the grace contrary to the lust that is stirring if it be pride and vain-glory in the applause of men think how ridiculous it were for a criminall to please himself in the esteem and honour his fellow-prisoners render him forgetting how guilty he is before his Judge If thou beginnest to be powred loosely out and as it were dissolved in frolick mirth and jovialty correct that vainnesse and gayety of spirit by the grave and sober thoughts of death and judgement and eâ—ernity Rule 6 If this avail not fall instantly to prayer and indeed all along the whole encounter with thy lusts Pray continually lift up thy heart to God with sighs and groans unutterable Oh that thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down Tell him thy lusts are his enemies as well as thine tell him they are too strong for thee beg of him that he would interpose and make bare his arme and get himself a glorious name Awake Isa 51.9 awake put on strength O arme of the Lord awake as in the ancient dayes in the generations of old Art not thou it that hath cut Rahab and wounded the Dragon Intreat him of all love to pity thee even by his very bowels and not to let the enemy triumph over thee Tell him thou knowest not what to do but thy eyes are towards him Bemoan thy self before him and plead his glory with him and his truth and faithfulness Spread his own gracious promises in his eyes Psal 27.14 Isa 40.28 29 30 31. Psal 55.22 1 Pet. 5.7 Such Ejaculations or Meditations as these are mighty usefull Gods children find them so in the very paroxisme and assault But if the Temptation continue get into thy Closet and humble thy self greatly before thy God throw thy self at his feet tell him thou wilt not rise till he hath given thee a token for good no thou art resolved there to lye hanging on him and not to let him go untill he bless thee O how welcome is every honest heart to the father of Spirits when it comes on such an errand and in such a manner to the throne of grace God cannot chuse but melt in pity and tendernesse over his poor desolate ones when he sees the anguish of their souls How can I give thee up O Ephraim my bowels are troubled for thee Jer. 31.20 Isa 49.14 they will not give me leave to forget thee Is Ephraim my dear son I do earnestly remember him I wil surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Give not over wrestling like Jacob Gen. 32.26 27 28. till thou risest Israel one who hast power with God and prevailest And it is worth observing that the Lord takes pleasure to be called the mighty God of Jacob and the Lord God of Israel as if he reckoned it an honour that once the worme Jacob wrestled with his omnipotence and overcame him he seems to glory in his being conquered and chuseth that for his name and for his memoriall throughout generations which is an everlasting monument that a poor frail man got the day of him So much doth the effectuall fervent prayer of the righteous prevail Perhaps sometime it may be requisite to joyne secret fasting with thy prayer It may be the Devil that tempts thee is of that kind that will not go out but by prayer and fasting Mat. 17.21 Thus Daniel lay prostrate at Gods feet till a hand touched him and set him upon his knees and the voice said to him O Daniel greatly beloved c. Dan. cap. 10. vers 2 3 compared with 10 11. with 18 19. verses When thou hast done this Rise up and buckle on the shield of faith Rule 7 which is able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one Ephes 6 16. Cloath thy soul with an heroick confidence in the power and faithfulnesse of thy God and in the name and majesty of the Lord of hosts bid battle to thy lusts and to all the powers of darknesse Prov. 7.16 Take heed of going out in thy own single strength for lust hath cast down many strong men wounded While thou art kâ—eping thine owne heart with all diligence forget not by faith to bring the great keeper of Israel in If any other man could have kept his own heart sure the man after Gods own heart could have done it Virg. Aeneid Si Pergama dextra Defendi possent etiam hac defensa fuissent But the matter of Vriah and Bathsheba stands on record to all posterity to the contrary For except the Lord keep the City the watchman waketh but in vain Psalm 127.1 Do not venture to grapple with the roaring Lyon but in the strength of the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah who is also the Lamb of God and the great shepheard of Israel Isa 40.11 that carries his lambs in his bosome and whether should the pursued Lamb betake it self but into that shepheaâ—ds arms In time of trouble spirituall as well as other he will hide thee in the secret of his Tabernacle in his pavilion will he hide thee and set thee as upon a rocke Psal 27.5 He never fails the eyes of them that look up to him nor makes his people ashamed of their hope What time thou art afraid trust in him His name is a strong tower Cast thy care upon him and expect the same pity from thy God which the men of Iabesh-Gilead found from Saul when Nabash the barbarous Ammonite would have put out their right eyes To morrow ere the Sun be hot ye shall have help 1 Sam. 11.9 If the King of Israels bowels yerned over those poor men shall not the bowels of the God of Israel over those that fear him Yes upon his honour truth and faithfulnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Serpens hebr he will not suffer that cruell Nahash to allude to the signification of the word that old Serpent to have his will upon them if he doth not come to day he will to morrow ere the Sun be hot Lift up your heads therefore O ye gates and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in Who is this King of glory The LORD strong and mighty the LORD mighty in battle Psal 24.7 8. Thus was Joseph rescued from the Archers that shot at him and sorely grieved him His bow abode in strength and the arms of his hands were made strong by the arms of the mighty God of Jacob Gen. 49.23 24. Vse 1 Information I come at length to the Use We are to learn hence That our souls are not as they came out of the father of Spirits hands they appear as it were wrong risen in the world and begin to tread awry the very first steps they measure on the stage of Earth All the symptomes of degeneracy are upon them The best of men that ever yet blest the earth with their Residence upon it except that Son of man who was only so by the mothers side being by the Fathers
with the unsearchable riches of Christ or that inheritance of the Saints in light or what is the painted bubble the fading though beauteous Rainbow of earthly hunour and grandeur to a weight of glory to an incorruptible crown of righteousness that fadeth not away to a Kingdom which it is the Fathers good pleasure to reserve in the highest heavens for every sheep and every lamb of his little flock and to name these Considerations by cluster remember that the greatest wisdom is to do not what in some poor few regards is but what is absolutely lovely and desireable that what is best of all is best for thee to love and mind and prosecute 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pythag carm that a good conscience is a continual feast that God alone is enough and without him nothing for thy happiness that thy soul is worthier thy care then thy carcase and the life to come then this that eternity is more valuable then time that not the opinions of men lulled asleep in voluptuousness and sensuality but Gods estimate but the sentiments of the holiest best and wisest men or if you needs will of the worst and vilest when conscience is awakned when they come to lie a dying and when they shall stand before God at the last day are to be prefered as the wisest That everlasting happiness cannot be bought too dear but repentance and shame may easily That the hardest doings or sufferings for Christ are infinitely easier then everlasting misery That heaven and glory will more then recompence all thy self-denials and mortifications all thy watchings fastings c. and in the mean time the very hope of it besides the peace of God which passeth all understanding and his love and grace and the comforts of his Spirit will certainly sweeten all the tediousness of thy way to heaven with inexpressible redundance of satisfaction yea sometimes with joy unutterable and full of glory In sum that God is a good Master and his service perfect freedom for besides the glorious recompence to come thy work Christian is even now it 's own reward If â—hou believest strongly such Aphorisms as these and he is madder then any in Bedlam that doth not believe them it will be no hard matter by Gods blessing and assistance in their strength to put to flight the armies of the aliens at least to shield thy self against the volleys of fiery darts which at any time the Tempter shall pour upon thee Withdraw thy self if possible from the occasions of sin It is good Rule 8 standing out of harms way do not gaze upon temptations but pray with David Psal 73. â— Lord turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity Psal 119.37 If thou perceivest thy feet are almost gone thy steps had well nigh flipt it is surely high time for thee if thou canst to run away nor will it be reckoned thy cowardize but thy valour in the day of thine account thus to retreat from the enemy It is a very wise mans counsel concerning the haunts and converses of the profane Enter not into the path of the wicked and go not in the way of evil men avoid it pass not by it turn from it and pase away Prov. 4.14 15. again concerning the strange woman Remove thy way far from her and come not nigh the door of her house chap. 5.8 and again concerning occasions of intemperance be not among wine bibbers amongst riotous eaters of flesh chap. 23 20. and ver 31. Look not on the wine when it is red when it giveth it's colour in the cup when it moveth it self aright i. e. when it sparkles and vapours in the glass when it laughs in thy face and invites thy lip then shut thy eyes lest sin steal in upon thee Do not imitate the silly Lark which by the pleasing contemplation of the little piece of glass that glisters in the Sun while the Fowler twirles it about is enticed neerer and neerer forgetting or overseeing the net which ere long overwhelms it Vouchsafe not to admit the Tempter to a Parle the Poets fable Vlysses to have stopt his ears at the enchaunting voices of the Syrens Be thou as the deaf Adder to that great Charmer the best entertainment thou canst give him is Get thee behind me Satan Rule 9 Bind thy self beforehand with the severest of thy resolutions not to trust thy own judgement when the Temptation begins to get within thee a man in passion is not himself Pâ—riit judicium cum res transiit in affectus One distempered with the morbus arcuatus the Jaundise black or yellow is apt to impute the colour his eye is vitiated with to every object who would trust such a judge of colours or the palate of one in a Feavour to distinguish of Tastes it is a good rule under the disorder of temptation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Never credit thy own apprehensions at such a time If thou takest thy self yielding in the least start back with abhorrence and chide thy rashness appealing from thy present distracted to thy ancient and wiser self from thy self asleep and disordered to thy self awake and sober at other times Jonah's judgement was weak and childish though a Prophet when he was under that temptation of impatient anger Jon. 4.9 I do well to be angry a saucy and bold answer to his God! he should not have trusted his present sentiments for he was not himself As one that bespeaks an awakning will over night desire his friend not to give ear to him though saith he I plead earnestly to sleep a little longer yet do not regard that for I tell you of it before on purpose and I shall thank you when once I am up for not letting me have my will Thus tell thy self aforehand that though under a drowsiness slumber of spirit thou art ready to plead for the flesh and to feel some inclinations to fulfil it's lusts and art very loath to let them go unsatisfied yet if thou art but resolute not to comply with thy own foolish and unreasonable desires thou will heartily thank thy self I mean be entirely glad when thy eyes are open that thou hast overcome thy self and that Wisdom and Reason and Conscience have got the day Resolve to remember this when temptation comes the next time to assault thee and play the man Having laid down these directions by way of prevention against the time of conflict to prepare the soul aforehand that in the assault it may not be vanquished I come now to a Christians behaviour in the fit and paroxysme it selfe when the lusts of the flesh are stirring and the great Rule to be observed here is this As soon as ever thou perceivest thine affections and lusts begin to grow inordinate and thy inferior appetites to rebel take thy self to task forthwith and resist them withall thy might Do not stay a moment delay is unutterably dangerous who but a mad man that sees the Stable or Barn hard by
Heaven and the standing rule by which thou must bee tryed thou must stand or fall bee eternally blessed or everlastingly miserable as thy condition is consonant to or various from the infallible characters of saving grace contained in the Scripture Thou that hast deserved eternal death mightest know before the day of the general assize whether thou shalt bee acquitted or condemned But if thou know not how to gather these thy self go to some godly faithful Minister and desire him to give thee some Characters of a sincere Christian from the word of God wherein hypocrisie and sincerity are differenced and bee sure the signes thou tryest thy self by bee not short of saving grace or that will not hold tryal or bear thee out at the day of judgement I cannot here insert any partly because I have not room to croud them in partly because by what I have already laid down under that head that a man might know that hee is sincere beleeveth and loveth God something to this purpose might bee picked up 2. Direction 2. When thou hast thus furnished thy self thy next work must bee to set thy conscience on work and reflect upon thy own heart and upon the mâ—tions of thy will and compare thy self with the word of God The former sent you to study the book of Gods word this calleth upon you to study the book of your own hearts The other is a direct act of the understanding this is a reflect act to make a judgement of thy state whether there bee a transcript of those things in thine own heart for every beleever hath the Gospel-laws written upon the table of his soul by the spirit of God Assurance cannot bee had ordinarily without the examination of our own hearts for assurance is the certain knowledge of the conclusion drawn from the premises one out of the scripture the other by the reflect act of the understanding or conscience thus Hee that beleeveth and is justified shall bee saved that is the word of God then by the search of his own heart hee must bee able to say But I beleeve and am jusâ—ified and from these two doth result this assurance that hee may conclude Therefore I shall bee saved Luke 15.8 The woman that had lost a peece of silver did light a candle and swept her house and thereby found what she had lost Conscience is this candle the scripture is the fire at which it must bee lighted and self-examination is the broom whereby the heart is swept and so the state of the soul which before was not discerned comes to bee discovered But here take heed thy heart bee not rash in affirming or denying suspend the determination till thou hast made a narrow strict inquiry into thy soul as thou lovest thy soul do not presume as thou valuest thy comfort do not deny any work of the spirit of God upon thy heart but with thankfulness acknowledge any thing that thou canst discern to bee a fruit of the spirit Search throughly and judge impartially Say therefore to thy soul Deus est ocâ—â—us infinitus to make thy self more serious in this weighty work thou art now oh my Soul in the presence of the great heart-searching God that knoweth certainly what thy state and condition is what thy will heart and affections are thou must oh my Soul shortly stand at the bar of God as now thou standest at the bar of conscience and must bee searched judged by the Lord and have the sentence of life or death of absolution or condemnation according as thy state shall bee found to bee Consider oh my Soul thou art now about the greatest concernment in the world many have been mistaken many are now tormented in hell that once thought their condition was good it is not therefore for thee to flatter thy self and it is easie to bee mistaken and if thou shouldest bee mistaken it is as much as thy soul is worth if thy condition bee bad and thou conclude it to bee good thou wilt but go more merrily to hell It is as much as thy comfort is worth if thy condition bee good and thou conclude it to be bad thou wilt go more sadly to Heaven and wilt be unthankful to thy God and keep the glory from him and the comfort from thy self Thou art indited oh my soul arraigned and sound guilty that thou hast sinned against the Lord the question is Whether thou hast repented and are pardoned I charge thee therefore oh my soul that thou speak truly and answer rightly to these demands Art thou so far convinced of sin of the vileness of its own nature the evil in it the evil after it that thou art weary of it thou groanest under it thou loathest it and art unfeignedly willing to be broken from every sin without any reserve and what thou canst not extirpate that thou wilt bewail art thou so far convinced of thine own insufficiency to help thy self that all thy tears cannot wash thee and make thee clean all thy duties cannot save thee that though thou darest not neglect them as means yet thou darest not rely upon them as a Saviour so that thou seest the necessity of a Christ the suitableness of Christ the sufficiency and willingness of Christ offering himself unto thee in the Gospel calling to thee crying after thee saying ah thou poor miserable forlorn sinner thou hast undone thy self wilt thou now be cured thou hast wounded thy self wilt thou let mee apply a plaister of my blood my healing pacifying blood to thy bleeding soul to thy distressed disquieted conscience all that I expect from thee is to take mee for thy Lord and Husband to rule govern sanctifie and save thee thou hast withstood thine own mercy I have often asked thee and thou hast often denied mee but yet if now thou wilt receive mee behold I bring pardon along with mee and peace along with mee and eternal life and every good thing along with mee yet mercy is not gone it is not yet denied to thee When thou mayest gather such things from the Word of Christ put the question to thy self what sayest thou oâ— my soul thou hearest the gracious words of the Lord Jesus hee commands thee to come hee inviteth thee to come hee promiseth thee acceptance if thou come art thou willing or art thou not wilt thou persevere in thy former denial and be damned or wilt thou yeeld and be saved wilt thou consent to take him for thy Husband and subscribe unto his terms doth thy judgement value him above all and thy will chuse him above all and thy affections go out after him above all things in the world as a woman doth in all those three respects when shee taketh a man to be her Husband Art thou so far convinced of the excellency of the everlasting Glory of the Saints and the perfection of that Happiness that is above as it is a state or perfect Holiness as well as a state of real Happiness
in her prayers for his Conversion say Aug. Conf. Chirographa tua ingerebat tibi Lord these promises were made to be made good to some and why not to me I hunger I need I thirst I wait here is thy hand-writing in thy Word and in the last Sacrament I had thy Seal affixed to it I am resolved to be as importunate till I have obtained and as thankfull afterwards as by Grace I shall be inabled being convinced I am utterly lost and undone if thou hearest not the desires of the humble in this particular Psal 10.17 and if thou dost hear and grant I am so well acquainted with my self and mine own heart that I have nothing to glory in but I shall wholly glory in the Lord and I do resolve and believe I shall to eternity celebrate and magnifie the riches of the glory of thy Grace Thy promises are the discovery of thy purposes and vouchsafed as materials for our prayers and in my supplications I am resolved every day to present and tender them back to thee every day and if thou wilt have regard to them there and appear to be a God of truth to my soul a poor creature that hath long feared to burn in hell for hypocrisie will be made secured and made happy for ever I am resolved to wait upon thee and to cast my soul upon thee in this way and thou hast assured me thou art a God of judgement thou didst promise in judgement thou knewest what thou didst in making such promises and thou wilt be a God of judgement thou knowest when and where to make them good and thou hast pronounced Blessed are all they that wait for thee Isa 30.18 Aug. Confes Impossibile a filium tantarum lacrimarum perire and on thee I will wait and for this blessing I will hope and look Oh beloved if there be but such an heart in us and such wrestlings as Ambrose told Monica a soul of such prayers and tears should not perish I could have added much more but if these Characters and Directions be carefully observed you will beware of and shall escape the leaven of hypocrisie And that you may be carefull to observe them Consider 1. That the purging out this leaven is the great care and business of a Christians life this will afford him fear and trembling work to his dying day this till it be done makes the gate so streight and the way so narrow to life that few finde it Matth. 7.13 and if it be done renders all the service of Christ ever after an easie yoak and a light burden Matth. 11.30 2. This if it be done gives us actual possession of the Kingdome of God in grace which consists of righteousness and peace Rom. 14.17 and joy in the Holy Ghost and administers an assured and abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord Jesus Christ in glory 2 Pet 1.11 3. This will prevent the Devils everlasting insulting over us is this the end of all thy praying and hearing c. and defying me nay upbrayding Christ as a learned and holy man feared I have him I have gotten him from thee for all thy blood thy Miracles Basil thy Gospel thy wooings thy beseechings thy knocking 's and strivings of thy Spirit for all thy illuminating them and making them taste of the powers of the world to come I have cousened thee of them at thy very gates of heaven and by my devices shipwrackt them in the very mouth of the haven Oh I would not give the Devil occasion to upbraid and insult thus against Christ at the last day for the world Basil And this would prevent consciences gnawing and galling to eternity What are all my desires my seekings and knocking 's prayers fasts Sacraments hearing in season and out of season waiting at the posts of Gods house early and late Have I forsaken so many sins denied my self so many contents and pleasures subdued so many lusts born so many scoffes suffered so much in my body and estate and all for hell at last This would be the hell of hell and all this may be prevented if we would beware of the leaven of hypocrisie and seriously observe those Characters and carefully practice those Directions 4. Consider the means you have long had and yet do enjoy Gods admirable forbearance and patience a powerfull Ministries incessant labours and paines an awakened consciences clamour◠and warnings a danger and evils if you be negligent intolerable a reward if you observe the beware in the Text eternal and inconceiveable your life short and uncertain your death appointed most certain and you know not how near the world and the lusts thereof even those that feed and foment hypocrisie passing away 1 Ioh. 2.17 and that now is the accepted time 2 Cor. 6.2 now is the day of salvation And if you were ever serious in your lives now be so and if ever God spake to your hearts and consciences the Lord in mercy speak this Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees What must Christians doe that the influence of the Ordinances may abide upon them 1 CHRON. 29.18 O Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Israel our Fathers keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people and prepare their heart unto thee IN the preceding Chapter we have Davids Oration or if you will his Sermon the design of which was to excite the people to a contribution for the erecting of a Temple and promoting the publike worship of God It begins ver 2. of that Chapter and is continued to the 6th verse of this Chapter This Sermon was effectuall upon the auditory David had the happinesse which the best Orators and most powerfull Preachers often want not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he not onely spoke what was in it self perswasive but did actually perswade his hearers to comply with his design The effect thereof is expressed ver 6 7 8. they offered and which was the marrow and fatnesse of their offering they offered willingly Though will worship be the worst service of all other yet those that serve God willingly are the best worshippers and therefore David in this Sermon commends such service to his son chap. 28. ver 9. And thou Solomon my son know thou the God of thy father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing minde None serve God with a perfect heart but those who serve him with a willing minde to such a temper were the people wrought by this powerfull exhortation ver 9. with a perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord. Hereupon David much affected with his successe in this affair David the King also rejoyced with great joy his soul being now upon the wing he flies to God by prayer and therewith concludes his Sermon The prayer consists of petition and thanksgiving both of them not conformed to any