spoken therefore of those that are of yeares of discretion we leave infants to the mercie of God Those therefore that are at yeares of discretion must have grace to answer the Covenant of grace by beleeving and renouncing To come therefore to our selves We that will answer to the Covenant made in baptism must perform it especially that that we then Covenanted what was that we answered that we would beleeve doest thou beleeve I beleeve every Article of the faith and doe you renounce the Devill and all his works I doe Therefore unlesse now we beleeve in Christ and renounce the Devill we renounce our Baptisme it doth us no good There are diverse kinds of people that overthrow their owne Baptisme Those that live in sins against conscience they doe renounce their baptisme in some sort those that feed their corruptions for in baptisme we are consecrated in soule and body to God we are given up to him we are not our owne his name is called on us we are called Christians therefore our eyes are not our owne our hands are not our owne our thoughts and affections are not our owne there must be a renouncing and a denyall of all sinne as farre as it is contrary to Christs spirit Those therefore that labour to feed their corruptions what doe they else so farre but renounce their baptisme and under the Livery of Christ serve the enemie of Christ the Devill that they should renounce Those that feed their eies with seeing of vanity and their â—…ares with filthy discourse those that suffer their feet to carrie them to places where they infect their soules those that instead of renouncing their corruptions feed them and their hearts tell them they cherish those corruptions they should renounce by baptisme what shall we think of these and yet they think to be saved by Christ. God is mercifull and Christ died when they live in a continuall renouncing of baptisme For a use therefore of exhortation if so be that this be the effectuall baptisme the chiefe thing that we ought to stand on this answer of a good conscience then I beseech you let us all labour for this eccho for this answer when God saith seeke yee my face to answer thy face Lord will I seeke When he saith I will be your God to answer we will be thy people when he saith in the Ministery beleeve to answer Lord I beleeve helpe my unbeliefe let us labour to eccho this holie eccho is the answer in the Covenant of grace This answer of our faith is set downe in Scripture alway when it speaks of the estate of those that are in the Covenant of grace it is mentioned on our part that we take God for our God and Christ for our Christ My beloved is mine and I am my beloveds there is a mutuall owning of both sides Therefore if we would answer the Covenant of grace let us worke our hearts to answer when we heare in the Ministry and in the Covenant of grace answer Lord I desire to beleeve this And when there is any thing commanded let our hearts answer and desire God to bow our inward man to obedience that we may be plyable Let us labour to have that free spirit that holy David prayes for Psal. 51. That was stopped by reason of his sin for when we renew sins against conscience we stop the mouth of our prayers that we cannot goe to God we stop the mouth of conscience that we cannot goe boldlie to God therefore he had then lost that freedome of spirit Let us labour to be plyable to the spirit readie to answer God in all that we are exhorted to and to yeeld the obedience of Faith to all the Promises that is the state of those that are in the Covenant of Grace there is the answer of a good Conscience Therefore let us resolve to take this course if we would attaine the answer of a good Conscience First of all labour that our consciences may be convinced of the ill that is in us that we may have a good troubled conscience first that we may know thorowly what our estate by nature is And then labour in the second place to have prace and then rayse and renew our purpose to serve God in all things and to trye the truth of this let us put interrogatories to our selves let us aske our selves doe I beleeve doe I not daube with my heart doe I obey doe I willingly cast my selfe into the mold of Gods word and willingly obey all that I heare doe I not deceive my selfe let us propound these interrogatories God is greater then our conscience if we answer God with reservations I will answer God in this and not in this I will yeeld to religion as farre as it may stand with my owne lusts and advantage this is not the answer of a good conscience What is done to God must be done all what is done zealously and religiously hath respect to all Gods Commandements and promises to one thing as well as an another If our hearts tell us there are reservations from false grounds here is not the answer of a good conscience Therefore let us search our selves and propound questions to our selves whether we beleeve and obey or no and from what ground wee doe it And let us make use of our Baptisme upon all occasions as thus Satan hath two wayes of tempting One is he tempts to sinne and then he tempts for sinne to accuse our consciences to make a breach betweene God and us that we dare not looke upon God when he tempts us or our corruptions move us or the world by allurements would draw us to any sinne let us thinke of our Baptisme and the answer we have made there and make use of it is this agreeable to the promise I made surely I have renounced this shall I overthrow my owne promise I make conscience to make good my promise to men and shall I breake with God I have promised to God to renounce the flesh the world and the Divell to renounce all these corruptions Let us have these thoughts when we are solicited to sinne when proud nature would have us set up the banner of pride I have renounced these proud affections I shall overthrow my baptisme if I yeeld And so for the enlarging of our estates or for getting up to honour to please mens humours to breake the peace of my conscience these things we have renounced the world and the vanities of it in our Baptisme The life of many is nothing but a breach of their vow and Covenant in Baptisme How will they looke at the houre of death and the day of judgement that God should keepe his promise with them to give them life everlasting when they never had grace to keepe touch with him notwithstanding their ingagements in Baptisme and their so often repeating it at the Communion and their renewing of their vowes when they
therefore they labour to be voluntarie It is a good saying there is no vertue in men that doe things against their wils for that is vertue and grace that comes from a man from his owne principles from cheerfulnesse God loves a cheerfull giver I might inlarge this but I doe but take it as it may strengthen the point our obedience to God it must be pliable and cheerfull and voluntary Againe obedience if it be true it is perfect and sincere looking to God Thy face Lord will I seeke we must eye God in it and Gods commandement and not have a double eye wee must not looke to our own selves it must be perfect obedience that is opposite to that which is hypocriticall that is the best perfection for the perfection of degrees is not to be attained here but this perfection of soundnesse is to be laboured for as wee see here it was a sound obedience Thy face Lord will I seeke I will not seeke thy favours and blessings so much as thy face It was perfect obedience as perfection is opposed to unsoundnesse It was likewise a professed obedience before all the world in spight of Satan Thy face will I seeke let the devill and the world doe what they can let others doe as they will but as Iosua saith If you will worship other Gods if you will fall away doe But I and my house will serve the Lord what if his house will not serve the Lord If my house will not serve the Lord I will So wee should all be of Iosua's mind I and my house will serve the Lord let the world goe which way it will In blessed Saint Pauls time oh saith he There are many of whom I have told you often and now tell you weeping who are enemies to the Crosse of Christ whose end is damnation who mind earthly things What doth Paul in the meane time oh but our conversation is in heaven we swim a contrary way we care not to let the world know it our conversation is another way So our obedience must not only be present and pliable and perfect but a professed obedience that is to breake through all the oppositions of the Devill and the world with an invincible resolution to bâ—…eak through all difficulties and scandals and examples of great persons and of this and that if we will goe to God and say truely Lord thy face will I seeke Let other men seeke what they will let them seeke the face and favour of others thy face will I seeke thou shalt be in stead of all to me as indeed hee is Againe as it is a professed so it is a continued a perpetuall obedience hee is resolved for the time to come Thy face will I seek not onely now and then turne my back upon thee afterwards but I will seeke thy face till I see thee in heaven I see thy face in thine ordinances in the word in thy people where two or three bee gathered thou are among them I will see thy face as I may till I see it in heaven so here is a perpetuall resolution Thy face I will seeke Lastly theâ—…e is one thing more in this obedience and answer to Gods command that his answer to God is an answerable answer that is the answer and obedience is sutable to the command Gods command was seeke my face his answer is thy face Lord will I seeke So the point is that Our obedience to God must be proportionable to that that is commanded It must not be this or that devised by men when the Lords eye is on you in this place and gives you a charge to doe thus the obedience must be sutable when he saith seeke my face wee must obey thy face Lord will wee seeke Therefore it may in some poor sense be compared to an Eccho we returne obedience in the same kind the Spirit of God teacheth the children of God to doe so to answer God in al the things hee doth I know not a better evidence of a child of God then this answering Spirit How shall I know that God loves me I love him againe therefore I know hee hath loved me first it is an undoubted argument How shall I know that God hath chosen mee I chuse him Whom have I in heaven but thee and what is there in earth in comparison of thee It is an undoubted Argument shall I be able to single out God to be instead of all to me and hath not hee chosen me first Can there bee any thing in the Current that is not in the Spring before It is impossible I know God I looke on him as my father certainly he hath shined on me first I have said to him thou art my God certainly he hath said before thou art my servant If I say to him thou art my God certainly he hath said before I am thy salvation hee hath begun for this is the order God begins he saith Seeke my face then if wee have grace to returne answerable obedience to God Thy face Lord will I seeke when thou biddest me Lord I will love thee I will chuse thee and delight in thee thou shalt bee my God if we have this returning spirit back againe we cannot have a better argument that God loves us then by answering Gods course This is that that Saint Peter hath in 1 Pet. 3. that that doth all in Baptisme it is not the washing of the filth of the body but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the answer or the demand of a good conscience but answer is better the answer of a good conscience cleanseth in Baptisme What is that In Baptisme dost thou beleeve saith the Minister in God the Father Almighty I doe beleeve that was the answer dost thou beleeve in God the Son I doe beleeve dost thou beleeve the Forgivenesse of sins the Resurrection of the body and the life everlasting I doe beleeve dost thou renounce the Devill and his workes I renounce them that is the answer of a good conscience where that is from the heart there God hath spoken to that heart before and there is obedience to purpose Thy face will I seeke it is that that brings comfort not the washing of the water it is not the eating of the bread and drinking the wine and hearing the word of God when there is not the answer of a good conscience when we say we beleeve and we will doe this to doe it indeed Lord I will beleeve I will goe out of the Church with a purpose to practise what I heare Here is the answer of a good conscience when wee mingle what we heare with faith and labour to practise it or else it will doe no good Our obedience must be sutable and answerable as I said before if it be a direction to follow it if it be a command to obey it if it be a threatning to feare it if it be a comfort a promise to rest upon it Let
those in whom this blessed grace is planted so that the excellencie and office of all graces are attributed to it there is a stirring up of al other graces whatsoever in saith All the Worthies that are spoken of before they did that they did And obtained a good report by faith The Spirit of God goes on here and shewes a glorious effect of this blessed grace in the falling downe of the Wals of Iâ—…richo This short Verse is taken out of the Stoâ—…ie of the Conquest of Iericho mentioned in Ios. 6. in the later end of the Chapter where you have the whole Storie set down at large I need not rehearse it And withall you have there a curse set downe that whosoever should goe about againe to build the wals of Iericho he should lay the foundation in his first borne and in his youngest Sonne he should set up the gates Hee that would raise up such a cursed building againe hee should doe it with the overthrow of his owne building of his owne Family as the Scripture cals a mans house a building he should lay the foundation in his eldest Sonne and build the Gates at the death of his youngest Sonne And a little to acquaint you with the fulnesse of the word before I come to the Story you have an audacious cursed attempt to build the wals of Iericho againe in 1 King 16. toward the latter end in a wicked Kings time in Ahabs time There was one so adventurous one Hiell that he would build Iericho hee laid the foundation in Abiram his first-borne and set up the Gates in his youngest Son Segub according to the word of the Lord spoken by Ioshua the Son of Nun you see whence this storie is fetched By faith the wals of Iericho â—…ll downe after they had beene compassed about seâ—…en dayes They were compassed about seven â—…ayes and the Arke in the midst and the seâ—…enth day they went seven times about and â—…en the wals fell downe as you have it in the â—…tory But to come to the words and to haâ—…en to that that I specially meane to touch at this time First of all observe here that Iericho had mighty wals as you see in the Storie it had wals and trusted in these wals or else they would have come out and have made condiâ—…ions of peace with Israel but as they had â—…als so they were confident in them as you â—…ee the Spies in Numb 14. they tell what â—…alled Cities they had and that terrified them And next you see here that God overthrowes their wals and by what meanes by â—…oore and base means by Trumpets of Ramsâ—…ornes they had silver Trumpets but they used not them but meaner Instruments Rams-hornes those were the meanes and the time that they used them seven dayes together and then that by faith using these meanes they overthrew the wals of Iericho they fell down From hence by Analogie and proportion wee may see First of all that carnall men they build up wals and put their trust in them The secondis that God confounds these courses The third is that God doth it by weak and silly means beleeved by faith The last point is that faith in the use of these meanes overcomes all By faith the wals of Iericho fell downe after they had beene compassed about seven dayes And then wee shall come to other things that concerne us and apply it to the time Naturall men since the fall they must have somewhat to trust to Since man lost his first prop and confidence and communion with God hee turnes to the creature there is alway some confidence in some creature and men leave God in what measure they trust that When Cain was banished his Fathers house then hefals to building of Cities he must have some contentment and those that were escaped the flood within a hundred yeares after the Flood they must build a Tower of Babell that should reach to Heaven to get themselves a name wanting better courses Every one will have some Castle and wall of Iericho to trust to Riches are the Rich-mans strong hold as Salomon saith Achitophel trusted to a shrewd head and policie that proved his ruine afterwards The Iewes had outward sanctitie to trust to opposing it to the righteousnesse of Christ the righteousnesse of faith Rom. 10. they would set a foot a dead Righteousnesse that could not stand and therefore they were shut from the Righteousnesse of God in Christ. Man will have a holinesse a wisedome a strength and power of himselfe in the things below here as I might shew at large both in examples and otherwise naturally we find it in our selves if we be sicke we trust to the Physician and other meanes if we be in danger we flee to the arme of flesh to some mighty man wee trust in some great friend if we have any If we be in danger of invasion or such like wee trust our wals and defences and till strong temptations come we trust in our ownstrength till Sathan picke so many holes in it that wee cannot stay there and that conscience upbraids us Alwayes a man hath somewhat to trust to till he be brought to desperate conditions and rather then he will have nothing to trust to hee will trust to the broken Reed of Egypt hee will trust to that that will deceive him and hurt him as the Reed of Egypt did the Iewes rather then they would trust God and the word brought by the Prophets they would trust Ashur and Egypt Now the Spirit of God in the Scriptures takes notice of this pronenesse to false confidence Trust not in uncertaine Riches If Riches increase set not your hearts on them And man when he sets his heart upon false confidence the issues are more dangerous hee will come against God he doth not onely set up these holds that hee hath in rebellion against God but he proclaimes as it were defiance to God and his word and his ordinances till afterwards God destroy all his false confidence and bring him to shame In 2 Cor. 10. there is a notable place to shew what holds there are in the heart of man that oppose against God and his truth in his word holds that Sathan keeps in man and man joyning with Sathan the Enemy holds against God and his truth The weapons of our warfare saith he are not carnall but mighty through God to cast downe strong holds The holds are within us and wee are so farre from preparing our selves to Grace and to entertaine Grace when it is offered that naturally wee set up holds against God and Grace There must be strong power to over-turne all to lead them into captiviâ—…y to the obedience of Christ To cast downe the imaginations and every high thing every high thought that exalts it selfe against the knowledge of God and to bring in Captivity every thought So there are three mighty things in every naturall man This false reasoning and
Law in things that touch not upon his nature as his truth and purity c. doth In things that touch his nature hee should deny himselfe if hee should dispense God cannot lie because truth is naturall to him God cannot doe any thing that is unfit for his nature but for things that are out of him he is Lord of dayes hee is Lord of goods and life hee hath a right to dispense here as we see in the taking away the Egyptians Iewels and the like they were outward things But for those things that are intrinsecall in God hee cannot command that which is contrary to his truth and nature other things belong to his Soveraignty but that by the way They were to compasse the wals seven dayes if they had made an end before the seventh day the wals had never fallen down howsoever there was no power in their going about to effect that yet God would not worke the effect till hee was waited on in all the seven dayes The meanes appointed by God must be used and so long as God will have them used there must be a depending and waiting upon God all the time To give a little further light to that I touched before you will aske why God useth meanes and doth not worke immediatly why hee did not cast downe these wals by his owne will and pleasure Besides that I said before God useth second causes not for defect of power but for demonstration of his goodnesse and for the trial of our obedience and the like therefore being Lord of Hosts hee hath multiplicity of rancks of creatures which he useth to effect those things that hee could doe himselfe if it pleased him therefore let such questions cease it pleased God so to doe The last point is this It was by Faith in the use of meanes that the Wals of Iericho fell downe If they had not depended upon God in their going about seven dayes the wals had stood still It was by faith they did it and it was a great faith that using such a ridiculous stratagem as this to goe about the wals with Rams-hornes they should thinke the walls would fall It might shake their Faith and likewise expose them to the scorne of those of Iericho within therefore it was a great faith in them Not that all had faith for certainely divers of them were unbeleeving persons But Ioshua their Captaine and some others of them had faith and al of them had hope of the best It was faith that believed this in this unlikelihood of second causes for there is the strength of faith when second causes are weake then faith is strong Abrahams faith was the stronger by reason there was more indisposition in the second causes in Sara's wombe to conceive a child for her wombe was dead in the course of nature shee could not conceive therefore it is said by Saint Paul Rom. 4. He being strong in faith gave glory to God strong faith gives glory to God So here was a strong faith because the meanes were weake or none at all for these meanes had nothing in themselves to work such a glorious effect as this that the falling of the wals should follow it was but a meanes adjoyned that it should be done by such a poore thing as this it was the strength of faith But was it the strength of faith in it selfe could faith do this Oh no but that which that faith laies hold on doth that faith is said to doe God honours the grace of faith by terming that to be done by it that he doth himselfe for it was the power of God the goodnesse of God to them and the justice of God against the sins of these people that overturned the wals of Iericho faith it was but an empty hand to lay hold upon this power it was the grace whereby they went out of themselves and denied themselves and gave glory to God in accomplishing the truth of his word and his wisedome and power and justice So God did it but it is said to be done by faith because as I said God honours faith thus much What strength God and Christ hath when faith laâ—…es hold on them faith hath that strength because it builds upon them faith sets a man upon God and Christ and upon the truth of God Hereupon it comes to be so victorious conquering a grace as it is because it caries us to that that doth all by faith they did this But here were other graces likewise that sprang from faith that helped them also There was a great deale of patience to goe about after that silly fashion with Rams-hornes seven dayes together here was patience and perseverance and hope But as I said before because faith doth enliven all other graces it gives life to all and stirs up all therefore that is named In the whole Chapter the exercise of other graces is attributed to faith because they draw strength from that to quicken them all and to stir them all to their several offices strengthen faith and strengthen all other graces whatsoever Thus you see we have briefly gone over these foure maine things Now let us by way of proportion raise them higher and make use of them to other things To give a little touch The wals of Iericho represent to us many things The Kingdome of Sathan in generall the power of the Devil in himselfe and in his instruments who hinders what he can our comming out of Egypt to Canaan he labours to come betweene us and Heaven to hinder us all he can by all means He hath wals of many kinds the strength of Tyrants the subtiltie of Hereticks What a world of adoe was there to bring Israel out of Egypt God was put to it as it were to worke so many Miracles to bring that poore despised people out of Egypt to bring them through the Red Sea when they were in the wildernesse what ado was there to bring them thence what opposition and then when they came to Iordan what Miracles were wrought the division of the waters by the Arke comming through and then the first the frontier Towne that was as it were the key to let in all and to stop all Iericho the first towne for the entrance into Canaan there was opposition made when they would have entred into Canaan It is no easie thing to come out of Egypt and to enter into Canaan it is a mighty worke to bring a poore Christian out of the Kingdome of Sathan to bring him out of spirituall Egypt through the Wildernesse of this life 〈◊〉 bring him through Iordan those waves of death to put him into Heaven to bring him at length to his owne countrey to Canaan because there is spirituall wickednesses stand in the way both in regard of Sathan himselfe and in regard of the instruments hee useth But Christ came to destroy the workes of the Devill as it is said 1 Ioh. 3. 8. and
other things that stand between us and heaven all the wals of Iericho all opposition let us set upon them with a spirit of faith in the use of meanes for hee that hath overcome for us as I said will by little and little overcome in us These corruptions of ours shall fall before the Spirit of God by little and little And as Hamans wife could tel him If thou begin to fall before that people thâ—… shalt certainly fall so if the worke of Grace be begun in us that corruptions begin to fall undoubtedly and certainly they shall fall they cannot stand before the Spirit For grace is in growing and corruption is in decaying continually in a Christian. Why doth not God all at once subdue these wals of Iericho in us but by little and little God will exercise our faith and patience wee are Warriers here in this world our life is a warfare and he will exercise grace in us hee â—…ill have us combate with enemies these inâ—…ard enemies among the rest Againe he will let us see what he hath done â—…r us If we were not exercised with enemies â—…e should not be thankfull sufficient for victoâ—…e over the Devill When we have bin vexed â—…ith the Devills temptations then blessed be God and Christ that at last these troubles are â—…ased How much are wee beholding to Christ that hath freed us from the danger of â—…hese we are only annoyed with the trouble â—…his will make us thankfull when wee have â—…arted This keepes us likewise from soule devourâ—…g sins lesse infirmities in us keepe us from â—…ide and securitie God hath many ends â—…ut to cut off other things because the point 〈◊〉 large I only give a taste Let this comfort us that the wals of Ierichoâ—…hat â—…hat is to say whatsoever opposeth us in â—…ur comming out of the state of nature and â—…ur entrance into the state of heaven whatsoeâ—…er opposition is between shall fall Therfore â—…et us strengthen our faith in the use of means How shall we strengthen our faith this way Faith is strengthened by the knowledge of â—…he attributes of him whom we lay hold upon â—…hose power doth all the more wee know â—…im the more wee shall trust him Let us laâ—…our to know God in Covenant to be our Faâ—…her and to know Christ as he is in his nature and offices what he is to us to know his wisedome and power and truth that there may be a bottome for faith to build on the more wee grow in spirituall knowledge the more wee shall grow in faith and the more wee grow in faith the more we shall grow in other graces whereby we overcome all our enemies that set against us Againe let us make use of all former experience to strengthen faith Hath God begâ—…n the worke doe the wals of Iericho begin to fâ—…ll He that hath begun a good worke will finish it to the day of the Lord. Let us take in trust the time to come by experience of Gods truth for the time past for the worke of the Spirit is a continued worke The Spirit of God in subduing our corruptions he would not have begun if he had meant to have left off and interrupted the worke The Spirit suffers us to fall sometimes but it is to teach us to stand better afterward he turnes our very fals and slips to our good Let us strengthen faith therfore from former experience as David did we have overcome the Beare and the Lyon therefore let us set on the Philistine And as Ioshua set his foot on the necks of the tenne Kings and said Thus shall the Lord thy God destroy all thine enemies so hath the Spirit of God set his foot as it were upon some corruptions thus shall God deale with all corruptions and temptations at length and never leave the blessed government of us till hee have subdued all Let us rise from one experiâ—…ent to another to strengthen faith God is â—…like in all truths You know in Iudges 5. saith â—…he holy woman Deborah So let all thine eneâ—…ies perish The heart of that blessed woman â—…as as it were enlarged prophetically when â—…ne fals they shall all fall there is like reason See how gloriously Hannah in her Song enlargeth her faith by Gods power and goodnesse â—…ecause she had experience in her selfe so exâ—…erience in our selves or others will-inlarge â—…ur faith to looke for greater matters stil from â—…ur gracious powerfull God thus we ought â—…o labour to strengthen our faith And the third thing to helpe faith in all spiâ—…ituall oppositions that we meet with is daily â—…xercise in using it to make it brighter contiâ—…ually every day by working with it upon â—…ur enemies And in the state of Grace to live by it both for this present life to depend upon God for all things and likewise for necessary grace As the Disciples when they were enjoyned a hard dutie Lord increase our faith say they they goe to exercise their faith upon it If that be increased all is increased And so in our callings exercise it by dependâ—…ng upon God for strength and successe Saith Peter to Christ Lord at thy word I will cast out the Net though it were very unlikely it should doe any good they had fished all day and catched nothing but yet he would wait and goe on still At thy word I will cast out the Net He did it and the Net brake with the multitude of fish Let us exercise our faith in daily obedience to God depend upon him in the use of meanes And learne this to wait in the exercise of our faith as they that went about the wals of Iericho they did it seven dayes Put case they had done it sixe and no more the wals had stood still He that hath ten miles to goe and goes but nine she shall never come to his journies end When God hath set downe such a time so long thou shalt waite and use the meanes and depend upon me by faith in the use of the meanes if we be short spirited and lengthen and strengthen not our faith in the use of the meanes wee shall never attaine our desire therefore let us labour to wait Here is the difference betweene Christians and others there is no man but he would be happy if so be it were not for this waiting If a wicked man should see Hell open would hee commit sinne if hee should see it present If hee should see Heaven open and Christ comming with his reward with him hee would be godly there is not the vilest wretch in the world but hee would be so if these things were present but because it is only discovered in the word of God and faith must beleeve and wait for the reward and faith must waite all the time of our life here is the trial So that a Christian differs nothing from a worldly man but in a Spirit of faith and waiting and continuance of that faith
there be a sutablenesse of obedience to the word thereafter as the word is Let us have a spirituall desire to these things to imitate the holy man of God as we desire to share in his comforts I will follow this point of the answerablenesse of obedience a little further and then come to the particular of seeking Let our obedience bee every way answerable first let the heart thinke what God saith what God commands and promiseth let the heart take the word of God the second time and ruminate on it and goe over it againe Let us looke into the word and see what is commanded and what is promised and then let the heart goe over it againe And then upon that all eage it to God Put case a man be in trouble Lord thou hast commanded Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will bâ—…re thee Psal. 50. Let the heart thinke of it and goe over that incouragement it is rather an incouragement then a command though indeed God lay a command on us to be good to our own soules it is a duty to love our selves Therefore he commands us to goe to him to seeke his face as though wee wronged him by disobedience when wee injure our selves by our peevishnesse as indeed we doe God loves us better then we love our selves let us thinke of the command and invitation thou hast commanded mee Lord and incouraged mee to come I am now in trouble experience teacheth me I come to thee thou hast said He that sitteth in darknesse and seeth no light let him trust in the name of the Lord. I am in darkenesse and see no light now I trust in thy name let the heart thinke of the promise and then alleage it to God and come with an obedient answer and cast it self upon him and trust in him We are in want perhaps and see no issue no supply thinke of Gods gracious promise I will not faile thee nor forsake thee I come to thee and claim this promise I am in covenant with thee c. So wee should take the promise thou hast said At what time soever a sinner comes to thee with a repentant heart thou wilt forgive his iniquities and though his sins were 〈◊〉 scarlet thou wilt make them as snow and white as wooll my soule thinkes of that command and I come to thee Thou hast bid all that are wearie and 〈◊〉 laden in soule that are troubled in conscience with the sense of their sins to come unto thee my heart thinkes of thy command and invitation I come to thee I am weary and heavie laden First let us thinke of the incouragement that is our warrant and then yeeld present obedience And then what will bee the issue what will spring from it when the heart and obedience joyn with the command that there is a meeting that they concentrate the heart and obedience God bids the heart obey the heart saith I doe obey when these meet the issue must bee exceeding comfortable it cannot be otherwise When the obedient heart meets God in his command in his promise In all perplexity of busines Commit thy way to the Lord and hee shall establish thy thoughts Prov. 3. Prov. 13. and other places Lord I commit my wayes to thee establish my thoughts and designes agreeable to thy will because thou hast bid mee commit my wayes to thee In the houre of death let us commend our selves to God as to a gracious and mercifull Creator 1 Pet. 4. Lord I commend to thee my soule who art the Creator of my soule and the Redeemer of it here is an obedience answerable what can be the issue of it but comfort Therefore let us learne by the example of this blessed man that when he had but a hint from God seeke yee my face answers Thy face Lord will I seeke Faith will see light at a little crevice when it sees an incouragement once a command it will soone answer and when it sees a promise halfe a promise it will welcome it it is an obedient thing The obedience of faith it beleeves and upon beleeving it goes to God As the servants of the King of Assyria they catch the word presently Thy servant Benhadad so faith it catcheth the word To put God in mind it is an excellent thing with the Prophet whosoever penned the 119. Psalme whether David or some other Remember thy promise wherein thou hast caused thy servant to trust As it is Nehem. 1. Remember Lord hee puts God in mind of his promise and so it is good often to put God in mind Lord thou hast made such and such promises I know thou canst not deny thy selfe if thou shâ—…uldest deny thy word thou must deny thy selfe thy word is thy selfe Remember thy promise wherein thou hast caused thy servant to trust If I be deceived thou hast deceived mee for thou hast given me this promise and this command This is an excellent way to deale with God as it were to wrastle with him By tâ—… promise thou hast quickned me Psal. 119. Wheâ—… I was dull and dead hearted then I thought oâ—… such and such a promise I alleage that promise and apply it by a spirit of faith and that quickned me And indeed as I said God hath made us fit to answer him and wee should study in all things to returne unto him by his spirit whatsoever God doth the heart should returne back againe love for love knowledge for knowledge seeking for seeking chusing for chusing He begins with us he chuseth us he loves us he seekes us and wee if ever we intend to be friends with God and to entertaine a holy communion as all that shall be saved must doe we should labour to have our hearts to returne to God what wee find from God first Thy face Lord will I seeke To come more particularly to this seeking which is the particular of the obedience and of the application Thy face Lord will I seeke Seeking implies that our happinesse is out of our selves it implies that there is somewhat in our selves in the application to which there must be some happinesse therefore wee goe out of our selves to seeke It is a motion and it is out of an apprehension of some want a man seekes out of some want or out of some losse or out of some duty Ether hee hath losse and therefore hee seekes or else hee wants and therefore he seeks or else he owes respect and dutie and therefore he seekes it is somewhat without a man that moves his seeking God need not seeke the creature hee hath all fulnesse in himselfe Indeed his love makes him seeke for our love to bee reconciled to him But the creature because his happinesse is out of himselfe in communion with God the Fountaine of all good he must seeke Christians must be Seekers This is the generation of Seekers Psal. 24. All mankind if ever they will
acknowledge that they have Our covetousnesse and greedinesse of that that wee have not and yet would have it makes us that wee doe not see that we have already Wee all looke forward wee would have more and more and are not thankefull for the present grace The Patriarchs were not so they wanted many things that they desired heartily to have and yet they comforted themselves and died in faith though they did not receive the promises They saw them afarre off They saw them afarre off and were perswaded of them and imbraced them c. This is the order of Gods spirit first to open the eye to see and by sight to perswade and upon perswasion to stirre up the heart and affections to imbrace for good things are brought into the soule through the understanding by the spirituall sight of the understanding and from that into the will and affections by imbracing the things wee know this is GODS course daily therefore he saith they first saw them and then were perswaded of them and then imbraced them They see them afarre off Indeed they saw them a farre off they were not fulfilled till many yeares and generations after yet they see them By what eye By the eye of faith faith makes things present though in themselves they be farre off It is the nature of faith to make things that are absent to be present to the believing soule and it affects the soule somewhat as if it were present Wee know things worke not upon the soule but as present a danger that is many yeares to come it affects not the soule unlesse it be apprehended as present nothing affects the soule but as present Now there are two wayes of things being present One is when the things themselves be present that is when we shall be in heaven and enjoy Christ and all the joyes of heaven then the things are present themselves And then there is a presence of faith when faith apprehends the things promised to us as present faith makes the things present in somesort not in all respects for then faith were all one with vision and possession but in regard of certainty they are present and in regard of sound comfort therefore God gives other graces betweene faith and possession to strengthen and enable faith that it doe not sinke in the worke between faith and the full possession of the good things we believe we have patience and hope and many other sweete graces but all dispose the soule comfortably to waite for the accomplishment of the things beleeved Now though the presence of faith affect not so much as the presence of sight yet it doth affect What is the reason that a holy man is so much affected with heavenly things hee feeles no more joy many times than a wicked man It is the nature of faith that so represents them to him and sets before his eyes the excellencie of the things that hee sees them as present Faith hath her eye faith hath her sences faith hath feete of her owne whereby shee goes to Christ faith hath armes of her owne to graspe and to claspe Christ. Faith hath eares of her owne to heare the word of God and believe it faith hath eyes of her owne and what kinde of eyes to seethings afarre off to see things invisible to see things within the vayle to see things that are upward things that sence and reason can never reach unto Reason sees more then sence but faith sees more than reason Faith sees the resurrection of the body faith sees the glory in heaven that all the eyes in the world cannot see Faith correcteth the errour of reason reason corrects the errour of sense They saw him afarre off with the blessed eye of faith Faith hath an eye that sees a farre off it sees things remote both intime and place It sees things farre off inplace faith sees things in heaven it sees Christ there it sees our place provided for us there it sees God reconciled there by it we see our selves there because we shall be there ere long faith sees all this it breakes through and looks through all it hath most piercing beames the eye 〈◊〉 faith And it workes in an instant it goes 〈◊〉 heaven in a moment and sees Christ. And for distance of time the eye of faith it sees things past and things to come It seeâ—… things past it sees the creation of the â—…ld it sees the redemption of us by Iesus Christ 〈◊〉 sees our sinnes there punished in Christ our suâ—…ety it sees us crucified with Christ Iesus 〈◊〉 sees all discharged by him Faith seeâ—… 〈◊〉 the Sacrament when we take the bread 〈◊〉 hath recourse presently to the breaking of 〈◊〉 body of Christ and the shedding of the bloâ—… of Christ. Then Christ is crucifyed 〈◊〉 us 〈◊〉 dies to us when we believe Christ was 〈◊〉 fied for us and died for us faith makes it present And so for the time to come faith hath 〈◊〉 eye that lookes a farre off it sees the resuâ—…ction of the body and life everlasting 〈◊〉 sees the generall judgement it sees eternall happinesse in heaven it sees things afarâ—… oâ—… It is the Evidence of things not seene What is the reason of it It makes things not otherwise seene be seene and presently seene it gives a being to things It is a strange power that faith hath faith is the eye of the sanctified soule it is the light of the soule In the darke though things have a coloâ—… and a lustre in them yet till light coâ—…e to make them cleare they are all as if they 〈◊〉 not they are not seene but when the light discovers them then those things that were impossible to bee seene and had in them collour and lustre they come to be actually seene So it is wiâ—…h faith there is the happinesse of a Christian there is glory and grace reason it seeth not this here is a night of all these things if there be not light in the eye of faith now when there comes the promise of God as a light discovering them and the eye of faith to see all this then here is an evidence of the things a cleare sight of them which without faith are as excellent things in the night that no eye can see Faith is a further light a light beyond all a supernaturall heavenly light and sight it sees beyond all other eyes beyond the eye of the body or beyond the other eye of the soule which is reason Now this worke of faith is called sight among other respects for this that sight is the most capacious and comprehending sence it apprehends its object quickly and sight it works upon the affections so faith hath a quick eye sight it pierceth through the darke things of the world it pierceth through contraries Gods children though they see their estate oft times contrary to the promise as if God did not regard them yet they breake through
that You know Gods manner of working is in contrary estates when we die faith sees life when we most apprehend our sins faith sees the forgivenesse of sinnes when we are in the greatest mystery faith hath so quicke a sight that it sees happinesse and glâ—…y through all It sees a farre off notwithstanding the interposing of any thing contrary by flesh and bloud Faith is sometimes called tast and by the name of other senses but especially by the name of sight As in sight there is both the light outward and a light in the eye and the application of the light in the eye to the object so in faith there is a light in the things revealed a promise and discovery of it by the light of the Gospell and an inward light in the soule answerable to the inward light in the eye for a dead eye sees nothing and a quick living eye sees nothing without the light of the ayre So there is a double revelation by the word and by the spirit the spirit works an eye of faith in the soule and then it discovers to it the things of God They saw them a farre off God created a new eye in the soule a new sight which they had not by nature for even as the natural eye cannot see things that are invisible so the naturall man cannot see the things of God which are seene not by a naturall but by a supernaturall eye eye hath 〈◊〉 seene nor eare heard nor hath entred into the heart of man to conceive what God hath prepared 〈◊〉 his children 1 Cor. 2. 10 11. The eye there-therefore that must see things a farre off it must bee a supernaturall eye and the light that must discover them must be the light of Gods truth for reason cannot see the resurrection of the body and the life to come and such glorious things as the word of God reveales to us If you aske why this sight of faith is so necessary this supernaturall sight I answer nothing can be done in religion without the supernaturall eye of the soule nothing at all for a man may see heavenly things with a naturall eye and be never a whit the better a man may see the joyes of heaven he may heare much of heaven and happinesse and forgivenesse and thinke oh these are good things but yet notwithstanding he doth not see these things with a supernaturall eye he doth not see these things to be holy and gracious and to be fit for him he wisheth them with conditions but not with the altering of his disposition As a man may see an earthly thing with a heavenly eye because he sees God in it and there is somewhat of God in it to lead him to see him so a man may see heavenly things with a carnall eye as Balaam wished to die the death of the righteous A carnall man may be ravished with heavenly things but he must look upon them as things sutable or else all is to no purpose How doth faith see this how comes faith to have this strength Because faith sees things in the power of God it sees things in the truth of God he 〈◊〉 Iehovah he gives being to things therefore as God Almighty gives being to things in their time when they are not so faith in his promises sees that these things will bee it sees things in the truth of God in the promise of God there it hath these eyes to see a farre off It selfe is wrought by the mighty power of God in the soule for it is a mighty power for the soule to neglect the things it sees to neglect riches and honours and pleasures and to stand admiring of things that it sees not for a man to rule his course of life upon reasons which the world sees not because there is a happinesse to come and a God that he believes in c. It is a mightie power that plants such a grace in the heart faith is wrought by the mighty power of GOD. As it selfe is wrought by the power of God so it layes hold upon the power of God that the promises shall be performed In all the promises it sees and layes hold on the mighty power and truth of God and therefore it hath such an eye Our duty then is to labour to have our faith cleare to have this eye of faith to have a strong faith a strong sight When is the sight of faith strong When it is as the faith of these Patriarchs was There are three things that make a strong sight that makes us conceive that he sight of faith is a strong sight When the things are farre of that we see then if the eye see them it is a strong sight a weake eye cannot see a farre off Secondly when there are clouds betweene though the things be neare yet when there are clouds betweene to breake and pierce through them there must be a strong sight Then thirdly when there is but a little light when there are many obstacles in the middest and to breake through all by a little light to seethings remote here is a strong eye and this was the sight of these blessed men they had a strong eye For the things they looked on were remote a farre off diverse thousands of yeares they saw Christ by faith the soule mounted up on the wing of faith it flew over many thousands of yeares in a moment and see Christ the Messias and see heaven it selfe typi fied in Canaan So swift is the eye of faith it mounts over all in a moment As the eye of the body in a moment can looke to the vâ—…sible heavens so a strong faith it sees Christ in heaven And then betweene them and that they looked to what difficulties were there Blessed Abraham who was a type of Christ how many difficulties had he besides other of the Patriarchs We see God commanded him to slay his sonne a command one would thinke against reason against affection against hope it was faith against faith as it were It was against reason in the eye of flesh Now in this case to strive against all these difficulties what a many clouds must Abraham breake through here against sense and against affection hee must hope against hope hee must have faith against faith he must deny affection hee must goe and take his only begotten son Isaac and he must be the executioner and butcher himselfe and slay him for a sacrifice Here must be a strong faith in the power of God that must see God raysing Isaac from the dead as he did after a sort for when he was bound for a sacrifice ready to bee slaine he caused a Ramme to be taken in the thicket and to be offered and Isaac escaped It was a strong faith to breake through all these Indeed blessed Abraham saw more excellency and power in the work of God then in his beloved Isaac So faith that is strong it
por ion in them and not bee transformed to a spirituall state and frame of soule to love and delight in holy things and to despise that which is contrary And when he is in such a state what is all the world to him What cares he for riches or pleasures or honours when the soule sees incomparable better things Whom have I in heaven but thee and what doe I desire on earth in comparison of thee saith David When hee had a little meditated of the vanity of earthly things and saw the goodnesse of God to his children It is good for mee to draw neere unto God It is a speech of conviction the soule is convinced that it is good and best to draw neare to God in holy meanes and in holy duties to keep close to him and then it cries out whom have I in heaven but thee Therefore let us never rest in such a knowledge of holy things as doth not convince us of the goodnesse of them and of our interest in them so farre as may draw and worke upon our affections to imbrace those things When we finde our hearts and affections wrought on that holy things as they are excellent in themselves so they have an answerable place in our hearts that as they are holy and high and best so they have a high place in our hearts then a man is in the estate of a Christian or else a man may very well doubt of his estate when he can heare of heaven and happinesse and of the excellency of the children of God that they are heires of heaven c. and his heart bee not affected with these things he may well question himselfe doe I believe these things here are rich and precious promises but where is my precious faith to close with and to imbrace these things doe I believe them If Idoe how is it that I am no more affected with them and so let us stand in the meditation of the excellencies of Religion so long till our hearts be affected and warmed with them This will follow affections a desire to thinke oft of them as David joynes both together Oh! how doe I love thy law it is my meditation continually That that a man loves hee oft thinks of that stirres up love and love makes him oft consider of it and when it is thus with a man hee is in such 〈◊〉 condition as these holy Patriarchs fit to live and die by his faith They saw them and were perswad of them and imbraced them Therefore I say we may know whether we have this spirituall light whether wee have true faith or no if we have these imbracings if wee be so perswaded of them that wee imbrace them with delight and desire and love and joy if we make choyse of them and esteeme them highly and cleave constantly to that which is revealed to us then it is a divine light and perswasion because wee imbrace them Certainely there is nothing in religion divine unlesse the affections bee carried with it True faith carries the whole soule to whole Christ out of a mans whole selfe It carries the understanding to see and the will to chuse and to cleave it carries the affections to joy and delight and love it carries all Therefore those that when holy things 〈◊〉 discovered they have not a high esteem of them that they priâ—…e them not above earthly things that they cleave not to them with a disesteeme of other things that they joy not in them as their best portion that they doe not imbrace them there is no true faith at all for where there is true faith there is this imbracing God hath made the soule as I said for these heavenly things and when the soule and they close together there is a sweet imbracing then the soule is raysed above it selfe the soule is quieted and stilled and satisfied There is nothing in the world else will better the soule but the imbracing of these things nothing else will beautifiâ—… and adorne the soule in Godâ—… sight our soules are made forthem our desires are made to imbrace them our love and oâ—… joy to delight in them our wills to cleave to them and â—…ke choyse of them above other things We abuse our soules they are not made 〈◊〉 close and graspe with the world they are noâ—… made for thâ—…se things that are baseâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selves we abase our soules A coveâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 himselfe wo sethan â—…is 〈◊〉 he is called the world because hee hath nothing in him better than the world If we imbrace Christ and the promises of salvation the things of anotherlife the imbracing of these rayseth the soule to bee excellent like the things and it doth 〈◊〉 and rest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but in its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the heavic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the middle pâ—…int of the earth and light bodies rest 〈◊〉 to their 〈◊〉 So the soule it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faith resting in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 soule â—…rying it to the thing it is made for 〈◊〉 these holy men in all the â—…yles and 〈◊〉 bles of tho world in all confusions thâ—… soules of these blessed 〈◊〉 rested in Christ. We may say of all earthly things as 〈◊〉 hath this sentence of them Micah 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hence here is not your rest so we may say to the soule concerning riâ—…hes and honours and friends here is 〈◊〉 yours rest You were not made to imbrace and to cleave to these things Our rest is in Christ and in the good things we have by him These good 〈◊〉 imbraced him with their whole soule This shewes that many men have not faith they know not what it meanes Where there is trâ—…e faith there is alway love and joy and delight in the things believed it carries the soule with it In what measure we apprehend the goodnesse of a thing in that measure our love is to it In what measure wee apprehend the greatnesse and fitnesse of a thing in that measure our affections are carried to it The understanding reports it to the affections of love and liking and they are naturally carried to that which the soule makes report of to bee usefull the understanding makes them follow it therfore it is a signe our understandings are not perswaded our eyes are not opened when wee love not good persons and good things when wee cleave not to them above all things Those that do not imbrace and cleave in their will and affections to good things let them say what they will they doe not believe If there were but a light conjecture in men if there were but a guessing that there were such a happinesse and that there were such horrible â—…orments for sinners that live in sinne they would live otherwise then they doe Therefore deadnesse in the affections discovers Atheisme in the judgment and heart it shewes there is unbeliefe for how is it possible that a man
should not be carried in his affections to a good that he is perswaded of and how is it possible he should not loath ill and dest 〈◊〉 things If he were perswaded that hell were such as it is and that these courses lead to hell and destruction and estrange him from the favour of God whose loving kindnesse is better then life it self if men were perswaded of 〈◊〉 things in any strength their soules would not be affected as they are Therefore if wee would know whether nature be corrupted or no we may do it by this You have some men that are conceited especially when they are in their ruffe and have all things plenty Divines talke much of the corruption of nature and such things they think all is well O! but do but lay these things together the excellency of the things promised and the terrour of the things threaâ—…ed and our â—…ndisposition to these things in regard of perswasion that we live as if we did not think these things to be true What a disposiâ—…on oâ—… soule is that that cals divine truths into question To believe the lies of our owne hearts and the temptations of the devill and the world that lies in mischiefe before the 〈◊〉 ved truth of GOD it selfe that is sealed 〈◊〉 the oath of God And yet the heart of man 〈◊〉 naturally carried to believe these things moâ—… than God himselfe Witnesse the lives of meâ—… who have dead carâ—… base affections 〈◊〉 regard of heavenly things they shew 〈◊〉 they are not perswaded of them notwithstanding all the sweete arguments and perswasions that the Scripture hath They doe not professe that they call them in question yet they live as if they made no doubt that they are all false It is a folly not to believe those things that are sealed by so many evidences as divine things are but it is more desperate folly to live as if wee did not believe them at all If these things were digested they would make us out of love with our owne naturall estate and to labour for a spirit of faith to perswade our soules both that those things are so indeed that God hath revealed and to get assured perswasion of our part and interest in them Indeed a dead faith is no faith at all it is the effect of the whole Epistle of S. Iames that it is no faith that is dead it doth not worke upon the heart and affections nor the life and conversation a dead faith is no faith at all Let us shame our selves therefore Lord doe I professe I see things above nature that I see Christ in heaven and see my selfe there and do I professe that I am perswaded that the word of God is true and am I no more affected where is my love where is my joy where is my comfort doth my heart runne after other things that professe my selfe to bee perswaded of better things Let us never rest but bee angry and wroth with our hearts and affections for they are made for these promises our precious faith is made to imbrace precious promises and to carry the whole soule to them And let us helpe this with complaining of our selves and with prayer Lord thou hast discovered excellent things in thy word and hast perswaded me Lord open my heart the heart is thy throne the heart and will and affections thou dealest with especially Lord incline my heart inlarge my heart The LORD hath promised in the new covenant to teach our bowels to love Lord teach my heart to love thee Thou hast opened my understanding to conceive holy things or else I had never beene able to understand thee and thy truth teach my bowels also to love teach them to cleave to the things take off my love my joy and delight from earthly things and plant them where they should be inlarge them the right way fill my heart with thy selfe as thou hast made it for thy selfe This should be our desire What be the affections wherby the soule imbraceth these good things it is perswaded of The soule imbraceth these things in the affections of faith and hope in the first place for faith is an emptiegrace in it selfe it is carried to somewhat out of it selfe that it imbraceth and layeth hold on and hope is with faith alway Together with the work of faith and hope there is a sanctifyed affection of the imbracing soule there is a love of the things promised which is imbracing and a love of the meanes and likewise joy and delight in them expressed by thankfulnesse As you see the Patriarchs in the story of Genesis when God discovered holy things to them aâ—…resh that he would give them the land of Canaan and the Messias to come and all that happinesse there was thankfulnesse presently they built Altars to God And which alway accompanies thankfulnesse humility As Abraham Genesis 17. 3. downe he falls when God made him such a large promise he fals downe on his face as if he were unworthy of such a thing so this disposition alway accompanies a soule that imbraceth together with faith and hope that leads the affections after them there is love expressed in a constant obedience and care of duty to God many wayes As it is an affection that will not bee concealed And joy and delight with thankfulnesse and humility considering the excellency of the things and our unworthinesse that we cannot but have this disposition alway thankfulnes and humility And likewise contentment to end our dayes a disposition that followes imbracing in faith for where imbracing of faith and love is in an imperfectestate there will be joy when that comes that makes way to full imbracing that is in heaven it selfe as Simeon rejoyced when hee imbraced Christ in his armes what did the old man thinke we when he came to heaven when Christ and he met there And Abraham rejoyced to see CHRISTS day with the eye of faith and likewise imbraced it with faith and that wrought joy What did Abraham then when he came to heaven when he see all ended there I say death that makes way to full enjoyning and imbracing in this very respect it is not only patiently entertained of Gods children but comfortably as letting them in to the good things that they esteeme above all the world besides to the possession of Christ to heaven and happinesse Let us consider of these things To come to direct us a little about this imbracing in faith and hope and love and joy and the whole soule when the soule as it were goes out to the things wee are perswaded of How shall this be wrought upon the soule This imbracing wee see it followes upon perswasion and perswasion followes seeing they saw them farre off and were perswaded of them and thereupon they imbraced them Therefore let us labour for a cleare understanding of divine things That which the eye sees the heart grieves for in ill and that that
from heaven to earth and here he conversed as a stranger he dwelt in his body here as a tabernacle which he layd aside for a while to work the worke of out redemption and then after to dwell in it for ever He was the prime stranger of all strangers he that makes us all strangers here and Citizens of heaven he was a stranger on earth He was not indeed a stranger for hee was Lord of heaven and earth yet in regard of his state of exaltation that was to come after in regard of dispensation he was here as a servant he lived here as a stranger And indeed he was as strangely used for hee came among his owne and his owne knew him not as it is in Iohn 1. he was not knowne among his owne Countrie men the Iewes hee was a stranger on earth He conversed with us here and was among us as a stranger you see how his speech and carriage and conversation on earth it was as a strangers He was talking alway of his fathers house and of the kingdome of heaven When he speakes of the estate of the Church which is the only company of people here in whom God rules by his spirit yet because they are ordained for the kingdome of heaven he calls them strangers here and termes them by that that they are ordained to All his minde was of the kingdome of heaven we see after he was risen the matter of his discourse as the Gospell tells it was of the kingdome of heaven he talked of things that belonged to the kingdom of God all his speeches were that way and his comparisons were fetched that way The kingdome of heaven is like to such a thing and such a thing And all his worke was to draw men from the earth As it was his grand work to redeem men from the earth that is from hell and from their cursed condition so the matter of his teaching was answerable to his work to draw men to heaven all the paines that he tooke before and after his death till he was taken into heaven it tended that way He came from heaven to earth to wooe us to be a spouse to himselfe he came from heaven into a strange countrie to take us for his spouse to take our nature and in our nature to winne us to die for us he carried himselfe as a stranger every way he regarded not earthly things Now answerable to our head Christ must all Christians bee in their affections and dispositions we must be conformable to him we must be strangers as he was All that looke to die in the faith of Christ and to be happy for ever they must witnesse their believing and loving of better things by an answerable carriage to all things here below they must have the affection of strangers and travailers Faith doth enforce this It is the nature of the soule from a principle and ground of nature that when the soule is carried up one way it is shut another when it cleaves unto and imbraceth better things when it is open to heaven the point of the soule is shut to the earth and wee looke upon these things as strangers and pilgrims only for necessary use These holy men the Patriarchs were strangers Strangers in their owne esteeme As Abraham and Iacob they confesse they were sojourners and David though he were a King yet he saith he was a stranger as all his fathers were So all the Patriarchs they professed themselves to be strangers and sojourners and they did it not in word only but in deed they shewed it by dwelling in tabernacles and tents poore things fit for strangers heaven was their house Tabernacles are moveable weak things that have no foundation So they knew their life was like a tabernacle here And their manner of life shewed what they looked for they carried themselves as those that hoped and looked for better things They were strangers in their dispositions they affected things above and cared no more for these things then for necessary use to helpe them to serve God in their places and those that are strangers in their dispositions they desire to be at home Againe they were strangers in GODS esteeme God termed them so and so it is with all that believe in Christ when we once believe and are new creatures new borne to a better inheritance presently at the same time we are strangers here Strangers likewise in the esteeme of the world The world used them as strangers strangely When a man leaveth the world and cleaveth to God presently the world setteth on him by reproaches and all they can because they think he will disgrace them by his change therefore they labour to make him as black as they may that way they use all strangely that breake from them God will have it so because he will have his children not to love the world therefore he will have the world hate them So they are strangers in that respect they think it strange that they doe not as they did formerly that they doe not as they doe wicked men thinke it strange that they runne not with them into the same excesse of ryot so they are strangers in the esteem of wicked men So they are strangers in regard of their place heaven is their hope they are begotten to an inheritance immortall undefiled c. they live in a place where they are strangers they are every way strangers But you will say wicked men are strangers and pilgrims too I answer they are indeed so for in regard of the shortnesse of their lives and the uncertaintie of the things they injoy for they out-live all their happines here they are snatched hence before they bee aware therefore they are but travellers here but they goe from ill to worse yet in regard of their affections they are no strangers but account themselves at home from a spirit of infidelity and pride and earthlinesse Therefore they are called men of the earth and those that dwell on the earth in the Revelation because they looke no furtherthen the earth and here they roote and fix their affections upon this earth they do not fix their hearts and affections upon the things above they looke not after them they care not for them they value them not nor esteeme them Therefore answerable to their thoughts and bent of their soule and mind is their discourse their speech and carriage and thereupon they are called men of the earth and called the world because they love nothing but the world they are as it were changed into the things they love they are earth as the Prophet saith Oh earth earth c. and they are the world because their affection of love joynes them to these earthly things The Church in the Revelation is called heaven but the beast is said to rise out of the earth for that which bred the carnall religion of Popery it was nothing but earth and
labour to get assurance of another a better country for what made these holy men confesse themselves strangers and pilgrims here They saw the promises a farre off and were perswaded of them and imbraced them and in that measure they were assured of a better condition they carryed themselves as strangers and pilgrims here To wind up all in a word you see here their disposition I beseech you make this text your patterne to be molded into you see how these blessed men long agoe lived in faith when their light was lesse then ours is and they died in faith and will welcome us when we shall come to heaven we shall goe to Abraham Isaac and Iacob and the rest of the Patriarchs and holy men It will bee a blessed time when all the blessed men that have gone before shall welcome us to heaven If we looke to be happy as they are we must live as they did and die as they did though we cannot so strongly as they did see that with the eye of faith that no eye else can see yet let us desire God to perswade us of these truths more strongly then the devill of our own lusts shall perswade us to the contrary let us desire God to set on his truths so strongly that all other things may not hinder us that we may imbrace them with our best affections of love of desire of contentment that we may witnesse all this by our demeanour to earthly things by our base esteem of them and carry our selves as pilgrims and strangers on earth If we do thus live in faith and die in faith we shal live with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heaven eternally FINIS THE HIDDEN LIFE In two Funerall Sermons upon COL 3. 3 4. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE 1 JOHN 3. 2. Beloved now yee are the Sonnes of God and it doth not appeare what wee shall bee LONDON Printed by E. Purslow for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queenes head Alley in Pater-Noster-Row 1639. THE HIDDEN LIFE COLLOS 3. 3 4. For yee are dead your life is hid with Christ in God When Christ who is our life shall appeare then shal yee also appeare with him in glory THE dependance of these words in a word is this The Apostle after he had laid the grounds of some Doctrines hee doth frame the building of a holy life and conversation It is in vaine to believe well unlesse a man worke accordingly hee that lives against his faith shall be damned as he that believes against it Thereupon in this Chapter hee comes to raise their affections to be Heavenly minded and stirres them up to subdue what soever is contrary to Heavenly mindednesse And because it is a duty of great moment to be heavenly minded and to subdue base affections he inserts weighty reasons betweene If yee bee risen with Christ seeke those things that are above And among other reasons theâ—… 〈◊〉 this yee are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God And therupon he forceth seeking of the things that are above and the mortifying of earthly members For the duties of Christianity â—…e to be applyed two wayes to be heavenly affected to subdue that which is contrary to be heavenly minded to mortifie our earthly members Now how shall we doe both For yee are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God c. You see the first proposition yee are dead with whom with Christ in God A Christian is dead many wayes He is dead to the law to the morall law he lookes not to have comfort and salvation by it by the law he is dead to the law and so flyes to Christ. A Christian is dead also to the ceremonâ—…ll law now in the glorious lustre of the Gospell what have we to doe with those 〈◊〉 element that were for Children A ceremoâ—… disposition is opposite to the glory and lustre of the Gospell as the Apostle speakes in the former Chapter He is dead likewise to sinne having communion with Christ when he dyed for sinne hee is dead to sinne He that hath communion in the death of Christ hath the same affection to sinne that Christ had Christ hated it infinitely when he suffered for it so every Christian thinkes that Christ dyed for my sinnes and by union with Christ he hath the same affection to it he is dead to it And because this is but an inchoation and beginning a Christian is not perfectly dead to sinne hee stands in need of afflictions and in regard of afflictions he is dead they must help the worke of mortification And because no affliction can sufficiently worke mortification but death it self which is the accomplishment of mortification we are dead in respect of death it selfe which is the accomplishment of all though we live here for a time we are dead in regard of the sentence that is passed on us as wee say a man is dead when the sentence is passed on him in that respect wee are dead men for our life is but a dead life besides the sentence that is passed upon us death siezeth upon us in the time of our life in sicknesses c. And so they prepare us to death thus and many other wayes we are dead The second proposition is Our Life is hid with Christ in God We are dead and yet we have a life A Christian is a strange person hee is both dead and alive he is miserable and glorious he consists of contraries he is dead in regard of corruption and miseries and such like but he is alive in regard of his better part and he growes two wayes at onâ—… it is a strange thing that a Christian doth hee growes downewards and upwards at the same time for as he dyes in sin and misery and naturall death approaching so he lives the life of grace and growes more and more till he end in Glory This life is said to be a hidden life It is hid with Christ in God The life of a Christian which is his glorious spirituall life it is hid among other respects It is hid to the world to worldly men because a Christian is an unknown man to them because they know not the Father that begets therefore they know not them that are begotten as S. Iohn saith they know not the advancement of a Christian he is raysed into a higher ranck then they Therefore as a beast knowes not the things of a man no more doth a carnal man in any excellency know the things of the spirit for they are spiritually discerned therefore it is a hidden life in the eyes of the world a wordly man sees not this life in regard of the excellency he passeth scornes and contempts of it of folly and the like A Christian in respect of
ascension riseth from his and our sitting at the right hand of God from his And so at the day of judgement our being glorious it comes from his He then shall appeare in glory as the head and husband of his Church and shall shine upon all his members He as the Sun shall cast a lustre and beauty and glory upon all that are his and then they shall reflect that glory they have from him upon him againe and he upon them againe so he shall be glorious in them and they in him but the ground of all is he is first in glory he shall appeare in glory and then we in him I speake this the rather because I would have humble consciences to make use of it in times of desertion when God seemes to bee a God that hides himselfe when they find no life nor comfort yet if they have but grace to believe they may comfort themselves in this well I have it but from Christ and he is perfect in glory he is ascended and I shall ascend and rise and be glorious because hee is so Put case now I feele no such matter it is no matter I live by faith in Christ that hath all in fulnesse and what hee hath done for me hee will doe in me if I believe in him Let a troubled soule comfort it selfe with this it is as impossible that he should be damned that believes in Christ as that Christ should be damned because hee believing in Christ is one with him and as verlly as Christ is in heaven hee shall bee there for Christ rose for all his The little finger lives the same life as the hand or the foot doth so a weake christian that hath little grace he lives by the same faith in Christ that is in glory as well as they that are stronger Let us strive and fight with this encouragement as S. Paul saith fight the good fight of Faith Oh! but shall we be alwayes fighting and striving No saith hee lay hold of eternall Life and then wee may well fight against doubts and despaire Let us therefore labour to fight so that we may lay hold on eternall life which Christ keepes for us and keeps us for it and ere long we shall partake of that wee hope for FINIS THE REDEMPTION OF BODYES In one Funerall Sermon upon PHIL. 3. 2â—… BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE 1 COR. 15 44. It is sowne a naturall Body it is raised a spirituall body LONDON Printed by E. Purslow for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queenes head Alley in Pater-Noster-Row 1639. THE REDEMPTION OF BODIES PHIL. 3. 21. Who shall change our vile Body that it may bee fashioned like unto his glorious Body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himselfe THE Apostle was now in prison yet hee had a spirit of glory resting upon him for he speakes as if he were entred into Heaven as if he were there before his time and therefore in Chap. 1. saith he I desire to bee dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all And I account all dung in comparison of Christ as he saith in this Chap. and here in the former verse Our conversation is in Heaven from whence we looke for the Saviour Iesus Christ who shall change our vile bodyes c. God reserves abundance of comforts to the fittest times as we see here in Saint Paul in this place Now he brings in his owne example to good purpose as opposite to false Christians and false â—…eachers that he had mentioned before There are many walke of whom I have told you oft c. they are enemies to the crosse of Christ that mind earthly things c. verse 18. But saith hee our conversation is in heaven he regards not which way they went hee tooke an opposite course to the world and swims against the stream As we see the stars they have a motion of their own opposite to the motion that they are carried with So S. Paul had a motion of his owne opposite to the course of the world their end is damnation but our conversation is in Heaven A christian hath his conversation in Heaven while hee is on earth hee rules his life by the lawes of heaven There are alway in the visible Church some that walke contrary wayes who make their Belly their God whose end is 〈◊〉 There were some that were christians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…achers of Christians many of them yet he saith their end is damnation their God is their belly carnall Christians say wee have all 〈◊〉 the sacrament c. Alas we may all partake of this common privilege and yet our end may be damnation St. Paul looked on them with a a spirit of compassion I tell you weeping So it may be with us in our Gosheâ—… here there may be a spirit of cast-awayes in many and in the abundance of meanes there may bee many dead souls But S. Paul regards not what their course was for saith he our conversation is in Heaven From whence we looke for the Saviour c. That shewes why his conversation was in heaven because his Saviour was in heaven and therefore his hope was in heaven Where the treasure is the heart will be Having entred into this blessed discourse he goes on still who shall change our vile bodies and fashion them like his glorious body He brings it in by way of answering an objection If our conversation be in heaven why are our bodies yet subject to such afflictions and basenesse in this world It is true they are but the time shall come that Christ shall change these vile bodies of ours and fashion them like to his glorious body I but this requires a great deale of power and strength and we see not how it may be Therefore saith he he shall doe it by that almighty power whereby he is able to subdue all things to himselfe therefore he shall subdue death the last enemy he will not doe it perhaps according to thy fancy and conceit but according to the working whereby hee is able to subdue all things to himselfe we must not regard our weake conceits in great matters but Gods power yee erre saith Christ to the Pharisees not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Saint Paul then in these words and in the verse before sets downe three reasons why his course is opposite to the course of wicked men in his time First my City is in heaven and my conversation is answerable I take a contrary course for I am a citizen of another City And then another reason is his hope and expectation of a Saviour from heaven the Lord Iesus Hope faith which is the ground of hope carry up the soule where the thing hoped for is Our conversation is in
consists other creatures wanting understanding to discerne a better good out of then in themselves their life being their good desire only the continuance of their owne beeing without society and fellowship with others But man having the knowledge of God the Creator of heaven and earth but especially of God the Redeemer providing for him a second beeing better then his first understandeth that his best and chiefest good dependeth more in him then in himselfe and because his happinesse standeth in acquaintance and fellowship with this God which is the chiefe good he desireth a communion with him that he may partake of his good This communion and fellowship of man with God was first founded on a Covenant of workes made with Adam in Paradise if he did obey and did not eat of the forbidden fruit he should have life both for himselfe and his posterity the which Covenant because God would not have forgotten hee afterward renewed in the delivery of the ten Commandements requiring from man obedience to them in his owne person exactly at all times perpetually promising life on the obedience and threatning death and cursing if hee continued not in every thing the law required to doe But this fellowship being placed in mans owne freedome and having so weake a foundation he lost both himselfe and it so that now by the first Covenant of workes Adam and all his posterity are under a curse for we cannot fulfill the law that requireth personall obedience perfect obedience and exact obedience hee that continueth not in all is cursed The Law then findeth us dead and killeth us it findeth us dead before and not onely leaves us dead still but makes us more dead Now after this fall mans happinesse was to recover againe his communion and fellowship with God and therefore we must have a new Covenant before wee can have life and comfort God must enter into new conditions with us before wee can have any communion with him God therefore loving man doth after the breach of the first agreement and Covenant when Adam had lost himselfe by his sinne and was in a most miserable plight as ever creature was in the world falling from so great a happinesse into wondrous misery hee raysed him up and comforted him by establishing a second a new and better Covenant laying the foundation of it in the blessed seed of the woman Christ the Messiah who is the ground of this new Covenant and so of our communion and fellowship with God without whom there can be no intercourse betweene God and us in love and because this Covenant vvas almost forgotten therefore now in Abrahams time God renewed it to Abraham in this place I will be thy God and the God of thy seed after thee c. There are foure periods of time of renevying this Covenant first from Adam to Abraham and in those first times of the vvorld those that were under the Covenant vvere called the sonnes and daughters of God the children of the promise and the covenant of grace was called a promise of the blessed seed Secondly from Abraham to Moses and then it was called a covenant and they the children of the covenant I will establish my Covenant A covenant is more then a promise and a more solemne thing because there be Ceremonies The third period of renewing the covenant of grace was from Moses to Christ and then it was more cleare when as to the covenant made with Abraham who was sealed with the Sacrament of Circumcision the Sacrament of the Pascall Lambe was added and all the Sacrifices Leviticall and then it was called a Testament that differeth a little from a Covenant for a Testament is established by blood it is established by death so was that but it was onely with the blood and death of Cattle sacrificed as a Type But now to Christs time to the end of the world the covenant of grace is most cleare of all and it is now usually called the new Testament being established by the death of Christ himselfe and it differs from a Covenant in these respects First a Testament indeed is a covenant but something more it is a covenant sealed by death the Testator must die before it can be of force so all the good that is conveyed to us by the Testament it is by the death of the Testator Christ Gods covenant with us now is such a covenant as is a Testament sealed with the death of the Testatour Christ for without blood there is no redemption without the death of Christ there could be no satisfaction and without satisfaction there could be no peace with God Secondly a Testament bequeatheth good things meerely of love it giveth gifts freely A covenant requireth some thing to be done in a Testament there is nothing but receiving the Legacies given In covenants ofttimes it is for the mutuall good one of another but a Testament is meerely for their good for whom the Testament is made to whom the Legacies are bequeathed for when they are dead what can they receive from them Gods Covenant now is such a Testament sealed with the death of Christ made out of love meerely for our good for what can God receive of us all is legacies from him and though hee requireth conditions requireth faith and obedience yet he himselfe fulfilleth what he asketh giveth what he requireth giveth it as a Legacie as we shall see afterward Thus you see that the communion and fellowship of man with God must either be by a covenant of workes or by a covenant of grace And we must distinguish exactly betweene these two covenants and the periods of them When the covenant of workes was disanuled by ours sinnes because we could not fulfill the Law exactly and perpetually God will have a new Covenant if wee beleeve in Christ we shall have everlasting life Now if wee sticke to the one we must renounce the other if it be of faith it is not of workes and if it be of workes it is not of faith This was excellently signified by Ioshua and Moses Ioshua bringeth the people to Canaan and not Moses Moses doth not bring any to heaven it must be Ioshua the Type of the true Jesus that must bring them through Iordan to Canaan This was typified also in the Arke there was the Law the Covenant of workes in the Arke but the propitiatory the Mercy-seate was above the Arke above the Law and from thence God made all his Answers to signifie to us that we can have nothing to doe with the Law without the Propitiatory Christ is the Propitiatory the Mercy-seate in Christ God heareth us he makes all his Answers in the Propitiatory Christ. Therefore when the question is of salvation how wee have title to heaven Not by the merit of workes for then we reverse the Covenant of grace but our title is meerely by Gods mercy in Christ apprehended by faith The evidence indeed to prove our faith to be a true faith is from
Conscience Upon the preventing of an objection and removing their false confidence hee positively sets downe what that is that doth save in Baptisme saith he it is the answer of a good Conscience The Scope of the words should have moved the holy Apostle to have said thus not the putting off the filth of the Body but the putting off the filth of the soule but instead of that hee sets downe the act of the soule which is an answer of a good Conscience to God by the Resurrection of Iesus Christ. Where first of all you must know this for a ground indeed it is a hard place of Scripture I will only take that that I think fittest and rayse what observations I think fit for you that out of that you must know for a ground that There is a Covenant of Grace Since God and Man brake in the Creation there is a Covenant which we call a Covenant of Grace God hath stooped so low hee hath condescended to enter into tearmes of Covenant with us Now the foundation of this Covenant is that God will bee our God and give us grace and glory and all good in Christ the Mediator of the new Covenant Christ is the foundation of the Covenant the Mediator of the Covenant a friend to both to God as God to man as man God and man in himselfe and by office such is his office as to procure love and agreement betweene God and man He being the foundation of the Covenant there must be agreement in him Now Christ is the foundation of the Covenant by satisfying Gods justice else God and wee could never have come to good tearmes nor conscience could ever have bin satisfyed For God must bee satisfyed before conscience bee satisfied Conscience else would thinke God is angry and he hath not received full satisfaction and conscience will never bee satisfied but with that that God is satisfied with God is satisfied with the Death of the Mediator so conscience being sprinkled with the blood of Christ applying the death of Christ conscience is satisfied too Now what doth shew that the death of the Mediator is a sufficient sacrifice and Satisfaction The Resurrection of Christ for Christ our surety should have laine in the grave to this day if our sinnes had not bin fully satisfied for Christ is the foundation of the Covenant of grace by his humiliation and by his exaltation whereof the resurrection was the first degree Now in this as in other covenants there is the party promising making the Covenant and the parties that answer in the Covenant God promises life everlasting forgivenesse of sins through the death of Christ the Mediator we answer by faith that we relye upon Gods mercy in Christ this is the answer of conscience Now this sound answer of conscience it doth save us because it doth lay hold on Christ that doth save us Christ properly saveth us by his death and passion An argument of the sufficiency of his salvation was his resurrection hee is now in Heaven triumphing but because there is somewhat in us that must lay hold of this salvation it is attributed to that that is the instrument of salvation that is to the answer of a good conscience Now this answer of a good conscience doth afford us this observation that There must bee something in us before wee can make use of what good is in God or Christ. In a Covenant both parties must agree there must bee somewhat wrought in us that must answer or else we cannot clayme any good by the promises in Christ or by any good that Christ hath wrought that is the answer of a good conscience Or else Christ should save all if there were not the answer of a good conscience required that only Gods elect children have But to shew the reasons of this that there must on our part be this answer The reason is partly from the nature of the Covenant there must bee consent on both sides or else the Covenant cannot hold there are Indentures drawn between God and us God promiseth all good if wee believe and rest on Christ we again rest upon Christ and so have interest in all that is good There is a mutuall engagement then in the Covenant God engageth himselfe to us and wee engage our solves to God in Christ and where this mutuall engagement is there the Covenant is perfect as here there is the answer of a good conscience That is the first reason then from the nature of the Covenant there must bee this answer The second reason that there must be somewhat in us is because when two agree there must bee a like disposition Now there must bee a sanctifying of our Nature from whence this blessed answer comes before that God and wee can agree There must bee a correspondency of disposition of necessity this must bee for wee enter into tearmes of friendship with God in the Covenant of Grace Now friends must have the same mind there must be an answering Now this answer is especially faith when we believe and from Faith sanctified obedience that is called the resti pulation or engagement of a good conscience to God when the promise is made wee engage our selves to believe and to live as christians Now from this that there must be an answer in us an engagement on our part I beseech you let us in generall therefore know that wee must search our own hearts for the evidence of our good estate in Religion let us not so much search what Christ hath done but search our owne hearts how wee have engaged our selves to God in Christ that we believe and witnesse our believing that wee lead a life answerable to our Faith renounce all but Christ. This mutuall engagement is in the forme in Baptisme that was used by the Apostles and by the ancient Church for wee know that in the ancient Church that they that were Baptized they were questioned doe you believe I doe believe Doe you renownce the Flesh and the World and the Divell I doe renounce them These two questions were made now when they answered this question from a good conscience truly faithfully and sincerely then they had right in all the good things by Christ. Something alway therefore in the Church was required on our part Not that wee answer by our owne strength for it is the Covenant of grace why is it a Covenant of grace not onely because the things promised are promised of grace but because our part is of grace likewise we beleeve of grace and live holily of grace every good thought is from grace it is by grace that we are that we are All is of grace in the new Covenant meerely of grace God requires not any answering by our strength for then he should require light of darknesse and life of death There is nothing good in us he requires obedience that he may worke it when he requires it For his commands in
the Covenant of grace they are operative and working when he commands us to beleeve and obey he gives us grace to beleeve and obey It is our selves that answere but not from our selves but from grace yet notwithstanding let us make this use of it letus search our selves though it be not from our selves that we answere Gods promise by faith and his command by obedience yet we must have this obedience though from him before we can challenge any thing at Gods hands It is arrogant presumption to hope for Heaven and Salvation before we have grace to answere all Gods promises and commands by a good conscience To come more particularly to the words some will have it the Questioning the Demand of a good Conscience but that followes the other For when wee answere truely the interrogatories in Baptisme when we beleeve and renounce then we may from a good conscience demand of God all the good in Christ we may cal upon him pray unto him hath not Christ died and made peace betweene thee and us And may we not triumph against all enemies when there is the answere of a good Conscience If Sathan lay any thing to our charge Christ died and rose and sits at the right hand of God Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods people We may with a heart sprinkled with the blood of Christ now ascended into heaven answere all objections and triumph against all enemies wee may goe boldly to God and demand the performance of his promises Hence comes all the spirit of boldnesse in prayer from the answere of a good Conscience for that drawes all other after it Now to come more particularly to the words The answere of a good Conscience It would take up all the time to speake of Conscience in generall and it were not to much purpose I will take it as it serves my purpose at this time A good conscience in this place is a Conscience peaceable and gracious peace and purity make up a good Conscience To make this clearer there be three degrees of a good Conscience though the last bee here meant especially There is first a good Conscience that is troubled a troubled good Conscience and then a pacified good Conscience and then a gracious good Conscience A troubled good Conscience is when the spirit by conviction opens to us what we are in our selves he opens our sins and the danger and soulnesse of our sins whereupon our Conscience is terrified and affrighted Therefore this good Conscience whereby we are convinced of our estate by nature in itselfe it is a good Conscience and tends to good for it tends to drive us to Christ. There is a good Conscience therefore that hath terrour with it The second degree of a good conscience is that that comes from the other when we are convinced of sinne and of the Miserie that coms by sinne then that good conscience speakes peace to us when God shines upon the conscience by his spirit from whence there is peace that is a peaceable good conscience For God takes this course after he hath terrified conscience by his spirit and word then he offers in the Gospell and not onely offers but commands us to beleeve he offers all good in Christ and commands us not only so but invites us Come unto me all ye that are wearie c. Nay he beseecheth us We beseech you to be reconciled he takes all courses Now his spirit going with these intreaties he perswades the soule that he is our gracious Father in Christ Iesus Christ hath suffered such great things and he is God and man he is willing and able to save us Considering he is annoynted of God for this purpose hereupon conscience is satisfied and doth willingly yeeld to these gracious promises it yeelds to this command of beleeving to these sweet invitings This is a peaceable good Conscience Hereupon comes in the third place a gracious good conscience which is a conscience after we have beleeved that resolves to please God in all things as the Apostle saith Heb. 13. We have a good Conscience studying to please God in all things we have a good conscience toward God and toward men When the conscience is appeased and quieted then it is fit to serve God as an instrument that is in tune An instrument out of tune yeelds nothing but harsh Musique so when the soule and conscience is distempered and not set at peace it is not gracious So now you see the order there is a troubled good conscience and a peaceable good conscience and then a gracious heart forwhile conscience is not at peace by the blood and resurrection of Iesus Christ by considering him and by application of him there is no grace nor service of God with that heart but the heart shuns God it hates God and murmurs against God men thinke why should they doe good deeds when they beleeve not when they cast not themselves upon Christ and when conscience is not sprinkled with the blood of Christ they are able to doe nothing out of the love of God and whatsoever is not of faith and love it is sinne The heart cannot but be afraid of God and wish there were no God and murmur and repine till it be pacified That is the reason why the Apostles in the latter part of their Epistles they presse conscience of good duties when they had taught Christians before and stablished them in Christ because all duties issue from faith if they come not thence they are nothing if there be first faith in Christ then there will be a good conscience in our lives and conversations And from the gracious conscience comes the increase of a peaceable conscience there must be peace before we can graciously renew our Covenants to please God but when we have both these faith in Christ and a resolution to please God in all things there comes an increase of peace for then there is an argument to satisfie conscience when first of all conscience goes to Christ to the foundation I have answered Gods command I have beleeved and cast my selfe upon Christ I have answered Gods promise he hath promised if I doe so he will give me Christ with all his Benefits I have yeelded the obedience of faith hereupon comes some comfort here is the foundation of this obedience But then when Conscience likewise from this resolves to please God in all things in the duties to God and man hereupon comes another increase of peace when I looke to the life of grace in my owne heart For a working carefull Christian hath a double ground of comfort One in the command to beleeve and in the promise whether he hath evidences of grace or no but when he hath power by the spirit to lead a godly life and to keepe a good conscience in all things then he hath comfort from the evidence of grace in his owne heart from whence
have beene sick How can we looke for performance on Gods part when we have not had grace to performe our part but our whole life hath beene a satisfying of our base lusts Let us make that use in temptations to sinne let us fetch arguments against sinne from our Baptisme from the answer that we made then for we must make good now that that was made then or else it is in vaine Againe when we are solicited by Satan to be discouraged let us consider that we are baptised in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy-Ghost and consider that the promise is made whensoever we repent without any expection of time nay though we have broke with God for Satan will use that as a chiefe weapon thou hast fallen thou hast fallen yet as it is Ieremiah 3. Though a man will not take his wife after a breach yet God transcends us hee is God and not man therefore after breaches if wee yet answer his command and his promise for the command of beleeving is upon us while we live if we beleeve and confesse our sins we shall have mercie if we come cast our selves upon Christ. Therefore after relapses let not Satan abuse them to make us despaire Baptisme is a seale of our faith and faith is enjoyned us all the dayes of our life all this time of life is a time of grace and we are commanded to repent and beleeve Let not Satan therefore discourage us after sinne let us goe to our Baptisme it is a seale to us of faith and repentance whensoever we beleeve and repent When we are solicited to distrust in God for the things of this life any way as if God cared not for us let us consider that we have answered that we beleeve in God the Father Almightie therefore he is our Father he knowes what is good for us and he loves us he is an Almightie God it is an article of our faith that we have answered to let us make it good upon all temptations in that kind Dothnot God care for us he had an Arke for Noah in the worst times when the flood overwhelmed the whole World So if there be the answer of a good Conscience he will have an Arke for his Noah's to save and protect and defend us he is a Father Almightie Let us know the grounds of our Religion the Articles of our Faith the grounds and foundation of our Faith let us consider the good things promised there and consider withall that wee have all ingaged our selves to beleeve those things and to make use of our faith upon all occasions Those that cannot read if they have no other let them looke on these two Bookes the Booke of their Baptisme and the Booke of conscience they would be sufficient to instruct them some people pretend Ignorance consider what thou art Baptised to the grounds of Religion consider there what thou hast renounced consider in particular whether this thing that thou art moved to be Gods or the Divells command and answer Satan and thy lusts by not answering of them give them their answer and tell them a good conscience must answer Gods command and promise but they must have their answer by denyall by this answer of a good conscience Those that cannot read and are not learned let them make use of the learning of their Baptisme There is a world of instruction and comfort a treasurie of it in Baptisme I dare be bold to say if any Christian when he is tempted to any sinne to despaire or discouragement if he consider what a sollemne promise he hath made to God in Baptisme it would be a meanes to strengthen his Faith and to arme him against all temptations There is no man sinnes but there is a breach with God first in wronging the promise hee hath ingaged himselfe to in Baptisme Wee all that are heere have beene Baptised let us learne to make more Conscience of this Blessed Sacrament then wee have done and let us labour to have the answer of a good conscience at all times What a comfort is it when our hearts and Consciences makes a gracious answer to God in believing and obeying and in renouncing all Gods and our enemies What a comfort is such a Conscience It will uphold us in sicknesse in death and at the day of judgement in all ill times in this life A Conscience that hath answered God by believing his promises and hath renewed the Covenant to obey God in all things what a wondrous peace hath it Let the Devill object what he can let our unbelieving hearts object what they can yet notwithstanding if it bee a renewed sanctified Conscience it can out of the privity of its owne act say I have believed I have cast my selfe upon Gods mercy in Christ I have renounced these motions and suggestions and courses and though I bee overcome with temptations yet I heartily hate them What a comfort is this Conscience it is either the greatest friend or the greatest enemy in the world It is the chiefest friend when it is privy to it selfe of this resolute answer that it hath obeyed God in all things then Conscience is our friend it speakes to God for us at all times Then againe at the houre of death what a comfort it is that we have this answer of a good conscience especially at the day of judgement when we can looke God in the face a sincere heart a Conscience that hath laboured to obey the Gospell and to keepe Covenant with God it can looke God in the face for what in the covenant of grace goes for perfect obedience but sincerity and truth God requires that when the heart can say with Hezekias Lord thou knowest that I have walked perfectly before thee Lord I have believed and laboured to expresse it in my life and conversation though with much weakenesse yet in truth This sincerity will make us looke God in the face in the hour of death and at the day of judgement and in all troubles in this life A Christian that hath the answer of a good Conscience hee hath Christ to be his Arke in all deluges Christ saves us not only from hell and damnation but in all the miseries of this life If any thing come upon us for the breach of Gods Covenant as God threatneth Levit. 26 to send warre and famine c. For the breach of his Covenant what a comfort is it then for such as have kept the Covenant For then God hath an arke for such in ill times for every deliverance in evill times it comes from the same ground as the deliverance from hell doth why doth God deliver me from hell and damnation because he loves me in Christ and that moves him to deliver me in evill times if I keepe a good Conscience and that love that gives mee Heaven gives me the comforts of this life if I labour to have this answer