joy and comfort if you would feele for them Amongst many I will reckon these First you may know you have Faith by your feeling and opposing of the contrary if you feele a fight and conflict betweene beleeving and doubting fearâ— and distrust and in that combat you take part with beleeving hope and confidence or at least desire heartily that these should prevaile and are grieved at heart when the other get the better If you feele this doe not say you haue no feeling Doe not say you have no faith This conflict and desire to have faith gaue proofe that the man in the Gospel who came to Christ to cure his child had faith I beleeve Lord saith hee Lord helpe my unbeliefe Doe not say as I have heard many this man could say I beleeve but we cannot say so I tell you if you can heartily say Lord helpe my unbeliefe I am sure any of you may say I beleeve For whence is this feeling of unbeliefe and desire to beleeve but from Faith Secondly You may know you have Faith I speake still to an afflicted soule which dareth not sinne wittingly for that you wil not part with that Faith which you have upon any termes I will aske you that have given hope to others that you doe beleeve that yet doubt you have not truth of faith hope in God only these questions and as your heart can answer them so you may judge Will you part with that faith and hope which you call none for any price Would you change present states with those that presume they have a strong Faith whose consciences do not trouble them but are at quiet though they live in all manner of wickednesse Or at best are meerely civilly honest Nay would you if it were possible forgoe all that faith and hope and other graces of the Spirit which you call none at all and returne to that former state wherein you were in the dayes of your vanity before you did indevor to leave sinne and to will to indevour to settle to Religion in earnest Would you lay any other foundation to build upon then what you have already layd Or is there any person or thing wheron you desire to rest for Salvation and direction besides Christ Iesus If you can answer no but can say with Peter To whom shall wee goe Christ onely hath the words of eternall life you know no other foundation â—o lay then what you have laid and have willed and desired to lay it right you resolve never to pull downe what you have built thogh it be but a little It is your griefe that you build no faster upon it By this answer you may see that your conscience before you are aware doth witnesse for you and will make you confesse that you have some true faith and hope in GOD or at least hope that you have For let men say what they will to the conttary they alwaies thinke they have those things which by no meanes they can be brought to part with Thirdly If you would have feeling and proofe of your faith and Iustification feele for it in the most certaine effect which is the exercise of your Sanctification Doe you feele your selves loaden and burthened with sinne Doe you feele your hearts â—ke with sorrow for sinne And with all do you feele your selves to be altered from what you were Doe you now beare good will to Gods Word and Ordinances And doe you desire the pure word of God that you may grow in grace by it Doe you affect Gods people therefore because you thinke they feare God Is it your desire to approve your selves to God in holy obedience And is it your trouble that you cannot doe it Then certainly you have Faith you have an effectuall Faith For what are all these but the very Pulse breath and motions of faith If you feele grace to be in you it is a better feeling then feeling of comfort for grace in men of understanding is never severed from effectuall Faith but comfort many times is for that may rise from Presumption and false Faith Grace onely from the Spirit and from true Faith SECTION 6. A removall of feares rising from doubting of Sanctification IT is granted by all that if they be truly Sanctified then they know that they have Faith anâ— are iustified But many feare they are not Sanctified and that foâ— these seeming reasons First some feare they are noâ— Sanctified because they doe noâ— remember that ever they fâ—â— those wounds and terrours of conscience which are first wroughâ— in men to make way to Conveâ—sion as it was in them who weâ—â— priâ—â—â— aâ— heart at Peters Seâ—… mon and in S. Paul and the Iaylor Or if they felt aâ—â— terrâ—… they feare they we but certaine flashes and for runners of Hellish â—â—â—ments liâ—â— those of Cain and Iudas As it is in the naturall birth with the mother so it is in the spirituall birth with the childe There is no birth without some travell and paine but not all alike Thus it is in the new birth with all that are come to yeares of discretion Some haue so much griefe feare horror that it is intolerable and leaveth so deepe an impression that it can never be forgotten others have some true sense of griefe and feare but nothing to the former in comparison which may easily be forgotten There are causes why some have or at least feele some more some lesse 1. Some have committed more grosse and more hainous sinnes than other therefore they have more cause and neede to have mâ—re terrour and heart-breaking than others 2. God doth set some apart for greater imployments than others such as will require a man of great trust and experience wherefore GOD to prepare them doth exercise such with greatest tryals for their deepe humiliation and for their more speedy and full reformation that all necessary graces might bee more deeply and more firmely rooted in them 3. Some have beene religiously brought up from their infancie whereby as they were kept from grosse sinnes so their sinnes were subdued by little and little without any sensible impression of horror Grace and comfort being instilled into them almost insensibly 4. Some by naturals constitution and temper of body are more fearefull and more sensible of anguish than others which may cause that although they may bee alike wounded in conscience for sinne yet they may not feele it all alike 5. There may be the like feare and terror wrought in the conscience for sinne in one as well as another yet it may not leave the like lasting sense and impression in the memory of the one which it doth in the other Because God may shew himselfe gracious in discovering a remedy and giving comfort to one sooner than to the other As two men may be in perill of their lives by enemies the one as soone as hee seeth his danger seeth an impregnable
worldly griefe must be avoided in all sorts of crosses For by it you repine against GOD fret against men and doe make your selfe unfit for naturall civill and spiritual duties and if it be continued it worketh death The best remedy against worldly sorrow for any crosse is to turn it into godly sorrow for sin which is the cause of the crosse This will cause repentance to salvation never to be repented of and will drive you to Christ in whom if you beleeve you shall have joy and comfort even such ioy unspeakeable which will dispell and drie up both this and all other griefes whatsoever For godly sorrow doth alwaies in due time end in spirituall joy SECTION 2. Of bearing all crosses patiently IN the third place I told you that you must beare all your afflictions and crosses patiently By Patience I doe not meane a Stoicall sensclesnesse or blockish stupiditie like that of Isachar Nor yet a counterseit patience like Esau's and Absaloms Nor a meere civill and morall patience which wise Heathen to free themselves from vexation and for-vaine-glorie and other ends attained unto Nor yet a prophane patience of men insensible of GODS hishonour Nor a patience-perforce when the sufferer is meerely passive But a Christ an holy patience wherein you must be sensible of Gods hand and when you cannot but feele an unwillingnesse in nature to beare it yet for conscience to Gods Commandement you doe submit to his will and that voluntarily with an active patience causing your selfe to be willing to beare it so long as God shall please like the patience of Christ Not my will but thine be done The excellencie of Christs suffering was not in that he suffered but in that he was obedient in his suffering He was obedient to the death So likewise no mans suffering is acceptable if he be not active and obedient in suffering This Patience is a grace of the Spirit of God wrought in the heart and will of man through beleeving and applying the Commandement and promises of God to himselfe whereby for conscience sake towards God he doth submit his will to Gods will willing quietly to beare without bitternesse and vexation all the labours changes and evill occurrents which shall be fall him in the whole course of his life whether from God immediately or from man as also to wait quietly for all such good things which God hath promised but yet are delayed and unfulfilled To induce you to get and to shew forth this holy Patience know that you have need of it and that in these respects 1. You are but halfe a Christian you are imperfect in your parts you want a principall part if you want patience thus S. Iames argueth implying that hee that will be entire and want nothing to make him a Christian man he must have patience This passive obedience is greater than active it is more rare and more difficult to obey in suffering than to obey in doing 2. You have not a sure possession of your soule without patience In your patience possesse yee your soules saith our Saviour A man without patience is not his own man hee hath not power nor rule over his owne spirit nor yet of his own body The tongue hand and feet of an impatient man will not bee held in by reason But he that is patient enjoyeth himselfe and hath rule over his spirit no crosse can put him out of possession of himselfe Thirdly There are so many oppositions and lets in your race and growth of Christianity that without patience to suffer and to wait you cannot possibly bring forth good fruit to God nor hold out your profession of Christianitie to the end but shall give off before you have enjoyed the promise Therefore you are bid to runne with patience the race which is set before you And the good ground is said to bring forth fruie with patience And the faithfull are said through Faith and Patience to inherite the Promises Fourthly Patience worketh experience without which no man can be an expert Christian this experieÌ„ce being of the greatest use to confirme a Christian soule in greatest difficulties This be said of the necessitie together with the benefit of patience that you may love it and may desire to have and shew it By what meanes you may attaine it followeth First you must be after a sort impatient and must spend your passion on your lusts which war in your members fall out with them mortifie them for nothing maketh a man impatient so much as his lusts doe both because they wil never be satisfied it is death to a man to be crossed in them and because the fulfilling of lusts doth cause a guilty conscience whence followeth impatience troublesome vexation upon every occasion like unto the raging Sea which with every wind dothâ—ome and rage and cast up nothing but filth and dirt And as Saint Iames saith Whence are warres and brawlings So I say of all other fruits of impatiencie But from your lusts that warre in your members Take away the causes of impatiency then you have made a good way for patience Secondly Lay a good soundation of patience you must be humble and low in your owne eyes through an appreâ—eÌ„sion that you are lesse then the least of GODS mercies and that your greatest punishments are lesse than your iniquities have deserved As any man hath abounded in humility so hath â—ee abounded in patience witnesse the examples of Abraham Moses Iob David and others Thirdly Store your heart with faith hope and love all these and either of these do calm â—he heart and keepe it â—eadie For besides that they quiet the heart in the maine giving assurance of Gods love in Christ For being iusâ—â—fied by faith we have peace with God reiâ—yce in hope whence joy and patience in tribulation And who can be impatient with him whom hee loveth with all his heart and strength These graces also doe furnish a man with an ability of spiritual reasoning and disputing with a disquieted soule whereby it may be quieted in any particular disquietment Wherefore the fourth meane of patience is to doe as Davâ— did whensoever you finde your heart begin to boyle and to be impatient you must before passion hath got the bit in the teeth and carried you out of your selfe into height of impatience aske your soule what is the matter and why it is so disquieted within you This do seriously and your heart will quickly represent to your thoughts such and such crosse or crosses stretched out upon the tenters of manifold aggravations All which you must answer by the spirituall reasoning of your faith grounded on the word of God whereby you may quiet your heart and put it to siâ—ence Whatsoever the affliction be that may trouble you you may â—e furnished with reasons why you
heaven Meere Oratory in some patheticall Preachers when they speake of matters dolefull and terrible will move the affection and draw teares from some hearers Likewise a plaine powerfull downright conviction of the certainty of Gods wrath denounced and sense of some just judgement of God may wring forth some teares some humiliation yea some kind of reformation Did not Felix tremble when Saint Paul reasoned of Righteousnesse Temperance and Iudgement to come Did not Ahab humble himselfe when the Prophet denounced Gods iudgements against him and against his house Did not the Israelites oft when they were in distresse and when God did not onely warne them with his Word but smote them also with his rod returne and seeke earely after God And whereas they say they tasted of the heavenly gift of the good Word of God and of the powers of the world to come they may know that such is the sweetnesse of Gods promises and such is the evidence and goodnesse of Gods truth in the glad tydings of Salvation that the common gift of the Spirit going with it all the forementioned feelings may be wrought in men altogether destitute of saving grace For did not the seede sowen in stony and thoâ—nie ground goe thus far Did not those mentioned in the Hebrewes who notwithstanding all this might fall away irrecoverably attaine to thus much Now if men not in state of grace may goe so farre as hath been proved then it must not be marvelled that even such with Herod may also reforme many things For an hypocrite may have not onely a kinde of illumination but a kinde of sanctification which may for the time worke a kinde of change in him so that hee may leave many evils and may doe many good things hee may forsake bad company and keepe good yet this man may be in no better estate then hee out of whom the evill spirit did goe which returned with seven other more wicked than himselfe or then the Sow that was washed A Pharaoh also and a Simon Magus in their feare may desire a Moses and a Peter to blesse them and pray for them That cursed Balaam could wish that hee might dye the death of the righteous he would seeme not to transgresse for an house full of gold and though faintly telleth God that if it did seeme evill in his eyes hee would goe backe againe Yea further it is possible for a man without saving grace even out of meere selfe-love either when hee smarts or is ashamed for some foule sinnes or is afraid of Hell or when by the sweete allurements of the Gospell hee is affected with an admiration of heauen and heavenly things I say it is possible for him not onely to wish freedome from punishment and enjoyment of eternall glory as the end but may desire power against sinne and grace to doe well as the meanes but how onely as from a flash of lightning suddenly come and as suddenly gone like the sluggards longing but when he commeth to be taught the mystery of godlinesse and is put upon the spirituall workes of holinesse as the cutting off the right hand and the denying himselfe for Christ then he will none of it he conceiveth like those Discipies in Iohn that they are hard sayings Who can heare them For their good wishes were not from a setled deliberate will out of true hatred of sinne and out of love to God and goodnesse therefore they were but slight and unconstant Moreover the best men yea the best Ministers may have a very good opinion of an hypocrite David esteemed highly of Achitophel the Disciples never suspected Iudas For they seeing a good outside being also charitable and not able to see the heart doe alwayes judge the best and thinke men to be changed renewed when sometimes it proveth otherwise They mistake when they say they are changed and reformed if still they retaine any bosome and beloved sinne as Herod did To change-sinnes one sinne into another is no change of the man for hee that changeth the prodigality of his youth into Covetousnesse in old age remaineth a notorious sinner before God as well now as then conceive the like of all other likewise to forbeare the act of any sinne because they have not the like power occasions temptations or meanes to commit sinne as in former time this is no change sin in these respects hath left them not they it For true conversion and repentance doth consist of a true and through change of the whole man as well in one part as another whereby not onely some actions are changed but first and chiefly the whole frame and disposition of the heart is changed and set straight to God ward from evill to good as well as from darknesse to light And whereas naturally a man is earthly minded and maketh himselfe his utmost end so that either he onely mindeth earthly things or if hee mind heavenly things it is in an earthly manner and to an earthly end as did Iehu if this man have truely repented and is indeede converted he becommeth heavenly minded he maketh GOD and his glory his chiefe and furthest end in so much that when he hath cause to minde earthly things his will and desire is to minde them in an heavenly manner and to an heavenly end If you would judge more fully and clearely of this true change See at large the description and signes of uprightnesse before delivered Chap. 12. Last of all there are many presume that although as yet they have no saving faith in Christ nor sound repentance that God will give them space and grace to repent and beleeve before they dye Whence it is they have peace for the present These must give mee leave to tell them that they put themselvs upon a desperate hazard and adventure First who can promise unto himself one minute of time more than the present sith every mans breath is in his nostrils ready to expire every moment Besides the Spirit saith God doth bring wicked men to desolation as in a moment And againe Hee that being often warned hardeneth his necke shall suddenly be destroyed without remedy 2 Suppose they may have time yet whether they shall have grace to beleeve and repent is much to be doubted For the longer repentance is deferred the heart is more hardned and more indisposed to repentance through the deceitfulnesse of sinne And it is a just judgement of God upon such as are not led to repentance by the riches of Gods goodnesse forbearance and long-suffering that he should leave them to their impenitent hearts that cannot repent so treasuring up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath Custome in sinne doth so root and habituate it in man that it will be as hard for him by his owne will and power to repent hereafter hee neglecting GODS present call and
excellency of Christian Experience 126 127. F An answer to them that question their Faith because they want feeling 590 Many doe not feele they have Faith because they feele not for it 603 How a man may know that he hath Faith 621 Reasons why many without cause thinke they have no Faith 584 Many presume they have Faith but have none 614 Reason for which many thinke they have Faith but have not 463 Who may Fall from grace and how 683 A regenerate man may Fall farre backe but not quite away 685 Grounds of difference betweene the Fals of men truly sanctified and others 688 Whence it is that a true Convert cannot Fall quite away from grace 695 Of Religious Fasting 68 A generall Reason of Fasting 72 Reasons why the body must be afflicted in Fasting 73 Reasons why the soule must be afflicted in Fasting 74 Who are to keepe a publike Fast 76 Who may keepe a private Fast 77 How oft we must Fast 78 How long we must Fast 80 Preparation to a Fast 82 How to keepe a Religious Fast 84 c. What to doe when a man is interrupted in his private Fast 142 Motives to oft Fasting 143 Directions what is to be done after a Fast 145 Cautions touching Fasting 146 Needful fear before coÌ„version 485 Holy Feare after conversion 486 Causlesse Feare 488 The kindes of causlesse Feares ibid Strange effects of Feares rising from naturall distempers 489 There is some difference between the regenerate in those Feares which arise froÌ„ melaÌ„choly others 490 Difference betweene those Feares which arise chiefly from melancholy and those which arise from trouble of conscience ibid Grounds of false Feares 495 Feare of punishment must be turned into trouble for sinne 498 Feares of sinning against the holy Ghost removed 527 Feare that because the heart condemneth God will condemne much more removed 529 Feare of being reprobates removed 531 Feare that God will not have mercie because they have let passe the time of their Conversion removed 540 Feares arising from doubts of Gods love removed 576 c. Feares through conceit of being in worse case than any other removed 561 Feares that God loveth them not because they thinke their prayers are reiected removed 576 Feares from doubting of faith removed 581 Feares of not being sanctified because they thinke they were never sufficiently humbled nor have repented removed 626 Reasons why some feele more sense of Feare and horror in their first conversion than others 627 Feares that a man is not sanctified because he is pestered with worse thoughts than ever removed 637 Feares of not being sanctified because of falling into grosse sinnes removed 656 Feares that they are not sanctified because of sense of dulnesse and deadnessein spirituall duties removed 665 Feares of not being sanctified because of sudden dulnesse after fresh feeling comforts removed 670 Feares of not being sanctified because out-gone by others removed 671 Feares of not being sanctified because of hardnesse of heart removed 677 Feares of falling away from grace removed 681 c. Feares taken from thinking the heart is deceitfull removed 727 Feares from present fainting removed ibid Feares because we doe not our part removed 729 Feare from want of such graces where of God hath absolutely promised removed 676 Feares through want of peace of Sanctification removed 744 G Convincing reasons to prove that there is a God 647 God doth never wholly forsake his children 566 Once and ever in state of Grace 685 Reasons why man being once in state of grace can never fall quite from it 701 Reasons why many thinke they have lesse grace now than in their first conversion but mistake 714 H What is the cause of Hypocrites well-doing 341 Disswasives from hypocrisie 361 365 Meanes against hypocrisie 373 Grounds of false hope discovered and removed 444 I Meanes to strengthen the Inner man 133 Rules to direct Inferiours 62 Causes of error in Iudging of a mans state 754 Of Iudging and condemning of a mans selfe 126 L ATable of Duties commanded and of Vices forbidden in the Morall Law 90 c. No man must abuse Christs lenity 620 Signes to know when God giveth good things in love 265 Directions for sanctisying the Lords day 147 M What Meditation is 195 The distinct acts and parts of Meditation 198 Rules for meditation 202 Cautions about the matter of meditation 203 Motives perswading to meditation 211 Meanes of Mortification 131 O When it is that a man obeyeth out of conscience and love to Christ 340 Weakest performance of duties is lesse dangerous than whole omissions 551 P A description of Christian Patience 286 Inducements to patience 286 287 Meanes of Christian patience 288 Vpon what grounds arguments may be taken to worke the heart to patience 291 292 What peace is in generall 414 The peace of GOD explained and magnified by the opening of Philip. 4. 6. 7. 415 The different sorts of peace of God 421 Reasons proving the excellency of the peace of God 432 The impediments of peace 437 Whence presumption and false peace doth arise 441 Signes of false hope and false peace 476 An excellent helpe to peace of conscience 765 Meanes to get and keep true peace ibid How to know in time of peace to hold out in time of persecution 725 How to be kept from dastardly feare in time of persecution 723 Reasons of due preparation of the heart to prayer 32 How to bee disposeà in the act of prayer 35 God heareth prayer many wayes 578 Cautions to be observed in preparation and in prayer 37 Signes of distempered thoughts thorough worldly businesse to prayer 42 Remedies against distempered thoughts in preparation and in prayer 43 How to know when thoughts of worldly businesse are distractfull in preparation in prayer 45 Remedies against the said distractions in preparation and in prayer 47 Pride is a manifest hinderance of Christiâ—â— Comfort 764 765 Grounds of presumption discovered and removed 437. unto 481 Rules of holy carriage in prosperity and when men have good successe 245 246 Good effects of prosperity 247 Doubts of Gods love because men prosper removed 559 Presumption of Gods love because they prosper removed 448 Presumption ariseth either from false grounds of hope or from true grounds misapplyed 442 Presumption that God will save a man because he made him removed 444 Presumption of escaping Hell because men thinke they have it in this life removed 445 Presumption they shall ever be wel because hither to they have escaped evill removed 446 Presumption they shall be saved because as great sinners as they have bin saved removed 450 Presumption of Salvation by Popes Pardons pennance and merit of workes removed 452 Presumption of salvation because God is mercifull removed 454 Presumption from universall Redemption removed 456 Presumption of Salvation because as men thinke their faith and repentance is good when it is not removed 462 Presumption of repenting hereafter removed 475 R How to read the Word profitably 187 Who must
from the marriage-bed and the like Thirdly Abstaine from all worldly labour as upon a Sabbath day for worldly busines the cares thereof doe as well as worldly delights distract the thoughts and hinder humble devotion and a ceasing there-from giveth a full opportunitie to holy imployments the whole day Therfore the Iewes were commanded to sanctifie a fast And that yearely Fast called the day of Atonement was upon perill of their lives to be kept by a forbearance of all manner of worke Now albeit the Ceremonials of that day are abolished in Christ yet forbearing worke as well as meate and drinke being of the substance of a Fast doth remaine to bee observed in all such as may properly be called Religious Fasts Thus much for the outward fast you must be as strict in observing the inward Begin the day with prayer according as I directed you to doe every day but with more than ordinary preparation with fervency and faith praying for Gods special grace to enable you to sanctifie a fast that day according to the Commandement Then apply your selfe to the maine worke of the day which hath these parts 1 unfained Humiliation 2 Reformation together with Reconciliation and 3 earnest Invocation The soule is then humbled the heart rent and truly afflicted when a man is become vile in his owne eyes through conscience of his owne unworthinesse and when his heart is full of compunction and anguish through feare of Gods displeasure with godly sorrow and holy shame in himselfe and anger against himselfe for sinne These affections stirred doe much afflict the heart To attaine this deepe humiliation know that it is to be wrought partly by awakening your Conscience through a sight of the Law and apprehension of Gods just judgements due to you for the breach of it which wil break your heart and partly by the Gospell raising up your heart to an apprehension and admiration of the love of God to you in Christ which will melt your heart and cause you the more kindely to grieve and to loath your selfe for sin and withall to conceive hope of mercy whence wil follow reconciliation reformation and holy calling upon God by prayer To worke this Humiliation there must be First Examination to find out your sinne Secondly a Accusation of your selfe with due aggravation of your sinne Thirdly Iudging and passing sentence against your selfe for sinne Sinne is the transgression of the Law and revealed will of God Wherefore for the better search and finding out of your sinne you must set before youthe glasse of the Law for your Light and Rule And if you have not learned or cannot beare in minde the heads of the manifold duties commanded or vices forbidden then get some Catalogue or Table wherein the same are set downe to your hand which you may reade with pausing and due consideration staying your thoughts most upon those particular sinnes whereof you finde your selfe most guiltie If of those many that are you doe not meete with one more fit for this purpose or which you shall like better then use this Examinatorie Table in manner as Followeth But expect not herein an enumeration of all particular sinnes which is beyond my skill nor yet of all the heads of duties or kindes of sinnes which would require a volumne but of those which are principall and most common yet hereby if your Conscience be awake it will be occasioned to bring to your thoughts those other not mentioned in the Table if you bee thereof guiltie The first Table of the Law concerneth duties of love and pietie to God the performance whereof tendeth immediately to the glory of God and mediately to the salvation and good of man The first Commandement concerneth the setting up of the onely true God to your selfe to bee your God Examining your selfe by this and so in the other Commandements thinke thus with your selfe Doe I know and acknowledge the onely true GOD to be such a one as hee hath revealed himselfe in his Word works namely One onely Infinite Immateriall Immutable Incomprehensible Spirit and Everlasting Lord God having beeing and All-sufficiencie in and from himselfe One who is simply full of all perfections and uncapable of the least defect being Wisedome Goodnesse Omnipotencie Love Truth Mercy Iustice Holinesse and whatsoever is originally and of it selfe Excellent The only Potentate King of Kings Lord of Lords of whom through whom and to whom are all things The Father Sonne and holy Ghost God blessed for ever Amen Doe I Beleeve his Word in all things related commanded promised and threatned therein and that his holy and wise Providence is in all things Have I Him and his Word in continuall remembrance Doe I esteeme and exalt God in my heart above all so that it doth humbly adore him at the very mention and thought of him making my selfe to be nothing in mine owne eyes yea esteeming all creatures to bee nothing in comparison of him Have I given religious worship to him onely Have I beleeved in him and in him onely Have I sworne by him as there hath beene cause and by him alone Have I prayed onely unto him and have I sought to him and to obtaine helpe of him only by such meanes as he hath appointed giving the glory and thanks of my being and well-being and of al other things which are good unto him Is my Conscience so convinced of the truth Authority of God that it holdeth it selfe absolutely bound to obey him in all things that it doth incite to that which is good restrain from that which is evill encourage me in well-doing and check me when I doe ill Is my will resolved upon absolute and unfained obedience to doe whatsoever God commandeth to forbeare whatsoeuer hee forbiddeth to subscribe to whatsoever he doth as well done and have I borne patiently all which either by himselfe or by any of his creatures hee hath inflicted upon me Have mine affections beene so for God that I have loved him with al my heart loving nothing more than him nothing equally to him Doe I hate every thing that is contrary to him Hath my Confidence beene onely in him and my expectation of good from him Have my desires beene to him and for him longing above all things to have communion with him Hath it beene my greatest feare to offend him or to be severed from him Hath it beene my greatest griefe and shame that I have sinned against him Have I reioyced in God as in my chiefe Good Hath mine anger risen against whatsoever I saw crosse to his glory Have I beene zealous for God And have I made him the utmost end of all mine actions Hath my whole outward man as tongue senses and all other active powers of my body been readie to professe the true God and to yeeld obedience to his will Or contrariwise Am I not guilty of denying of God in word in workes or at least in heart
way and affoordeth meanes to attain both through the commands and promises thereof in the doctrine of faith and repentance Now therefore bring your self to the Gospell Try your selfe thereby first whether your first faith and repentance were sound then set upon reforming getting pardon of particular and later offences But learne to put a difference betweene the Commandements of the Gospell and of the Law the Law exacteth absolute obedience The gracious Gospell doth through CHRIST accept of the truth of Faith and Repentance so that there be an endevour after their perfection It would be too long to shew you at large the signes of unfained Faith and Repentance I will for the present onely say this Have you been humbled heretofore and through the promises and commandement of the Gospell which biddeth you beleeue have you conceived hope of mercy relying on Christ for it and thereupon have had a â—â—ue change in your whole man so that you make God your utmost end and out of hatred oâ—… and love unto Christ and â—is wayes have had a will in all things to live honestly and to â—…devour in all things to keepe alwayes a good conscience to wards God and man desiring the sincere milke of the Word to grow by it loving the brethren desiring and delighting in communion with them then be you confident that your first faith repentance and new obedience was sound If upon tryall you finde that they were not sound then you must begin now to repent and beleeve it is not yet too late Touching reformation and obtaining of pardon and power of your particular sinnes doe thus Consider the Commandement which biddeth you to repent and amend Consider the Commandements which bid you to come unto Christ when you are weary and beavie laden with your sin beleeving that through him they shall be pardoned and subdued to this end Consider that Christ hath fully satisfied for such and such a sinne yea for all sinne and that you have many promises of grace and forgivenesse yea a promise that God will give you grace to beleeve in him that you may have your sinnes forgiven Consider that there is vertue and power in Christs death and resurrection appliable by faith through his holy Spirit for the mortifying the old man of sinne and quickning the new man in grace as well as merit to take away the guilt and punishment of your sinne Improve this power of Christ in you unto an actuall breaking off your sinnes and living according to the wil of Christ which is done by mortifying the old man of sinne and by strengthning the new and inner man of grace In mortifying your sinne doe thus Take all your sinnes especially your bosome sins those to which the disposition of your nature and condition of your place doth most incline you your strongest and Captaine sinnes and with them the body of corruption in you the originall and mother-sinne smite at them strike at the very roote arraigne them condemne them in your selfe dragge them all to the Crosse of Christ and nayle them thereunto that is by Faith see them all nayled with Christ to the Crosse whereon he was crucified and beleeve that not onelyin respect of their guilt but also of their raigning power they are al crucified with him dead and buried as is signified to you lively in your Baptisme When you see that your old man is crucified with Christ that the body of sinne should be destroyed you will take courage against sinne and will refuse to serve it sith by Christ you are freed from the dominion of it When you thus by faith put on the Lord Iesus Christ you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh Grieve heartily for your sinnes conceive deadly hatred against them displeasure against your selfe for them These like a corrasiue will eate out the core and heart of sinne Make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts of it but be sober in the use of all earthly things this by little and little will starve sinne Avoid all obiects and occasions of sinne yea abstaine from the appearance of it this wil disarme sinne When you feele any motion unto sinne whether it rose from within or came from without resist it speedily and earnestly by the Sword of the Spirit the Word of God as your Saviour did and as Ioseph did for which cause it must dwell plentifully in you Thus you shall kill sinne That you may strengthen the inner man by the Spirit whereby you may not onely mortifie the deeds of the flesh but bring forth the fruits of the Spirit doe thus First Apply Christ risen from the dead for you particularly beleeving that God by the same power quickneth you and raiseth you together with Christ to walke in newnes of life reckoning your selfe now to be alive unto God being dead unto sinne become the servant of righteousnesse This beleeving in Christ embracing and relying upon the precious promises of the Gospell doth draw downe Christ into your heart and doth more and more incorporate you into him by it he by his Spirit dwelleth in you wherby of his life grace you receive life and grace and so as the Apostle saith are made partaker of the divine nature flying the corruption which is in the world through lust Affect your heart with ioy unspeakeable and with peace in beleeving considering that you are iustified through our Lord Iesus Christ this Ioy of the Lord as a cordiall will exceedingly strengthen grace in the inner man Take heed of quenching or grieving the Spirit but nourish it by the frequent use of holy meditation prayer hearing and reading of the Word receiving the Sacraments by a Christian Communion with such as feare God and by following the motions of the Spirit of God which you shall know to be from it when the thing wherunto it mooveth is both for matter circumstance according to the Scripture the Word of the Spirit This is to be led of the Spirit and this will be to walke in the Spirit and then you shal not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Vpon your fasting day you shal doe well to renew your Covenant with God and in some cases so that it be done advisedly to enter into a particular vow to leave some grosse sinne with the occasions of it and to doe some necessary neglected dutie and to embrace all furtherances thereof This also will much strengthen your resolution against sinne and for holinesse There remaineth yet one principall work wherein a chiefe busines of the day of your fast lyeth for which all formerly spoken to maketh way and by which with the former meanes you may attaine to true reformation of your selfe reconciliation with your
of worke be done whether servile or any other Quest But are we under the Gospell tied unto as strict a rest as the Iewes Answ We are bound to keepe as strict and as holy a Rest as the fourth Commandement tied them but not to that strictnesse which some appendixes to the Law which were onely Ceremoniall or Iudiciall did binde them such as dressing their meat on the Eve not kindling a fire putting a man to death for gathering sticks c. These as it is probable were not onely peculiar to the Iews but for that present time onely while they were in the Wildernes and lived upon Manna And forbidding to kindle a fire seemeth to be a speciall restraint for that time to shew that God preferred the holy keeping of the Sabbath before the materiall building of his Tabernacle whereabout the kindling of fire was needfull see Exod. 31. 7. 14. and chapt 35. 2. 3. 5. c. But if these bound the Iewes at all times then they were part of that yoke and pâ—dagogie of the Iewes of which Peter saith neither they nor their fathers were able to beare all which were done away in Christ and doe not binde us Fourthly it is not enough that you observe a rest but you must keepe an holy Rest Which that you may doe you must in your awaking put difference between it and other dayes not thinking on worldly busines no more then will serve for a generall providence to preserve them from hurt or losse Both in your lying awake and rising this morning make use of the directions before shewing you how to awake and rise with God Rise early if it will stand with your health and not binder your fitnesse for spirituall exercises through drowsinesse afterward that you may shewforth Gods loving kindnes in the morning Double your devotions on the Lords day as the Iewes did their morning and evening sacrifice on the Sabbath day Prepare your selfe for the publike holy services by reading by meditation and by casting away all filthinesse that is repenting of every grosse sinne and casting away the abounding of naughtinesse that is let no sinne be allowed or suffered to reigne in you Then pray for your selfe and for the Minister that GOD would give him a mouth to speake and you an heart to heare as you both ought to doe All this before you shall assemble in the Congregation Being thus prepared bring your people with you to the Church Ioyne with the Minister and Congregation Set your selfe as in the speciall presence of God following the example of good Cornelius with all reverence attending and consenting saying Amen with understanding faith and affection to the prayers uttered by the Minister attending unto beleeving and obeying whatsoever by the Minister is commanded you from GOD. Afterward by meditation by conference and if you have opportunity by repetitions call to minde and wisely and firmely lay up what you have learned The like care must be had before at and after the Evening exercise If Baptisme be administred stay and attend unto it 1 To honor that holy Ordinance with the greater solemnity 2 And in charity to the persons to be Baptised joyning with the Congregation in heart prayer for them and in a joyfull receiving them into the Communion of the visiblë Church 3 Also in respect of your selfe For hereby you may call to mind your owne Baptisme in which you did put on Christ which also doth lively represent the death buriall and resurrection of Christ together with your crucifying the affections and lusts being dead and buried with him unto sinne and rising with him to newnesse of life and to hope of glory understanding clearly that the Bloud and Spirit of Christ signified by waeter doth cleanse you from the guilt dominion of sin to your Iustification and Sanctification Remembring moreover that by way of Sealing your Baptisme did in particular exhibit and apply to you that beleeve Christ with all the benefits of the CovenaÌ„t of grace ratified in his blood minding you also of this that it doth not onely seale Gods promises of forgivenesse grace and salvation to you but that also it sealeth and bindeth you to the performance of your promise and vow of faith and obedience which is the branch of the Covenant to be performed according as was professed on your part Recourse to your Baptisme is an excellent strengthner of your weake faith and an occasion of renewing of your vow you having broken it and of resisting temptations considering that they are against your promise and vow in Baptisme When there is a Communion receive it as oft as without interrupting the order of the Church in populous Congregations you may But be carefull to receive it worthily It is not enough that you be borne within the Covenant and that you have beene Baptised but you must have knowledge of the nature of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper both that it is by divine institution and that it is a signe and seale of the righteousnesse of faith signifying to you by the breaking and giving of the bread and by pouring out and delivering the wine the wounding bloud-shedding and death of Christ in whom the Covenant of grace is established presenting also and sealing unto you by the elements of bread and wine the very body and bloud of Christ with all the benefits of the new Covenant of which you receive indeed livery and seizon in the act of receiving by Faith whereby you also grow into a neerer union with Christ your head and communion with all his members your brethren Besides there must be a speciall preparation by examining your selfe making your peace with God before you receive which that you may the better doe read Chap. 5. Sect. 2. Also make your peace at least be at peace and in charity with your neighbour by an hearty acknowledging your fault so far as is fit and making recompence if you have done him wrong and by forgiving and forbearing revenge if he have done you wrong In the act of administring and receiving joyne in confession and prayers and attend to the actions of the Minister when he breaketh the bread powreth out the wine and by blessing setteth it apart for holy use by faith behold Christ by representation wounded bleeding and crucified before your eyes for you looking upon him whom your sinnes condemned and pierced to the death rather than his accusers Pilat and those which nailed him to the Crosse and which ran a speare into his side who were though malicious but instruments of that punishment which Cod with other tokens of his wrath did execute upon him though in himselfe a Lambe without spot justly for your sin he being your surety This looking upon him whom you have pierced should partly dissolve you into an holy griefe for sinne
for joy before ever they have made a legge and shewn any signe of thankfulnes you will easily be overtaken in this kinde and neglect God that gave it The furtherances of thankfulnesse are most of them directly contrary to the former hindrances of many take these First Get sound knowledge of God and of his infinite excellencies and absolutenesse every way of his independency on man or any other creature whence it is that he needeth not any thing that man hath or can doe neither can he be beholding to man But know that you stand in need of God and must be beholding to him for al things Know also that whatsoever God doth by whatsoever meanes it be hee doth it from himselfe induced by nothing out of himselfe being free in all that he doth Know likewise that whatsoever was the instrument of your good God was the Author both of the good and of the instrument Next Fill your selfe with a due knowledge of the full worth and excellent use of Gods gifts both common and speciall Wealth honour libertie health life senses limmes wit and reason c. considered in themselves and in their use wil be held to be great benefits but if you coÌ„sider them in their absence when you are sensible of poverty sicknesse and the rest or if you be so blessed that you know not the want of them then if you shall advisedly and humbly looke vpon the poore base imprisoned captives sicke deafe blind dumbe distracted c. Putting your selfe in their case you will â—ay that you are unspeakeably beholding to God for these corporal and temporall blessings But chiefely learne to know aâ—d consider well the worth of spirituall blessings One of them the peace of God passeth all understanding To enjoy the Gospell upon any tearmes to have â—â—â—vation such a salvation offered by Christ to have faith hope love and other the manifold saving graces of the Spirit though but in the least measure in the very first seed of the Spirit though no bigger then a grain of Mustard-seed with never so much outward affliction is of such value and consequent that it is more then eye hath seene eare hath heard or ever entred into the heart of man For besides that the least grace is invaluable in it selfe it doth give proof of better gifts namely that God hath given his Spirit hath given Christ and in him hath given himselfe a propitious and gracious God hath given all things also When you know God aright his gifts aright knowing all things in God and God in all things then you will be full of praises and thankes Secondly Be low and base in your owne eyes Let all things be base in your eyes in comparison of God account them worthlesse and helpelesse things without him Iudge your selfe to be as indeed you are lesse then the least of Gods mercies For what are you of your selfe but a compound of dust and sinne unworthy any good worthy of all misery You stand in need of God â—he not of you It is his mercy that you are not consumed When you can be thus sensible of your owne neede and that helpe can come onely from God and that you are worthy of no good thing then you will be glad and thankefull at heart to God for any thing An humble man will be more thankfull for a peny then a proud man will for a pound Thirdly Call all the forementioned knowledge of God and of his gifts into fresh memory Commune with your soule and cause it to represeÌ„t lively to your thoughts what God is in himselfe what to his Church and to you how precious his thoughts are to you-ward Tell your selfe oft what God hath done and what he will doe for your soule Call to minde with what varietie of good gifts he doth store his Church blesse you you will find that they will passe all account and number When withal you call to minde that God is free in all his gifts to you who are unworthy the least of them If you would cause your selfe to dwell upon these and the like thoughts they would worke in you an holy rapture and admiration out of which you shall with David break out into these or the like prayses Oh Lord our Lord how excellent is thy name in all the earth I thanke thee I praise thee I devote my selfe as my best sacrifice to thee I will blesse thy Name for ever and ever Fourthly Be perswaded of Gods love to you in these good things which he giveth unto you First he loveth you as his creature and if onely in that regard he doth preserve you and doe you good you are bound to thanke him Secondly you cannot know but that he loveth you with a speciall love to Salvation Gods revealed will professeth as much you must not meddle with that which is secret I am sure he maketh proffer of his love and you daily receive tokens of his love both in means of this life and that which is to come Did not he love you when out of his free and everlasting good will towards you He gave his Sonne to die for you that you beleeving in him should not dye but have everlasting life What though yet you be in your sinnes Doth hee not bid you turne and hath hee not said â—hee will love you freely What though you cannot turn to him nor love him as you would yet endevour these in the use of all good meanes to be and doe as God will have you then doubt noâ— but that GOD doth love you and you must wait till you see it in the performance of his gracious promises unto you But if you would consider things aright you may know certainly that the good things you have received of God are bestowed in love to you I will onely aske these Questions Hath Gods mercie made you to bethinke your selfe of your dutie and obedience to God have you had a will to be thankefull upon the thoughts thereof or if you finde a defect and barrennesse herein hath not this unfruitfull and unthankefull receiving of good things from God beene a great burden and griefe of heart to you If yea this is an evident signe that God gave those good things to you in love because this holy and good effect is wrought in you by them Againe Dâ—â— you love God would you love God and his wayes and Ordinances yet more This provetâ— that God loveth you for 〈…〉 man can love God till God have first loved him Likewise doe you love the children of God Theâ— certainly you are Gods childe and are loved of God By these you have proofe of your calling and election how that you are now translated from death to life after which time though God may give you many things in anger as a father giveth correction yet he never giveth any thing
in hatred and in wrath as hee doth to his enemies All things works together for good to them that love God therfore whatsoever he giveth to such is in love Fifthly Preferre the honour and glory of God before and above all things that may be beneficiall to your selfe preferre likewise the kindnesse and love of God in the gift farre above the gift it selfe then you will never bee so taken up with the enjoyment of the gift as to forget to give prayse and thankes to the Giver Sixthly unto the former helps â—dde this take upon you with â—n holy imperiousnesse over your soule charge your selfe to be thankefull and sith you have good reason for it take no nay Say with David Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within me blesse his holy Name c. Lastly to all other meanes ioyne earnest prayer to God to give you a thankefull heart It is not all the reasons you can alleage for it nor at the morall perswasions you can propound to your soule can worke it though these bee good meanes yea Gods means if you goe about to worke your heart to it in the power of your owne might all will be in vaine For as you cannot pray but by Gods Spirit so neither can you give thankes but by the Spirit Therefore say as David did Renew O Lord a right spirit in me and open my lippes that my mouth may shew forth thy prayse SECTION 2. Touching proofes of Thanks IT is not enough to professe and utter prayse and thankes to God you must give proofe of it First by devoting and giving your selfe to God to be at the will of him who is your Soveraigne Lord who giveth you all that you have who is alwaies giving unto you and alwaies doing you good Pay your vowes to him that performes his promises to you Let it appeare that you acknowledge him to be such a one as you say in your prayses and that you stand bound and beholding to him indeed as you say in your thankes in that you carrie your selfe in your life towards him as to him who only is Excellent who onely is God who is your God the God of your life and salvation and that in all holy service and in all holy living For Thankes-doing is the proofe and life of Thanks-giving and it is a divine saying The good life of the Thankefull is the life of Thankefulnesse Wherfore every new mercy should quicken your resolution to persevere and increase in well-doing serving God the rather with gladnes of heart because of the abundance of all things Secondly Doe good with those blessings which God giveth you For every good gift is given to a man to profit withall not onely himselfe but every member of that body whereof he is part Whatsoever good gift God hath given you whether corporall or spirituall it must be imployed to Gods glory and to your neighbors good as well as to your owne as God shall minister opportunitie If riches and the same must be understood of health strength wisdome skill c. be given to you you must honour God therewith and as God doth prosper you in any thing you must communicate to them that need as to the poore sicke weake simple and ignorant If God give knowledge faith spirituall wisdome abilitie to pray or any other of his rich graces you must not hoard them up and keep them reserved for your owne private benefit but you must communicate them to others and improve them for the good of others for the procuring their spirituall good and edifying them in faith hope and love By communicating your goods and common gifts of God in this sort you make your selfe friends with them against a day of need and when you honour GOD and doe good with any the talents which GOD putteth into your hand to trade with then you make the best improvemeÌ„t of them Hee who thus maketh God his friend in his prosperitte shall certainely finde him to be his sure friend in adversity in this life and when he shall be put out of his Stewardship at death then he shall be received into the everlasting habitations When the more you prosper the better you desire and endevour to be and to doe more good this is an infallible proofe of true thankfulnes and is an evident signe that you walk with God in prosperity as he would have you Give all diligence therefore to learne this lesson how to be full and how to abound But know it can be learned no where but in Christs Schoole and can never be practised but by Christs strength This is it which the Apostle had learned and said he was able to doe it through Christ that strengthened him It is a most needfull and high point of learning to be instructed and to know every where and in every thing how to be full and to abound of the two it is more rare and more difficult then to know how to bee abased and to suffer want which shall be the subject of the next Chapter CHAP. XI How to walke as in Gods sight under crosses in all adversity SECTION 1. EVery day wil bring forth his evill and crosse whether lighter ordinary or more heavy and rare The first sort riseth partly from the common frailties of the perverse natures of theÌ„ with whom you shall converse and partly from your owne as from tetchinesse and aptnesse to take things in ill part Such are discourtesies from those of whom you looked for kindnesse Imperiousnesse and too much domineering of Superiours sullennesse negligence and disregard from inferiours an awkewardnesse and crossenesse in the persons and things with which you have to deale Touching these the Rule is Lay not these to heart too neare you Make them not greater than they be through your impatiency as many doe who upon every light occasion of dislike cast themselves into such an Hell of vexation and discontent that all the blessings they receive that day are scarce observed or can make their lives comfortable Whereas Wisdome should prevent and Love and Wisedome should cover and passe by most of these seeing as if you saw not or if you will give way to any passion at these let it be with hatred of their and your sin which is the cause of these and all other crosses These should occasion you to pitty and pray for them that give you this offence and for your selfe who many times without cause take offence You may if need require shew your dislike and admonish the offender if so bee you doe it with meekenesse of wisedome but learne hereby to warne your selfe that you give not the like offence But whether your crosses and afflictions be seeming onely and in conceit or indeed whether from God immediately or from man whether light or heavie follow these directions 1. Be not transported with passion and choler
should bee patient taken 1 from GOD that sent it 2 from your selfe on whom it â—eth 3 from the nature and â—â—e of the affliction it selfe 4 by considering the evils of impatience 5 by comparing the blessings you have and are assured that you shall have with the crosses you have especially if patiently endured You shall from all these considerations see reason why your heart should be quiet under the greatest afflictions First consider well that whatsoever the trouble and crosse be and whatsoever bee the instrument of it either in the sense of evill or in the want of good promised God your Father 1 who doth all things according to the wisedome and counsell of his will 2 who doth afflict with most tender affection 3 who correcteth and afflicteth in measure 4 who hath alwayes holy purposes and ends in all afflictions and that for your good hath sent it First consider that it was God that did it There is no evil 〈…〉 of punishment in a City whicâ— the Lord hath not done saith Amos It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good saith El. I opened not my mouth saith David because thou Lord didst it The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away blessed bee the Name of the Lord saith Iob. 2. All this GOD doth to his children with a fatherly affection in much love and pitty He hath your soule still in remembrance while you are in adversitie Yea he beareth some part of the burden with you for speaking after the manner of man hee saith that in all the afflictions of his children he is afflicted He delighteth not in afflicting the children of men much lesse his owne children If you aske Why then doth hee afflict or why doth he not ease you speedily I aske you Why a tender-harted father being a Chirurgion who is grieved and troubled at the paine and anguish which he himselfe caused his childe to feele with corrosives or hot irons would notwithstanding apply the burning irons and suffer those plaisters to vexe him for a long time You will say Sure the wound or malady of the childe required it and that else it could not be cured This is the case betwixt God and you Gods heart is tender and yerneth towards you when his hand is upon you therefore beare it patiently 3. God afflicteth you in measure fitting your affliction for kinde time and weight according to your need and according to the strength of grace which he hath already given you or which certainely he will give you He doth never lay more upon you then what you shall be able to beare and will alwayes with the crosse and temptation make a way to escape The husbandman will not alwayes bee plowing and harrowing of his ground but onely giveth it so many earths and so many tynes to some more to some lesse as the ground hath need and as it can beare them So likewise he thresheth his divers sorts of graine with divers Instruments according as the graine can endure them the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument neither is the cart wheele turned about upon the cummin bread-corne is bruised because hee will not ever be threshing it nor breake it with the wheele of his cart nor bruise it with his horsemen If the husbandman doe all this by the discretion wherewith God hath instructed him can you think that God who is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working will plow and harrow any of his ground or thresh any of his corne above that which is fit and more than his ground and corne can beare Should not you his ground and corne bee patient at such tillage and at such threshing 4. Gods end in afflicting is alwayes his owne glory in your good as to humble you and to bring you to a sight of your sinne to breake up the fallow ground of your heart that you may sow in righteousnesse and reape in mercy to harrow you that the seed of grace may take root in you All Gods afflictions are either to remove impediments of grace By this saith Esay shall the inequity of Iacob bee purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin All the plowing is but to kill weeds and to fit the ground for seed all the threshing and winnowing is but to sever the chaffe from the corne and all the grinding and boulting by afflictions is but to sever the bran from the flowre that Gods people may be a pure meate-offering acceptable to him Or else he afflicts that his children might have experience of his love power in preserving and delivering them or that they might have the exercise proofe and increase of faith hope love and other principall graces scil to worke patience and experience by them which serve for the beautifying perfecting of a Christian God doth iudge his children here that they may repent and be reformed that they may not bee condemned with the world Gods end in chastising you shall be found to be alwayes for your good that you shall be able to say It was good for mee to be afflicted For it is that you may be partaker of his holinesse and accordingly of his glory and happinesse Beare therefore all afflictions patiently for they are for your good If this be your crosse and trouble that you want many of the graces and good gifts of GOD which he hath promised Know also that this deferring to give graces and comforts is of God not out of neglect or forget fulnesse of you but of set wise and good purpose even to you-ward As to inkindle your desires more and more after them and it may be that you should seek them in a better manner It is likewise to try your faith and hope whether you will doe him that honour as to wait and rest upon his bare word When you are fit for them you shall have them You must therefore worke your heart yet to wait patiently for them considering the faithfulnesse power of God that promised and how that all the promises of God are Yea and Amen in Christ He is wise true and able to fulfill them in the due time and in the best manner for faithfull is he that hath promised and will fulfill it and yet a little while and hee that shall come will come and will not tarry Secondly when the Soule beginneth to be disquieted consider your selfe how unworthy you are of any blessing how worthy you are of all Gods curses yea of eternall damnation in Hell and that justly because of the sin of your nature and wicked actions of your life When you shall doe thus your heart will be quiet and content you wil say with the Church whatsoever your trouble be I will beare the indignation of the Lord for I have sinned against him He that doth acknowledge that he hath deserved to be hanged
forme of your life and conversation according to which you must walke with God The inward truth and life of all this which is doing all in uprightnesse remaineth to bee spoken unto which followeth CHAP. XII Of uprightnesse SECTION 1. ALL which I shall write concerning uprightnesse will meet in this point In your whole walking with GOD you must be upright Both these to walke with God and to be upright are joyned in this precept Walke with mee and bee perfect or upright Hee speaketh not of an absolute perfection of degrees in the fulnesse of al graces which is only aimed at in this life towards which a man by watchfulnesse and diligence may come nearer and nearer but is never attained untill we come to Heaven amongst the spirits of iâ—st men made perfect He speaketh here of the perfection of parts and of truth of grace in every part expressing it selfe in unfainednesse of will and endevour which is uprightnesse That you should bee sincere and upright Reade Ioshâ—a 24. 14. 1 Chro. 28. 9. And the Apostle telleth you that sith Christ Iesus your Passeover is slaine you must keepe the seven dayes feast of unleavened bread which shadoweth forth the whole time of our life here with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth The examples of Noah Iob Nathaniel with many others in the Scripture are therefore written that of them you may learne to be upright There is speciall reason why you should be upright First Your God with whom you walke is perfect and upright hee is truth Hee loueth truth in the inward parts all his workes are done in truth and there was no guile ever found to be either in the mouth hand or heart of your Head Christ Iesus Now you should please GOD and be like your Father and like your head CHRIST IESVS following his steps Secondly it is to no purpose to doe that which is right in Gods sight in respect of the matter of your actions if in the truth and disposition of your soule you bee not upright therein For the best action voyd of uprightnesse is but like a well-proportioned body without life and essential forme And that is counted as not done at all to God which is not done in uprightnesse This exception is taken against Amaziahs good actions It is said Hee did that which was right in the sight of the Lord but hee did it not in uprightnesse he did it not with a perfect heart Thirdly the best actions without uprightnesse doe not onely lose their goodnesse but in Gods account are held to be abominable evils Such were the Prayers and Sacrifices of the hypocriticall Iewes For GOD holdeth such actions and such services to be meere flatterie lying and mocking him to his face Now because there is none so ready to presume and say he is upright as is the hypocrite So Ephraim In all my labours they shall finde no iniquitte in mee that were sinne And because there are none so ready to doubt whether they be upright as are the tender-hearted and sincere So it was with David when he prayed to have a right spirit renewed in him It will be needfull and useful that I shew you what uprightnesse is and by what infallible marks you may know whether you be upright or no. Christian uprightnesse for of that I meane is a saving grace of the holy Ghost wrought in the heart of a man rightly informed in the knowledge of God in Christ whereby his heart standeth so intirely and sincerely right to God-ward that in the true disposition bent and firme determination of his will hee would in every facultie and power of soule and body approue himselfe to be such a one as God would have him to be and would doe whatsoever God would have him to doe and all as God would have him and that for and unto God The Author of this uprightnesse is Gods sanctifying Spirit The common nature of it wherein it agreeth with other graces is it is a saving grace It is peculiar to them that shall be saved for onely they are indued with it but it is common to all and to each of that sort who are effectually called The proper seat of this grace is the will The ground or spring in man from whence through the speciall grace of the holy Ghost it riseth is sound knowledge of God and of his will touching those things which the will should choose and refuse and from faith in Christ Iesus the conduit-pipe through which everybeleever doth of his fulnesse of uprightnesse receive this grace to be upright Herby Christian uprightnes differeth from that uprightnesse which may bee in a meere naturall superstitious and mis-beleeving man yea in an heathen Idolater for even such may be unfained in their actions in their kinde both in actions civill and superstitious doing that which they doe in their ignorance and blindnesse without dissimulation either with GOD or man This S. Paul did before his conversion hee did as hee thought he ought to doe The forme and proper nature of uprightnesse is the good inclination disposition and firme intention of the will to a full conformitie with Gods will and that not in some faculties and powers of man or in some of his actions but universally for subject and object he would be entire and sincere in all his parts and in all things hee would be and doe as GOD would have him to be and doe making Gods will revealed in his Word and Workes to be his will and Gods knowne ends to be his ends This holy uprightnesse expresseth it selfe in three actions two inward the other both inward and outward First it sheweth it selfe in a well-grounded and unfained purpose and resolution to cleave to the Lord and to make Gods will to be his will This is an act of the will guided and concluded from sound judgement The second act is an unfained desire and longing of the heart to attaine that his good purpose and resolution willing or desiring in all things to live honestly and to live worthy the LORD in all well-pleasing longing with David after Gods precepts This is an act of the affection of desire a motion of the wil drawing and thrusting a man forward giving him no rest untill he have obtained at least in some good measure his said purpose Thirdly uprightnesse sheweth it selfe in a true endevour and exercise according to the strength and measure of grace received to be and to doe according to the former resolutions desires Such was the Apostles indeuour to have alwayes a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men This indevour is an act of the whole man All and every active power of soule and body as there shall be use of them are imployed in unfained indevour Now touching indevour know there be many thinke they indevour sufficiently when they
course of their lives only observe this that in judging â—…our actions you must not judge â—â—em so much by the muchnesse â—ad greatnesse of the quantitie as â—…y the soundnesse ripenesse and goodnesse of the quality If it bee good in truth according to the measure of grace received God accepteth it in Christ She hath done what shee could faith our Saviour A little sound and true fruit though weake in comparison is farre better than many blades and blossomes yea then plenty of grapes if they be wild and sowre SECTION 2. Of the markes of uprightnesse THat you may coÌ„ceive more distinctly may better remember the signes of uprightnesse I reduce them to these heads They are taken 1. from universalitie of respect to all Gods will 2. From specialtie and prioritis of respect to such things as God requireth specially 3. From a will and desire to please God in one place as well as another in secret as well as open 4. From a constancie of will to please GOD at one time as well as another 5. From the true causes efficient and finall 6. From the effects that follow well-doing 7. From the effects that follow evil-doing 8. From the conflict which shall be found betweene uprightnesse and hypocrisie First the upright man is universall in his respect to the whole will of God For first he unfainedly desireth and indevoureth to know what manner of man hee ought to be what he ought to do He would know beleeve any one part of Gods will so farre as it may concerne himselfe as well as another Threats as well as promises Commandements as well as either and that not some but all the threats all the promises and all the Commandement Comming to the light readily that his deeds may be made manifest He is willing to know and beleeve what he should doe as well as what he should have and hope for But the hypocrite not so hee winketh with his eyes and is willingly ignorant of that sinne which he would not leave and of that dutie which hee would not doe and of that judgement which he would not feele He is willing to know the promises of the Gospell but willingly ignorant of the precepts of the Gospell and of the conditionâ— annexed to the promises 2. Secondly His universall respect to Gods wil is not onely to know but todoe and to submit unto it in all things willing to leave and shun everie sin willing to doe everie thing which he knoweth to be his dutie willing to beare patiently thankfully fruitfully everie correction wherwith the Lord doth exercise him He disliketh sinne in all Hee loveth grace and goodnesse in all Hee would keepe a good conscience in all acts of Religion towards God and in all acts of righteousnesse and sobrietie towards and amongst men Hee would forbeare not onely those sinnes to which his nature is not so much inclined or to which his condition of life affoordeth not so manie temptations but those to which his nature and condition of life doth most carrie him he will crossâ— himselfe in his dearest iust namely his darling and beloved sinnes his * owne sinne as David calleth it Neither doth he indevour to abstaine from those vices which may bring losse and are out of credit which some men punish all men cry shame on but such as through the iniquitie of the times are in countenance with the greatest and practised by most the forbearance whereof may threaten and procure danger and discredit the doing whereof may promise and performe much worldly gaine and honour Moreover the upright man doth not only strive to doe those holy and vertuous actions which are in credit and for his advantage in the world but those also which may expose him to disgrace and losse even of his life and livelihood He would abstaine as well from lesse evils even from appearance of evils as from grosse sinnes And would so doe the greater things of the Law as not to leave the other undone But the hypocrite not so there is some sin he wil not leave some dutie he will not doe c. Follow the opposition 2. Secondly an upright man is knowne by this Where GOD hath laid a speciall charge there he will have a first and speciall respect to it As to seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse that one thing necessary and to shew a specialty of love to the houshold of saith To be first and most at home reforming himselfe and his pulling out the beame out of his owne eye To be most zealous for matter of substance in religion and lesse in matter of ceremony and circumstance Lastly his chiefe care will bee to apply himselfe to a â— conscionable discharge of the duties â—f his particular calling knowing â—hat a man hath no more conscience nor goodnesse in truth then â—e hath will and desire to shew â—â— in the workes of his particular â—…ace and calling The hypocrite â—â— contrary in all these Thirdly the upright man indeâ—oureth to approve himselfe to God â— well in secret as openly as well â—â— the inward man as in the outward as well in thought as in â—ord and deed But it is quite â—therwise with the hypocrite if â—â— may seeme good to men it is â—â— he careth for Fourthly the upright man is constant his will is that he might alwayes please God He doth as well bethinke himselfe how to doe well in prosperity as in adversity and even then studieth how to be able to hold out before God if his state should alter I do not meane such a constancy as admitteth of no intermissions or stoppages in the open course of his life A constant running spring may betweene two hils be stayed in his course for a time by damming it up yet the spring will approve it selfe to run constantly for it wil be stil thrusting to get thorow or get under or if it can doe none of these it will raise it selfe in time according to its strength and get over all lets and will beare down all before it and will run with a more full streame afterwards by as much as it was before interrupted so it is with an upright maâ— But the hypocrite is but by fiâ—â— and starts as he calleth not on Goâ— at all times so it is with all other his goodnes it is but as the corne in stony ground and amongst thornes and as a morning dew it endureth but for a season Fifthly An upright man is known by the causes from which all his good actions spring and to which they tend for these two the efficient and the end denominate the action 1. That which causeth the upright man to endevour to keepe a good conscience alway is an inward principle and power of grace causing him through faith in Christ in and from whom as from the roote of all grace he bringeth forth
a kind of Spirituall swoone and in such like cases But a man must not judge himselfe to be dead because wheÌ„ he is asleepe or in a swoone he hath no feeling or sense of life Whether is it necessary that a man should finde all these marks of uprightnesse in him if hee be upright No. Albeit if he were in case to judge himselfe and try himselfe thorowly he might finde them all in him yet if hee finde most or but some of these he should stay himselfe upon those untill he finde the rest Take heed that you doe not as many hearers and many readers doe when they heare and see many signes given of this or any other needfull grace If they cannot approove themselves by all they will make a question whether they have the grace or no. One may give you twenty signes of naturall life as Seeing Hearing Talking Breathing c. What though you cannot prove your life by all yet if you know you feele or breath or moove you know you are alive by any one of these What is to be done when you cannot now finde that you are upright wheras heretofore somtimes you did hope that you were Doe not presently conclude you are an hypocrite but looke backe unto former proofes of uprightnesse And though you have for the present lost your evidence and assurance of Heaven yet give not over your possession of what you have nor your hope A man that hath once had possessioÌ„ of house and lands if his state be questioned will seeke out his evidence and suppose that he hath laid aside or lost his evidence thereof yet hee is not such a foole as to give over his possession or his right but will seek till he finde his evidences or if he cannot find them will search the Records and get them forth thence So must you in this case you must seeke for your evidence againe And intreat your Lord that he will please to give you a new Copie out of his Court-rouâ—â— in Heaven wherein both your name uprightnesse is written Howsoever cleave fast to God and to his promises Resolve not to dare to sinne wittingly nor yet to give over your indevour to walke in his wayes and you shall not be long before you shall know that you be upright or if you attain not to this yet be sure the LORD will know you to be his though you doe not so certainely know that hee is yours But of this more when I shall speake of peace of Conscience But in trying my uprightnesse I finde many of the signes of hypocrisie in me I doe not finde my selfe to be so universall in my respect to all Gods Commandements as I should I doe not hate all sinnes alike I finde my selfe inclined to somesinne more than other and I am readier to neglect some dutie than other I cannot so throughly seeke GODS Kingdome as I should I am readier to finde fault with others than to amend my owne c. I finde that I am not so constant as I ought to be in good duties and I have too much respect to my selfe in all that I doe and too little to Gods glory In reading all the notes of hypocrisie except the last I finde hypocrisie nay much hypocrisie to be in mee Must I not therefore judge my selfe to be an hypocrite No. For truth of uprightnesse may bee in the same person in whom there is sense of much hypocrisie Nay this to feele hypocrisie with dislike argueth truth of uprightnesse Indeede if you felt not thus much you might feare you were not upright All that you have said if it be true onely proveth that you have hypocrisie remaining in you and that you feele it You must remember that I told you that not the having but the raigning of hypocrisie maketh an hypocrite Besides a man may have an universall respect to all Gods Commandements and yet not an equall respect to all If you see and bewaile your sinne and fight against your hypocrisie when you feele it assure your selfe you are no hypocrite What if a man finde indeed by these notes of hypocrisie that it doth raigne in him He must know that he is for the present hated of God and in a damnable estate yet his state is not desperate If the hypocrite forsake his hypocrisie become upright he shall not dye for his hypocrisie if this be true of a sinners for saking of all sinne then it is true of this in particular of forsaking his hypocrisie but in the uprightnesse wherein he liveth he shall live What Christ said to Hypocriticall Luke-warme Laodicea that I say to all such they must be zealous they must amend and be upright hypocrifie is as pardonable as any other sinne to him that is penitent and that beleeveth in Christ Iesus Isaiah 1. 11. 16 18. By this which I have written you may plainly see 1 That you ought to be upright 2 What it is to be upright 3 Whether you be upright or no. It concerns you therfore to hate and avoyd hypocrisie and to love and imbrace sinceritie Which that you may doe make use of these motives and means which follow in the next Sections SECTION 3 â—ouching disswasives from Hypocrisie and motives to Vprightnesse IF you would abandon hypocrisie consider the disswasives â—…ken from the evills and misâ—…efes that accompany it where â—…raigneth And how troubleâ—…e and noysome it is where it is â—…ough it raigne not First Hypocrisie taketh away the goodnesse of the best actions â—…ey are good onely in name 〈…〉 in deed The repentance and â—…dience of an hypocrite is none because it is fained his faith is no faith because it is not unfained his love no love because it is not from a pure heart without dissimulation Conceive the like of all other the graces and good actions of an hypocrite Secondly All the goodnesse and actions of an hypocrite are together with himselfe wholly lost Such as Preaching Hearing Praying Alms-giving Building of Hospitalls Colledges Bridges c. Thirdly hypocrisie in whom it raignes doth not onely take away all goodnesse from the best gifts and actions and cause the losse of all reward from GOD but it pâ—ysoneth and turneth the best actions into most loath somâ— and abominable sinnes Insomuch that in those good works wherin the hypocrite seemeth to makâ— haste to Heaven he doth run posâ— to Hell For such allowed hypocriticall holinesse is worse thaâ— professed wickednesse it is so odious in GODS eyes and nostrels that for it he will plague those in whom it ruleth with his severest judgements For the hypocrisie of men professing the truth doth bring the name religion and best services of God into disgrace and contempt and causeth the best actions and best men to be suspected For such as have not spiritual wisdome to judge rightly doe stumble hereat and forbeare the said good actions and
proceedeth from base and cursed causes namely from ignorance of God from unbeliefe and distrust of God in whomsoever this sinne raigneth hence it was that the Heathen abounded in this sinne And by how much this Carefulnesse is in any though it raigne not by so much he may be said to be of little sound knowledge and of little faith Sixtly Carefulnesse and hanging in doubtfull suspence about successe in any your lawfull indevours be it whether you or yours shall prosper or whether you shall profit by the meanes of grace or whether you shal be saved in the end doth produce many dangerous and mischievous effects First It will cause you to neglect provident care to use the meanes of this life or of that which is to come according as you doubt of successe in either or if you neglect them not utterly yet you shall have no heart to go about them For those that goe about others workes usually neglect their owne so you will be apt to leave your owne worke undone when you take Gods worke out of his hands And who is hee that can take paines about that which he feareth wil be to no purpose and will be labour lost Secondly you will be ready to use unlawful means for anything when you doubt of succes from lawful Thirdly Taking thought doth divide distract over-loade weare and waste the heart and spirits nothing more Fourthly You can never be thank full to GOD for anything whereof you feare that you shall have no good successe Fiftly This taking thought and plodding about successe with doubtfull feare will deprive you of the comfort of all those good things you have had and which now you doe enioy Sixtly nothing will bring ill successe unto you sooner than to be taking thought and be troubled about what may be For when any man shall not withstanding the experience hee hath had or might have had of Gods power love care and truth of his promises yet distrustfully care so far as not to content himself with his own worke so far as provident care leadeth him but also will take Gods worke and the burthen of his worke upon himselfe caring about successe which onely belongeth to God and which God onely can doe and beare this folly and presumption doth so much provoke God that it causeth him out of his wise Iustice to cease caring for such a one leaving him to his owne care and to his wit friends or any other earthly helpes to make him by wofull experience see feele how little any or all these without GOD can availe him Nay it causeth God not onely to withdraw his owne helpe but the helpe of all things wheron such a man doth relye and which is more causeth them in stead of being for him to be utterly against him Is it not just with God that whosoever will not be beholding to God to beare their burthen but will take it up and beare it themselves should be made to beare it alone to the breaking of their back or at lest to be much bowed and crusht under it Wherefore all these things waighed I returne to the exhortation or conclusion before propounded viz. Roule your selfe and your affaires upon God Cast all your care on God be carefull in nothing Oh! How happy are we Christians if we did but know or knowing would enioy our Happinesse We are cared for in every thing that wee need and that can bee good for us We may live without taking thought or care in any thing Our worke is onely to study and indevor to please God walking before him in sincerity and with a perfect heart then we may cleave to him and rest on him both for our bodies and soules without feare or distraction GOD is Al-sufficient and all in all to such he is known by his name Iehovah to such even to bee the being and the accomplisher of his promises to them If we shall wisely and diligently care to doe our work we serving so good and so able a master need not care for our wages If we would make it our care to obey and please so good and so rich and bountifull a Father We need not be carefull for our maintenance here in our minority and non-age nor yet for our eternall inheritance when we shall come to full age We in this holy security and freedome from Carefulnesse if wee were not wanting to our selves might live in an heaven upon earth and that not onely when wee have meanes for even then our securitie is in God not in the meanes but when to the eye of flesh we have no meanes For God is above and more than all meanes That you may leave carking and be brought to cast all your care on God 1 Deny your selfe and your owne wisedome bee not wise in your owne conceit nor presumptuous of your wit skill or meanes 2 Get soùnd knowledge faith hope and confidence in God live by faith beleeving to the preservation both of body and soule Get not onely faith in his promise but in his providence also When you shall see no way or meanes of having the good you desire or of keeping you from the evill which you feare or of delivering you from the evill you feele then call to minde not onely the promises of God viz. I am with you I will not leave nor forsake you and All things worke together for good and many such like but beleeve also that God will provide meanes to bring to passe what he hath promised though yet you see not how When you can say with faithfull Abraham God will provide you shall be out of feare and doubt But if with Abraham in the case of the promise of issue of his body in whom the Nations of the earth should be blessed you beleeve GODS promises in the maine but not Gods providence in the meanes then you will be so fearefull doubtfull and carefull that of your selfe or by others solicitations you wil readily find out and use unlawfull meanes to obtaine the thing promised as he did when he went in to Hagar or to faint in waiting as many others have done For we see the like in David when he had faith in Gods providence he could say of Saul The Lord shall smite him or his day shall come to dye or he shall descend into the battell and perish The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lords annointed But when he doubted of Gods providence then he saith I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul 3 Give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure For when you know assuredly that GOD is your heavenly Father and Christ Iesus your Redeemer and that you are of his family having your name written in heaven you then shall easily free your heart from being troubled with feare and carking care being sure that your heavenly Father and Savior
fulfill their pennance injoyned if they be devout in certaine superstitions in their will-worship and voluntary religion their conscience is quiet for a time notwithstanding their soule and blacke sinnes even their abominable Idolatries I do these to wit that all this is but a blindfolding smothering and stupifying the conscience for a time laying a double and a farre greater guilt upon it it is farre from being any meanes truly to pacifie it For how can any man have true peace from any or from all such actions as are in themselves an actuall denying of the true head of the Church Iesus Christ and are a cleaving to a false head which is Antichrist And how can any man merit for himselfe when our Saviour saith when hee hath done all that is commanded hee is an unprofitable servant and hath done but his dutie which thing hee must say and acknowledge All these before mentioned build their hopes upon false grounds Those that follow build their presumptuous false hopes upon a misse-application of true grounds 7. Many acknowledge that they have sinned doe deserve eternall damnation but they say God is mercifull therefore their heart is quiet without all feare of Condemnation It is most true that God is most mercifull but how Know hee is not necessarily mercifull as if he could not choose but shew it to all men Hee is voluntarily mercifull shewing mercy onely to those unto whom he will shew mercie God could and did hate and in his justice comdemne Eâ—au notwithstanding his love and mercy to Iacob God is all iustice as well as all mercy but he hath his severall obiects of justice and mercy and hath his severall vessels of wrath and mercy into which respectively hee doth powre his wrath or mercy When God speaketh of obstinate sinners he saith that hee will not â—e mercifull to their iniquities and saith againe Hee that made them will not have mercy on them And David prayeth with a Propheticall Spirit saying to God Be not mercifull to wicked transgressours And who are these but such as hate to be reformed who are presumptuous and turne the grace of God into wantonnesse Now concerning them that alwayes erre in their heart hee hath in effect sworne that hee will shew them no mercy For hee hath sworne that they shall not enter into his rest 8. Some others goe farther they acknowledge that GODS Iustice must be satisfied and they thinke it is satisfied for them they dreaming of universall redemption by Christ who indeed is said to dye to take away the sinnes of the world This causeth their conscience to be quiet notwithstanding that they live in sinne It must be granted that Christ gave himselfe a ransome for all This ransome may be called generall and for all in some sense but how namely in respect of the common nature of man which he tooke and of the common cause of mankinde which hee undertooke and for that in it selfe it was of sufficient price to redeeme all men and it was paide in such sort that it is appliable to al without exception by the preaching and ministry of the Gospell And it was so intendedby Christ that the plaster should be as large as the sore and that there should be no defect in the remedy that is in the price or sacrifice of himselfe offered upon the Crosse by which man should be saved but that all men and each particular man might in that respect become saveable by Christ Yet doth not the salvation of all men necessarily follow hereupon nor doth it follow that all men may be saved if they will nor yet must any part of the price which CHRIST paid be held to be superfluous though many be not saved by it For it being of infinite value because he was the eternall son of God that suffered and so it was to be because he was to feele the wrath of an infinite God it receiveth not the consideration of more or lesse And the whole price and merits of Christ are not to bee applied by parts but the whole merit is to bee applyed to each particular maÌ„ that shal be saved But know that the application of the remedy and the actuall fruit of this all-sufficient ransom redoundeth to those which are saved onely by that way and meanes which God was pleased to appoint which for men of yeares iâ— faith by which Christ is actually applyed Which condition many to whom the Gospell doth come make impossibleto themselves through a wilfull refusing of the Gospell and saluation it selfe by Christ upon those termes which God doth offer it Vpon this sufficiency of Christs ransome and intention of God and Christ that it should be sufficient to save all is founded that generall offer of Christ to all and to each particular man to whom the Lord shall please to reveale the Gospell likewise that universall precept of the Gospell commanding every man to repent and beleeve in Christ Iesus as also the universall promise of salvation made to every one that shall beleeve in Christ Iesus Although in an orthodox sense â—ightly understood Christ may be said to have dyed for all yet let not every one nor any one presently presume he shall be saved For God did intend this all-sufficient price for all otherwise to his elect in Christ than to those whom he passed by not elected for he intended this not only out of a generall and common love to mankinde but out of a peculiar love to his Elect. He gave not Christ equally and alike to save all and Christ did not so lay downe his life for the Reprobate as for the Elect. Christ so dyed for all that his death might be applyable to all He so dyed for the Elect that his death might be actually applied unto them He so dyed for all that they might have an object of faith and that if they should beleeve in Christ they might be saved But he so died for the Elect that they might actually beleeve and bee saved Hence it is that Christs death becommeth effectuall to them and not to the other though sufficient for all Now that many beleeve not they having â—he means of saith the fault is in themselves through their wilfulnesse or negligence but that any beleeve to Salvation it is of Gods grace attending his Election and Christs dying out of his especiall love for them and not of the power of mans free will God sending his Gospell and giving the grace of faith new obedience to those whom of his free grace he hath ordained to eternall life both where he pleaseth and when he pleaseth Furthermore it must be considered that notwithstanding the all-sufficiencie of Christs death whereby the new Covenant of grace is ratified and confirmed the Covenant is not absolute but conditionall Now what GOD prodoundeth conditionally no man must take absolutely For God
hath not said that all men without exception shal be saved by Christs death albeit he saith Christ died for all but Salvation is promised to all onely under the Condition of Repenting and Beleeving in Christ that dyed I call them conditions not for which GOD ordained men to life but conditions to which they were ordained by which as by the fittest way man being a reasonable and voluntary agent God might glorifie himselfe in bringing them to eternall life Wherefore notwithstanding Christs infinite merit whereby he satisfied for mankinde and notwithstanding the universalitie of the offer of salvation to all to whom the Gospell is preached both Scripture and experience shew that not all nor yet the most shall be saved and that because the number of them which repent and unfainedly beleeve whereby they make particular and actuall application of Christ and his merits to themselves are fewest For of those many that are called few are chosen Wherfore let none ignorantly dreame of an absolute universall redemption as many simple people do Not yet let any think that because of the large extent of Christs Redēption they may be saved when they wil. For thogh Christ bee said to suffer to take away the sinnes of the whole world yet the Scripture saith that the whole world of unbeleevers and of ungodly men shall perish eternally Many wil yeeld that they must have faith and repentance and that they must be ingrafted into Christ and become new creatures else they cannot looke to be saved but they thinke they are all this already whence followeth quiet of Conscience Whereas when it commeth to the tryall their faith and repentance are sound not to be sound As shall thus appeare They thinke they have faith nay more they presume further that they have true faith and that they are truly religious and in state of grace It is not enough for a man to seeme to himselfe to bee religious for he may deceive his owne heart a close hypocrite may thinke himselfe to be something when yet he is nothing deceiving himselfe as no doubt the foolish Virgins did But many will think that they have good reason to judge that they have true faith c. and that 1 Because they beleeve the whole Scripture to bee the good Word of God 2 They beleeve not onely that there is a GOD but that Iesus Christis the Sonne of God and Saviour of the world yea according to the letter they beleeve all the Articles of the Christian faith 3 They thinke they are beleevers because they have beene Baptized and have given their names unto Christ they professe the onely true Religion they have the very true forme of godlinesse in all the externall exercises of Religion so that it may be said of many of them as it was said of the lewes They seeke God daily and delight to know his waies as a Nation that did righteousnesse c. Whereas if they beleeve no more nor no better they may know that their faith is onely an historicall and generall faith or onely a temporary faith at the best necessary indeed to Salvation but not sufficient to save The Devils beleeve as much as the first and very hypocrites may and doe professe and doe as much as the second and third The Apostle Paul having to doe with hypocriticall Iewes who because of the Sacraments and forme of knowledge and profession though without practice did nourish in themselves a vaine perswasion that they should be saved he removeth this false ground of their hope thus saying He is not a Iew which is one outwardly but he is a Iew which is one inwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but that which is of the heart in the Spirit and not in the letter whose prayse is not of men but of God In like manner Saint Peter doth give all Christians to know that that Baptisme which is only a putting away of the filth of the flesh doth not save but that Baptisme which giveth proofe that the heart is sprinkled from an evill conscience as well as the body washed with pure water shewing it selfe by the answer which a good conscience maketh in beleeving in truth consenting unto and imbracing the new Covenant whereof Baptisme is a seale of which anciently men of yeares made profession when they were Baptized Neither is it any thing worth to have the forme of godlinesse in profession when the power thereof is denyed by an evill conversation as you may see by the exceptions which God taketh against the Iewes albeit they seemed to love Sacrifices and Sacraments Prayers Fastings and Sermons For howsoever such as these are most apt to claime an interest in Christ yet so long as their faith is not a particular faith drawing with it affiance sole reliance on Christ for Saluation declaring its truth and life by indevouring to performe the new Covenant on their part by new obedience in an endeavour unto all manner of good workes Our Saviour professeth that hee knoweth them not but biddeth them depart from him because they were workers of iniquity But secondly many of these presume that their faith is a lively saving faith that because as they thinke they have repented and are become new creatures And all because they have had such an inlightning as by nature man cannot attaine unto nay the Word hath affected them much and somwhat altered them from what they were namely 1 when they were hearing a Sermon or when Gods rod was over them they have mourned wept and shewed some kinde of humiliation 2 At the hearing of Gods precious promises in the Gospel in the glad tydings of Salvation they have felt a taste of the heavenly gift and of the good Word of God and of the powers of the world to come And 3 they finde that they doe not commit many of those sinnes which they were wont to commit and that they doe many good duties towards GOD and man which they were wont not to doe 4 They desire that Gods people should pray for them 5 They desire to dye the death of the righteous and to goe to heaven when they dye And 6 which is more some can say that sometimes they have wished that they could leave sinne and that they had grace to doe well Besides 7 They see that the best of them that truly feare God both Ministers and others are well perswaded of them But what of all this These men as neere as they come yet going no farther are farre from Salvation For the Common gifts of Gods Spirit given unto men in the Ministery of the Gospell may elevate a man higher and carry him farther towards heaven than nature art or meere humane industry can doe and yet if the saving graces of the same Spirit be not added hee will be left farre short of
the brethren when hee breathed out threatning was as he himselfe saith mad against them Was hee at that time a Reprobate Did hee not afterwards being coÌ„verted so love GODS people that he could be content to spend and be spent himselfe for them So many thousands whose consciences for the present may justly condemne them of not loving those that be zealous and indeed Gods children may yet love them hereafter as dearly as their owne soules Some will yet say certainely we are Reprobates For we have according to the command of the Apostle tryed whether we be in the faith or no and whether Christ be in us but we finde neither the Apostle saith we know these to be in us else we are Reprobats 2 Cor. 13. 5. By Reprobate in this place is not meant one that is not elect one whom God in his just judgment past by and ordained unto wrath For none of the Elect can before their conversion know by any search that they are in the faith or that Christ is in them For that cannot bee knowne which yet is not Many are not converted untill they be thirtie fortie or fiftie yeares old Will you say these in their younger yeares were Reprobates You may say they then were in state of condemnation and children of wrath but no Reprobates Besides a man must not bee said not to be in the faith and not to have Christ in him because he doth not know so much For many have faith and are in Christ yet do not alwaies know it The word Reprobate because it is ordinarily understood by our common people for a man ordained to condemnation is too harsh except its true meaning were expressed and the Greeke doth not necessarily inforce it Yet I confesse it is a terme proper enough if it were not in our English almost appropriated to the former sense These words now rendred except ye be Reprobates may as I judge rather be translated thus Except you be unapproved or except you be without proofe namely of your being in the faith and of Christs being in you whereof you outwardly make profession Howsoever it bee translated for in this I submit my selfe to the Church let any that is judicious observe the matter therin handled and the Metaphor taken from Goldsmiths in trying of mettals and they shall finde it must bee understood in tâ—hs sense The Corinthians did question the lawfulnesse of Pauls calling to his Apostleship therefore they require of him to give them a proofe of Christ speaking in him His answer is to this purpose as if he should say I will goe no farther to seeke a signe or proofe of Christ speaking in mee then to your selves Hath not the Word and Gospell of CHRIST beene powerfull by my Ministery to convert you and to beget faith and to forme Christ in you Looke into your selves try if you have not faith and if Christ be not formed in you If you find this I need no other proofe of my calling nor of Gods power and grace blessing me in my calling But if upon tryall you cannot finde that you are in the faith c. you are unapproved Christians Either you have yet onely a meere forme of Christianity and like false coyne or Reprobate silver are but hypocrites and counterfeits or if you be Christians in truth yet you are inexperienced Christians and without proofe of it to your selves But whether you finde that you have faith or no c. I trust and am assured that both I the rest of Christs Ministers with me shall approve our selves to be true and faithfull Ministers of Christ though in the account of the false Apostles and of some of you wee bee as Reprobates or unapproveable that is such as in your opinion cannot give proofe of CHRIST speaking in us Our late excellently learned and reverend Translators ver 7. translated the same word in the affirmative Approved wherefore the privative particle being added the translation may well be unapproved or without proofe or refuse Some may Reply if I find upon tryall that I am a counterfeit and as Reprobate silver may I not then judge my selfe to be a Reprobate No. For first you may erre in judging of your selfe Secondly if you do not erre you can judge only this that yet you are not in state of grace but in the use of the meanes you may be God can as well convertian Hypocrite as a Pagan For though now you be drosse and refuse you may ere long be pure Gold For God in making vessels of honour doth more than all earthly Kings and all their Goldsmiths can doe For they by their prerogative setting their stampe and by their Goldsmiths skill can make currant coyne and rich Vessels if that they have pure mettall to worke upon But they cannot make good mettal of base stuffe or can make gold of brasse But such is the force of Gods Word and Spirit that whereas they finde you base and drossie stuffe they by imprinting the Character and stampe of Gods Image upon your hearts doe metamorphise and transforme you into the same Image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. As soone as you are truly touched and annointed with this Spirit you shall become good Gold and Silver vessels of honour fitted for the LORDS use whereunto you were pre-ordained There are yet others object fearefully saying that they are cast-awayes and that God will not have mercy on them and that because now it is too late they have passed the time and date of their Conversion they therefore will not use or at least have no heart in using GODS meanes to convert them such as prayer reading hearing the Word c. Nor yet willingly will suffer others to pray either with them or for them and all because they think it is now too late and in vaine mistaking this and such other Scriptures Because I have called saith GOD and you have refused they shall call on mee and I will not answer And because they thinke they sinne when they pray and heare the Word and that the more means is used to save them their condemnation shall be the more increased Thus Satan a fearefull heart deludeth many It must be acknowledged that God would have all men walke and worke while they have light because the night will come when no man can worke And whilst it is called to day hee would have every one returne and accept of grace offered and not to harden their hearts against it And our Saviour bewaileth Ierusalem because they did let slip the day of their visitation All which doth shew that God hath his set period of time betweene his first and last offer of grace which being passed hee will offer it no more and that justly because they took not his offer when they might And this time is kept so secret with God
leave his Children as in another case he left Hezekiah to try them and to know what is in their hearts Fourthly God withdraweth himselfe for a time that they may learne to esteeme more highly of his favor and to desire it more when by the want of it they find by experience what an Hell it is to be without it And that they may bee more thankefull for it and be more carefull by studying to please God for to keepe it when they have it This holy use David and the Church made of Gods forsaking them as they thought for a time It made them seeke more diligently after God promising that if hee would turne to them they would not goe backe from him resolving by his grace to sticke more close unto him But know this to your comfort when God doth most withdraw himselfe and forsake you it is but in part and in seeming and but for a time He may for the causes before rendred turne away his face and forbeare to shew his loving countenance but he will not take his loving kindnesse utterly from you nor suffer his faithfulnesse to faile What God said to his afflicted Church that hee saith to every afflicted member thereof For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee In a little wrath have I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the LORD thy Redeemer Hence it is that in your greatest extremities your faith and hope shall secretly though you feele not their working preserve you from utter despaire As it was with David and with our Blessed Saviour who albeit these words of theirs to God Why hast thou forsaken mee argued feare and want of sense of Gods love yet these words My God my God doe argue a secret affiance and hope And whereas you say that no mans griefe or troubles are like yours partly by reason of outward afflictions and partly by inward temptations and distresses give mee leave to deale plainely with you It is a foolish and a most false speech Talke with a thousand thus troubled they will all say thus No mans case was ever as mine is Nor so bad will any that have but common sense thinke this to be true Most of these must needs be deceived You feele your owne distresse but you cannot fully know what another feeleth If you would rightly looke into the distresses of others who were better than your selves according as they are recorded in the Scripture you would not thus thinke As for outward afflictions upon whom did God ever lay his hand more heavie then on his servant Iob Had not S Paul also his trouble without of all sorts and terrours within c. And if you consider sorrowes feares and distresses of all sorts were yours such as Davids were or more than his I pray what meane these and many moe the like speeches My bones are vexed my soule is vexed but thou O Lord how long I am weary with my groaning mine eye is consumed with griefe it waxeth old Why standest thou a farre off Why hidest thou thy selfe in time of trouble How long wilt thou forget mee Lord for ever How long wilt thou hide thy face from me I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of ioynt My heart is like waxe it is melted in the midst of my bowels My strength is dryed up like a potsheard my tongue cleaveth to my iawes and thou hast brought me to the dust of death My bones waxe old through roaring all the day For day and night thy hand was heavie upon me There is no soundnesse in my flesh because of thine anger neither is their any rest in my bones because of my sinne Mine iniquities that is the punishment of mine iniquities are gone over my head they are too heavie for me Thus and much more doth he complaine I am weary of my crying my throat is dry Mine eyes faile while I wait for my God So Asaph My sore ran and ceased not my soule refused to be comforted What thinke you now Were not Iob Paul and David in Gods love and favour notwithstanding all this It may be you will reply howsoever the matter of their trouble might be greater than yours yet they could remember God they could pray to him they had faith and confidence in God in their distresses al which you want therefore herein your case is worse than theirs Consider your selves well I speake onely to you that are wounded at the very heart for sinne and it is to be hoped that in some measure you shall find the like grace faith and confidence in you which was in thē If you see it not bee grieved for the want thereof Indevour to doe as you say they did in their distresses onely be not discouraged and all shall bee well But take notice I pray you that sometimes David neither did nor could pray as he conceived of his owne prayer any otherwise than in roaring and complaining at which time he saith hee kept silence But when hee could confesse his sins and pray then hee had some apprehension that God had forgiven him his sinne And for all Asaphs remembring of God yet even then he was troubled and his spirit was over-whelmed and hee saith his soule refused comfort and David saith unto God when wilt thou comfort mee I grant it was his fault yet it was such a fault as was incident to one beloved of God Moreover I deny not but that Iob and David had faith and hope in God but these graces in them were of times over-clouded with unbelife and distrust as doth appeare in their many passionate distempers at which times yet their faith appeared to others in their good speeches and actions intermingled rather then to themselves And the Prophet confesseth that those his faithlesse complaints were in his haste and from his infirmities How say you now Is it not thus with you Are you not like others of Gods children Off and on up and downe you would pray and cannot you would beleeve but as you thinke cannot you would have comfort but cannot feele it Onely you feele a secret support now and then and now and then you doe see and feele a glimpse of GODS light and comfort for which you must be thankefull which you must cherish by all meanes with which you must rest contented waiting untill God give you more You should know and consider that this is an old cunning device of Satan to make you beleeve that your case is worse or at least much different from the case of any others because hee knoweth that while he holdeth you thus conceited no common remedy which did cure and comfort others can cure and comfort you For you will still aske Was ever any as I am And if Gods
but desire he should carry you away out of this vale of misery that mortality might be swallowed up of life If you would doe all this in earnest you would be so farre from feare of death that you would if you were put to your choice with the Apostle choose to hee dissolved and to bee with Christ which is best of all and so farre from fearing the day of Iudgement that you would love and long for Christs appearing waiting with patience and chearfulnesse when your change shall be Indevour to follow these directions then suppose that you cannot keepe downe these fears and conquer them as you would yet be not discouraged for fears and doubts in this kinde doe flow many times from strength of temptation rather than from weakenesse of Faith Moreover what if you cannot attaine to so high a pitch in your Faith as S. Paul had are you so ambitious that no other degrees of Faith shall satisfie you Orare you so foolish as thence to conclude that you have no Faith Thirdly Whereas you say you are without feeling therefore you feare you have no faith I acknowledge that want of feeling and want of sense of Gods favour is that which doth more trouble GODS tender-hearted Children and make them more doubt of Gods love and of their iustification than any thing else whereas I know nothing that giveth them losse cause For first What meane you by feeling If you meane the enioyment of the things promised and hoped for by inward sense This is to overthrow the nature and to put an end to the use of faith and hope For Faith is the ground of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seene And the Apostle faith Hope that is seene is not hope Indeede faith giveth a present being of the thing promised to the beleever but it is a being not in sense but in hope and assured expectation of the thing promised Wherefore the Apostle speaking of our spirituall conversation on earth saith We walke by faith not by sight These two faith and feeling are opposite one to the other in this sense For when wee shall live by sight and feeling then we shall cease to live by faith Secondly If by feeling you meane a ioyous and comfortable assurance that you are in Gods savour and that you shall be saved and therefore because you want this joyous assurance you think you have no Faith you must know this conclusion will not follow For Faith whereby you are saved and set into state of grace and this comfortable assurance that you are in state of grace and shall be saved doe differ and are not the same It is true Assurance is an effect of faith in al that have this assurance yet it is not such a proper and necessary effect which is inseparable from the very being of faith in man at all times For you may have saving Faith yet at sometime be without the comfortable assurance of Salvation To beleeve in Christ to Salvation is one thing and to know assuredly that you shall be saved is another For Faith is a direct act of the reasonable soule receiving Christ and Salvation offered by God with him Assurance riseth from a reflect act of the soule namely when the soule by discourse returneth upon it selfe and can witnesse that it hath the afore-mentioned grace of faith whereby a man can say I know that I beleeve that Christ Iesus is mine and I know that I beleeve that the promises of the Gospell belong unto mee The holy Scriptures are written for both these ends that first Faith and then assurance of faith and hope should be wrought in men These things are written saith S. Iohn in his Gospell that you may beleeve that Iesus is the Christ the Sonne of God and that beleeving you might have life through his name Againe these things have I written saith the same Apostle in his Epistles to you that beleeve on the name of the Sonne of GOD that yee may know that you have eternall life and that you may beleeve that is continue to beleeve and increase in beleeving on the name of the Sonne of God A man is saved by faith but hath comfort in hope of Salvation by Assurance So that the being of spirituall life in respect of us doth subsist in Faith not in Assurance Feeling And that is the strongest and most approved faith which cleaveth to Christ and to his promises and which holdeth his owne without the helpe of feeling For albeit Assurance giveth unto us a more evident certainety of our good estate yet faith even without this will hold us certaine in this good estate whether we be assured or not Wherefore some Divines have well conceived of a double certaintie of things apprehended by mans judgment The first is Certaintie of Adherence and cleaving fast to the thing it beleeveth causing a man from the bare assent and consent to the truth and goodnesse of the promise and from the Commandement of God in his Word which bids him beleeve and rest on his promise for to cleave to the promise and to relie on it and to obey that Commandement which commādeth him to beleeve in Christ Iesus yea though this truth bee not otherwise so evident and cleare to the understanding as to satisfie mans natural reason For though Faith in its minority cannot alwayes comprehend to the full how and by what meanes or why in reason the thing promised should be fulfilled yet because it conceiveth thus much that the things of God are not fully comprehended by humane reason and that the truths of God are infallible whether it comprehend them or not will first beleeve and rest on the promise and then afterward consider how it may be so farre as is fit to be understood by reason Hence it is that albeit reason as it is now corrupt will still be obiecting and will be satisfied with nothing but what it may know by sense and by demonstration from Artificiall Arguments yet Faith even above and against sense and all naturall reasoning will give credit unto and rest upon the bare naked divine witnesse of the Word of truth for his sake that doth speake it Secondly there is a certaintie of Evidence namely when the thing beleeved is not onely said to be true and good but a man doth finde it so to be by sense and experience and is so evident to mans reason convincing it by force of Argument taken from the Causes Effects Properties Signes Contraries and the like that it hath nothing to object against the thing propounded to be beleeved The certaintie of Adherence is the certaintie of Faith The certaintie of Evidence is the certaintie of Assurance The certainty of Assurance and evidence is of excellent use for it maketh a man fruitfull in good workes and doth fill him ful of joy and comfort therefore it must by all meanes be gotten yet it
is not of it selfe so strong nor so constant nor so infallible as the certainty of Faith and Adherence is For sense and reason since the fall even in the regenerate though they will lay some foundation in the Rules of Faith to proceed by yet erring in or misapplying the rule are weake variable and their conclusions are not so certaine as those of pure Faith Because Faith buildeth onely upon Diuine Testimonie concluding without reasoning or disputing yea many times against reasoning So that notwithstanding the excellent and needfull use of Assurance and certainty of Evidence it is Faith and the certainty of Adherence whereby even in feares and doubts a man cleaveth fast to the promises and is that which we must trust unto and is the Cable wee must hold by lest we make ship wracke of all when wee are assaulted with our greatest temptatioÌ„s for then many times our Assurance leaveth us to the mercy of the winds and Seas as Marriners speake If you have Faith though you have little or no feeling you are yet sure enough of Salvation indeede though not in your owne apprehension When both can be had it is best for then you have most strength and most comfort giving you chearefulnesse in all your troubles but that certainty of Faith and cleaving to the naked word and promise is that to which you must trust See this in the examples of most faithfull men for when they have beene put to it it was this that upheld them and in this was their faith commended Abraham against all present sense and reason even against hope beleeved in hope both in the matter of receiving a sonne and in going about to offer him againe unto God in Sacrifice He denyed sense and reason he considered not the unlikelihoods and seeming impossibilities in the iudgement of reason that ever he should have a seed hee being old and Sarah being old and barren or having a seed that he should be saved by that seed sith hee was to kill him in Sacrifice He onely considered the Almighty power faithfulnesse and soveraigntie of him that had promised he knew it was his dutie to obey and to waite and so let all the businesse thereabout to rest on Gods promise For this his faith is commended and hee is said to be strong in faith Iob and David or Asaph shewed most strength of Faith when they had little or no feeling of Gods favour but the contrary rather Iob had little feeling of Gods favour when for paine of body hee said wherefore doe I take my flesh in my teeth and in anguish of soule he said Wherefore hidest thou thy face and takest me for thine enemie Yet then this certainty of faith which made him cleave unto GOD made him to hold fast and say in the same Chapter Though hee slay mee yet I will trust in him When David said to GOD Why hast thou forgotten mee His Assurance was weake yet even then his Faith discovered it selfe when he saith to his soule Why art thou disquieted within mee Hope in God who is the health of my countenance and my God You see then that the excellencie of Faith lyeth not in your feeling but as the Psalmist speaketh by experience in cleaving close unto the promise and relying on God for it upon his bare word For he saith It is good for mee to draw neere to God I have put my trust in the Lord God this was it which secretly upheld him and kept him in possession when as you may see in that Psalme his Evidences and Assurance was to seek Wherefore Beleeve Gods promises made to you in Christ and â—est on him even when you want â—oy and feeling comfort For â—aving Faith you are sure of heaven though you be not so fully â—ssured of it as you desire It will â—e your greatest commendation when you will be dutifull servants and children at GODS Commandement though you have not present wages when you wil take Gods word for that Those are bad servants and children which cannot go on chearfully in doing their Master or Fathers will except they may receive the promised wages 〈◊〉 least in good part aforehand Oâ— every day or except they may have atleast a good part of the promised inheritance presently and in hand Feeling of comfort is part of a Christians wages and inheritance to be received at the good pleasure of God that freely giveth it rather than a Christian duty To comfort and stay ourselves on God in distresse is a duty but this joyous sense and feeling of Gods favour is a gracious favour of God towards us not a duty of ours toward God It is from too much distrust in God and too much self-respect when wee have no heart to goe about his worke except we be full of feeling of his favour Hee is the best child or servant that will obey out of love duty and conscience and will trust on God and wait on him for his wages and recompence Though want of apprehension of Gods favour and of feeling of comfort may be accounted a great misery yet it is not to be judged a proofe of no grace or of no true Faith Thirdly when you say you cannot feele that you have faith or hope you meane as in deede many good soules doe you cannot finde and perceive that these graces bee in you in truth which if you did you would not doubt of your salvation My answer is If faith and hope be in you then if you would judiciously enquire into your selves and feele for them you may finde and feele them and know that you have them For as certainly as he that seeth bodily may know that he seeth so he that hath the spirituall sight of Faith may know that he hath Faith Wherfore try and feele for your Faith and you shall finde whether it be in you yea or no. For this cause 1 Try whether you ever had the necessary Antecedents and Preparatives which ordinarily make way for the seed of Faith to take deepe root 2 Consider the nature of saving Faith and whether it hath wrought in you accordingly 3 Consider some consequents and certaine effects thereof First hath the Law shut you up in your owne apprehension under the curse so that you have beene afraid of Hell And hath the Spirit also convinced you of sin by the Gospell to the wounding of your conscience and to the working of true humiliation causing the heart to relent and to desire to know how to be saved and if after this you have denied your selfe and received and rested on Christ according to the nature of true Faith as followeth then you have Faith If you doubt you were never sufficiently humbled then reade Chap. 16. Sect. 6. Secondly Consider rightly the nature and proper acts of Faith lest you conceive that to be faith which is not and that to be no faith which is You may know wherein true saving Faith consists by
it were with a forced wil and constrained yeelding against the will but howsoever it may be with much opposition and conflict yet you must so beat downe the opposition that when you give consent you bring your will to doe it readily and freely with thankfull acknowledging your selves much bound to CHRIST all the dayes of your life for that he wil vouchsafe to make you such an offer When consent is rash faint and not free this will not hold for good any long time but when your consent is advised compleate and free out of true love to CHRIST as well as for your owne benefit the knot of marriage betwixt Christ and you is knit so fast that all the lusts of the flesh all the allurements of the world and all the powers of Hell shall not be able to breake it By this which hath beene said touching the nature of Faith many who thought they had faith may see that yet they have none For they onely beleeve in generall that there is a Christ and a Saviour who offereth grace and salvation to mankinde and hereupon they presume This generall faith is needfull but that is not enough it must be a perswasion of Gods offer of Christ to a man in particular that the will in particular may be induced to consent There must likewise be that particular consent of will and accepting of CHRIST upon such tearmes as he is offered They that receive Christ aright enter into the marriage covenant resolving to forsake all other and obey him and to take up his crosse and to indure all hardnesse with him and for him as shame disgrace povertie hatred and spite in the world and all manner of misusages this they consent to and resolve upon for the present and from this time forward for the whole time of their life which things many neither did nor intended to doe when they gave their names to Christ they onely received him as their Iesus one by whom they did looke to be saved and honored looking that he should endow them with a faire ioynture of heaven but they did not receive him as their Lord. In doing thus they erred in the essentials of marriage For they erred in the Person taking an Idoll Christ for the true Christ They erred in the forme of marriage they tooke him not for the present nor absolutely for better for worse as we speake in sicknesse and health in good report and ill report in persecution and in peace forsaking all other never to part no not at death Wherefore Christ doth not owne these foolish Virgins when they would enter the Bride-chamber but saith I know you not For because there was no true consent on their part they had no faith and their contract or marriage with Christ was only but in speech but was never Legall nor consummate By this which hath beene said others who have Faith indeed may know they have it namely if they so beleeve the Covenant of Grace established in Christ that with all their harts they accept of him and it so that they will stand to it on their parts as they are able and rest on it so farre as it concernes Christ to fulfill it For this is Faith Vnto this some fearefull soules will reply If we have not Faith except unto assent to the truth we doe also receive Christ offered with a deliberate entire and free consent to rest on him to be ruled by him and to take part with him in all conditions then we doubt that we have no Faith because wee have so hardly brought our selves to consent and finde our selves so weake in our consent and have beene so unfaithfull in keeping promise with Christ Truth fulnesse and firmenesse of consent of will to receive Christ may stand with many doubtings and with much weakenesse and sense of difficultie in bringing the heart to consent For so long as there is a law in your members warring against the law of your minde you can never doe as you would If you can bring your hearts to will to consent and obey in spite of all oppositions this argueth heartie and full consent and a true Faith Nay if you can bring the heart but to desire to receive Christ and to enter into Covenant with GOD made mutually betweene God and you in Christ and that it may stand according to the offer which he maketh unto you in his Word even this argueth a true and firme consent and maketh up the match betweene Christ and you Even as when Iacob related the particulars of an earthly Covenant into which he would have Laban enter with him Labans saying I would it might be according to thy word gave proofe of his consent and did ratifie the Covenant betwixt them If you can therefore when God tenders unto you the Covenant of Grace willing you to receive Christ in whom it is established to enter into this Covenant If I say you can with all your heart say to GOD I would it might be according to thy word The Covenant is mutually entred into and the match is made betwixt CHRIST and you And whereas it doth trouble you that you cannot be so faithfull to Christ as your Covenant doth binde you it is well you are troubled if you did not with all make it an argument that you have no Faith for in that it heartily grieveth you that you cannot beleeve nor performe all faithfulnesse to Christ it is an evident signe that you have faith You must not think that after you are truly married to Christ you shall be free from evil solicitations by your old lovers Nay sometimes a kinde of violence may be offered by spirituall wickednesses unto you so that you are forced to many evils indeede against your will as it may befall a faithfull wife to be forced by one stronger then she yet if you give not full consent unto them and give not your hart to follow them your husband CHRIST will not impute these rapes unto you Yet let none by this take liberty to oftend Christ in the least thing for though Christ love you more tenderly and more mercifully than any husband can love his wife yet know ye he doth not doâ—e on you he can see the smallest faults and sharply though kindly rebuke and correct you for them if you doe them presumptuously But he esteemeth none to breake spirituall wedlocke so as to dissolve marriage but those whose hearts are wholy departed from him and are set upon and given to something else If you thus looke into the nature of faith I speake to a soule troubled for sinne you may know and feele that you have it 3. You may know a lively faith likewise by most certaine consequents and effects I meane not comfort and joy which are sometimes felt and through your fault sometimes not but by such effects which are more constant and more certaine and may be no lesse felt than
may and oft doth befall those in whom is truth of grace but commonly through their owne fault And to speake to you It may be you were not thankfull to God for your joyes and comforts when you had them but did ascribe too much to your selves or unto the outward meanes by which you had them Or it may be you did too soone let goe your hold of these spirituall comforts betaking your selfe to worldly businesse or to other thoughts before you had sufficiently digested these and before you had committed them unto safe custodie in so much that the Devill finding your comforts to lye loose and unguarded stealeth them from you or else happily the Lord knoweth that you are not able to beare the continuance of your joyes and comforts but your hearts will be over-light and over-joyed and exalted above measure therefore either as just chastisements or in his loving wisdome GOD may suffer deadnesse in this sort to seaze upon you There are also some when they perceive that some new commers on to Religion which have not had one halfe of the time and meanes to be good as they have had yet out strip them in knowledge faith mortification and willingnesse to dye they cannot pray nor yet remember or discourse of good things so well as they wherefore they doubt of the truth of their own graces It is more then you can certainly know whether they have more saving grace than you for when you shall with a charitable eye looke upon the outside of anothers behaviour and shall look with a severe and searching eye into the corruptions of your owne inside you may easily through modestie and charitie thinke others better than your selves and it is good for you so to doe an errour in that case if you doe commit it is tolerable Many also can utter what they have it may bee better than you and can make a small matter seeme much and a little to goe far when many times you in modestie may not set forth your selfe or if you would cannot Counterfeit Christians may make a greater shew then the true who are not so apt to make a shew or to put forth themselves Also an hypocrite may have abilitie to pray and performe all externall exercises of Religion by reason of his naturall parts and education better then others who are more sincere But let it bee granted that many of short standing in the Schoole of Christianity have got the start of you in grace If it was through Gods grace accompanying their diligence and from his just hand upon you following your negligence then they are to bee commended and you are to be humbled and to be provoked unto an holy aemulation by them to quicken your pace and to double your diligence But take heed that it be not your pride and selfe-love which causeth that you cannot brooke it that others should betterthan your selves It may bee that it is not your fault but it is from Gods abundant grace unto others above that which you have received For the Scripture maketh it evident that God giveth unto severall men differently according to his good pleasure hence it was that David became wiser than â—u teachers and ancients and the Apostle Paul attained more grace than those that were in Christ before him GOD giveth unto some five Talents when he giveth unto others but two Hee that had most given him gained in the same space of time twice as much as the other yet he that gained but two Talents had his commendation and his proportionable reward of his well-doing For the Lord saith unto him also Well done faithfull servant enter into thy Masters â—â—y For he improved his Talents according to the measure of grace received though hee gained not so much as the other What though the little finger or any other inferiour members of the body have not such excellent abilities as the eye the tongue or some other parts shall it therefore make question whether it bee of the body Take heede that your eye bee not evill because GOD is good May not hee give as much to the last as unto the first and more if hee please Wee should rather bee thankefull for the increase of grace in others then either to repine at them or without grouÌ„d to conclude against the truth of our owne For wee are much the better if wee would see it for others graces Gods kingdome is enlarged strengthned thereby the common good of Christs bodie which is the Church gaineth by it Now the more excellent any member of the body â—s according to his gifts place the rest of the members should herein the more reioyce Many yet will say he that is truly sanctified doth grow in grace but I doe not If you grow not it is your sinne of which you must repent But you may grow in grace when yet you may thinke that you doe not A tree may grow in the generall when yet some particular branch may in part decay so it may be with grace Besides true grace may grow most when those in whom it is may thinke that it groweth least namely when through the sense of their not growing as they would they are truly humbled and stirred up to desire heartily and to pray that they may grow and to use all meanes whereby they may grow Moreover growth of grace like the growth of trees is as well out of sight and under ground in the root even when it is outwardly nipt or driven in by the blasts and winters of afflictions and manifold temptations as when in Summer in sight above ground it sheweth his growth in the branches blossomes and fruit thereof He that groweth inwardly in humilitie and in a greater love and desire of holinesse he groweth better indeed though not bigger in his owne conceit Lastly Many yet will say that their hearts remaine hard and stonie yea they say that they grow harder and harder wherefore they thinke that the stome heart was never taken out of them and that they remaine unsanctified Know that there are two sorts of hard hearts One totall and not felt which will not be broken nor brought unto remorse either by GODS Threats Commandements Promises Iudgements or Mercies but obstinately standeth out in a course of sin being past feeling The second is An hardnesse mixt with some softnesse this is felt and bewayled This is incident to Gods Children of this the Church complaineth saying unto God Why hast thou hardned our hearts against thy feare Now when the heart feeleth its hardnesse and complaineth of it is grieved and disliketh it and would with all a mans soule that his heart were tender like Iosiahs so that it could melt at the hearing of the Word this is a sure proofe that the heart is regenerate and not altogether hard but hath some measure of true softnesse for it is by softnesse that hardnesse of heart
was felt witnesse your owne experience for before the hammer and fire of the Word was applyed to your hearts you had no sense of it and never complained thereof You must not call a heavie heart a hard heart you must not call a heart wherein is a sense of an indisposition to good a hard heart except onely in â—omparison of that softnesse which is in it sometimes and which it shall attaine unto when it shall bee perfectly sanctified in which respect it may bee called hard Whosoever hath his will so wrought upon by the Word that it is bent to obey GODS will if he knew how and if he had power this man whatsoever hardâ—esse hee feeleth his heart is soft not hard The Apostle had a heart held in and clogged with the flesh and the law of his members that it made him to thinke himselfe wretched because hee could not bee fully deliverd from it yet wee know his heart was not an hard heart Amongst those that are sanctified there remaineth more hardnesse in the heart of some than in others and what with the committing of grosse sinnes and a cursorie and slight doing of good duties and through neglect of meanes to soften it the same mens hearts are harder at one time than at another of which they have cause to complaine and for which they have cause to bee humbled and to use all meanes to soften it But it is false and dangerous hence to conclude that such are not in state of grace because of such hardnesse in the heart For as GODS perfectest Children on earth know but in part and beleeve but in part So their hearts are softened but in part SECTION 7. Removall of feares rising from doubts about falling from Grace THere yet remaine many who though they be driven up into so narrow a corner that they cannot reply to the answers given to take away their false feares and doubts but they are inforced to yeeld that they find that they now are or at least have beene in state of grace they now see they have beleeved and have beene and it may bee now are sanctified yet this they feare that they either are already fallen or shall not persevere but shall fall away before they dye Touching falling away from grace first know that of those that give their names to Christ in outward profession there are two sorts The first sort are such who have received onely the common gifts of the Spirit as first illumination of the mind to know the mystery of Salvation by Christ and truâ—y to assent unto it Secondly Together with this knowledge is wrought in them by the same spirit a â—â—â—hter impression upon the affections which the Scripture calleth a taste of the heavenly gift and of the good Word of GOD and of the powers of the world to come By these gifts of the Spirit the souâ—es of these men are raised to an abilitie to doe more than nature and meere education can helpe them unto carrying them further then nature or art can doe by working in them a kinde of spirituall change in their affections and a kinde of reformation of their lives But yet all this while they are not ingrafted into Christ neither are deepely rooted as the Corne in good grouÌ„d nor yet are throughly changed and renewed in the inward man they have at best only a formâ— of godlinesse but have not the power thereof Now these men may and oft doe fall away not onely into some particular grosse sinnes of which they were sometimes after a sort washed but into a course of sinning falling from the very forme of godlinesse and may so utterly loose thoâ—e gifts received that they may turne Papists Anabaptists or may fall into any oâ—her Heresie and in the end become very Apostates yet this is not properly a falling from grace It is onely a falling away from the common graces or gifts of the Sâ—irit and from those graces which they did seeme to have and which the Church out of her charitie did judge them to have but they fall not from true saving grace for they neuer had any For if ever they had beene indeed incorporated into Christ Iesus and had beene sound members of his body and in this sense had ever beene of us as the Apostle Iohn speaketh then they should never have departed from us but should no doubt have continued with us The second sort of such as have given their names to Christ are such as are indued with true iustifying faith and saving knowledge and are renewed in the spirit of their minde whereby through the gracious and powerful working of the sanctifying Spirit the Word maketh a deeper impression upon the will and the affections causing them not onely to taste but which is much more to feed and to drinke deepe of the heavenly gift and of the good word of GOD and of the powers of the world to come so as to digest them unto the very changing and transforming them by the renewing of their mindes and unto the sanctifying of them throughout in their whole man both in spirit soule and bodie so that CHRIST is indeed formed in them and they are become new creatures being made partakers of the divine nature Now concerning these It is not possible that any of them should fall away either wholly or for ever Yet it must bee granted that they may decline and fall backe so farre as to grieve the good spirit of GOD and to offend and provoke God very much against them and to make themselves guiltie of eternall death They may fall so farre as to interrupt the exercise of their faith wound their Conscience and may loose for a time the sense of Gods favour and may cause him like a wise and good father in his iust anger to chide correct threaten them making them beleeve hee will turne them out of doores never to receive them into his heavenly Kingdome untill by renewing their faith and repentance they returne into the right way and doe recover GODS lo-ving countenance towards them againe That you may understand and beleeve this the better consider what grace God giveth unto his elect and how and from what they may fill also you must observe well the difference that is betweene the sinning of the regenerate and unregenerate together with their different condition wherin they stand while they are in their sinnes In the first act of Conversion I speake of men of yeeres and discretion GOD by his Word through his holy Spirit doth infuse an habit of holinesse namely an habit of Faith and all other saving graces this every childe of GOD receiveth when he receiveth that holy annointing of the spirit that which the Scripture calieth the Seede remaining in him Secondly God by his gracious meanes and ordinances of the Gospell doth increase this habit and these graces Now because every man
them runne not long and in time may quite be dryed up But the saving graces of the regenerate receive their light warmth and life from the Sunne of righteousnesse therefore can never be totally or finally Eclipsed And they doe rise from that Well and Spring of living water which cannot be drawn dry orâ—o dammed up or stopt but that it will runne more or lesse unto eternall life As the regenetate man doth not sinne in such sort as the unregenerate with all his heart so neither is hee when he hath sinned in the same state and condition which the unregenerate is in Hee is in the Condition of a Sonne who notwithstanding his failings abideth in the house for ever but not as the other who being no sonne but a servant is for his misdemeanor turned out and abideth not in the house for ever Although the regenerate as well as the unregenerate doe draw upon themselves by their sinnes the simple guilt of eternall death yet this guilt is not accounted neither doth it redound to the person of the truly regenerate as it doth to the other because Christ Iesus hath so satisfied and doth make intercession for his owne that his death is made effectuall for them but not for the other Their Iustification and Adoption by Christ remaine unaltered although many benefits flowing from thence are for a while justly suspended they remaine children still though under their Fathers anger as Absolom remained a sonne uncast off not dis-inherited by David when yet his Father would not let him come into his presence This spirituall Leprosie of sinne into which Gods Children fall may cause them to bee suspended from the use and comfortable possession of the Kingdome of God and from the enjoyment of the privileges thereof untill they bee cleansed of their sinne by renewed faith and repentance Yet as the Leoper in the Law had still right to his house and goods albeit he was shut out of the City for his Leprosie so the truly regenerate never loose their right to the Kingdome of heaven by their sinnes For every true member of Christ is knit unto Christ by such everlasting bonds whether we respect the relative union of Christ with his members by faith to Iustification which after it is once made by the spirit of Adoption admitteth of no breach or alteration by any meanes oâ— whether we respect the reall union of the Spirit whence floweth Sanctification which though it may suffer decay and admitteth of some alteration of degrees being not so strong at one time as at another yet can never quite be broken off as hath beene proved these bands â— say are so strong and lasting that all the powers of sinne Satan and Hell it selfe cannot sever the weakest true member from Christ or from his love oâ— from Gods love towards him in Christ This strength of grace that keepeth men from falling totally or finally from CHRIST doth not depend upon the strength or will of him that standeth but on the Election and determination of him that calleth And whereas it may bee demanded why a man being at his highest degree of holinesse that ever he attained at which time hee had most strength did yet fall backe more than halfe way may not as well or rather fall quite away I answer It is not in respect of the nature of inherent holinesse in him for Adam had holinesse in perfection yet fell quite from it There is nothing in the nature of this grace and holinesse excepting onely in the root whence it springeth but that a man may now also fall wholly from it But it is because grace is now setled in man upon better termes For the little strength we receive in regeneration is in point of perseverance stronger then the great strength which the first Adam received in his Creation Adam was perfectly but changeably holy Gods children inregeneration are made imperfectly but unchangeably holy This stability of grace now consisteth in this for that all that by faith and by the holy Spirit are ingrafted and incorporated into Christ the second Adam have the spring and root of their grace founded in him and not in themselves as the first Adam had They are stablished with their brethren in Christ Wherefore all that are actuall members of CHRIST cannot fal from grace altogether For as Christ dyed to sinne once and being raised from the dead dyeth no more so every true member of Christ having part with him in the first resurrection dye no more but live for ever with Christ For all that are once begotten againe unto a lively faith and hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible are kept not by their owne power unto Salvation but by the power of God through faith in Christ Iesus Now that a man effectually called can never fall wholly or for ever from state of grace I in few words reason thus If Gods Counsell on which mans Salvation is founded be sure and unchangeable and if his calling be without repentance If Gods love be unchangeable and altereth not but whom God once loveth actually him he loveth to the end If Christs office of Prophet Priest and King in his teaching satisfying and making intercession for and in his governing his people bee after the order of Melchisedecke unchangeable and everlasting he everliving to make intercession for them and if his undertaking in all these respects with his Father not to lose any whom he giveth him cannot be frustrate If the Seale and earnest of the Spirit be a constant Seale which cannot be razed but sealeth all in whom it dwelleth unto the day of Redemption If the Word of truth wherewith the regenerate are begotten be an immortall seed which when once it hath taken a conception and hath taken roote doth live for ever If God be constant and faithfull in his promise and omnipotent in his power to make good this his word and promise saying I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turne away from my people and children to doe them good but I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Then from all and from each of these propositions I conclude that a man once indeede a member of Christ and indeede in state of grace shall never totally or finally fall away The patrons of the doctrine of falling from grace when they cannot answer the invincible arguments which are brought to prove the certainetie of a mans standing in state of Salvation they make a loud cry in casting in certaine popular obiections such as are very apt to take with simple and unstable people They first come with suppositions and aske this and like questiona If David and Peter had dyed in the act of their grosse sinnes whether should they have beene saved
may judge theÌ„selves to be more barren in their age then they were in their youth It may be you feele not in you that vigour heat and abilitie to performe good duties now in age as you did in your younger dayes But may not this arise from naturall defects as from want of memorie want of quicknesse of wit and from want of naturall heate and vigour of your spirits all which are excellent hand-maids to grace You may observe this in those elder people that studie to approve themselves to God untill their age and in their age they have these naturall defects recompenced with other better and more lasting fruit as with more staydnesse and soundnesse of Iudgement more humility more patience and more experience where with their gray hayrs are crowned they continuing in the way of righteousnesse Looke for these and looke to approve your selves in these in your age and these will prove more beneficiall to you than your fresh feelings and your sensibly-felt zeale in your younger times There are yet others it may be the same when they observe that many who are of longer standing than themselves who have had much more knowledge and have made a further progresse in the practice of godlinesse than they are yet fallen fear fully into some grosse sinne or sinnes yea some of them are departed from the faith have embraced with Demas this present World either in the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye or pride of life They are some of them fallen to Popery or to some other false Religion Wherefore they feare that they shall fall away also and that their hearts will deceive them in the end That the falls of others should make all that doe stand to take â—eede lest they fall is according â—o the expresse will of God It is â—â— high point of wisedome for â—ou to observe and doe it Likeâ—ise to feare so much as to quicken you to watchfulnesse and â—â—ayer is an holy and commendable feare But to feare your totall or finall falling away onely because some that have made profession of the same Religion are fallen is without ground For it may bee those which you see to be fallen away never had any other than a forme of godlinesse and never had more than the common graces gifts of the Spirit For if they be quite fallen from the faith it is because they were never soundly of the faith Moreover grant that some of them which are â—â—â—â—n had saving grace may they not with David and Salomon recover their fals This you should hope and pray for rather than by occasion of their falls to trouble your selfe with false and fruitlesse feare Last of all some yet feare that if persecution should come because of the Word and the Religion which they doe professe that they should never hold out but should fall away Doe you thus feare Then buckle close unto you the compleat armour with the girdle of sinceritie exercise your selves before-hand at your spirituall weapons make and keepe your peace with GOD under whom at such times you must shelter your selves by whose power it is that you must stand in that evill day But know that a child of GOD need not feare persecution with such discouragefull and such desperate feare neither should you for this will but give advantage to your enemies of all sorts and will make your â—â—andsfeeble your hearts faint Raise up your spirits and chase way your feare thus Consider he goodnesse of your cause Consider the wisedome â—valour and prowesse of him that hath already â—edeemed you with his bloud who hath already led captivitie â—aptive who is your Champion and hath engaged himselfe for you not to leave you untill he hath brought you to glorie I meane Christ Iesus who is Lord of heasts under whose Banner you fight in your whole Christian warfare Consider likewise the faithfulnesse of Gods promise made to all his Children concerning his presence and helpe in time of persecution commanding them not to take thought thereabout having promised to give them a mouth and wisedome which all their adversaries shall not be able to resist And suppose that you have or at least feele that you have but little strength yet consider if it bee cherished thankfully acknowledged what this will doe it will cause you to keepe Gods word and that you shall not deny Christs name and it hath a promise of being kept from the houre of temptation that shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth you shall be kept at least from the hurt of the temptation Consider last of all the blessed experience which the holy Martyrs have had of GODS love and helpe according to his promise in their greatest persecutions and fiery trialls Observe the wisedome and courage of those who in their owne nature were but simple and fearefull Reade the Booke of Martyrs next unto the Scriptures for this purpose and through GODS grace though you were naturally as feareful as Hares you when you shall bee called to it shall be as couragious as Lyons It is not hard for you to know now whether you shal be able in time of persecution to stand fast and not fall away If you now in the peace of the Gospell can deny your selves in your lusts in love to God and for Conscience sake towards him and can rather part with them than with the sincere following of CHRIST then you shall be able and you will deny your selves in the matter of your life if you be put to it in time of persecution rather than deny CHRIST For this first is as difficult as the latter and the same love to GOD and Conscience of duty which doth now uphold you and beare you through the one will then rather uphold and beare you thorow the other For in times of triall and suffering for his name you may looke for his more speciall assistance Wherefore I doe wish all that are troubled with false feares to rest satisfied in these answers to their doubts and I would have them give over calling their Election Gods love their Iustification their Sanctification or their finall perseverance into question but rather fill your selves with hope and assurance of GODS favour I speake still to burdned Consciences comforting your selves therein abounding in thankesgiving to GOD for what you have rather than repining in your selves for what you want Yet I know there are some as if they were made all of doubting will object my heart is deceitfull I doubt all is not I doubt all will not be well with mee If your heart bee deceitfull Why then doe you beleeve it when it casteth in these doubts And why doe you trust to it more than unto the evidence of the Word and Iudgement of Gods faithful Ministers who by the Word give most satisfying resolutions to your doubts
which also doth minister unto you matter of assured hope and comfort Another will say I doe even faint in my troubles and in my feares and I am ready to give over all what shall I doe What would you have me to doe Your case is not singular many other have beene and are in this case It is no otherwise with you than it was with the Psalmist and Ionah Doe as they in that their fainting did First give not over but remember God call upon him give him no rest Secondly trust on him and wait untill you have comfort That holy man of GOD said My flesh and my heart faileth but GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Likewise Ionah â— said I am â—ast out of thy sight yet I will looke againe toward thine holy Temple And againe when my soule fainted within mee I remembred the Lord and my prayer came up unto thee into thine holy Temple that is as if he had said unto God I prayed unto thee in the name of Christ and thou didst heare me When you walke in the darkenesse of affliction and inward discomfort Hee to whom God gave the tongue of the learned to speake a word in due season to him that is wearie giveth you counsell and whose wil you in this state of yours follow if not his his counsel is this saying Who is among you that feare the Lord and obey the voyce of his servant that walketh in darkenesse and hath no light Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Marke it He that feareth and obeyeth yet may bee in darkenesse and have no light what darknesse is this but that spoken of vers 4. viz. an afflicted wearie soule without light of comfort And men thus distressed must trust in the Lord and stay on their God Yet these poore soules who whether they should be sharply reproved or pitied more is hard to say I am sure they deserve both will yet object strongly It is true they that feare God and obey him may trust in the Lord and stay upon God And he hath made most rich promises to theÌ„ that know him that doe feare and obey him See here is promise with condition saith one I must feare the Lord I must obey him I know God will doe his part if I could doe mine but these I doe not what warrant then or ground have I to looke for comfort or any thing at Gods hand for his promises belong not to me I know well that with this doubt the Devill doth much perplexe the afflicted soules of many of Gods dearest children and by it keepeth off all the remedies which Gods Word can afford so that they cannot fasten and doe them good For the propositions of the Word are easily assented unto but all the matter lyeth in the application of them to the wound It is still put off and keepe his Commandements there he promiseth with Condition here he absolutely promiseth those on whom hee intendeth to bestow these blessings that he will put his feare in their heart that they may be capable of them And which is more to the end that men might repent beleeve and live godly which is the Condition to which the promise of forgivenesse and Salvation is made God declareth that he hath raised Christ and exalted him to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give this faith and repentance that their sinnes may be forgiven and their soules saved by him I pray consider well whether al these promises of this sort be not made absolutely on GODS part and without any Condition on mans part Wherefore whereas God hath made many excellent promises of free and great rewards as to heare the prayers and to fulfill the desire of them that feare him and to give life and glory to them that beleeve obey him and that do hold fast the confidence and the rejoycing to the end you see that here are promises of the first sort made with a kinde of Condition But that GOD will give his people both to will and to doe these things required in the condition he hath absolutely promised as hath beene clearely proved If you yet reply and say are not these latter promises made under condition of our well using the outward meanes thereof such as hearing of the Word prayer c. GOD indeede commandeth these meanes to be used and if we performe them aright God will not faile to blesse the good use of these meanes but this well using them is not in our owne power neither is it a Condition for which God is necessarily bound to give Faith and to plant his feare in our harts any otherwise than by his promise but it is a Condition by which he hath ordained ordinarily to give these graces to al which in the use of them shall waite upon him for them For both the giving of his word and the giving us minds to heare the Word and the opening of the heart to attend and the convincing and alluring the heart to obey hang all upon those absolute promises They shall be all taught of God and the rest before mentioned Wherefore let none of yeares thinke that without hearing praying and the right using of Gods ordinances they shall ever have faith and the feare of God wrought in them or shall ever come to Heaven For wee are commanded to pray heare c. and that in Faith or else we can never looke to receive any thing of the LORD And doing what lieth in manspower in the right using the meanes of Saluation is of great consequence although it be not a sufficient cause to move GOD necessarily to give grace For I am perswaded that the best should have more grace if they would doe what in them lay continually to make good use of the outward meanes of grace and the worst should be guilty of lesse sinne if they would doe what in them lay to profit by the good use of the said meanes And the neglect or abusing of the means is sufficient cause why God should not onely withhold grace but condemn men for refusing it But some will yet say let all which hath beene said be granted I finde that God hath not fulfilled these his absolute promises to me for I doe not yet feare God and obey How can I hope How can I choose but feare my estate Let this for the time be granted that God hath not planted his feare in your heart c. as yet May hee not doe it hereafter Sith hee hath made unto you such excellent promises to fulfil them without condition on your part but that you should onely use the meanes and waite Will you not give him leave to fulfill them in his owne time And will you not waite and be glad if they may be fulfilled at any time Times and seasons of Gods communicating his graces are reserved
to be at his owne disposing not at ours It should be your care onely to be present at GODS Ordinances and when you reade or heare the Word or will of God to indevour to beleeve and obey it As when hee saith Thou shalt love the Lord thy GOD with all thy heart Thou shalt beleeve in the name of the Lord thy God and trust in his Name Thou shalt obey the voyce of the Lord thy God and serve him and such like Attend to the Word heedfully and because this Word is infallibly true and excellently good bring your thoughts and heart to beleeve and to approve it and say within your selves these are true these are good this I ought to doe this I would beleeve and doe Lord helpe mee and I will doe it O that my wayes were directed to keepe thy statutes In such like agitations and reasonings of the reasonable soule it pleaseth GOD to give his grace both to will and to doe his Commandements But secondly doe not say that you have not faith and the feare of God and love to him all which God of his free grace promised as you heard to you absolutely which graces are indeed the conditions fore-going the reward promised when as in truth you have them For what kinde of duties be these thinke you Are they Legall which require perfect exact and full degrees of faith feare and love Or are they not Evangelicall Such as doe require truth in all these and doe not exact ful perfection in degrees If you have desire if you can desire to feare him which is the scantling of the feare of Gods people as Nehemiah calleth it so if you desire to beleeve and will to obey in the inmost longing of your soul according to the measure and strength of grace in you this according to the Tenour of the blessed Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ is true and acceptable through Christ for whose sake GOD doth accept the will for the deede in all such cases wherein there is truth of will and endevour but not power to doe Furthermore if you thinke that it is your well doing that must make you acceptable to God you are in a proud and dangerous errour Indeede God will not accept of you if you doe not indevour to doe his will but you must propound to your selfe another end than to be accepted for your well-doing You must doe your dutie to shew your obedience to God and to shew your thankfulnes that God hath pleased and doth please to accept you in his Sonne Christ and that it is your desire to be accepted through him But I would have you which are pressed with the load of your sinnes looke neerely judiciously and impartially into your selfe it may be you have more faith feare of God and obedience then you are aware of or then you will be knowne of Can you grieve and doth it trouble you that you have so little faith so little feare of GOD and that you doe shew so little obedience and is it your desire and indevor to have more and to doe as well as you can though you cannot doe so well as you should then you have much faith feare and â—bedience For to grieve for little â—aith feare and obedience is an â—videntsigne of much faith feare â—nd obedience For whence is â—his trouble and griefe but from Gods saving graces And to â—rieve for little sheweth that you â—ong for and would have much Let this suffice to be a full answer to the principall doubts whereof fearefull hearts will â—ake no answer Never yeeld to your feares waite on God still â—or resolution of your doubts in â—is best time For it is not man that can but it is God that both â—an and will speake peace to his people not onely outward but inward peace In the meane time though you can have no feeling comfort in any of GODS promises yet consider God in the Lord and that Christ is Lord of all you are his creature you owe to him all obedience wherefore you will as much as you can keepe your selfe from iniquity and you will strive to doe his will let him do with you as hee pleaseth yea though he kill you or though he give you no comfort till death you will trust in him and will obey him and it is your desire to rest and hope in him as in your Redeemer then whether you know that God is yours or no I am sure he knoweth you to be his this is an argument of strong faith And you are upon a sure ground The foundation of God remaineth sure The Lord knoweth his and who be they Even all that professing his name depart from iniquitie And whosoever in his heart would he in truth doth depart from iniquity Something remaineth yet to be answered Many say that doe what they can they are assaulted still so thicke with temptations that they cannot have one houres quiet What of that Doth this hinder your peace with God that the Devill the World and your lusts Gods sworne enemies are not at peace with you So long as you have peace of Sanctification in this degree that the faculties of soule and body doe not mutinie one against the other but hold a good correspondencie in joyning together against their fleshly lusts which fight against the soule you are in good case I meane when the Vnderstanding Conscience Will and Affections are all willing to doe their part against sinne their common enemy Not but that you shall find a sensible warring opposition in all these while you live here even when you have most peace in this kinde but how The unsanctified part of the understanding is against the sanctified part of the understanding and unsanctified will against the sanctified will and so in all other faculties of the soule flesh in every part lusteth against spirit in every part spirit in every part lusteth against flesh in every part For as every sanctified part hath the spirit so it hath likewise the remaines of the flesh fighting one against the other Now if that your faculties and powers be ruled all by one spirit you have a good agreement and good peace within you notwithstaÌ„ding that the flesh doth so violently warre against this spirit For this warring of sinne in your members against the spirit the warring of the spirit against sinne argueth clearely that you have peace with God and this warre continued will in time beget perfect peace But let no man ever looke to have peace of sanctification perfect in this life For the best are sanctified but in part Wherefore let no man professing Chrisâ— think that he shal be freed from temptations and assaults risinâ— from within or comming from without so long as he liveth in this world Are not Christians called to be Souldiers Wherefore wee must arme our selves that we may stand by the power of Gods might and quit our selves like
men against the assaults of our spirituall enemies Is it any other than the common case of all Gods Children Was not Christ himselfe teÌ„pted that he might succor those that are tempted Have you not a promise not to bee tempted above that you are able It is but resisting and enduring a while yet a little while Is there any temptation out of which God will not give a good issue Hath not Christ prayed that your faith faile not Let us therefore keepe peace in our selves that the whole man may be at agreement and let us keepe peace one with another fighting against the common enemy And the God of peace shall tread Satan and all enemies under-foot shortly and then through Christ you shall be more than Conquerours you shall not onely hold what you have kept from losing but shall possesse all that Christ hath wonne for you And the more battels you have fought and in them through Christ have overcome the greater triumph you shall have in glory Now as a surplussage to all that hath beene said against groundlesse feares which deprive poore soules of heavenly comfort If any yet cannot be satisfied but feare still that GOD is not at peace with them I will propound a few Questions to which if any soule can answer affirmatively he may be assured of Gods peace and love and of his owne Salvation whatsoever his feares or feelings may happen for to be 1. How stand you affected to sinne Are you afraid to offend God thereby Is it so that you dare not wittingly sinne Is it your griefe and burden that you cannot abstaine from sinne nor get out of it so soone as you would when you are fallen into it 2. How stand you affected towards holinesse and goodnesse and unto the power of godlinesse Is it your heartie desire to know Gods will that you may doe it Doe you desire to feare him and please him in all things And is it your griefe and trouble when you faile in well-doing And is it any joy to you to doe well in any true measure 3. Thirdly How stand you affected to the Church and Religion of God Are you glad when things goe well in the Church though it goe ill with you in your owne particular And are you grieved when things goe ill in the Church when it may happen to be with you as it was with good Nehemiah or Ichabodâ— mother that all things goe very well or at least tolerably well for your owne particular 4. Fourthly How stand you affected to men Is it so that you cannot delight in wicked men because of their wickednesse but dislike them Whereas otherwise their parts and conditions are such that you could much desire their company Doe you love those that feare the Lord and that delight in goodnesse therefore because you thinke they are good and are beloved of God 5. Fifthly Can you endure to have your soule ript up and your beloved sinne smitten at and let out by a searching Ministery approving that Ministery and liking that Minister the rather And doe you with David desire that the righteous should reproove you And would you have an obedient eare to a wise Reprover 6. Lastly Though you cannot alwayes have that feeling proofe of your good estate which is the certainty of Evidence Nay say you have it but seldome or it may be you can scarce tell whether you have it at all Doe you yet resolve or is it your desire and will you as you are able resolve to cleave to God and hang upon Christ and upon Gods mercifull promises made to you in him seeking salvation in Christ by faith and by none other nor by any other meanes If you can answer yea to all or to any one of these you may assure your selves that you are in Gods favor and in state of grace What though you cannot feele in your selves that you have this so sure as you would by a full certaintie of Evidence but it is your fault that you have it not so yet you have it sure by the best certainety namely by a true certainety of Adâ—erence and cleaving unto God For when you are resolved not to sinne wittingly and allowedly against GOD and not to depart from him whatsoever become of you and it is your longing desire to please him When I say you stand thus resolved and thus affected as hath beene said then certainely God and you are knit together by an inseparable bond When you hate what God hateth and love what God loveth and will what God willeth are not God and you at one and at peace Are you not neerely and firmely linked one to another What though this bond be some what secret and unseene to your selves yet it is certaine God knoweth you to be actually his and will for this owne you when you seeme to doubt of it and will alwayes hold you by your right hand whether you feele it or no. But why should you thinke that you are without Evidence when you cannot but feele that in truth you cleave thus to GOD and stand thus affected to him from hence if you were not wanting to your selves you might gaine a most peaceable and ioyous assurance that you are in Gods favour and shall be saved Thus much of removing of impediments to true peace CHAP. XVII Touching furtherances and meanes of peace of God IT yet remaineth that I should shew furtherances meanes to get and keepe this true peace of God which passeth all understanding Men doe erre in judging of their owne estates and in like manner in concluding that they have true peace or not from two causes Either by erring in the Proposition which they lay down as a rule to judge by Or else by erring in the Assumption and Application of their actions or persons to the rule propounded Now if you erre either in the Proposition or in the Assumption and application you of necessitie will erre in your Conclusion Wherefore if you would judge rightly of your actions and person take heed first that you doe not faile in your Proposition and Rule which that you may not doe you must know what is necessary to the very being of a Christian what not and this is to be learned onely by the onely Canon of truth to us the word of GOD. For many erre herein because they thinke that such and such things are necessary to the being in state of grace which are not and that such and such things are sufficient to the being of a Christian which are not Now you shall finde that it is truth of faith and other saving graces not the great degree and quantitie of them that maketh a Christian And that it is not the most forward profession and forme of godlinesse without this power and truth therefore that will doe it Secondly Take heed that you faile not in your assumption and application of your selfe and of
reade the Scriptures 188 None must forbeare reading of Scripture because of the difficulty of it 191 How to read and not wrest or mistake Scripture 190 Motives to read Scripture 194 A caution touching private reading 195 How to read mens writings profitably 194 A Christian must bee well read in the booke of his Conscience 206 207 How to attaine Reconciliation and Reformation 128 What is the best Recreation 64 The Gospell is the meanes of Reconciliation and Reformation 128 A truely regenerate man may fall farre backe though not quite away 685 Great difference betweene the sinnes of the regenerate and unregenerate 688 The regenerate never looseth the first infused habit of grace ibid. No man can know certainly in this life that he is a Reprobate 517 S Doubts of Sanctification from feare of having not repented removed 660 Doubts of Sanctification from being out-gone by others removed 671 Doubts of Sanctification through dulnesse in spirituall duties removed 665 Doubts of Sanctification from sudden dulnesse after comforts removed 670 Doubts of Sanctification through sense of hardnes of heart removed 677 An old devise of Satan to make a man thinke his owne case worse then that of any others 573 How to know that a mans perswasion that he is in state of salvation or damnation is a delusion of Satan oris according to the truth from Gods gracious Spirit 754. 755 778 How Satans evill suggestions may be knowne from mans owne evill thoughts 639 Satans malice and cunning in casting in blasphemous thoughts 632 Rules of Singing unto edification 241 Accusation and aggravation of Sin 118 Reasons proving that Sinne cannot be unpardonable because of the greatnesse of it 501 Sinnes after as well as before conversion pardonable 507 Why the unpardonable Sinne is called the Sinne against the holy Ghost 527 Why the Sinne against the holy Ghost is unpardouable ibid A description of the Sinne against the holy Ghost 526 How to be sure that a man hath not sinned against the holy Ghost 527 Reasons proving infallibly that the Scriptures are the Word of God 651 In what cases a mâ—n may speake of others evils and yet speake not evill 222 Meanes to obtaine and keepe the Spirit of God â—74 Hâ—w Gods Spirit doth â—…o mans Spirit that he is Godâ— child 778 Rules for Sporting 66 A man may Suffer for Christ two wayes 308 Rules for Superiours and Governours 58 Meanes whereby Superiours may containe inferiours in their dutie 59 Meanes to keepe Superiours from abusing their authoritie 61 Tâ— How to be armed against temptations unnaturall and inhumane 653 Why God is to bee Thanked and praysed 247 What prayse and Thankes is and wherein they differ 249 What is requisite in prayse and Thankes 250 Motives to Thankefulnesse 254 Impediments to Thanks 256 257 Furtherance to Thankes 259 How a man is to give proofe of his Thanks 269 Difference betweene Terrors of Conscience that prepare to conversion and those which are the beginning of hellish Torments 631 Reasons why worse thoughts may be cast into a man after then before his Conversion 644 Reasons why God may permit Satan to cast into his Children most vile Thoughts 645 How to be armed against blasphemous Thoughts 646 647 How to be kept from the hurt of Divellish Thoughts 654 655 Difference betweene Trouble rising from bodily distempers and that of Trouble of Conscience 490 Troubles through want of peace of Sanctification removed 744 V Disswasives from Vnthankfulnes 25â— Of Vprightnesse 31â— Reasons why a man should be Vpright 317 A description of Christian Vprightnesse 319 320 Three acts inseparable from Vprightnesse 322 A twofold Vprightnesse 328 Rules directing how to iudge of Vprightnesse 329 Vprightnesse is not perfect in this life 330 A few Vpright or hypocriticall actions doe not prove a man to be Vpright or an hypocrite ibid. Inward Vprightnesse will alwayes shew it selfe in outward righteousnâ—sse 332 Signes of Vprightnes and whence they are taken 332 Questions about iudging of Vprightnesse answered 354 In what cases Vprightnesse is hardly discerned 355 A Caution in iudging of Vprightnesse by many markes 356 Motives to Vprightnesse 367 Meanes against Hypocrisie and for Vprightnesse 373 The graces which breed and nourish Vprightnesse 276 W Christians must Walke with God 4 What it is to Walke with God 4 How many things concurre in walking with God 6 Reasons why wee should Walke with God 9 Mans walking with God must be alwayes 1â— Reasons why a man should walke with God at all times 17 With what manner of wil and consent a man receiveth Christ by Faith 61â— The end of the Contents FINIS Ephe. 4. 18 Gen. 19. 11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act 17 27 Ephe. 1. 18 Heb. 5 1◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sensus eterni Vâ—vita carâ—â—s animaest it a beata â—o niâ—isvita Deus est Aug. 19. de civit Dei tap 26. Ioh. 1. 5. Gen. 1. 31 Gen. 1. 27. 1 Pet. 1. 16 Pro. 16. 4. Mat. 19 17 2 Pet. 1. 4. Eph. 4. 2â— 24. Col. 3. 10 Ioh. 17. 3. Esa 53. 11. Rom 8. 24. 1 Cor. 13. 9 12 Rom. 6. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephe. 1. 13 Ier. 31. 32. 2 Cor. 3. 2 3 1 Tim. 6 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 17. 15 Rom 5. 1. 1 Pet. 5. 8. Rom 8. 35. adfinem In hominibus secundum statum prâ—sentis vitae est ultima perfectio secundum operationem qua homo coniungitur Deo Tho. Aqu 1 2 dâ— qu. 3. Art 2. ad 4 Tristes exitus esse voluntatuâ— quisquis remiâ—â—sci suarum libidinum volet intelâ—get quae â—â— beaâ—os efficere possent nihil causae esset quit peâ—udes queque beaâ—ae esse dicaÌ„tur Boâ—tius de consol 3. pros 7. Ier. 2. 13. Gen. 3. 5. Dan. 4. 29. Lam. 4. 5. Eccl. 10. 7. Iudg. 1. 7. Iudg. 16. Esa 57. 1. Luk. 12. 20 Gen. 3. 10. Est 8. 6 7. 8 Rom. 5. 3. Act. 16. 25. Psal 23. 4. Esa 38. 3. Rom. 8. 38 39. Rom 3. Obiect 1. Answ Luk. 13. 24 Ephe. 5. 15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hob. 12. 13 Obiect 2. Answ Esay 35 8. Gal. 6. 15 16 2 Pet. 5. Rom. 1. 18 Ier. 6 16. Luk. 1. 9 Heb. 13. 19 Gen. 17. 1. Gal. 6. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 1. 1. Act. 13. 10 Psal 119. 5 Chrys Tom. 5. Ep. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jerom. Tom. 1. from pag 108. to pag 117. Si quid autem vel eum legis vel cum cogitas tibi oritur quaestionis in quo dissolvendo videar necessarius scribe ut rescribam paulò post quod scriptum habetur semyeâ— vaâ—at ad legendam cum vaâ—at legenti nec onerosum fit praesens quod cum voles sumitur cum voles ponitur Aug. Ep ad Volus Obiect 2. Answ Obiect 2. The occasion of these Directions a Luk. 10. 40 41. Luk. 10. 42 The sum of the following Discourse You must walke with God b Gen. 5. 22. 24. c Gen. 6. 9. d Iob 1. 1. e
SataÌ„s cunning in casting in blasphemous thoughts o Gen. 44. 2â—4 15. p Mat. 12. 31 32. Reasons why worse thoughts maybe cast into a mans head after then before conversion Reasons of Gods permission of Satan to cast in most vile thoughts q 2 Cor. 12 9. How to be armed against blasphemous thoughts before they come Convincing reasons proving that there is a God Psal 19. 1. Psal 104. r Lu. 12. 25 Å¿ Mat. 5. 36. * Iob 38. 10 11. u Ps 104. 6 x Act. 14. 15 16 17. a Rom. 1 20 b Pro. 16. 4 c Eccl. 12. 14. d Heb. 11. 27. e Heb. 11. 3. 6. Convincing reasons that the Scriptures are the Word of God â— * Heb. 4. 12 13. Psal 19. 7. f Gal. 3. 22 g Rom. 1. 17 h 1 Cor. 2. 9 k 2 Cor. 10 4 5 6. l 2 Pet. 1. 20 21. How to be forearmed against temptations to acts unnaturall and inhumane m Exo. 20. n Act. 16. 28 o Gen. 39 9 How to be kept from the hurt of Devillish thoughts in the time of temptation p Mat. 4. 6. 7 Doubts of Sanctification because they have fallen into grossesins removed Answ Hos 14. 1 2 3 4. q Ioh. 8. 44 r 2 Sam 1 1â— 1 Kin. 15. 5â— k 1 Kin. â—â— 4 5. * Mat. 26. 74. a 1 Cor. 10. 11 12. a 1 Cor. 10. 11 12. b 1 Cor. 4. 4 1 Ioh. 3. 9. l Iam. 3. 2. m Rom. 7. 15 c. n Ioh. 8. â—4 Rom. 6. 16 18 19 20 22. o 1 Ioh. 5. 17. 18. Doubts of Sanctification because they feare they have not Repented removed Answ p Isa 1. 19. q Rom 8. 4 r Psa 51. 17 s 2 Sam. 24 17 18. t 1 Kin. 21 27. 29. u 2 Chr. 6. 36. x Rom. 7. 23. * Rom. 7. 20 Doubts of Sanctification because of their dulnesse in spirituall duties removed Answ a Phil. 2 12 Neh. 1. 11. Doubts of Sanctification from sudden dulnesse after comforts removed Answ b 2 Cor. 12. 7. Doubts of Sanctification for that they are out-gone by others removed Answ a Eph. 4. 7. â—om 12. 3. b 1 Cor 12 11. Psal 119. 9 100. Mat. 25 21 22. 23. * 1 Cor. 12 15 16. c Mat. 20. 15 d 1 Cor. 12 26 Doubts of sanctification from the sense of the want of growth of grace removed Answ Doubts of Sanctification from the senâ—e of hardnes of heaâ—t removed e Zac. 7 1â— Answ f Eph. 4. 19 g Isa 63. 17 h 2 Chr. 34 27. i Rom 〈…〉 k 1 Cor. 13. 9 Answ a Heb. 6. 4. 5 First sort of Christians b Heb. 6 4 5 c Mat 13. â—1 d 2 Tim. 3. 8 Who may fall away and how e Luk. 8. 18 f 1 Ioh. 2. 19 The second sort of Christians g Rom 12. 2 h 1 Thes 5 23 k 2 Cor. 5 17 2 Pet. 1. 4. Once ever instate of grace A truly regenerate man may fal far back though not quite away a Psal 32. 3 b Psal 51. 8 9 10 11 What grace God giveth to his Elect in their conversion and how l oh 2. 20 m 1 Ion. 3 9 Whence it is that the Elect may decline and backesâ—â—â—e and how â—arre He never fals from the first infused habit of grace o 1 Ioh. 3. 9 DiffereÌ„ce betweene the sinning of the regenerate and unregenerate o 2 Pet. 3. 5 p Psal 39. 1 q Psal 116 106 * Mat. 26. 35 Å¿ Gal. 6. 1 â— 2 Sam. 11. 2 t Gen. 27. 4. Micah 2â— a 2 Sam. 11 8 unto 2â— b Ps 19. 13 c 2 Sam 11 8 9 1 11 12. d Ps 32 3 4 e â— Sam 12 13. Psa 51. f 2 Chro 15 17 g 2 Chr. 16 10 12 k 2 Sam. 12 24 l Eccles 2. Neh. 13. 26 m 1 Kin. 11 3 to 10. Ecclesiast b 1 Sam. 28 3 6 7 c. c 2 Chr. 2â— 17. 18. to 23. Grounds of differences between the falsâ—f men truly sanctified and others d Ioh. 4. 14. The condition of the true Christian differs froÌ„ that of the forâ—all Christian in respect of Gods purpose and love e Ioh. 8. 35 f Ioh. 17. 9 15. 20 * 2 Sam. 14 24 g Lev 13. 46 2 Chro. 26 21 Rom 8. 15. 16. 17. 35 1 Ioh 2. 27 1 Ioh 3. 9 h Rom. 8. 33 unto the end Whence it is that a true Convert cannot fall quite from grace i Rom. 9. 11 Quest Answ k Gen. 1. 2 1 Gen. 3. m Ier. 32. â—0 n 2 Cor. 1. 21 22 Ephe. 1. 4. n 2 Cor. 1. 21 22 Ephe. 1. 4. o Rom. 6. 5 unto 12. p 1 Pet. 1. 3 4 5 d 2 Tim. 2. 19 Reasons prooving that a man effectually called can not fall quite away e Rom. 11. 29 f Ioh. 13 1 g Heb. 7. 2â— 25 Heb. 7. 21 h Ioh. 6. 3â— Luk. 22. â—â— Ioh. 17. 1â— i Eph. 1. 13. 14. k 1 Pet. 1. 23 25 Ier. 32. 40. Objections for falling from grace answered l Ps 73. 24 Rom 6. â— c. m Psal 2. 8. n Ioh. 17. 1. o Dan. 9. 1. p 2 Sam. 7 27. a Luk. 7. 4. b Ioh. 〈…〉 c 2 Cor. 5. 14 d 1 Ioh. 5. 3 q Iude 4. Rom. 5. 21. r Rom. 6. 1 15 s Ezr. 9. 13 14 t Rom. 6. 2. u 1 Ioh. 3. 1 2 3. Feares of falling away quite because men doubt they have onely a forme of godlinesse Removed a Psal 15. 1 2. 5. Note Doubts through being already fallen backe removed Answ b Rev. 2. 4. c Rev. 2 5. * Ps 73. 24 Psa 89. 30. 32. d Rev. 2. 11 Reasons why many think they have lesse grace now than at first but mistake e Psa 92. 14 * Ioh. 2. 12 13 Pro. 16. 31 Feares of falling quite away because others are already fallen removed f 2 Tim. 4. 10. Answ g 1 Cor 10 12 h 1 Ioh. 2. 19 Psal 51. k Ecclesiast Feares of falling away in time of persecution removed l Ephes 6. 11. 13. 14. Answ How to be kept from dastardly feare in time of persecution m Luk. 21. 14 15. * Rev. 3. 8. 10 How to know in time of peace to hold out in persecution Doubts taken from deceitfulnesse of heart removed Answ Doubts from present fainting removed Answ * Psal 27. 23 24. n Psal 73. 26. o Iona. 2. 4. 7 p Isa 50. 4. 10 Psal 27. 23 24. Reply We do not our part therefore God is not tied to 〈◊〉 Answ Act. 5. 30. 31 Reply Answ u Isa 54. 13 Caution Heb. 4. 2. Iam 1. 7. Psal 81. 11 12 Mat. 21. 43 Feares rising from want of such graces as God hath promised absolutely removed a Psa 119. 5 b Neh. 1. 11 c Mar. 9. 24 d Isa 1. 19. e 1 Cor. 8. 12. g Psal 85. 8 h 2 Tim 2. 19. Troubles through want of peace of Sanctification removed Answ Gal. 5. 17. k 1 Cor. 13 9 l 1 Cor. 16 13. a 1 Cor. 10 13. b Heb. 2. 18 c 1 Cor 10 13. d 1 Pet. 5. 10. Heb. 10. 37 e Luk. 22 32. Ioh. 17. â—5 20. m Rom. 16 20 n Rom. 8. 37 How notwithstanding all a mans causes of fears hee may know the peace of God belongeth to him Quest o Neh. 1. 4. p 1 Sam. 4. 20. 21. q Psal 15. 4 Psal 16. 4. r 1 Ioh. 3. 14. Psal 16. 3. s Psa 141. 5 t Pro. 25. 12 u Psa 73. 23 Causes of errour in mis-iudgeing of a mans state first removed a Psa 31. 22 b Rev. 3. 17. c Pro. 3. 5. d 1 Cor. 3. 18. * Hos 2. 19 20 Obiect Answ Obiect Answ An excellent helpe making way to peace of conscience Rules how to lay open our state to others when the Conscience is troubled Men overgone with trouble of conscience are most unfit toiudge of their own estate Reply Answ c 2 Cor. 1. 4 d 1 Thâ— 5 14 e Isa 50. 4. Ioh 20. 23. Chap. 17 Meanes to get and keep true peace f Ioh 14. 16 g 1 Cor. 2. 12 Reply Answ h Ioh. 5. 3 â— Meanes to obtain the Spirit Mat. 5 3 4 5 6. i Isa 4 4. 3. k Ioh. 14. 17 l Act. 10. 44. m Gal 3. 5 n 2 Cor. 3. 6. 8. o Lu. 11 14 p Eph. 4. 30 31 q 1 Thes 5 19 20. o 1 Ioh. 2 27. p Rev. 1. 6. q Eph. 4. â—0 t 2 Cor. 1. 22. Ephe. 14 How the Spirit doth witnesse to a man that he is Goâ—s 〈…〉 a Zâ—ch 12. 10 b Isa 61. 3. a Rom. 8. 26 * Act â— 8. Gal. 5. â—2 Act. 24. 16 Isa 30. 21. s Psa 51. 14 t Isa 9. 6. u Isa 53. 5. c Mat. 11. 29. d Ioh. 16. 33 e Heb. 9. 14 e Heb. 10 12 f Heb. 10. 2 Heb. 9 Psal 32 3 4 5. How to keepe the Conscience tender See also Cap. 15. Sect. 2. at the end of it Mat. 11. 19 Isa 32. 17. Rom. 8. 6. Rom. 5. 1. Rom. 8. 33 Rom. 8. 25 Heb. 6. 18. 19 Psal 119. 165. Mat. 11. 29 Gal. 6. 16. Heb. 12 5. Heb. 12. 6. Meanes of being put in mind of Gods consolationss Rom. 15. 4. a Isa 12 3. b â—sa 66. 11 Gal. 3. 24 c Rom. 10 15 d Luk. 1. 79 Iob 22. 21. 23. Psal 85. 8. Psal 37. 37. Rom. 15. 13 Heb. 13. 20 21.
this which followeth Wheras man being fallen into state of condemnation by reason of sinne thereby breaking the Covenant of workes it pleased God to ordaine a new Covenant the Covenant of Grace establishing it in his onely Sonne Christ Iesus made man expressing the full tenour of this his Covenant in the Gospell wherein hee maketh a gracious and free offer of Christ in whom this Covenant is established with him the Covenant it selfe unto man now when a man burdened with his sinne understanding this offer giveth credit unto it and assenteth thereunto because it is true and approveth it and consenteth to it both because it is good for him to embraceit and because it is the will and Commandement of God and is one condition in the Covenant that hee should consent for his part and trust to it when therefore a man receiveth Christ thus offered together with the whole Covenant in every branch of it so farre as hee doth understand it resolving to rest on that part of the Cavenant made and promised on Gods part and to stand to every branch of the Covenant to be performed on his part Thus to embrace the Covenant of grace and to receive Christ in whom it is confirmed is to beleeve This offer of Christ and the receiving him by faith may clearly bee expressed by an offer of peace and favour made by a King unto a woman that is a rebellious subiect by making offer of a marriage betweene her and his onely sonne the heire apparant to the Crowne who to make way to this match undertakes by his Fathers appointmeÌ„t to make full satisfaction to his Fathers iustice in her behalfe and to make her every way fit to be daughter to a King And for effecting this match betweene them the Son with the consent and appointment of his Father sendeth his chiefe servants a wooing to this unworthy woman making offer of marriage in their Masters behalfe with the clearest proofs of their Masters good wiâ— to her and with the greatest earnestnes intreaties to obtaine her good will that may be This woman at first being a Ward or bond-woman unto this Kings sonnes mortall enemy and being in love with base slaves like her selfe companions in her rebellion may happily set light by this offer or if she consider well of it shee may doubt of the truth of this offer the match being so unequall and so unlikely on her part shee being so base and so unworthy she may thinke the motion to bee too good to bee true yet if upon more advised thoughts she doth take notice of the peril she is in while she standeth out against so puissaÌ„t a King in her rebellion and doth also see and beleeve that there is such a one as the Kings Sonne and beleeveth that he is in earnest in his offer to reconcile her to his Father and that hee would indeed match with her wherupon she considereth also that it shall bee good for her to forsake all others and take him and that especially because his person is so lovely every way worthy of her love Now when shee can bring her selfe to beleeve this and resolve thus though shee commeth to it with some difficulty and when with all she giveth a true and hearty consent to have him and to forsake all other and to take him as he is to obey him as her Lord and to take part with him in all conditions better or worse though she come to this resolution with much adoe then the match is as good as made betweene them for hereupon followeth the mutuall plighting of their troaths each to other The application is easie throughout I will onely apply so much as is for my purpose to shew the nature of justifying Faith God offers his onely begotten Sonne Iesus Christ yea Christ Iesus by his Ministers offers himselfe in the Gospell unto rebellious man to match with him onely on this condition that forsaking his kindred and fathers house forsaking all that he is in himselfe hee will receive him as his head husband Lord and Saviour Now when any man understandeth this motion so farre as to assent and consent to it and to receive Christ and cleave to him then hee beleeveth to Salvation then the match is made between Christ and that man then they are hand-fasted and betrothed nay married and are no longer two but are become one spirit By all this you may see that in saving faith there are these two acts First An assent to the truth of the Gospell and that not onely beleeving in generall that there is a Christ beleeving also what manner of person he is and upon what condition hee offereth himselfe to man to save him but also beleeving that this Christ graciously offereth his love and himselfe to a mans selfe in particular The second act is an approbation and liking well of this offer of Christ with consenting and heartie saying I will to the said offer resolving to take him wholly and fully as hee is accepting of him according to the full tenour of the marriage covenant not onely as a mans Saviour for to defend and shelter him from evill and to save him and bring him to glory but as his head to be ruled by him and as his Lord and King to worship and obey him beleeving in him not onely as his Priest to satisfie and to make intercession for him but also as his Prophet to teach and as his King to governe him cleaving to him in all estates taking part with him in gall the evils that accompany the profession of Christs Name as well as in the good The first act is not enough to save any The second act cannot be without the former where both these are there is a right receiving of the Gospell there is true faith The principall matter lyeth in the consent and determination of the wâ—ll in receiving of Christ Which that it may be without exception know with what manner of will you must consent and receive Christ First it must be with an advised and considerate will it must not be rash and on a sudden in your ignorance before you well know what you doe You must be well advised and consider well of the person to whom you give your consent that you know him and that you know the nature of this spirituall marriage and what you are bound unto by vertue of it and what it will cost you if you give your selfe to Christ Secondly Your consent must be with a determinate and compleat will touching present receiving him even with all the heart It must not be a faint consent in an indifferency whether you consent or no it must not be in a purpose that you will receive him hereafter but you must give your hand and heart to him for the present else yet it is no match Thirdly Your consent must be with a free and ready will it must not be as