you will bee filthy Rev. 22. be filthy still Adde to the number and fulfill the measure of your abominations goe forward you can but goe to hell therefore take your pleasure Know that hee who sets up Altar against Altar and his will against Gods a close following of his Justs his cups his harlots his oppression pride envy against Gods close Commands shall apply all his closest plagues and vengeance against such and who soever shall rise up against God in judgement Esa 54. Esay 54. Psal 50. him shall God most righteously condemne Oh thinke of it you that forget God! Shall not the hypocrites avoid everlasting burnings who doe but adulterate the purity of close Commands and you shall escape who disanull them You walke as the forlorne ranke in the face of the Canon and what wonder if you be shot all to pieces And all who will desperately follow your steps let them know they goe straight forward neither turning to left hand nor to right to the Bethshemesh of destruction It s terrible to heare of and see the present plagues of such even here some open defiers of the Sabbath to be struck mad others in their fencing upon that day to fall downe dead a third in shooting off his recoyling gun to be beaten to shivers the end of proud rebels is terrible in this world Iezabels Sauls Herods But the whole of their misery here is not the tenth of that hereafter the day is to come Esay 1. wherein the Lord will cry Aha I will be avenged of mine enemies I will laugh at their destruction I will make my blade fat with their bloud And when I have done I will take as little thought for their woe as they did for my Commands Oh tremble at this Vse 3 I proceed to the third use of the point and that is Examination Is it so Examination that the commands of God must be obey'd according to them that is their intent and extent and that they are so sad and close things Oh then in the feare of God try we our selves whether they be so to us or not It imports us exceedingly to doe it for if God be sad and we be slight if his issue be to enquire after close obeying but we onely looke at the surface and outsides of duty taking what wee please and sâ—umming off the fat and easie part leaving the leane and more unwelcome part to whose will we shall finde a wrong bargaine of it The eyes of God are piercing eyes and looke over the whole earth where he may finde close strict and sad obeyers of his voyce as he saith Esay 50. and there is his delight But as for him that with-drawes himselfe and secretly like that Iudas whips out from his fellowes for his owne ends Heb. 10.38 his soule shall have no delight in him Therefore in such bad times as these wherein every one will be religious but few or none close with the power of commands how imports it every of us Brethren to let loose stuffe goe to try our selves touching the soules concurrence wiâ—h God in this Soveraignty of his Commands And because me thinkes I see you to be desirous to try your selves about this but want direction how to do it aright therefore I will lay down some such rules of direction as through mercy may sweetly search every such heart as is willing to come to the touch-stone and leave it sound and sincere or if it shall discover it selfe to be otherwise then to looke to it selfe and to abhorre all such lets as it shall finde to hinder it from this closenesse and faithfulnesse in obeying commands First that soule which obeyes closely Trials of close obedience is very active and lively in Triall 1 her enquiring after the true and plaine intent and extent of Gods commands dare not flatter it selfe in her owne way and ease She is truly willing to know the uttermost of the truth but suspects her selfe still in her obedience that it is too loose too easie and too slight to be good She desires to goe downe right with Gods commands and having found out Rom. 12.2 what that good acceptable will of God is then nakedly she desires to close with it come what come will of it whereas the hypocrite is of a cleane contrary straine For why having a guilty conscience of withdrawing a part of the heart from God it is death for him to come to the triall 1 Sam. 15.12 Saul was as a Beare haled to the stake when he came to Samuels inquiry Acts 5.5 because he knew himselfe crazy So Ananias and Sapphira when they came under Peters inquisition Sold yee it indeed for so much Fell down dead Oh! the hollow heart shrugges and shrinkes at the extent of Commands cannot endure to thinke them larger then it selfe is willing to doe them If she should heare of a rule of more closenesse then she can admit she must needs bewray her selfe which she is loth to do Oh! how desirous a base heart is to get abatements of commands There is no man so forward to urge the uttermost allowance of the weight of gold that his light peeces might passe for currant as an hypocrite craves still for allowance to his slight obedience It kils his heart to heare of the strictnesse of a Sabbath what the rules of a lawful Fast are to prepare himselfe to the Sacrament to heare the Word to deny himselfe to be tied to doe or take good in company to walke unspotted of the world to oppresse none by fraud usury hardnesse Alas his Trade lies in this kinde take him off that you kill him See 1 King 22. Ahab being urged to call for a Prophet of God sent for him But as the Messenger went for him in his returne hee entreats him that his words might bee like the words of the foure hundred Prophets and that hee would not bee too strict But the closer obeyer is a close inquirer like Micaja who would not bee pulled to the right or left hand from God he is a willing person to bee informed about the nakednesse and simplicity of commands desirous to know the hardest Thus Iob cap. 34. and verse 32. saith If I faile that which I see not doe thou teach me Thus David Search me O Lord and try me if there be any way of evill in me Not that they have not much corruption and come farre short but yet they have no treacherous heart of withdrawing but rather an entire affection to be equall to Commands And as the heart of an hypocrite doth infinitely disobey So the soule of a beleever hath a boundlesse unlimited desire to obey a word according to a word in which regard it s called a perfect heart because it would be so and mournes that it cannot as a naturall childe is troubled that it cannot doe the fathers will to the full and therefore doth what it can to the uttermost
nature of this wofull Selfe A second gound of this point is from comparison with others For Reason 2 how easie a conclusion is it to make especially selfe being the Logician I see thus many adulterers From comparison with others liers and swearers despise God and all goodnesse contemne the meanes and scorne the light because their workes are evill now I for my part am a diligent hearer of the word a countenancer of Ministers a worshipper of God in my family and perhaps more yea a renouncer of all open sins and therefore must not I needs be led by a spirit of more excellent nature then they are Surely if I had their spirit I should be led to the same evills which yet now I abhorre Nay more when these hypocrites shall not onely compare themselves with others Selfe upholds herselfe by false comparisons but with themselves and say such a one was I wont to bee a grosse cozener and oppressor a cheater a covetous wretch uncleane and base but since I have heard and professed the Gospel I have abhorred such stuffe and am not onely in mine owne opinion but in the judgement of others another man Oh I say what a shrewd argument is this for one that cannot or will not compare himself with the word and trie himselfe by the markes of a beleever to give sentence on his own side which to doe for one not converted to God how doth it overthrow all his former shewes affections and duties and hinder him from true conversion indeed A third reason may be from Satan whose pillers are pitched more Reason 3 deeply and dangerously upon selfe Satan imbarks himself more deepâ—y in selfe then in other lusts then upon any other more open offender I say upon this privy-selfe especially Grosse persons doe but little hurt no nor such open hypocrites as whose shews are openly confuted by their owne practice for why each one stoppes his nose at them and they themselves comming once to the touchstone of the word have no great colour for themselves but more easily fall in peeces and give up their weapons to the battery of the law and power of the word convincing them But it is not so here For when Satan can so delude an unsound heart by the sweetnesse of selfe as to resist the dint of the truth and harden himselfe in his pretended religion and duties against the Lord Jesus and the spirit of faith and grace hee sleepes securely in his den knowing that such an one is under locke and key and is not like by any probability to get out of so excusing and erroneous a conscience and condition for he is as ready to damne himselfe for his owne ends as for Satans and therefore is under a more deepe chaine then any other sinner is True it is Satan chuseth rather out of the excesse of his wickednesse to debaush mens consciences but if once he can be resolved by sure markes that selfe beares sway above grace which is no hard thing for him to doe who can convey himselfe so cunningly into the bent and frame of mens carriages he knowes himselfe as sure of such abiding so as of men of more prophane and odious conversation Lastly how just is it with God to give over such to the hardnesse of Reason 4 their owne hearts to detaine the truth of God in unrighteousnesse Selfe deludes dangerously by Gods just giving her over to her own way and to lurke still in their owne den of ease and selfeconceit who having cleerely conceived his will and knowing that all who gather without Christ doe but scatter and except the Lord make the soule an habitation for his spirit all our building is but in vaine a meere Babell of confusion and a Castle in the aire yet shall withdraw their heart from God in the maine worke of selfedeniall and selling all that they might buy the pearle I doubt not but there are many unsound ones who know it not but doubtlesse the number of such is few in comparison of others To him that hath shall be given but from him who hath not shall bee taken away that hee seemeth to have Matth. 25.29 And so much also may serve for Reason I come now according to my order to answer a question A Question answered How may a man discover this mischiefe in his heart Since this mixt selfe is so dangerous a mischiefe as to deprive the soul of all her labour and hopes how might a man come to some discovery of selfe that so he might the more easily be prepared to cast it out and prevent the danger of it betimes ere it be remedilesse Seeing the conceiving hereof may make much for the application of the doctrine following I will a little insist in answering the question Therefore I say that the nature of this disease may partly appeare in the degrees of it and partly in the footprints and passages of it of both a little and first of the first Answ These degrees may the better be conceived if we consider that privy selfe as I have noted is that chiefe fort and refuge which old Adam imbarkes himselfe in 1. By her degrâ—es for the avoiding of Christ and the promise according then to the degrees of this bulwarke of flesh and the danger thereof Selfe may bâ—â— perceived by 3. properties the degrees of this selfe may be I conceive then that we may refer all this secret mischiefe to these three degrees The first in selfe presuming 1. Presumption The secoâ—d in selfe fearing The third in selfe withdrawing Selfe presuming is that corruption which holds off Christ in the preparation of the Law Gospel such as these feeling of the soul to be in an utter strait and in an absolute need of Christ mourning after him desiring him and taking paines for him with the like These all if they be soundly wrought in the soule proceeding not onely from legall abasement but also Evangelicall tidings of peace by the good things which onely Christ hath purchased cannot proceed from any principle in our selves Howbeit selfelove is so prone to presume of that to bee wrought truly in us which she covets and wishes to be wrought out of a desire of her own welfare that she easily mixes her selfe with the offer and promise and not staying her full time to weigh duâ—y the nature thereof takes her owne pangs and hopes and selfeloving conceits to be true preparations Now whereas every abiding worke of grace must have a principle in it above selfe-ends and selfe-love therefore what marvell if such flashes of presumptuous selfe vanish and leave the soule as new to beginne as ever it was 2. Self-fearing A second degree is selfe fearing which may befall him who hath shot the former gulfe for it lies in another extremity and runnes as much on the left hand as the other did on the right thinking though ungroundedly that although some worke hath beene
as this that out of her owne doores an enemy should come forth even this Selfe lurking in the secret corners of the heart unmortified selfe in revenge in unmercifulnesse in deadnesse of spirit security and pride wantonnesse and unbeliefe which should dishonor that God and wound that Spirit of grace which hath so lovingly vouchsafed to rid us of our first guilt and feare of wrath that we might be his owne redeemed ones and not serve our selves Againe if Selfe be so dangerous as to hold off the unbeleeving soule from faith how dangerous is it in stopping the passages of our comfort dayly from the promise or in threatning us some mischiefe ere we finish our course with perseverance Could he that hath runne a long and faire race toward the prise and is well neere come to it endure one who should stand armed and by force stoppe him from getting the silver bell how should that enemy even this wicked Haman bee abhorred by us that should defeate us thus yea if it were but the making of that doore of heaven more narrow in the entrance then it need be 2 Pet. 1.11 whereas the Lord hath set it wide open to receive us after our poore pilgrimage is ended how odious should such an adversary be to us But I returne to other uses of the doctrine This may serve for both branches of Admonition A second use is Terror and that in two Branches First to all prophane Vse 2 ones and contemners of the Gospel and of the power of conversion Terror in two Branches 1. If Selfe in the most forward professors be so dangerous what shall become of the loose libertine and ungodly wretch Looke about ye and be affraid of your condition if such as are so fair for salvation and have passed through so many steps toward it who both in their judgements of others and perhaps in their owne deluded opinions are out of danger yet faile of their purposes because they strive unlawfully where shall such as you appeare Oh yee libertines joviall and merry companions who make Religion a vaile for your loosenesse and your civility an excuse for your ungodlinesse did yee never duly weigh this doctrine wofull creatures who care for no Religion but so farre as it wil stand with your lusts what face will ye behold the judge withall when ye shall see thousands of all sorts both Ministers who have preached Christ in the streets and cast out divells Matth. 7. Psal 12. others who have abode the heat of the day in Gods vineyard yet for lacke of self-deniall to lose all and yet you have hated the Gospel as a snake or a toade because it threatens your liberties yea sweare that yee will be curbed by none of these Preachers your tongues are your owne and no Lord shall controll you Tell me I pray you what confusion of thought shall cease upon you in that day you shall stand in the forlorne ranke of the battell and shall be as stubble for the fire irresistable you shall have the convincement within yee of a thousand witnesses and yeeld to damnation as speechlesse and hugge the divells and say to hell thou art my portion and to the damned you are our companions Job 21.33 As Iob speakes of the wicked who rejoyced in the earth the clouds of the valley are sweet to us so I say to these That which ye have sought shall bee your reward destruction shall be your end because you sought no better Oh! let me adde one word Oh that I could perswade you perhaps you will fight against me with mine owne doctrine Object and say if the painfull lose heaven they can but lose it who take no pains and why then besides should they lose so many lusts and worldly pleasures as they enjoy Answ I answer this is as if a Traitor should answer why should I be loyall when as yet I may be hanged for cutting a purse Doe neither what necessity is that ye should perish either way should one runne into a pest-house because he may die of a burning ague though he should shunne the plague Doe what lies in you both by physicke and diet to escape both But first you must take heed of wasting your conscience openly ere you can get a good and sound conscience void of selfe and self-love There must be a beginning and perhaps a prophane heart may sooner become an humbled one then an hollow heart which will see nothing amisse He that breaks off thy prophanesse may also grant thee sincerity in thine endeavour get but a seed of God into thee and thou shalt shunne both the right hand and the left hand evills I bid thee first to renounce the grosser lusts and then the smaller shall follow and Gods yoke may prove sweeter then both Be not dismaide because some have miscarried in a higher degree for better is he that crawles up the hill by little and little though a creeple then he who is neere the toppe and Branch 2 tumbling downeward of Terror Pharisees terrified Matth. 6. Rom. 12.1 So much for the first Branch Secondly this no lesse chokepeare for all pharisees and formall hypocrites whose Religion rests in their duties of these I have spoken in part before the lesse may serve here Except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of such ye shall certainly perish Selfe will destroy many that goe beyond you and their error must lye downe with them in the dust when all is done as Iob saith Chap. 21. It must be a reasonable a spirituall sacrifice of subjection to God which he will accept deale not with multiplication but subtraction keep your sheep sacrifices to your selves Psal 40. The Lords are the Sheepe of a thousand hills he needs none of such offerings say with the Prophet A body thou hast given me Lo heere I come but come without thy Selfe and confidence therein and cast out old enmity of corruption acknowledge and kisse the Sonne for his sea onely can sweep away thy dunghill and dregs away with thy morality and morall swasions bring them to the Spirit of Christ and he that shall drown them all in his sea Psal 2. ult and this shall breed thee more peâ—ce in one day then thine own course all the whole yeare which the longer thou tradest with it the sadder fruit it shall breed thee and at last the worst of all So much for Terror The third use of the point is instruction and that in sundry particulars Vse 3 First to teach us a true judgement of this enemy of our peace Instruction and Branch 1 what censure to passe of her Neither adultery murther oppression Selfe exceeds opâ—n evills in her delusion and â—â—fâ—ction nor any such lust can defeate us of our last hopes but this Self may and will Reckon up thine enemies perhaps thou wilt say thou hast many no man more then thou some that seeke thy shame some thy goods some thy life and
the necessity of it and the true sense of utter perishing without it lo then the case is altered John 10.10 then as Peter on the suddaine would have Christ wash him throughout so she growes resolute to beare downe all selfe le ts disswasives feares losses discredit then so she may have Grace shee will have it any way let all goe shee cares not so she may enjoy that pretious thing she loveth she tramples upon her pride ease and all that hangeth on as a clog without or as a let within glad if with the forfeit of all she can purchase it Heb. 12.1 Marke this good brethren let the Spirit of Grace prevaile a little and it is strange how it subdues that loathnesse of Selfe to yeeld the rebellion and fiercenesse of the Spirit Oh! it causes the Lion and Lambe to feed together it tames the soule and carries it captive bound hands and feete content to abase it selfe to the lowest and poorest tearmes to be taught and directed in the way of God by the most despised instruments which before she disdained to learne of Curiosity now and choice of Preachers and accepting of the Grace of our Lord Jesus in respect of persons is base and unsavoury Now shee sees Grace is onely in the hand of God to give or restraine now it is a dainty commodity indeed and beares prick and prise in the soule any thing will be given for it if God will now sell it her let him but aske and have and whatsoever before was in high esteeme shall now be vile and as dung unto it Oh! beloved trie your selves also by this marke and if ye finde the least dramme of this geason worke of the Spirit in you dampe it not nor quench it lest Selfe returne and set such a deepe price upon it that perhaps yee will never recover it againe If a spirit of frequent and unwearied hearing travell conference meditation questioning consulting with such as can resolve us a spirit of wisdome to devoure sinfull bashfulnesse and modesty and coynes in revealing our doubts be given unto us if wee feele an heart in us loathing that lither listlesse dead spirit which was wont to withdraw us beware we lose it not nourish it and although all the world should mock us and our own base spirit should tell us we shall be noted for our labour let us make never the lesse of it nor be discouraged Fourthly 4. Marke Spirit of Grace resists those speciall pangs of selfe in every soule the Spirit of Grace resists those particular and personall pangs of Selfe self-love which the soul especially is distempered with Selfe is a stock of many branches even originall antipathy to Christ and Grace at every rate but some appeare in one some in another as in the body some humors settle within the intralls others breake out into sores and swellings So here In some there appeares a base lither heart in some a spirit of the world lusting to rake and scrape in others subtilty and hollownesse to colour over their owne corruption in some a barren deadnesse of heart in others secret pride and resting in their gifts in some selfe-conceit of their owne way in others revenge pettishnesse 2 Cor. 10.4 frowardnesse Some encline to the right hand of selfe-confidence and content in their owne hopes others to the left hand of feare and slavery Now the Spirit of Grace In some stronger in in some weaker is as fire devouring that corruption which is next hand and searching out the peculiar distemper of the Spirit which beares most sway against Grace and Christ It descants not about other mens lets and maladies but lookes at her owne in speciall saying I doubt not but others finde their owne home and bosome hindrances let me see to mine owne for other mens shall not hurt me I feele a very stout heart loath to take a reproofe blustering at any that should taxe me what Do they know what I am my parts or thus I feele a very froward spirit God himselfe must not crosse and unsettle me lest I fly in his face or thus I feele a stiffe heart of Selfe loath to doe good to sympathize the necessities of others so I may fare well my selfe by visiting by advising admonishing instructing them I say each one hath his peculiar ayles and humors which take off the edge of grace in him and all because there is not that meekenesse tendernesse and brokennesse of spirit there wants the power of Christ to beare downe such distempers But the Spirit of Grace encounters every speciall disease discovers to every man his owne abandons that spirit which reignes in an hypocrite who can make a pretty shift till his owne basenesse be found out but then he buskells and takes on like a mad man Not so here For the Spirit of the Lord Jesus is a Spirit of sagacity and search never linning till it can follow her selfe by the sent and footings to her very den and there strives to drive her out of her hold by violence For why It presents to the soule the safety and happinesse of selfe-discovery This marke cleared and the infinite danger of the contrary causeth it to delight in the convincing of her conscience and to be loath to foster in herselfe any such michiefe as might destroy her own hopes She sees how hypocrites doe exchange Selfe with Selfe but purge it not out wholly desires to resigne up her chiefe fort and freehold to the Spirit of Grace without tergiversation or shifting And so shee cries out heartily to the Spirit of Grace Lord how long shall this close enemy of mine maintaine her selfe against thine authority and trie masteries with thy Spirit Hast thou not yet a further strength to cast downe this bulwarke Oh! if thou shalt cast out this defilement to the bottome so as I may feele a sweetnesse in thee to supply and equall it how sweet a mercy shall I count it Beloved search your selves by this Can you say of all these dregs of Selfe Oh that I might bee rid of them at once Oh when shall that happy day come When shall I feele the Spirit of Grace thus working to put all out of question that which is the bane of the false heart is the chiefe joy of a sound one when shall I feele my soule as sensibly sustained by the Word as ever I have beene by Selfe Oh! if now the houre were come that all the unclean pleasures I have taken in my own bottome and selfe-ends were quasht how should I rejoyce And yet I know well what I must forgoe even that which hath been my meat and drinke and pastime but I speake advisedly and in coole bloud I should be glad of it and hazard all and I know they should be as drosse to me if thou canst truly professe this thine estate is comfortable And hereto I may adde this as a fifth marke that the Spirit of Grace settles and compounds
her in all straits and troubles As Selfe was a body of death in her before easily besetting her so is Christ now a very reall being of Truth and Grace a very life of being and welfare unto her Now the soule is willing to shake off Selfe because she hath a better thing in possession which frees her from the old yrkesomenesse vanity bondage and unsubsistence which before she was disquieted with Oh! it is a wonderfull priviledge to a poore soule that whereas before it was tedious to her to muse of the promise to deny her owne hopes flashes and pangs to cleave to the bottome of another out of herselfe now all these are become sweet unto her because Christ is now instead of Selfe unto her even all in all Before it was a violent worke to apply the soule to meditation for she was out of the element of Grace but now she counts it familiar worke because the presence of Christ hath made it so a mercy more worth then all the world beside when shee considers duly of it Before shee was haled as a Beare to the stake to the word to the sacraments to other ordinances duties now she hath fellowship with them as her owne even as she is Christs before she knew not what to make of herselfe her affections her desires but now shee is able to discerne what God hath done for her and her affections mournings and duties stand not up in the roome of Christ but flow from him safely and returne to him as the waters to the sea whence they came Oh! what oddes is there betweene the dead life of Selfe moving the soule heavily as Pharaohs charet wanting their wheeles and the living life of Christ alway affording some warmth vigor breath and motion to the soule and assuring her that is not from herselfe but from a principle without which will not faile her Oh! this second Adams quickning spirit is as far above that dead principle of Selfe as a living creature is above an Image Thirdly the Spirit of Grace drawes the soule to the end of Grace The third is the end to behold the purpose of God in declaring the riches of that mercy by which he saved a sinner that he might purchase more glory to himselfe then good to the soule Of this I spake before by another occasion only note this that the Spirit carries Selfe out of the soule hereby For when the soule is ravished with the view of those excellencies of God manifested by redemption she loseth herselfe as in a streame as being ashamed to thinke that she should so basely struggle for that by her own strength which onely the Spirit of the promise can conduct her unto for the ends of the promise serving to make the Lord admirable in his Saints Oh! how is the soul ashamed yea confounded for her own folly that she should goe about the fadoming of so bottomelesse depth with her owne bucket I conclude these three branches with renewing my exhortation Try your selves by these whether the Spirit of Grace bee in you or no for if it be it hath the promise of a full bottome to stablish the soule upon it hath brought realnesse of comfort and peace into it and it hath carried it into the sea of the riches of grace so that it can make songs of the Lords deliverance with more admiration then if the inheritance of a Prince had befalne it I cannot insist now any longer So much for the second marke that the Spirit of Grace is for Grace To make an end a third and last marke of the Spirit of Grace is The third marke is The calme proceeding of this Spirit of Grace that it goeth forward calmely and softly in her pursuit of the promise without any carnall striving and violence of Selfe much lesse fretting and distemper of spirit upon Gods delaies She teaches the soule to waite upon the Lord and harken what he would say to his Saints for he will speake peace to them that they may not returne to folly their old selfe-staggering unsettlednesse or bondage The Spirit of Grace is much like the Temple of Salomon it loves not to hear the din of Selfe to disquiet it Psal 85.8 as hammers and tooles might not bee used in the building of the other 1 King 6.7 While he is at worke he cannot endure Selfe to disturbe him he will raise up the frame himselfe we must onely say Grace grace unto it but he will both lay the foundation and corner stone Zach. 4.7 and set the building upon it and it shall prosper in his hands Suffer we our selves orderly and by degrees to be led from step to step without turning off on the right hand or the left meekely and patiently attending his leasure in our innocency and use of meanes and foist not any secret weights of our owne into the ballance as if the Lord were not alone able to perfect his owne worke onely let there be no stops in our owne spirits to set backe or quench this Spirit of Grace under the pretence of our quiet and patient wayting 1 Thes 5. A point which no hypocrite can discerne If he be bidden to rest he leaves his diligence and waxes idle whereas true striâ—â— and true rest goe together and a poore soule so rests from his selfe striving that yet he continues his selfe-denying diligence in the use oâ— meanes Esay 30. Try your selves also in this but I remember I have touched â—oâ— part before when I spake of the violence of Selfe This shall thereâ—ore suffice to have spoken touching the markes of this Spirit of Grace and the several branches thereof Now in a word for the other peece of the question how this Spirit of Grace may be attained Quest 2. Hâ—w this Spirit of grace may be attained I answer briefly First be earnest in prayer to God for it for the Spirit of Grace and supplication are joyned together Zach. 12.10 That both the Lord would cast down this strong castle of Selfe and raise up the strong fort of his own salvation upon the ruines Answ 1 thereof joyne with prayer meditation be much in the use of all other powerfull ordinances of God fasting especially the true Sampson to Answ 2 cast down the house over the head of self and unbeleefe And observe seriously Answ 3 the graces of others such as have shot this gulfe and have had the Answ 4 experience of Christ in them Again seek not to please our flesh as it is said David would never crosse Adonija from his youth and that made him such a good one but abridge our selves of our wills even in some lawfull liberties 1 King 1.6 and abstaine from many things which others permit to themselves dyet our selves daily as those which runne for a prize and that may somewhat inure us to deny our selves in this great worke of Answ 5 Grace 1 Cor. 9.25 Tye our selves closely to the duties of
Reproofe in divers respects I have toucht some particulars by occasion before Practice of carnall reason reproved in all sorts I will adde a few more here I say it should convince the consciences of us all that are before the Lord this day for our arrerages of carnall reason We should say as Pharaohs butler Lord this day comes much of my sinne in this kind to my remembrance O Lord the branches of this stocke are infinite How oft hath my base heart stumbled at the purenesse the closenesse of thy waies desiring the doore were opener for my carnall ease liberty and breadth to goe in at How oft have I thought my fine wits and China-mettall'd understanding too dainty for thy matters to meddle with My parts too good to honour thee How little have I laboured to submit my wit to thy will with gladnesse How often have I stumbled at the simplicity of thy Ministers servants as too meanly gifted for my reach How much ado have I with my cursed heart to profit by them as not complying enough with my carnall expectation How oft have I measured good things by their successe Being ready rather to chuse sin with happinesse then vertue with defeat and ill consequence How weakely have I beene carried with partiality of heart towards the godly Affecting them who have beene close faithfull friendly usefull beneficiall welconceited of me tender and indulgent mercifull and bountifull rather then others who hath beene more estranged in affection more ready to reprove my faults How much adoe have I from restraining indignation from such as are aloofe from me and little esteeme me How seldome have I gone to heare publiquely or to take counsell but I have rather sodered my faults then desired that the righteous might smite me How prone am I to looke at the greatnesse of some religious ones and to make use of them in that kinde rather then their good examples and the savour of their grace How weake have I O Lord discovered my selfe to be both in doing and suffering In the one being carried more with outward incouragements hireling-wise then upon a promise If I have found my labours my services accepted with men credit countenance and maintenance following how trim have my wheeles gone If not how heavy In the sufferings I have had how doe I seeke rather to licke my self whole by outward helpes and remedies then by that hundred fold which thou hast promised to requite my losses withall And though I have not runne to good witches yet how have I clave to mine owne carnall reason And seeming to have shot a gulfe how have I beene drowned in a shallow Oh! when I have found unkinde unthankefull and base usage at the hands of them whom I have served in Ministry counsell or helpfulnesse how hardly yea bitterly have I taken it As if I had done it to bee thought well of and not as one who had learned to undergoe good and bad report How hath my arme shrunke it selfe in toward such As if I had served an ill master who will conceale the labour of my love Oh! yee Headburrowes and Officers of Townes let this truth of God convince yee how doe you looke at pleasing men shunning ill will aiming at serving your owne turnes and base ends rather then at discharging duty in punishing offenders both spirituall upon the Sabbath and morall at other times despisers of the ordinances swearers and drunkards Is not this carnall wisedome else know not I what is Alas where is Davids spirituall reason that blessed God for giving him an heart to build a Temple and prepare stuffe for it although it were the lot of Salomon to have the name of it So God had it how little cared he by whom So Christ were preached how little did Paul envie or care by whom And so againe what is the common speech of men If I had ever hurt him it would not have grieved me to bee ill spoken of or dealt with by him But alas thou hast more cause to blesse God for thy breast-plate of innocencie to shrowd thee from God his revenge Thou shouldst see God rather against thee for thy little respect to his Majesty in the sincerity of thy spirit then at man whom thou hast not offended So againe how oft have our carnall hearts intruded themselves upon Gods administrations to censure him for the long suffering of the bad and the crossing of his owne in their zeale and good cause Ah poore worme canst thou comprehend Gods ends in thy fist How doe wee Ministers murmure and complaine if wee doe no good Why are we above election or servants to it Is it well not that wee are a sweete savour in all And so I might bee endlesse Therefore I beseech you in Gods feare let this be a speciall meane to humble us all for this our base enterfeering with God in his holy wayes Application of it by our carnall reason Oh! you who have been so ready to be led from God by feare of parents displeasure losse of favour of betters repent and breake your hearts Ministers who have betraid the cause of God by base time-serving and pleasing men loathnesse to suffer Oh! repent of your carnall reason recover Gods losses ere ye dye Oh! you that have chosen to save your livings or lives rather then Gods honour consider how small your gaines have been in losing your soules for a mole-hill of earth Repent O carnall wretch who wouldest never bee brought to more religion then lay in the lap of thy carnall reason not cut off a locke for God not forgoe a petty oath for him not lose so much love of an husband a Landlord as is worth two strawes for him Repent and be humbled O thou that hast fleerd and laught in thy sleeve at the sincere Thou who hast made Gods worship and profession to serve thy turne and sold thy selfe by it to credit to custome in shop to good marriage by it thy selfe being bad Come out O thou hypocrite who like Absalon hast openly spread thy Tent for the attaining of thine owne ends Yee politicke projectors and cunning plotters for your owne gaines enhansing above others though with an ill conscience and oppressing of the silly humble your selves and be ashamed Take God and his people to witnesse this day by your teares and mourning that it is so You that have come and are still comming to the Sacrament with carnall hearts for custome and to prevent the Court or reproach rather then conscience who have your hearts on the left hand saying I see nothing there to be had it is no likely thing Abana can heale me and Jordan can cure my leprosie Me thinkes I feare I shall goe home as I come and lose my journey Oh! above all others repent yee of this carnall dispute Naman repented repent you yee have sinned with him repent with him on Gods name The Lord from heaven beloved showre downe blessing and convince your
it is lofty and proud So saith Salomon Prov. 21.24 Proud and hauty is his name c. For the while that a distemper lasteth the veriest underling thinkes himselfe somebody when as in truth he is lesse then himselfe How much more then when state is joyned with it as here Distemper of spirit lookes at no reason arguments carriage for the present Elisha himselfe in a lawfull distemper yet being transported 2 King 3.15 was faine to call for a minstrell by the harmony of whose musicke his sicke spirit was a little brought to it selfe This for the Text. But now for the generall much more may be said for the proofe and explication thereof Proofes Take some Scriptures first and then some Reasons See Act. 9. Paul then Saul was in a deadly distresse of spirit after his casting downe the Lord bids Ananias arise and go to counsell him But what saith Ananias Oh Lord I have heard say of this man hee hath beene such and such a one a persecutor blasphemer q.d. If he now be to be dealt with it exceeds my ability I know not but he may doe me hurt for my love No faith the Lord he is a chosen vessell to beare my name goe and be not afraid Well he went and how doth he encounter him Very mercifully and respectively Even as Naamans servants here doe alleniates his distemper grates not upon his sad heart addes not sorrow to sorrow opposes him not upbraids him not for his former cruelties qualifies his feares eases him of those aggravations of horror which had sunke him brought him to the cleare sight of the promise and mercifully reaches him out the hand Brother Saul receive thy sight both of soule and body Was there not some difficulty in the harping upon the right string if God had not guided his hand So Paul in the case of the excommunicate Corinthian how wisely tenderly and seasonably is he faine to carry himselfe 1 Cor. 6. with 2 Cor 6 7. 2 Cor. 11.29.30 He was at first very violent with him After seeing how he humbled himselfe how wary he is lest he overdrive and so put him into an extremity Oh! saith Paul he hath beene cast downe sufficiently I dare not use mine office to destroy but to save Therefore rather comfort and encourage such a one then adde sorrow to sorrow See Esay 50.4 The Lord Jesus was annointed by God his father as with the oile of gladnesse beyond measure so in speciall of Prophesie The Lord God saith he hath given me the tongue of the learned that I might speake a word in season to him that is weary So saith Iob or rather Elihu Job 33. If an interpreter one of a thousand be sent unto him c. The worke of a man who is one of a thousand is no common work Read also Elihu his breaking in upon Iob an ancient man himselfe being yong he comes in with his preface to avoid envy confesses his youth and unfitnesse of himselfe to deale in the matter But seeing God had set him on what doth he He tells him that he will not be as his three friends had beene an accuser and censurer of him nor yet an excuser of his errors and misbehaviour but he would be to him an equall and impartiall judge and as his owne soule and as in the sight of God hee would wish him to bee No easie matter it is then to bee an Elihu to an afflicted Iob. Paul speaking to Timothy how a Minister of God ought to carry himselfe toward the distempered 2 Tim. 2. saith He must not be prejudicate and rash but patient and long suffering towards sinners waiting if at any time the Lord will give them repentance to life Esay 42.3 It is said of the Lord Jesus that hee was the beloved of God in whom he delighted and whom he qualified for the nonce to preach glad tidings to relieve the poore prisoners and captives c. And what did hee Surely he would not breake the brused reed nor quench the smoking flax His voice was not heard he cried not in the streets he was a lambe dumbe before the shearer That is a most compassionate and tender helper who by his owne afflictions had learned to be full of sympathy and to be afflicted in all the afflictions of the people But I hasten to Reasons The first is this It is no easie thing to carry Reason 1 our selves wisely toward them who are but naturally distempered as with wrath discontent and passion in common and outward respects not onely if the parties be meerely carnall but also although Religious For anger is a madnesse and who should deale with mad men Doe they not thinke that their rage becomes them Doth not the foole cast arrowes and deadly darts and say he is in sport That is doth hee feele or understand himselfe to be as hee is Who should deale with a mad man who is so wise in his owne opinion that for the time present he thinkes he can bee mad with reason Thus was David 1 Sam. 25. in the case of Nabal he was so enraged thinking he had some cause of it that without any more adoe hee would needs command all his men to gird on their swords and to dispatch him and all his house both guilty and innocent And had not the Lord encountred him by a rare person how hardly had he beene disswaded from his attempt Well then if meere naturall distemper of wrath be so hardly cured how much more spirituall distempers which lye farre deeplier seated in the spirit and are of a farre more intricate nature Such was Naamans here with Elisha though the disease were bodily Secondly it appeares to be a difficult worke because it hath posed Reason 2 the wisest men to performe it well Even one part of it is hard and how much more all I meane to discerne of the cause of the distemper We see it in Iobs three friends very wise men and full of very sage and profound divinity yet in Iobs case meerely mistaken and tooke a false cause for a true esteemed him to suffer for his sinne when yet he suffered in his innocency So we see that Peter discerned not the state of Simon Magus but thought him a beleever as others did till afterward he discovered himselfe What shall we say of Pauls not seeing the state of Alexander Demas and others If when the spirit of discerning flourished in the Church it were a thing of such difficulty how hard is it like to be in these times Thirdly this is much more true in spirituall cases of conscience and Reason 3 that in two respects First of the counselling party Secondly the party counselled For the first such as are to counsell others doe rarely exercise themselves in such things as concerne this cure Both in respect of 1. Them who give counsell They doe not judge it an equall object to their endeavours thinking that it is sufficient to study
the vile that is the worke of his owne convincing spirit from the worke of their owne rebellious nature their discontent their fullennesse melancholy feares and other extremities that cleave unto them Also that he would shew them what hee hath done for them already that they may not provoke him by unthankefulnesse and what is yet to be done and at what especiall knots and objections they sticke what their chiefe barres and lets are which most hold them downe and if they cannot feele themselves rid of these confusions of spirit yet that the Lord would take away that wilfulnesse of stomacke that crossenesse that waywardnesse which makes their disease so ranckle in them and send them to seeke advice with a minde desirous to subject it selfe to God and to his ordinance and to mourne when it cannot being held in the chaines of it owne horrors or rebellion And secondly let them commend the enterprise in hand to God for successe that the Lord would bee pleased to dispose of the understanding of him that is to advise them that he may bee as from God unto them like Elihu that he may discerne of their complaints rectifie their errors meet with their corruption shew them their state and wants and comfort them at the heart as God allowes them That if they cannot at the first finde stay and support yet if they see but a little light at a crevis they may be glad of a little and not be dismaid that they may seeke still after counsell till the worke by degrees be perfected that they may not lay stumbling blocks in their owne way to fall by but hold the measure of light so farre as they are come waiting till God reveale the rest and not defiling their consciences the whiles Phil. 3.15 and so make the worke new to beginne Thirdly that the Minister of God may be wise as an Angell of God as well to find out apt and meete Scriptures to encounter the soule as the need thereof requireth either threats or promises or other sentences and when they see that these are urged not by the authority of a man but of God whom they only must look at in this case and not man that then their base hearts may no further kick cavill and gainesay and so put the Minister of God to a double toile not only to conflict with their reall distresse but also with their wilfull and accidentall sullennesse pride and rebellion Fourthly let them crave of God a wise utterance of their estate to the Minister of God or at least an inckling thereof that it may not be mistaken for a crooked rule being put into a mans hand will force him to make a wrong line though his skill be good enough to draw a right one Fifthly chuse thee out a faithfull interpreter one of a thousand for love lenity skill patience long suffering bowells of compassion and experience For such a mercury is not made of every blocke thou maist else light on miserable comforters Sixtly above all other things let such persons beware of any base motive or principle leading them to aske advice let them not affect any sinister respects nor aime at any base ends to bee noted for zeale to thinke themselves safe because they have taken counsell to choake and smother the accusations of conscience to make them bolder in sin to pretend and alledge the counsell and comfort of such a Minister to harden themselves against any just reproofes which after may bee urged upon them and the like base ends whereof the bouget of mans vile heart is fraught and full especially in this formall crafty age wherein every one will be Religious and Satan transformeth himselfe into an Angell of light For by this meanes that uncleane spirit will returne with seven worse then himselfe and defile more dangerously But let thy aimes in this worke be honest simple and sincere to goe forward with God according to thy light cheerfully and humbly and so looke to prosper Secondly for the Minister of God let him be exhorted also first 2. Branch to Ministers 3. Things Abhorre error and prejudice 1. Error to cast out all bad principles perverting the spirit of counsell and crossing the gift of restoring the weake And these are first a prejudicate sowre heart enclined to sinister thoughts of the afflicted conceiving them according to carnall reason and not discerning the worke of Gods spirit in such This is no common grace to have a cleere spirit this way For the spirit that is in us lusts after envy We are all a kinne to old Eli who seeing poore Hanna sitting sad with her lippes moving and no voice thought her drunke But when he perceived her to bee a woman of a troubled spirit 1 Sam. 1.13.14 powring out her soule from a full heart to the Lord and understanding the cause he became a Prophet of God unto her for her satisfaction and comfort 2. Error 3. Error Beware therefore of a base heart of prejudice error misprision rashnesse And yet take heed also that love and pitty make us not too hasty in comfort Also ease unmercifulnesse unbeteamingnesse sullennesse uncharitablenesse wearinesse and loathnesse to be enlarged in our bowells as the Lord allowes us of which disease Ionah was sicke 4. Error Also waspishnesse suddennesse and hastinesse whereby as Physitians cutting off their patients in their complaints they are impatient to heare and so discourage them I confesse that the talkatives and vanity of many weake ones in their complaints who in stead of inclining their eare and hearing that their soules might live are swifter to jangle to neglect that which which is spoken then to marke and have never done with idle repetitions may sometimes cause a wise counsellor to chide and reprove them justly yet with tendernesse and meekenesse And the like I may say of those endlesse answers which many make when they are demanded how counsell hath prevailed and they rather bewray themselves worse and worse then better and better for though it be not in our power to settle the spirit sooner then the Lord please yet it behoves not any distressed soule so to nourish themselves in their lowring and distempers as to dismay the Minister but rather by wise concealement or desire of new satisfaction to draw his heart to pray for them more earnestly and waite more patiently till the spirit shall blow peace upon them The second duty Practise This preparation being made the next exhortation is that the Minister of God do first meekly then wisely speak to the heart of the afflicted For the first of these it is a duty much pressed and exemplified in Scripture I say a mercifull and loving heart of fellow feeling and tendernesse to the heavy Fot hereby the Minister of God conveieth the heart of the Lord Jesus into the soul of the afflicted of whom it is said He had learned compassion towards them by his owne sufferings Heb. 2.18 that so
it hath beene since I came among you And yet some of you through lazinesse worldlinesse love of your shops formality neglect of meditation Others through a curst sullen heart snuffing at the Ministry stumbling at the stone of offence but the most from a cloy'd and surfeited stomacke with much food have never come to taste the ease of mercy If some few have truly either they have little else to take too or else God hath pickt them out as odde ones here and there and what may become of some of these when meanes shall faile God knoweth But now even at this last cast and farewell for Gods sake come in and dally no longer and breake through all your lusts for this promise It shall vex ye as fire one day to thinke of this how foolishly did I misse of heaven When I might have had it with ease then to lose it for a base lust a vanity which shall leave me empty Oh foole in kinde The Lord move your hearts So much for this first branch of Reproofe Branch 2 Secondly here is reproofe for all such as have forestalled this blessed ease of God Deny selfe-ease for Gods ease by leaning to their owne strength zeale and affections I have beat much upon this Now I say no more but this Wonder not if your lives bee full of complaints Oh ye saith Esay who kindle a fire of your rotten sticks Esay 50. ult and compasse your selves with your owne sparkles much good doe it you with your owne light and heate but you shall have this at mine hand you shall lye downe in sorrow Is it a small sinne that turnes Gods ease into misery Vers 10. No surely A viper shall come forth of your owne heat and sting you to death without repentance Who is he among you that feares the Lord and obeyes the voice of his servants that walkes in the darkenesse and hath no light Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay himselfe upon his God And so doing he will doe his worke for him Get once the slight of it as we say and then halfe the worke is at an end Lay downe rather your owne spirits and sparkles good deeds and affections rather then take them up to demerit God and resist his ease And so by denying your selves here on the left hand in your vices there on the right in your vertues and praises sucking out an humble heart out of the promise for alas what needed the cost of Christ if your cost could serve the turne you shall finde your selves to profit more by one Sermon then you have done by tenne So much for this second Branch Thirdly this reproves all such Ministers as turne this true and spirituall Branch 3 ease of God into a carnall liberty and smoothing their ignorant and prophane people Preachers of carnall ease who sow pillowes yea sowing pillowes of fleshly ease under their elbowes telling them they are in good ease and these Preachers scare them with false fires for Gods yoake is easie Christ came to destroy the hard Law c. And the ground of this practice is either idlenesse to spare themselves a labour or through prophanenesse or through Gods just judgement to give them teachers such as themselves are to cause them to stumble and fall and rise no more and all because they have rejected better meanes And others Pelagian wise teach that there is an universall sufficient grace offered in the Gospel which also is effectuall except men resist it and that they have free will to accept and embrace it As for the doctrine of Gods peculiar ease of perswading some more then others they cannot endure it They teach the people to say to God as those in Esay are brought in saying to one man doe but beare our name and owne us and we will be at our owne findings thou shalt not be troubled with our maintenance we will bee fed apparrelled and supported by our owne meanes and moneies Pelagian ease of selfe-conversion and of fre-will confuted So say these to Christ beare our name for fashion and obtaine a generall pardon by the merit of thy bloud and as for the application of it let us alone we will finde strength by our owne free concurrence with the grace offered to fasten upon and apply it to our selves And so if there fall out to be any defect herein it is no want of the accommodation of grace to us for that is equall to all but our accommodation to it in such a due season matter or other circumstances as if they had beene concurring might have produced a perswasion to receive the grace offered To all which I answer such ease as this in obeying the command of beleeving the orthodox Church of God know none The ease that is is on Gods part preventing assisting and perfecting and from none of ours To us the work is absolutely impossible So much for this third Branch and so for this third Use of Reproofe The fourth Use should be Exhortation and that many fold First Vse 4 to all Gods poore servants Exhortation In sundry Branches Such as have found ease in Gods way are thankfull who have found Gods way sweetned thus and eased by the Lord that they be very thankefull for this speciall favour Say thus who am I whom thou shouldest make that sweet and easie unto which to others thou sufferest to bee toilesome Thou mightest have brought mee as hardly to heaven as others there is not a prouder tougher moulded wretch of an hundred then I have beene Jer. 2.3.4 yet thy milde and gentle cords of allurement have been strange to me Thou hast pull'd me with the cords of a man made love to me even in the wildernesse forelaid my way sweetly brought me into the net ere I was aware concealed difficulties while afterward mittigated my horrors gone leasurely on with me drop upon drop line upon line not gugged me too deeply with my lusts not suffered me to revolt to my old courses thou hast laid no heavy burthens upon my shoulders required no toile of service thou hast given me an hope of successe from the beginning so that I have gone to worke with hope beene freed from excessive feares temptations crosses discouragements which many others are basked withall For my part I know no reason and I can but wonder that thou shouldest doe as thou hast which I cannot deny without lying to one so hollow inconstant and perverse as I know my selfe to be It pleases thee to hold me fast to those steps to which thou hast brought me and to try mee no deeplier then thou givest light and strength to resolve and revive mee againe Methinkes thou hast made the whole mystery of Christ sensible and lively to me in the ground of it the merit thy scope which is to magnifie thy selfe in the hearts of thine and my heart hath found some sweetnesse in it found it day by day more lightsome and sweet
for conscience sake though it were poore and that which was offered him was rich There came to his house a good gentleman who seeing him fare hardly with great content of minde instantly gave him some peeces to encourage him in his course Or the Lord hath given such a blessing upon a little that it shall goe a great way or if he have given a man meanes of his owne he shall willingly live upon them and spend them that God may have his work done the whiles and if men faile yet God shall cause the Ravens to feed us rather then we shall perish Children shall have portions education and meanes from unknowne friends and nothing shall be wanting to them that are not wanting to God 3. Branch Admonition Debauch not nor dishonour our selves Moreover it shall warne Gods Ministers to beware lest they deprive themselves of this promise by dishonouring and debauching their own persons names and estates by their misdemeanours They may long enough cry out of the despisednesse of the Clergy if themselves pull downe the house of honour and due respect with their owne hands Such have too much honour in that they hold their places Quit your selves therefore my brethren of all such indecency and vulgarnesse of carriage towards your people as might disparage you Be no common Proctors and Barretors among them seeke not theirs but them chiefly love them for the good which is planted in them teach them not the fashions of the world to be quarrellers contentious covetous side not with some against others mainâ—aine no factions and partialities bee no common companions with them in their bargaines and worldly trafficke hang not about their shop windows be no janglers and pratlers with them in common matters haunt not the Alehouse pot and pipe with them In a word be no joviall boone fellow with them in their meetings feasts games and pastimes Easily is such a one despised who discovers himselfe in such kindes and the like I may say in eager pursute of the uttermost of our dues grating upon them A sad time when the Ministers are not so countenanced as they ought and threatning them alway at Law and never satisfied rather buy peace and interest it in their soules to doe them good though by denying our selves aime not at great things esteeme of the poore with their two mites be not proud ambitious and disdainefull seeke not the account of the greatest onely Honour stands not in the self-esteeme of the honourer of himselfe but in the esteeme and account of others that honour us who commonly thinke the meanlier of us when we thinke highliest of our selves Honour being a shadow which flyes from the pursuer and pursues him that flyes from it Be not therefore lovers of honour inquisitive after the reputations of men it s a means to make us scorned rest content with the portion assigned us by God reach not after great matters lest God abase us to a meane condition Hold an holy mediocrity between covetousnesse and improvidence or expensivenesse betweene pride and contempt of our reputation betweene supercilious or disdainfull carriage and a common prophaneing of our persons with the basest maintaine the meane in holy contentment sobernesse and gravity which may uphold both our names in that credit and our estates in that sufficiency which is meet to encourage and support us in our Ministry with hope of profit and blessing And to conclude this first Use 4. Branch Be encouraged to feed Gods flock This provision which God hath made for the Minister of the Gospel should be encouragement unto him that setting apart all other matters hee apply himselfe to that one thing necessary for a Minister to looke to that is to feed and watch over the flocke of God betrusted him Alas what should it need that we busie our selves about the needlesse and neglect the essentiall thing of our Calling What is this save to taxe the Lord of improvidence and carelessenesse of us As if he would put us to all the worke and leave us to sinke in our owne charge As if hee had no respect to our travell and labour of love but put us to our shifts Shall he cloath the grasse of the field and the Lillies which neither labour nor spinne Shall his eye reach to the falling of a sparrow scarce worth a mite and shall we his Ministers fill our soules with distrust of his providence and aske who shall feed us or cloath us or save out of the hands of our potent enemies Are we not better then many sparrowes Shall wee then or can we fall without the notice of our Almighty Father Doth he not hold us in his right hand and walke in the midst of us What should we then doe but take more thought how we might walke in our course of life and Ministery inoffensively cheerfully and confidently As for other matters casting our care upon him who careth for us for whose honour it is that we be regarded encouraged backed assisted and supported to the uttermost of that which is meet for us and in deserting of us in this our worke he his name his glory his promise must needs suffer farre more then we poore wormes can doe It is our distrust not Gods unfaithfulnesse which leaves us to our shifts And what wonder then if we take his office out of his hands to carke and plod and be sicke of our owne discontents What wonder then if the great worke of our attendance upon reading watching admonishing and being instant in season and out of season lye by as an arme or bone out of joint unfit for use But certainly could we honour God in beleeving him to be that he is an alsufficient God and one to whom the Tribe of Levi is pretious and his peculiar portion wee should goe to worke as men set at liberty as they who are discharged from thought and care and therefore having but one thing to doe let us doe it to purpose leaving the rest to him who will secure us from feare wrong danger enemies and if he save us not quite from such yet will support us in them and more then that redeeme us in due time from all our sorrowes and wipe all teares away from our eyes Oh! live we by faith in this promise stand still and behold we this salvation of our God And as the Lord said to Ioshua so he saith to us Feare not I will neither faile nor forsake thee Only bee strong and of good courage So much for this first Use Vse 2 Secondly this is Terror and Reproofe to the people Terror first to all scorners and blasphemers of the person and function of the Minister Of Terror Scorners and reproachers of Gods Ministers reproved It was once thought to be an odious and black marke of a Jew to speak against the Priest as the Prophets words intimate But we have such as both speake and doe against the person and calling of the Minister
their left hand doth They acknowledge little to come from them Matth. 25. they keep all to themselves When did wee see thee naked and clothed thee Hungry and fed thee Sicke and in prison and visited thee Why are you such strangers to your owne duties Then shall others be strangers to your joy onely your selves shall enjoy the priviledge of your own close walking For be yee sure God will not conceale it close love shall never want close peace unknowne welfare and comfort of heart prosperity in grace growth and experience You that walke in the regeneration of obedience with Christ shall not only sit upon Thrones hereafter in stead of your dust and ashes here But in the meane while you shall fare as Christ fared he who made it his meat and drinke to doe his Fathers will had meat to eate which no man knew of Joh. 4. Nourish thou a mourning heart for sinne thine owne and others a close heart to obey and no man shall bee able to judge what thy joyes are Prov. 10.29 Thy worke is also thy wages and yet the Lord shall besides support thee otherwise so that neither spirituall nor earthly requitals shall bee wanting till at last that life of thine which was hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 shall breake out before all Men and Angels Then shall close obedience bee swallowed up into exceeding glory and the garments of joy shall bee added to thy secret consolations in the day wherein Christ himselfe shall appeare in glory And so much also may serve for this Use and for this Doctrine Whereto I wish from my heart a blessing from God upon the Reader The next Branch of Naamans obeying was his closing with the promise The second branch arising from hence is that Naaman washed seven times according to the word of Elisha in respect of the promise added to his washing and that was That he should recover his flesh againe and be cleane This point I told you is as materiall as the other one cannot well goe without the other they are as twins which live and dye together The point I collect from it is this Gods promises must be beleeved according to the scope of promises that is according to the intent and extent thereof I say againe and marke well promises must bee beleeved according to that which is in them and that which they import neither must they bee shortned or straitned stretched or enlarged neither made lesse nor more then is in them Doctrine Promises must be beleeved according to their extent More then they are no man shall need to make them for all the store and fulnesse of God is in them Lesse then they are none may dare to make them That which the holy Ghost speakes in the conclusion of Revel 22. Hee that shall adde any thing or dâ—minish from the words of this booke the Lord shall adde to him all the plagues in this booke and diminish his name from the booke of life That I may say of the promises Let none make them greater then they are Opening of the ground of the poâ— nor yet lesser but let every one take understand and apply them to himselfe as they lye in the word not in the letter onely but in the spirituall meaning and purpose thereof Touching the ground of this point out of the Text it needs not many words to be spent about it It is evident that the obedience of Naaman in going to wash proceeded from no heat of sudden alteration of minde no pang or humour no blinde hope or had-I-wist as who say It 's but trying I will goe hit I or misse I it is but my journey No but as he was strongly held back before by a deep selfe-conceit so now hee is drawne forward by as deep an inspiration of God and a perswasion that the promise annexed to his washing was as certaine and undeceiveable as the charge was divine and absolute and therefore in obeying God commanding hee consents to God promising also in as full and absolute a degree and in all points and respects as the promise lay that is to say not that hee should perhaps be cured perhaps not but that the cure should bee whole and entire no manner of Leprosie should hereafter cleave to him any more but as now he was nasty and scurvie all over so then he should be healed by the healing of God better then if Elisha had laid his hand upon it that is as perfectly as if hee never had been Leper and his flesh should returne to him as the flesh of a little childe so clean should he become and return home and not repent him that he had beleeved the promise in the fulnesse thereof So much for the ground of the Text. Now as I noted in the former point here some may step in and object Object Why doe you ground a doctrine upon such a passage as this of Naaman Alas his washing was but an outward act and that occasionall and personall onely reaching to himselfe and determining with him Our case is otherwise and it must be a bottome of eternall truth which must ground a doctrine of this nature because it concerns the perpetuall practice of a poore soule in respect of pardon and sanctification To whom I answer in one word That the question is not here Answ what the particular of this promise to Naaman is or is not but what the nature of every promise requires whether it bee occasionall and temporall or spirituall and generall The point is this Every promise bee it what it will be whether for once and away or for adoe being from God requires an equall obedience and extent of faith to embrace it and cast the soule upon it as well as the moralest and generallest promise in the Word can doe The reason is plaine because in the one as well as the other is enclosed that power and truth of God which bindes the soule to an equall and uniforme obedience I speake now and marke well of such promises as require our faith for the performance for some promises are absolute in themselves and rest upon the naked word whether we beleeve them or not because they be universall Gen. 8.21 As that the rainebow shall be a sure signe of no more deluges That seasons of the yeare Summer and Winter sowing time and harvest shall continue That the Gospell shall bee preached to all Nations Mâ—tth 24.13 That there shall be a restoring of the Kingdome to Israel and Christ shall in this world bee knowne to bee Lord and King of his Church These promises though they deserve credit yet shall be performed howsoever being pitcht and appointed by God in their seasons But for personall promises not so That particular promise made to Abraham touching a sonne if yet it were particular or any other concerning a present mercy or deliverance Gen. 18.10 Esay 7.4 as that which was made to Ahaz of
prepar'd to destruction as in the old world and Sodoms case Doth he not so to a sinner of an hundred yeares old nay to Cain of nine hundred who yet at length must be destroyed Eccles 8.12 Did he not so to those Atheists 2 Pet. 3.6.7 whose conceit yet could not out-sleep their damnation Shall God performe a promise to such as are in league with hell But why are others lesse sinners so set in the fore-front escape Surely perhaps to break their heart and convert them to God whereas thou goest on in a close and hardned heart to colour and excuse the like sins or if not yet to be far from repenting of them It had been better for thee God had served thee so too then to harden thee by long-suffering And perhaps thou hast bought of these sinnes with thy wealth and greatnesse but God is not mocked Another sort of these are such as boast because they are kept from open sins and outrages have no deep tempâ—aâ—ions 2. Abstinence from open sins no great horrors or distempers of consciences but goe on in a faire and civill way as one said of that Emperour rather free from foule vices then qualified with any true vertues They are well thought of and are no base drunkards or the like Such and such say they run into excesse of riot and discredit for their spend-thrifty uncleane and ruffianlike courses but I am void of such evils Is it not say they a signe of favour Doth not God promise to his to keep them free from such offences Oh mistaken wretch God upholds his in their integrity indeed in token of love Psal 41.12 But integrity is equality from great and small But alas sin as sin never affected thy soule as yet thou hast no sense of thy nature of the enmity of God of a secret false prophane hollow unsavoury heart Thy sent is in thee still as in Moab God hath not rolled thee upon thy dregges Jer. 48.29 therefore they settle And is this mercy thinkest thou to soder thee up in a base course Thou art held in by abstinence but that 's a negative principle no positive grace Restraint by education favour of nature generall light awe of punishment is not the favour of a promise these never cost the bloud of Christ to purchase at least they are not the purchase in kinde A third sort are such as boast of promises in point of externall blessings 3. By outward blessings Job 21.10 God hath so furnisht them with health strong bodies successe in trades good crops marriage and children as much corne as can stand on ground no Cow but gendreth and casts not Calfe that they conclude themselves happy as few rubbes and changes as any Psal 17.14 They goe downe in peace and leave all to their babes But are you not also of them who because they have no changes feare no God Such may be as ranke Atheists as live God makes no promises to such as goe downe into the pit Not the still but the safe death argues a promise True it is Psal 37.37 The end of the righteous is alway peace but it is the peace of good conscience not of stupor and ease Note Performances are alway good things but good things are not alway performances Mercies of the left hand are no tender mercies Eccles 9.1 Deut. 33.16 Love is no more discerned by these then hatred Hast thou got the love and good will of him that dwelt in the Bush Surely except the sea of mercy hath come between thy wealth and thy soule to purge away all thy drosse of carnall savour the blessings of the Sun and Moone and earth cannot pleasure thee Alas no! Jer. 2.13 All is from a dry pit as the corne on the thatch which fills not the hand of the Mower One performance from a promise is worth ten such blessings as these Lastly all such as boast of their hearings prayers doings and sufferings 4. By their Religion good affections to religion distastes of old sinnes These they say argue a change and that is a signe of a covenant But Oh poore soule these may be some changes in respect of what in times past hath been But these are not that change which comes from Gods promise except some other markes as well as these may be alledged Iehu doted upon himselfe to see such zeale against Iehoram But none of the sins of Ahabs house were purged out of him Goe 2 Kings 10.16 finde out some surer markes then the forbearance of some old anger pride wantonnesse while the pang lasteth or else this flame will breake out againe and burne up all To conclude I say let all such bee afraid of their rotten and false proppes What became of those Sycophants who would needs be King Edward or such other Princes Were they not hanged up What noble man can endure a base fellow who pleads kindred to him because of name or likenesse of countenance When yet they are mungrels and bastards having no drop of Noble blood within them Beware therefore and meddle not with Gods performances they are Childrens bread and belong to no Dogges while they are so Thus much for this Vse 6 A sixt use is Instruction teaching us the admirable honour and prerogative of saving and pretious faith A second Instruct with caveat Luk. 9.23 Faith in promises performances is a most pretious Jewel and why It is cloathed with all the wealth wardrobes treasures and provisions of God All the performances of God are hers As our Saviour said If thou canst beleeve all things are possible No sooner doth faith close with a promise upon earth but the Lord in heaven closes with that soule by ratifying to it what it beleeveth Faith as hee saith is when that which is said is done The Lord meaning to doe a poore soule good causeth it to meet his purpose by beleeving it that so he may honour it with a performance Faith is like the Cherubims which were alway peeping into the Mercy seat so doth faith alway trade in heaven spying out what good thing God is preparing for the soule that she may beleeve it and carry it alway with her If faith concurred not as well with performances as with promises who would care for it Pro. 27.19 But she makes all reall and present to the soule as well as promised As face answers to face in water so doth a promise to a performance in a needing soule Note Joh. 11.40 Compare Jona 2. v. 4. and 8. with v. 10. and that by the mediation of Fâ—i h. As our Saviour said to Martha Said I not to thee If thou beleeve thou shalt â—ee the glorious power of God Marke Naaman here No sooner doth he resigne up himselfe to the promise by washing but instantly there comes in new marrow into his bones and smoothnesse upon his flesh here is no intermission or delay of performance looke what was said is now
now we enjoy in the season of the yeare How many have fretted the soule of God all this Summer 1631. by their wofull unthankfulnesse because that wee have had sad wets and not without cause for our drunkards sakes therefore many of us say Wee shall lose our Harvest to yeare What Canst thou not trust God in that promise of seed-time harvest which is absolute and depends not upon thy faith Well Gen. 8.22 now at the last God hath heard us when he had us at the vantage and this might occasion the recording of many former deliverances What hath been the cause of Gods detecting so many traytors to our Prince State and giving us their necks save the faith of Gods people which hath noted his mercies Thankfull and comforted by the faithful performing of promises Why should he else just in the nick of our enemies insulting pride in 88. and since in this hellish treason of the Powder step in stop that fatall hand Since how many droughts famines rumors of wars pestilence bad seasons hath the Lord turned away from us Should we confine our thanks to one day in the yeare And put case that still many Popish enemies lie at our root to kill it and to endanger our liberties say that many sorrowes are still upon us is it not because we have made wash-way of all sorts of performances and made them common things How hath God magnified his arme in those publick fasts of ours lately solemnized besides our private extraordinary praiers by our selves When met we but the Lord gave us in some answer more or lesse And how have we requited him for it Were it not just with him to give us quite over as them Judg. 10.13 for our Idols our covetousnesse I meane formality and hypocrisie Might he not as Ps 80.4 be angry with our prayers Might he not laugh at our misery and leave us to cruell enemies and forraine invasions who have been so weary of his own yoke Also humbled for their provokings of God to the contrary Oh! let us humble our souls to the very dust that we have requited him so basely and deserved that he should change his performances into revenges and penalties you poor heare who ere now said you could not chuse but starve this deer year how fare you now the danger is overpast God hath performed as much corn as can stand on the ground to rid you of fears will you now forget him as formerly Remember your covenants Oh that our powder were not danke and our hearts unfit to take fire and to burne out with praises nay hath not God betrusted many of us here with more then ever we looked for such wives such children such patience in our revolts such addition of life when we lookt to have beene cut off by violent feavers consumptions yet restored to live 7. 10. 20. years after with unlooked for liberty in our Ministery and Profession may we not say with David 1 Chr. 29.14 It was little to thee to build me a sure house but thou wouldst also take in my posterity to covenant for two or three generations If a Gentleman should give his poor friend a ring of 20 s. and put it into a pearl of 20 li. that friend would thanke him though he saw nothing but the gold only but when he sees the jewell too doth he not stand and wonder Shouldest thou do lesse to the Lord for those unexpected favours given thee as an overplus to his Christ What shouldst thou do but take up the cup of salvation praise him thy worst day is better then the best of such Psal 116.10 as I say not want these blessings but such as have them cast in upon them as common casualties not as performances I had rather be the scullion in a great house with poor blessings from a fountaine from faith in a promise then the Noble man himself without the favour of the giver had not Obadiah a better portion then his Master let thine estate be never so mean 1 Kings 18.3 yet if the Lord have granted thee this entercourse and intelligence with heaven thou hast great cause of thankfulnesse And to conclude Psal 122 ult let us all say as David did at the foot of his song Our trust standeth in the name of the Lord. For time to come shal I ever cavill against thee O Lord who hast beene so faithfull Shall I call thee to my tribunall if at any time thou shouldst try me with some darknes of promises am I not bound for ever to wait both in mine own behalf and the behalf of the whole Church to trust thee as a God that keepst touch nay who hast oftimes performed promises whenas I have but poorly concurr'd with them by faith put case thou shouldst do as Iacob did to Iosephs brethren lay thine hands a crosse the right upon Ephraim Gen. 48.18 the left upon Manasse say thou shouldst in particular crosse my own contents delay my praiers and estrange thy selfe for a while from me in wonted performances is it not enough for the cleering of thy faithfulnesse that thou hast so long bin faithfull Is not my experience sufficient to binde me to thy faithfulnes for ever So much shall serve also for this last Use so for the whole Doctrine and for this time THE TWO AND TWENTIETH LECTVRE Continued upon this VERSE VERSE XIV Then Naaman went downe and washed himselfe seven times in Iordan and behold his flesh came againe as the flesh of a little child and he was cleane THe last day Beloved as you may remember I made an end of the former Doctrine issuing out of the successe of Naamans washing To wit that Gods performances are alway as good as his promises if not better Now the last point of the whole verse and so of the third generall part of this text remaineth to be handled And that is grounded upon this That now after Naamans faith and fruition of the promised cure wee heare no more of his old distempers his cavils his rage and turning from the Prophet All is now quite changed with him as for sorrow and former trouble all is blowne away as if it had never been The point is of singular consequence and it is this The soule that can cast her selfe nakedly upon the bare promise of God may be sure thereby to lose all her distempers which under her unbeliefe assaulted her and to drowne them in the promise And this point I will first ground upon Scripture and reason Secondly answer a question or doubt Then come to some use For the ground of the text it is cleere For we see that according to the promise of Elisha so it came to passe After his washing himselfe we heare of no more distempers all are gone wee heare of the returne of his flesh as a childs we heare not of the remainder of his passions For other texts Take that place
God hath strength in his hand to doe this whatsoever Satan hell law or wrath should say to the contrary I say he hath enough to warrant that he hath done against all opposers See Esay 27.4 5. Anger is not in me why Lay hold upon my strength and make peace The satisfaction of Christ is the strength of mercy as truly as the law is the strength of sinne The arme of mercy is so strong through this that the strong arme of justice cannot pull it away from forgiving a poore sinner but mercy will still be above and will not be beaten downe but prevaile against justice yea triumph against judgement By this strength then which overcomes justice shall not the distempers of the soule much more be vanquished and overcome Branch 5 Lastly the intent and purpose of God is by his promise to doe this favour for the soule even to put it out of all doubt and question and to breed assurance in it Heb. 6. That by two things the word and oath of God wherein it was impossible for God to lie we might have full assurance and so twice more in that Epistle he speakes The meaning whereof is As surely as I from all eternity did intend it in the foundation of mine election that is my Sonne as verily as I accepted it at his hands when he offered it up by his eternall spirit as verily as I offer it to my Church under the word of truth which cannot lie and have pawned my Ministers credit upon it that except I speake truely they are errant dissemblers as verily as now my deare Sonne at my right hand in glory pleads for poore soules that they may partake it so truly and really without hooke or crooke doe I intend to shew them mercy Why should not every one then that needs it fasten upon it and drowne all his distempers in it decide all doubts and rest well satisfied Conclusion of reasons To these I might adde many mo As that the promise beleeved gives the soule a full requitall for all which shee forgoes As Peter said We have forsaken all and followed thee Lord what shall we have Our Saviour answers him An hundred fold here and after eternall life So perhaps thou hast forsaken thy old crasie props for Gods word what shalt thou have Even perfect peace that which they could never have bred thee Againe I might say That faith enlarges the hidebound and shrunk heart and makes it concurre with the Lord and equall his bowels I meane to be enlarged in her bowels toward him againe whereas before it was not so but she limited the holy one of Israel and restrained his compassions Besides this word of the promise sets up a light in the heart above all that light which was there before We know when it is dark we are glad of a candle But when the Sunne shines bright a candle is a poore needlesse thing and is drowned by a superiour light So here a blind dark deluded heart is glad of any dimme candle of its owne to make it thinke it sees but when the word comes that dimme light vanishes These and many more I might adde but these are sufficient I hasten to the question and objection and the answers of them Here then first it may be asked The Answer to a Question But may a poore soule truly loaden with her owne sinne and under a condition of a promise be subject to so many distempers I answer yea surely as in the wombe the woman that is conceived with child yet ere the fruit be perfected feeles abundance of inward griefes and pains strugglings and wrestlings ere the fruit be come to the full ripenesse But when it is once come to that the former distempers cease Even so is it here Till faith have formed the soule to a true quietnesse and setling there cannot chuse but be many feares and turne-againes although the seed be cast into the wombe really But what are these I answer In three kinds Such as these I may referre them to these three heads for order sake First erroneous conceits on the right hand proceeding from selfe-love flattering it selfe by her hopes her morall qualities her negative abstinences opinion of her religious duties her affections complaints her liking of goodnesse flashes of joy and the like Oh! how can she chuse but doe well how can she be out of the way Then must thousands perish if she be wrong She is not so sinfull that she should put Gods mercy too farre to straine it selfe Ah poore wretch thinkest thou to fare well by making God lesse work or by making thy selfe to need him above all sinners The Word goes not by thy small sinne but by the graciousnesse of the promiser So also of this sort are all mixtures of selfe and soderings against the Word hoping that such a degree of desire or sorrow or selfe-deniall will serve although it have no roote in the Word nor continue Seeking God so farre as will hold with such a lust liberty or evill custome To sticke to our old condition though we find it crasie by the Word and to be unwilling to goe any further and to strippe and bare herselfe of her owne bottome that Christ might come and take possession But desperately to venture and cast all upon hazard if I be not well let all goe I will take as I find but I will altar none of my course This for the first sort Secondly there are distempers on the left hand for the soule is hurried with extremities on both sides till she beleeve I meane with bondage as well as boldnesse Of this sort are all base feares and wicked conceits against our selves That we are the unhappiest of all men of more aversnesse to Gods will and way then any men or women living That our corruptions are baser then any our natures more crooked inconstant awk and perverse that such spirits as ours so sly subtill and lewd cannot belong to God For then some restraining grace or other would have kept us all this while Why oh poore soule is it not as much for the glory of mercy to save a crooked spirit as a streight dost thou so looke upon thine owne ends that Gods are forgotten Also a false opinion of Gods enmity toward us because we feele our selves as corrupt and hardhearted as ever little amendment in us but much what the same under long hearing many mercies patience crosses meanes of grace What should this argue but that our hearts are given over and left of God Surely if he had chosen us we should not be thus Some there must be after all costs and trials who must be left in their hardnesse of heart and none more like to be of that number then such as we feele our selves So tempted to vile thoughts to lewd lusts and affections So many backwarder and further off then we in shew yet have beene brought home to God before us Many of our time age and
the spirit within you shall put the difference though others hold their peace The base degenerate carnall spirit of men now a daies boasting of a cure and conversion but still the same for their temper and frame of spirit or else in a base outside of zealous performances and shewes of good without any cordiall geniall spirit of self-deniall tendernesse and love to holinesse bewrayes sufficiently whence their cures came Tell mee I pray was there such a spirit of a cure in him whom Christ cured at the Poole after 38. years disease Joh. 5. as was in that blind man Ioh. 5.7 Ioh. 9.7 8 9. Joh. 9. When the former of these was in healed what news were there he went to the Pharisees and there jangled but Christ heard no more of him so that after meeting him in the Temple he told him Thou art now healed but sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee A sad item so soon after Alas what wonder it was a cure of the left hand a bodily cure of lame feet not of a lame spirit and thereafter came of it no spirit of tendernesse thankes acknowledgement or engagement followed And what came of those cures in the wildernesse which befell the Israelites when the Lord had heald them of their bondage taken away the feare of Pharaoh his hoast Exod. 12. compared with 15. c. and with Num. 11. 15. and the danger of the red Sea when hee had removed the sad disease of famine and thirst sent them quailes in plenty dropt Manna from heaven into their bellies and fill'd them with the Rocke which gusht out and followed them with water when as there was a plague gone out among them Aaron with his censer went and stood betweene the living and the dead and staid it when scorpions were let fly among them to sting them to death the Lord set up a brazen one upon a Pole to looke upon that beholding it they might escape What came of all these cures Nothing their carcasses fell in the wildernesse after all these themselves grew as base murmurers rebels and breakers of Covenant as ever But as for any true spirit of a sound cure I meane any remembring of him that had healed them alas it was farre from them and why I pray you Surely because the cure was but by halfes not a full and sound one it came from one Physitian but not from the like purpose of heart it reacht their bodies but toucht not their soules How many are there among us whom the Lord hath wrought cures upon Some of us he hath cured of our poverties and filled our purses with money paid our debts and set us on foot others have beene cured of our ill Names healed in point of our bad yoak-fellowes others of us have beene healed of our diseases of body agues consumptions dropsies and God hath betrusted us with second lives like Hezekiah whē as we would have given the hope of them for a straw but to what end have all these boones befallen us surely to make us more ranke proud jolly in our selves we have had a spirit of our cures too but it is such as the disease had beene much better then the remedy and had beene like to have held us in more humblenesse and feare then our cures Eccles 13.5 I may say with Salomon I have seene a misery under the Sunne a cure bestowed upon a poore sicke man to the ruine of him 2 Chron. 28.22 Is not this a fearfull cure Ahaz because he was worse for crosses is thus branded This is King Ahaz what shall our brand be who are worse for our cures But this is not all the preposterousnesse of it That all the hope of these seemed to be before their cure False cures have a preposterous spirit O then if God would not destroy them of this disease but let them live what manner of ones would they prove but when they lived what deivlls have they proved That good King sung Esay 38.19 The living the living shall praise thee But these may cry The living shall do thee more dishonour then ever And to leave these others have beene healed by a better hand by the Ministry of the Spirit they have beene healed of their ignorance uncleannesse profane lives they have gotten knowledge reformation of some grosse evils but what shall we say of them Is the spirit of a cure seene upon them Can any man say that grace hath bred in them tendernesse of conscience love to the people of God a change of heart Alas no such matter Nay there are some who are not so much as rid of their grosse lusts and yet make great shew of zeale and forwardnesse Note As lately one arrested by the hand of God with sudden feare of death emptied himselfe of all and confessed that hee was habited in a custome of adultery with three or foure harlots about the same time and yet an hearer noter repeater of Sermons and a kind of Professor Cures now are all mens cases All will be religious and that shall be the cover of all their ranke lusts plaisters are now applyed to all sores let them be as festred within as rankled and corrupt as they will not to speake of secret evils of wrath frowardnesse rage unmercifulnesse rebellion of heart worldlinesse and the like Alas these men have no leasure to thinke of they seeke religion as drunkards seeke drinke to besot and disable their consciences from stirring and stinging of them Misery of such as rest in false and halfe cures What shall I say of such Alas there is no spirit of a cure to be seene in them they want the sound cure which a spirit of conversion hath in it God hath two closets of plaisters and medicines the one outward the other secret in the former hee keepes universall salves for all sores in the other Medicines for an hard heart a proud spirit unbeleefe subtilty hollownesse imponitency To the former men flock apace and if they can get them they care for no more But the heart which God onely askes for runnes full of all excesse and so long as the still stream of outward Religion possesses them with security of their estate they never lay ought to their hearts till wrath and hell-fire flash in their faces and feare surprizes Hypocrites Esay 33.13 Then all turnes to horrour and who shall endure everlasting burnings But oh yee wofull people Might you not have beene admitted into the inner closet if you had preased hard to it yes verily That paddle and adoe which you have made to soder and play the Hypocrites might have beene better spent and sped better to purchase a sound cure never to be repented of Tell me if a man that hath a dangerous sore upon his body content himselfe with going to a base Quacksalver with a budget at his backe and get of him a little salve in a clout to skinne his sore
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