thine But being now happily rescued out of thy clutches by a mightier then Thou and having blessedly broke the Prison by the helpe of the holy Ghost Thou followes mee with this fierie malice and the most prodigious yellings of that infernall pit And I am perswaded it is a pestilent peece of thy deepest cunning very rarely to vexe civill worldlings those that lie in any grosse sinne or any which thou keepest fast and secure in thy snares with such affrighting and greisely temptations For thou craftily feares lest striking that horror into the heart of a naturall man which is woont to arise from such hellish fogs and blasphemous filth thou shouldest thereby give him occasion to renounce detest and drive him out of thine accursed slavery and cause him to cast about for a new Master 7. To take notice of some speciall corruption lust passion or spirituall distemper in one kinde or other over which I have not holden that hand hatred wakefull eie as it were meete For I am perswaded my God out of his mercifull goodnesse aimes at and intends some such good unto my soule by enlarging thy chaine and suffering thee at this time to afflict mee in this vncouth manner with this hell-empoison'd dart somthing extraordinarily I have not been so sensible of thy other temptations farre more ensnaring in sinne tho not so terrifying and therefore my gracious Lord may suffer thee at this time thus to thrust out thy hornes as they say in this most horrible and outragious encounter that I may bee throughly advertised what an Adversary I have and so more minde and marke him for feare of much secret and suddaine mischiefe by my security and neglect and more quickned to an universall watchfulnesse against all his Methods Devises and Depths as well his subtile and slie insinuations in the glory of an Angell as his impetuous and furious assaults in the shape of a foule Fiend Some trouble crosse heavie accident disgrace discontentment some great and waighty affaire on foote vnseasonable entertainements sad newes from abroad or something hath too often stolne my heart from that full and fruitfull attention to holy duties which was due and that even vpon the Lords day And I can now remember and my conscience tells mee vpon this occasion that I have not watched over the many idle impertinent wandrings and vagaries of my imagination as I ought but given so farre way vnto them that they have justly brought upon mee an uncomfortable deadnesse of affection barrennesse and indisposition in the use of the ordinances and conversing with God by Meditation Prayer hearing of the Word singing of Psalmes examination of the Conscience and other religious Exercises and I know not into what further spirituall miserie they may leade mee and therefore in great mercy the most wise God goes now graciously about to correct and mortifie the vanity worldlinesse distractions and mis-imploiment of my thoughts even by the terrours of these thy most horrible and hellish injections And by the helpe of God I will follow the meaning and conduct of his holy Hand for a right use of them and attaining that happy end which hee doth so mercifully intend 8. To gather skill experience and dexterity for the raising and reviving of others hereafter hanging down the head heavie-hearted and maliciously haunted in the same kinde By discovering unto them thy bootelesse malice the soveraigne medicines I have met with in the Ministry of the Word and the good I gained to my soule hereby By the helpe of that Almighty hand which can turne the darkest mid-night into the brightest morning and produce a Medicinable Potion out of the rankest poison Me thinks this heaven which by divine blessing I extract out of thy hell this healing vertue which I draw from thy vilest venome this spirituall good which I gather from thy divelish spite should make thee weary of this way and pull in thy hornes I trust in my God it will shortly cause thee to cast away this weapon and quit the field quite For thou ever infinitely hatest and hinders all thou canst the glory of God all exercise and increase of grace and the welfare of my poore soule which by accident and his sanctifying power who ever turnes all things to the best to them that love Him are all happily advanced furthered and enlarged by this raging and pestilent rancour of thine And who would not thinke were not the incredible depth of thy malice and madnesse equally unfathomable by the wit of Man But that thou shouldest the rather surcease because these Satanicall suggestions to mee that resists are but crosses and corrections but in thee most outragious and execrable blasphemies which will mightily hereafter adde to the heavinesse and horrour of thine everlasting chaines of darkenesse and damnation at the iudgement of the great Day FINIS * 1. Tim. 1.11 b But as for the holy truth professed by my selfe and those of the reformed Religion c. King Iames Remonst pag. 176. c Bellarmine Eudaeâ—ono-Iohannes Suarez Becanus Mariana with such Monsters teach the Doctrine of Parricides Ibid. pag. 5. If any except and say these are but private Doctors Heare King Iames afterward If the Pope doth not approove and like the practise of King killing wherefore hath not his Holinesse imposed some severe censure with a fearefull frowne upon the Booke of Mariana the Iesuite by whom Parricides are commended Nay highly extolled when his Holinesse hath been pleased to call-in some other of Mariana's bookes Againe wherefore did his Holinesse advise himselfe to censure the decree of the Court of Parliament in Paris against Iohn Chastell Wherefore did he suffer Garnet and Oldcorne my Powder-miners both by Bookes and Pictures vendible under his nose in Rome to bee inroâ—led in the Canon of holy Martyrs And when Hee saw two great Kings murdered one after another wherefore by some publike declaration did not his Holinesse testifie to all Christendome his inward sense and true apprehension of so great misfortune as all Europe had just cause to lament on the behalfe of France Wherefore did not his Holinesse publish some Law or Pontificiall Decree to provide for the security of Kings in time to come Ibid. pag. 222.223 See Histor. Iesuit put out by Lucius Wherein you may see their bloody behaviour in many Kingdomes d The mighty working of King Iames his Workes upon the Adversaries is intimated unto us to in the Preface before his Workes They looke upon His Maiesties Bookes as men looking upon Blazing 〈◊〉 with amazement feating they portend some strange thing and bring with them a certaine influence to worke great change and alteration in the World Neither is their expectatioÌ„ herein deceived For wee have seene with our eyes the OperatioÌ„ of His Majesties Works in the Consciences of their Men so farre as from their highest Conâ—lâ—ve to their lowest Cells there have been that have been converted by them Bishop of Winten e Revel 19.2 f Take policie as
of that comfortable provision and gracious strength which should support it in the day of sorrow and leaves it at last to the tempestuous winter-night of death and all those desperate terrours that attend it like a scorched heath-ground without so much as any drop of comfort either from Heaven or earth 2. A second sort worse then the former are such as are so farre from treasuring up in this time of light and mercifull visitation soundnesse of knowledge strength of saith purity of heart clearnesse of coÌ„science holinesse of life assurance of Gods favour contempt of the world many sanctified Sabbaths fervent prayers holy conferences heavenly meditations dayes of humiliation righteous dealings with their Brethren compassionate contributions to the necessities of the Saints workes of iustice mercy and truth a sincere respect to all Gods Commandements a carefull performance of all spirituall Duties a conscionable partaking of all Gods Ordinances a seasonable exercise of every grace hatred of all false wayes an hearty and invincible loue unto God and all things that He loues or any wayes belong unto Him His Word Sacraments Sabbaths Ministers Services Children Presence Corrections Comming c. which are the ordinary provision of Gods people against the evill Day I say they are so farre from prizing and preparing such spirituall store that they hoard up stings scourges and scorpions for their naked soules and guilty consciences against the Day of the Lords visitation I meane lies oathes blasphemies Adulteries whoredomes selfe-pollutions variety of strange fashions gaming 's revellings drunken matches good-fellow meetings wanton dancings usuries falshoods hypocrisies plurality of ill gotten goods Benefices Offices honours filthy iests much idle talke flanderous â—â—les scoffs raylings oppositions to the Holy way c. And that with a cursed greedinesse and delight For they cry One unto another out of a boysterous combination of good fellowship with much eagernesse and roaring Come on therefore Let us fill our selves with costly wine and ointments and let no flower of the Spring passe by us Let us crowne our selves with Rose buds before they be withered Let none of us goe without his part of our voluptuousnesse Let us leave tokens of our pleasure in every place For this is our portion and our lot is this Let us lie in waite for the righteous because hee is not for our turne and be is cleane contrary to our doings c. But alas what will bee the conclusion of all this or rather the horrible confusion Even all their ioviall revellings roaring Outrages and sinfull pleasures which are so sweete in their mouthes and they swallow downe so insatiably shall turne to gravell and the gall of Aspes in their bowels and to fiery enraged scorpions in their consciences Where lurking in the meane time in the mudde of sensuality and lust breede such a never dying worme which if God thinke fit to awake upon their last Bed is able to put them into Hell upon earth to damne them above ground to knaw upon their Soule and flesh with that unheard-of horrour which seizde upon Spir'as woefull heart Who protested being fully in his right minde that Hee would rather be in Cain's or Iudas his place in Hell then endure the present unspeakeable torment of His afflicted spirit To beate them from this bedlam desperate course of greedy hoarding up such horrible things unto themselves against their ending houre Let them consider 1. Besides the eternity of ioyes for the one and of torments to the other hereafter the vast and unvaluable difference in the meane time in respect of true sweetenesse and sound contentment betweene the life of a Saint and a Sensualist a Puritan as the World calls Him and a goodfellow as hee termes Himselfe Let us for the purpose peruse the different passages of one day as Chrysostome excellently delineats them and represents to the life Let us produce two men saith He the one drown'd in carnall loosenesse sensualities and riotous excesse the other crucified and starke dead to such sinfull courses and worldly delights Let us goe to their houses and behold their behaviour We shall find the One reading Scriptures and other good Bookes taking times for holy Duties and the service of God sober temperate abstemious diligent also in the necessary duties of His Calling having holy conference with God discoursing of Heavenly things bearing himselfe liker an Angell then a Man The other joviall a vassall of luxury and ease swaggering up and downe Ale-houses Tavernes or other such conventicles of good fellowship hunting after all the wayes meanes and men to passe the time merrily plying his pleasures with what variety hee can possibly all the day long rayling and roaring as tho He were enraged with a Devill tho He be starke dead while He is alive c. Which is accompanied with murmuring of the family discontent of the wife chiding of friends laughing to scorne of enemies c. Whether of these courses now doe you thinke were the more comfortable I know full well the former would bee cried downe by the greatest part as too precise and the latter would carry it by a world of men but heare the Puritane Fathers impartiall holy censure quite crosse to the common conceite and humour of flesh and blood It is excellent and emphaticall arguing His resolute abomination of the wayes of goodfellowship and infinite love and admiration of the holy Path. Having given to the Goodfellow His hearts desire all the day long in all kindes of voluptuousnesse and delight yet for all this Who is he saith He that is in his right minde and hath His braines in His head that would not chuse rather to die a thousand deaths then spend but one day so This peremptory passage would bee holden a strange Paradoxe from the mouth of any moderne Minister and so appeares to the carnall apprehension of all those miserable men who are blindfolded and baffled by the Devill to the eternal losse of their Soules But besides that it might bee made good many other wayes it is more then manifest by comparing that threefold sting that dogs every sinfull delight at the heeles c. See my Booke of Walking with God pag. 17â— with the comfortable contentment and secret sweetenesse which might and should attend all well-doing and every holy duty done with uprightnesse of heart The very Philosophers doe tell us of a congratulation a pleasing contentednesse and satisfaction in doing vertuously according to their morall Rules What true solid and singular comfort then doe you thinke may bee found in those godly actions which spring from faith are guided by Gods Word directed to his glory and whose bewailed defects and failings are most certainely pardoned by the bloud of his Son Now what an extreme madnesse is this for a Man to sell His salvation for a life of pleasures abhorring the wayes of Gods Childe as too precise and painefull whereas besides Hell for the one and Heaven for the
calmnesse of a good conscience is grounded upon a Rocke upon which tho the raine descends the floods come the windes blow the tempests beate yet it stands like Mount Zion sure sober strong lasting impregnable Nay it is of that heavenly metall and divine temper that it ordinarily gathers vigour and puissance from the worlds rage and growes in strength and resolution together with the encrease of all iniust oppositions Persecutions and resistance serue as a provocation and seasoning to it's sweetnesse It is not enforced formall artificiall affected furious desperate misgrounded ambitious upon an humour in the face onely onely in hot blood out of a vaine-glorious pang c. Such may bee found in Aliens and resolute reprobates It were nothing worthy if strangers might meddle with it If Men or Divels or the whole World could take it from us If it were sustained onely by any created power or arme of flesh This Pearle that I praise and perswade unto is of an higher price and more transcendent power then any unregenerate Man can possibly compasse or comprehend It hath for it's seate a sanctified Soule for the Fountaine of it's refreshing the Spirit of all comfort for it's foundation the favour of God for it's Warrant the promises of Amen the faithfull and true Witnesse for it's object an immortall Crowne for it's continuance the prayers of all the Saints for it's companions inward peace invincible courage an holy security of minde for it's end and perfection fulnesse of ioy and pleasures at Gods right hand for evermore In a word this couragious comfort and true noblenesse of spirit which dwells in the heart of the true-hearted Christian doth differ as much from and as farre surpasses all the groundlesse confidences of what carnall men or religious counterfeits soever as the reall possession of gold an imaginary dreame of gold as the true naturall lively Grape which glads the heart a painted juycelesse Grape which onely feedes the eye as a strong and mighty Oake rooted deepely in the earth which no storme or tempest can displant or overthrow a Stake in a dead hedge or Staffe stucke lightly into the ground which every hand may snatch away or blast of winde supplant and overthrow Secondly the trouble of a wounded conscience is further amplified by it's Attribute intolerablenesse But a wounded Spirit who can beare Whence note Doctr. That the torture of a troubled Conscience is intolerable Reas. 1. In all other afflictions onely the Arme of flesh is our adversary wee contend but with Creatures at most wee have to doe but with Man or at worst with Divels but in this transcendent misery wee conflict immediately with God Himselfe Fraile Man with Almighty God sinfull Man with that most holy God Whose eyes are purer then to behold evill and who cannot looke upon iniquity Who then can stand before his indignation Who can abide in the fiercenesse of his anger When his fury is powred out like fire and the Rocks are throwne downe by Him When hee comes against a man as a Beare that is bereaved of her Whelpes torent the very caule of His heart and to devoure him like a Lion No more then the driest stubble can resist the fierest flame the ripe Corne the Mowers sharpest sythe or a garment the Moath no more nay infinitely lesse can any power of Man or Angell withstand the mighty Lord of Heaven and Earth when Hee is angry for Sinne. When thou saith David with rebukes correctest man for iniquity thou as a Moath makest his beauty to consume Alas when a poore polluted wretch upon some speciall illumination by the Word or extraordinary stroke from the rod doth once begin to behold Gods frowning face against Him in the pure Glasse of His most holy Law and to feele divine iustice by an invisible hand taking secret vengeance upon his conscience His heavy heart immediately melts away in his brest and becomes as water Hee faints and failes both in the strength of his body and stoutnesse of his minde His bones the pillars and Master-timber of his earthly Tabernacle are presently broken in pieces and turn'd into rottennesse His spirit the eye and excellency of his Soule which should illighten and make lightsome the whole Man is quite put out and utterly overwhelm'd with excesse of horrour and flashes of despaire O this is it which would not onely crush the courage of the stoutest sonne of Adam that ever breath'd upon earth but even breake the backe of the most glorious Angell that did ever shine in Heaven should Hee lift up but one rebellious thought against his Creatour This alone is able to make the tallest Cedar in Lâ—banon the strongest Oake in Basan I meane the highest looke and the proudest heart the most boisterous Nimrod or swaggering Belshazzar to bow and bend to stoope and tremble as the leaves of the forrest that are shâ—ken with the winde 2. In all other adversities a man is still a friend unto himselfe favours himselfe and reaches out his best considerations to bring in comfort to his heavy heart But in this Hee is a scourge to Himselfe at warre with Himselfe an enemy to Himselfe Hee doth greedily and industriously fetch in as much matter as hee can possibly both imaginary and true to enlarge the rent and aggravate his horrour Hee gazes willingly in that false glasse which Satan is woont in such Cases to set before Him wherein by his Hellish malice Hee makes an infinite addition both to the already un-numbred multitude and to the too true hainousnesse of his sinnes and would faine if Hee will be lead by his lying cruelty mis-represent to his affrighted imagination every Gnat as a Camell every Moate as a Mole-hill every Mole-hill as a Mountaine every lustfull thought as a Sodomiticall villany every idle word as a desperate blasphemy every angry looke as an actuall bloody murder every intemperate passion as an inexpiable provocation every distraction in holy duties as a damnable rebellion every transgression against light of conscience as a sinne against the holy Ghost c. Nay in this amazednesse of spirit and disposition to despaire Hee is apt even of his owne accord and with great eagernesse to arme every severall sinne as it comes into his minde with a particular bloody sting that it may strike deepe enough and sticke fast enough in His already grieved Soule Hee imployes and improoves the excellency and utmost of His learning understanding wit memory to argue with all subtilty with much Sophistry against the pardonablenes of his sins and possibilitie of salvation Hee wounds even his wounds with a conceit they are incurable and vexes his very vexations with refusing to bee comforted Not onely crosses afflictions temptations and all matter of discontentment but even the most desirable things also in this life and those which minister most outward comfort Wife Children Friends Gold Goods Great mens favours Preferments Honours Offices even Pleasures themselves every
the spirit of a man saith Salomon will sustaine all His other infirmities but a wounded spiâ—rit who can beare Yet His soule though Hee was the Prince of glory and Lord of Heaven and earth upon the Crosse was even as a scorched Heath without so much as any drop of comfort either from heaven or earth The grievous weight of all the sinnes of all his Children the least of which had bin enough to have pressed them downe into the bottome of Hell lay now heavy upon him The powers of darkenesse were let loose to afflict Him Hee wrastled even with the fierce wrath of His Father and all the forces of the infernall kingdome with such anguish of heart that in the Garden it wrung out of his pretious Body a Sweat as it were great drops of blood falling downe to the ground with such agony of spirit that upon the Crosse Hee cryed My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee And the measure of all these sufferings and sorrowes were so past all measure that all the creatures save sinfull Men onely both in heaven and earth seemed to bee amazed and moved with them The Sun in the heavens drew in his beames unwilling as it were to see the spotlesse blood of the Son of God spilt as water upon the ground The Earth it selfe shrunk and trembled under it The very Rocks rent asunder as if they had sense and feeling of His intolerable and save by Himselfe vnconquerable paines The whole frame of Nature seemed astonished at the mournefull Complaint of the Lord of the Whole World These and farre more then these or then can bee exprest our blessed Saviour being Son of the most high God endured for no other end but to ransome us from the bondage of Sathan and of Hell in a thirsting desire of saving all Penitent sinners And to offer himselfe freely a most glorious and everlasting Husband to all those who with broken and beleeving hearts cast themselves into His bosome Such admirable and unutterable perfections beauties indowments sufferings and inflamed affections as these in the heavenly Suter unto our sinnefull Soules doth mightily aggravate the hainous and horrible sinne of refusing Him Thus and in this manner would I have the Men of God to magnifie inlarge and represent to the hearts of their Hearers all the excellencies of Iesus Christ with the worth merit and efficacy of His blood To set out to the utmost they can possibly the glory of the Gospell with all the riches of mercy goodnesse and free grace revealed and offered therein c. So that they tell them withall That Iesus Christ takes none but such as are willing to take upon them His yoke That hee gives himselâ—e to none but such as are ready to sell all in the sense I have said that they may enjoy his blessed selfe That the glorious grace of the Gospell shines savingly to none but such as deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and live soberly righteously and godlily in this present World That those whose Soules are cleansed by the blood of Iesus Christ from all sinne are onely such as walke in the light as God is in the light who make conscience of detesting and declining all sins and workes of darkenesse discovered to them by the light of Gods holy Booke and sincerely set their hearts and hands with love and carefull endeavour to every duty injoyned therein In a word That as that Fountaine opened to the house of David for sinne and for uncleanesse I meane the blood of that immaculate Lambe Iesus Christ the holy and the righteous doth turne all the sinnes even the very scarlet and crimson of a truly broken heart and every true Mourner in Zion into snow and wooll so it will never wash away the least sinfull staine from the proud heart of any unhumbled Pharisee That hereby no strangers unto the love and life of godlinesse may bee deceived by appropriating unto themselves any of these glorious things which are onely proper to the sealed Fountaine but onely conceive of them as excellent motives to cause them to come in I would have the Preaching of Christ fill the soule of every true harted Nathanael every time with unspeakeable and glorious joy with all those Euangelical pleasures which neither eye hath seene nor eare heard neither have entred into the heart of man But I would have it onely make every unregenerate Man sensible of what infinite blessednesse Hee bereaves Himselfe by continuing a Rebell that thereupon Hee may bee moved to make hast out of His present Hell into this new heaven so fairely opened and freely offered unto Him Besides pressing the law promising mercy proposing Christ c. to stirre men in their naturall states to make them entertaine thoughts of comming in to humble them in the sight of the Lord under the heavy burden of all their sinnes assure them also of pardon in case they will leave Sathans service and so prepare them for Christ Let Gods Ministers lay hold upon all warrantable wayes which they shall find and feele out of their Ministeriall experience and holy wisedome to be availeable and prevaile for that purpose So that the worke bee done in truth And that they doe not like the Divels dawbers deceive them to the eternall ruine and damnation of their Soules by telling them that they have Christ already and are safe enough for salvation whereas indeed as yet there is no such matter Such points as these are woont to make attentive naturall men to startle in their seates to looke about them something more then ordinarily To wit to divide the precious from the vile To distinguish that One true happy state of grace from all states of unregeneratnesse and all kinds of Hypocrisie to tell them out of the Booke of God How farre a Man may goe in generall graces and doing many things c. and yet come short of Heaven To deliver Markes of sincere Professours of a saving Faith of true repentance of a sound conversion c. But I would have this done with a great deale of spirituall wisedome and heavenly understanding with much godly discretion and caution least thereby either the formall Professour may bee incouraged or the weakest Christian disheartned To discourse of the fewnesse and scarcity of those which shall bee saved and that even under the light and within the sound of the Gospell See Math. 20.16 Many are called but few chosen Consider the Parable of the Sower Mat. 13. There is but one good soile upon which the seed of the word falls prosperously but three reprobate grounds as it were upon which it is lost as water upon the ground See my first Doctr. upon Gen. 6.8 c. Thus let the Men of God acquaint themselves with such Points as they conceive the likeliest and most pregnant to pierce their Hearers hearts and come closest to their Consciences that so by the helpe of God they may pull them out of Hell And there are some
most compassionate and tender-hearted to others afflicted with the same wofull terrours and troubles of conscience A woman which hath herselfe with extraordinary paine tasted of that exquisite torture of child birth is wont to bee more tenderly and mercifully disposed towards another in the like torment then she that never knew what that miserie meant And is more ready willing and skillfull to relieve in such distresses It is proportionably so in the present Case But the Alien beeing tainted in some measure with the Divels hatefull disposition is by the heate of his slavish horrour rather enraged with malice then resolved into mercy Hee is rather tickled with a secret content then touched with true commiseration to see and heare of others plunged into the same gulphe of misery and plagued like Himselfe Hee is much troubled with his solenesse in suffering and the singularity of any sorrowfull Accident Companion-ship in crosses doth something allay the discomforts of carnall men So that sometimes they secretly but very sinfully reioyce such is their dogged divelish disposition even to see the hand of God upon their neighbours Neither can hee in such extremeties minister any meanes of helpe or true comfort at all either by prayer counsell or any experimentall skill because the evill spirit of his vexed conscience was not driven away by any well-grounded application of Gods mercies and Christs blood but as Saules was by Musicke worldly mirth carnall advise Soule-slaying flatteries of Man-pleasing Ministers plunging desperately into variety of sensuall pleasures c. 7. Hee which after the boisterous tempest of Legall terrours hath happily arrived at the Port of Peace I meane that blessed peace which passeth all understanding made with God himselfe in the blood of his Son enters presently thereupon into the good way takes upon Him the yoke of Christ and serues him afterward in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of his life And ordinarily His deeper humiliation is an occasion of his more humble precise holy and strickt walking and of more watchfulnesse over his heart and tendernesse of conscience about lesser sinnes also all occasions of scandall appearances of evill even aberrations in his best actions holiest duties c. But Aliens whē once they bee taken off the Racke and their torture determine either become just the same men they were before or else reforme onely some one or other grosse sin which stuckē most upon their consciences but remaine unamended and unmortified in the rest or else which often comes to passe grow a great deale worse For they are as it were angry with God that hee should give them a taste of Hell fire before their time and therefore knowing their time but short fall upon earthly delights more furiously engrosse and graspe the pleasures of the World with more greedinesse and importunitie These things thus premised I come to tell you that for the rectifying of the fore-mentioned Errour and prevention of the danger of dawbing and undoing for ever in a matter of so weighty importance I would advise the Spirituall Physition to labour with the utmost improovement of all his divine skill heavenly wisedome best experience heartiest praiers most piercing persuasions prest out of the word for that purpose wisely to worke and watchfully to observe the season when hee may warrantably and upon good ground apply unto the woundedst soule of his spiritually-sicke Patient assured comfort in the promises of life and that soveraigne blood which was spilt for broken hearts and assure him in the Word of truth that all those rich compassions which lie within the compasse of that great Covenant of everlasting mercy and love sealed with the painefull sufferings of the Sonne of God belong unto Him Which is then when his troubled heart is soundly humbled under Gods mighty hand and brought at length to first a truly penitent sight sense and hatred of all sinne secondly a sincere and unsatiable thirst after Iesus Christ and righteousnesse both imputed and inherent thirdly an unfained and un-reserved resolution of an universall New-obedience for the time to come c. Here I had purposed to have been large but I am prevented by that which hath been said already and therefore to avoide repetition I must remit you to the consideration of those Legall and Evangelicall preparations for the entertainement of Christ and true comfort which I handled before which may give some good direction and satisfaction in the Point Yet take notice that in the meane time before such fitnesse bee fully effectuated I would have the Man of God ply his Patient with his best perswasions and Proofes seasonably mingled with motives to humiliation of the pardonablenesse of his sinnes possibility of pardon damnablenesse of despaire danger of ease by outward mirth c. And to hold out to the eye of the troubled conscience as a prize and Lure as it were the freenesse of Gods immeasurable mercy the generall Offer of Iesus Christ without any exception of persons times or sinnes the pretiousnesse and infallibilitie of the promises in as faire and lovely a fashion in as orient and alluring formes as Hee can possibly But it is One thing to say If these things bee so I can assure you in the Word of life of the promises of life and already-reall right and interest to all the riches of Gods free grace and glorious purchase of Christs meritorious blood Another thing to say If you will suffer your understandings to bee illightened your consciences to bee convinced your hearts to be wounded with sight sense and horrour of sin If you will come-in and take Iesus Christ His Person his Passion his yoke If you will entertaine these and these affections longings and resolutions c. Then most certainely our mercifull Lord will crowne your truly humbled soules with his dearest compassions and freest love Lastly bee informed that when all is done I meane when the Men of God have their desire That the Patient in their perswasion is soundly wrought upon and professeth understandingly and feelingly and as they verily thinke from His heart first that Hee is heavy laden with the grievous burden of all His sinnes secondly That Hee is come by his present spirituall terrour and trouble of minde to that resolution to doe any thing which wee find the Hearers of Iohn and Peter Luk. 3. Act. 2. Thirdly That Hee most highly prizeth Iesus Christ farre above the riches pleasures and glory of the whole earth thirsts and longs for Him infinitely Fourthly That Hee is most willing to sell all To part with all sinne with His right eye and right hand those lusts and delights which stucke closest to His bosome Not to leave so much as an hoofe behind Fifthly That hee is content with all his heart to take Christ as well for a Lord and Husband to serue love and obey Him as for a Saviour to deliver Him from the miseries of sinne To take upon Him His yoke To enter into the narrow
bee tho I hope better things of Thee The truth as I said both of thy heart and these affectionate promises will appeare when the storme is over and this dismall tempest which hath over-cast and shaken thy spirit with extraordinary feare and astonishment is overblowne Thy course of life to come will proove a true Touch-stone to try whether this bee the kindly travaile of the New-birth or onely a temporary taking-on during the fit by reason of the uncouthnesse and exquisitenesse of this invisible spirituall torture without true turning to Iesus Christ. If when the now-troubled powers of thy soule which the wound of thy conscience hath cast into much distracted and uncomfortable confusion shall recover their wonted calmenes and quiet thou turne unto thine old bias humour company and conversation it will then bee more then manifest that this Furnace of terrour and temptation wherein thou now lies and languishes was so far from working thine heart to heavenlinesse and grace that it hath hammered it to more hardnesse and ungraciousnesse from purging and refining that it hath occasioned more earthlinesse epicurisme and raging affections in sensuality and sinfull pleasures But if when thou art up againe and raised by Gods mercifull hand out of the Depth of this spirituall distresse into which the horrible sight and heavy waight of thy sinnes have sunke thee if then thou expresse and testifie thy true-heartednesse in these present solemne protestations made now as it were in thy hot blood I meane of thy hatred against sinne by an earnest opposition watchfulnesse and striving against all especially that which in thine unregenerate time stucke closest to thy bosome of thine hunger and thirst after a comfortable fruition of Gods face and favour by a conscionable and constant pursuit and exercise of all good meanes and opportunities of all his blessed ordinances appointed and sanctified for groath in grace and bringing us nearer unto Him of thy future New-obedience and Christian walking by plying industriously and fruitfully with thy best endeavour and utmost ability those three glorious workes of Christianity Preservation of purity in thine owne Soule and Body righteous dealing with all thou hast to doe-with Holy carriage towards God in all religious duties In a word by denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and living soberly righteously and godlily in this present world of which the grace of God teacheth every true Convert to make Conscience I say if upon thy recovery this bee thy course Thou art certainely New-created Such blessed behaviour as this will infallibly evidence these present terrours to have been the Pangs of thy New-birth and thy happy translation from death to life from the vanity and folly of sin into the light and liberty of Gods Children 2. Secondly say unto Him When once that blessed Fountaine of Soule-saving blood is opened upon thy Soule in the side of the Sonne of God by the hand of Faith for sinne and for uncleannesse then also must a Counter-spring as it were of repentant teares bee opened in thine humbled heart which must not be dried up untill thy dying Day This is my meaning for every Christian hath not teares at command the heart sometimes may bleed when the eyes are dry Thou must bee content to continue the current of thy godly sorrow upon that abominable Sinke and Sodom of all the lusts vanities and villanies of thy darke and damned time and also upon those frailties infirmities imperfections defects relapses back-slidings which may accompany thy regenerate state even untill that body of sinne which thou carries about Thee bee dissolved by the stroke of death As concerning thine old sinnes and those that are past it is not enough that now the fresh horrour of them and those grissely affrighting formes wherein they have appeared to the eye of thy wounded conscience have wrought upon thy heart by Gods blessing some softnesse heart-rising remorse and hatred But thou must many and many a time hereafter in the extraordinary exercises of renued repentance presse thy penitent spirit to bleede afresh within thee and draw water againe out of the bottome of thy broken heart with those Israelites and poure it out before the Lord in abundāce of bitter teares for thy never sufficiently sorrowed-for abominations and rebellions against so blessed and bountifull a God Now the solemne times and occasions when wee are called to this renued Repentance are such as these 1. When wee are to performe some speciall services unto God because then out of a godly jealousie wee may feare lest the face and favour of God the love and light of His countenance may not lie so open unto us by reason of the cloudy interposition of our former sinnes 2. When wee seeke for any speciall blessing at Gods mercifull hands because then out of a gracious feare we may suspect that our old sinnes may intrude and labour to intercept and divert from our longing Soules the sweet and comfortable influences of the Throne of grace It may seeme that David in the current of his prayer saw His old sinnes charge upon Him and therefore cries out by the way Remember not the sinnes of my youth 3. In the time of some great affliction and remarkeable Crosse when upon a new search and strict examination of our hearts and lives we humbling our selves more solemnely againe in the sight of the Lord and mourning afresh over Him whom wee have pierced with our youthly pollutions and provoke daily with many wofull failings are wont to seeke Gods pleased face and our former peace sanctification of it unto us in the meane time and the remoovall of it from us in due time in the name of Iesus Christ. 4. After relapse into some old secret lust or fall into some new scandalous sinne Davids remorse for adultery and murder brought his heart to bleede over his birth-sinne Psal. 51.5 Above all upon all those mighty Dayes of humiliation by prayer and fasting publike private or secret wherein Gods people wrastle with God by the omnipotency of prayer and worke so many wonders from time to time 6. Some there are also who setting apart some speciall times to conferre with God in secret lay together before Him the glorious Catalogue of the riches of His mercy reaching from everlasting to everlasting all his favours preservations deliverances protections c. from their first beeing to that time and the abhorred Catalogue of all their sinnes from Adam to that houre Originall both imputed and inherent actuall both before and since their calling and this they doe with hearty desire of such different affections as they severally require A serious and sensible comparing of which two together makes sinne a great deale more loathsome and the mercies of God more illustrious and so prooves effectuall many times by the helpe of the Holy Ghost to soften their hearts extraordinarily to make them weepe heartily and fils their Soules with much joyfull sorrow and humble thankefulnesse 7. Vpon our Beds
Mercifull and 2 Gracious 3 Long-suffering and abundant in 4 Goodnesse and 5 Truth 6 Keeping mercy for thousands 7 Forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne In which there are implyed un-answerable replies to all the scruples doubts exceptions objections which may arise in a troubled soule 1. Thou sayest perhaps that thou art plunged into the depth of extremest spirituall misery both in respect of sâ—â—fulnesse and cursednesse The present sense whereof is ready to sinke thee into despaire Be it so Then take my counsell in this Case Cast thine eye upon the first and fairest flowre in this heavenly-glorious Garland of divine goodnesse And thou shalt finde a fame greater depth of mercy ready to swallow up thy depth of misery The mercy of God and misery in this kind are relatives No misery no mercy much misery much mercy transcendent misery transcendent mercy the onely difference is the mercy of God is infinite thy misery finite And therefore how much spirituall misery soever thou bringest in a broken heart to the Throne of grace Gods bountifull hand will weigh out to thee a proportionable measure of mercy nay a measure without measure super-abundant running-over For where misery in a truly humbled soule aboundeth there mercy doth much more abound 2. Or suppose that at thy first turning unto God tho truly humbled yet thou art tempted not to take Christ out of this ccoÌ„eit because thou art but euen now come out of hell and horrible courses and as yet hast no good thing in thee at all Or after some progresse in Christianity reflecting in time of temptation upon thy whole carriage since conversion and finding it to have been so fruitlesse and full of failings Thou concludest thy selfe in thy present feeling to be extremely vile of a very doubtfull state for thy soule if not stark naught That no Professour upon earth walkes so unworthily and if Ministers knew thy heart and weake performance of holy duties they would not bee so forward to presse comfort upon thee c. I say in these two cases and the like it is a great happinesse and sweetest comfort that the mighty Lord of Heaven and Earth hath proclaimed himselfe to bee Gracious which imports thus much to poure out abundance of extraordinary bounty upon a most undeserving partie To place dearest affection and desire of doing good there where there is no desert at all As if a King to make his royall favours more illustrious should raise a worthlesse Wretch a most contemptible Vassal to be his worthiâ—â—â— Favorite highest in his love And therefore bring 〈◊〉 to the Throne of Grace but a true sense of thy misery a syncere thirst for mercy an humble acknowledgement of thine unworthinesse and God hereupon for his Christs sake will thinke thee worthy of the riches of his grace the righteousnesse of his Son all the promises in his Booke all the comforts of his Spirit a Crowne of immortality and blisse For hee is gracious and an universall glorious confluence of blessednesse in all kinds is promised to poverty in spirit and shal most certainely to the vtmost bee made good unto it for ever 3. But alas I saith an other have most wretchedly mis-spent the flower and strength of mine age in vanity and pleasure in lewdnesse and lust The best of my time hath been wofully wasted in Satans notorious service and sensuall serving my selfe c. And therefore tho I bee now weary of my former waies and looke backe upon them with a trembling heart and grieved spirit yet I am affraid that God hath given over looking after mee that His patience towards mee is expired and my day of visitation out-stood And that he will not vouchsafe to cast his eye of compassion upon such a Blackamore Leopard as I am so overgrowne with corruption and growne old in sinne especially having so long neglected so great salvation forsaken mine owne mercy so long and so unthankefully despised the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance leading mee to repentance I confesse it is something rare to see men gone-on so long and growne old in sinne to returne and give way to any saving worke of the Ministry because too often in the meane time they so harden their hearts that they cannot repent yet notwithstanding bee thou assured in the Word of life and truth if now at length thou be truly touched indeed and will come-in in earnest the Father of mercies will receive thee freely to mercy and embrace thy bleeding soule in the armes of his everlasting love through Christ. For it is a title of highest honour unto him to be long-suffering Hee all this while waited that hee might bee gracious unto thee And now undoubtedly upon thy first resolution to returne in truth hee will meete thee with infinitely more compassionate affectionatenesse then the Father in the Gospell his Prodigall who when hee was a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neckâ— and kissed him c. 4. Yea but saith an other Though I have been a Professour long yet many times my heart is full heavy and more loth to beleive when I seriously and sensibly call to minde the hainousnesse of my unregenerate time and see in my selfe besides since I was illightned and should have behaved my selfe in forwardnesse and fruitfullnesse for God answerably to my former folly and furiousnesse in evill so many defects and imperfections every day and such weake distracted discharging of commanded duties both to God and man Take then counsell and comfort in this Case by casting thine eye upon Gods kindnesse He is abundant in kindnesse which hath these foure pretious properties First To bee easily intreated Secondly To be intreated for the greatest Thirdly to passe by involuntary infirmities Fourthly to accept gratiously weake services Even â— fraile man if of a more noble generous and kind disposition will bee easily appeased for the unpurposed offences errours and over-sights and well pleased with the good will syncere indeavours and utmost especially of those who hee knowes to bee true-hearted unto him and desire heartily if they were able to doe all hee desires even to the height of exactnesse and expectation How much more then will our heavenly Father deale so with his children who is in himselfe essentially kinde and infinitely 5. Yea but saist thou many times when I reach 〈◊〉 the hand of my faith to fetch some speciall promise into my soule for refreshing and comfort and weighing them well and comparing advisedly my owne nothingnesse worthlesnesse vilenesse with the riches of mercy grace and glory shining in it and marking the dis-proportion I am overwhelmed with admiration and astonishment and to tell you true say sometimes to my selfe Is it possible that this should be so That so glorious things should belong to such a wretch and worme as I am But turning thine eye from a distrustfull and too much dejected dwelling upon thine owne
by their holy Duties good workes and gracious behaviour make his Name more illustrious in the world But what is this to that essentiall infinite everlasting glory which was as great and full in all that former eternity before the world was When God blessed for ever enjoyed onely His glorious Selfe Angels Men and this great Vniverse lying all hid as yet in the darke abhorred Dungeon of Nothing as now it is or ere shall bee 2. A second reason may bee taken from Gods proportionable proceeding in his courses of justice and mercy In his executions of Iustice and inflictions of punishment He interprets and censures desires for the deeds affections for Actions Thoughts for the things done Whosoever saith Christ looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart In Gods interpretation in the search and censure of divine justice Hee that lusts after a Woman in his heart is an adulterer and without true and timely repentance in the meane time shall bee so taken and proceeded against at that great and last Day Whosoever hateth his Brother saith Iohn is a man-slayer An hateful thought of our Brother murthers Him and spils his blood by the verdict of the blessed Spirit And a malicious man at the Barre of God goes for a Man-slaier If this then bee Gods property and proceeding in justice wee may much more confidently expect Nay with reverent humility challenge way beeing made by the mediation of Christ the same proportionable measure in those His most sweet and lovely inclinations and expressions of mercy Shall a lewde desire after a woman fall under the Axe of Gods justice as if it were the grosse Actâ— of lust And shall not a longing desire after grace bee graciously embraced in the armes of mercy as the grace it selfe Shall an angry thought invisible immaterial hurtfull only to the heart which harbours it be charged with actuall bloodshed And shall not a panting thirst of a broken and bleeding Soule after Christs saving and sanctifying blood bee bath'd and refresht in his pretious blood Yes certainely and much rather For Gods tender mercies are over all his workes Psal. 145.9 And mercy with an holy exultation triumpheth and reioyceth against iudgement Iam. 2.13 His mercy is great unto the Heavens Psal. 57.10 Hee doth with much sweet contentment and as it were naturall propension encline to the gracious effusions of mercy Hee delighteth in mercy saith Micah Cap. 7.18 Hee is passingly pleaâ—ed and exalted most gloriously when Hee is pardoning of sinnes purging of Soules pulling out of the Divels Paw pouring in of grace shining into sad and uncomfortable hearts saving from Hell c. This makes Him so passionate in an holy sense when Hee hath no Passage for his love Deus 5.29 Psal. 81.13 Isa. 48.18 Mat. 23.37 Luk. 19.41.42 But now on the other side Hee is hardly drawne not without much reluctancy delaies forbearance and as it were some kinde of violence offered by excesse of multiplyed rebellious provocations to exercise His justice and to punish for sinne See 2. Chron. 36.16 Hos. 6.4 c. It appeares Zeph. 2.2 by the emphasis of the Original that in this respect in a right and sober sense God is like a woman with Childe When the cry of our sinnes comes first to Heaven Hee doth not presently poure upon our heads fire and Brimstone according to our desert But as loth to enter into judgement with us Hee then but begins to conceive as it were wrath which Hee beares or rather forbeares full many and many a moneth still waiting when upon our repentance Hee might bee gracious unto us untill it come to that ripenesse by the fullnesse and intolerable waight of our sinnes that Hee can possibly beare no longer And then also when Hee is about to bee delivered of his justly conceived and long-forborne vengeance Marke how Hee goes about it Ah! saies Hee c. Isa. 1.24 This aspiration argues a compassionate Pang of griefe speaking after the manner of men to proceede against His owne people tho they had provoked Him as enemies How shall I give thee up Ephrâ—im How shall I deliver thee Israel How shall I make thee as Admah How shall I set thee as Zebâ—im Mine heart is turned within mee my repentings are kindled together Hos. 11.9 When Hee came against Sodome and Gomorrah the most prodigiously wicked people that ever the Earth bore What a miracle of mercy was it that He should be brought so low as to say I will not destroy it for tennes sake Gen. 18.32 So it is then that mercy flowes naturally and easily from God and he is most forward and free-hearted in granting Pardons and receiving into grace and favour But justice is ever as it were violently with cart-ropes of iniquity pul'd from Him He is pressed with our sinnes as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaues before wee wring from Him the vials of just wrath and wrest out of His hands the Arrowes of deserved indignation That you erre not in this Point conceive that both Gods mercy and iustice are originally and fundamentally as God Himselfe infinite Both of the same length height bredth and depth that is equally endlesse boundlesse botomlesse unsearchable Yet if wee consider the exercise and execution of them amongst the creatures and abroad in the world Mercy that sweetest Attribute and most pretious baulme to all bruised hearts doth farre surpasse and out-shine the other tho incomparable excellencies of His divine nature and all the perfections which accompany the greatnesse of God As appeares Exod. 20.5.6 Gen. 18.32 Ioel. 2.43 Ionah 4.2 Psal. 36. and 103. 2. Chron. 21.13 His influences and beames of mercy are fairely and plentifully shed into the bosome of every Creature and shine gloriously over all the earth even from one end of Heaven to the other The whole world is thicke set and richly embroidered as it were with wonderfull variety of impressions and Passages of his goodnesse and bounty In this great Volume of Nature round about us wee may runne and reade the deepe Prints and large Characters of kindnesse and love which His mercifull and munificent hand hath left in all Places in every leafe and Page and line of it If mercy then bee so graciously magnified over all his workes we may more strongly build upon it That if the hand of Iustice seize upon an hatefull thought as a murtherer and stained with blood and arraigne a lustfull conceite as guilty of adultery and actuall pollution His armes of mercy will most certainely embrace and accept of a syncere desire for the deed done of hearty affections for the Actions and of a grieved spirit for the grace it groanes for Yea but may some say If mercy bee so faire a flower in the garland of Gods incomprehensible greatnesse if it so farre excell his other Attributes in amiablenesse amongst His creatures How comes it to passe That the
confidence as it was woont So that for a time Thou mayst lie under the torture of an heavy heart uncheerfullnesse in all thy waies and some degree of horrour because thou canst get no better hold-fast But more is thy fault For never did dearest Father so lovingly entertaine into His greedy armes a penitent Sonne returning from going astray then our mercifull God upon thy renewed humiliation is willing to shine upon thee againe with the refreshing beames and blessings of his woonted favour Yet tell mee true deare Heart Tho for the present that precious and happy prayer of Paul for the Romanes The God of hope fill you with all ioy and peace in beleeving be not fulfilled upon thy Soule Tho thy former joyfull feelings bee turned into distrustfull feares yet doth not that heavy heart of thine desire farre more to bee re-comforted with the presence and pleased face of thy Beloved then crowned with the glory and pleasures of many worlds Wouldest thou not much rather feele the hand of thy Faith fastned againe with peace and full perswasion upon the Person Passion and promises of the Lord Iesus then graspe in thy bodily hand the richest Imperiall Crowne that ever sate upon any Caesars head If Satans spitefull craft taking a cruell advantage of thy present dejection of spirit doe not hinder thy trembling heart from telling the truth I know thou canst not deny this And then I must tell Thee These hearty longings and longing desires in the meane time untill God give more strength be right deare to that tender-hearted Father of thine which doth infinitely more esteeme one groane or sigh from a broken spirit then a thousand rammes or tenne thousand rivers of oyle and are most pretious and piercing to that compassionate heart that poured out it's warmest and dearest blood to purchase the salvation and refresh the sadnesse of every truly-humbled Soule Ground upon it then and bee of good cheere If thy troubled spirit fild with the sense of the want of it's former sweet and joyfull feelings finde in it selfe a true and hearty longing after the supply of that want a constant and conscionable pursuite of all holy meanes for the procurement of that supply I can assure Thee in the Word of life and truth in Gods season Thou shalt bee satisfyed Hee will fullfill the desires of them that feare Him Hee also will heare their cry and will save them And this blessed promise for the accomplishment of thy desire is as surely thine as the breath in thy Body Hee must sooner cease to bee God and deny Himselfe which is more then infinitely impossible and prodigious blasphemy to imagine then faile in the least circumstance or syllable of all His love and promises of life to any One that heartily loves Him All the sacred Sayings in His holy Booke and all those promises of salvation are signed with the hand of Truth it selfe and sealed with the blood of His beloved Sonne And so are farre surer then the Pillars of the Earth or Poles of Heaven For Heaven and Earth must passe away before any title of His Word fall unto the ground And therefore as Hee will most certainly poure upon the hairy Pate of every One which hates to bee reformed all the plagues and curses threatned there even to the least sparke of the flames of Hell and the last drop of the full vials of His infinite endlesse unquenchable wrath so will Hee abundantly make good to every upright Soule syncerely thirsting after Iesus Christ in the best time all the promised good in His blessed Booke and that aboue all expectation expression conceit 4. Fourthly Thou mayst bee diversly distressed upon thy Bed of death 1. Casting thine eye backe upon thy whole life all thy sinnes from Adam to that houre and willing as thou must now take thy farewell so to take thy fill of repentance They appeare to the eie of thy conscience farre moe in number and more ougly then ever before And no marvaile for beeing now sequestred for ever from all worldly comforts and company distractions and diversions and the cloudes of naturall feare raised by the dreadfull circumstances of approaching dissolution uniting as it were and collecting the sight of thy Soule which imploiments in the world commerce amongst men and Sunne-shine of outward prosperity did before too much disperse dazle and divert they are represented farre more to the life and in their true colours Whereupon comparing the poore weake nothingnesse as thou now apprehends of thy godly sorrow hatred and opposition against them with thy present apprehension of their hainousnesse hatefulnesse and horrible number Thou begins to bee dejected and knowest not well what to thinke of thy Selfe I say then for thy comfort consult with thy sanctified heart and thou shalt finde and feele an infinite hearty desire that thy repentance for them detestatiō of them and heart-rising against them had been and now were as thorow sound and resolute as ever was in any penitent Soule that breathed the life of grace upon earth 2. Secondly Revising now thy whole Christian conversation spending of Sabbaths pouring out prayers reading Scriptures hearing the Word love of the Brethren dayes of humiliation workes of mercy receiving the Sacrament godly conference living by Faith in all estates c. Thou mayst see them in this last impartiall cleare retired examination of thy conscience to have been pestered with so many failings imperfections deadnesse of spirit distractions distempers that thou begins to feare and conceive As well never a whit as never the better as they say c. In this case also reflect upon the holy habituall disposition of thy heart and thou shalt feele it thirsting and longing unfainedly that all the holy duties and good deeds that ever passed thorow thy heart and hands had been done in answerable exactnesse to the rules of divine Truth and if it had so pleased God with absolute freedome from all infirmities 3. Thirdly Thou mayst bee troubled at that time because beeing perhaps as yet but of little standing in Profession thou hast done God so little service and in that short time hast not stood on Gods side with that courage and life nor walked in his holy wayes with that watchfulnesse and Zeale as thou mightest And it cuts thy heart the more because thou spent so much of thy time in serving thy selfe and Satan and expectest now to enjoy immortall joyes and a Crowne of endlesse blisse But here is thy comfort It is the unfained desire and resolution of thine heart If the Lord would bee pleased to allow Thee a longer time in this life and adde many moe yeeres unto it Thou wouldest double thy diligence and improove all oportunities to doe thy God every way farre more glorious service then heretofore all the daies of thine appointed time Oh! then thou wouldest doe so and so c. Assure now thy selfe in these three cases and troubles upon thy last Bed this syncere desire of thine
and upon good ground invite thee as it were to repose upon it as upon a sure Word of God with everlasting rest and safty But thou giving too much way to the Divels lies and the dictates of thine owne distrustfull heart keepes off and retires as tho they were too weak to support thy now troubled and trembling Soule especially loaden with so many and hainous sinnes Whereby consider how great indignity thou offers to such pretious promises and Places as these Isa. 1.18 Ezek. 36.25 Isa. 55.7.8.9 And 57.15 Especially beeing so strongly backt by Gods blessed Oath God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heires of promise the immutability of His counsell confirmed it by an Oath That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie wee might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us Heb. 6.17.18 What a mighty strength may that most glorious speech of our all-mercifull God infuse into our Faith Ezek. 36.11 As I live c. As if Hee should have said As sure as I am the True Eternall Living and Omnipotent God c. so certainely I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked But I have pleasure that Hee should come in take my Sonne and bee my servant Vnderstand the same proportionably of every promise As sure as I have an eternall Essence and Beeing of a God-head c. So certainely will I give freely to every One that is truly weary of all His sins and thirsts unfainedly for mercy and grace eternal rest and refreshing in the ever-springing Fountaine of all spirituall and heavenly pleasures And so of the rest In a word what an unworthy thing is this That all the pretious promises in the Booke of God confirmed with his owne Oath and sealed with His Sonnes blood should suffer dishonour and disparagement as it were by thy distrust As tho so many mighty Rocks of mercy and truth were not able to susteine a poore bruised Reede 5. By disabling and dis-honouring 1. Gods free love See Hos. 14.4 Ier. 31.3 Ezech. 16. Deut. 7.7.8 Ioh. 3.16 Eph. 1.5 If God would not give us Christ without some matter and motives in us without something done by our selves first it were something to stand out in such a case But he gives him most freely without any respect or expectation at all of any precedent worke or worth on our part Onely there is required a predisposition in the Partie to take Christ legall dejection sight sense and burden of sinne we must bee truly wounded sensible of the Divels yoke feele our owne misery wee must prize Him above and thirst for Him more then the whole world c. A man will not seriously seeke after a Physition before Hee feele Himselfe to be sicke for ease before Hee bee prest with the waight of His burden for a plaister before Hee bee wounded for heavenly riches before Hee bee sensible of His spirituall beggery for enlargement and pardon before Hee finde himselfe in prison for mercy before Hee smart with sense of His misery Such dispositions then as these serve onely to drive us unto Christ and to let us see and feele a necessity of Him But they are infinitely with more then an utter impossibility disabled by any worthinesse to draw on Christ. Hee is a Gift Rom. 5.16 Ioh. 3.16 And what is freer then Gift Nothing is required at our hands for receiving Him but emptie-handednesse and sensiblenesse of our owne nothingnesse Our Heavenly Father never did or ever will fell His Sonne unto any Iustitiarie or any that will needes bee something in Himselfe Hee ever did and ever will give Him to every poore Soule thas is vile in His owne eyes nothing in himselfe labours and is heavy laden and willing to take Him as a Saviour and a Lord. A full hand can hold nothing Either it must bee empty or wee cannot receive Christ. First thirst and then buy without money and without price Isa. 55.1 Mee thinkes Chrysostome doth somewhere set out sweetly the admirable and adored frankenesse of this divine bounty b If thou wilt be adorned with my comlinesse or bee armed with my weapons or put on my garments or bee fed with my dainties or finish my iourney or come into that City whose Builder and Maker I am or build an House in my Countrey Thou maist so doe all these things that I will not onely not exact of thee any price or paiment for any of these things but I my selfe would bee a Debtour unto thee of a great Reward so that thou wouldest not disdaine to use my things my strength gifts graces What can be ever found equall to this bounty If God then bee so infinitely good as to offer His Sonne so freely And thou so fitted to receive Him by sensiblenesse of thy spirituall miserie thirsting for his blood resolving upon His service for the time to come c. How unad-visedly cruell art thou to thine owne conscience and unmannerlily proud that wilt needs stand off still from taking the Lord Iesus and suffer still thy poore trembling Soule to lie unnecessarily upon the Racke of terrour Sith thou gets and gaines nothing thereby but first Gods dishonour secondly Thine owne willfull torture thirdly Gratification of Satans malicious cruelty Obiect 1. But were it not fitter for mee maist thou say first to amend my life to doe some good workes to have experience of the Change of my conversation to grieve legally longer c. Before I bee so bold as to lay hold upon Christ and apply the Promises Answ. Thou must first bee alive before thou canst worke Thou must have spirituall ability inspired before thou canst walke in the good way Thou must be justified before thou bee sanctified Now spirituall life is onely then and never before or by any other meanes infused but when wee reach out an empty hand and take Iesus Christ into our humbled Soules When a 〈…〉 wearie of all sinne according to His Call Commandement and counsell roles itself as it were and â—â—anes upon the Lord Iesus then is spirituall life first breaâ—hed into it The vitall operations of grace in â—ll holy duties good deeds amendment of life holy walking universall obedience c. must appeare afterward Zacheus received Iesus Christ first into His heart and house before Hee was able to restore and distribute Casting ouâ— selves upon that Lord of life with truth of heart as our onely Iewell and Ioy we have in heaven or in earth 〈◊〉 whom we are resolved to live and die drawes frâ—m Him into our soules that heavenly vertue and vigour whereby we are afterward inabled to exercise all the functions of spirituall life and to die to the world and all wordly pleasures for ever Herein is thy fault and failing thou conceives not a right of Gods free grace but thinkes thou shalt not bee welcome except thou
as in a royall Throne Hee hath as it were two Thrones One in the Empyrean Heaven the other in a broken heart Isa. 57.15 But my heart lies groveling in the dust humbled under the mighty hand of God and trembling at his feete c. Therefore it is the mansion of Iehova blessed for ever Whosoever confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes shall have mercy Prov. 28.13 But I confesse and abominate all sinne resolved never to turne againe to folly Therefore mercy is most certainely mine Hee in whose heart the holy Ghost hath enkindled a kindly heate of affection to the Brethren hath passed from death to life 1. Ioh. 3.14 But by the mercy of God my heart is wholy set upon the Brother-hood which I heartily hated heeretofore Therefore I have passed from death to life These and the like Conclusions are in themselves as full of sound joy and true comfort as the Sunne of light or Sea of waters Open but the eye of thine humbled soule and thou maist see many glorious things in them Crush them but a little with the hand of Faith and much delicious sweetnesse of spirituall peace may distill upon thy Soule Lastly such considerations as these may contribute some matter of comfort and support to Him of weakest apprehension in this Case 1. If Hee consult with His owne Conscience Hee shall happily finde in His present syncere resolution an impossibility to turne backe againe to His former sinnefull life pleasures goodfellow-ship sensuall courses company Hee sayes and thinkes it that Hee will rather die then lie sweare prophane the Sabbaths put to usury doe wrong keepe any ill-gotten goods in his hands Haunt Ale-houses Play-houses Gaming-houses or willingly put His heart or hand to any kind of iniquity as Hee was formerly wont And doth nature thinke you keepe Him backe or grace and Gods Spirit 2. If Hee should now heare and have his eares fill'd with oathes blasphemies ribald talke rotten speeches filthy songs railing at Gods people scoffing at religion jesting out of Scriptures c. His heart would rise Hee would either reproove them or bee rid of them as soone as Hee could whereas heretofore Hee hath been perhaps a delightfull Hearer of them if not a notorious Actour Himselfe And whence doe you thinke doth this arise but from the seede of God remaining in Him 3. Thirdly If when you heare Him complaine That howsoever Hee hath cast Himselfe upon Christ as the Prophets have counselled Him yet sith thereupon Hee feeles no such comfort and peace in Believing as other Christians doe Hee begins to doubt whether Hee hath done well or no and to conceive that Hee hath layd hold upon the Promises too soone Nay and it may bee upon this discontent doth thus further enlarge His complaint Alas my sinnes have formerly been so great my heart is at this present so hard my sorrow so scant my failings so many c. that I know not what to say to my Selfe Mee thinkes I can neither pray conferre love the Brethren sanctifie the Sabbath rejoyce in the Lord c. as I see other of Gods Children doe And therefore I am affraid all is naught What heart can I have to hold on I say if to such a speech thou shouldest for triall give this reply Well then if it bee so even give over all strive no more against the streame trouble thy selfe no longer with reading prayer following sermons forbearing good fellowship and thine old companions And sith no comfort comes by casting thy selfe upon Christ cast thy selfe againe into the current of the times course of the world and merry company For there yet is there some little poore pleasure to bee had at least Oh! No No No would Hee say That will I never doe whatsoever comes of mee I will trust in my Christ tho Hee should kill mee for all these discouragements I will by no meanes cast away my confidence I have been so freshly stung with their guilt that I will rather be pull'd in peeces with wild horses then plunge againe into carnall pleasures I will put my hand to all holy duties in obedience to God tho I performe them never so weakely I will by the mercy of God keepe my face towards Heaven and backe to Sodome so long as I breath come what come will c. And whence doe you thinke springs this resolution but from a secret saving power supporting Him in the most desperate temptations and assaults of distrust Now this first secret saving power by which an humble Soule leaning upon Christ is supported when it is at the lowest secondly The seed of God and thirdly presence of grace doe every one of them argue a blessed state in which thou shalt bee certainely saved and therefore thou mayst lift up thine heart and head with comfort unspeakeable and glorious 3. Thirdly Many there are who much complaine of the great disproportion betweene the notorious wickednesse of their former life and their lamentable weakenesse of an answerable be wailing it Betweene the number of their sinnes and fewnesse of their teares the hainousnesse of their rebellions and little measure of their humiliation And thereupon because they did not finde and feele those terrours and extraordinary troubles of mind in their turning unto God those violent passions and pangs in their New-birth which they have seene heard or read of or knowne in others perhaps farre lesse sinners then themselves they are much troubled with distractions and doubts about the truth and soundnesse of their conversion Whereby they receive a great deale of hurt and hindrance in their spirituall state For Satan gaines very much by such a suggestion and grounds many times a manifold mischiefe upon it For by keeping this temptation on foot these doubts and troubles in their mindes whether they bee truly converted or no Hee labours and too often prevailes 1. To hinder the Christian in His spirituall Building With what heart can Hee hold on who doubts of the soundnesse and sure-laying of the foundation What progresse is Hee like to make in Christianity who continually terrifies Himselfe with fearefull exceptions and oppositions about the truth of His conversion A man in a long journey would jogge on but very heavily if Hee doubted whether Hee were in the right way or no. 2. To abate lessen and abridge His courage in standing on Gods side patience under the Crosse spirituall mirth in good company To keepe Him in dulnesse of heart deadnesse of affections distractions at holy exercises and under the raigne of almost a continuall sadnesse and uncomfortable walking To make Him quite neglect and never looke towards those sweete commands of the blessed Spirit Reioyce evermore Reioyce and I say againe Reioyce Bee glad in the Lord reioyce and shout for ioy all yee that are upright in heart 3. To fasten a great deale of dishonour upon God when He can make the Christian dis-avow as it were and nullifie in conceit so great a worke of mercy and grace
against all sinne true griefe because thou art not more grieved Thou art by no meanes to cast away thy confidence or bee discomforted therefore as tho Thou wer 't not truly converted but onely bee advised to take occasion thereupon to walke more humbly before thy God with syncerity constancy to oppose all things which may hinder and pursue all meanes that may further the more kindly melting of thine heart sensible sorrow and hearty mourning over Him whom thou hast so cruelly pierced with thy youthfull lusts and abominations 4. Fourthly lest any true-hearted Christian lying in no sinne against Conscience and labouring syncerely to please God in all things should bee unnecessarily troubled and dejected with slavish feares and jealousies lest Hee bee not truly turned unto God because He feeles not in Himselfe that boysterous vehement conversion that extremity of pangs and horrour in the New-birth which sometimes are to bee found in some others Let Him ponder upon these resemblances 1. Thou mayst have thy Bile or Botch opened with the Point of a Needle whereas another Man endures the slashing of a Surgeons Lancer yet if the corruption and putrified matter bee let out by this easier meanes and thy selfe thereby thorowly cured I hope thou hast no great cause to complaine It may bee so in the present Point 2. Two Sonnes are punished for their offence The One cries and roares and takes on extraordinarily The Other makes no great noise but resolves silently with Himselfe and in syncerity upon a new course as well as the former Is not the change and reformation of them both equally welcome and accepted of the Father who onely aimes at and expects their amendment 3. Two Malefactors equally guilty of high treason both apprehend their danger acknowledge that they are utterly undone hold themselves for dead Men c. To the One a Pardon comes not yet cast cōdemned or carried to the Place of execution To the other ready to lay downe His head upon the Blocke There is great difference in all likely hood of their terrours and dejections But they have equall parts in the Pardon and both their lives are saved 4. Two Men are arrived at their wished Port The One was tossed with many roaring tempests and raging waves The Other hath a reasonable calme Passage Howsoever they now stand both safe upon the shore and have both escaped destruction and drowning in that great mercilesse devouring Gulfe 5. Suppose a Man dead for some dayes and then reviv'd Hee perceives His Change with a Witnesse An Other is not so but Himselfe onely alive walkes amongst a multitude of dead men Hee also may clearely enough see the difference and both acknowledge and praise God for His life Yet for conclusion let all those who have passed thorow the Pangs of the New-birth not so terribly but more tolerably especially having been formerly notorious take counsell and bee advised to ply more carefully the great and gracious worke of humiliation still to humble themselves in the sight of the Lord yet more and more unto their dying day The humblest Christians are ever highest in favour and neerest in familiarity with Almighty God They are as it were His second royall Throne wherein Hee sweetly dwells and delights See Isai. 57.15 and 66.1 2. Psal. 34.18 and 51.17 And they are also of the most sweet amiable and in-offensive carriage amongst the people of God Heare that excellent Artist in the spirituall Anatomy of Mans deceitfull heart Humiliation is the procurer of all other graces God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble And it is the preserver of grace procured And therefore compared to a strong foundation upholding the building against the force of winde and weather Onely those streames of grace hold out that flow out of the troubled Fountaine of a bruised spirit An humbled Professour quickly starts backe even as a broken Egge or Ches-nut leapes out of the fire Grace is no where safe but in a sound and honest heart Now onely the humble heart is the honest heart Onely a rent and broken heart is a whole and sound heart The drosse cannot bee purged out of the gold but by melting Crooked things cannot bee straightned but by wringing Now humiliation is that which wrings and melts us and makes us of drossy pure of crooked straight and upright and so sound durable and persevering Christians And let them consider and examine whether neglect of this holy endeavour I now exhort them to may not bring upon them much spirituall misery Whether they may not therefore bee the rather exposed First To many irksome intrusions of very vexing doubts and feares and something slavish questionings of the truth and soundnesse of their conversion all their life long Secondly To much deadnesse of affection and listlesnesse many dampes and distempers in the performance of holy duties use of the Ordinances and religious exercises Thirdly To greater variety of Crosses and a heavier hand upon their outward states purposely to bring the eye of their Conscience to looke backe more heavily and with heartier remorse upon the loathsomnesse and filth of their youthfull folly Fourthly To more easinesse of re-entry and surprise by the assaults and insinuation of old sinnes in their un-regenerate time especially that of the bosome which is an horrible Thing For the lesse sinnes are sorrowed for the sooner doe they re-insnare us with their sensuall delight and re-pollute with renewed Acts. Fifthly To the entertainement at least for a time of uncomfortable and scandalous giddinesse and some Phantasticall Tenents of new and naughty opinions which many times fearefully infect our chiefest Citty and some proud companions and ignorant Lozels there and els-where are ever ready to lay hold upon whom you may ordinarily discerne by their Luciferian pride and lewd Tongues to the great hurt and hinderance of the power of godlinesse holy obedience to the blessed Law of God and humble walking with Him if any will be so miserable and mad as to listen to such petty and paltry trash idle and cheating dreames contrary to the doctrine which they have learned or should have learned for these fellowes were never well catechised if Professours will bee Children still tossed to and fro and carried about with every winde of doctrine by the sleight of Men and cunning craftinesse whereby they lie in waite to deceive which God forbid For if it bee possible that any true heart bee entangled I hope Hee will quickly in cold blood dis-insnare Himselfe As these Tare-sowers themselves are ordinarily very superficiall in Ministeriall abilities so for the most part their disciples are onely the foolish Virgins and unsound Professours of the Places thorow which they passe Sixthly To danger of some future grievous desertion extraordinary temptations or re-visitation with farre greater terrours then they tasted at their first turning into the wayes of God c. 4. In a fourth Place I come to spirituall desertion which puts
the Christian for the present into a most dark and dis-cōfortable condition I meane when the most wise God for some holy ends seeming good unto Himself retires for a time with-holds from the heart of his Childe the light of His countenance the beames of His favour and sense of His love Whereupon tho the roote of spirituall life the Habite of Faith and fundamentall power of salvation and eternall safty remaine still and sure in His Soule never to bee shaken or prevailed against no not by the very gates of Hell or concurrent forces and fury of all the powers of darknesse yet for the time Hee findes and feeles in Himselfe a fearefull deprivation and dis-continuance of the feeling and fruition of Gods pleased face exercise of Faith pardon of sinne inward peace joy in the holy Ghost cheerefulnesse in wel-doing and godly duties confidence in praier assurance of beeing in a saving state c. So that Hee may judge Himselfe to have been formerly an Hypocrite and for the present can very hardly or not at all difference and distinguish His wofull condition from that of a Cast-away This secret and wonderfull work of spirituall desertion doth God much exercise and practise upon His Children in many Cases for many Causes 1. Sometimes upon a re-ensnarement in some secret bosome-lust which was their Darling and delight in the daies of their rebellion Relapse into which Satan labours industriously to procure with much adoe by all His Devises For Hee gaines greatly thereby For so the New-Convert considering in cold blood what Hee hath done may be cast upon such complaints as these Alas what have I done now This pestilent old pollution which so wofully wasted my conscience in time past hath fearefully re-infected my newly washed Soule I have againe Woe is mee fallen into the abhorred Sodome of this foule sinne I have grieved that good spirit which was lately come to dwell in me All the former horrours charge afresh upon my heart from which I was happily freed even by some glimpses of heavenly joy I have wretchedly let goe my hold lost my peace broke my vowes and blessed communion with my God c. Ah! wretch that I am what shall I now doe And thereupon may fall upon a temptation of returning to His dis-avowed sensuall Delights out of this conceit As well over bootes as over shoes Doe what I can I see I can never hold out c. Or Hee may plunge into this slavish perplexity I dare not goe to God I have used Him so villanously after such immeasurable kindenesse and provoked the eies of his glory with such prodigious impurity after I was purged I dare not fall againe to good-fellowship and former courses lest I draw some remarkeable vengeance upon mee in the meane time and bee certainely damned when I have done So that Hee can neither take pleasure upon the right hand or the left Or which is most for my purpose and that which the Divell specially desires God therefore may hide His face from Him and leave Him to the darknesse of His own spirit so that He may for a long time walke on heavily starke lame in respect of those comfortable supporters of the Soule affiance hope spirituall joy peace of Conscience sense of Gods favour boldnesse in His waies courage in good causes delight in the company of the Saints c. Such a dampe also and desertion may come upon the Soule especially after a Fall into some new open scandalous sinne whereby not onely their owne Consciences within are grievously wounded but also for their sakes and sinne the Profession of Gods truth abroad scandalized and disgraced the common state of goodnesse questioned and traduced the heart and glory of Christianity hurt and distained David was thus dealt with in Gods just judgement after His monstrous and matchlesse fall Gods good Spirit had richly crowned His royall heart with abundance of sanctification and purity and had graciously filled Him aforetime with the fruits and feeling thereof and thereupon many heavenly deawes no doubt of spirituall joyes had many times sweetly refreshed His blessed Soule But by the hainous scandalousnesse of His hatefull fall Hee so grieved that good Spirit and turned the face of God from Him that Hee had neither sense of the comforts of the one nor of the favour of the other The spirituall life of his Soule the eie of His judgement light of conscience lightsomnesse in the holy Ghost and the whole grace of sanctification were so wasted dazeled confounded weakened raked under the ashes as it were and runne into the roote that hee speakes as if He had utterly lost them and so stoode in neede of a new infusion and creation thereof Psal. 51.10 But by the way conceive aright of Davids spirituall condition at this time Tho in his owne feeling and present apprehension Hee so complaines and cries out for a New creation as tho all were gone yet even when Hee was at the lowest and worst the Soule and substance that I may so speake of saving grace and salvation did abide still rooted and resident in his heart Which once emplanted by Gods omnipotent mercifull hand in an humble Soule and taking roote it there sticks fast for ever far more un-mooveable then a thousand Mount Zyons The blossoms buds and fruits may sometimes bee fouly cankerd as it were by our owne corruptions shrewdly nipt by the frost of some earthly affections blasted by sharper tempests of Satans temptations But the foundation standeth sure grounded and founded upon the unchangeable Nature of God and immutability of His counsell and therefore mauger the malice of all both mortall and immortall rage there is still life in the roote which in due season will spring out againe and grow up unto everlasting life To the present Instance All purity and cleannesse of heart was not utterly extinguisht and abolisht in David For 1. Some little at least was left which descried and discovered those spots and pollutions of filthinesse and impurity which had lately over-growne it For grace discovers corruption not nature A sensible complaint of hardnesse of heart and an earnest desire after softnesse is a Signe that the heart is not wholly hard A syncere crying out against impurity and hearty endeavour after purity argues the presence of the purifying Spirit 2. And how was this holy ejaculation Create in mee a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within mee created but by the Spirit of grace and supplications Which blessed sanctifying Spirit was all the while rooted and resident in Davids heart by a saving existence there tho not so fully by an effectuall operation and exercise Divines about this Point consider First The infinite free and eternall love and favour towards His Childe with which whom Hee loves once Hee loves for ever The gifts and calling of God that is as best Interpreters affirme the Gifts of effectuall calling effects of His free
grace are such as God never repenteth of or taketh away Secondly His sanctifying Spirit which Hee gives unto Him Thirdly The habits of graces created in his heart by that blessed Spirit justification regeneration adoption Fourthly The feeling exercises and Acts of those graces with many sweet and glorious refreshings of spirituall joy springing thence The three first after wee bee once Christs are ours for ever The last may be suspended and surcease for a time 3. By way of interpretation in the latter part of the verse Hee calleth the creation of the grace of Sanctification in his heart a renovation and raysing thereof to the same degree wherein it was in former time 4. Hee cries unto the Lord Not to take His holy Spirit from Him vers 11. And therefore that blessed spirit was not gone It were very absurd and incongruous to desire the not taking away of that thing which wee have not Hee certainely hath the holy Spirit which heartily desires Hee may not bee taken from Him Davids desire then of a cleane heart did not argue that it was utterly uncleane and wholly turned into a lumpe of filth Sanctity and cleannesse of heart is never cleane extingvished in any One once truly Sanctified it was not in David in Peter But He was so earnest after it First Because that little which was left was scarce or not at all sensible in His spirituall distresse where the glory of the Sunne hath lately been the succession of a candles light is little worth Secondly And because now Hee vehemently thirsteth after a great deale more then He presently had Learned and Rich men thinke themselves not learned and rich in respect of what they desire When the Sunne begins to peepe up wee gaze no longer at starres Gods comforting Spirit began a little to warme His heart againe whereupon Hee grew so eager and greedy of that heavenly heate that Hee thinkes his heart Key-cold except it â—lame to the height That dampe and darkenesse of Spirit into which He was fallen by reason of His grievous Fall had So frozen His affections with disconsolate deadnes and heavines of heart that a little glimpse of spirituall life and lightsomenesse is presently swallowed up as it were and devoured and serves but onely to Set an edge to his desire to whet his stomack and stirre up His appetite after a more full and further fruition of those comfortable graces and woonted communion with His God a re-tast and returne whereof is so sweet and deare unto His Soule Take heede then that you doe not mistake When I speake of a spirituall desertion I meane it not either in respect of a totall or finall dereliction and forsaking on Gods part or a totall and finall falling away on the Saints side to hold such an Apostacy were a fearefull Apostacy But onely in respect of the exercise and operation of grace of present sense and feeling as I said before Life lies still in the roote and upon the first breaking out of the heavenly and healing beames upon the Soule from the Sun of righteousnes returning in mercy puts forth againe and prospers David being astonied as they say with a mighty blow of temptation As Bernard resembles it lay for a time as it were in a Swoune But upon the voyce of the Prophet sounding in his eare Hee awaked and came to Himselfe As wee see in heated water the aire 's blowing upon it doth recover and reduce it to it 's former naturall coldnesse by the aide of that little remainder of refrigerating power which is originally rooted in that Element So by the awaking of the North wind and comming of the South I meane the blessed Spirits breathing afresh upon Davids heart Scorched dangerously with the fire of lust by stirring up and refreshing the retired and radicall power of grace that immortall Seede of God never to be lost did sweetly and graciously bring it againe to it's former spirituall comfortable temper and constitution 2. Sometimes the Lord may for a time retire the light of His countenance and sense of His graces from His Child that Hee may bee driven thereby to take a new and more exact revise a more serious thorow-survay of His youthfull sinnes of that darke and damned time which Hee wholly spent upon the Devill and so put againe as it were into the pangs of His New-birth that Christ may bee more perfectly formed in Him That Hee may againe behold with feare and trembling the extreme loathsomnesse and aggravated guilt of His old abominable lusts and so renewing His sorrow and repairing repentance grow into a further detestation of them a more absolute divorce from His insinuating Minion-delight and bee happily frighted afresh and fired for ever from the very garment spotted of the flesh and all appearance of evill That upon this occasion Hee may make a new inquisition and deeper search into the whole state of His conscience severall passages of His conversation and every corner of His heart and so for the time to come more carefully cut off all occasions of sinne and with more resolution and watchfulnesse oppose and stand at staves end with every lust passion distraction in holy duties entisements to relapse spirituall lazinesse lukewarmenesse worldlinesse c. with greater severity to crucifie our corruptions and ever presently and impartially execute the law of the Spirit against the rebellions of His flesh This it may seeme was one end of Iobs spirituall affliction in this kind In cap. 13.23 He is earnest and importunate with God to know what be those iniquities transgressions and sins which had turned His face and favour from Him in that fearefull manner as tho Hee was a meere stranger or rather a profest enemy unto His Majesty And Hee presently apprehends the burden and bitternesse of the iniquities of His youth Thou writest saith Hee bitter things against mee and makes mee possesse the iniquities of my youth At all such times when God thus hides His face from us and leaves us to the darkenesse of our owne Spirits the sins of our youth are woont to lie most heavy upon our hearts exact at our hands a more speciall renewing increase and perfecting of penitent sorrow For they are acted with the very strength of corruption in the heate of sensuality and height of rebellion Hence it was that even David Himselfe cries out Remember not the sinnes of my youth and so doth many moe many times with much bitternesse of Spirit It is so then that God may deale â—hus in mercy even with His dearest Servants Especially if penitent griefe and trouble of conscience in their conversation were not in some good measure answerable to their former abominable liâ—e and sinnefull provocations if they have been extraordinary sinners and but ordinary sorrowers for sinne if they were formerly furious in the service of Satan and now but something faint-hearted in standing on Gods side If heretofore they marched impetuously
concerning the Man that trusteth in God if the fire hath proclaimed it selfe unable as much as to singe an haire of His head If Lyons beasts ravenous by nature and keene with hunger beeing set to devoure have as it were religiously adored the very flesh of the faithfull Man what is there in the World that shall change His heart overthrow His faith alter his affection towards God or the affection of God to Him Nay and besides sith I onely understand a temporary passive Desertion I must suppose it in Him also who sees full well and doth acknowledge from whence Hee is fallen is very sensible of His spirituall losse afflicted much with the absence of the quickning and comforting influence of grace and grieved at the heart-roote that Hee cannot doe His God service and performe holy duties with that life power and lightsomnesse as Hee was woont and thereupon resolves to give no rest unto His discontented Soule from cries complaints and groanes untill Gods face and favour bee turned towards Him againe and bring with it former feelings and fruitfulnesse now so highly prized and heartily praied for Which blessed behaviour doth clearely difference Him from the Back-slider a truly miserable and right wofull Creature indeede who insensibly falles from his forwardnesse first love intimate fellowship with the Saints and all lively use and exercise of the ordinances and divine duties and yet is never troubled to any purpose neither doth chalenge or judge Himselfe for it at all For wee are to know that the presence of spirituall weakenesses decaies and wants and absence of due dispositions accustomed feelings and former abilities of grace onely then argue a Backslider and are evill signes of a dangerously declining Soule when they are willingly carried without remorse or taking much to heart without any eager desire or earnest endeavour after more heate and heavenly mindednesse A Christian may be without Gods gratious presence and comfortable exercise of grace in present feeling and yet no Forsaker of God but rather left of Him for a time His heavenly wisedome for some secret holy ends so disposing while by grieving striving strong desires Hee unfainedly thirsts after and seriously pursues his former acceptation and forwardnesse Here then is comfort God hath hid his face from thee for a season and thou art left to the darknesse and discomforts of thine owne spirit and thereupon art grievously dejected thinkes thy Selfe utterly undone yet take notice that In a spirituall Desertion properly so called thou doest not willingly forsake God but God forsakes Thee or rather as Divines truly speake seemes to forsake Thee For Hee dealeâ— with Thee in this Case as a Father with His Childe who sometimes upon purpose still loving Him extremely hides Himself from Him as tho He were quite gone to make it discover and manifest it's love unto Him by longing seeking and crying after Him And that for excellent ends and ever for thy endlesse comfort first To trie whether Thou wilt trust in Him tho He slay Thee as Iob did Every Cock-boate can swim in a River every Sculler saile in a Calme In ordinary gusts any man of meaner skill and lesser patience can steere aright and hold up the head But when the blacke tempest comes a tenth wave flowes One deepe calls an other when the tumultuous darkenesse of the sky the roaring of that restlesse Creature represents terrible things and Heaven and earth are blundered together as it were with horrible confusions when nature yeelds spirits faint hearts faile then to stand upright and unshaken then to say with David I will not feare tho the earth bee removed and tho the mountaines bee carried into the middest of the Sea Tho the waters thereof roare and bee troubled tho the Mountaiâ—es shake with the swelling thereof Selah I say thatâ—s the Man which is found at the heart-roote indeede and steele to the backe and then is the invincible might and incomparable valour of Faith made knowne with a witnesse who ever hath Gods sure Word for the Compasse and the Lord Iesus at the Helme Then doth this glorious grace shine and triumph above nature sense reason worldly wisedome the arme of flesh and the whole Creation In such desperate extremities and sorest trials it shewes it selfe like the Adamant that nothing will breake the Palme tree that yeelds not to the waightiest burden the Shoote-Anchor that holds when other tacklings breake the oile that ever over-swims the greatest quantity of water we can poure upon it And with this improovement of the extraordinary power of faith God is exceedingly well-pleased and highly honoured Secondly To en-ure thee to patience obedience and submission to His blessed Will in every thing even extremest sufferings if Hee so please Thirdly To worke in Thee a deeper detestation of sinne and further divorce from the world Fourthly To quicken improove and exercise some speciall graces extraordinarily Thou didst hide thy face saith David and I was troubled Then I cried unto Thee O Lord c. Then was the spirit of praier put to it indeede and so was the grace of patience waiting and the like Fifthly To cause thee to prize more dearely and to keepe more carefully when it comes againe Gods glorious presence and the quickning influence of His grace and comfort Wee never apprehend the worth and excellency of any thing so well as by the want of it The un-interrupted secure enjoyment of the best things and even those that please us best without vicissitude and enter change is woont to breed such cheapnes and satiety and so dulls the Soules appetite that it is neither so affected with their pretious sweetnesse nor thankfully â—â—vished with the present possession of them as it ought Health is then highly valewed when sicknesse hath made us sensible of such a Iewell wee then rellish our food extraordinarily when wee have fasted longer then ordinary Rest doth then refresh us most when our bodies have been tired and over-travelled Sixthly To make thee conformable in some measure to Christs immeasurable spirituall sufferings Seventhly To manifest and make illustrious His mightinesse and mercy in thy deliverance and the power of Christs resurrection Wilt thou shew wonders to the Dead saith Heman Shall the dead arise and praise thee Selah Those whom the mercifull hand of God hath lifted up out of the depth of a spirituall desertion will easily acknowledge it as omnipotent a worke and wonder as to pull out of the mouth of Hell and raise a dead man out of the grave Eighthly To represent unto thee the difference of thy condition in this life and that which is to come This is our time of nurture not of Inheritance Here wee walke by faith not by sight Wee live by faith not by feeling In this vale of teares wee are killed all the day long But heavenly glimpses of unspeakeable and glorious ioy and spirituall ravishments of Soule are seldome and short Their
about to bring in to prepare him thereby though the Divell himselfe meaneth not so for the pangs of the New-birth deeper humiliations and more vehement desires to get under the wings of Christ from that hellish Kyte Or hee may sometimes mingle these horrible stings with the terrours of spirituall travell upon purpose to hinder conversion by a diversion into By-wayes or frighting backe againe to folly and former courses But sure I am the ordinary object and speciall aime of Satans malice in this Point are only those who have happily escaped out of his clutches already and are fully and for ever freed from his damming fury and all-deadly hurt And I know not whether there bee any of these which doth not lesse or more at one time or other suffer under this horrour And yet every one of them thinks himselfe singular in this suffering and that it is not usuall for Gods Children to have such prodigiously foule and fearefull thoughts put into their heads which they dare not mention for their abhorred monstrousnesse neither remember without trembling Now by this dreadfull engine of the Divell which I thus talk of before I tell you what it is and no marvaile for what heart would not willingly retire or can chuse but tremble intreating upoÌ„ such a Theame I meane hideous iniections horrible thoughts blasphemous Suggestions monstrous conceits of the most holy pure and ever-glorious God His Word divine Truths the Lord Iesus blessed for ever or some way or other about spirituall and heavenly things framed immediately by Satan himselfe and with furious violence throwne into our minds infinitely against our wills at the grieselinesse whereof not only Religion but also reason Nay even corrupted nature and common sense stand astonisht shrug and shrink backe at the horrour and abhorre them extremely Some of Gods dearest Children and those that love him best Would you thinke it yet it is too true are sometimes so pestred with their irkesome intrusions that whatsoever they speake doe heare reade or think upon is wrested perverted and hellishly empoisoned with this temptation of blasphemy And they are ordinarily prest upon them with most importunity and impetuousnesse when they are best busied and exercised in the holiest duties as in praier hearing or reading the Word singing of Psalmes dayes of humiliation c. In the first place For a comfortable support in such a Case peruse ponder well upon and apply such considerations and counsels as these 1. In this terrible temptation also thou becomes but conformable to thy Lord and Master which bought thee with his dearest blood and to many of his blessed Saints Was there ever suggestion in conceit or word or any possibilitie of being like unto this in execrablenesse and horrour That the King of Saints in whom dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily should fall downe and worship the Prince of Hell and vilest of Creatures And yet this most horrible blasphemie was injected into the most holy imagination of Iesus Christ with which it was infinitely more impossible to be any waies tainted or stained then the fairest Sunne-beame with the foulest Dirt. But hee endured it and conquered And that for our sakes only and safety even for such excellent endes as these first That when wee are â—et upon by Satan in the same kinde and so hideously assaulted that upon the first sense we are ready to sinke under the suddaine fright and to thinke that none in the world are so but wee yet in cold blood wee may comfortably recover our selves and presently conceive that our Case is not singular and incompatible with a saving state for even the Sonne of God himselfe surpassed us in the same suffering Secondly That hee might take the venome sting and guilt from this hatefull and horrible temptation for all His to the Worlds end Thirdly That having himselfe tasted the Divels malice herein hee might out of His owne feeling and experience more tenderly take to heart our troubles and terrours that way more mightily fortifie and free our spirits against the invasion and surprise of all such prodigious injections and flashes of Hell 2. It is the concurrent judgement of learned and holy Divines that these monstrously blasphemous thoughts and satanicall suggestions resisted and not consented unto are not our sinnes but our crosses Or suppose there should be any tainture on our parts yet condemning them in our judgements and abhorring them with our heartes wee may bee most assured that the blood of Iesus Christ is infinitely more mighty and soveraigne to take away the venome and vilenesse of them then the Divell malicious and subtilâ— to inject I will imagine that some bloody Popish Powder-Traytor had prest upon thee at that time and suggested thus Wee are plotting and purpose to blow up the Parliament with Gun-powder To destroy at one blow the King Queene Prince Nobility c. And afterward to cut the throats of all the Protestants in the Kingdome to roote the Gospell out of it for ever c. And then to lay the fault upon the Puritanes These and the like were injections of much horrour and monstrous nature For thus men learned both in the mystery of Christ and depths of State spoke of that plot at that time Remember but the Powder-Treason the uttermost point of all villany beyond which it is terra incognita no man can devise what should bee betweene Hell and it Consider but this day the Birth-day as I may tearme it of our Countrey in which both Prince and People came as it were anew into the World delivered from the fearefull Powder-Vault the very belly of Hell and confusion as Ionah sometime did from the Belly of the Whale Behold that which so many millions of eies since those windowes were first opened in the head of man to behold the light of Heaven I say so many millions of eyes in their severall generations now sunke downe into their holes and consumed within their Tabernacles never saw never those glorious and constant Lights of the Firmament those cleare and Crystalline eies of nature which walke through the Whole World and give no rest to their temples the Sunne that wandereth by day and the Moone that waketh by night they never saw the like c. It was of such prodigious immanity that before now the tongue of Man never delivered the eare of Man never heard the heart of Man never conceited nor the malice of hellish or earthly Divell ever practised It is beyond all example whether in fact or fiction even of the tragicke Poets who did beat their wits to represent the most fearefull and horrible Murders The Plot whereof Livie speakes of dispatching the whole Senate of Rome in an houre the devise at Carthage to cut off one whole faction by one enterprise the conspiring of Brutus and Cassius to kill Caesar in the Senate the proiect of destroying in one Conclave the greatest part of