the children of Judah fasted and that for 70. years together four times in a year they sought the Lord extraordinarily yet because they did not seek him thoroughly he did not count it sincerely done Zach. 7. 4 5. As who should say You did not fast unto me Doubtless they themselves thought they were very religious what not only to doe the duties of religion but to doe extraordinary duties no question they thought this was very much yet every one were cast off because their hearts were not upright before him Aâ—â—ziah the Text saith did those things that were good in the eyes of the Lord yet the Text makes this exception against him that it was not with an upright heart 2 Chron. 25. 2. Conâ—ider first That God delights only in an upright heart Prov. 11. 20. They that are of a froward heart are an abomination to the Lord but those that are upright in their wayes are his delight Upright Prayer and upright hearing of the Word and upright Preaching of it upright walking in a mans Family and upright carriagâ— in a mans conversation when a man carries himself uprightly in all his wayes this man is a delight to God as he saith Isa 66. 2. I can look over heaven and earth but at him will I look that trembleth at my Word The prayer of the upright is his delight Prov. 15. 8. When a man can make faithful pleas to the throne of grace for mercy faithful pleas that God would pardon him faithful pleas that God would enable him and accept him and he doth not make these pleas falsly but his own heart can say there is no sin but he sets himselfe against it and there is no commandement but he sets himself to obey it but the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to him he cannot abide it let them pray a thousand prayers God abhors their prayers if they have not upright hearts So 1 Chron. 29. 17. see what David saith as who should say Lord thou hast pleasure in uprightness and then certainly thou hast some pleasure in me for with an upright heart and in the sincerity of my soule have I sought thee Now on the contrary if a man be not upright before God if a man have a loose conversation and he be not sincere the Lord abhors that man Secondly Consider that this is the totall summe of all that God requires in the Covenant of grace that they should be upright and faithful in his Covenant as when he made his Covenant with Abraham Gen. 17. 1. he saith Walk before me and be upright This is that God requires and he would be an Almighty God unto him and bless him and do him good to all generations 1 Sam. 12. 24. It is the saying of Samuel to the people Only fear the Lord and walk before him with an upright heart As who should say this is the onely thing and God requires no more if God had required more he might lawfully have done it if he had required the fulfilling of the Law to the utmost rigour he might have done it but this is the onely thing that God doth stand upon that we should be upright before him he doth not look that we should be Angels upon earth but that we should be sincere and noâ— goe a whoring from him wittingly and willingly Thirdly Consider The least faith the least grace and goodness if it be with uprightness is better then all the goodly performances of the whole world God liked more of the poor womans two mites then of all the abundance that the Scribes and Pharisees cast into the Treasury And he that gives a cup of cold water to a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall noâ— lose his reward Therefore you shall see many poore beggarly things over those things that other men have done have been accepted whereas the building of Hospitals and Colledges have been rejected though a man have but a little knowledge as many of the Martyrs hardly knew how many Sacraments there were yet having uprightness died at stake so if a man have but a little faith with sincerity it shall pass when a thousand presumptuous fools shall goe to hell Fourthly Consider God will wink at manifold and grievous faults so there be sincerity and uprightness Asa his faults were horrible faults 1 Kings 15. 14. yet his heart was perfect What a company of faults had he what an horrible failing was this that he should cast the very Prophet of God into prison that reproved him Now God answers he had his failings and horrible ones yet he was a good man for his heart was upright before me Asa was not himselfe in that businesse Asa was not Asa then his heart was upright with the Lord. So good Jehosaphat a man that was grievously besmeared with corruptions and infirmities and those no small ones how fearfully did he marry his daughters into a most devillish Family as if he had no fear of God before his eyes he married them to the house of Ahab and another time he helped the enemies of the Lord and loved them that hated the Lord I know not how he was hooked in to joyn with Ahab and goe up to Ramoth Gilead and when he had done this and had humbled himselfe for this he did it again 2 Kings 3. 7. And the Reformation he wrought was not thorough as it ought to have been yet saith the Text 2 Chro. 19. 3. There are good things in thee because he was upright the Lord was pleased to accept him nay I will tell you more look upon the people at the Passeover in the dayes of Hezekiah what a company of people came to Jerusalem to keep the Passeover and came horribly unprepared the Text saith they were not prepared according to the Law of Moses which was a grievous thing yet the Text saith the Lord heard the prayers of Hezekiah for them because they prepared their hearts to seeke the Lord they did endeavour to grieve and be ashamed for their failings and want of preparation now on the other side what goodly men doth God reject not being upright and sincere as Jehu what a glorious King was he I warrant all the good people of Judah and Israel blessed God that ever he sate upon the Throne what to root out Baal and to destroy all the Idolatrous Priests and to be zealous in it come and see my zeal for the Lord these were admirable things yet the Lord doth discharge him and would have none of him because he was not upright Look upon the Scribes and Pharisees the none suches and mirrours of their times that was a Proverbe in Israel that if but two men in the world should go to Heaven the one should be a Scribe and the other Pharisee they were thought to be the holiest men in the world yet when the Lord saw this was not with an upright heart he denounceth woe upon woe against them Fifthly Consider That if we be upright it
is all that are born of God they are brought forth in the day of Gods power in the day wherein God is pleased to put forth his power in them therefore they are called the seed of Christ Isa 53. 10. They are his seed but unless he begets them by his Spirit they can never be so Therefore if we consider the greatness of the work it sheweth plainly it must needs be the effect of the Will of God and his good Pleasure towards man and therefore must be wrought by the Spirit Secondly Another Reason is Because it is not a work of this world It No other agent can do it is a work of another world it is none of the creatures of this life it is beyond the sphere of the activity of any natural agent they cannot reach it Joh. 1. 13. Which were born not of the will of the flesh nor of bloud c. It is not of mans Will he cannot so much as Will it or Desire it effectually he cannot wish it truly nay his heart had rather have the world nay saith he It is not of the Will of the Flesh that is a man may go and beget another Child in the world because it is of the Will of the Flesh it is in the power of the Will of the Flesh Gods power going along with him but this is not so whatsoever a man be though he hath never so many excellent parts it is not in the Will of the Flesh to do it Then again it is not of Bloud it is no terrene or earthly thing this new creature is otherwise made than any new creature in the world besides therefore he concludes it is only born of God it is God only that is the great Author of this great work it descends down meerly from above Thirdly Because it is so far from being wrought by any power Man is totally against it of himself in man or any counsel in man or any endeavours in man it is so far from that as that a man is totally against it A man is an enemy unto it a man hath reluctancy and repugnancy against it he would not be regenerate when a man doth think he desires heaven and to be regenerated of God he doth apprehend Regeneration in a wrong way and heaven in a wrong way so as he apprehends it he doth Will it he thinks of heaven as of a fine place and a place full of pleasure and therefore desires it but that he should alwayes be with God that he should alwayes be praysing and thinking of God and minding of God and have his heart weaned from all other things and set it on God this is heaven but he hates these things and so hates heaven so he Wills that which he apprehends to be Regeneration but Regeneration is when a man hath a new heart and when he is a new-man he was wordly before but he is now brought to be spiritual he was proud before but he is now come to be humble but the heart cannot abide this therefore let the Lord fling in abundance of throws into a natural mans heart to begin some preparatory work this way to make a man begin to look out towards heaven he flings all away he is weary of them quickly as a man at a Sermon perhaps may have throws concerning the new Birth but the corruption of his heart will throw all way he cannot endure them they are contrary to the corruption of a mans nature nay when God comes to work upon his own people what a deal of pleading is there with the world the flesh and the Divel that they may not be cast out Therefore when Peter saw that through the grace and power of God this work was wrought in those he wrote unto 1 Pet. 1. 3. Mark how he speaks Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead He lifts up his hands to heaven and blesseth God that ever this work was wrought he saw so much adoe and such a stir and such a deal of opposition this is a plain sign that it is not of man it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God which sheweth mercy Rom. 9. 16. Neither can man Will neither can he run neither go nor stir towards it nay though God make him go how apt is â—e to laggar in the way and draw back again So you see the Fourth Thing Why it must needs be the Spirits Work The Fifth Thing is How the Spirit of God works this Work It is after How the Spirit worketh Regeneration an unspeakable manner Who can declare the noble acts of the Lord The works of God in Nature are marvellous David himself when he looked upon his natural Birth the Conception of him in the Womb of his Mother he wondered at it Psal 139. 14. That was a wonderful work how much more is this unspeakable and unutterable As it is said of our Saviour Christ Who can declare his generations So may I say in a lower sense of this Work Who can declare this Regeneration of his people But yet thus far the Scripture doth authorize and warrant us to go First That he doth it by the word of Life By the Gospel of Salvation by the Preaching of it or otherwise according as he pleaseth that is the By the Word of Life immortal seed 1 Pet. 1. 23. Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God c. And as Paul saith to the Coriâ—thians Though you have ten thousand and instructers yet you have not many Fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel 1 Cor. 4. 15. As who should say You are begotten and born again and you are born again by the Word and I was an instrument under God of your new Birth by the Word which I have Preached among you and therefore 1 Tim. 1. 2. he calls Timothy His own Son So Tit. 1. 4. he calls him His Son in the Faith that is he was an instrumental Father under God by the Doctrine of Faith to bring him to be a Child of God So that I say it is done by the Word Of his own Will hath he begotten 〈◊〉 by the Word of truth Jam. 1. 18. The Spirit of the Lord sanctifies the Word when he is pleased to convert a man the Word shall shew him what a miserable creature he is by nature it sheweth him that flesh and bloud cannot enter into the kingdom of God it sheweth him that he is utterly forlorn in himself and past all recovery and shews him where life is to be had namely in Jesus Christ discovering his worth and excellency and necessity and that all Grace and good is in him and shews him the freedom of this gracious offer Thus the Spirit of God when he
very thought of it dulls him it is like a stone upon his heart now let a man sin against grace and the goodness of God and Gods gracious dealing let a man sin against these it doth put a man to a most hard task to go through to go and humble himself before Almighty God and the soul shall find a world of conflicts that he is loth to come to it loth to deal about this bitter business to go about to renew his repentance with bitter remorse for his sins it is like a desperate debtor that hath run himself over head and ears in debt the very thought of coming to a reckoning is death to him he cannot abide to think of it it is like a boy that hath made false Latine if his Master should call him to construe and pearse it and give a rule for every word he knows it is not according to rule he hath not looked after rule and every thing is false now he cannot abide to come to construe and pearse it so when a man hath provoked God by his sins and hath broken his covenant and slighted his ordinances when God calls him to construe and pearse what do you make of such an action and such a word and such a thought the heart is even afraid of these things as a dog is of a whip it is an hard task to be brought to this as David when he had yielded to his security and idleness and unwatchfulness and so had given way to Satan you may see what an hard task he brought upon his soul and how his soul was ever afraid to go about humiliation how many frowning looks doth a man cast upon the pykes he must go through if he mean to obtain mercy it even deads him as a dagger at his heart David was loth to come to this to come to a reckoning to come to be humbled when Bathsheba sent him word that she was with child then God called him to a reckoning to be humbled God told him to his face it is high time to be humbled and ashamed God hath been laying rods in brine for thee and to bring thee upon the stage and to make thee odious and vile in the sight of the world yet he was loth to come to a reckoning he shun'd it and shut his eyes from seeing it he devised tricks to send Vriah home to his Wife and when this would not be but Vriah carried himself constantly with feeling of the case of the Church that then lay in the field against their enemies this could not but call for humbling yet he shunned it still and instead of humbling himself he went further into the briars and made Vriah drunk thinking then he would go home it is impossible but he should see the hand of God in all this that he gave him a warning to down on his knees but he shunned it again and instead of humbling himself he devised the death of Vriah and when nâ—â—s câ—me Vriah is dead which one would think should have been as an ha 〈…〉 r to have knockt him down he puts this off the sword kills one as well as another and till the Lord was pleased to set it on he could not be brought to humble himself thus it is sin puts an hard task upon a man a man may easily slip into sin it is a merry way unto it but when a man is once in he cannot get out again without tearing and rending and abasing and casting himself down before God this is an hard task and the soul shall find abundance of reluctancies and the very thought of it deads the soul unless the Lord be the more merciful A fourth reason why sin deads a man is because sin defiles the conscience for sin is a dead work and it goes into the conscience and defiles it until it be purged by the blood of Christ Heb. 9. 14. sin is a dead work and the winding sheet of it is the conscience presently as soon as a man doth iniquity this dead work runs into the conscience and catcheth hold and this defiles the conscience and puts guilt into it and nothing in the world more deads a man then a guilty conscience why because it knocks a mans fingers off from that which should enliven and quicken him it makes him see that he doth defile Gods promises if he medle with them Isa 38. 16. the promises of God are the things by which men live now when the conscience is guilty it doth even knock a mans fingers off from the promises it tells him this guilt must out first before he can apply the promises nay the very hearing of the promises deads his heart and this is the reason why good people as long as they have not clear consciences rather call for Sermons of judgement then of mercy and their consciences say the promises doe not belong to me I know God is an holy God and his promises holy and it is no meddling with them without holinesse therefore when a man gives way to sin he must needs dead his heart because he defiles his own conscience and therefore no wonder that there is so much deadnesse up and downe when there is hardly a clear conscience in the Country nay good people how slightly doe they deal in this case and hinder their own life and quickning because they have not a care to come before God with a cleare conscience The fifth Reason is Because sin doth either utterly destroy or mightily weaken all assurance of welcome with God and therefore no marvel if it dead the heart for if a man cannot look for comfort and entertainment with God when he goeth to him it takes man off from that willingness to come into Gods presence it makes a man shie of God and of Jesus Christ and his Ordinances it makes a man that he hath no desire to pray almost nay sometimes he hath no heart at all nay sometimes he totally omits the duty he is so afraid he cannot goe to God without carnal feares and mis-givings and horrours and this takes the heart quite off for a time that he cannot pray at all it is like a childe when he hath committed some villany that he knows his father knowes he is shy of coming into his fathers presence he is afraid to come where his father is he knowes be shall be chid and hear of his doings so it is in this case it is not thus with wicked and ungodly men for they can look God in the face but Gods own people when they sin against God it must needs take off that cheerful willingness to goe before God that delight to be in his presence that comfort in prayer sinne makes it an irksome thing sinne makes a man to have little heart to deal with God for the heart doth not love to be caught by God in Satans company or of any lust as a servant cannot abide that his Master should take him in any villany or unfaithfulnesse
37. Turn away mine eâ—es from beholding vanity and quicken me O Lord. Again We must take heed of covetousness for we shall never have any gracious work upon us if we give way to it Again We should take heed of slacking and abating private duties we should carefully call upon God every day in secret when there is no body by but God and our own souls if we finde backwardness to this duty know it comes from the Devil that would drown us in perdition if he could therefore we must resist him and goe about it for certatnly otherwise we cannot be quickned Again We should take heed of slighting inward duties the holy ordinances of God in our bosoms holy meditations gracious strivings against corruptions when they arise setting the Lord before us seeking Gods presence in all places we must have a care we have gracious purposes and endeavours and strivings inwardly in our bosomes Lastly Let us take heed of contenting our selves with any pitch we have attained but still labour to grow in grace lest we fall short and never enter into Gods rest The next meanes is to be earnest with God to quicken our hearts to pray The fourth meanes to God for his grace that God would be pleased to put life into us we should make Elijahs prayer that prayed to heaven for fire to come downe upon the sacrifice so pray earnestly to God to send down his celestial fire into thy heart to warm thee and heat thee and stir thee up to that which is good as the Church doth Psal 80. 18. Quicken us and we will call c. Of all Petitions under heaven we should pray most of all for life next unto the glory of God and the salvation of our souls nay indeed as the very means for both we should pray that God would quicken us into all our prayers let us put in this Petition that God would quicken us evermore to have it as the standing desire of our souls and the daily request and suit we have at the throne of grace that God would quicken us there is no grace we have more need of then this and indeed it is that which sets all other Graces awork if we did know how ready God would be to welcome such a suit we would be more ready to pray to God for it there is no man so tenderly welcome to God as he that prayes for quickning the more he is weary of deadness and common professing of God the more welcome to God he would fain fear God indeed and please God indeed when a man is possessed with deep studies how to attain to this this man is a welcome man to the throne of grace therefore let us stir up our selves to this there is no mercy better then this that God should quicken us Psalm 119. 156. Great are thy tender mercies quicken me O Lord He takes here quickning for all Gods gracious mercies and tender compassions he takes the quickning of his heart as a gracious effect of Gods infinite mercy to his soul if we had but this how welcome would good duties and opportunities of doing and receiving good be unto us The fifth meanes is to be diligent and to take earnest and effectual pains 5. Meanes in this work and in all Christian duties in all the worship of God there is a secret blessing of God upon those that take pains even in the meanest calling you shall have poor Widows that have four or five small children to keep yet being painful it is a wonderful thing what a blessing of God is upon them that they make a shift to live and never come to trouble the Parish such a blessing of God there is upon the diligent as Solomon saith The hand of the diligent maketh rich Prov. 10. 4. So it is in regard of spiritual life there is a secret blessing of God upon the men and women that labour and are diligent about the meanes of grace and are careful to take paines to have them made profitable to their souls upon those that are diligent in prayer and striving against sin diligent in hearing of the Word diligent in partaking of the Sacrament when it comes and diligent about the Sabbath that they may not lose the benefit of it it is a wonderful blessing that shall accompany such men they shall thrive in grace when as others shall be like Pharaohs lean kine that devoured all their fellows and yet were lean and ill-favoured still it is not the greatness of a mans comings in that makes a man rich but the well-managing of it there is many a rich Heir comes to poverty when as another that was never born to a foot of Land yet with pains and labour and industry is well able to live and give more to any good use then twenty base idle fellows let a man hold but a little ground twenty acres he may grow more rich upon it being a good husband then another man that holds twenty times as much and is a spendthrift and lazy and careless and never looks how business goes forward there is a blessing of God upon labour and industry as Solomon saith Prov. 13. 11. He that gathers by labour shall increase So it is here it is not he that lives under the best Ministery that is most quickned but he that lives under a poor Ministery and is diligent he is better then hundreds that live under the powerfull Preaching of the Word and never are carefull to improve it It is noted of Johns hearers that many of them had more life then they that sate under Christs Ministery It is noted of Job though he dwelt in Midian where was no meanes of grace yet he had more grace and life in his heart then almost all the Church of God that dwelt in Zion there was hardly a man in all Israel like Job Paul though he came into the Vineyard after all the Apostles yet by his labour and diligence he gat before most of them all so a man that sits under the Ministery and takes pains with his heart that the Sermons he heares may do him good that he may be the better for them if a man labours to get good by the Sacrament to get good by conference if he labour to have every Ordinance of God made profitable to him this man with a little grace shall grow more then thousands that goe on idly and yet have more helps then he therefore if we desire to be quickned let us be diligent and take pains and not go with our hands in our bosomes like Solomons sluggard Sixthly Another means is to exercise that grace we have there is never 6. Means a man in this Congregation hath so little grace but if he did exercise it so far as it would goe who knows how much quickning he might quickly have which of you do not know that there is a God and that there is a Heaven and an Hell and the Principles of Religion
not shaâ—â— off this dâ—â—dness and careleseness and heartleseness to that which is good as it is with a man that hath a consumption upon his body he is so far from growing that he rather pines away he waxeth more and more faint and groweth dâ—ader and waxeth neerer to his end he pines away so when a man is dead though not quite dead his heart is deaded he doth pine away as the Prophet saith Ezek. 33. 10. if we pine away how shall we do oâ— yet thus it is 〈◊〉 man hath a dead heart he doth pine away I and again how is it possible for a man whose heart is dead to prayer and he hath no affections to 〈◊〉 which is good if there be any opportunity to that which is good he hangs off how can this man doe otherwise but wax worse and worse for he wants that which should work out sin if it be a springing water it will work out the mud but if it be a standing water it will grow thicker and thicker and will be noysome so if the body be alive though it be never so full of ill humours if it be lively nature will work them out but if the pangs of death be upon a man every disease and distemper gets the victory his nature cannot work it out now so it is with a man that hath a dead heart he cannot work out the corruption that daily bubbles up in his heart as Eli though he had never so many corruptions he had no heart to root them out 't is true he reproved his sons but it was to no purpose as good never a whit as never the better so when Solomon was grown dead and had lost his former life of grace afterwards when corruption grew in his heart he could not work it out for when God had chosen Jeroboam to be put in his room though Solomon knew that it was of God and he set him up to be King yet he could not work out this corruption but his heart to his dying day rose up against Jeroboam and he sought to kill him he wanted the life of grace he had before and sin got up and he could not work it out soundly to his dying day Now is not this a most grievous thing the very consideration of this how should it provoke us to shake off this deadness Can that body do well that hath lost his expulsive faculty when distempers arise it cannot expell them it must needs be the destruction of the body so when the life of the soul is either in part or wholly taken away how can he work out his corruptions and distempers that daily arise in him we have need of grace and life and quickning we are tempted every day and the corruptions that dwell in us are ever boyling up Now if we have not the expulsive faculty to purge them out the heart must needs be in a woful condition Sixthly This sin of deadness in some sense is worse then any other sin 6. Motive and that in six respects First Other sins for the most part are in one part of a man as drunkenness is in the appetite and covetousness is in the concupiscible faculty and pride and ostentation is in the heart and ignorance is in the minde but deadness is in all the whole man as it is with a languishing disease other diseases one may be in the head another in the neck another in the back but a Consumption runs over all the whole man So it is with deadness as it was with the Church of Lâ—odicea when they were grown dead and careless he chargeth them that they were dead all over Thou art poor and blind and miserable and naked this heaps all miseries upon a man Rev. 3. such a man is like unto Judah From the crown of the head to the sole of the foot there was no sound part Isa 1. 6. It is a general disease it is like the deluge that drowned the whole world it drowns the whole man I confesse drunkenness and adultery and such particular sinnes may kill and damn a man but I say by accident deadness is worse then they 't is true drunkennesse and adultery and prophanesse are worse but why are they worse but because they have this deadnesse too but if they could be taken alone and a man might have a living heart towards God otherwise they should not be worse then deadness Secondly Other sins are against one commandement of God or two or so but this deadnesse is against all the commandements of God it is a sin against prayer for we should pray with life it is a sin against hearing for we should hear with life it is a sin against the Sabbath for we should keep it with delight it is a sin against all the Ordinances of God for we should come to them all with life and affection Suppose a servant his Master should bid him do a thing he bids him goe to one place he goes to another he goes drinks and swills another servant he goes about that his Mr. bids him but whatsoever his Mr. bids him do he goes about it slothfully and by halfs this servant is a worse servant then the other why because thiâ— servant offends in all the business he hath to do whatsoever his Mr. sets him about he marrs it and doth it to halfs So deadness of heart it disables a man to every duty to whatsoever God requires of a man and this is one of the reasons why he that breaks one of the commandements of God is said to break them all Iam. 2. 10 11. Why because he deads his heart a man that gives way to sin against any one commandement deads his heart to all and so by reason of that deadness he becoms guitlty of all Thirdly Other sins are not so deep in the soul but this deadness is deeper then all a man will be willinger to lay down any sin then deadness and to take up any duty then quickning a man had rather do any thing if he may do it without life if the bare hearing praying and profession will serve turn may be he will do that but to do all with life this the heart is loth to come to when it comes to lay out all the strength and vigour of the whole man upon God the heart cannot abide this Judah was content to turn to God but to do it with life this they would not do Jer. 3. 10. Treacherous Judah hath not turned to me with the whole heart c. He doth not deny but they turned unto him but they would not do it with their whole heart with life with all their power and strength thus they did not turn unto him As it was with the Ruler in the Gospel he was content to observe the commandements of God not to murther not to commit adultery not to steal not to swear All these have I observed from Matth. 19. my youth saith he but when Christ came
was which was Hâ—mâ—n Psal 88. 1. O Lord God of my salvation saith he he was able in some measure to speak it that God was the God of his salvation he was not totally uncertaine of it wheresoever there is faith there is some knowledge But then you will say what is the difference between the uncertainty that Obj. is in believers and other people it is true that all believers are effectually called of God but yet a man may be uncertaine now the question is how differs the uncertainty of a true believer that is called of God and others The difference is in these several particulars First A man that is effectually called of God as it may be he cannot say it Answ How the uncertainty of beleevers differs from others so he cannot deny it and as in part he cannot say it so in part he can say it though he hath a great deal of feare and terror and affrightment and in some measure he cannot say it yet in some measure he can Mark 9. 24. the man there that came to Christ as he could not simply say that he did believe so he could not simply deny it but he partly did and partly did not Lord I believe help my unbeliefe though he could not say he had the grace of faith so he could not deny it but other men though they would faine say it yet they cannot in spight of their teethes it makes it appeare unlesse they be presumptuous that they do but deceive themselves and rock themselves asleep in a fooles paradice but the people of God that are called indeed as they cannot say they are so so they cannot deny it Secondly They that are called of God effectually though they do not The 2 difference know it but it may be speak bitter things as though they were not called and deny it many times yet it is only in their haste in an odd sit that is come upon them I sayd in my haste all men are lyars Psal 31. 22. it was only in his haste it was only in a pang that came upon him but now other men they do not say it in their haste neither is it only in a passion when they question their effectual calling but they speak it in their sober witts nay they are never in their sober witts but then for when they think it is otherwise then they are in a passion in their haste they are then in their sober witts and speak most judiciously when they say it is not so Thirdly A godly man as he will say he hath no grace so he will let others The 3 difference say so too and it will humble him so much the more and he will be the more abased and caused to seek out more then ever he did before but an hypocrite though he will say in company sometimes I was never yet wrought upon yet if he hears another say so he begins to mince and saith you are mistaken Sir blessed be God I have beeen wrought upon they cannot endure to heare that another should say so but they make as though they had assurance and these and these gifts and graces though their own consciences witness to their teeths that they have it not yet they cannot abide others should say so but a child of God will not exercise himself in things that are too high for him as he is to seek so he is content to be taken to be such a one and when the people of God suspect him it humbles him and drives him nearer to God Fourthly Such persons that are effectually called indeed though they are The 4 difference very ungrounded and to seek in regard of their effectual calling yet they most love and esteem those that tell them of it that they may be better grounded and see God better when a man comes to them and tells them you are hypocritical and secure and you neglect duties in your families and you must give over this and that those that are effectually called of God indeed will love those that are most sound and most rip them up as it was with Paul when he was converted at first the Disciples questioned him Act. 9. 26. they would not believe that he was a convert did Paul now stomack them and shew himself offended no Paul did go on to manifest the truth of his grace more and more till at last it did manifest it self so those that are effectually called they love those most that are godly and question most their sincerity and it humbles them and they love a life to be in such company and they cannot abide those that dawbe them up with untempered moâ—ter but an hypocrite though his own conscience questions it and he is as one in a wilderness and in darkness that knows not whither he goeth yet he cannot abide another should beare him down so Fifthly The uncertainty of the people of God breaks their hearts and pulls The uncertainâ—y oâ— it breaks the heart them down before God it bursts their hearts and tears and rends them that they are not able to endure they must have the favour of God and the light of his countenance and know where they are and the things given them of God and they count themselves to have done nothing till they come to this as David was in this case Psal 55. 5. he was in a miserable case as if he were quite lost what did this make him do I wâ—nt to God and mourned in my prayer and cryed unto him as you may see in the beginning of the Psalm it made him mourne before God till the light of his countenance shined upon his soul but a wretched heart that hopes he is called though his conscience doubts of it this breaks not his heart nor awakens him but his vaine hopes build him up and so he is kept off from being right as he ought to be Againe those that are effectually called though they be uncertaine yet Faith supplies this uncertainty they believe they shall be certaine and they follow hard after God till he give them assurance and they build upon it that they shall have it one day and this builds them up as it was with Mr. Moore of Norwich a reverend Divine in all his Sermons for the most part he would in one passage or other move his people to get assurance in the end he sickened himself and called for all the good people in his parish and told them you know what Doctrine I have delivered to you and amongst the rest this was one that I frequently beate upon that you would labour to be assured now I must tell you that I never had assurance to my selfe but I did ever look for it and now by the mercy of God I have it and as I preached this doctrine to you when I was living so now I say unto you being a dying man labour to get assurance so that he did verily believe that he
if he hath been unfaithful it would kill his heart that his Master should take him in it so it is with Gods children let them sinne against God it doth dull and dead their hearts in regard of the throne of grace it makes them have small heart to come before it See it in Jonah when he had fled Jonah 1. away from God and had put off Gods charge and was gone downe to Joâ—pâ— and was shipped into the Sea see whether he had any minde to pray or call upon God or no he had none in the earth nay he was afraid of God and shy of his presence he knew he should be upbraided indeed when God laid it upon his conscience then Jonah prayed but he did not pray before that if he did it was as good as nothing So it is noted of David when he had committed his sins he confesseth he roared to God but we can hear of no prayer but when God sent Nathan then he could pray it is the title of the 51. Psalm A Psalm of David when Nathan came to him then he could pray but all the while sinne lay upon his soul he could not pray or if he did he did but roar he came before God with horror and unbelief and dismay and had no comfort Now when a man is privy to sin what man that hath the knowledge of God how ill God likes these courses how ill he likes a mans pride and security and neglect of worship and service how can it chuse but the thought of these things should gall his heart And thus we see for the general that it is sinne that deads mens hearts when they give way to it 2 Particâ— Now for particulars What are those sins that cause this deadnesse up and down First the niggardliness of people in Gods service they will do no more for him then they must needs doe whereas a quickened heart that loves quickning will rather overdoe then underdoe and will rather superabound then be wanting there are many duties in Religion that we have no express text of Scripture for for such a quantity or such a measure or such a time or how often as how often we should pray in secret every day how often we should meditate and how long at a time how much we should give out of almes how much we should doe thus and thus the duty is commanded but the quantity for time or frequency is not expressed in Scripture there be a thousand things of this nature Now a man that loves his own quickning will rather overdoe in this case then underdoe as it was with Philemon Phil. 21. Paul you knovv was to entreat him to doe an act of kindness to receive Onesimus now saith he I know thou wilt doe more then I ask of thee c. He would rather overdoe then underdoe So it was with the Israelites when God would have them offer to the building of the Tabernacle he did not tell them how much but they would rather overdoe then underdoe Exod. 36. 5. They brought so much that the Lord was fain to say there was enough and too much So it was with the Macedonians 2 Cor. 8. 3. Paul asked a little they gave more So it is with a man that loves quickning if God bid him pray twice a day rather then fail he will pray thrice a day if God hath required some time in his service he will rather give him more time then afford him smaller time as Christ saith If a man will have thy coat let him have thy cloak also as who should say rather overdo then underdoe if thou beest called to doe any thing for the glory of God and the good of thine own soul or the good of others we should imitate God in this God gives his people above that which they ask so we should doe more then is asked I doe not mean as if we could do more then God bids us for God requires all the heart and all the minde and all the strength but I speak of a frank and free heart when he doth not know Matth. 22. what measure God sets down in his Word he will rather doe more then lesse he will rather be with the forwardest then with the backwardest if he love his own quickning but when a man growes niggardly in Gods service and will doe no more then needs must and takes advantage that he may doe as little as may be this deads the heart because there is no expresse place in Scripture for prayer in this kinde he will take any advantage in the world for his own security and worldliness and littleness in Gods service he lieth at catch in this case this man sets open his heart to all deadness therefore no marvel he hath no life where is a man in town or country that is like to Philemon that a Minister may say I know then wilt doe more then I say It were well if we could say thou wilt do as much as I say nay it is come to this pass we may say I know you will doe nothing at all I may bid thee doe this and that but thou wilt do nothing at all people will hardly regard the Communion of Saints at all they will hardly regard secret prayer at all they will heartily regard any of those duties upon which life and quickning so much depends and this is one cause of the horrible deadness that is everywhere Secondly Another cause is unwatchfulness people doe not watch over their soules and over their wayes they doe not ponder their paths they have not an eye to their wayes this is a great cause of deadness of heart therefore here when Christ chargeth the Church of Sardis with deadness I know thou hast a name to live but art dead In the next words he gives a remedy Be watchful therfore as who should say here is the cause of thy deadness thou hast not been watchful if thou hadst been watchful thou hadst escaped all this deadness if thou hadst sloop upon thy guard and looked well to thy wayes this had never been if a man be quickened at any time the Devil lieth at catch and if he doe not vvatch he vvill be deaded again as the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 5. 8. A man had need be vvatchful else he can never preserve himselfe from the temptations of Satan when a City is beleaguered with the enemy there are ever some Watchers and Scouts that lie in wait that so if any danger be towards they may give warning lest it be surprized on the sudden so when God doth good to our hearts how should we keep watch over our soules for we are beleaguered on every side sometimes with presumption and sometimes with despair we are every way in danger therefore we had need to watch no sooner had Eve gone apart from her husband and looked here and there but the Devil took her presently no sooner had Noah begun to taste the liquor of the