Truth is a Foundation of all Piety in these three wayes First The truth of God in his Doctrine delivered to the Church is the foundation yea the Essence and soul of his Church In this it doth differ from Jews Turks and Pagans yea from all Heretical Societies That she hath the truth of God and others not So that as the soulâ— keepeth the body from rottenness and Putrefaction Thus also the truth of God keepeth the Church from being only a Carkase or to have the Name and Title of a Church without the thing it self Secondly The truth of God in his Promises is the great supporter of the hopes of all the Godly By them alone they are enabled to walk with Peter upon the water and sink not because they believe Gods Promises to be true they do therefore renounce all unlawfull Pleasures and Profits they will not leave the fatness and sweetness of them to go to those bryars Thirdly The truth of God in his threatnings That is like a fiery sword to keep them from all evil They know those threatnings are true and that the World and the Devil prove lyars to all those that serve them therefore they awe their hearts with a continuall fear of them And certainly if every wicked man would remember this That Gods threatnings are true they will be made good no wisdome no greatness no power can resist him For how can the stubble withstand the consuming fire this would make them utterly forsake their sinnes But whether thou wilt believe or no Gods Curses will fall upon thee For there is this difference between the Promises and Threatnings The Promises many of them are not made good unto them unless thou do believe believe and thy sinnes are forgiven thee but the threatnings will be made good to thee a prophane sinner whether thou wilt or not Gods Word will have its effect though thou dost desire it might be false SERM. CXVI The personal failings of Ministers are oft cast upon the Ministry it self 2 COR. 1. 18. But as God is true our word toward you was not yea and nay THe next particular considerable is the occasion of that Transition which the Apostle maketh from the word of his Promise in particular to come to them and the word of his Preaching in the general The occasion is from that evill and malevolent Disposition which was in his Adversaries who from any either real or but supposed Imperfections in other things would presently burden his Ministry with it and thereby as much as in them lieth make Paul wholly useless in the Church of God Now because this is the continual stratagem which the Devil useth to make the best Ministry ineffectual and because it is the constant inclination of wicked men to do so therefore I shall pursue this Observation That there is a propensity in wicked and evil minded men to cast all the imperfections of the Ministers of the Gospel upon their Ministry and Doctrine To bring the Truths they Preach either into doubt or disesteem because of some failings yea though they be not real but supposed in their own Imaginations Thus the Adversaries of Paul they did captiously lay hold upon his Promise and failing as they think in that thereby they would render all his Doctrine and Ministry odious that thereby their falshoods and corruptions may have the greater success Thus the wickedness of ungodly men doth constantly bend to this that they may be hardened in their hearts against the Word Preached that they may fortifie themselves with some damnable Principles of others that so the message of the Lord may be rejected Now to illustrate this consider these particulars First That when a Minister either preaches false Doctrine or liveth scandalously or is lazy and negligent in his place then it is lawfull for a people to have an holy and wise zeal against such persons that they may be quickened up to their duties Neither is this to be an enemy to the Office of the Ministry or to endeavour the publique Dishonour of it
Christ herein the world knoweth Insomuch that St Francis or St Dominick or the Virgin Mary or some other Saint these were preached more than Christ Insomuch that we may say Till God raised up our Reformers there was no preaching of Christ Images Saints Pilgrimages and workes of Supererogations these were made the whole of Christianity It is true they would sometimes mention Christ but then they make him but a semi-Saviour they make others to joyne in this worke And although they runne to many plausible distinctions yea would perswade us that they more honour Christ then we doe yet all the water of their Tyber cannot cleanse them herein It was then blessed mercy when the Sunne-shine of the Gospel began to arise so that Christ was exalted in his Glory and his Offices that now there was no more robbery making others equal to him Yea the bold blaspheming picture was not ashamed of this Inscription That the way to Heaven by St Francis was easier than by Christ The Papists then do not preach Christ And as for the Socinian he surpasseth the Papist and deferveth not to be reckoned amongst Christians For although they hold him to be a constituted God and some of them say That religious adoration is due to him yet they say This is meerly from Gods appointment Hence as they dis-robe him of his Deity so they deny him to be a Saviour and Redeemer by way of satisfaction and atonement to the justice of God and therefore make him but as an eminent Prophet and Martyr but having no essential God-head nor procuring by his death any atonement for our sinnes to the vindicative justice of God What cause then have we to rejoyce under the full and exact preaching of Christ where Christ in his Natures in his Offices is so magnified that he alone is to be our Mediatour In his obedience alone in his death alone we put all our confidence For if Christ be not known as the way truth and life If the Natures and Offices of Christ be not understood all the way of consolation of justification of remission of sinne is wholly mistaken Because Christ is not known in his Mediatory Office therefore men either runne into despair and tormenting fears on one side or else into instituted wayes of superstition and supererrogation to the workes of the Law and to merits which hath been the poisonous Doctrine in Gods Church for many yeares together this was the wormwood that was in all their water The Popish Casuists did give consciences troubled for sinne nothing but gall to drink and in stead of healing did provoke and irritate the wound farre more Fifthly Christ is preached when he is set up as the King and Lord of his Church to whose Lawes and commands we are wholly to submit else we shall hereafter finde him to be the great Judge of the world who will judge it in righteousnesse People are deceived when they think Christ must be preached onely as a meer absolute Saviour that though they live in prophanenesse and dissolutenesse yet they are to trust in him as a Saviour Whosoever preacheth Christ thus he preacheth another Christ than what is revealed in the Word Therefore the Doctrines of Antinomians and Libertines who turne the grace of God into wantonnesse are to be abhorred with all abomination though there may be a sinfull setting up of righteousness and our good workes against Christ and his grace so there may be also a licentious conjoyning Christ and wickednesse We must therefore distinguish of what persons we have to do with For as Luther observed well to this effect Comment in Gen. The Antinomians who cry down holinesse and mortification they maintain themselves by my words and doctrin which I have preached but they must remember that when we came out of Popery we found the whole world in pharisaical admiration of superstitious workes as if by them they should be justified and saved which made us so advance Christ But under this pretence to cry down the preaching of the Law to give way to all licentiousnesse as if a Publican living in his sinnes might be saved by Christ though not a Pharisee This is to separate one Scripture from another But you will say If we are onely to preach Christ then we must not preach the Law we must not preach about regeneration and the differencing characters between a temporary believer and a true one we must not then preach repentance holy duties nor the day of Judgement To this it is answered That the right preaching of all these is to preach Christ Therefore the Law is preached hell and damnation are preached that so Christ may be the more welcome that so the grace of the Gospel may be the more conspicuous Even as it is with the Physician it 's health that he aimeth at even while he maketh sick while he putteth to paine and seemeth to take the ready way to destroy and kill The Husbandman while he ploweth and harroweth the ground it is the crop he looketh at in all this So it is with the Ministers of God while they convince threaten terrifie while they informe direct all is to bring you nearer to Christ These are the Ladders to stand upon while Christ is built in you SERM. CXX Our Lord Christ is the Son of GOD. 2 COR. 1. 19. For the Sonne of God Jesus Christ c. VVE heard what was the Subject matter of Pauls Preaching even the Lord Christ who is described from his Natures and Office The first is His Divine Nature in the former words The Son of God What is necessary for the Explication of this shall be brought in the Amplification of the Doctrine which is That The Lord Christ is the Son of God This is the greatest and most glorious Attribute that can be given to him It is for this that all adoration and divine worship is due to him It is for this that we are commanded to put our trust and confidence in him Had he not been truly God he could not have been our Mediator nor purchased our Salvation for us No meer pure creature Man or Angel could accomplish this work but he that is our Saviour must be Immanuel God with us I shall not inlarge my self concerning the dignity of this Subject but briefly dispatch all I shall say at this time And First When we say He is the Son of God the meaning is so that he is truely and properly of the same Nature with God It is not to be understood diminitively as if he were not the most High God and Jehovah but distinctively in respect of the Father he is the Son of the Father so that he hath the true nature with God though not the same personal propriety with the Father As then he is called the Son of man because he hath the same nature of a man so also the Son of God because he hath the true nature of God and therefore Rom. 9. called God
not consider how severely it 's commanded insomuch that that very sin of not believing of not resting our soules upon the Lord Christ would damn us if there were nothing else How happy then is it and in what good forwardness are they for establishment who begin thus to be inlightened who are thus perswaded Though I cannot believe yet it is my duty to believe It s not Gods will that I should excruciate my self with these tormenting doubts I am sure to be damned if I go not to Christ the Saviour if I take not this way there is no way for me to take and thus we have got advantage when we are come thus far And that this may be done all those Texts which do either command faith or commend faith are very often in his minde 3. The minde of a man is antecedently wrought upon for establishment by illumination concerning the Evangelical way of grace wherein God doth vouchsafe all spiritual mercies to the broken in heart For the spirit of God doth not inable us to cry Abba Father till our understandings are opened to know that glorious Gospel-way Christ hath taken for to save the humbled sinners the sum whereof is this That it is in believing not in working Rom. 4. the Apostle argueth against all conceits of Justification by the works we do yea that Abraham himself though so eminent in holiness did not obtain remission of sinnes hereby and in other places the righteousness of faith and the righteousness of works are made immediately opposite to one another It is then a special mercy of God to have the judgment of a man satisfied in this truth although the poor humbled sinner cannot yet repose himself in the bosome of a Promise though he doth nothing but stagger and reel up and down by fears and temptations yet this is no small proficiency to arrive at the certain perswasion of this Doctrine For we see in the Apostles dayes that this very Doctrine was called into question and is it not still by Papists and others arraigned as teaching men Presumption and Security and truly as the head of a man may invent many plausible Arguments against the truth of it so the heart of a man is naturally proud and self-righteous and therefore is hardly brought off from works to faith for faith seemeth not to have that activity for justification as love and other graces have though indeed that be the life and soul of all the primum vivens and ultimum moriens As it is with the roots of trees they have no sweetness nor comeliness in them when the fruit thereof hath Thus when good works are glorious and precious faith from whence they have their life and being seemeth contemptible But this order the spirit of God taketh before it is a sealing and a witnessing spirit unto us It is also an enligtening and teaching spirit and that especially in this grand truth which is the sum of the Gospel viz. that by faith and not by works we become justified before God and where his Gospel-light hath not taken place in any afflicted conscience for sin Oh the unspeakable temptations oh the wofull dayes and nights that they meet with When the spirit of God hath thus antecedently wrought upon the judgment then in the next place cometh this chief and special work of establishing and setling the heart And as it is in planting of a tree first the briars and thornes which cumbred the ground before must be removed and then the tree is planted Thus also it is with God while setling the heart of a man upon the Promises he doth first remove that which is prohibent and hindring of this confirmation and positively inables it to rest upon Christ even as the sun doth first dispel the darkness and then introduce the light The two Impediments to our establishment on the Promises alone are Presumption on the one hand and Despair on the other for those are the two Generals as it were under which all the other sinnes opposite to this way are comprehended The first is Presumption and that is the damnable estate of most men they are secure in their own condition they rest contented in their own righteousness and goodness Now these indeed are settled but upon a rotten foundation these have no changes no inconstancies of spirit arising from the fear that is in them but are therefore the more dangerous Such as these are the most untractable and unteachable both about the promises of God and their dependance on them you can no more remove them out of their Presumption than mountains out of their places the saddest subject in the world to preach upon or to preach unto for they have door upon door and bolt upon bolt that must be opened ere you can make any way for Christ or the Promises in their soules All the weapons taken out of Gods word are peesently dulled when they fall upon them like a bullet in a pack of wool When we come to such upon their sick beds we know not how to begin with them what to say to them for whatsoever is said they are confident it is in them and all this while its nothing but Presumption and spiritual security of soul The other is Despair with all diffidence and distrustfull fears that incline thereunto This I confess is not so common as the other We have very few that cry out of their sinnes fearing they are greater then can be forgiven But some there are that are ready to be swallowed up in this whirlpool When therefore God doth confirm the heart of man in the Promises both these sinnes are removed he is no longer a self-righteous man a self-full man he looketh upon himself as wicked and destitute of all and yet on the other side doth not despair in God though he doth in himfelf though he hath nothing of his own to stand upon yet Christ is his rock on whom he is setled Thus God keepeth his people from being Cains and Judasses on one side and proud self-righteous Pharisees on the other side SERM. CXXX Of Gods confirmation of us upon his Promises by his own grace 2 COR. 1. 21. Now he which establisheth you with us in Christ and hath anointed us is God THe establishment of a Christian upon the Promises of God is only the work of God Man cannot settle himself no more than he can make himself There remaineth for the explication of this truth to declare wherein positively this confirmation by God doth consist and First Hereby God doth strengthen the heart in reference to the Promises by working in us habits of grace and some permanent constant Principles whereby we are carried out easily and delightsomly unto them The heart of man being originally and habitually corrupt is contrary both to the commands of God and the Promises of God which is greatly to be observed for the enmity indeed of our hearts against those holy duties which the
Law commandeth is often treated on that is constantly preached upon but the sinfull enmity that is in our hearts naturally to close with the Promises of God that is seldome thought upon It is therefore very necessary to know the backwardness and frowardness of the heart to embrace Promises as well as to obey commands For whence is it that the heart is humbled for sin whence is it sensible of the guilt and burthen thereof that it flyeth from the Promise whence is it that the Gospel of Grace and Justification of a sinner is such a Mystery to it Whence is it that experience in a godly man teacheth him that Faith in the Promises of all works is the most difficult Is not all this from the contrariety of the heart though humbled to Gods way of Promises This being then laid for a foundation when God doth sanctifie a man he doth not only put these Principles into him wherby he is inabled to obey the commands of God but also whereby he is strengthened to receive the Promises of God And therefore as we have the Spirit of Sanctification whereby we are fitted for Holiness so we need the Spirit of Adoption whereby we are prepared for the Promises of God Now if you ask what are those habitual Principles wrought in us by God whereby we entertain the Promises and apply them to our own selves I answer They are these The First which doth immediately and formally work the soul thereunto is Faith Faith and the Promises are mutually related one to another They are like the stomach and meat hence Gal. 3. 22. it is said That the Promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe And Ver. 14. the Gentiles are said to receive the promise of the Spirit through faith By which it doth appear that the Promise without faith doth us no more good than meat without eating Therefore to believe is John 6. to eat the flesh of Christ and drink his blood This Faith therefore in the Scripture is commended above all other Graces both in respect of its working ad intra and ad extra ad intra for by it Christ dwelleth in our hearts by it we receive the Promises by it we are justified by it the heart is purified and then ad extra by faith we are quickened up to all those holy duties which are required of us It is faith which worketh by love Gal. 5. 6. and so by patience by zeal by repentance If then thou wouldst have thy soul fixed upon the Promises pray above all things for this grace of faith Faith dispelleth fears doubtings and all temptations of Satan therefore we are said to be kept by the power of God but through faith to salvation 1 Pet. 1. 5. we are left as in a safe garrison so the word signifieth as some observe Know then that if thy faith could alwayes be kept lively and vigorous in thee there is nothing could divide between thee and the promise but as the childe in the wombe is nourished by the navel of the mother so is thy heart by Faith in the Promises Hence it is observed that of the same root in the Hebrew whence the word Faith cometh there ariseth also the word signifying a nurse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Numb 11. 12. as a nursing father beareth the sucking childe as if faith did make a man continually suck at the Promises as a childe doth at the nurses breasts This then is the most eminent and principal grace establishing the heart As on the contrary unbelief is that which doth unsettle and distract the heart A Second habitual grace and principle inclining the heart to the Promises is Love not that we are justified by love or that love is a receptive grace applying the Promises but only it doth sweeten the heart in reference to God It putteth us upon good thoughts to God we look not upon him as a severe judg taking all opportunities to damn us but as a gracious and loving father reconciled to us through the blood of Christ Therefore not only faith but love likewise doth expell tormenting fears and doubts Thus the Apostle notably 1 John 4 18. There is no fear in love but perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment He that feareth viz. in this slavish manner is not made perfect in love We see in this Text what the nature of slavish fear is and what is the proper effect of a filial love of God Slavish fear is tormenting doth not every soul exercised therewith subscribe thereunto are not servile fears almost like the torments of Hell it self How intolerable is it to fear God as Cain did as Judas did with dreadfull apprehensions of Gods wrath against them Thus fear produceth spiritual hornets as it were in the soul to sting it day and night but love the more that is perfected it casteth out them How blessed a thing then is it to have the heart filled with the love of God For as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 13. Love suffereth long and is kind is not easily provoked thinketh no evil Thus doth our love affect us towards God though he exerciseth and chastizeth us yet we suffer long and bear it patiently neither do we entertain hard thoughts of God as if he were too severe as if he did punish us more than our sins deserve it removeth these suspicious thoughts which guilt is apt to raise up in us as if God were become our enemy and interpreting every thing in the worst sense yea this love seeketh not her own but so that God is honoured that his great name is magnified and glorified he mattereth not his own consent and ease Therefore though God leave him long in desertions though he be under manifold temptations yet he saith God is good and he loveth God even when God seemeth not to love him so we may truly say with Solomon Cant. 8. 6. Love is as strong as death the coales thereof are as coales of fire Many waters cannot quench love many floods cannot drown it Certainly if this be true of humane love how much more of divine love If therefore thou wouldst have thy heart setled upon the promises preserve this love like the fire upon the altar of thy heart daily Thirdly Another habitual principle to confirm the heart upon the promises is Spiritual fortitude and heavenly courage Aristotle maketh fortitude a moral vertue when a man either doth or suffereth great things for vertues sake but Christian fortitude is of a more sublime nature neither do we speak of it as enduring great things from man but from God For we may see David many times ready to sink under the heavy temptations he was conflicting with but then see how his holy generosity recovereth it self Psal 42. 9 11. I will say unto God my rock why hast thou forgotten me c. And why art thou cast down O my soul Why art thou disquieted hope in God Hence David
is thus zealous against in the Corinthians Again great sinnes are to be distinguished whether personal in some few or publick and over-spreading all For when sinne hath infected a multitude though it be a Ministers duty to bring them out of such an epidemical disease and to withstand the torrent of such impiety wherein God many times giveth unexpected and wonderfull successe as appeareth in Luther to whom one said Abi in cellam dic miserere mei Domine thinking it in vain to stirre though God vouchsafed unexpected effects to his labours yet we are with more prudence to endeavour the reformation of a multitude and not to be overhasty lest we hinder that good which otherwise might be done This was Austin's knowne counsell to a Bishop who desired his advice about the sinne of drunkennesse which was general in all he adviseth him to proceed by degrees and Monendo magis quam minando c. But the next Chapter may give occasion to greater enlargement in this point Fourthly Prudence is seene about the order of the meanes which God hath appointed to reclaime others In private or personal sinnes that is a golden ruâ—e full of wisdome which our Saviour prescribeth Matth. 18. 15 16 c. To deale with such an offending brother first alone and as we finde him obstinate so to proceed to a more publick way To give Ellebore or Opium at first is too violent a remedy such that do so are no wise Physicians to mens souls Fifthly It 's a special part of prudence in our reproof of others or other distastfull exercises to flesh and blood to mingle a due praise for what is lovely and good in them To acknowledge any gift that God hath bestowed upon them as Paul doth often joyning himself with other believers sometimes as if they were not inferiour to him he doth not only use loving compellations of brethren and children but also doth with much sympathy take their infirmities and sins as it were upon himself Lastly Holy prudence doth not onely make a Minister looke to the good that may come but the evil also that may probably issue For although our duty is to be done though the world shall fall upon our heads yet we must consider whether when so many evils are in great probability attending the action whether it be a duty then or no. It 's a known passage of one Audas a Bishop who out of great zeale set a Persian Temple on fire wherein they worshipped 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or fire as a god which did so enrage the Persian King that he commanded the Bishop to build the Temple againe or else he would put him to death But the Bishop refusing not onely he himself suffered but thereby brought a most cruell persecution upon many Christians Now this fact is justly condemned as a most indiscreet and rash action he did not consider what evil would fall upon it Although Sozomene saith of him That he condemned his indiscretion that he demolished the Temple but admired his zeale and constancy that he would die rather than build it up againe Many good actions seeming full of zeale for want of a due consideration have brought more evil than done good yea have increased that evil the more which they have endeavoured to extinguish Hence our Saviour giveth us wise counsel Matth. 7. 6. Give not that which is holy unto the doggs nor cast ye your pearles before swine lest they trample them under feet and turne againe and rent ye Many times both the pearle and the Minister also at least the exercise of his Ministry is destroyed because he did not consider that some persons are swine and doggs maliciously endeavouring all evil against you if they be provoked The first Use is Of Direction to such who intend the Office of the Ministry not onely to labour after learning and godlinesse but prudence also Even Luther himselfe though raised up by God for so great a worke doth sometimes bewaile his imprudence and folly I many times saith he doe rashly and while I thinke to doe good I doe hurt and then I am troubled beseeching God to forgive me this imprudence If a man have not so much learning yet if he have godlinesse and prudence he may doe more good than more eminent Schollars As it 's noted of Atticus Bishop of Constantinople one of the successours of Chrysostome that he was farre inferiour to Chrysostome for learning and abilities yet did more good in his Office by his prudence being a very wise man than he did For Chrysostome though so excellent a man was very subject to passion and being of a plaine single heart did not discerne of men as he should doe by which meanes his adversaries prevailed over him so to have him ejected from his place at last But Atticus continued many years in that place by his prudence and wisdome yet a godly man also But how shall we have this wisdome We must earnestly pray to God for it as the Apostle directeth James 1. and Solomon practised And withall we must reade and study the Scripture much following that as a starre And lastly It is good to be acquainted with Ecclesiasticall History For both from the godlinesse wisdome and also from the miscarriages of those that are mentioned we may get experience and they may be as so many pillars of salt to season us Lege Historiam ne fias Historia And if those who would get civil prudence be required to reade humane Histories and to observe all occurrences therein how much rather are the Ministers of the Gospel to exercise themselves in Ecclesiastical History not onely to know what was done formerly or to be able to speak about the Ancients when they lived and what their Doctrine was but also to get prudence by observing either their wise deportments or imprudent miscarriages Use 2. Of Instruction Of what consequence it is for a people to be perswaded of the love and faithfull intentions of their Pastors to their souls good not to thinke they seeke themselves they ambiciously affect great things over them For this made Paul take this solemne Oath in the Text which he would not have done had not the occasion been urgent What is it that maketh the ministerial labours either in preaching or establishing good order among their flock be so disgusted and disrelished but because they will not be convinced of the Ministers faithfull aimes and their great love in all this SERM. CXLV Of Ministers power over the People 2 COR. 1. 24. Not for that we have dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy for by faith ye stand THis Text is brought in by way of correction as the Rhetoricians figure is called For having said That to spare them he did not yet come to Corinth and he that spareth may also punish lest he should seem hereby to assume to himself some absolute dominion and lordly power over them he addeth Not that we have
against Christ 2. T is the grace of God◠alone that can open this door 3. Sometimes Ministers are called to a people of small hopes 4. A Ministers hope of doing good should be guided by the Word Reasons why a Ministers hope of doing good should be matter of of joy to him 1. The End of his Ministry is accomplished A constant Ministry is necessary to every Church And that for these Ends 1. To informe against Errors 2. To reform the corruptions that are in mens lives 3. To comfort the godly 4. To edifie and strengthen them How believers may and are to grow 1. In knowledg 2. In the experimental power of their knowledge 3. In Faith 4. In Grace 'T is the duty of all Christians especially Ministers to lay out themselves for the glory of God 1. For all Christians 1. There is none but have talents to be improved 2. All lawfull actions may be improved for Gods glory 3. Christians should often meditate upon the ultimate end of all their actions 2. Especially it belongs to Ministers What is required to enable us to do all things for Gods glory 1 A converted soul 2 A publick spirit 3. Heavenlyn indedness 4. Fervency and zeal The office of the Apostle and ordinary Pastors differs in that the one had an universal the other a particular charge 1. The Apostles had commission to preach to all Nations 2. Yet the office of the Apostles did virtually contain all other 3. The Apostles had in their office something ordinary and something extraordinary 5. Though a Pastor is ordinarily to reside amongst his flock yet he is a Minister of the whole Church of God Where the Ministry hath wrought spiritually the Minister is esteemed highly Lightness and inconstancy is a great sinne and reproach to all much more to Ministers Of the sinfulness of inconstancy in civil respects As 1. When we are not consistent with our selves in our assertions 2. In our promises 3. In our affections Of the aggravations of this sinne 1. 'T is contrary to the nature of God 2. 'T is a reproach to men 3. Hereby a man makes himself unfit for Gods service 4. 'T is an abuse of our tongue 5. God threatens lying but encourageth sincerity Of the sinfulness of Inconstancy in spiritual things as in 1. Faith 2. In our Conversion and Repentance Motives against this Inconstancy 1. There is the same Reason at all times against sin 2. Sinnes after Convictions are the greater 3. This Inconstancy is a mocking of God and a dallying in soul-matters 4. It may justly cause God for ever to forsake thee 3. This Inconstancy is a great sin in Promises and Resolutions Of the Phrase according to the flesh which is taken for 1. The humane Nature 2. External Priviledges 3. Corrupt Principles Walking by carnal Principals makes men unstable and inconstant Principles of flesh 1. Covetousness 2. Ambition 3. Pleasing of men 4. Time-serving 5. Self-pleasing Of Principles 1 Herein men differ from bruit beasts because they act from inward principles beasts by instinct 2. Principles are either speculative or practical 3. All the principles of natural men are sinfull and carnal 3. Principles are oft hidden 5. There are principles of flesh even in our holy duties 6. The principles of the carnal and of the spiritual are contrary Of the principles of a godly man There are two general principles 1. There is a principle of knowledge viz. the holy Scriptures 2. The principle of his acting viz. the Spirit of God Particular principles 1. Alwayes to keep a good conscience towards God and man 2. To make sure of his ultimate end and the necessary means to it 3. Daily to expect death and judgment 4. To judg sin the greatest evil and godliness the greatest good Lying is not consistent with godliness 1. There is a material and a formal lie 2. There are assertory and promissory lies 3. There is a pernicious sporting and officious lie 4. Lying is a sinne of the tongue 5. They that would not lie must study the government of the tongue He that would govern his tongue must first cleanse his heart The causes of lies 1. Natural inclination 2. Want of dependance upon God 3. Our captivity to Satan 4. Covetousnes 5. Fear God is true God is true 1. There is a Metaphysical and a moral Truth 2. There is an increated and created truth 3. In that God is true he differeth from men and devils 4. 'T is because of Gods truth that we are commanded to believe and trust in him 5. The truth of God is the Foundation of all Religion and godliness Wicked men usually cast the Imperfections of the Minister upon the Ministry 1. A people may have an holy Zeal againg a loose scandalous Minister 2. A people are oft prone to take offence at the Ministers when yet 't is their sin 1. When they dislike that which may be of great use 2. When they are offended at his reproveing sin 3. When they cast the saults of the persons upon their Office and Doctrine 4. When they refuse the Ministry upon false Rumors and Surmises 'T is a great reproach for a Minister to be mutable and contradictory in his doctrine 1. All changes are not bad 2. But 't is a sin and reproach to change from the truth 3. Even such a change supposeth imperfection 4. No man but may know more than he doth 5. We must distinguish betwixt what is and what is not fundamental 1. We must distinguish betwixt constancy and pertinancy 2. Then is it a reproach to change when we change from truth The causes of inconstancy 1. Ignorance 2. Affectation of singularity and vain-glory 4. Examples We must distinguish betwixt essentials and circumstantials in Religion Christ only is to be the subject of our preaching When is Christ preached 1. When he is declared to be the Messiah 2. When preached as God-man 3. When preached in his person and his offices 5. When he is set up as the head of his Church The Lord Christ is the son of God 1. He is truly God 2. He is not the son of God as others are called his sonnes as 1. By Creation 2. By Regeneration 3. Because of their dignity 3. He is therefore called the Son of God because begotten from eternity of the Father 4. He was begotten of the Father 5. In these Mysteries we must adhere wholly to the testimony of the word 6. He is Antichrist that denies the Son to be God 7. The spirit of giddiness hath justly fallen upon these that deny Christ to be God Christ is a Saviour to his people What is implyed in Christs being a Saviour 1. That all mankinde was lost 2. What kinde of Saviour is Christ Even a spiritual one 3. He is an effectual Saviour Who is Christ a Saviour to 1. Some of mankinde 2. The repenting believing sinner 3. They are saved from 〈◊〉 and the world 4. Christs people 5. The saved are but few in comparison of the