He knows well enough it would put thee upon mortification and heavenly-mindednesse and holy-reformation and poverty of spirit he keeps Christians therefore what he can and as long as he can from rejoycing in Jesus Christ and from taking out the sweet of that they have found because he would keepe their corruptions the stronger and stave them off from a more assured purchase of the pearl and treasure the longer time Secondly we may hence learn in what order mortification and full self-deniall comes forth and is acted and encreased upon and after the joy of faith after a soul hath found Christ and conceived some sweetnesse in him by beleeving There are many who thinke they must first sell all mortifie their lusts c. and then come to Christ by faith no warrant have they to beleeve no ground of applying a promise till they have got such mastery and victory over their lusts as they desire And it may be this is the ground and reason why some have put forth such an ignorant Question as this what have we even we beleevers to sell as if all were done before faith not after whereas all is done in true self-deniall with and after the first beleeving nothing before Use 2 Of trial For Examination and discovery of the truth or falsenesse of mens joyes at the hearing of the Gospel and upon any discovery made of the Pearl and Treasure First Let me give the true Christian his portion it is more comfort to finde thy joy to be true joy then to finde thy heart meerly joyfull Now then it is true when it hath such strength as to bring in universall self-deniall when it hath that free royall nature as to deny God nothing that he cals for when it hath that purity as to make thee studious and carefull to please God and come up to terms of agreement and commerce with him If it be a means to mortifie sinne to crucifie thee to the world and the world to thee as it was to Paul m Gal 6. 14. his glorying and rejoycing in the crosse of Christ brought him to such a frame then is it a true joy and a sanctified fruit of the Spirit The fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace c. And when goodnesse meeknesse temperance and other gracious acts are the results of joy it cannot be questioned but thy joy is sound and thy saith sound and thou hast truly found the Treasure the Treasure is thine the Pearl thine Christ and all his excellencies are for thee c. But Secondly If thy joyes and enlargements of heart have no other fruit but self-indulgence and favour to thy lust and base yeelding to the next temptation they are too weak to be the birth and of-spring of the Spirit Self-seeking joy is too low and too base to be born from on high now to be sure all a worldlings joy is no other all a carnall and formall professours joy is no other Herod heard Iohn Baptist gladly but could not deny himself in his Herodias the temporary beleever set out by the stony ground heard with joy but when it came to the point of self and world-denial he fals away Thirdly If self-denial be but small 't is a signe a Christians joy is small and faith is but weak at the best yea it witnesseth against some professours that they have lost their first joy and their first love time was when they consented to sell a husband a wife a childe c. Now such self-relations are too near too dear Oh the troubles of a wives or husbands losse must not be spoken of nor the parting with a childe thought of what is the reason The creature is a Pearl in their eye above and before Christ and his truth Fourthly If thy joy be in thy parts and gifts and outward duties thy enlargements and priviledges among Gods people as matter of justification and righteousnesse before God this joy would be turned into sorrow and humiliation repentance for such a joy will be a better evidence for thee in it's proper place then the cherishing of that which is but a Pharisees and a carnal mars joy And although there is a proper comfort which flowes from true sanctification or inherent graces and duties of new obedience as evidences of justification and union with Christ yet no further doe they comfort or are they evidences but as fruits of faith and influences from the life and strength of Christ Look to it that thy joy in duties c. be not a joy in thy self but a joy of the Pearl and Treasure and the faith thereof Joy in self and joy in Christ are heterogeneall and of a contrary root and principle And the later will and must if the heart be upright eat out and consume the former Use 3 Of Exhortation 3. For Exhortation Labour to finde cherish and maintain such a joyfull finding of the Treasure as may worke thee to utter self-denial soul-emptyings and creaturerenouncings in Christs cause and upon Gods call to encourage whereunto take along with thee these three Considerations First It is most straightly commanded that you do fell all hate all for Christ under pain of Christs high displeasure Mat. 16. 24. Luk. 14. 26. As you would not be cashier'd from his souldiers and followers as you would be meet to be accounted one of his Doe it you must and yet doe it you will not freely thorowly except you make much of the joy of the Lord. Secondly In this thou shalt be conformable to Christ who denied all parted with all though that be not the selling in the Text he emptied himselfe n Phil. 2. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of glory of comfort denied his fame his friends his wealth his honour life and all and that out of joy or For the joy set before him he endured the crosse despising the shame c. And indeed the joy of faith is more the joy set before a Christian then that which is in him for the present If the little joy thou hast puts thee upon sorrow for sinne mortification self-abhorring subjection to the crosse more will come in which may be a Third consideration the comfort of a chearfull self-denying Christian is doubled and trebled after acts of self-denial Consult the Scriptures and experiences of the Saints and you will finde it a truth made good to all that ever acted the part of wise Merchants The Apostles suffering blows and stripes come off rejoycing o Act. 5. 40 41. Paul and Barnabas persecuted and expelled the coasts of Pisidia are filled with joy and with the holy Ghost p Act. 13 50 51 Paul and Silas shut up in the prison and stocks are singing praises at midnight q Cap. 16. 25. such was this grace and high favour of God bestowed on the Churches of Macedonia r 2 Cor. 8. 1 2. that in a great triall of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty
for Christ but not according to knowledge If you think to be saved and to help to save others by the doctrine of universall Redemption and by the particular act of rebaptizing and of being rebaptized you will still deceive and be deceived Perpend therefore and weigh with your self or rather out of your self with the minde of God in the Scriptures as here and in others more elaborate and spirituall dissertations is cleared and vindicated Had you sold your self wit fancy and conceit in Gods matters for Christ and Gospel-truth you would never have so abused the Parable of selling all and of buying the field and treasure as you did when you opened your pack of wares in our Town I know 't is incident to us all to erre but where self-deniall prevails errour shall not prevail to heresie Errour is a serpent with a long tail full of knots if unwary self-confident persons meet with it it will winde in and enwrap in it's endlesse train a thousand of them with which they cannot but be strangled that do not strangle it I am afraid my old friend T. More sometimes of Wels was thus ensnarled by doubtfull disputations with the erroneous Doctours of the times who hath pleaded your cause of generall atonement in print A book I could never meet with to this day but the other day when I had finisht this By M. Whitfield Piece there was presented to my view a godly learned friendly and faithfull Answer to that his book I shall hope by humility and self-deniall he will recover himself upon the reading of it and I shall pray you may prevent him or joyn or follow in a Palinodia Then will you see and say it had been better for you both to have kept to your looms then to have spun such a threed which will not make a web and that a garment to cover your nakednes withall Repent or you have much to answer a heavy account to give up For such as have had a better name for piety then ever Prelates had to make a more dangerous narrow bridge to Popery then they did by a more refined Pelagianisme For you who have pretended to more sanctity then ever Arminian Doctours have done in familiar communion with Gods people to be more efficacious in deceiving and mis-leading unstable souls O I tremble to think of the account Repent therefore and your errour of errours yet will not be your ruine But if the Lord leaves you to your free-will and you be hardened from his fear let him that you will procure to answer me if you cannot your self reconcile these contradictions between your universality of Redemption and your Anti-paedo-baptisme Vniversalist Anti-paedo-baptist Christ died to redeem all of man-kinde whereof Infants are a part As for Infants we know nothing of them Or thus Christ took away the curse from all men for sins against the Covenant of works Infants have no visible grace Again All of man-kinde are under a Covenant of Grace Infants of the best believing Parents are not under a Promise Again The guilt of Adams sin is taken off from all and by consequence there are no Pagans nor ever were No Infants are faederally holy They are all but young Pagans Now the good Lord the Spirit of truth deliver his chosen people from both these extreams and from all such interfeering and shackling opinions in whom I am theirs and Yours to read as to write to learn as to teach John Stalham To the Christian Reader Christian and Beloved Reader VNder the favourable allowance of the Authour of these ensuing labours my very loving Friend and vigilant Pastour I am crept into thy view not arrogating so much repute as to encline thee to a more venerable esteem of any thing in them because attested in an Epistle of mine For I am not of Classick authority to do any competent service of that kinde My scope rather is to witnes to what I have heard and received from the undoubted word of truth made known to me by the spirit of truth which hath wrought effectually as in other means so by the Ministery of this Authour to confirm and establish me in truth received before my acquaintance with him and to deliver me out of the snare of some errours in which I began to be entangled about that very time in which I began to know him And though I know him too well to go about to winde into his better esteem by painting and tickling encomions who lives upon a purer and more heavenly air then the vapour of mans breath exhaled by a corrupt fancy from a muddy heart yet I deem it some encouragement to him that is set over me in the Lord to watch for my soul to be acknowledged in his work and successe and in so doing I do only discharge a debt Some of the strong supporters of the rotten fabrick of Arminius thou maist see him batter and rase in this Discourse into which since I was a waifaring man to heaven I never turned in to lodge for a night finding it inconsistent with that foundation against which the gates of hell shall never prevail Especially that of Saints apostacy And for Paulus Testardus his friend and neighbour I cannot but issue my thoughts that he is here so fully enervated and enfeebled that when I read that passage in the book which concerned him if I had been a woman and in Elizabeths condition when Mary came from the hill countrey to salnte her the babe would have leapt within me for joy Another errour occasionally touched upon I must crave thy patience to speak a little to and that is the opinion of Anti-poedobaptisme in the lime-twigs whereof I my self was once taken and held till by the Lords blessing upon the judicious meek and divine reasonings of this Authour I was enabled to discern the Arminian results that naturally and therefore necessarily arise from Anti-poedobaptisticall grounds while they both make the Covenant of grace dependent upon some spirituall qualification in the creature And this I blush not to publish to the world hoping that it may be for thy benefit I am not ignorant that there are irreconcilable contradictions between the opinions of him who is both Anti-pedobaptist and Arminian a taste whereof thou shalt meet with in the close of the Authours Epistle to the Reader and no wonder for errour is often so divided and engaged in battels and feuds that thou maist meet with one corrupt opinion triumphing upon the neck of another like Tamerlane upon Bajazet unity and consent being the honourable titles and inseparable attendants of nothing but truth Nor yet doe I insert this as if I would insinuate that every Antipoedobaptist is an actuall Arminian it being quite against my principles to represent any man in a worse shape then his own digested opinions put him into And indeed I have so charitable assurance of some of their sincerities in saving truths as if their eyes were clear enough to
in Scripture you must as on a musicall instrument not put on great strings only but the smaller also and in a Consort take the Tenour and Counter-tenour with the Base You must not only hearken to the loud noise of the world and the sound of all all c. but take in the smaller sounds of sheep and friends and believers and then when we have the Scriptures in a compleat harmony set together they doe all unanimously make against universall Redemption not for it Behold the first Reason is without an Argument Reason 2. If Christ did not die for all every one could not have a ground of believing the report of the Gospel Answ What is there no ground of beleeving but upon a false Alarme and Report as this man hath brought amongst you 1. This Reason is the voice of unbelief The Arminian Doctrine helpes a lame Dogge over the stile viz. An unbeleeving heart to reason against the truth because all men are not bought and redeemed by Christ therefore I must not beleeve I say again this is nothing else but the language of unbeliefe beware of it 2. I retort it To lay forth this Doctrine before carnall men That Christ died for all is to lay a stumbling block before the blinde and to throw dust in the eyes of faith the faith of Gods elect that it shall not see at all but live by sense and not by it's own principles or not see by it's owne eyes Beloved in true beleeving there is a mystery When Christ dying for sinners is preached to the world it is a self-denying act to beleeve in him before I know I am of Gods secret number of the names in the Lambs book for whom Christ died but 't is no self-deniall when I hear Christ died for all to beleeve I am one This Doctrine then is an enemy to true beleeving and indeed a false Doctrine as I called it at first and have so proved it can beget but a false faith that which is but temporary not to be nourished or cherished by any true teacher or dispenser of the word 3. Is there no ground of believing except Christ died for all I will name you a few without this and sufficient I suppose to convince and draw a soul to believing 1. That Proposition or true and faithfull saying 1 Tim. 1. 15. 2. The Command Believe God bids thee believe faith is obedience to the Command Rom. 16. 26. 3. The Promise He that beleeveth shall not perish Joh. 3. 16. but he hath everlasting life Joh. 6. 47. and shall certainly be saved Act. 16. 31. 4. Gods act of justifying the ungodly Rom. 4. 5. 5. Gods raising Christ from the dead Rom. 4. 24. 1 Pet. 1. 20 21. consult and ponder the places 6. This very Proposition That Christ died but for some namely for his sheep hath been a ground of believing as Joh. 10. 15 c. after much discourse about his sheep and dying for them the result and close is v. ult And many beleeved on him there 7. Christ himself held forth indefinitely as a sufficient necessary and only meane of salvation which who so believeth Ames Anti. Synodatia 188. in chuseth and relieth upon under that notion may be sure that Christ hath an effectuall intention and purpose of saving him So the Apostle Paul and others held forth Christ We preach Christ crucified unto the Jews indeed who will not see sufficiency a stumbling blocke and unto the Greeks 1 Cor. 1. 23 24. who will not see the necessary determinations of Gods wisdom this way foolishnesse But unto them which are called perswaded to hearken after a crucified Saviour the sufficiency necessity and sole-soveraignty of his soul-saving bloud and palsion Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God so we preach so Gods elect do believe though they know not at the first whether they be of the number for whom Christ was crucified Hence Fourthly and lastly I answer The first act of thy faith is not to beleeve Christ died for all or for thee in particular the one is not true the other is not certain to thee till thou beleevest but this is that thou art called unto to believe in Christ as dying for sinners and able and willing to save thee beleeving then when thou comest to reflect upon thy faith thou shalt finde Christ died for thee not one man or person of years more then other is included or excluded but by his faith or unbelief Behold again his second Reason without an Argument viz. without nerves or sinews of truth to argue for this tenet of his and of all unbeleevers in a practicall way Let none then go away from such a Lecture and say We were led into and kept in errour all this time for we were taught that we must first know we were elected before we should beleeve but now that we hear Christ died for all we see ground for beleeving for it is as much as your souls are worth to miscarry here you may be lost for ever upon this verticall point For I deny that Christs dying for all or Gods electing of some and the particular knowledge of it is the foundation that we lay for mens beleeving not the first because false not the later because though it be most true that God gave his Sonne for none but his elect yet that thou shouldest know thy self of the number before thou believest who but ignorant men will teach so who but ignorant hearts will think so Election is a cause of beleeving and so many as are ordained to life have and shall believe Act. 13. 48. And if men doe finally persist in unbelief it is a sign they are not of Christs sheep Joh. 10 26. He that would know his election or redemption before he believeth is never like to know it 2. Come we to his Arguments as he cals them Arg. 1. Arguments disarmed The. 1. From the text Math. 22. 14. Many are called but few are chosen It was thus argued If Christ died for all that are called he died for more then the elect but he died for all that are called else they should not have been called or being called they are bound to believe that which is false if Christ did not die for them Answ I deny the Assumption and the two proofs of it The Assumption to be denied of you beloved as of my self is this That Christ died for all that are called t is a presumption without any found proof for 1. The first proof Else they should not have been called is a non sequitur or a false consequence for many are called because among the many God hath his choise number and will one day more distinguish them before all the world then yet he doth as in vers 47. The Parable following these of the Text. 2. The second proof proves not that it is brought for Being called they are bound to believe that which is true or false and if Christ
dissemble and Consequences tried cut off preach a lie telling them that Christ died for them when he did not Answ 1. When we according to Scripture preach Christ crucified to the world not yet believing we do not we dare not say that Christ died for them but that Christ died for sinners that they might believe in him And doe we here dissemble or is this a lie Is it not a true and faithfull saying c. 1 Tim. 1. 15. And hath it not worth and weight in it 2. If upon our preaching and mens hearing faith be wrought we say to such and of such Christ died for them and doe we here dissemble or is this a lie to say Christ died for thee and me beleeving in him 3. Is not the dissimulation and lie the result of such stuff as this Christ died for all and every singular person when by the event it plainly appears he did not let Deut. 18. 2â— be the judge Cons 2. If we deny Christ died for all the world we may as well say God made a people on purpose to damn them as if you or I should marry a wife on purpose by the blessing of God to have children and then when God hath bestowed them you or I should go and cut the throat of one and hang another up by the tongue and throw a third at the fires back were it not a woefull thing then much more that a mercifull tender-hearted God should deal thus with the workmanship of his own hands Ans What have we here but great swelling words of vanity and the foam of a distempered fancy yea daring and desperate words against the truth 1. Let us examine the Consequence Doth it follow at all that because we say the one Christ died not for all therefore we may say the other that God made a people to damn them He would indeed teach us to blaspheme but we will not learn of him The Scripture tels us Eccles 7. ult God made man upright but they have sought out many inventions waies enough to damn themselves yea that one invention of eating the forbidden fruit was sufficient to have damned the elect of God with all the rest of mankinde but that Christ stept in for them the devil shall not swallow all Again the Scripture tells us Prov. 16. 4. The Lord hath made all things for himself yea even the wicked for the day of evil He made them not wicked but if men make themselves wicked God who would not permit the evil but for a greater good his own glory c. makes or orders these wicked ones to suffer their just punishment on the execution day 2. Because God will not lose his elect but purchase them at a dear rate Is he bound to doe as much for others as he freely doth for them Who art thou that repliest thus against God as if because man takes delight in sinning God should take delight in meer damning no no 'T is the sinner cuts his own throat and throws himself into the fire and when upon offers and entreaties the sinner will not return and live but sinne and die the mercifull God will shew no mercy He that made them will shew them no favour Isa 27. after his patience is abused his mercie sleighted and his tender bowels grieved justice breaks forth and fury ceaseth upon the poor sinner 3. Here is nothing but jugling and delusion in this pretended Consequence and plea for even they that plead Christ died for all doe not dare not say he died on purpose to save all or to take away from all sinners their purpose of sinning And if notwithstanding such universall grace and Redemption as the Adversaries boast of men will and do go on with their purpose of sinning shall not God go on with his purpose of punishing the works of the devil in his own workmanship Cons 3. It implieth and concludeth as true believers under condemnation as any that are saved for the truest believer doth but believe what is reported to him and if it be reported to some that Christ died not for them they believe it and so perish Ans 1. None that believeth and comes under condemnation can never be said to be a true believer in a true Theologicall but only metaphysicall sense as copper is true copper but standing for gold 't is not gold e're the more or true gold so the faith of a temporary believer is a right copper-faith not faith of Gods elect or a golden faith 2. A true believer indeed receiveth the whole testimony of God about his Son not a part only 3. In all the report of the Doctrine there is no such Doctrine as this taught Christ died not for these particulars or Christ died for every singular person He therefore who believes upon this ground Christ died for every one therefore for me beleeveth a false Proposition and his faith is false And he that beleeveth Christ died not for him because he is told â—o without book believeth without book and so if he perisheth he perisheth by and for beleeving his own heart or Satan a lying spirit in the mouth of his heart not for believing truly This is a meer scandall they would cast upon the true Gospel with the rest Cons 4. The grace of Christ is straitned for they speak of free grace and upstart nothing but a plea for one of a hundred or one of a thousand Answ 1. Is it nothing to have one of a hundred or one of a thousand written in the Lambs book of life Though who taught him or any other this Arithmetick The Lord only knoweth who and how many are his he is an upstart nothing who puts this reproach upon Gods diminutives and his little flock 2. The freenesse of grace is magnified and manifested the more by Christs dying for a certain number given to him of his Father whom he thanketh and praiseth Math. 11. 25 6 7. for this free reservation of grace to a few Contracted beams of the Sunne have the greater strength in a burning Glasse to warme and fire and so have the raies of divine favour contracted into a narrow compasse Rom. 9. 28. 3. Our plea for Gods elect will hold and come to something in the end none of the Lords people but shall obtain the fruit of Christs death when as their plea for all the world besides the elect will fail them in the experimentall issue and come to nothing Cons 5. God will damn men they hold because he will damn them and so they make damnation Gods Ordinance not mans sin the cause of it And in this we may go so farre as to justifie the devil who taught Cain and Julian and Spira to despair and Judas to hang himself Now you will conclude the devil to be a lier from the beginning and that he cannot teach a truth and on the contrary you will conclude none ought to despair c. Ans 1. It is a double reproach either that
sure hopes cannot but be men of great joyes and this treasure and pearl bringing so much in hand at present and reaching forth so much in hopes for the future as we heard in the first Doctrine gives out withall no little ground of joy and rejoycing to a Christians heart Obj. But he hid his treasure and that partly as was opened in the 4. Doctrine under mourning and tears How comes he to rejoyce withall Answ 1. The Gospel-treasure is a secret and the finding of it by faith and hiding of it by repentance humility c. are secrets to the world and so is joy The heart knoweth his own bitternesse and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy q Prov. 14 10. If he seeth the outward expression he knoweth not the inward impression 2. A beleevers tears are tears of joy or the seed of joy Light is sowen for the righteous r Psal 97. 11. in tears and troubles and joy for the upright in heart 3. Hiding of the treasure under humble tears was not all the hiding we spake of there is as we heard an hiding of hope and there is joy hidden under hope We rejoyce in hope of the glory of God Å¿ Rom. 5. 2. and there is a hiding of love and joy is hidden with love Whom having not seen ye love ye rejoyce c. t 1 Pet. 1. 8. Which in the Use may serve Use 1 Of reproof 1. To reprove those that bring an evil report upon Christ and Gospel-grace that no sooner think some and others speak it out shall a man be converted but farewell joy you must bid adieu to all mirth and chearfulnes and entertain nothing but mopish melancholy and dumpish sadnes which is a clamour both false and impossible 1. False for you hear if you will beleeve what you hear from Christs mouth he is a joyfull man that findes the treasure Finding the treasure of the Kingdome he findes that joy and sweetnes as he never felt or had experience of before Oh the sweet taste of every promise and delicious dainties that he daily doth or may feed upon at the Gospel feast 2. Impossible for the faculties of the soul doe act and put forth according to their represented object Now a Treasure and Pearl is the object a present good and a future good as sure as present And where there is an apprehension of a present good yea and a hopefull assured future good there is and cannot but be joy and the greater that good the greater that joy the higher and richer that good the higher and richer that joy Now here is the summum bonum the chiefest good and it cannot but produce in the heart a summum gaudium the chiefest joy and it being bonum aeternum an eternall good here is gaudium aeternum Everlasting joy upon their heads u Isa 35. 10. The Kingdome of God consisteth in it Rom. 14. 17. 't is true the poor sinner upon his finding of Christ bids farewell to joy in sinne but that proceeds from this true and greater joy which banisheth and puts out the false appearances of sinfull joyes of which in the next point Let none therefore belie the Scripture and blaspheme or speak evil of Christ and his grace or of a true Christians estate What though the beleevers joy makes not such a noise as the carnall mans in the ears of the world A fire of thorns will make a louder noise and crackling then a fire of the best wood and carnall mirth will sooner be heard of then spirituall joy which is better apprehended in the heart then outwardly exprest when the countenance is sober and humble doth it follow he is melancholy and sullen Alas poor blinde worldlings who cannot judge of looâ—s and colours much lesse of hearts and the frame of a beleevers heart especially which so far as it is beleeving it is chearfull c. Use 2 Of Examination For triall it is an evidence against such as say they have faith and have found Christ and yet never took any pleasure in him in thoughts or speeches of him rather are ever and anon excepting against those who rejoyce in him such murmuring and grumbling at the Gospel pearl is an evident note of unbelief Behold this pearl is trâ—mpled upon by Swinish Gadarens and it puts a poor rich worldling into a fit of melancholy That poor young man rich enough in the world Matth. 19. When he is offered treasure in heaven be a sad at that saying if he cannot have it upon better terms then were propounded had the Word taken place in his heart as it did in Zacheus he had presently rejoyced and not gone away sorrowfull but where Christ is not beleeved on he is not rejoyced in and upon this very reason because Christ comes to take away the pleasures of sinne that last but for a season although he would give eternall pleasures in exchange the heart will neither rejoyce nor beleeve in him Ob. But there are those who beleeve but for a time and yet rejoyce as the stony ground Mat. 13. 20. Answ Such a faith such a joy God will go on with carnall men as farre as they will go with him where faith is temporary there joy will be a flash and â—way it continueth not when triall cometh no more than their faith nor doth that joy ever produce right self-deniall of which anon 2. On the contrary Hast truly beleeved Thou dost and will joy in the Lord in whom thou hast beleeved Hast found the first discovery of Christ to bring in some sweetnesse the second more c. 'T is a true issue of a right-bred faith 〈◊〉 you may know it to be so through the assisting light of 〈◊〉 Spirit by this 1. It is pure joy meerly arising from 〈◊〉 sight of the treasure 2. It will hold out in triall and tentation And though joy be but an accessory grace it comes and goes ebbs and flows yet it radically continueth of â—â—ideth in the root and cause of it and all objects of faith are objects of joy what feeds the one will cherish the 〈◊〉 and if thou findest it so with thee happy thou Object But some poor soul will say I dare not deny but I have found the pearl yet cannot rejoyce Answ 1. Is it not thy desire and dost not price a little joy in the Lord above all worldly joy 2. What is that which upholds thee against despair in some promise or Gospel-truth thou hast some secret joy â—r sin would presse thee down and swallow thee up with sorrow 3. Measures of joy will encrease upon beleeving study but to grow in faith and thou wilt encrease in joy Vse 3. Phil. 4. 4. For Exhortation to the true beleever Rejoyce in the Lord and again I say not I but the Apostle not the Apostle but the Lord himself rejoyce thou Christian that hast found the pearl and treasure rejoyce in thy treasure be glad and joyfull
to view his seal And when he seeth all is currant and good to buy the truth of the Gospel-doctrine and promises and of the Spirits evidences by which he and his brethren come to know within themselves that they have in heaven an enduring substance Plundred Heb. 10. 34. and spoiled they may be of what they buy in this world or of all purchased treasures here they may be cheated disappointed but as for the treasure in our Text it can neither be taken from them being in Gods keeping and Christs keeping not they be taken from it because when they die they goe to it where it is reserved for them As they have Christ and Gospel-grace here they goe thither to enjoy Christ and Gospel-glory Use 2 A note of discovery why some want assurance 2. See the reason why some want evidence and assurance because with self-denial and diligence they doe not seek it Of those that are uncertain of the Gospel-treasure of Christ the pearl of the Kingdom and the promises as theirs there be two sorts First Some who want evidence and will never have it nor come by it because they will not buy it with that wherewith they should buy it all they have set to sale they will not so much as consent to the letting go of self-righteousnesse sin or the creature c. Now such as will not yeeld to a parting with what stands in opposition to or in competition with the Lord Jesus neither will agree to an absolute hatred of sin nor a comparative hatred of the creature for him are not worthy meet or fit to have any Christ or heaven assured to them Secondly Others who want evidence and will want it a while because they hickle and dally and do not set roundly to the work either they are not faithfull in selling or not diligent in buying 1. Not faithfull in self-sale 1. Some lust is indulged and that keeps the soul in the dark 't is deservedly haunted with doubtings whether Christ be theirs while there is a favouring of any sin Or 2. Some parts and common gifts are preferr'd before sanctification and a mortified crucified use of them the pin-dust before the writing the varnish before the picture or post beware there of a rotten post which may be varnish't over as well as a sound Or 3. The man seeks his comfort in his duties and enlargements or in some frames of heart and will only then beleeve and be confident when the heart is in such a frame Many weak souls would make poverty of spirit hungring and mourning the cause and ground of their faith and not the evidence and fruit of it Or 4. The creature steals away their affection some profits pleasures or advancements relations and respects this and that way take up the room that comfortable assurance cannot dwell there scarce lodge a night in such a common Inne Or 5. The priviledges in and with the Church visible are built upon more then promises to the Church-mysticall and true members of Christ the head of the Church Or 6. The mans ends are not only stickling with Gods but indulged very farre and his own things sought not Christs or before the things of Christ Or 7. The poor soul goeth about self-denial in self-strength and would mortifie and sell all by his own power This is as main a let to assurance as the rest 2. Not diligent in buying of treasure Ordinances and means of assurance are neglected graces are not acted assurance is not prized the man resteth in the finding of the treasure is bidding and cheapning and endeavouring to draw it down to a lower price then God hath propounded he is tempted to repent of the full bargain and so God will not let him have it as yet but upon the just free and honourable terms as was at first agreed Hence hence so many doubting staggering Christians because so much slothfulnesse and indifferency in the matter of further and stronger assurance Use 3 A vvord of Exhortatiō Now let me addresse my self to such and such only who have beleeved and prized Christ and Gospel-grace and had some joy therein and have begun to deny something ye◠consented to let goe all for Christ here is I may say as the Apostle to the Hebrews That which accompanieth Heb. 6. 9 11. salvation but we desire that every one of you may shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end 1. Be diligent from first to last 2. Shew it as well as use it First Be diligent in all acts of selling that you may buy and come in to the evidence and assured possession of Christ and all Gospel-treasure and here let me present most needfull helps and waies of diligence before you 1. Let there be diligence in the meditation of promises and remembrance of Scripture-grounds of Assurance is God free bountifull willing able faithfull and unchangeable Is Christs intercession and the spirits presence perpetuall Let your thoughts be frequently fixt hereupon think not how able you are to keep your selves in his love but how able God is to keep you not how willing you are to be Christs but how willing he is to be yours not how faithfull you are but how faithfull he is c. 2. Let there be diligence in actings of Faith and renouncings of self-righteousnesse and all priviledges short of Christ and him crucified which the heart would build and rest upon for acceptance that Christ for your justification may be your sure your only treasure and pearl your all in all By faith 2 Cor. 1. ult Phil. 4 1 ye stand Stand fast in the Lord. 3. Let there be diligence in all departure from iniquity You must not think to be as the women Isa 4. 1. to be called by Christs name and eat your own bread wear your own apparel still live upon your lusts and goe in your rags 2 Tim. 2. 19. Let him that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity God will have his people stand at a distance from the waies of sin who would be sealed as his God can endure no Hab 1. 13. Tit. 1. 14. iniquity Christ came to redeem us from all iniquity It is his will we should be holy He hath a privy seal a seal of secrecy He knoweth who are his but this is his open seal impressions of holinesse upon the hearts and fore-heads of all professours of faith If you would have your assurance of Christ and hold it to the end beware of sins against light and sins against profession Let carelesse Christians thinke or boast what they will of assurance He that shall fall and fall again into sinne carelesly So many acts of sin so many steps down to hell so many degrees of Apostacy all which will weaken and darken assurance for 1. Though sin will not weaken Gods grounds yet it will weaken our apprehension of those grounds 2. Though the light be clear in the Word yet