hope they doe and had alway a good faith to God and a good meaning to men They confesse they breake out sometimes as others doe but so long as they cry God mercy they shall doe well for they understand that Christ was a loving Preacher kept company rather with the worser sort then the better many Publicans and sinners yea harlots and was the sinners friend And it was not they who put him to death but such as went for the devoutest and most precise in those times But oh yee deluded fooles Doe you thinke that when sinne hath incorporated herselfe so long and like a fretting leprosie seated it selfe in their bowells by long custome that all on the suddaine you should be changed by the conceit of their beleeving What Matth. 3.1.2 Are there no steps of calling to be observed Why then did Iohn Baptist goe before Christ in the Spirit of Elija Why did hee batter downe the rebellious spirits of men And why did hee cast downe every high hill and fill every valley Why did he prepare a way for Christ in the souls of people crying Repent for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand Why did he plow up mens fallow grounds And turne the spears of men into mattocks and their swords into plowshares Oh take heed I will not say all your abstinence from sinne can save you but your jollity and boldnesse in it may so harden you and encrease your chaines through rebellion Esay 28. that you shall finde it an hard thing for mercy to pierce you Therefore take counsell thinke not that mercy can save you in the midst of your lewdnesse when you come steaming out of the stewes or from your alebenches or in the midst of your sports and pleasures What God can doe I aske not it s not safe for you to trust to that looke what he will doe Therefore let the point of the speare of the Law pierce your sides let it taw and breake your fierce spirits goe not on to sinne against light Defile not your consciences by wilfull rebellions covetous drunken contentious treacherous and voluptuous courses looke not that God should meet you in your cursed way when as he hath appointed you to meet him in his owne way Rather apply your selves to his word to prepare your spirits for mercy Repent that is breake off the custome and jollity of your sins the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand This counsell to suffer affliction and the spirit of bondage by the sense of guilt and wrath would bee an wholesome School-master to bring you to Christ Oh! A caveat Ministers should gaster prophane people out of their prophanenesse errors if you my brethren the Ministers would remit a little of your pleasures and liberties and apply your selves to a right order of preaching the Law and Christ and give them a view of the way of God to heaven you might the more hopefully leave them to God else how should blinde people laden with sinne stumble upon Gods preparations Will they not rather abuse the grace of God and wax insolent in turning it into wantonnesse making the remedy worse then the disease Oh! scare them out of their prophanenesse corrasive their festred sores sow not pillowes ferret them out of their dennes their starting-holes errors excuses and covers of shame Alas they have a thousand of such trickes to seduce them Base conceits of the Ministery the difficulty of faith of repenting and forsaking their lusts false opinion of the way of God of them who professe it they are poysoned so deeply by Satan and base customes in sinne so leavened with a conceit that either there is somewhat in themselves to demerit God their good meanings setting of their good deeds against their bad and such like or else thinking that Christ serves for no other end save to be their stalking-horse Rom. 4. under whom they may sin securely that grace may abound the more They dreame that because the World is hard therefore men are set here to heare the Word to keep them from theft to hold them in awe from out-rages and so if they can worke and pay their debts bring up their charge and get money they are well Oh! labour to season them with this salt of preparation that their faces may bee sharpned to looke heaven-ward and to breake off their lewd wayes that they may so come within the bounds of the Kingdome and not live like Salvages and Epicures or worldlings whose hope reaches no further then this life So much for this former sort 2 Branch Schismatickes who reject all steps marks of conversion cleaving to the spirit of free grace confuted Againe secondly this is for reproofe of such Sectaries as are lately risen up among us in sundry places who are so spirituall forsooth that the Doctrine of the condition of faith and casting of the Soule upon the promise are beggarly elements with them they esteeme them carnall matters and devices of mens braine They hold indeed there is use of a Law and Gospell to tame men first and then to comfort them But in this Gospell they have found out a new and more compendious course then others For they say there is a grace offered in the promise by such a Spirit of freedome that it will not endure any bondage of the letter nor suffer men to bee puzled and enthralled with these conditions of a Promise nor to tye themselves to a promise and the markes or signes of believing This they count base and unbeseeming such a Spirit of free grace as they have found out and therefore they scorn all those who busie their thoughts about such workes of preparations and tell them they will get more comfort in an houre by the Spirit of this their free grace then these lazy and leasurely beleevers can doe in seven yeares But oh you fantasticke and deluded ones where learne you in the Word that there is a Spirit which workes without a Word Or by what meanes come you to lay hold of this Spirit save by the Word If by the Word then of necessity by such markes and prints as the Word workes And although there is a Spirit spoken of in the Gospell which witnesseth to our Spirits that we are the Lords yet how doth it witnesse it save by the Word Is every hearer at the first dash so ripe and perfect that presently as a fledge bird flying out of her nest and leaving her Damme he can soare aloft in the sky and mount up to heaven by the Spirit of assurance So that he shall no more need any promise any conditions or markes to testifie the grace of God wrought in him Put case that God hath some speciall ones to whom after they have beleeved he hath given the Spirit to seale them to the assurance of salvation Is this the case of every novice as soon as hee heares that Christ freely forgives sinners to bee hoysed up with such a spirit of
Naaman to see what a world of pride was hidden in thy counterfeit crouching and hypocrisie Levit. 13.45 Thou shalt cry out with that leper and say Oh uncleane Oh proud wretch I was humble in a way of mine owne while I had my will while all was well taken But when the Law came and convinced me that all was from and for my selfe then as Cain so did my countenance fall then I was mad and rebelled like a Tiger If I had beene truly humble I should have counted him my friend that would reprove me and his wounds to be as balme my kicking against the pricks argued what spirit I was of Oh! let this gaster all such in Gods feare And brethren if there be any such here let them beseech him who can turne all to the good of such at belong to himselfe that he would turne all their rebellion and pride and coinesse to the glory of his name and the making of their soules doubly meeker and humbler then before for so it is sinne is out of measure sinfull both in guilt and rebellion but grace is out of measure gracious to humble the soule for both else the word will prove the savour of death Vse 3 Let this be use of speciall Admonition to all Gods people to search and try their owne spirits Admonition to all sorts not to claw this itch of Selfe It is good to search the spirits of others But farre better to try our owne in this weighty case It is good for a Minister of God to beware of flatâ—ering men of this humor for Selfe is proud and coy because she would be soothed But it is farre better to abhorre flâ—ttering of our selves in this false humblenesse of our owne If Elishá should have come forth and soothed Naaman in this humor of his whiles God had him in taming what a confusion must have followed No he left him to chew upon Gods bit and so his heart came downe through mercy But flattery had puft him up to destruction Oh thou Minister of Christ Ministers beware of it or poore Christian wheresoever thou seest this itch claw it not sow not pillowes But above all beware of humoring â—hy selfe in it and consider this If thou canst be so willing in a way of thy owne to take such paines and to seeme so low and vile in thine owne eyes when as yet the Lord and thy soule know all is but to serve thine own turn and to keep a secret bredth in thine own loose heart Oh! I say if thou canst take such paines for nought how wise wert thou in season to convert thy paines to a right object I meane the way of God! If thou shouldest say unto me so I would if I could discerne my selfe I answer thee First pray God to scatter the mist from thine eies which Selfe hath long blinded thee with through a sweetnesse in affording God that pittance which thou couldest well spare him and yet hold thine own too Secondly search narrowly and thou shalt perceive that selfe-humility hath some markes of discovery to know her by These markes be warned against First she is very coy and queazy 1. Coy and queazy cannot indure to bee reproved Markes of Selfe defeated whereas true humblenesse in Gods way lyes open brested to receive every point of Gods weapon to let out her corruption and all because shee would be rid of it Learne therefore and bee warned to handle thine heart roughly in this corruption let none be more jealous and suspicious of thine humblings then thy selfe Be willing that the word teach thee that way of God wherein true humblenesse appeares shrug not at it but give way to it that it may worke kindly Refuse not reproofe inure not thy selfe to utter or heare thine owne praises thou shalt at last blesse God more for one Abigail and her counsell then for tenne flatterers Too tender skins cannot endure the pricke of a pinne How should they endure a corrasive then to eate out their dead flesh Secondly this selfe-humblenesse is lazy 2. Lazy and loath to take paines it conceives that if it should be convinced indeed it must be faine to put it selfe upon a sadder way then she is willing to heare of Abhor this ease be content to be informed of the worst the worst of it is to abhorre that which would destroy thee and God can give thee a safer ease in his owne way if thou canst trust him then thy way can afford if thou wilt suffer thine owne spirit to stoope to his Refuse no paines to amend a rooted error let it not seeme wearisome to thee to change thy course if the word will have it so Thou wilt censure a Papist that he will live and dye in the Religion of his forefathers when a better is revealed dye not thou in the antiquity of selfe-delusion To be willing to submit to any way of God for thy good is a sure marke of a humbled soule Thirdly false humblenesse discovers it selfe by this 3. Partiall she will love them that should teach her while they please her and no further if shee may not teach them how to teach her and put their lesson in their mouth she will none of them Abhorre therefore this marke Submit thy selfe to Gods discipline Naaman seemed humble when he stood at Elisha his doore but it was for a vantage when he had not that he looked for he became another man But learne thou to accept of the labours and counsells of any who are for thy good though never so harsh meane and despised instruments in the eyes of Selfe love them best who come most against her in the name of the Lord and crouch as humbly to the poorest adviser in this case as ever thou stoopedst hypocritically in thine owne way Lastly selfe-humility bewraies her selfe by this she is seldome in a frame but alway in her extremities observe thy selfe and thou shalt finde the symptomes to follow the disease of Naaman Thou shalt be but off and on out and in in thy mood very humble but by and by stout and coy againe It is not easily for a rolling stone to lye still But a falsly humbled heart will be alway breaking out Prov. 7.11.12 As Salomon speakes of a distempered woman shee may bite in her froward humors for a while as an hot gleame in a winters day but she is overcast presently and fills her house with clamors and chidings quarrells and passions because she is inwardly turbulent No painted white face doth so differ from the looke of a bedred man as the counterfeit humility of Selfe differs from the ingenuous hiew of a lowly spirit Beware therefore of extremities and till the Lord hath truly brought downe thy winter out of the sky know it will never rot there it must be the mercifull calme of grace which must bring a setled state upon thy soule It is no condition of safety to be trusted to which alway
cold We see all come to passe Therefore let us all whom God cals by tongue or by penne looke to the safeguard of Truth and say as those did to David so we to Truth Thou art worth ten thousand of us if we dye wee may be supplied but if thou shouldest miscarry all of us must perish As the life of old Iacob was bound up in Benjamins so ours in Truth As in some former Treatises I have endeavoured to give Section 5 my poore witnesse to the practicall truths of Religion as a most sworne enemy to all Schisme and Novelty so in this I aime more especially to encounter prophanenesse and lukewarmenesse and both to convince the former and rectifie the latter As Sinne lies deeply rooted in the one so even Grace it selfe for lacke of quickning lies dead in the other Those that are not sunke into a prophane way yet may be sunke from a zealous I consider with my selfe that as Treatises doe well for maintaining of truths so Sermons are more peculiar for the suppressing of vicious manners or lukewarm profession In Treatises we speak Gods conclusions in Sermons God seemes to speake his owne so great the oddes is in what way a truth be uttered our owne or Gods As Israel thought herselfe doubly strong having got the Arke into the Campe to fight with the Philistins so in preaching we seem to doe as the Angel who went to heaven in the smoake of Gods sacrifice There is more of God in this method then in any and wee had need use the forciblest corrasives to eat out the dead flesh of vice and the keenest spurres to drive others out of the declining temper of their lukewarme profession and neutrality Moses we know might serve to teach people Truths and Ordinances But when the great worke of scaring rebels and convincing the conscience was to be done God himselfe was faine to descend in his likenesse with terror and smoke and all too little and questionlesse that is the most noble Ordinance which works most upon and most prevailes with the part of man which is noblest and whereby we draw nearest to God the heart I meane and the affections In Gods sacrifices we read not much of the looking upon the braines or offering them up to God by fire but of the heart liver and the inward parts the fat of them as choice was Gods part The reason no doubt was that although the understanding is the guide of the soul yet because the object of it is onely truth But the object of the will and affections is properly good and by embracing and affecting of good we come nearer to God then by meere understanding of truth therefore the word preached most affecting the inner man by drawing perswading convincing quickning and comforting of it must needs have the preeminence of all other Ordinances There is oftentimes in the unregenerate alway a gulfe set betweene the understanding and the affections so that the one never comes at the other but when once affections are truly stirred this gulfe vanisheth and an easie path-way is made in the soule to welcome Gods grace and to expresse it in the life neither seeme we in any other respect to excell those wicked Angels save in the goodnesse of our affections I speake not this as an enemy to knowledge without which the heart is nought but because the wofull age we live in above all other things is most empty and yet most carelesse of getting good affections Every one thinkes himselfe to be happy in that he knoweth not in that he affecteth beleeveth or loveth whereas in these latter our union and communion with God consists The heart and spirit of the man his bent his frame that is the man and I beleeve that as they say of the materialls of the world they would soone dissolve if the soule of it were taken away so the vast body of Light and Knowledge of many professors will ruine and oppresse herselfe ere long for lack of sutable life spirit and affections This notion seemed to me very forcible to perswade the publishing of these Sermons after some other Treatises formerly set forth But will some say we grant all Sermons are indeed as you say powerfull instruments to stirre the soule bâ—â— what is that to printing and writing You know no peâ—cill can fully reach a living face The Presse cannot comprehend the Pulpit and writing of a Booke is but as the picture of a dead man in comparison of the lively voice To whom I answer Time hath beene when I have beene so farre transported with this thought that I would have preferred the preaching of a Sermon to the printing of a Booke But now I must sing another note and therefore I answer further although the objection in part be true yet consider God hath covered the uncomely parts with greatest honour and although the grace of the Spirit in preaching and giving overtures of lively impression to the heart cannot be equalled by printing yet printing hath also that peculiar use which preaching it selfe reacheth not that is constantly to represent things which while they were in uttering seemed pretious but yet are soon forgotten Luke 1.4 I say to present them alway to the eye and so to hold them there as a naile fastned in a sure place from wanzing and leaking out And moreover when the Preacher shall with diligence and observation both marke wherein God assisted him most and hold himselfe as neare as he can to his expressions somewhat more may be compassed in this kinde then otherwise But however he is a foole who counts not halfe a loafe better then no bread or despiseth the Moon-shine because the Sun is down and I hope that such as were once attentive hearers of these things when they read these Lectures shall in some sort recognize the savour and grace which in hearing they seemed to acknowledge Wherefore to conclude as I for my part thinke it a favour that I may be the overseer of mine owne Bookes which else by audacious and unskilfull adventurers might have beene defaced and also that I may set my base heart on work any way to prevent sloth ease So I shall desire thee good Reader to apply thy self with thy best care and prayers to peruse what God hath herein presented thee withall And if thou pickest any thing out blesse God and pray for me even for Thine in Christ D. Rogers The list of Contents TOuching Gods Soveraignty and Freedome in decreeing Touching the preventing assisting and perfecting grace of God in mans vocation Touching Selfe and Selfe love Touching carnall Reason How farre policy lawfull Touching Gods way in humbling the soule or the condition of the Promise Touching Servants and their duties with Masters a full discourse Touching Faith a discourse thereof at large Touching the due reverence support of the Minister by the people Touching the Promises and Performances of God Their nature and use Touching the effect of Faith and
askes Self forfeits all her travell labour for nothing 140. Shee is of an outlasting and surviving nature 143. Shee is very close and hard to be discerned pag. 144 Selfe a perpetuall enemy to the Regenerate themselves 146. making their lives sad and uncomfortable ibid. If Selfe in the painfull Professor bee so dangerous what shall become of the prophane pag. 147 Selfe exceeds grosse lusts pag. 149 The mischiefe of Selfe should teach us not to bee offended with afflictions and sorrasives to eat it out ibid. Staggering Non-proficiencie and unthriftinesse of Professors is the fruit of selfe pag. 152 Selfe requires deepe searching to discover it in the soule pag. 155 A Question Doe all that are truly converted discover Selfe in themselves thus Ans Two or three wayes pag. 156 157. 158 Motives to selfe-deniall sundry ib. Spirit of Grace what it is 168. 170. Exhortation to ensue it as the opposite of the spirit of Selfe ibid. Markes of it ibid. The 1. Grace causes the soul to grow more humble by knowledge 2. Grace subordinates all to her selfe 3. It subjects the soule to Christ upon his owne tearmes 4. It resists the speciall and personall pangs of Selfe in each soule 5. It answers all objections of Selfe 6. It sets Selfe against Selfe ibid. Spirit of Grace serves all in all for Grace and how Three wayes 1. In the discovery of it 2. In the effects of that discovery 3. In the end of it pag. 178 Spirit of grace proceeds on calmly in the soule contrary to selfe pag. 181 The soule bereft of that puritie of Reason in which it was created pag. 202 The Spirit of God must create holy wisedome in stead of carnall in the soule pag. 203 Savour spirituall things 235. The meanes and markes of it five 1. Savour the powerfullest ordinances 2. Love simplicity 3. Get heavenly mindednesse 4. Preferre the verdict of the Word 5. Be wise in thy course pag. 236 Silly and simple ones have an advantage of wiser in point of carnall reason pag. 236 Selfe is proud and coy pag. 259 Selfe in her owne way very jolly but out of her element crabbed pag. 260 Selfe defeated rageth 265. Sundry reasons ibid. Object How then is it that hypocrites are so merry Answered ibid. Selfe may want defeats because given over by God to delusion and hardening pag. 269 Self-willed ones who binde God to their hearings convinced pag. 269 Superiors learn grace of their inferiors pag. 290 Servants must bee faithfull to their masters pag. 294 Servants onely can bee well bred in Christs family pag. 296 The setling of a distressed heart by counsell is a mercy highly to bee prized pag. 330 Selfe and carnall reason are justly reproveable corruptions and why pag. 343. to 346. Sinners against sensible and ocular mercies present are worse then those who sin against the absent promises 349. Divers sorts of such ibid. Slighters of grace under pretence of ease terrified pag. 364 Season of ease to beleeve is at first 366. Hard to recover it if once lost pag. 367 Scorners of Gods Ministers reproved pag. 388 Satan who seekes our blood can perswade us to more cost for him then Christ who shed his blood for us pag. 396 Sincerity in a Counsellor claimes acceptance Reasons why pag. 410 The Sufficiency of a promise is the next object of faith pag. 482 Schismaticks who reject all steps and marks of conversion confuted pag. 488 The Spirit of Truth must bee the first planter of truth in the soule pag. 577 Sacraments divinely appropriated to seal up to the soule the assurance of salvation 592. Therefore not to be counted common things by the people nor used so by parents ibid. Spirituall penalties attend spirituall sins pag. 604 A spirit of sinne in a man what and how dangerous it is 866. especially if conceited of her owne welfare ibid. Spirit of grace by what marks it may be tried Generally by her owne working particularly by these marks 1. Shee is bred of the immortall seed of the Word and all false conceptions cast out 2. By her operations 3. By the frame and soundnesse of it 4. By the object order and equality of it 5. by the carriage of it pag. 879 Separatists from our Church the corruptions of it how blinde in discerning their owne pag. 882 Selfe-deniall urged in generall by many motives and meanes of direction pag. 162 Self-deniall in point of sanctification urged by the discovery of 4 or 5 false semblances false principles thereof with some meanes ib. Read at large the whole Tract T. Trials are to separate the pretious from the vile in the godly 95 See Difficulties Gods trials should work in us the spirit of prevention care to keep our peace and much prayer to bee kept from temptation pag. 97 Gods ends in tempting unlike to Satans ibid. Terror to all that cleave to carnall reason Pelagians and others pag. 225 Thanks due to God for freedom from this tyrant of Carnall reason pag. 238 Try thy selfe how defeating of thy selfe workes with thee pag. 276 To be trusted by our betters is honourable pag. 294 Triall of servants by 6 rules whether faithfull or not 1. It must be according to the word and knowledge 2. must not be contrary to it 3. It must be single sincere 4. Must not crosse the Law of Piety love or mercy 5. It must bee equall and regular 6. It must be diligent and sedulous pag. 307 Touchable and tractable natures in shew to take counsel yet persisting in their sin are dissemblers pag. 402 Tokens of love in other kinds offered to the Minister where obedience followes not are false pag. 406 Terror to all despisers of sincere counsell 422. Their woe and misery pag. 422 424 Terror to all such as live prophanely and yet thinke themselves under the condition of mercy pag. 486 Terror to all that savour not the spiritualnesse of faith pag. 492 Terror to all that wilfully cast off the yoke of Gods commands 528. where foure things are handled ibid. 1. their grounds 2. their practice 3. their shifts and colours 4. application of terror pag. 529 Trials of close obedience to commands 539. 1. It is truly inquisitive after the extent of commands 2. It is tender in affection towards commands 3. It is aware of disobedience by each experiment of sin 4. It rejoyceth in the voice of the Word determining of her doubtfull cases 5. It looks more at the preserving of a command entire then at her owne ends 6. It sets not Gods commands together by the ears 7. He saves himselfe harmlesse in all losses for obedience sake upon God by faith 8. It closes with commands without colours or cavils 9. In such duties as border upon her owne respects she is carried to obey upon Gods grounds 10. It groweth better and better 11. It seekes to amend the errours of others 12. It obeyes when yet there appeares not outward fruit of it 13. It profits by lively experience of
former obeying 14. It is obedient in her particular conditioÌ„ of life 15. It seekes after no dispensations ibid. to 548. Truths of God must not bee taken by tradition and prejudice but from the whole body of truth beleeved as Gods pag. 576 Terror to all Popish and blinde maintainers of truth upon false grounds pag. 577 Terror to all such as nourish in them selves most open and odious diseases seeking no cure pag. 866 Triall of the true spirit of Grace is from herselfe pag. 878 V. Vnbeliefe of the Word so much the more damnable by how much it hath been confirmed so by miracles pag. 5 Vnconditionall call of God what 10. Why and how it is free ibid. Vnfaithfull servants terrified 301. Wherein it consists sundry particulars ibid. Vowers first what they will doe and then enquirers of the Minister for counsell are dissemblers pag. 401 It bewrayes great Vnfaithfulnesse to bee very forward in great duties and backward in small pag. 430 Vnequall and unsound persons in their course not to be trusted pag. 436 To be at an Vtter strait and brought to a forlorne hopelesse condition is one step to faith pag. 499 Vnapt appliers of promises or of other parts of the Word reproved pag. 582 Vnproportioned meanes used by men without a Word to effect supernaturall things are evill and justly suspected pag. 590 Vnbeliefe bindes the armes of God from performing promises pag. 613 Vnbeliefe cannot beteame her selfe that bounty in performances which is in God 616. with amplification of the point ibid. W. Word and voice of Gods own mouth onely able to pierce the soule pag. 62 Yet the Word workes little without crosses in these dayes pag. 64 Wise men must learne to bee fooles in Gods matters that they may bee wise pag. 75 Mens will and minde more to them then the world besides pag. 163 Word of God must be cast as seed into the soule when once empty of her selfe pag. 233 Wisdome to guide a Christians course how gotten and wherein it stands in 5. or 6. properties 1. Chuse that one thing necessary 2. Discerne betweene things that differ 3. Bee ready for the hardest 4. Make safe thy retreat 5. Feare God which is the fountaine of it 6. Shun the wayes of error 7. Practise wisdome both in deliberation and determination 1. Being wise chiefly for thy selfe 2. Redeeme the time 3. Plot and project wisely for God 4. Be watchfull against all enemies especially spirituall 5. Meddle with thy owne businesse 6. In all doubtfull cases look to that which is purest comliest and of best report 7. Of 2. morall evills chuse neither but of a morall sin and a penalty chuse the latter 8. Let things profitable or pleasing yeeld to things honest 9. Try men or things ere thou trustest 10. Be neither too credulous nor too obstinate ibid. Wrathfull and habitually peevish and froward persons reproved 269. Much more if defeated ibid. Waiting upon God necessary for such as look to speed of grace pag. 274 Wisedome is needfull to judge aright of the ease of grace pag. 376 Weak beleevers must not quite quail and give over pag. 514 Z. Zeale of first converts described pag. 871 This Insertion is to be placed in the thirteenth page of Naamans History and the twentieth line after the foure first words thereof which are these but a cause of and so read on to the end of the said Insertion and then return to the former thirteenth page and twentieth line and proceed on with these words morall swasion c. procuring it which were most absurd I say Christ hereby should bee made not the foundation of Election as Ephes 1. in whom GOD established it but the fountaine of meriting it â—nswer 2. Secondly I answer though wee should grant the parity and make Adam and Christ alike in both yet there be other reasons to bee alledged of this parity then this viz. The equall number of the saved For why Three other reasons may bee given of Ad m and Christs equality nay rather of Christs exceeding Adam in his grace as first grace exceeds sinne in respect of the value and eminencie of the person undergoing the worke of Redemption viz. the eternall Son of GOD Between whom and Adam what comparison Sure in this Grace is farre above the offence Secondly if wee respect the grace it selfe purchased in point of duration and continuance Adams lasted but a while being in his owne keeping â—loff 3. but grace of redemption is hid with God and in Christ to abide for ever Thirdly in point of the reward purchased by Christ which in respect of the transcendencie of the Meriter above the offence restored not the redeemed onely to that they lost viz. an earthly Paradise but an eternall glory in the heavens I conclude then Those that make Christ the subject of universall grace for all and each one who by the freedome of his will assisted thereby will receive it or reject it catch who catch may I say these make Christ onely a wandring notion at the pleasure of each base wretch not the solid foundation of election as making the elect and only them happy â—bject But if grace be not universall then say these God deales unjustly in offering a remedy upon worse termes then the disease it selfe For why Hereby hee aggravates the contempt of all despisers causing their condemnation to be farre deeper then before especially knowing that it will prove so I answer First it is accidentall to Gods offer of Grace that the condemnation of the wicked is aggravated thereby For it is not through his default but theirs His offer is directly to his own elect but if the other will mixe themselves and abuse this offer their blood bee upon their heads But case a Prince offer his pardon to ten of whom hee knowes nine will not accept it is it his fault to offer it or is he the cause of their contempt Doth he infuse it into them No surely Nay further to stop the mouth of all such cavillers this I adde That God doth not hereby onely aggravate their judgement for he doth by his Gospel bestow upon them many gifts of his Spirit much restraint of sinne many mercifull allowances which others want so that by this meanes their condemnation is lessened â—bject But still it is objected How can this Doctrine consist with that bounty and abundance of mercy in God who would have all repent and be saved Offering fully freely to all sorts civil ones profane sinfull and ignorant ones mercy without difference Doth not this absolute soveraignty of God infringe it I answer No in no wise The secret purpose of God within himselfe and the outward offer differ as much as the presence Chamber of a Prince and his privie Chamber In the former he sheweth what hee hath done concerning the finall estate of his creature In the latter what he will have man doe concerning his own salvation Secrets are for God revealed things are for
rather their desire to oppose then any sound reason The latter is condâ—tionâ—ll How free The second Call is conditionall And that concernes such as are inlightned and that is also soveraignly free and meerely gracious For why this condition is Faith which is a second free gift to the elect following the former freedome of visiting with light Now this condion is not all mens lot All men have not faith 2 Thess 3.2 nay it is a flower growing in few gardens This floweth from Election So many as the Lord our God shall call Acts 2.39 and so many as were to be saved beleeved This condition of faith is not in our freedome of will but the Lords It s he who of his good pleasure workes both the will and the deed 2 Thess 3.2 Act. 2.39 47. Phil 2.13 John 3.8 Object and without his spirits breath which bloweth where it will nothing is done Now this condition of the Gospell Faith I meane being so few mens portion how can it otherwise be but where it is its free grace But here it s objected That this were to translate a crime upon God needlesly which may lye upon man I answer No still the crime lyes upon man God is free Answ If the Lord having man now sunke from his former integrity at a deepe yea infinite advantage which in Adam he had him not at shall worke out greater glory to his name and attributes then formerly he could have done shall any man grudge him this prerogative or count him cruell or tye him to his owne tether Matth. 20.13.14 Is it not free for him to doe what he pleases with his owne Is it not in his power to release or not to release his owne advantage Againe Object wheras the cause of this difference is cast upon mans owne default for not receiving that grace which he hath freedome to receive or refuse I answer Answ True it is that condemnation shall never want a just merit thereof viz. from mans rejecting of grace but this proves not a freedome in man to accept it of himselfe if he please for he rejects not grace by the actuall defect of any thing which he had power or free-will in himselfe to doe seeing that is meerely from the soveraignty of the caller but from his actuall contempt Object And whereas some alledge God will not be wanting to any who are not wanting to themselves I answer First Answ if this have any truth in it it is not from hence that ought in mans concurring with grace can further the worke of it But because first it is sure that those who walke not in Gods way are seldome converted and secondly because usually the Lord is mercifull to such as doe humbly subject themselves to his way not opposing and slighting him in it purposely and thirdly because we ought not to discourage any from close attendance upon the meanes But to affirme that God is in the least manner obliged to doe for all such as are not wanting to themselves if yet any can be said to be so it s unwarranted yea and more then so The Lord to shew his absolutenesse herein doth oft times communicate himselfe to such as seeke him not Esay 65.1 and hide himselfe from such as seeke him in some sort and forsakes the morall the pharisaicall the vertuous and cals the vicious the publicans and sinners That where sin abounded Rom. 5.20 grace might abound much more Many ungodly ones being convinced of their owne wofull incompliablenesse to the grace of God offred are called that they might magnifie the freedome of it and many more civill and morally disposed who might seeme faire for it yet are prone to joyne themselves purchasers with God in this great worke are defeated that he who will boast might boast of the Lord 1 Cor. 1.30 and all might stand as guilty and abominable before God But here some will object True it is All being fallen from the grace of Creation stand at Gods curtesie for he may condemne them Object and none can say What dost thou And againe whomsoever God saves they confesse that he saves them of his free and meere grace But yet they adde This grace is an universall one answering to the universality of corruption and therefore by vertue hereof all may if they will and doe not put a barre to themselves receive this grace but if they doe not the cause say they is not from any defect in the sufficiency of grace or from any soveraignty in Gods dispensing it to some more then others for say they as he ought it to none at all so when he offers it freely he offers it to some one with the same freedome and efficacy with which he offers it to any one and the difference of the accepting by one and the not accepting by another flowes from the different dispositions and free-will of him that nilleth or willeth but not say they from any diversity of disposition in God Besides the reason why they affirme grace must be universall is this because else say they God should deale hardly with the creature to urge it to such a condition of grace as he doth not allow him sufficient strength to performe and yet punish him for the not performing thereof more deeply then if such grace had never bin offred yea to urge it to performe such a condition as he never was able in his best integrity to performe I answer God doth not exact any such condition at mans hand Answ as he gave him not sufficient strength to performe For man had at the first strength enough to performe not onely whatsoever God did then require But also whatsoever he might require which included a power to obey universally And therefore man having lost that power by his fall stands justly guilty before God of his impotency to beleeve the promise But they still urge Adam could not possibly have the power to beleeve Instan in his innocency since that presupposes a thing which Adam Answ 1 then was not guilty of viz. Disobedience I answer Adam could not beleeve the pardon of that whereof he was not guilty But Adam could and did beleeve in generall by an holy trust or confidence upon Gods supporting him during his obeying which trust though it had another object in speciall then our faith hath yet in generall hath the same That looked at the alsufficient goodnesse of Creation this of Redemption yet both behold God as the same object still of infinite good in severall regards and fidelity to his creature Secondly I answer That is false and inconsequent to affirme that Answ 2 because God condemned all mankinde for the losse of that grace of creation which he gave in Adam to the whole nature of man Therefore he must needs bestow an universall grace of redemption in Christ upon the same mankinde before he can justly punish them for refusing it I say this followes not except it be first proved that
the grace of redemption and the grace of creation be sutable things holding alike in nature But that they are not For in the creation the Lord could not but impart himselfe to the creature according to that bounty and goodnesse of his excellent nature without any difference But in the grace of redemption Branch 1 it was farre otherwise of reason For first he had all mankinde at an infinite advantage by their fall and might communicate himselfe so farre and no further then himselfe pleased Justice was now offended and therefore it was free for him to destroy all and it was infinite mercy to save any Prisoners and guilty ones use not to give law to their Judges but take Branch 2 law from them And secondly although if the Lord had thought good he might have extended this grace full as farre as the offence reached yet all things considered viz. That the Lord meant by occasion of this fall to manifest himselfe to the creature in a further degree then he had done and to glorifie himselfe far more in his Attributes therefore to limit God to our conceit and proportion in this kinde were to crosse and contradict his wisdome and ends as lesse wise then our owne But it will be objected Object If Christ the second Adam were as truly in stead of the whole nature of mankinde to save as Adam was to destroy we should infinitely wrong the extent of his satisfaction if we made it more unable to save then Adams sinne was to condemne forasmuch as the Apostle saith The gift is above the offence Rom 5.15 Now then if the sinne of mankinde were so imputed to Christ as the sinne of all mankinde to Adam what should hinder the universality of this grace I answer Answ Christ was no such large subject of imputation of all grace as Adam was of sin And the Apostle even in the same place where he affirmes the gift to be above the offence yet compareth All condemned in Adam to Many saved by Christ All and Many differ much Verse 19. So that we must know that the imputation of sinne to Christ was onely such an imputation of sinne as concerned the elect only for if the sinnes of more had bin imputed surely more had bin saved then the elect And so Christ should have added to the number of the elect and bin a Lord not a servant to election as a mediator nor a foundation of executing it but a cause of morall swasion to apprehend the truth and embrace the good which is offered them I demand why doe not all pertake it one as well as another For if there be such free will in them to receive it what lets them from it who would willingly balke heaven who might goe thither or who would not shun hell if his shunning desire would serve the turne Deut. 4. Is there not a naturall selfelove in all to wish well unto themselves and to avoide the contrary if that were sufficient If any shall say the strong lusts of some dazle their light and oppresse the freedome of their will from accepting the offer then I answer how can that be called sufficient grace which is faine to give place unto prevailing corruption That is onely sufficient which is effectuall to overcome and oversway the will not which is compelled to yeeld and give place to the prevailing corruption of the will which it meets withall What a dishonour is that to grace not to be able to effect her owne ends but to be overcome by corruption Grace doubtles if it be sufficiently offered to all that are enlightned would sufficiently cast downe and subdue the strongest holds and highest thoughts of resistance set up in the soule against it and so would save all without contradiction as being an invincible principle as much above the power of sinne as God is above the creature Either therefore this universall grace doth convert all who receive it which none is so absurd as to affirme being contrary to sense and common experience or else it must needs be denied to be sufficient and powerfull to doe that which it intendeth And therefore of necessity there must needs be another grace confessed as necessary for the effecting of that which this universall grace cannot attaine unto and that is that soveraigne and free grace of the spirit which peculiarly workes in the elect not an aid and concurring succour to their free will but that grace of willing freely which they want wholly and that strength to subdue rebellion and unbeleefe which no enlightning grace alone can reach I say it must be a peculiar grace of conversion which worketh both the will and the deed and is so effectuall that no strength either of sinne or the gates of hell can prevaile against it Thus much I thought not unfit to say for the explication of the point enough a popular audidience for the ground of a sermon leaving deeper discourse to Treaties for the nonce Vse 1 Now for use let it be serious exhortation to all sorts to concurre with most humble Exhort To confesse the Soveraignty of Gods Grace lowly and equall hearts with this absolute soveraignty of Gods will and pleasure in the dispensing of his owne grace where when and how farre himselfe listeth Princes alway love to maintaine their owne unlimitednesse and Prerogatives above their subjects and doe not like it that any subject should make scrutiny into the secret of their soveraignty How much more should sinfull dust and ashes beware of prying into and descanting upon the Prerogative of heaven And because this Branch 1 argument is a large field I must distinguish it into severall heads First then Cavill not beware that wee nourish not a cavilling heart against God in this behalfe Gamaliel advised his fellowes wisely to beware lest they went against the edge with God in the persecuting of the Apostles Act. 5. least perhaps saith he ye be found fighters against God As if he should say if ye should pull God against ye by opposing his Ministers ye should make a good bargaine of it and repent ye at leasure How much more then should we beware of snagging and snarling at Gods secrets which doe more immediately touch his Crowne and dignity then any thing and trench upon his glory and Attributes which are pretious and which hee will not give to another Esay 42. Learne we this that secrets are for the Lord our God let him alone with them revealed things are for us Such is the base pride of our forlorne spirits that when wee have most deepely implunged our selves into the premunire of God then we can least of all beteame him the acknowledgement of our misery and least stoop under his mighty hand nay then doe we feele a rebelling and recoyling spirit against God in fighting against his Soveraignty John 8.33 Much like those Jewes who when they were under the most deepe bondage of the Romans their enemies yet
feares him Psal 103. and thy smoaking flax shall not be put out nor thy bruised reed be broken through thy conflict with the drudgery of thy distrustfull heart Maâ—t 12. Reach only at this strength as able to save thee and as belonging to thee and nothing shall come betweene cup and lip to defeat thee Death it selfe shall but hasten the promise for thee when the fruit is come to the birth this strength of the promise shall bring it forth Wait thou quietly and be doing good and thy judgement shall breake out into victory Whatsoever thy weake beginnings were thy encreases shall be great Believe it and rest thy selfe for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Job 8.7 Branch 9 Lastly to end remember that in beleeving this promise thou dost not dishonour the Lord Faith is the greatest glory that the soule can yeeld to God but glorifie him above whatsoever else thou canst doe for him It s his scope to shut thee up under this soveraignty of his justice and shew thee his uttermost advantage that he may trie thee whether the sense thereof will draw thee to his ends or no That is when thou hearest of a free grace above and beyond this justice purchased by his deare Sonne that they who beleeve it may glorifie all his whole excellent union of Attributes in one and confesse him to be most just wise powerfull and gracious in his way of redemption above the grace of creation I say he doth trie thee whether thou wilt give him that excellent glory which he hath sought to himselfe by occasion of thy ruine If thine heart then can freely beteame him this glory and more fully empty it self in the glorifying of him then in thy own escaping the former advantage know it thou shalt honour him above all other honour in thy beleeving And by thy distrust and sealing up thy heart under the darkenesse bondage and feare of thy former guilt whatsoever Satan and unbeleefe tell thee sure it is thou goest the next way to crosse God of his purposed intention to glorifie himself marveilously in thy pardon and salvation 2 Thess 1.8 And therefore instead of his being admired in thee because thou beleevest he justly will be admired in thy double vengeance because it was not enough for thee once to sinne in Adam but thou addest drunkennesse to thirst in denying that grace which would have taken occasion by thy sinne to settle an infinite glory upon himself and far better estate upon thee then Adams innocency could have done And so much for this second use of exhortation Secondly this point should be humiliation to all sorts because the Vse 2 Lord hath even the best at sundry petty advantages in each particuler concerning this fraile life Humliation to all sorts in respect of Gods having us at so infinite advantage Although he have released the maine advantage by forgiving us yet so long as sinne and this body of death abideth so long all the penalties abide incident to our nature our Lord Jesus himselfe all the daies of his abasement and flesh endured them and we much more must stoop under them that we might be conformed to his sufferings How should it pull downe our carnall presumption and jollity to consider that even while we are hearing the word the Lord might stop our breath as the breath of one almost was while this point was in handling being a sleepe at the sermon which of us stand not at Gods curtesie for somewhat which others are deprived of How is our fraile life on the sudden intercepted how many are choked with their meate nay have bin choked with a Fly or a raison stone how many make their beds their graves in the midst of their feasting their mirth talke and company arrested with the stroke of Gods hand how many have made their feasting cheare to be the cheare for their funerall how many are slaine by the high way by the fall of their horse others have their eie lasht out by a twig in their travaile Absolon is snatcht up by his long head locks by a shrag of an oake when we are secure of our children lo one is scald with water another drowned in it another burnt with fire other come to other sad casualties All to teach us to humble our soules each day before God and confesse the many just advantages he hath us at us I say and ours and that salvation is from the Lord we take it for granted if we have tilled our grounds we shall have a sowing season at our pleasure if we have sowne our seed and waited our time we shall have our crop and if we have carried it into our barne we shall thresh and eat of our travaile and so ordinarily we doe through mercy yet we are still at Gods advantage in all by wet by drought by fire and vermine and an hundred waies all to teach us God is not so tyed to us or to the meanes and husbandry we use God is not tyed to us in outward protection alwaies no nor to his promise neither but that our presumption infidelity and unthankefulnesse may provokâ— him to use his prerogative and to destroy all that so we may walke with more awe and feare before this our God who is a consuming fire and teach us daily and nightly to shut up our selves and ours in the Arke of his protection to arise up to dresse our selves to eat to worke Deut. 33.11 to walke to converse to lye downe with an humble thankefull heart neither as slaves nor yet as presumers but as those whom the Lord hath at a perpetuall advantage and may use it if hee will and if hee should say as he might better say it 1 King 20.1.3 then that boasting Benhadad did All thy wives children are m ne all thy gold and silver is mine thy treasures also and all thy wealth is mine yea if he should lay his hand upon all or any as which of them is not subject to casualty thy mends were in thine owne hands Oh! with how narrow an eye and foot and how soberly would we use each blessing if we were bound in a statute to a creditor to surrender all at an houres warning and stood at his curtesie for the bread we eat Would we then take our fill or the uttermost liberty of our commodities Even so let us walke humbly before God who is our Soveraigne and hath our lives wealth and persons at command in a moment to surprize us Let us daily take all as lent us from his hand let us use all humbly and purely as if we used them not let us count out selves daily to be in jeopardy and bid adiew daily to all comforts here below yea life it selfe As an holy man being asked over night whether he would goe to such a place to morrow or no answered I thanke God Note I have known no morrow these twenty yeares A signe
to the use And first it might be instruction and admonition to such of us as goe for the forwardest Christians Use 1. of Instruct Instruction first to teach us to adore the wisedome of our God in the administration of the times in which we live in The word seemes to have done working upon the consciences of the most few are gastred by the terrors thereof few sustained by the promises few are sensible active watchfull walkers I doubt not but God hath his jewells in corners his secret ones whose hearts and waies lye close to him in these degenerate times But for the body of hearers either to bee converted or in appearance converted already strange it is what a numbe palsey what a Laodicean temper of indifference ease and selfe-love hath covered us over scarce one in a long time gastred out of his neast of forme or profanenesse and such as are keepe their consciences at such loose termes that few can discerne them to be under the Banner or authority of any Soveraigne Now what doth the Lord Surely he is faine to lay men upon the bayard and to afflict them with one yoke or other either personall or generall straights Selfe-love hath over-growne all that except God stept out of his ordinary path of speaking to doing and did cause each face to waxe pale and each hand to be on the pained plat some by poverty others by debt or imprisonment or losses or reproach or pursuite of enemies malicious tongues unreasonable men desperate unfaithfulnesse treachery and injuriousnesse of such as they live with Sure it is the word would worke but little upon us Even the wise Virgines are all fallen asleep with the rest Matth. 25. How should the Lord search us what conscience truth and sincerity lyes at the bottome Surely now if ever we should rouze our selves and say the Philistins are upon thee Samson Judges 16.22 When the power and purenesse of worship when the substance and matter of religion growes questioned when men teach professe and walke so as if any profession would serve their turne yea many such as have seemed most zealous sincere and faithfull waxe cold maintainers of disorder in their places live in contention and jealousie with the best plucke in their former hornes of forwardnesse others play the Time-servers and leave God to shift for himselfe saying now see to thine owne house David Is it not time for the Lord to come with his sharpe triall among us to search what is in us To gaster the consciences of some who were never awakened by some outward straights hardnesse to live banqueruptnesse and ruine of estate beggery and misery others by searching trialls and extremities that either they must carry their lives and states gifts and hopes in their bosomes ready to let out or else they must prostitute their consciences to sinne and treachery yes surely or else he knowes if we might be let alone we would grow to the formality softnesse security commons and fulsomenesse of others who have no sparke of grace in them But now perhaps being searcht to the quicke and put to it we dare not for shame lay our names at the stake of perpetuall reproach by giving God quite over now perhaps we will shake our selves and say shall such an one as I betray God shall I pollute his worship shall I defile that truth which I have received incorrupt from others shall I helpe to destroy Gods lawe deface the power of goodnesse sort my selfe with such as are enemies separate my selfe from my brethren No sure I wish I had looked to it sooner yet better late then never At last I will give witnesse to God to his truth honor servants Sabbaths I will no longer give aime to the religion of these times their saplesse dead and powerlesse profession my soule loathes it I long to reprove and confute all Popish Pelagian superstitious and formall religion and therefore let parts let ease let liberty preferment honor gifts outward prosperity goe where they will my darling I will not lose I will not bite off that precious stone for which I am hunted and cast it to the hounds to save my life But I am resolved through mercy to my uttermost to justifie the power of truth both in my judgement and practice Oh it is the wisedome of God to send such straights and snares among us for the discovery of hypocrites and base counterfeits and for the exercise of that secret grace in his owne which else through ease and selfe-love would rust and cankerfret Vse 2 Secondly let it teach us to lay it sadly to heart that God is so crossed of his purpose both in generall and speciall by such as abuse his judgements and terrors in the world Admonition Lay to heart the little humiliation of the land under publique straights I will more sparily touch forraine nations and Churches French Dutch or other yet let it not passe us without notice that after all these hurliburlies and havocks of warre of persecution of famines pestilences and such miseries as scarce in any age have beene heard of the hearts of those nations remaine still as secure profane contemptuous of God blasphemous drunken contentious yea in the midst of their late victories so regardlesse of Gods honor either in abandoning Papists and Popery or in setling power and purity of worship but still as desperate the Ministery as saplesse and the people as fruitlesse as ever Oh how just were it with God for these evills to turne the wheele backe and to suffer Papists and heresie to encroach againe and make their second bondage as much deeper then the former as the loines are greater then the little fingers yea as their latter evills and abuse of Gods providence have exceeded the former But to leave them and come to our selves how doe we at home generally beare off all Gods straights and pressures with head and shoulders No man laying to heart any thing but as Esay 64. saith No man seekes after the Lord nor stirres up himselfe to lay hold upon him All lick themselves whole with false tongues every man taking thought how to save one Esay 64.6.7 none understanding the Lord in his way what he should meane by his wasting us by plagues consuming our people with poverty destroying our foules with cleannesse of teeth depriving us of the lives and labours and worthy services of so many Ministers Nobles Warriours good Governours and Christian professors of his truth few consider the scope of God in these differences that are between Prince and Subject Subject and Subject Complaints are in all mens mouthes sorrowes upon all states But whereas the Lords scope is hereby rather to unite all the Nation against the common adversary to draw all to an holy consent in seeking mercie for the Church and agreement between divided parties that by a generall humiliation and preparing to meet the Lord we might prevent ruine Alas when was there more powring out of
and no wisedome would charme his folly So Hezekiah 2 Chron 32.25 after the like recovery of the plague and promise of humble carriage yet instantly bubbles up againe upon the comming of the Embassadours If this be done by the greene tree what is to be looked for in the dry What wonder then if Naaman may so ill be trusted with a cure at first under hope of humbling afterward No the Lord will hold him while he hath him and treads upon his heele still with new affronts to keep him at that bay till hee have throughly cast out his scurfe God makes cleare way before him It is the Lords course to doe his worke substantially and throughly hee will not sustaine any dishonour in his owne that he hath built them by halfes As for hypocrites they flye before they are halfe feathered and can doe him no discredit Hence it is that the Lord hath been faine to prolong affliction and abasement upon his servants that others beholding them might suspect themselves It might seeme else a superfluous thing to adde water to the sea and so long crosses to Iob a man already truly humble and fearing God But Job 1.1 1 Tim. 1.16 as Paul speakes of Gods grace towards him that it was for the example of more then himselfe so was Iobs humbling a paterne for all men to behold their owne base heart in this kinde and what an hidden depth of scurfe is in the chinkes and corners of it Verily in these dayes he or she may be as wonders and strange sights who walk duly in the sense of past and present corruption before God with humblenesse and privitie to themselves As the sive holds water while it is in the water Simile and no longer so doth our proud heart stoop while the yoke is upon us But few subdue their hearts to this safe demeanure daily That if another man should come and tell them Friend me thinkes your spirit is very light and inconstant not swayed to humblenesse 2 Kings 2. he might answere with Elisha I know it hold your peace for I blesse God I am under the aw of Gods greatnesse and my base heart is ever before me Psal 51. I walke continually in a jealousie of my proud and fickle spirit in this kinde Word workes little without afflictions in our times How few are there now-a-dayes cast downe by the Word alone without some powerfull addition of afflictions to set the Word on working When the Lord hath cut the veines and let out some ranke bloud by the Law how is he faine to set men in an hot bath of some other crosse to keep these veines in bleeding So that except God keep us very low and bare so ranke we are that we fall into a Pleurifie againe instantly Use of the point The use we should make of this branch is briefly this First that wee walke heavily under this body of death in us Counting the same our heavie burden mourning bitterly that our base spirits should be so weary of Gods yoke so light so frothy and inconstant Oh should wee say who hath more cause to walke humbly before God every houre then I being guilty of so many rebellions so deep-died of so long continuance hardly washt out so canker-fretted and yet Lord help me my teares are as the morning dew my spirit more fethery and giddy then any mans So prone to relapse to my old humours and to forget the sorrow which my sinnes cost me and all the vowes of humblesse and a broken hearted carriage Walke heavily under the misery of a slight giddy heart Truely this disease causeth a good soule to walke uncomfortably and the very best graces of God to affoord lesse savour and comfort And secondly it should teach us all especially Gods Ministers not to be over-forward to rest secure of our childrens estate or of others who at first gave good hope of true humiliation under the Law Charity is good let us charitably hope the best of all But yet let us eate some salt with them and wait some time to see what fruits will come of it whether they wax not weary Heb. 12.7 1 Tim. 5.11 Heb. 12. of Gods chastening and like those widowes who waxed wanton against Christ and weary of Church-service returning to their old vanities But yet too much credulity not meet for Gods people being dead while they were alive Particularly observe whether the Law be as welcome to them still as at first how they brook the discipline of such a School-master that they might get downe their base hearts and keep them under Mark them whether the pride of their spirit opinion of themselves jollity of the world warmth of their owne feathers and pride of life cause them not to forget their former humblings as if now they had learned a new lesson to bee lesse precise and more wise If we see such stuffe in them wee shall have little cause to repent that we suspected their beginnings And lastly for our selves count we it the onely safe estate that which promiseth soundest comfort most peace best safety and sweetest feelings of Christ when our hearts are kept within the bounds of feare and humility and awfulnesse And desire the Lord not to trust us over farre nor leave us long without some wholesome Items and buffetings rather then we should wax loose and run out of his blessing into our owne warme Sunne Blessed is hee that feareth alway and if God crosseth him not crosseth himselfe And so much also for this third branch and this first observation Now I come to the second the Message is Wash seven times in Iordan The second â—bservation out of this tenth verse and thou shalâ— be cleane Touching these words as they contain a charge and a promise annexed I shall speake more at large when I come to handle Naamans obedience in the verses following Here I onely touch a point or two generally flowing from the words and first the meane which God appointed him to use for his cure to wit the washing seven times in Jordan Ere I come to this point a Papist or Master of superstition would here make a stop as a traveller at a crosse in the high way and pick out a mystery out of the number of seven Why seven times saith a Papist Quest and not twice or five times There is surely some religion in this period and some mystery to be observed in it I answer Answ I know none except perhaps the Lord would have Naaman acquainted with the ceremonies of the lepers clensings Levit. 14.8 c. which yet I dare not affirm for then he might have sent him rather to the Priest at Jerusalem then to an extraordinary Prophet raised up in the absence of the ordinary Priest which now was expelled from the ten Tribes Therefore rather I answer That so it pleased the Lord to have it See 2 Cro. 16.3.4
To teach us the price of grace which of us would ever thinke grace to be such a thing as it is which of us would not wax wanton with God and forget our former condition which of us would pâ—â—se mercy and conversion as the inestimable free gift of a gracious God who might have left us at large to the corruptions of the world and the depth of the Divell But when we see how the Lord crosseth us what blocks are in our way and how hard it is to be vessels prepared for mercy to be clensed from our evill savour which would defile the grace of God then we wonder that ever the Lord should bestow any mercy upon us at all And so we walke in the sense and savour of it more humbly and thankfully afterward we suspect our base hearts we are jealous of forgoing it earnest to pursue it glad of the least dram of it and why we know the price and worth of it In this frailty and corruption of nature we can beare no great measures of grace by good experience of that it cost us to compasse it Where is there a man who is meet to enjoy any great matter from God either outward blessing or spirituall favour without pride and swelling So that the Lord is faint alway to be much in preparing such as he intends to bestow any great matter upon How long was David in preparing by the Lord See 1 Sam. from chap. 15. to the end of the book ere he came to the kingdome Between his first anointing and his Crowning how many turn againes and pursuits had he Surely as the Merchant of the East Indies who ventures for rich wares and pretious commodities hath an hard taske of it goes through strange hazards by pirates by tempests by winds by rocks and by continuall feare both going for them and comming home with them and all to teach him the price of them that he may after enjoy them more soberly so is it here The Lord is faine to prolong the day of his mercy and pardon and to bring the soul through many adventures to teach it to enjoy mercy without wantonnesse giddinesse lightnesse and boasting A drunken man can beare strong drinke or wine with his weake braine aswell as our slight hearts can entertaine grace we wax vaine and frothy idle and empty as not knowing what we have received from God nor how sober and wise we ought to be in the use of it 2 Cor. 1.2.3 So Paul the Lord meant to betrust him with deep revelations But before that how was he faine to buffet him what bitter greetings had he of his vile heart and how was he abased in his owne feeling And why Surely to teach him to walke humbly not to swell nor disdaine others but to distinguish the excellency of Gods grace from the basenesse of his owne spirit As we see it to fall out in the disposition of seasons and weather Simil. while the winter season is in her setling and height although there be a generall coldnesse of the aire yet it is mixed with some calmnesse and moderation But when once the spring tide is approaching we see what inequality of weather there is winds raines tempests and blustering all to purge the sky and to bring down the winterly distempers of it that the coast being cleare the sweet season of the spring and summer may succeed Just so it is with the soule perhaps while it lies under the winter of her owne desolation she makes a shift and hath no great chaines upon her as being under the hatches of misery But if once the Lord cause the spring time of life and conversion to approach strange it is what tempests clouds and weather arise the heart growes full of feares corruption rebells by occasion of the Law and selfe rises up in armes by occasion of the Gospel a marvailous change appeares in the soule through terrors bondage doubtings resistings cavellings and distempers of a base heart loth to leave that hell of hers which by custome became her heaven But all this is but as it should be the Lord proceeds gradually and by steps delayes the worke of grace and all that the coast may be somewhat cleared before hand and the soule prepared to welcome the season of mercy with calmenes humblenesse and modesty To conclude the Lord is Reason 4 most wise in thus trying his owne servants before he convert them To discerne them from such as are not his owne to the end that he may discerne them from such as are not of his number For why when hypocrites once come to see the conditions of grace what attendance upon means what knowledge and sense of sin what deep convincing of conscience is required how humble hungry painfull earnest the Lord lookes the soule should be that desires grace how plain-hearted in her aimes and prising it above all liberties how willing to sell all and glad it may to buy this pearle lo their rotten carnall hearts fly off and abhorre to stoop so low upon any hopes They thought heaven might be compassed with small adoe and that they might have it and their owne wills too But when they see it will not be nay more that many a poore honest soule is faine to waite long at Gods gate till he see it a fit season to bestow his grace upon it alas poore wretches they never were either so pinched with sinne nor affected with mercy as to bestow halfe the cost for it although they might be sure of it and therefore they fall off either altogether and so turne backe to their lusts or else if light and compulsion of conscience scare them from that they still abide as they are in a saplesse fulsome and dead course But it is not so with the others Gods true Merchants of the best pearles who know the true worth of them will not be beaten off by such discouragements but but with Naaman in the verses following rather then they will forfet all their hopes and carry back their lepers skin With them See Mat. 13.44 they will put their lives in their hands or rather themselves in the Lords to deale with them as he please and whatsoever difficulties or delayes they meet with they will beare them seeing they are for the best all shall end well By waiting the Lord will appeare at last but by giving him over they are sure to perish Oh! there is great use of this course how many desperate hypocrites doth the Lord trie hereby discovering their basenesse rage and discontent and how doth he comfort his owne faithfull poore servants that have waited upon his salvation assuring them it was his owne grace that sustained them in such delayes and difficulties to hold on Vse Instruction admonition to all Novices in grace not to be dismaid for difficulties The use whereof should be instruction and admonition to all Naamans and novices in regeneration and the worke of
and feares Selfe opens the doore and betrayes the soule to them But now to discerne the nature the sorts and the markes of this enemy requires some wisedome for the which worke although the wisest is most insufficient and my selfe unfittest of all yet the necessity of the point laying this taske upon mee I shall adventure to say so much as at least may provoke others to consider of the matter more seriously to consult and give sentence Selfe is to say truth nothing else but the very spirit of corruption Selfe what it is in the root viz. the inst nct of old Adam and the instinct of old Adam in an unregenerate heart discovering it selfe in all other kindes but most eminently for slinesse and contrarinesse in resisting the worke of conversion And it may be distinguished into these two branches either selfe of opposition to Christ Selfe of two sorts either opposite selfe to Christ or mixt with him or selfe-mixture with Christ The former whereof hinders the soule from Christ by opposing and tendering to the soule a sufficiency of her owne without Christ the latter seemes to abhorre such prophanenesse and placeth onely sufficiency to make the soule blessed in Christ alone but in the point of applying and receiving thereof to it selfe mixeth her selfe with him and scrues her selfe and her owne wayes into the sufficiency of Christ The former of these is more carnall and grosse the latter more close and spirituall the former impugnes the sole-sufficiency the latter the all sufficiency of Christ the former the soule may sooner be driven from the latter she must be fired out of and as the Fox digged out of her burrow ere she will renounce them All Selfe is the spirit of corruption but this privy selfe is the quintessence of that poyson All selfe sets up it selfe against Christ Note but this is the secret privy-chamber wherein the unregenerate soule imbarkes her selfe For Simil. as it is in the defence of a City against a beleaguering enemy partly there be some out-workes halfe-moones and retrenchments to hold the enemy at larger distance and partly some neerer stronger bulwarkes and forts well manned and furnished with armour and Canons in which the chiefe hopes and force of the City consists it s no such difficulty perhaps to drive the Citizens out of the one but it s a matter of good importance to beat them out of the other So I say of these two branches of Selfe it s not so hard a taske to disswade the soule from the former but when the Soule runnes to her maine Fort and Castle Selfe mixt with Christ it s an hard thing to teach her to discerne it but almost impossible to fetch her out of it The onely wisedome and omnipotency of grace can effect that Though the latter be chiefly aimed at The former of thesâ— two occasionally entred upon Concerning the former of these two my Doctrine lesse aimes at because it takes for granted that a man so qualified as I have already spoken acknowledges himselfe insufficient of himselfe to get blessednesse My chiefe scope is to encounter the latter yet for light and distinction sake I will point at the severall kindes of the former that the Reader may not be unsatisfied about the object of the whole intended discourse For the former then which is more grosse this is of five sorts prophane selfe naturall selfe Five sorts of it 1. Prophane selfe 2. Naturall selfe 3. Carnall selfe 4. Creature selfe 5. Religious selfe carnall selfe selfe in the creature and religious selfe First of the first Fire we know is put out by pulling away the fewell but especially by casting on of water so all selfe opposes Christ but above all selfe-lusts or selfe resolved to live in any sin doth abandon and expell Christ who indeed came to destroy sinne and him that reigned thereby Therefore sinne and Sathan held and maintained doe most punctually destroy Christ True it is sinne alone and nakedly considered serves to magnifie grace for where sinne abounded grace exceeded and where sinne is out of measure sinfull grace is out of measure gracious but where sinne abides in the heart as in her center and element loved and lived in there Christ is quite shut out of doores Sinne is not alike dwelling in all 1. Prophane selfe what but in some men it dwels without a law ignorantly inconvincedly in others it rules against a law rebelliously and so the enmity of it to Christ doth differ in degree howbeit in all such as it dwels in it opposeth Christ in a direct kinde of contrariety Hence the Apostle demandeth what agreement betweene Christ and Beliall 2 Cor. 6.16 the beleever and the infidell light and darkenesse sinne and that grace that pardons and purges it Ioh. 3.19 And our Saviour They loved darknesse rather then light because their workes were evill Alas such come not at Chrst so much as in the remote meanes or Ordinances by their good will or at least for meere fashion much lesse to the promise of Christ to save them They are alive jolly merry well satisfied already give them their drinke their harlot their world and god Mammon their belly ease pleasures or like lusts they are well and for the rest they leave it to such as care for it as for themselves their hell is their heaven and Christ is not so sweet to a needing soule as that which Christ came to destroy is sweet to them till the Lord scare them and bid them goe to their al-sufficient lusts for salvation Either they know no better or love no better If Christ should come in the kingdome which the Divell hath set up and the scepter he swayeth in their soules by their prophanenesse breach of Sabbaths atheisme pride contention disdaine intemperancy incontinency swearing uncleannesse and the like must as that strong man be cast out by the stronger and spoiled And that were as sad and uncouth to them as the comming of those Danites and stealing away Mica's gods was irkesome to him his joy and strong hold al-sufficient treasure was stollen and poore wretch what should it boot one so woe begone to live The last and chiefe rest and content of a sinner being his lusts must needs cause Christ who comes to robbe the soule thereof to be accounted as he who robbes a Beare of her whelpes Sinne and lust to such a man is as the Lambe brought up in the bosome as Nathan saith and being as his darling his son Hence it is that the sufficiency of these lusts ause the sufficiency of Christ which stands in the setling of a soul upon a sufficiency in pardon peace and joy of conscience to be abhorred I would have no man mistake me as if I hereby did establish a doctrine of repentance before faith sundry mistaken Scriptures have deluded the erroneous judgements of some Divines to thinke Repentance goes not before faith that because sinne expels Christ
portion never to be taken from her To apply the answer the cause of such staggering is self-love That which you feele to agree with your selves and to come easily pleaseth you too well and causeth you to dwell upon it too long and to withhold you from better things The remedy of your disease must bee to ascribe no more to your selves but to the glory of grace to abase selfe and to exalt mercy to renounce all selfe-reflex from duties and endeavors of your owne because they cannot shed any meritorious bloud to save you and to claspe to that promise which is established upon a satisfaction to justice which though it be out of your selves yet is after a sort made your owne by him that promiseth because faith is his gift and he hath covenanted to give it you for that end and purpose What skils it how little grace you feele within when as he who offereth you mercy onely seeke such as want it that he may have the glory Or what shall it boote you to thinke you have lesse sinne then others when as he who calls you to forgivenesse cares not how great it be so it hinder not your beleeving in him Read this wisely who seekes the superabounding of grace where sinne hath abounded Accept then such grace offered as those in whom nothing dwelleth toward any grace Grace best accepted by such as of themselves are emptiest of it and as if yee had stept no one step toward it more then the vilest publican and sinner have done Be content to gird your selves and serve grace and let not grace attend you as if you had wrong if it be not laid in your laps but come under the banner and authority of it the ends and honour of it It is something that grace runnes in your streame but your staggerings shall never cease till your streame be dried up and turned to runne meerly in Gods streame to be carried both whither how soone how and how farre it shall please him Use all meanes walke so in the way as making use of all incouragements but still looke forward to the price of the high calling of God boast not your selves as if you had put off your harnesse But rather thinke thus if it be so joyfull a message to heare of a pardon how much better were it to sue it out and apply it to my selfe and how wofully should it sting me if any things should come betweene cup and lip to defeat me of it Remember that all preparations of grace serve onely to testifie to the soule that the Lord hath beene at worke not that it should rest in a taste of absent but presse on with unweariednesse to obtaine the fulnesse of a present and enjoyed happinesse and betrust it selfe wholly to his workemanship who would never have begunne if it had not beene in his power and will to finish Stand therefore at his curtesie wholly as disabled in thy selfe to cooperate with him much lesse to have him at the bent of thy bow binde Selfe to the altar with cordes and turne thy active medling spirit into a meere passive and waiting spirit upon the worke of God not as a slave nor as a loyterer but as a self-denyer and one whose strength is to sit still and behold the salvation of God Oh beloved that I could so follow this councell of mine with effectuall prayer to the Lord that through mercy it might become a mean to put to an happy end those endlesse innumerable complaints of staggering consciences to settle them in some tolerable measure with comfort and quietnesse And so much may also serve for this third and last Branch of instruction Vse 4 The fourth use of this point may be examination of your selves concerning this secret sinne of Selfe Examination I say not the being of it for hee that would be rid of it must goe out of the world but the raigning and defiling and deceiving power of it to keepe the soule from Christ I need not be large in this I have prevented my selfe already in all which I have said before to describe this theefe by his markes But what shall it profit you brethren to say they are laid down in the opening of the doctrine if ye let them lie there apply none of them to your selves to find out your owne let What shall it availe that I have told you what grosse Selfe is and what this secret and wyredrawne Selfe is To have shewed you many instances of it The steppes and degrees of it The carriage of it both in the ground the proceeding and the scope of it The reasons of it both from the cursed nature of Selfe the curse of God and Satans advantage What good will it doe you to heare the danger of it described by the naturalnesse subtilty closenesse violence of it If none of all these will stirre ye up to cry out and aske Am I the man O Lord or with Rebecca feeling her twins to stirre within her to goe to God for counsell Alas brethren To this end all serves else all is as water running over in a full vessell some of yee perhaps will say there is so much said of this that it fills your head so that ye know not where to beginne I answer If it be so much it may make some amends for the little or nothing which most men will speake of it and oh that it might occasion others to speake more But to answer you I say take any one of these and trie your selves by it especially cull out such instances and markes as you thinke sort best with your condition let not plenty make you barren Who knoweth what is in the spirit of man save the Lord and it selfe Or rather the Lord searching the heart by his owne Spirit Jerem. 17. and teaching it to dive into the depth and secrets of sinne Selfe requireth good and deepe searchâ—ng Who can judge whether it be grosse Selfe or privy and subtill Selfe which pesters the soule and disables the promise Who knowes whether ease or pride feare or presumption conceit or error and ignorance hinder most Try therefore thy selfe knowest thou not that Selfe must stoope if Christ enter doe not thinke that because here thou maiest finde some markes of this else therefore by and by thou hast snatcht him no no thousands who know their diseases carry them under their privy garments as running sores till they destroy them especially remember if Selfe bee so deepe an evill so naturall a twinne eating laughing and living in thy bosome with such familiarity and bewitching what save the infinite wisedome and power of God can worke the discovery or resolvednesse of heart to cast it out Therefore not to urge any thing already urged in speciall I doe onely in generall urge thee to make use of what hath beene said already of this mischiefe Goe aside hide thy selfe in thy chamber Esay 26. powre out thine heart to
conditions in point of reproving thee impartially then the meanest If he do his duty faithfully turne not away in a fume scare him not with thy lookes change not thine heart to him nor thinke his love lesse towards thee therefore rather rejoice that God hath given thee so faithfull an overseer which few such have the happinesse to injoy much lesse play thy parts with God in this kinde but subject thy selfe to the authority of the promise as humbly as the meanest he hath little to take to upon earth and all thou hast cannot helpe thee without the good will of him that dwelt in the bush God hath chaines for Princes Psal 149.8 Act. 17.11 Deny thy selfe cleave to the bare truth of the promise try it as well as thou wilt as those noble Beraeans did but when thou hast done seeke no other way to heaven save it Heaven lies no more open to a Noble mans performances and merits then a pezants all were digged out of one rocke therefore count it thy Nobility to give God his honour by beleeving and count it more presumptuous to affront him in point of his honour then any mans affronting thee there is but one way for thee and the poorest to heaven cleave to it with an heart as low as the poorest God will count more highly of a great little heart then a small little one and stoope to this point in hand also David never got such interest in Gods affections by his Crowne as by his poverty of spirit Inure thy selfe to take a defeat from God without rage yea unkindnesse An Emperour for his Crowne could stand bare foote at the gate of a base Pope till he released him and shalt thou thinke much to cast thy coronet at the feet of this Emperour Oh! waite even thou at the gates of God unweariedly and although it be long ere he heare thee and although Self in thee would swell yet beat it down wait still till the Lord send thee away with Naamans answer Consider if thou turn away with him from God whither shalt thou go Shall hy wealth and honour save one whom God will not save Or could all Naamans honour at home have healed his leprosie Came not that from another friend And thinke what a sad confusion he had found it if he had humored himselfe in this distemper finally Oh! as tickling as it was now it had stung him after as a serpent and so shall thine doe thee if the Lord prevent it not for thee by counsell as he did for him whereof in the next verse God willing we shall treate more fully Branch 2 And in a word that which I would say in generall to all is this Try your selves well in your selfe-defeats Try thy selfe how the defeating of Selfe worketh with thee whether Satan mixe himselfe with them to enflame corruption and to make sinne out of measure sinfull or whether they come onely from within our selves If it be from Satan stirring up rebellion then the spirit of Grace may neverthelesse be at worke and may prevaile thereby in time to cast out Satan and to subdue the soule to selfe-deniall and patient waiting for why The impression is violent and contrary to that spirit which guideth thee Therefore thou shalt finde it yrkesome to thee unwelcome and wearisome thou wilt not harbour it but reject it and imbrace the defeats of Selfe as Paul did till the Lord satisfie thy desires But if thou feele that this discontent proceed from meere corruption then know that God calls thee to so much the more abhorring of thine owne way and will and to say Note well alas what is the salvation of a poore worme a gnat to that infinite glory which God seekes to himselfe in his owne holy way What if I lose heaven in mine owne way so I may have it in his way yea any way Phil. 3. Yea she shall wish she had Pauls strength to become Anathema so that Gods wisdome might be exalted I say thou hadst need entreat the Lord so farre to reveale unto thee the holinesse the equity of his wise way that in respect thereof thou maist stinke in thine owne nostrills Oh doe so chuse to goe to heaven with the forfeit of thine owne dearest eies hands and feet rather then goe to hell for so would Selfe with them Matth. 18.8 Say thus I would wash seventy seven times in thy Jorden to crosse my selfe Lord rather then turne from washing seven times to crosse thy command I would with Paul attaine to the resurrection of the dead by any means whatsoever rather then faile of it through good report and bad through as many disasters as Paul chose to passe rather then he would not fulfill his Apostleship would I â—huse to goe rather then lose my desire through poverty losse of friends shipwracke persecutions hunger stoning nakednesse yea Self and all though defeated of her hopes And so much shall suffice for this verse use doctrine and time Let us pray c. THE TENTH LECTVRE upon the thirteenth Verse following VERSE XIII And his servants came neere and said unto him Father if the Prophet had bidden thee doe some great thing wouldest not thou have done it How much more then when he saith unto thee Wash and be clean VERSE 14. Then he went downe to Iorden and dipped himselfe seven times c. YOU may remember beloved that in our entrance upon this Scripture we devided it into foure parts 2 Kings Elisha's message Naamans entertainment of it Transition to the 13. verse The servants attempt And the issue thereof both immediate consequent Two of these are already finished through Gods providence The other two remaine At this time therefore by the same assistance I am to proceed to the third generall viz. The attempt of the servants of Naaman for these the Lord chose to use for the rectifying and restoring of their distempered Master rather then the Prophet through the prejudice of Naaman and how the Lord inspired them with wisdome to give an onset at this dead lift upon their Master to disswade him from doing that which he rashly purposed to wit to depart without his cure And this attempt of theirs is set before our eies in this thirteenth verse The method and parts of it two 1. The coherence 2. The matter in 3. things wherein two generalls are to be noted First how this verse hangs upon the former Secondly the substance of matter contained in it For the former I passe it by till I enter upon it presently For the latter it consists in three points First we have the persons attempting the servants of Naaman Secondly the attempt it selfe Thirdly the inducements which they use to perswade him In the persons observe two things First the relative duty wherein each is bound to other I meane they to him and he to them Secondly their wise and religious carriage towards him as one out of the way and that
unkindly affronts shall end well when thou art weary of hearing God shall revive thy spirit so that thou shalt heare a voice behinde thee saying heare still thou shalt not be able for thy heart to give over the ordinances thy sullen heart shall not be permitted to prevaile in thee against the promise do what thou canst some light or other shall appear to encourage thee to cast out thy prejudice cavills frowardnes when others are left to themselves to sinke in their owne peevish rebellions thou shalt finde pitty thy tender nurse shall use all his wisdome not against thee but for thee and shall not bee provoked to give thee over as thou dost him thou shalt see it and blesse those armes that comprehended thee when thou couldest not containe thy selfe those feet that followed thee those hands that laid hold on thee saying returne O Shulamite returne whither wilt thou goe Out of blessing into the warme Sunne What boot will that bee to thee What an occasion of endlesse repentance and regret will it bee to thee hereafter to leave God in a tetch to forsake cleare evident sure mercies upon a toy and conceit of thine owne against the promise of him that cannot lye Oh! consider better of it lay not the bottome of remedilesse woe betimes Thou shalt wish one day of the Sonne of man hereafter and that it were with thee as it hath beene but then the guilt of thy former contempt and fullennesse shall be a thousand witnesses against thee Thus the Lord shall even revive the spirit of Naamans servants in thy spirit to pull thee backe from the pit and prepare thee for mercy Onely beware thou yeeld not to thy temptations but waite upon the word A caution hereupon Suffer not this grace of God in thee to be slighted as it is by hypocrites or to be damped and eclipsed by wantonnesse wordlinesse and base lusts as it is by prophane wretches for these will rankle in thee and fret into thy bowels a as canker and then feare not but other annoyances shall cease in due time and turne to a sweet calme in thee when suddenly the Lord Jesus awaking out of his sleepe shall rebuke them as he did the storme and waves which threatned the ship wherein he lay for it is as possible that those should have overwhelmed him and his Disciples as these shall ovewhelme thee perhaps thou conflictest with boylings of corruptions and rebellings against the Law of faith and righteousnesse of the Lord Jesus but even these shall humble thee turn to great casting of Self out of thee perhaps thou art cast upon same unwelcome crosses losses sicknesse feare of death before thy peace be made be content the Lord doth not try thee in vaine they are to make sure worke of thy heart and to bring thee to a duer sight of thy selfe they are not to destroy thee although thou maiest thinke them sent to discourage thee God shall put more courage then so into thee hee hath the power of death in his hand and it shall not seize upon thee till the worke of God in thee be past danger The bed of thy sorrow and the racke of thy conscience and the clattering of thy bones and thy loathing of dainty meates and drawing neare to the grave shall not hurt thee for all shall end well Job 33. and turne thee from the pit and when thou art convinced thereof thy loathnesse shall be turned to readinesse as Peters was Joh. 13.9 and thou shalt say Doe what thou wilt Lord if for good I am ready to stoope perhaps thy owne parents wife in bosome best friends and companions turne enemies looke estrangedly lye at thee with threats taunts scornes for thy casting them off and looking another way But be quiet the Lord shall teach thy fingers to fight and thee to thinke that the more pretious for which the Divell so blusters against thee resolve to beare what thou canst but surrender not thy hopes perhaps when the Law hath laid thee open to the sight of thine owne conscience buffeting thee with guilt and horrors exceedingly thine estate seemes worse and worse thy old liberty in a sinfull course bubbles up within thee tempting thee to shake off chaines to returne to it again but God shall teach thee to preferre his chaines to the Divells freedome In a word Satan will disquiet thee with Atheisticall thoughts against God Providence Scriptures the threats the promises as if they were all but fables so the wicked world through error counts them but in all this confusion the Lord shall not leave thee and as I said before through this sea dried up he shall bring his scattered ones rather then they shall perish All shall give place be it never so opposite rather then Gods worke shall be defeated And so much for this point of coherence may serve Another thing there is to be noted here Ground of second point Gods continuing still to buffet and humble Naaman ere I come to the substance of the words And that is that this thirteenth verse wholly aimes at a third buffeting and subduing of Naamans spirit to the obedience of Gods command Twice already you have heard how the Lord crossed him once by the idle carriage of the King who rent his cloathes when hee thought he would have healed him Another time when he waited at Elisha's doore for an answer of reall cure without delay We see these did but incense the froward spirit of Naaman and set him on carping and cavilling and not onely so but upon a will and stomacke of his owne to turne away and give over all Therefore to take downe his high lookes and that the cure which now followed might not light upon so rebellious a peece Lo the Lord tames him this third time not by sending Elisha to shame him but by setting him to schoole to his poore servants and underlings such as commonly were glad to be at his becke Doe this and he doth it goe and he goeth come and he commeth But lo now the case is altered the Lord so honours them that rather hee is under their authority they bid him come backe and he commeth they exhort him to goe to Jorden and he goeth they bid him doe this Wash seven times and he doth it yea and he is a happier man by thus obeying then ever in all his dayes by commanding We know when a Parent will abase a proud sonne he will not vouchsafe to correct him himselfe but put him to his Ostler or to his Groome to be chastened and this takes downe the pride of his sonne So here The Lord keepes Elisha within doores and sets the servants of this great stout Champion to take him to taske so ordering it that they must be conquerors of him who yet had got so many victories Now they can charme and levell his spirit more then any other and now these poore fellowes of farre lesse wit policy and insight must yet be
and set a price upon the promise as a pearle above price 2. In divers points Secondly the Lord makes it an easie worke by setling the promise upon the soule and that by sundry workes For first it doth pull up all hedges and fences which stopt the soules course standing between the soule and her harmes he puts her out of feare and sets her out of danger removes Lions of supposed difficulty out of her way as malice of Satan dismaying error of the wicked deterring and selfe distempers which disquiet her with doubtings wee know if a man would goe the next way to a place and avoid dirt and bad way hee must have a guide to lead him by the fields to pull up gaps barres and stops which done the traveller hath great ease So the Lord deales for his he suffers them not to travell tediously to heaven that is the portion of hypocrites who undoe as fast as they doe and are ever new to beginne but to his owne he gives sweet ease in his way If a man should hold our enemy for us and binde him by strength it were as we say five of the seven we might easily beat him Thus our Lord Jesus bindes Satan and difficulties that the soule might get the better of him and goe forward without awcknesse Luke 12. selfe-love or hypocrisie Secondly the Lord makes the promise easie by presenting to her all the good things of it as Canaan was seene easily by Moses when the Lord shewed it unto him and so sets the soule in a sweet course Deut 34.1 2 3 4. Wee know by experience when once a man gets the savour and smack of an object he goes roundly A Tradesman having tasted the reall sweet of his returne and a scholar of his booke take small thought to goe through stitch Paul in that place to the Corinths tells us that the Lord hath diffused the savour of his truth into him and by him to others An hypocrite is puzling after it all his life time 2 Cor. 2.14 but is so poisoned with the more welcome savours of his pleasures gaine and lusts that he falls short of the grace of God and as it is Heb. 12. Esau came short of the blessing Iaacob came just in the way of it and failed not And this savour differs from the decaying and wanzing taste of temporaries it abides in the soule and causes it to be restlesse till it possesse what it savours It is as leven sowres the whole lumpe of minde will affections Thirdly and lastly it doth authorise enable and carry the soule as under a safe convoy into the promise So that without the toile of the wicked it holds on cheerfully in all those meanes which she must use as prayer meditation conference hearing so that she uses not these at had I wist hit they or misse they but as ordinances under the blessing of God which shall not returne in vaine As Esay speakes Esay 55.9.10 The snow and the raine returne not in vaine to him that sent them but cause the earth to bring forth corne to the eater and seed to the sower So shall my word saith the Lord not faile of its scope but to doe that for which I sent it And sithence the Lord Jesus speakes no words in vain but with the promise addes the performance therefore the soule heares it so takes and findes it so even as the command of Christ to the sicke of the palsey Be thou cleane clensed him forthwith So then if the Lord will have it so sweet and easie a worke who shall let it Who shall disanull it So much for the Reasons I proceed to the Use Vses Let this first teach us to put a difference between persons who professe to seeke heaven Whatsoever the world thinkes Instruct 1 that all are alike the matter is nothing so I may say of them as the holy Branch 2 Ghost speakes of the Jewes in Esters Ester 9.14 time when Hamans plot was broken Grace is easie to them that are bred for it that to the Jewes was a day of gladnesse and rest from all their troubles feasting and ease but to their enemies the contrary So I say to all plodding ones and hypocrites the Lord gives as much toile and more for hell as the godly for heaven it is their lot Eccles 2.26 and the portion of their cup They would never come within the condition or suburbes of mercy but the others lot is fallen into a goodly heritage Psal 16. It is with them Simil. as it is with two men carried into a field wherein there lies an hidden treasure The one is left to seeke to dig to harpe upon the place by conjecture and so findes it a bootlesse worke Matth. 13.44 The other is carried to the placâ— pointed by the finger and there he digges and findes it A Scholar in the University that hath a generall wit for learning will thrive and get it although but poorely maintained when another kept there upon costy tearmes wanting such a spirit shall plod in vaine Matth. 13.11 It is only theirs to whom it is given to whom by covenant it belongs even such as renouncing themselves wholly resigne up themselves to him who can only make it easie and sweet The elder brother was as near his fathers elbow as could be and alwaies with him yet it was the lot of the yonger a prodigall turned to his father to eat of the fat calfe to have the ring robe and shooes put on him it was easie for him to be happy when his father would beteame it him as his lot Judg. 14. When Sampsons friends are kept from the riddle how hard is it in seven daies to hit upon it But when they plowed with his heifer how easily they finde it out and come to him saying What is more sweet then hony And what more strong then a Lion When the two Apostles Peter and Paul preached to the Jewes how they pressed upon them the offer of salvation because by vertue of the covenant they were to have the first refusall Read two places Act. 2. Peter tells them To you and to your children out of Gods free love the promise belongs and the powrings out of the spirit and to as many as the Lord our God shall call And so in the 13. of Acts To you brethren the Jewes at Antioch is preached by this man forgivenesse of sinnes It was a great honour though they had not the grace to see it And so much more to all under the condition of faith the promise belongs although to such as are under the condition of their own strength it shall be a meer toile and bondage So much for the first instruction Instruct 2 A second serves to untie a knot in the seeming contradiction of Scriptures Quest Grace is called by name of a yoake how then easie Some presenting unto us a marveilous ease in the yoke of
thou hast dealt with thy servant in mercy thou hast not laid heavy taskes upon me I cannot accuse thee like an hypocrite that thou hast taken up where thou hast not strawed nor reaped where thou hast not sowne Rather I may say that others have laboured and I am entred into their labours that is found a sweet and easie work of beleeving Now as I blesse thee for this so yet be not angry with me if I have another request to make unto thee Matth. 25.24 and that is that thou wouldest still hold the like hand towards me in making the life of faith sweet unto me and the course of obedience most welcome and familiar Oh! let it be no harsh thing unto me to beleeve all thy other promises Gen. 18.30 concerning strength against tentations power against my lusts And breed experience for time to come Lord let not the difficulty of walking be as great as the ease of conversion was mercifull just it were with thee to make it so and to try me what soundnesse what uprightnesse were in me by hard trialls But oh lead me not into tentation do not suffer my corruptions to wax stronger then I can master nor Satan to be more fierce and fiery in his darts then I can resist or quench I doe not pray against crosses or assaults but that they may be according to man and that an issue may be given with them that I may say thou hast been afflicted with me in all my afflictions to make them tolerable Esay 63.9 by thy meekenesse confidence patience and courage put into me Let the Angel of thy presence save me and conduct me beare me up by thy hand continually and redeeme me out of them all at last in an happy manner give me O Lord both the upper and the nether springs enlarge my coast and be with me against those Cananites of the mountaines Judg. 1.15 who have iron chariots If thou shalt indeed blesse me as Iabez said thou shalt be my God 1 Chron. 4.10 Teach me mercy to the distressed patience in affliction faith in straits sobernesse in blessings faithfulnesse if a Minister subjection if a wife understanding if an husband dutifulnesse if a child trustinesse if a servant and let there be sweet ease in all these Lust is sweet Lord to my unmortified part but present thou such a prevailing sweetnesse in thy love by thy promise that it may bear down the corrupt pleasure of my sinne so that while thy love and the joy of thy countenance is present the image of such scurfe may bee despised and it may not be tedious to mee to reject the tentations to wrath revenge earthlinesse loosenesse in liberties pride vanity But all these may become bitter to mee thy grace making them so Oh brethren the Lord teach you to thinke of this Strange it is how many of us goe to worke with God in the way of our conversation especially if private solemne dangerous disgraced hard duties be urged wee finde our hearts so sullen weary hollow fickle carnall in any duty which concernes us as if God were highly beholding to us for our worke What then should be the pitch of our ambition with God save that still he would carry us upon Eagles wings hide all difficulty of Religion from us present it to us as a sweet object remove our waywardnesse of will and fill us with love that wee comprehending the length depth and height of it might be filled with his fulnesse and be carried on without any great rubs or sad offences that our heads may not be brought to our graves with sorrow but wee may finish our course with joy David in that Psalme 27.4 having found one mercy with God staies not there but laies in for a new What is that One thing I will aske of God that he will not deny me That I may walke and spend all my daies in his house continually A child findes it no trouble to him to walke in the presence of a loving father who pitties and provides for him So shouldest thou Mourne thus if ever any thing come between my soul and ease it will be this treacherous heart which will come to a point It s that which so manacles and pinions my soule that I cannot reach that liberty and joy which thy servants feele It s that Lord which makes me so darke so lowring discontent unfruitfull and sad Esay 38. Oh Lord ease me here these have oppressed me deliver me I doe not lay in for liberty to the lusts of the flesh to fulfill them Pray for five things to make Religion sweet I desire the curbing and destruction of them for ever and their wasting daily But till thy sweetnesse satisfie my soule and soake me to the rootes I shall never be as I would be nor can thy worke bee as it ought to be Accept therefore first the will for the deed a little for much that shall be one vantage Then againe cover and hide defects and looke upon my better part thine owne grace and not my corruption interpret me with favour to the uttermost Then thirdly betrust me with those principles of love and sincerity which will make a little goe a great way And then make my lusts to be my clogs and as Sauls armour upon Davids backe who could not goe with them And to conclude make the yoake of thine afflictions easie and enlarge me to runne the way of thy commandements with cheerfulnesse So much for this third Branch Branch 4 But there is yet a fourth branch of Exhortation behinde flowing more necessarily from this Doctrine Nourish not feares about the way of God then any of the former And that is this That seeing the people of God have an allowance from God of ease in beleeving Therefore let all poore soules set their hearts at rest and not nourish fears within themselves of a more tedious entrance into the Kingdome of Grace then the Lord hath promised Nay rather let them fasten upon this priviledge not looking at themselves but at him who hath all impossibilities at his becke and can turne them to ease In which respect Abraham is said to beleeve that although in shew Sara's wombe was to be barren yet because God was able to make good his word therefore from one who was as dead should issue thousands Thus faith gives glory to God and drownes her owne fears in his power True it is wee cannot beleeve that God will make his promise easie till we beleeve But one excellent argument to draw us to beleeve is the meditation of it as an easie worke and that the Lord can and will make it so As I noted before the cause why so many start and shrinke from the way of God is the conceit of the most noysome and tedious hardnesse of it The sluggard still cries A Lion is in the way Proverb I dare not goe Take we heed of this bondage Wee cannot dishonour God
pride earthly hearts abides in them and annoyes them they cannot thinke the promise concernes them Oh! if they could finde themselves rid of these they should have hope else none Others cast their thoughts afarre off and thinke that faith carries with it the implied condition of such a change for time to come as they shall never attaine too For say these beleevers must be holy and cleane whereas we carry such base lusts about us hearts so hardned with sins that we cannot repent it were death to us to forgoe some beloved evills or to keep within a compasse of an holy course for any time As good tye a Tygre to a rope and make him to plow the furrowes as their wilde hearts to any duty and good behaviour And when they are told that faith will purge their hearts and they must not forestall God then they say though they should repent yet they should never persevere Before they dye the Divell who owes them a mischiefe will surely pay it them one temptation or other will foile and betray them so that ere they die they shal revolt most fouly and fall away like Demas Hymeneus and so goe to their grave with misery without returning to God and besides bring such a staine upon the Gospel as will never bee worne out There are others discouraged by the long space of time since they came to see themselves under the condition of grace as to be lost broken c. and yet they come not to any sound settling upon the promise if God they say meant to save them at all he would have saved them long ere now for they were once farre more tender then now they are they were at first onely guilty of sinnes against the Law but now they have added sinnes against the Gospel also as it were drunkennesse to thirst yea they are hardned sapped and past feeling And moreover they see many others who beganne farre later then they yet are got before them as in other gifts and graces so in faith and insight into the mystery of Christ in which they grow not but notwithstanding all meanes abide so silly so simple so ignorant and uncapable that there is little or no probability of being better They feele little difference neither they say in their course but alway in darkenesse sad feares going on and on but gaining no ground nor growing more toward the hope of beleeving and therefore they conclude that they belong not to Gods number they are not surely chosen of God and therefore they may will and runne long enough but they shall not finde mercy And so long as this bone sticks in the throat how should any savour of the promise goe downe their stomacks or enter into their hearts Another sort by these and the like distempers wax sullen and transported with melancholy and mopishnesse and grow therein so obstinate and that they will heare no counsell they know they say what their destiny is therefore let no body trouble himselfe about them As it is and hath beene so it will be with them still They know as much as any Minister can teach them They will not bee brought so much as to consent that there is any better estate then they live in neither doe they thinke that any can have any more assurance then themselves if they see any Christians merier then themselves they presently judge them to be presumptuous hypocrites and condemne them Others do not so much censure others as themselves and grow conceited against the meanes will not be perswaded to heare or pray because they doe but encrease their damnation nay but for necessity of nature they would not eat their meat nor drinke when they are athirst nor goe to any nor suffer any to come at them neither aske nor take counsell for they say these things belong to them whose they are But they are none of Christs and therefore have no right unto them And yet even many of these setting aside the malice of Satan holding them under with this melancholy of body or conceit of minde or both have given good signes of a loaden broken and desirous heart To draw to an end the most sad hindrance of all is that the beauty of the promise the good things of God given to his are not seene into by them They have not yet met with the spirit of light and perswasion somewhat or other hath dazled it either their confidence that it shall be well with them or their neglect of meanes or their using them in a scanty slacke and formall manner or their subtilty closenesse slynesse loathnesse to part with their pleasures or some bitter roote of earthlinesse which dampes the esteeme of the Lord Jesus they cannot be gastered from the creature it is so naturall so rooted in them or some base thing or other they will nourish as sugar under the tongue and hope to reconcile it with Christ so that both may goe together loth they are that onely bare and naked Christ should beare sway and come into a naked house or else I say the true kindly and cleere beauty of that which the promise presenteth to a soule under a condition is by some meanes hidden from them as by error and misconceiving what faith is by giddinesse by forgetfulnesse by foolish intermedling with many things Luke 11. one thing being necessary by little meditation applying pondering and incorporating the word into their hearts by stumbling at the very point in hand thinking that seeing good onely can and in time will releeve the soule therefore let all goe cast all upon God and be lazy and secure But one more I will adde of most usuall error to many especially such as are ungrounded and that is in the putting no difference between Doctrines and Truths handled in the course of their hearing As it is a sad error of some men that so they preach it skills not what nor how They little attend the estates periods and degrees of their people so the people are like them so they heare the truth they little minde what truths doe most concerne them 2 Tim. 3.7 and so alway are hearing but never come to knowledge Why They are foolish and undiscerning All is fish which comes to the net and they embrace alike one and other whereas although all be good yet it concernes them to looke out such as might fit their needs and further them in the worke they aime at Tell a woman whose fruit is come to the birth of this tale and that aske her what linnen she hath or what meat she will eat doth she savour such questions Are they not tedious Doth she not aime at one thing that is how she may get strength to bring forth So should an hearer that seekes the fruit of his labour not while himselfe with every truth lesse concerning for the present but hearkning after such as may answer his doubts cleere his objections reveale that which he most wants and which
which God will have out and there the Lord and it are upon debate or there is a cursed naturall antipathy between the Lord and the way of salvation or the soule is full of teches and pritches against reproofe or it hatcheth some false conceit that it hath obeyd when it hath not which it will not see or puffes and snuffes against some other thing the Minister the Ordinance the difficulty of Religion the uncertainty of the promise Whatsoever it be it is a distastfulnesse of heart and a resistance against God which if it were not the soule would nakedly come in and obediently submit to the Gospel But this disease hath this misery that the more dangerous it is the lesse it will bee convinced of such a thing and this nourishes the heart in her wretchednesse it is not time alone which will heale it rather it causes it to rankle and wax worse and worse Men ascribe it to other matters being willing to gull themselves because they have no will to be rid of it They say they have weake memories little capacity and the Minister is too high for them But in very deeds their hearts are too high for him till the Word come neerer 2 Cor. 10.4 and worke inward to cast downe all imaginations and high things no submission will follow to the obedience of Christ The effect every one dare confesse but the cause they will not see it is not unprofitablenesse or an ill memory that hath caused your hearts to be so surly and perverse but it is a proud and gainsaying heart Acts 28.27 which hath so long made you unprofitable Doe not lin till you are convinced hereof for till the cause be seene it cannot bee removed Doe not lay the fault where it is not doe not blanch over the cause with fine words mitigate not the extremity of the sin with gentlenesse Perhaps you doe not live in wrath and rage with your wives family neighbours you make a shift to comply with men courteously so long as no body hurts you but truly if you beleeve not in all this while there is a pad in the straw your spirits are not inwardly brought to that tender softnesse and selfe-deniall to thinke equall thoughts of God and his way something stickes in your base stomackes which will not suffer the word of God to goe downe and pierce into you to perswade you If you would but bethinke you what a great let this is which hitherto you have not seene or if you could thinke how the case would bee changed with you if once a tractable comming and inclining heart were in you how the Ministers of God the Angels â—ea the Spirit of grace it selfe which you have so long grieved and resisted would rejoyce in the change Oh! you would never lin with your owne soules till you had cast it out and having shaken it off you would thinke it a greater ease then ever that Martyr of Christ did B. Hooper when he had cast off all his Popish trash and furniture from his shoulders Secondly it is reproofe Reproofe to many Professors who in hope are of Vse 2 the better sort who although by this sinne have not perhaps wholly stopped and choked the passages of the grace of conversion Christians of crabbed peevish stubborne hearts lose the grace of faith yet by the dregges thereof remaining in them and nourished dampe that obedience of heart that life of faith and selfe-deniall yea that peace joy and open heart to God and goodnesse which else they might attaine It is strange how some Christians dare give place to their corruption in this kinde yea grow to thinke it their praise Some are sowre and crabbed as it were steeped in vinegar so censorious and uncharitable that none can escape their censure some so suspitious jealous that none can live by them some so sullen that no estate can content them some so selfe-loving that none can please them save they who humour them in all their passions and pangs some so implacable that if once offended they can scarce looke a man in the face to rights some so eager in revenge that nothing else will content them some alwayes stirring up debate betweene neighbours so busie in Law and in matters of contention as if they were Salamanders alway living in the fire others so eager in spirit so lowring and sad that though they breake not out with others yet they never agree with themselves nor walke with a cheerfull countenance Why Save that the sweet oyle of gladnesse hath not suppled them nor the peace of God which passeth understanding hath possessed and stablished them Oh friends How dare you dally and venture to abide thus How sad a reflex will this bee upon your death-beds You will say It doth oft trouble you and you are grieved for your waspishnesse and anger But what then Is that an amends to God to vomit up that at an odde time which afterward you doe returne to and licke up ugaine without sense or feeling Oh! it were meet for you to be so heart-sick of it that you might for ever abhor it Christians should mark the secret creepings of such poyson how it dogges them chokes humblenesse and cheerfulnesse in them and makes them walke unfruitfully and unsetledly from time to time And say that sometimes you fast and pray and vow and covenant against them yet if the corruption and your soules are so incorporated together that when it steales in upon you with the old sweetnesse it inchants you and disables you from resistance what cause of boasting have you None surely nor shall till the Lord come between you and home with the spirit of true remorce and sorrow for it unto repentance never to be repented of and till your beloved lust become your bane See and apply that in James 4.1.2.3 till the Lord in secret chasten your spirits that you can sit and bemoane your selves with Ephraim and say O Lord what is the cause that I am so enthralled to this stout and unbroken heart Alas No word of thine no patience of thine can enter while this sin harden me I am not fit to bee wrought upon by any crosse blessing meditation or ordinance All washes away as it comes Oh! shall I never be rid of this misery this chaine When Lord will it once be Who shall breake off the slavish custome of my heart this way and set me at liberty Oh! if once it may bee I shall even account it as a second resurrection from the dead Oh! set such a guard over mee that I may never be surprized any more with it Let mee thinke the Divell not farre off when I see this messenger of his at my heeles so to dogge and buffet me Let thy Spirit from above which is pure peaceable Jam. 3 i5 long-suffering mercifull and patient humble and loving deliver me from this spirit of envie sullennesse Selfe and her fruits most earthly sensuall
and Divellish But as for nourishing this naughtinesse in your selves and stifnesse in it to keep your fashions attires to speake your owne words as if no Lord should controll you Oh! how horrible is it Shall God beare your name and be as your husband but you will eate your owne bread weare your owne cloath and be at your own hand and finding as those women in Esay speak Esay 4.1 Then surely you must bee content to live upon your own wages and so lâ—e downe in sorrow Vse 3 Thirdly This is terror Terror to all openly proud scornfull and prophane persons who proclaime their sinne as Sodome whose hearts cast up mire and dirt like the raging Sea Esay 57.21 Those carry themselves aloft and live at the full height of a bigge and high heart without any sense of their danger Such as maintaine this rotten principle It is good to be some body in the view of men because as a man thinkes of himselfe Jam. 4.7 so will others thinke of us Which as it is false for God resists the proud crosses them so what if it were true Surely so long as my doctrine continues good there is no possibilitie for thee to obtaine grace and obedience while this spirit lasts Naaman was a great one Proud hearts terâ—ified by Gods resisting might as much stand upon it as thou yet till his stomack came downe the word of his cure was not beleeved hee was a Leper still so art thou and worse in Gods sight so long as thy lofty heart dwells in thee thy high thoughts of thy selfe cause mean thoughts of God contempt of his word and disdaine to bee a captive to Gods truths Nay it takes away all capablenesse judicious discerning remembring affecting applying or practising of any thing thou hearest save to pride thy selfe in thy knowledge and to strengthen thy selfe in a rotten peace Jerem. 48.11.29 Alas as the Prophet describes Moab that she was very proud shee had not beene rolled about and therefore was setled upon her dregges her sent still abode in her so is it with every proud wretch his own savour is in him still he is as he was as you leave him so you finde him a proud wretch rolling up and down upon his own hinges As for suspecting all is not well or laying any thing to heart hee is farre from it No winde shakes his corne he applauds himselfe in his owne conceit and saith I shall have peace though I walke in the stubbornesse of mine owne heart Mark how carelesse pride is But what comes of it Doth he meet with any grace in such a condition No the Lord will set himselfe against such a sturdy wretch Deut. 29.15.16 breake his iron sinew and the staffe of his pride the wrath of God shall smoke against him and resist him till his heart feele it and desist from fighting against God And surely if such finde small favour with men save from teeth outward they finde much lesse from God Should not this scare every such man out of himselfe saying The more I magnifie my selfe the more God vilifies me I see it hard to curb pride but it is harder to endure wrath and to be cast out from God who counts none pretious but such as count themselves vile Beware of it then the sin it selfe is sad but that it should be the canker that should eate out the foyson of grace and destroy all my hearings and make my devotions as odious as the cutting off a dogges neck Oh! this consequence of the sin is worse then the sinne it selfe Many sinnes are worse in their fruit then in themselves and this is one of them And to touch the particular of Naamans sinne here which was blustering at the Prophet and cavilling against his message we see here how God abased this spirit in him ere ever he could obey But when that was gone then the other succeeded And so I say to all proud cavillers The terror urged here is terror for them While cavilling lasts no grace enters Looke upon this patterne all you cavillers and see God branding you with a gracelesse heart as long as this humour lasts I have noted the end of such as have vented their pride in cavilling and picking knots with the Minister and his doctrine such as cannot receive or stand under a solid and sad truth with a meek heart and I never saw such come to good God hath betrayed them to shame and ill report Their knowledge hath puft them up They have some growne Alehouse-Keepers and haunters embraced the world fallen out with their brethren and forsaken their fellowship been foully tainted with grosse evils uncleannes the world contention censoriousnesse uncharitablenesse Some have proved Brownists Poynters Schismatickes and Libertines and lost their honour with God and his Church If there bee any drop of humility in you let this affright you lay downe the bucklers and as you have been proud so now be humble Say not with Gardiner I revolted with Peter but I have not repented with Peter but with this poore Proselyte Naaman I have been as stout and proud as he and now behold I repent and am humble as he Lord give me grace as thou gavest him Oh! the servants of Naaman had little cause to repent them of their counsell when such an effect followed Neither should I of mine if I could prevaile as they did God grant you and mee this grace The fourth and last use shall be exhortation to us all Exhortation and comfort to humble soules to embrace this Vse 4 grace of a subject humble spirit Oh! it is the messenger of mercy and mercy followes her at the heeles Selfe-deniall and an humbled soule are speciall ingredients of this receit of Mercy and faith to apply it When the soule is full of her owne it is empty of Gods hee counts all grace put into such a soule as water put into a top-full vessell The empty the bare the naked and poore soule is that wherewith he will betrust his grace Jâ—mes 4.7 be earnest for this as you would have faith herselfe 1 Cor. 25. As Paul calles death the last enemy which must be subdued ere we have glory so may I say that a proud selfe-sufficient heart is the last enemy which must be cast out ere we can come by any grace It is the last brat of the house which goes out The onely vice which keepes possession for old Adam to keep out Christ When wee see Gods tokens Simile we count the plague incurable and when mercy cannot conquer a rebellious heart it is past all remedy And contrariwise here is comfort to all such as are thus tamed by God they are brought to the bent of his bow I may say to thee as Martha to her sister Mary Thy Lord is come and calleth for thee And as our Lord Jesus himselfe said to Zacheus This day salvation is come unto thy house
also in their owne disposition and frame capable and meet for mercy others might as well partake it We call not Gods prerogative into question or what he can doe but what he will doe in his revealed will Now this being put then secondly I adde All such ought to embrace it by the meane which God hath appointed for that end and that is by believing as the holy Ghost in all places urgeth Acts 13.38 Ephes 2.8 Ioh. 3. end Mark the 16. toward the end and a thousand more For why Otherwise it might be that Gods election might bee frustrate and his ends defeated For by this condition of grace they are called to the meanes Therefore if the end of calling should not follow in faith God might possibly lose his ends which neither Divell and gates of hell world and envie of wicked or corruption of man can ever effect Else God should be the God of disorder For why The condition Reason 2 of faith containes the seed and foundation in a remote sence of those graces of the Spirit which afterward are perfected in sanctification As in humiliation there is a seed of repentance and in affection of desire and prizing of Christ is included a seed of love remotely and in Selfe-deniall is implied a seed of mortification darkly and unshapenly as in the first life of an infant is in a sort included all after ripenings and perfections till the birth Now if there should bee an interruption and a gulfe set so that one of these could not come at the other then must God bee made a God not of order but of confusion These persons thus qualified must and ought to believe because it Reason 3 is of all others the easiest worke for such to compasse a great part of the difficulty is over It is also most for the honour of Gods grace that such should believe and such onely can and will performe and practise the end of their faith which is to walke with God in a renewed conversation None are to bee trusted with so weighty a businesse as they and therefore they may believe Because the promise of believing containes in it the effect of all the Reason 4 consequent promises of God in forgivenesse and justification there being at once conveyed to the soule all the rich treasures of Christ all his Legacies to his Church He gives them all at one gift though he dispence them at severall times as the necessities of his people require If this might bee then they should be frustrate of all grace at once If these thus qualified might not believe then none might for none Reason 5 are in such faire possibility and then all Gods offers promises exhortations and contestings were in vaine and as some Semipelagians dare affirme it might be admitted that possibly not one man in the world might beleeve which were horrible Lastly the Lord conferring Baptisme before hand to infants onely Reason 6 within a generall covenant should mocke us if hee meant not to vouchsafe that covenant of his to poore soules to bee their God reconciled and all-sufficient under the meanes having given them his Seale before hand to ratifie it which Seale can have no other realnesse it save in relation to his faithfull meaning to effect and write that Covenant in their hearts which hee hath before hand sealed unto them And so much for Reasons Now I should come to the Use But because some questions doe here arise first about this Condition of what nature it is and wherein the steps of it stand And secondly about Faith what I mean by it and how it is wrought Thirdly why I call it Obedience and Consent therâ—fore I will a little lend my help for explication hereof and so come to the uses For the first concerning the nature of this Condition of Faith my purpose is not to bring in large discourse into a Sermon nor to satisfie cavillers about it I have already done that so farre as I thinke their mouthes worth the stopping in another place In my Catechisme Part. 2. Artic. 7. That which here I will adde shall be but this That whereas many carp at the condition of faith who yet understand it not let them know there is a twofold condition the one procuring the other signifying Condition of faith is no procuring but only a signifying thing Procuring deserving and working conditions we abhorre but signifying conditions we allow not as our owne workes but as Gods previous dispositions in us signifying what hee hath wrought in us and thereby evidencing what hee further intends to worke And hereof there is great use both because as sinne was not brought to ripenesse all at once in us so neither is grace Also because the worke of it being but leasurely and graduall hardly perceived we should not be privie to it if God did not point at it by sensible and discernable affections as of hope desire sorrow but the worke would seeme to lye dead in us Lastly also because the case so stands with some converts who are called out of a profane estate that if their turning should bee all at once and on the sudden they would feare lest it would prove but some violent pang and extremity in them not like to hold long But when they can perceive a sensible change by certaine steps successively Why this condition is requred they discerne a more divine hand therein and are much stayed and satisfied Adde to these That the Lord in this case doth not so much look at his own power what he could doe at once as at the disposition of such as he worketh upon whose narrow neckes cannot receive much at once but by drop-meale and all through that unspiritualnesse of our heart not easily capable of holy things A crooked cry some doth not looke upward with more difficulty then our frame receives grace The worker of it Secondly take knowledge of this that the immediate worker of these preparations is two-fold The former is the convincing power of the Law the latter is the succeeding conviction of the Gospel And touching this latter know that although the same thing workes faith it selfe which workes this condition yet by a divers measure of assistance according to the capacity of the Soule which at the first is drawne to see so much light in the promise as winnes affections to the same for that excellent pretiousnesse gaine and happinesse which it heares to be offered therein But in time it sees not onely so much but more closely also applies it selfe thereto by faith and affiance of soule as a thing in speciall offered and belonging unto herselfe yet both are wrought by the Gospel and neither comes from our selves both proceed from free grace so that wee must not conceive that the Lord doth offer Christ to such as can work their owne hearts to sorrow desire or esteem of grace for what is so contrary to us as these things But the Lord in working them
to be more usefull for the present and therefore chuses a performance in his owne kinde which shall bee an hundred fold more gaine to the soule then the other 2 Cor. 12.3 4. Paul being sorely buffeted not for sinne but to prevent it prayes instantly to God to remove it The Lord seeing that performance not to be proper for the end of his buffeting continues it yet hee breakes not promise for he ministers grace sufficient to uphold him under it Verse 9. By this meanes he attaines his end to humble Paul and moreover teaches him to desire to live under desertion and infirmity sometimes that so he might get that experience of Gods strange upholding of him in the want of feeling which before hee had found under feeling By this meane though irksome to the flesh to want the use of graces and gifts the Lord traines him to a sober use of his revelations and to renounce himselfe so farre under buffetings as to chuse rather to bee as the Lord would have him then as himselfe chose to be The use of this qualification is this The use of this limitation Both to coole our spirit of selfe-love which is ready to appoint God his way of performance as also to teach us wisedome to apply our selves to the best good of a performance rather then to the performance it selfe Gods people looke more at the good of a performance then the bâ—re performance of a promise to ascribe this honour to God that he better knows how to make good a promise to us then wee can chuse And therefore not by and by to cry out against God for not performing it because our turnes are not served But rather by our defeat to search into the cause and to see whether God and we looke the same way or no If we doe not we may bee long enough ere we be satisfied or honour God in his faithfulnesse If we will tie God to performe one promise and the Lord meanes to performe another we shall be farre to seeke Say we therefore thus Lord teach me to looke out what the promise is which thou aimest to make good Faithfull I am resolved thou art but that stands not in serving my turne but in serving thy selfe upon me Since thou doest all things well I doe but wait to see thy way for it is best and shall curb my spirit and give me best content because it tends to make mee more experienced more humble and at last thankfull to thee for that good which thy selfe meantst me which is infinitely better then that which I fancied So much for the first Limitation the second In generall promises to the Church the time of performance must be left to God and why The second limitation may be this In promises concerning the welfare of the Church in generall except the Lord tye himselfe punctually to a time of redresse or deliverance we must conceive of Gods performances indefinitely without prefixing a time or period of our own For in such it is enough for the quitting of Gods faithfulnesse that he performes really although he leave the time when to his owne wisedome We look that Gods love in hearing us for such performances should trench upon his wise providence but that ought not to be In such cases it behoves us to distinguish upon promises In such as touch the soule and life of a beleever usually except some speciall thing hinder the soules beleeving and the promises performance goe together as for the strength against a lust for quickning up of any grace or gift for sanctifying of any ordinance But not so in the publicke promises The reason is because the Lord may have a predominant way of his owne to barre present performance He doth neglect the speciall good of them who pray for a more universall good of his owne either because the sinnes of his enemies by whom hee uses to scourge his Church See Gen. 15.16 are not come to the highest pitch and so it will not bee most for his glory to punish or suppresse them yet or because the provocations of his Church and the sins thereof are not yet purged throughly nor brought to the lowest point These respects may hinder speciall reliefe of some present miseries restraints and persecutions of his people There is wee say in the motion of every planet a straight motion comming from the Planet herself and a backward motion of the first mover So is it here the motion of a promise is retrograded and retarded by the wisedome of the first mover The grand promise of the Lord Jesus his incarnation was indefinite and in the bosome of God when to fulfill it one thousand two or three thousand might have brought it forth as well as foure yet providence reserved it to the end of the fourth thousand Gal. 4.4 And when that fulnesse was come nothing could stop the fulfilling of that which yet before that time no prayers no expectation of the Church could hasten Then and not till then Instances of the point he that would come came and tarried not So also wee that live in this age conceive our selves to be pitcht under the fourth viall under which wee are warranted to wait for the revealing of Gods wrath and the ruine of the Beast But for us hereupon to limit God to owne time and period seaven or ten or fifteene yeares whatsoever we may suppose by probabilities and to determine God to our own season is most bold and presumptuous For God hath as well a way of his revenge and scourging of particular Churches for their infidelity and unfruitfulnesse as he hath of fulfilling his maine promise Sure we are his Word will prove true within the Terme of this Viall But to bound the space and duration of it we may not That the Jew shall be called and the Gospel generally preached ere the end come and that the Lord Jesus shall even in this world expresse himselfe to be the Lord and King of his Church and set up his Throne visibly upon their reall ruines who not waning braines can or dare deny it And yet who if he have braines dare punctually determine it within so or so many yeares The use of this qualification is most pretious and weighty viz. The use of this second limit Wee must not taxe Gods administrations That in our prayers and services of the time be they ordinary or extraordinary wee lash not out through our ungrounded zeale and passions to presse the Lord to our time in redressing the miseries of his Church in punishing his enemies reforming abuses or restoring comforts to her mourners Slacken no whit of thy zeale but let it still be carried within bounds and goe eaven pace with Gods time and be limited by that condition And moreover let it curb our querulous and discontented spirits which being full of griefe for the upbraiding and insulting Peninna's 1 Sam. 1. over the perplexed Hanna's and
embrace their gods Bacchus Venus and the rest more strongly then ever Enough wee have who are of the spirit of Caiphas his Hall and those that spited scorned and spit at Christ crying Crucifie him not many whose spirits are towards him tender to his glory to his mercy and grace to his poore Church and people Oh the spirit of ambition selfe-love is now all in all What should I say to such except they be accursed by Gods owne mouth that never any good should seaze upon them let this point in Gods feare scare them Me thinkes thou shouldst not heare of such a spirit of Grace and tendernesse as I speake of but thy soule shoâ—ld tremble and thy heart throb in thy bosome to consider what a contrary spirit of corruption and hell thou walkest with Oh! if God should leave thee to this spirit of thine owne to be conceited of thy selfe to feare no danger to be carelesse what may betide thee and to adde drunkennesse unto thirst what shall become of thee what is wanting save hell it selfe to make up the woe of such a soule And yet I tell thee this is not farre off from thee Read Deut. 29. Deut 29.15 If any man hearing the words of this booke and the curses thereof shall yet say in his heart I shall have peace I shall fare well I feare nothing Especially if conceited of its owne welfare the wrath of God shall smoke out against such a man and God will not be entreated of him for why he is over head and eares in the spirit of gal bitternesse a thousand to one if ever he recover Therefore looke about thee in season As the Lord said to Elijah in the cave so say I to thee Up arise and goe forth for thou hast a great journey to goe ere thou come at the Horeb of God I wish thee to goe by mount Sinai and hath thy base spirit throughly with those terrours of God 1 Kings 19.7 which may gaster thee with some feeling of thy condition Sinne is got into thy spirit and hath seated it selfe deeply in the entrals of thy soule A great gulfe is set betweene thee and the spirit of grace therefore pull downe thy rebellious heart and as Peter said to Simon Magus try by all meanes whether this thy sinne may be forgiven thee The spirit of grace is joyned with the spirit of mourning Acts 8.22 Try whether God cannot bring thee out of one spirit of bitternesse into a contrary for he promiseth that all humbled ones shall be in bitternesse as a thing steept in vineger as he that is in bitternesse for the losse of his onely sonne Zach. 12.10 Bitternesse of a prophane and presumptuous heart must be turned into the bitternesse of a broken and subdued spirit Oh! that ever I should exalt folly so highly and disdaine mercy yea kill the Lord of life as I have done Read Acts 2. Acts 2. where this prophecy was fulfilled in such as crucified Christ himselfe and yet being pierced in heart for it the Lord powred the spirit of grace into them and annointed them with oyle of gladnesse and joy so that they who murthered him had the first hansell of life and pardon from him Oh blessed art thou if the like portion might befall thee who hast ventured as farre as they did So much for this Branch 2 Secondly it is terrour to all Neuters and Sceptiques whose spirit seemes not so ranke and cursed Indifferency Neutrality of spirit worse then prophanenesse Numb 23. 25. but yet is as deepe and dangerous because they maintaine a vile spirit of indifferency and mediocrity in stead of this spirit of grace They say as Balac did to Balaam Neither blesse nor curse In this respect they are worse then the former because they utterly abandon all sense of the Gospel and become fulsome Atheists upon point neither hot nor cold fish nor flesh They would seeme to hate open villanies But then they much more abhorre the spirit of the Gospel Their spirits are flat and flash whereas the spirit of the Gospel is tender Luke 14. ult zealous and powerfull Wofull ones hanging betweene Heaven and Earth cast downe from Heaven vomited up from the earth Salt which hath lost his savour good for nothing no not for the dunghill All their skill stands in selfe-concealments forsooth their religion and conscience may not be known What can you worke wonders can you carry coales in your bosomes and not be burnt Such have their Religion to chuse Doubtlesse the not burning of your bosomes by this fire argues that there is not one coale of the Altar fallen upon them you are Quench-coale no sparkle of grace can kindle upon your cold hearth you must needs be ashamed of the Gospel because the spirit of magnifying it and of justifying wisdome is not in you but rather an aloofe dead and Gallio-like spirit is in you Whether you serve Christ or Beliall whether you be Popish or Protestant who but God can judge And surely you lie fulsome upon his stomach Acts 18.15 as luke-warme water and that which makes you happy in your own conceit will prove you accursed in Gods It were better you were hot or cold then thus wambling and next to be vomited for ever out of the mouth of him Revel 3.19 who never returnes to his vomit Under pretext that thou darest not trust men thou betrayest God and the spirit of the Gospel a remedy worse then the disease To be as wise as a Serpent I disswade thee not But shall this destroy that naked simplicity and spirit of love to God and his truth which where it cannot goe will creepe and play at small game rather then sit out What Matth. 10. 2 Cor. 10.4 because we cannot expresse our selves in such acts and services as we would or have done shall we serve God with neither might spirit or courage at all Is that command dispensable and confined to this season or to that hath God no need of thee in dangerous times or because thou darest trust no man wilt thou therefore trust no God Shall the Gospel carry thee no further then ease and the serving of thine owne fleshly turne will concurre Wilt thou dare to doe any thing against the spirit of the Gospel because thou hast not elbow-roome sufficient to act that part as thou wouldest It is just with God to take it quite from thee because thou walkest contrary to it And to give thee over to a close spirit of thine owne that thou shouldest jeere and scorne the zealous as Micoll did David dancing with his Ephod before the Arke 2 Sam. 6.20 Was not the King a goodly foole to day How many of these Neutrall spirits have growne to it Let it gaster us from it and teach us to nourish such a spirit in our bosomes as the Gospel hath wrought if ever any such were wrought and to be farre from disdaining
you should sinne But now you that so strained out a Gnat can swallow a Camell Some of you dare grind the faces of such as you are to deale with and no money is sweeter to you then that which you get by an hard bargaine Once if you be remembred you tooke thought how you should subsist from weeke to weeke for lack of the Word Now you can passe weekes and moneths and never come at a powerfull Sermon and which is worse whereas the least offence in this or any other kind would smite you like the sting of an Adder now you are so brawned that it never troubles you awhit The time hath beene wherein the sorrowes and sufferings of Gods servants went so neere you that they made them deerer to you then ever Now no peny no Pater-noster as the Proverb saith and let them sinke or swimme what care you Once you could forfeit your names your states your paines your liberties for the truth of God Heb. 10. and professe that it was better then ten thousand of your lives Now alas the least stirring of a Mouse behind the painted cloth is enough to make you tremble like an aspen leafe Oh! you love to sleep in a whole skinne and the notion of a persecutor an enemy a prison or a fine is hideous unto you Rather had you to spend five pound to quit your selves of such a feare with a crasie conscience to please a timorous and degenerate spirit then five shillings to hold out the Profession the Resolution for that truth which once was dearer then your lives The dayes have bin when Novices and first Converts Zeale of first converts described were very scrupulous of their fashions in attire their companies their liberties games and recreations both for kind and measure both for for feare of sin and also of scandall marvellous loth to incurre the least suspition of a carnall spirit in these or any kind as jarring with the tendernesse of heart which the first sense of mercy wrought in them Now every man fals to his dispensations and swallowes downe all these as if there were nothing either within them to checke or without them to stumble at Once the manner was to enquire after the closest strictest course of worshipping and walking with God as thinking no cost too much for God Now the fashion is to aske what is the least degree of true faith that if they can make themselves beleeve they have that there they may set downe their staffe Now the first question is What liberty may a godly life admit how may we be religious with least adoe how may we save our selves best and goe neere the wind without too much note for precisenesse or trouble for our profession Iudg. 9. The fatnesse of the Olive and sweetnesse of the Vine was wont to be so precious with most of us that wee abhorred to exalt our selves above the trees with the forfeit thereof But alas those dayes are out of date now each Christian thinkes it no bargaine except he may jolly it out in some carnall manner and live with reputation in the world above his fellowes and with note among them that are carnall if they cannot brave it out with great shewes fine cloaths matches for their children raking up heapes that they may bestow upon the pride of life that which they were wont to bestow upon God good persons and causes it savours not in their nostrils Once they troubled them most who suffered them not to bee godly fast enough now these are no eye-sores they can beare them well enough but they trouble them most who will not let them be rich fast enough who mourne to see that money and pleasures and vanities steale away their hearts they could smite such Numb 22.27 as Balaam did his poore Asse who thus trumpe in their way and stop their pace in that which they cannot seeke fast enough Oh poore wretches Went not the spirit of Grace out with you to stop you also What had you laid this sweet babe in the Cradle to sleepe while you thus play your parts Is there thinke you no dinne to awake this sleepy spirit no crosse to sting you as fire in your flesh and so to recover your temper Take heed then you cozen not your selves at last as you have deceived the hope of others for sure if you be or ever were right there must be a way to let out this Pleurisie Brethren I can scarce tell to whom I speake I scarce beleeve mine owne eyes If I may are there not some here who counted it a marke of their true tendernesse to shunne the least appearance of evill 1 Thes 5. But where is this become Shew me the man whose jealous heart can prove that he hath not by nibbling at smaller evils so imbezzeled his peace and gull'd down the Sea-wals of his feare and conscience that now he is waxen hardned by the deceitfulnesse of sinne What shall we say in these cases Surely either Gods Word and the worke of Grace admits a change with the time or else these are those sadde dayes wherein men have gotten the start of this spirit of Grace and gotten more wit then our Predecessors have had to wit to joyne Religion with the liberty of our owne wils Such dispensations doubtles the Church of God never knew but rather in the loosest times counted it their eare-marke to be closest Christians Those who now nourish tendernesse are made scornes and by-words as fooles who know not their liberties It was once a marke of the true spirit of Grace to make conscience of the Sabbath day as a morall charge although changed by the speciall instinct of the Lord Jesus the Lord of the Sabbath from the seventh day to the eighth But where shall we come now where every man speakes not his owne words if not prophane yet common and ordinary in all mixt discourses about personall matters or else newes and novelties Who curbs his spirit to the talke of a Sabbath ruling his thoughts affections or converse so as at night he might lie downe in peace Truly Christians shall not have need of enemies to bring in a forme of godlinesse for ought I see themselves even in their distasting it outwardly love it too well inwardly all love a Religion of ease and breadths and owne ends This is that Viper which threatens to eate through the bowels of Religion and to bring it to nought Ah! little doe we thinke that this temper of ours doth lie heavie upon Gods stomach till he spue us out How just is it with the Lord for such a deserting and revolt from the first spirit of our conversion and falling to the mixture of Sardis Ephesus and Laodicea that is a dead a decayed and luke-warme temper to remove the Candlesticke out of his place Revel 2.5 3 18. to take his flight not from the Cherubims to the threshold but from the Temple into a Wildernesse there to gather
a new body of people not defiled with this scurffe and live among them Ezek. 9. rather then to take these Coleworts of ours to feede upon aad this refuse remnant and scraps of that royall feast which we were wont to make him whiles the savour of his grace continued among us Large I might be in urging particulars but by the Paw judge of the Lion and let this shaâ—p reproofe in Gods feare warne so many of us as in whom every sparke of old spirit is not extinct to looke about us 1 Thes 5.25 that we nourish this marke of Grace in us and quench it not And so I goe on to speake of that Use of Admonition And Use 4 first to warn all in whose hearts any spark of this Spirit of Grace Branch 1 and Zeale to Gods truth hath beene bred Admonit Admonition to the people of God to nourish the spirit of first conversion in themselves that they nourish and nurse it in themselves continually That they waxe not confident in their first beginnings because their edge was quick at the first as if they were past danger or as if this grace would grow up in them without their owne industry and watchfulnesse Alas poore soules you have but saluted Religion with the upper lip Tender spirits and keene edges may be soone damped and dulled you have a great journey to goe a world of worke to doe a wofull heart of secret poyson still to subdue which will not easily yeeld it is not your affections which will beare you out against a sad body of death and a nature of old Adam many crosses feares bad examples and errours of the wicked abide you and early or late will shake your frame and try what metall you are made of Doe not prophecy to your selves a shot-free ease and to walke without feare of bullets and darts in this world The Devill seemes to be sad that he hath lost you but of all other people he watcheth you a mischiefe and would bee gladdest if he could pay you home you are his objects of fury and set in the forefront of his battery if the dint light upon any it is likest to seise first upon you And thousands who have given as great hope of as sound and close a spirit to God and have opposed sinne base formall courses as much as you have yet revolted to Satan and he hath laid seven times as many irons upon them as at first to secure himselfe from a second escape Tremble to thinke of it Matth. 12.45 Seeke to improve this first Grace of yours this zeale and affection to the Gospel and against all enemies of sincerity with a wise steddy and full resolutenesse of heart to undergoe any brunts pursuits discouragements offences by false Hypocrites or other affronts which may come in the way It is not possible but this Age affecting nothing more then a contrariety to power of good and upright walking with God must needs put you to it daily and try you throughly with the infinite many trials which it hath devised to ferret out the good from themselves that they and their hypocrisie might predominate and all soundnesse be abandoned Lie not therefore as two irons on both sides the loadstone let not your soules play booty with God in this weighty businesse stagger not be not now haled by the false flatteries of this painted harlot or scared by the terrours and threats of a frowning tyrant for the world is both but seeke to be insensible of her If she finde that love of Gods truth wanzeth in thee and thou coudst beteame to be at more ease and elbow-roome in the world or that thou fearest trouble or beginst to strew and garnish thy false heart with any other lust she hath enough she is sure of thee Rather set before thine eyes the wofull end of all decliners All that come rolling down the hill faster then they ever got up Caveats against a declining course in sundry particulars They shatter themselves and breake their bones without hope of setting againe their end is commonly worse then their beginning Loath each step of a base heart going this way and allaying this spirit with her owne mixtures If first heate chill it will die a thousand to one if that which should inflame all the whole course be it selfe cold how great is that coldnesse Discerne it in the first approach whether it be by casting on cold water or not laying on more fuell If the love of the world pleasures merry company a loose heart tickle thee of if thou grow scanter in meanes as in prayer hearing meditation or fasting lesse watchfull and timorous suspect thy selfe betimes Stumble Stumble not at the infirmities of the religious but cover and interpret them mercifully take no occasions of offence nourish every thing which might breed in thee a better opinion of holinesse and entertaine no suspitions against it let not her fare the worse for the errours of them that professe no nor for the revolts of time-servers Harbor not in thy spirit any secret distemper of pride selfe-love selfe-conceit fullennesse frowardnesse carnall wisdome earthly mindednesse These will creepe in and tickle as a Viper under colour of some lawfulnesse or other but they will eate out the very bowels and heart-heate of the spirit of grace Nibble at none of the Devils baits Behold not too wisely the errour of the wicked and the streame of evill without feare or checke lest this cause the love of many to waxe cold Matth. 24.13 Matth. 24.13 Daily ply the meanes and lay on fewell arme thy selfe by prayer against the course of decliners as David did Ps 101.3 Pal. 101.3 Nourish humility and simplicity of spirit next to faith above all Inure thy selfe to deny much for God that so he may grow dearer to thee and thou to him Spend not nor waste thy zeale needlessely and rashly upon objects of lesser weight but reserve thy selfe till a better warrant and call a stronger and more weighty object to pull thee forth lest thou faile in the hottest of the attempt as those mostly doe whose zeale is unballanced Be not wedded to thy selfe for the spirit of grace doth not so well befit him who abounds in his owne sense Compare Num. 23. with Exod. 32.19 Moses was a man who in his own matters was very meek and calm and therfore his zeale in breaking the Tables and indignation against that Idolatry became him the better Esteeme and value each sinne by the nature of it not the cry or outside of it The losse of thy spirit perhaps seemes not so hideous to thee as some open sinne which thou seest in others as to oppresse or be drunke but it is worse not onely because it is the seed of thee but because although thou shouldest never breake out so farre yet it is the decay of thy frame and temper of goodnesse A burning Ague is not so dangerous as a
Consumption A great gash of a sword upon a fleshie part arme or thigh carries more bloudy shew with it but the drawing of a small wyre through the heart is far more mortall the prick of a pin there is worse then the wound of a sword upon the legge To finish this use constantly all spirituall lively quickning ordinances and the more lively dispensed the rather Side with them that are spirituall cast thy lot into their lap mourne with them laugh with them gaine or lose with them trade with them of all duties meanes or graces oftenest trade with the most spirituall especially faith the life of all both in one condition of life and other such meditations as thou feelest will leave thee most heavenly and carry thee farthest off thy self traffique most withall knowing that a carnall lukewarme spirit is alway at the doore offering it selfe but a spirituall will not bee kept save by strong hand Preferre this spirit of grace in thy wife child or friend before the most beautifull rich or politicke fellow in all the Country love such an one with all his infirmities rather then another with the best accomplishments Also use Gods afflicting hand wisely for that fire is needfull oft-times to quicken inward hearts as the fire of thy heart to helpe the heat of thy fingers and feet and thereby God would visit thy spirit and keep it in temper So much for this first branch Branch 2 Secondly if by any meanes thou be sunke and decayed in this spirit of Grace Admon Recover again thy temper if it be lost by what meanes never lin till thou hast recovered it againe Many wayes this may be and never fals out more frequently then in these false-hearted dayes Sometimes by overmuch piddling about the bables of this world for every of us must have some vanity or other to while our selves about sometimes by more sad plodding about profit and commodity or by multiplicity of businesse and more irons in the fire then we can well manage over-stocking our selves with cares and employments which we cannot compasse sometime by sadde accidents in our course as ill successe in our trades distempers through unequal yoking in marriage wrath frowardnesse and discontent betweene couples or by rash suretiship which proves a great snare to the spirit by bad debtors by decay in our estate through improvidence and unskilfulnesse by false friends bringing us into trouble by quarrels and sutes in Law especially with potent adversaries by bad children not answerable to their education and hopes These weare and teare out the spirit of Grace disguise a man and weaken his zeale care tendernesse yea oft make him ashamed to put forth himselfe for God lest his poverty be cast in his teeth They intercept a mans times and seasons for God as the hearing of the Word frequently hinder our joy liberty or leisure to set up God in the family or to maintaine secret interest with him they hamper the affections from expressing that grace which is within There bee other occasions also within as ease and sloth wearinesse of a base heart also some mixt of both as want of good Ministery or removall of dwellings which oft are a great hurry to a good mind which is not in her power and liberty in such cases want of good examples or helpe of private friends sorting together in the wayes of God All these helping a wofull world of Declensions the Devill and a base heart must needs damp and coole many and alas when this disease is not cured betimes it will at last breake out into worse evils sad revolts breach of peace and losse of conscience with ill report and scandall which are not easily cured Therefore for such this I say Dost thou come to see this thine estate Dost thou perceive hereby thy precious spirit to be weatherbeaten and halfe blasted thy fatnesse and sweetnesse to be gone thy selfe to become as a dry branch and as one in whom there is no forme or beauty to be desired as in times past Mourne for it as for the losse of a jewell Say thus Who shall give me the wings of a Dove Psal 55.6 Ier. 2.2 that I may flee into the Wildernesse and there with a pensive soule call to mind the love of my youth which the Lord in those first cords of his and drawings of my heart inspired mee withall Oh! how little did I then looke for such a change When I was one of the children of the bride-chamber I was merry and joyfull But now I had need to fast and mourne Then I knew not what sorrow and sinne meant but went in and out with God at pleasure Oh! that some happy messenger from God might bring me newes of the recovery of of my spirit again to that temper whereof it was wont to be yea if it were but newes of a way by which it might be once restored Well if thou wilt not give God over he will not forget thee For why if thou be sure that ever this spirit was indeed wrought in thee by the worke of God whose workes are perfect like himselfe then know that this spirit is eternall And therefore as I advise thee to tremble at thy deadnesse and lukewarmnesse so yet I adde lin not till some beame of ray of that old spirit of Grace as the Sun through a cloud shine into thy prison wals and cause thy flesh to returne againe through faith in his promise as the flesh of a little child If things indifferent or crosses have disguised thee the worke will be the lesse to file thee bright againe because the leprosie is but in the skinne But if any speciall and grosse sinne have fretted inward and rusted thy spirit wasted thy first love then let it smite thee as an arrow piercing thy liver desire God to flayte and gaster thee out of that lap and bosome Simil. as Sampson out of Delilah's As they who worke in Coalepits if once they see their candle to burne blew make away with all haste possible lest they be choaked So thou whiles any life and spirit remains hast thy selfe out of this sadde damp and looke up to him to prevent utter death who hath promised to establish thee with his free spirit and so to renue it that it might never againe waste or decay in thee See that it doe not Thou hast felt the danger of losing it and the presence of God to thy soule by it If God have gathered it up againe as water spilt on the ground and girded up the loynes of thy soule with a second girdle of renewed zeale and fervour of heart lock thy doore upon thy beloved clip him faster in thine armes then ever and sinne no more lest a worse thing befall thee Fifthly this Use leads me to another and more weighty one of Use 5 Examination Examination to try thy selfe about this spirit of Grace whether ever it were wrought in thee soundly or not There is no
resist that spirit by which you speake and walke It is not your duties hearing Sermons which will serve turne except you get into the way of God and get your spirits whetted up to a lively temper of godlinesse you shall but adde heapes to heapes and die of thirst Rake up the ashes of your first sacrifice and see if there be any one sparkle alive Iudg. 15.16.18 to kindle that old fire in your hearts God hath now farre more need of it then he had then If you cannot find old sparks goe to Heaven for new for a double portion of it else you will hardly hold out in these cold times You young Novices here among us who in your youth have begunne well and honoured the labours of Gods servants by your zeale by your answering to Catechism by drawing on many to God be not discouraged that the same Grace which made you young Sts. can make you old ones I doubt it not but blesse God for the hope I conceive of your growth and fruit Esay 8.18 1 Iohn 4.4 though we are as signes both we and the children which God hath given us and wonders to the world feare not greater is he that is in us then with them You Magistrates hereabouts you Headborowes and Officers at home doe not play the cowards in the cause of God and the government of the Towne suffer not drunkards to fill up your Alehouses here upon the day of our Lecture and to rout in all cursed behaviour all the day after going together by the eares swearing and swaggering let not your Taverns and places of resort be more frequented then Gods house I see ruine before mine eyes and the young fry will prove worse then their Predecessors your glory is gone except you hold together and prevent sinne from flowing downe your streets and overthrowing all 2 Cor. 2.14 â—â— And in a word to all sorts I speake scatter the savour of this spirit of Grace all about the places where you dwell shine especially within your owne sphere and families lay in for grace and mercy for your husbands wives children kinsfolke and neighbours who have long beene ignorant profane or formall worshippers at the best pluck them out of the fire by violence Iude ult Perhaps some seed lies under a clod they are not so deeply sunk under the slavery of those Idols but that God may fetch out somewhat of them at the last and shall it die for lacke of stirring up Be earnest with God and strive hard for the whole corner this poore Countrey in which ancient zeale and the spirit of Grace decayes exceedingly Easie serving of God for fashion and this love of the creature hath eaten up all The last yeare we were almost starven for bodily bread but God be thanked better food did helpe well both to content the poorer sort and to uphold their spirits with patience yea and to perswade the richer sort to mercy and compassion Now we feare a worse famine if not want of the Word yet that the Lord for our wretched unfruitfulnesse may fill our mouthes with Quailes Mumb. 11.20 and suffer them to come out againe at our nostrils may fat us with meanes and curse us with leannesse in our soules Psal 106.15 Lord suffer not the child to die at the breasts for lack of milke nor having it to surfet Oh thou who hast bred us by thy Word with the lively spirit of Grace preserve us by the same nourishment whereby wee are begotten And so for such among us brethren as have continued constantly Branch 5 in this zeale of the Gospel Consolation to all such as walke in the comfort of the spirit of conversion I doe here reach out comfort unto them and say to them as Elisha to Naaman Goe in peace Though you and I should never heare the voyce nor see the face of other yet we shall do well as long as the peace of God is with us Nourish your hearts still till death in this love of the Gospel Make not shipwrack in the havens Thinke not now of any new way Turne not to the world for they care not for you you stink to them therefore hold to your old Master and be his servants for ever Let the Lord beate you out of his doores before you dare start from him you have beene his so long that as Peter said Whither should we goe Lord from thee Iohn 6.68 thou hast the words of eternall life Though there be neither Calfe in the stall nor Bâ—llock in the heard though the Olive cast her fruit and the Vine decay yet God shall be your salvation Though meanes faile Habac. 3.17.18 yet this spirit of grace in you shall be a lively immortall stock in you and preserve you by faith to the day of salvation 1 Pen. 1.5 These are times wherein sinne abounds it is the very houre of darknesse Revel 3.10 Pray that as you have kept the Word of Gods patience all this while so he would keepe you though all the world should be over-shadowed And although perhaps you take thought for your first edge which is blunted by long continuance and custome Ephes 3.16 17 yet so long as your metall holds good steele to the back and you grow rooted settled and stable in all faith love and fruitfulnesse feare not he that hath begunne will perfect his worke Faithfull is he who hath promised 1 Thes 5.24 To the worke of whose Grace I commend you which is able to sanctifie you throughout and both to keep your bodies soule and spirits 1 Thes 5.25 pure and blamelesse to his comming through the Lord Jesus to whom with the Father and the Spirit that immortall invisible and onely wise God 1 Tim. 1.17 be all honour and praise for ever Amen FINIS AN APPENDIX OR POSTSCRIPT TO THE READER ANd thus good Reader thou hast these Lectures penned to the uttermost wherein they were preached And as I inteÌ„ded to preach no more so neither doe I purpose to trouble thee with more then I preached The Verses following to the twentieth savour wholly of a spirit carried zealously towards God whose mercy cured both Naamans body and soule a draught whereof I gave thee in this last Lecture I grant there are some passages of obscurity attending the words next to them I have handled which some scrupulous Reader might thinke himselfe wronged if they should wholly be unsaluted Wherefore to give a very short touch of them thus conceive of the severals thereof THerefore take a blessing c. But he said Vers 15. end 16. As the Lord liveth Touching this Addition of his large gifts to his large heart I have already spoken of it in the servants arguments and shewed there the duty of the people to their Ministers And we must know it did not abhorre from the custome of those times either to offâ—r or accept gratuities by the Prophets But touching his refusall
he was intimated from God to reject it and that with a solemne oath by the life of God Not that rash oaths are to be admitted in every solemne or serious case of truth But partly for the settling of Naamans spirit that he might spare needlesse obtrusions and partly that he might know it came fâ—om no distast in the Prophet but it was God who barred it And why Doubtlesse the Lord would not that rewards comming from a Novice whose strength was small though his wealth great nor any bruite therof among Heathens who must have heard of the fees as well as the cure should disparage and prejudice the grace and freedome of so miraculous a worke as the conversion of a soule and the healing of a Leper And therefore he would have all such sinister constructions to be dasht Gods Prophets never stand in such deep needs that God must be dishonoured by their supply God scorned to be thought to send for Naaman to possesse his Treasure or enrich his Prophet Teaching us not to rake together boons and gifts from men or advantages to our selves counting all fish that comes to net But wisely to lay things together considering what our persons the cause of God the persons that give either unable or ungrounded or any other circumstances may admit for the warranting or disabling of the receit For some cases are too hot and too heavy to meddle with such matters tending to a snare and therefore let them perish rather then Religion should suffer thereby This latitude of giving and receiving is not easily restrained where Wisdome and Discretion holds not the reine And Naaman said Shall there not then be given two Mules load of earth to thy servant For thy servant will worship no other God c. A reply of Naaman to this refusall with his reason Jn the former he seemes to speake thus If thou onely aimest at my soules good and not thine owne hearken to my motion of two Mules load of earth that is so much as will serve me to worship upon for J heare that God will onely be worshipped in his holy Land or the bounds of his Church This argued his weaknesse for God might bee worshipped by true Proselytes any where though not in Sacrifices And it was not so farre from Aram to Ierusalem Wonder not therefore if the Prophet yeelded not For herein be shewed himselfe a Novice and no wonder Young beginners must be hatcht up and encouraged But for the thing which is to be noted it is this That in ignorant beginners there are many tolerable follies and infirmities inseparably mixed till better light and information ripen and rectifie them There must be a time alotted for every thing and the Disciples of Christ while he lived with them were extremely weake Christ being in his humility they were bare but after when he came to his Crowne he gave them gifts abundantly And we need not wonder if Popery after so long a soking in their dregges are so stale and settled in their superstitions when as even at and with the first onset upon Religion and creeping out of Paganisme this poore pilgrim here growes superstitious When are we free from evill Whiles drowned in prophanenesse we are on the left hand when brought to Religion then a right-handed enemy invades us Superstition as a Canker breeding in the fairest Apple of Devotion to defile it Religion cannot quit us from danger There is a white Devill as well as a blacke Ignorance and weaknesse being unable to avoyd many right-hand evils Yet better of the two that our milke seeth a little over then be eaten raw although both would be shunned What a world of scurffe brake into the Church of God after the first three hundred years since Christ Persecution ceasing and Christianity under Constantine beginning to prosper how did Satan hedged out one way creepe in worse another We say Out of the ashes of sinne sinne may spring up Out of those ashes of persecution arose undue honour to Martyrs Orations Sepulcres Prayers to God at their Tombes Censings and the like till Superstition without a word bred Idolatry against it and laid a nest egge for a world of Popish trash to ensue upon it The sad issue of it this day argues of what stamp it is Let us labour therefore to keepe devotion within due bounds lest else she which was at first legitimate after breed bastards for lack of knowledge And so much for this The other thing is his Reason Verse 17. fetcht from the integrity of his heart in point of the worship of his onely God who had converted him and no other It is the same which is said in vers 15. which gave occasion to the last Lecture proceeding from the spirit of his cure It is as I have said an instinct and inbred affection of all true converts to clasp and cling wholly to the God of mercy and to the truth of his worship who hath accepted them to favour And therefore the first reall consequent and formall adjunct of his conversion is wholly for ever to ejure Jdols So that all defiled Schismatickes and Heretickes Jdolaters justly question their true conversion Jnto their counsell let not our soules come Vers 18. In this the Lord be mercifull to thy servant c. As he is resolved touching the last terme and object of his worship so yet he sadly staggers about the circumstances Jt hath long possessed the spirits of most men that Naaman resolved upon the bowing before the Jdoll and craved pardon for it as a gainfull sinne and that which he was loath to forgoe But they are much deceived For the opening of his speech consider there is somewhat in it good somewhat doubtfull That which was good was this that out of a tender respect to preserve his purpose of sound worship he smites first upon his chiefest feare layes his hand upon the pained plat and is most solicitous for that sinne which had beene was like to be most difficult and offensive in his way This he takes most thought how to be rid of Fire alway consumes that matter which most opposes it so doth grace carry the soule with most jealâ—usie caâ—e and resolution against that sinne which hath beene beloved'st and thâ—eatens greatest resistance to a repentant course That which was doubtfull in his words is this That he desires to be pardoned in his bowing afterward for so J take the words to import not for time past but the opinion of most men concerning his resolution is very uncharitable He is now in his chiefe heat and zeale for God therefore to come in with a dispensation for a thing contrary to his vow in some kind were very absurd and unseasonable to imagine But wee must conceive this verse to containe the pith of all that had passed betwixt him and Elisha touching his complaint J take it thus therefore that here is a fight in Naaman viz. betwixt zeale on the one side and ignorance
Herods sword would not be satisfied because they were not See an example in those fugitives Ierem. 43. They would go into Egypt or else all is marred But the humble lowly heart is glad to stoop to any conditions The former is a dogged stout invincible heart The other is a broken and yeelding one it will indure any tearmes of selfe-deniall to abase it selfe Will God have him poore in meane account suffer losse of goods liberties for him He is content laies hand upon his mouth not a word my soule God will have it thus Will God have Paul preach He stoops to it Will he have him not preach in Bythinia but in Macedonia He descants not Will he have him goe from preaching to prison to banishment to the sword He is content If Michel mocke David he will yet be more wise If Shemeâ— will curse him hee will not revenge If he must lose his Kingdome let the Lord doe with him as he will The second Triall Judge thy selfe not in coole bloud but when thou art put to it Then Self will most recoile and selfe-deniall will most appeare Then is a souldier tried for courage when his enemy is upon him as Sampson When temptation is absent a foole is wise a froward one is patient an unchaste one is chaste But trie him and hee will act himselfe and shew his mettall In a good and peaceable time it is little to be good but to be so where Satans throne is is somewhat in the midst of an adulterous generation to shine is some signe of selfe-deniall Thirdly trie thy selfe-deniall by thy forsaking of gainefull sinnes Saul will kill the refuse of Amalek but the King and the fat cattell and the best of jewells he will save David will not kill Saul to hasten a Kingdome When two plead at the soules barre gaine and conscience only then is thy self-deniall searched Then looke to thy tacklings When Selfe is not importunate one Selfe may crosse another But if in importunity the soule be rough and resist it is a signe of denying her selfe Observe narrowly on whose side thou givest sentence when Christ and Lust pleade together as the two harlots If the sword of the word decide all is well If Abraham will renounce himselfe in his dear affection to Isaac God may trust him for ever Fourthly Try thy selfe in point of free willingnesse to search out the expresse will of God in a case of doubt without shuffling and crooking the rule of God to thine owne bent Thus did Balaam cosen himselfe with his consulting with God and speaking against an house full of gold but taking an handfull and going with the messengers hee had light at a key hole to tell him he must not go yet he quasht it Iohanan his men prayed Ieremy to consult with God but still hoping they should have a grant but being told he refused There is no halting before the Creeple The Lord knowes the meaning of the Spirit There is a light in the minde but the inspiring the straitning of it is from God Good wares will abide the light Bad will not And truth seekes no corners But Selfe doth and will say I would not put my mony to use but that it is against a Common-wealth to keepe it I would bee strict in a Sabbath but that it is too Jewish such figleaves our nakednesse will sow together So much for this Againe let this doctrine of Selfe teach us wisely to trie our sanctification and the truth of it as well as our justification and the effectualnesse thereof Selfe remaines in the best to defile their holiest endeavours in part But in hypocrites it defiles both persons and actions wholly So that it should make us wary how farre we ascribe to our sanctification except wee can prove our principle to be sound Selfe will deceive us with false colours of holinesse if we be not wary for there bee many things which carry a strong shew of it and yet come from a false ground All is not gold that glisters distinguish therefore our sanctification from all false principles which doe make semblance of it to deceive others and especially our selves An easie thing it is as I once read in a godly mans writings for an erroneous heart to goe forth in the strength of false principles of Selfe assisted with education Selfe in naturall parts Selfe in lusts Selfe in the power of Ordinances or Evangelicall light Selfe customes with many such like as these Selfe feare and bondage examples To give a little taste of a few of these that by the paw wee may judge of the Lion and perceive how farre sanctification lies above Selfe First take naturall Selfe to taske both in her affections abilities and conscience Naturall affections may deceive thus Abraham would needs have Ismael live in Gods sight out of a naturall affection Isaac would have Esau enjoy the blessing against the promise A woman hath a sicke child which shee earnestly desires to live and goes to God for it though without faith being a naturall woman Christ is not the strength of the prayer but nature See Hos 7.14 Affections are good as we see in Hanna if under faith But this error is thus discovered when the object is spirituall and the motive spirituall the affection is sound but when the soule is not carried beyond a naturall object as when a woman having her child recovered prayes no more it is a signe of meere nature See Gen. 20.24 in the Shechemites Againe when naturall affections onely carry the soule then meere softnesse of nature acts a man but not tendernesse of heart softnesse of nature will yeeld both wayes it will pitty an offender being punisht as well as an innocent it will be curteous to all sorts alike without respect of grace or desert why Because it is onely generall nature proceeding alway one way Softnesse will yeeld in the Church to counsell and out of the Church to ill company But Iosias his tendernesse yeelded but one way that is to the Law of God but was opposite to Idolls and destroyed them Mourning women hired at funeralls or stageplayers weepe for good and bad Ieremy weepes for Iosia the breath of their nostrills Lam. 3. and for the Church Ierem. 9.1 So much for this The like I say of naturall abilities They oft come in the roome of Christ and Grace The lackey rides and the Prince goes on foote Naturall Abilities are wit expressions memory judiciousnesse and the like in prayer conference repetitions of Sermons c. But the error is discerned thus Abilities doe not humble or change the soule as true sanctification doth but puffes up the heart rather Grace with giftes abases the soule See for this Acts 3.12 Revel 9.10.21 Faith the nearer it comes to God the humbler it makes a man it is an emptying grace of Selfe Againe parts will not keepe a man from sinne as grace will Abilities will not reach to suffer for God though they seeme to
act for him if suffering come Selfe rages But Grace goes forth in Gods strength Psal 84.5.6 They went through Baca Psal 84. yet from strength to strength Love is wanting to only-Abilities Abilities only looke at themselves as their own excellency but grace makes God her excellency only a naturall man beholds the Minister in his parts not his spiritualnes 2 Cor. 4.7 So I say touching naturall conscience Rom. 2.14.15 The heathens by naturall conscience accused or excused themselves But this is easily discerned because such a conscience acts a man onely in a naturall way As they of Listra thinking the Apostles to be Gods brought their Bulls to sacrifice to them many a drunkard taxes himselfe but his taxing is weak and vanishes but a spirituall conscience is firme and overpowring Again a naturall conscience can be but morall at most as not to lie swear but a spirituall embraces supernaturally revealed things as faith regeneration And put case such a conscience have some light of the word added to it yet without grace by the word corruption is not subdued as it is in a man who lookes into the mirror of the word See 2 Cor. 3.18 So much for these three Branches of Nature The second triall is of education It is with many Christians as with Empericks they have learned some receits from able Physitians but want grounds of Art to minister physicke themselves So many have had good education with Ioash under Iehoiada and act accordingly But the discovery of these is that they are soone weary of Gods worke I say not onely in it for so may a good man but of it because their principle is outward but the sanctified soule being inwardly stirred from the Spirit is unwearied See Esay 30.31 They are carried in Gods armes But the other walk as a creeple forced to goe by some externall mover now forced motions cannot bee perpetuall as the motion of legs strengthened by sinewes and joints Againe a man onely acted by education hath two motions like the orbes of heaven moved by their owne circular motion and yet retrograded by the primum mobile But a sanctified motion is uniforme in it selfe if he be in a good family hee moves onely according to the good meanes thereof not according to his corrupt motion And when the party is furthest off his Parents or Teachers the falsely principled are most sluggish and at last faint utterly not so hee who is acted by grace read Iudg. 2.19 Iudg. 4.1 As the glasse which yeelds reflection no longer then it is backed with steel A stone will flie a while so long as the strength of the arme abides in it but no longer because it is acted contray to the principle Examine thy selfe about this now one day thou wilt else rue it Beleeve not every shew He whom Christ hath traind up drinkes in his raine his instruction is carried as I may say upon his shoulders is cared for by him blessed and upheld by him though his naturall parts be never so weake feeble and poore whereas the counterfeit is abhorred by God let his gifts and trainings be never so eminent So much for this second Thirdly again a man may thinke himselfe to go forth in the strength of Grace yet be meerly acted by some lust as Diogenes comming into Plato's house and seeing costly silk cushions trode upon them saying I trample upon Plato's pride But Plato told him he did so with a double pride so Esay 58. those fasters went to work in the strength of their covetousnesse and lusts But an holy heart will make a naturall object spirituall to it selfe as a man may do evill in the strength of a good intent for lack of knowledge so much more may a man doe good in the strength of a lust How many will reprove others in the strength of carnall indignation as the other Disciples did those two sonnes of Zebedee Or of a sullen froward censorious humor Lust is contray to some lust grace only to all lust Some preached Christ out of envy a good worke comming from a lust but the discovery is easie for such a man obeyes not because he is commanded Psal 119.6 but for his will sake Object But I do as I am commanded therefore I am sanctified I answer if thou dost simply so it is well else thou maiest do a command and yet use that as a colour to varnish thy action as a Apothecaries colour their physicke for a lustre sake not to amend it So a lust may bee the principle but yet a command may be a stalking horse So much for this third Fourthly a man may cosen himselfe about his obedience by the common power of the Gospel and the gifts which issue from thence and yet come far short of grace as is manifest in Iudas Alexander Hymenaus Demas and others And this is the subtilest delusion of all the former As the lower element of water may symbolize with the higher of Aire in an inferior quality of moistnesse though not of heate so may an hypocrite partake of the lower qualities of a beleever but not of his grace As the Master is so is the scholar if the Master can but read the scholar can but read but if hee be able to teach Grammer then the scholar learnes that So an ignorant man can read the booke of the creatures without and the booke nature within but an hypocrite can read the booke of the Gospel and yet may be farre from beleeving it True it is both naturall and divine gifts doe agree in some respects as that both are infused the one by nature the other by grace both leave some positive worke in the soule but naturall gifts rather by substracting some evill spirituall by adding some reall qualities both give some liberty of working Godward but the former give no freedome to the will in working the latter doth for whom the Sonne makes free he is free indeed Object But by this it might seeme that the difference stands only in a degree Answ True it is there is a graduall difference between the good grounds one brings forth thirty another sixty a third an hundred fold but the good and bad differ substantially For meere common gifts of the Gospel in hypocrites first are inordinate as Iudas seeing the box of ointment broken thought of the poor but inordinately and Sauls saving the fat cattell of Amalek was inordinate and irregular So Ananias and Saphira Acts 5. Lust must live where it is not mortified if not under open prophannesse then under boord Secondly an hypocrite may shunne a sinfull lust by putting it aside as when uncleannesse is justled aside by ambition or covetousnesse or an hypocrite may be for Christ in opinion when the winde serves but not when it turnes whereas a good heart is set that way as the needle toucht stands to the North-point or thirdly hypocrites may doe much by their conviction of understanding but a beleever workes by the divine habit