in altero Where Nature is deficient in one thing it is abundant in another thing If a man wants his Eyes he hears the better and the less he sees the more he remembers where Nature is wanting in one thing it is exceeding in another And as Nature so the God of Nature and the God of Grace too It may be you do want a Head-memory but hath not the Lord given you a Heart-memory to remember thâ— Sermon as you have occasion to use it Some have Parts and Gifts and they want plainness and openness of heart for God some again have a plain heart and they want Gifts and Parts It is said Jacob That he prevailed with God in Prayer and he was a plain man Mark how the Holy Ghost doth put these two together That that man should be the prevailing man with God in Prayer who was the plain man and that man that was the plain man should be the prevailing man in Prayer a plain man but prâ—vailing with God Well then though thou beest but a plain person and hast no Parts or Gifts as others have yet thou maiest prevail with God and thy Name may be called Israel prevailing with the Lord When God denies one he gives another Mercy Thus it is with all the Saints and People of God and a godly gracious man may say thus Well though I have not great Parts and Gifts yet blessed be the Lord I have a plain and an open heart for God and if the Lord hath done thus much for you and recompenced you in another way have you any reason then to be discouraged for want of Parts and Gifts in Duties Certainly you have not Object O! but yet this is not the matter of my Discouragement I am not discouraged for want of Parts or Gifts in Duty but I want the Grace and the Holiness of Duty I want the Grace and the Holiness of Prayer I go to Prayer and Duty but the Lord knows wiâ—h a dull dead and a straightened heart I think verily that there is not a more rockie stony flinty heart in the world than mine I offer my self to God somtimes in Prayer but when I come at it I am not able to speak a word my heart is so shut up and straightened and have I not cause and reason now to be discouraged is not this matter of just discouragement Answ No. For Pearls somâ—imes grow upon Rocks and possibly there may be some Pearl of Grace growing upon that rocky heart of thine Yet further First You say That you are straightened in Duty but are you satisfied and contented with that condition or if you had enlargeâ—ent in Duty would you be satisfied therein No I am not satisfied with my straightened condition and the truth is though I had never so much enlargement enlargement alone would never satisfie my soul but if I had more affection I would give it up to God yea if I had a Sea of Affection I would powr it out before the Lord and if I had Prayers and Tears and Enlargements like the Sands upon the Seâ—shore I would offer them all up to God Well and is not this to be enlarged towards God A poor man that hath never a penny in his Purse sees another or many others in want but he hath nothing to relieve them with yet saith he if I had wherewithal I would relieve all these men I would cloath them all or I would feed them all is not this mans heart enlarged now towards the poor though he hath not a penny to help them with So in your case for the present thy Affection is poor and thou aâ—â— straightened but thou sayest if I had a Sea of Affection I would give it all to God and if I had Prayers like the Sand upon the Sea-shore I would give them all to God is not this to be enlarged towards God God doth give by denying somtimes and thus he hath dealt by you Secoâ—dly If your Condition herein be no other than the condition of the Saints and People of God then you have no just cause and reason to be discouraged in this respect Now Psalm 77.3 4. saith the Plalmist there I remembred God and was troubled I complained and my spirit was over-whelmed Lord saith he at verse 4. Thou holdest mine Eyes watching I am so troubled that I cannot speak I cannot pray I am so troubled I cannot speak A Mother hears her child cry and saith she now doth this Child cry for the Breast yet the Child speaks not a word but the Mother knows the meaning of the childs crying and the language of it And doth a Mother know the language of her Childs crying and doth not God our Father know the Language of his Childs cry that cannot speak unto him The Beggar that follows you for an Alms is a Beggar though he be dumb and cannot speak and you say send him away with some gift for he follows us So here though your heart be shut up in Duty yet if you can follow God he looks upon you as a Beggar at the Throne of Grace and in due time he will serve you and send you away with Comfort Thirdly You would fain have enlargements and workings of the heart in Prayer but what would you do with those enlargements Would you shew your Enlargements your Excellencies your Graces to God when you come to Duty A Beggar you know if he have any excellent thing as Gold or Silver he hides that and he shews his wounds he shews his sores if you mean to give him a penny and ask him if he have any money I have two-pence or threepence Sir saith he or a penny but he hides his excellency and he laies open his wounds and if he can but open his sores before you he thinks he doth beg effectually Beloved we all go to God in Prayer in forma Pauperis every man sues in this Court in the form of a Beggar If thy heart then be straightened if thy heart be hard and if thy Spirit be dull in duty you may go to God and open your sores and wounds before him you may go and say Lord what an hard heart have I and what a dull and straighâ—ened Spirit have I This father becomes a Begger and you must come as a Begger when you come before him yet you must know Etsi non sit possib le per ea moveri immobilem et per omniaque immutabilem Deum potentia enim mihi videatur esse ad movendum ipsum recitantem vel meditantem ipsa ad moveadum inquam et preparandum ad gratiam devotionis etâ— gratitudinis et largitatis et beneficentiae incogitabibis Dei Parisiens Cap. 22. de Rhetor Div. That neither your Poverty nor your Riches neither your straightenings in Duty nor your enlargements do make any alteration in the Mind and Will of God Indeed God seems to deal by us somtimes as a Father doth by his little Child he holds a piece
difficulties then have you no reason to question your Call in regard of Difficulties Now I pray tel me when Moses went to bring the Children of Israel out of Egypt had not he a cleer Call for that yet what abundance of difficulties did he meet with in his way to â—t And when the Jews came out of Babylon did they not meet with many Difficulties Some at their coming out some in their way some at the building of the Temple yet had they not a Call and a cleer Call thereunto Without al doubt they had Surely then you mâ—y have a Call and a cleer Call to your Work and Service yet you may meet with many difficulâ—ies in your way and therefore have no reason to be discouraged in this respect Object 5 But I am not troubled afflicted or discouraged in regard of my Call for I am perswaded that God hath called me to his work and Service But I am most unserviceable I do not do that work and Service which I am called unto I lie like a dry log or chip in the family and place where I live O! I am most unserviceable and therefore I am thus discouraged Answ That 's ill indeed for every good and gracious man is a serviceable man more or less he is serviceable in his Place and Condition Onesimus before converted was unprofitable but being converted now profitable saies the Apostle A good man in Scripture is compared to those things that are most profitable Is the wicked compared to the green Bay-tree which doth bring forth no Fruit the gâ—dly is compared to the Olive Tree which is all profitable the Fruit profitable the Leaves Bark and the Tree profitable Is a wicked man compared to the Goat a good man is compared to the Sheep and what is in a Sheep not profitable its Flesh is profitable its Wool profitable its Skin is profitable yea it s very dung is profitable and such a Sheep was Paul nothing in Paul not profitable and serviceable will ye instance in his Jewish and Natural Priviledges he makes use of them Phil. 3. to advance the righteousness and knowledg of Christ yea All these saies he I count as dung and dross in regard of Christ Wil ye instance in his Conversion to Christ he doth make use of that to convert others and to establish others Acts 17.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aratus 1 Cor. 15.33 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Menander 1 Tit. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epimenides by frequent telling the story of it to others Wil ye instance in his Parts Gifts and Learning he makes use of his Hebrew somtimes somtimes of his knowledg in the Heathen Poets somtimes of his knowledg in the Roman Customs Wil ye instance in his friendship acquaintance and interest in men thâ—t he makes use of wiâ—h Philemon from Christ in the case of Onesimus Will ye instance in his Afflictions he doth make use of them to perswade his People to their Duty I Paul a Prisoner of Christ do beseech you c. Will ye instance in his Temptations he doth make use of them and tels the Corinths how he was buffered by Satan Wil ye instance in his Sins he doth improve them also for the Advancement of Gods Grace I was a Blasphemer c. saith he but I obtained mercy Thus ye see there was nothing in Paul not profitable he was all over serviceable and profitable and if ye be one of these Sheep you will be serviceable and profitable in your Place and Condition more or less I remember the Speech of a Martyr when he came to die and to be burnt for Christ O! said he Thus long have I grown in the Orchard of Christ and have born some Fruit though not much yet some and now that I grow old and dry and can bear Fruit no longer shal I be taken and thrown into the Chimney to make a fire for the warming of others what a great mercy and blessing is this Ye know what Solomon saith Whatever thou findest in thine hand to do do it with all thy might and what Jeremiah saiâ—h Cursed is he that doth the Work of the Lord negligently Art thou therefore unprofitable unserviceable then have you cause to be humbled Yet even in this respect you are not to be cast down or discouraged For Either you are unserviceable because you want abilâ—â—â—es or because ye want wil and heart thereunto If you say yoâ—â—â—t Abilities I have spoken to that already If you say you are unwilling and do want heart thereunto then why do you thus complain He that complains of his own unserviceableness is noâ— unwilling to serve the Lord But you complain and say O! I am most unserviceable therefore you are willing and have an heart to serve and if you can speak in truth with Samuel and say Speak Lord for thy Servant is ready to obey then you are not unwilling to serve the Lord. Now cannot you say thus in truth Yes through Grace I am able to say Speak Lord for thy Servant is ready to obey Surely then you are not unwilling this your unserviceableness doth not arise only from your unwillingnes and want of heart and therefore you have no just reason to be discouraged in this respect Object 6 But this is not the matter which doth pinch with me for according to my poor Abilities I have labored and have been truly willing to serve the Lord in my Generation but I labor work and take pains and all in vain I labor and have no success in my labor I work and have no success in work I serve and have no success in my Service and therefore I am thus discouraged have I not cause and reason now Answ 1 No For possibly you may be mistaken in the matter of success you may have good and great success and not know thereof There is a time when the Seed doth lie dead under the clods and saith our Savior Vnless the Seed dies it abides alone Should the Husband-man complain in this time that he hath no success in his sowing If the Devil do oppose by the World without and assault you with Temptations within it argues that there is good success though you know it not Now don't the World oppose you and don 't the Devil assault you with Temptations discouraging you for want of success Yes that he doth then there is some good success though for the present it be hidden from your Eyes This is a certain sign said Luther to Spalatinus That your Work is neither ungrateful to God nor unprofitable to the Church in that you are troubled with these Temptations for if it were unpleasing to God you would rather long after it as they do that run before they be sent Whereas Satan when he finds such as are truly sent by God and pleasing to him he makes them a weary of their work by these and the like Temptations Answ 2 And if Gods own dearest Children have somtimes labored or
did Why Because he feared the Lord. So then if a man be employed in way of Love and Mercy to himself he doth not make his Employment a shooing-horn to his own Preferment 'T is enough for me my Masters work is done saith he neither doth God use to pay them al their wages here whom he employes in mercie to themselves But as the Merchant if he have to deal with a stranger for a less Commodity he paies him down presently but if with a friend for some great priced Commodity he takes time and doth not pay down his money presently So if God have to do with a stranger as Nebuchadnezzar he wil pay him wages presently but if God deals with a friend whom he employes in mercy to himself then he doth put off his ful payment til afterwards He doth Gods work without any great noise or notice of himself like Christ He lifts not up his voyce in the street and as the Angels in Ezek. 1. His hands are under his wings he hath four hands to work with but they are not seen they are under his wings Let your Light so shine before men saies Christ that they may see your good works not your selves and glorifie your Father not your selves As it is with the Fisher so with him he shews the bait but hides himself he holds forth the word of Truth but not himself though he have four hands to work with yet they are all under his wings hidden but saies Jehu Come and see my zeal for the Lord of Hosts This is another difference If God do use and Employ a man in a way of Love and Mercy to himself he is willing to be used and contented to be laid by and to 〈…〉 more Another man is not so if he have been used 〈…〉 â—ng he thinks he must be used in other things and 〈…〉 cannot bâ—ar it that God should lay him by and use anoâ—â— Thus iâ— was with Sâ—ul he could not be conteâ—◠〈…〉 should use David But when God told Eli that he 〈…〉 and his House by he answered Good is the Word of 〈◊〉 Lord for he was a good man and one whom God had â—sed 〈◊〉 Love and Mercie to himâ—elf and so when God had done wiâ—h him he was conâ—ent thereâ—â—th He thâ—t is â—red and eâ—ployed in way of Love and Mercie to himself wil do the Work oâ— the Loâ—dfully though he do his own works by halfs Caleb did his own work by halfâ— and the Work of God â—ully for he was used in Mercy to himself and others Jehu did the Work of the Lord by halfs and his own work fully for though he was uâ—ed in Mercy to some and Judgment to others yet not in Love to himself When God doth use a man in a way of Judgment he hath ordinarily more skil at pulling down and destroying what is mans than in setting up and building what is Gods But when God doth use him in a way of Love and Mercy to his own soul he hath a dexterity in and a heart to the setting up of what is Gods witness Jehu on the one hand and Nehemiah on the othâ—r hand How is it therefore with thee Hast thou a skil at pulling down what is mans and no skil nor heart to set up what is Gods Hast thou been employed and used in Gods Service and have you done your own work fully and Gods work by halfs Art thou not contented to be laid by and that God should use another Doest thou make a noise in the work and thy hands not under thy wings Hast thou made a goodly outward Bargain of the Lords Work and his Service as a shooing-horn to thine own ends Hast thou not grown in Experience Faith and Holiness by this work but in Pride rather Hast thou not been very tender of the Name of God in thy Service nor been acquainted with Gods Design nor thine heart drawn out the more to love the Lord Then surely God hath not used or employed thee in Love and Mercy to thine own soul But if thine heart have been drawn out with Love to God by thy very Service and Employments and thou hast been in some measure acquainted with Gods Design in that Service and hast been very tender of the Name of God and more willing to hazard thy self than to defile his Name and hast grown in Grace by the exercise of thy Gifts and hast made no Bargain of the Lords Service but hast had thy hands under thy wings and hast not done Gods Work by halfs and now after all art contented that God shall lay thee by and make use of others then surely the Lord hath used and employed thee in a way of Love and Mercie to thine own Soul and therefore why should'st thou be discouraged in this respect Certainly you have no just cause or true reason for it Quest But suppose that the Lord either shall not use me in his Service or if he do that difficulties and oppositions press in upon me or that I meet with no success in my work according to my desire what shall I do that I may be able to bear up my heart against all discouragements in this kind Answ 1 First In case that God do not cal you forth to any work or special Employment Then Consider that you have now the more time to mind your own soul and to attend to your own Condition Some are so employed that they have not time enough to pray read meditate examine their own hearts and to look into their own Condition yea though a mans work do lie in the Ministry 't is possible that he may so mind his publick work as to neglect his private But now if thou hast no publick Employment or Service then you have the more time for to spend upon your own soul the more time to converse with the Lord in private and to look into your own Condition And if you be not called forth to work and yet are willing to work you shal be paid for that work and service which you never did As some men shal be punished for those sins which they did never commit in the gross act because they were willing and had a desire to commit the same so some shal be paid for that work and service for God which they never did perform because they were willing to have done the same Now is it not a great mercy to be paid for that work which I never did Such is the Priviledg of al those that are not called to Service and yet are willing to it Answ 2 Secondly In case That you are employed in Gods Work and Service and difficulties press in upon you Then Consider That the greater the Difficultie is the greater shall your Obedience be in carrying on the Work and the more you do follow after Dutie and redeem it from the hand of Difficulty the greater shall your Comfort and reward be when all is done And the more that any Service Work or
we see nothing of the Mercy promised it 's no presumption then to hold and keep fast the Promise Quest But suppose the Lord hath given me a Promise and now after the Promise given I see nothing of the mercy promised and that all my Comforts are out of sight how shal I be able to bear up my heart against all Discouragements notwithstanding I see nothing but what is contrary to the thing promised and to the mercy desired Answ Either thou hast assurance of Gods Love or else thou hast not If thou hast assurance of the Love of God then put thy self often to this disjunction O my soul either it is thy Duty to beleeve or it is not If it be not thy Duty to beleeve why dost thou beleeve at al If it be not thy Duty to beleeve and rest on Christ why dost thou rest upon Christ at al And if it be thy Duty to rest on Christ and beleeve why then should st thou not beleeve at al times and trust perfectly unto the Lord And if you have Assurance then actuate your Assurance mind your self of your Priviledges and your Interest in Christ then you wil say unto your self what though I have nothing but bad tidings from this world yet notwithstanding I have nothing but good tidings from the other world and from my Father above and if Christ be mine then al is mine Life is mine and Death is mine and what though al my Comforts be dead and are gone and are al out of sight yet Christ is a living Christ Christ is a living Savior and therefore be of good Comfort O my soul But if you do want assurance of the Love of God then yet you must and may look on Christ who is the Brazen Serpent the only Brazen Serpent and your very looking upon him in the time of your Discouragement shal go for Faith Look unto me â—aith he from all the ends of the Earth and be saved Again If you want Assurance you may and must turn your eye and your thoughts from those Objections that do invade your Faith 'T is said of Abraham That he considered not the weakness of his own Body and this was imputed unto him for beleeving that he considered not what might invade his Faith And so this shal be imputed unto you for Faith if when these Objâ—ctions shal come in upon you you turn your Eye from them unto Jesus Christ and do not consider them And if you do want Assurance then set your selves to beleeve that you do beleeve Faith is the Evidence of thâ—n â—s not seen and therefore if your Faith be not seen you must beleeve that you do beleeve thou â—ust beleeve somtimes that thou hast Faith As there is a feeling in Prayer so Faith haâ—h it's feeling too and therefore iâ— you cannot see your Faith you must beleeve that you do beleeve And whether you have Assurance or have not Assurance consider these few things as some Helps to your Faith in this case First That God doth never lead his People unto any great Mercy but first he doth put the Sentence of Dâ—ath upon al the means that do rend unto it Thus it was with Abraham so with Joseph so with David and many others Secondly That it iâ— a great sin to liâ—â—t â—ods Mercy as wel as to limit his Power You say it is a great sin to limit the Power of God the Children of â—â—rael are condeâ—â—ed for this they limited the Holy One of Iâ—rael they tempted the Lord and limited the Holy One of Israel Now dâ—â—h not a man limit God when he limits his Mercy as wel as when he limits his Power And when you say you shal never have such a mercy granted because I now see the contrary is not this to limit his Mercy Thirdly That when the Lord hath given out a Promise to his People he doth then somtimes try whether they wil trust to his naked Word or no. Christ hath his times to try men and when he gives out a Promise and bringeth the soul into a quite contrary condition this is his trying time And therefore hath the Lord now given out a Promise unto you and do you see nothing but what is contrary to the thing promised Say unto thine own soul O my soul it may be Christ is now trying of me it may be this is my trying time and therefore now wil I wait on God Fourthly That God doth oftentimes fulfil one Promise by denying another Hath the Lord therefore given thee a Promise and doest thou see nothing but what is contrary to the thing promised Now know and remember That we have by not having God doth give by denying and fulfils some Promises by not fulfilling others Fiftly That when we see nothing but what is contrary unto our help then is Christs time to help I read as I remember but twice in the new Testament that mention is made of Christs Hour once in John 13. And he knowing that his hour was coming and that was the hour of darkness Once in John 2.4 when his Mother came unto him for Wine he said Woman my hour is not yet come But afterwards when their own Wine was done and their pots were fill'd with Water then he turns their Water into Wine then Christs hour was come So now when al our Bottles are dry when there is no Wine of Comfort in our own Bottles then is Christs hour and when the hour of darkness is upon our Condition then is Christs hour And if thou would'st but say so unto thine own soul Soul Christs time and hour is an hour of darkness Christs time is a time when there is no Wine in our own Bottles Now thus it is with me I have no Wine left in my own Bottles my Bottles are al dry and empty and there is an hour of darkness upon my Condition therefore this time is the time for Christ to help me This would cause you to wait on God and exercise Faith in the lowest Condition even when you see nothing but the contrary unto your desires and the Lords Promises Sixtly That either you are under an extraordinary Affliction or an ordinary Either you are under an ordinary Temptation or an extraordinary Either you are under an extraordinary Desertion or an ordinary Either thy streit or stress and trouble is ordinary or else it is extraordinary If it be an ordinary trouble why then are you troubled more thâ—n ordinary why are you discouraged extraordinarily If your Affliction or Misery be extraordinary then either God hath brought you into this condition and hath led you heretofore in a way of extraordinary deliverance or of ordinary deliverance if God have led you heretofore in a way of ordinary deliverance what means those wonderful incomes of Love and supporting Grace that you have had when your soul have been ready to sink and to die within you And if the Lord hath heretofore led you in a way of extraordinary deliverance and
King said It 's a vain thing to wait on God any longer but the Prophet in the next words saith To morrow about this time shall a measure of sine flower be sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel in the Gates of Samaria Chap. 7. verse 1. So that deliverance doth somtimes come when men give over waiting And if deliverance do thus come to you what shame and grief wil this be to you how wil you befool your self and say O! what a fool was I that I could not wait a little longer I have given over waiting and lo now deliverance is come and I have no comfort in it When you give over waiting then you lose al your former labors though you have performed many Duties yet if you do not wait upon God therein you do lose al your prayers It 's said of Saul 1 Sam. 28.6 That he enquired of the Lord who answered him not and so he sought unto a woman that had a Familiar Spirit ver 7. yet 1 Chron. 10.14 it 's said That he enquired not of the Lord He enquired and he enquired not how doth this agree Wel for though he did enquire of the Lord yet because he did not wait upon God therein but gave over waiting his enquiring in Scripture Phrase is said to be no eâ—quiring Prayer without waiâ—ing in Scripture Phrase is no Prayer Look when a man doth give over waiting then d th he lo e al his labor his former Prayer is noâ—hing his former Duty noâ—hing it shal not once be remembred or imputed to him On the other side If you wait on God he wil not alway forget your work of Faith though he may seem to forget you yet the patient abiding of the meek shall not be forgotten for ever Psal 9.18 God wil come and visit you in due time He that doth come wil come and will not tarry yea and your very waiting that I may speak with reverence wil make him come the sooner 'T is not so with men if you expect a friend you do go forth to meet him but 't is not your expecting waiting that wil make him come But so it is with God your very expecting of him and waiting for him wil make him come and therefore the holy men in Scripture use this Argument with God for mercy Let me not be ashamed for I have waited on thee yea and if God do come he wil come with a recompence and pay you al your forbearance-Money Es 35. yea and when he doth come you shal be able to triumph in his appearing and say Lo this is our God we have waited for him if you have not waited you cannot triumph in his appearance but if you wait you shal say when he comes Lo this is my God and I have waited for him yea the Lord wil not only câ—me buâ— he wil come with a blessing for Blessed are all those that wait on him yea he wil not only bless you upon your waiting but he wil strengthen you therein Esai 40. Those that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength O! what a blessed thing is it then for to wait on God who would not hope trust wait on the Lord Is there any thing to be gotten by your sad Discouragements O ye of little Faith Are you able to alter one hair of your Condition by al your thoughtfulness Is it not much better now for to wait on God Why then do you not call your own heart aside and say Come O my soul Why hast thou limited the Holy One of Israel thus long Why hast thou dishonored Christ thus long by thy vain fears Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me Hope trust wait on God for he is the health of my Countenance and my God And thus now I have done with this great Argument ye have had the Patience to hear it Isa 35.4 the Lord give you Grace to practice it I conclude all with the words of my Commission Ye that are of a fearful spirit be strong fear not behold your God will come even God with a recompence he will come and save you OF THE SIN Against the HOLY GHOST Wherein is shewed I. What this Sin against the Holy Ghost is II. How and in what respect this Sin against the Holy Ghost is above all other Sins the Vnpardonable Sin By William Bridge of Yarmouth LONDON Printed by Peter Cole in Leaden-Hall and are to be sold at his Shop at the sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhil neer the Royal Exchange 1656. OF THE SIN Against the HOLY GHOST Matthew 12.31 32. Preached At Stepney Decemb. 29. 1650. VVherefore I say unto you All manner of sin and blasphemy shal be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man shall be forgiven but whosoever speaketh a word against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world neither in the world to come HERE are two great Arguments laid before you in these words First The largeness of Gods heart in forgiving sins unto the Children of men Every sin All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men Secondly You have here the unpardonableness of the Sin against the Holy Ghost But the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men I would rather chuse to speak unto the former Argument but if I should do so at the first possibly some poor soul would say Though Gods heart be very large in forgiving sins yet there is one sin that shal never be forgiven the Sin against the Holy Ghost and I fear I have committed that That I may therefore take away this Obstruction and make your way plain and easie to the forgiving mercy of the Lord I shal at this timâ—â—eak unto the last of these two Arguments But the blaspheâ—â—â—â—â—ainst the Holy Ghost shal not be forgiven Whosoever speaâ—â—â— against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world neither in the world to come For the opening of which words two Questions must be answered Quest 1 The First is Whether these Jews that our Savior spake these words unto did then sin against the Holy Ghost Answ Some think No. But I rather conceive That these Pharisees did sin this Sin against the Holy Ghost for if you look into the 3d Chapter of Mark ye shal find that our Lord and Savior spake this because of some words that they had spoken against him he had cast out Devils and they said He â—ast out Devils by the Prince of Devils verse 22. Whereupon our Savior reasoned with them and at last he saith 〈◊〉 verse â—8 Verily I say unto you All sins shall be forgiven unto the Sons of men and blasphemies Verse 29. But he that shall blaspheme against the holy Ghost shal never be forgiven And the reason
unto the special Protection of God though not to free yet to sanctifie and sweeten your Affliction That day you were converted and brought home to God you had a Right and Title given you unto al the Ordinances Jus ad rem though not in re they are your Fathers Plate and as a Child you may drink out of your Fathers Plate That day thou wert converted and brought home to God thou hadst a special Right and Title given thee unto al the Creatures you may look up to Heaven and see the Stars and say these are my Fathers Candles and when you hear the Thunder you may say this is my Fathers Voyce and when you see the Sea you may say this is my Fathers Fish-pond and when you see the Godly men of the World you may say these are my Fathers Children and when you see wicked men you may say these are my Fathers Dish-clouts to make his Children clean and when you consider of the Devils you may say these are my Fathers Hang-men his Executioners and when you see the Gold and Riches and Wealth of the World you may say this is my Fathers Dung-hil I say that day thou art converted and brought home to God God doth great things for you in that moment Now the more that you consider what great things God hath done for you the more your heart is engaged to God and the more your heart is engaged the more willing and able you wil be to suffer Secondly If you would strengthen your Faith to suffer great and hard things study much the Book of the Revelation which is a standing Cordial for the relief of the Saints in suffering in Anti-christian times and study and read and commend to your Children the Book of Martyrs where you have Examples to the Life of the People of God dying for the Faith but above al things study much the Sufferings of Christ Faith true saving Faith it loves to dwel in the Wounds of Christ and beleeve it the sight of a suffering Christ wil teach one to suffer nothing like it the example of Christ especially the sight of Christs Sufferings wil not only teach you to suffer but wil sanctifie your heart by the Suffering and wil provoke you to suffer What! shal the Lord Christ suffer such great things for me and shal I suffer nothing for him Study the Sufferings of Christ Thirdly If you would so strengthen your Faith as you may be able to suffer hard things consider much and frequently the great gains of Suffering possess your heart therewithal Beloved Suffering times are gaining times and if your heart and mind were but possest with that Truth it would not be a hard thing to suffer hard things and that by Faith I shal therefore spend a little time to make out this for the strengthening of your Faith that suffering times are gaining times Suffering times are Teaching times Blessed is the man whom thou chastisest correctest and teachest out of thy Law Schola Crucis Schola Lucis The Cross is Gods free School where we learn much Suffering times are teaching times As Suffering times are teaching times so suffering times are sin-discovering times Afflictions recal sins past and prevent sin to come Afflictions shew us the emptiness of the Creature the fulness of God the vileness of sin When Adonibezek had his Thumbs and Toes cut off he could remember his own sin You see how it is in Winter when the Leaves are off the Hedges you can see where the Birds Nests were when the Leaves were on in Summer time you could not see those Nests And so in prosperous times men do not see the Nests of their hearts and lives but when their Leaves are off then their Nests are seen Suffering times are sin-discovering times As Suffering times are sin-discovering times so Suffering times are Self-bethinking times You see many a man run on in the day of his Prosperity and never bethinks himself When the Prodigal was pinched then he bethought himself and Manasses in Prison then he bethought himself and saith Solomon praying for the People in Adversity If then they shal bethink themselves There is many a man that I may say doth owe his Convertion to his Affliction and can say If I had not been afflicted I had never been converted Suffering times are Self-bethinking times As Suffering times are Self-bethinking times so Suffering times are fruitful and growing times Every Branch in me he pruneth that it may bring forth more Fruit. Suffering times then are growing times As Suffering times are growing times so Suffering times are Truth-advancing times In the time of Prosperity we lose Truth in time of Adversity we find Truth and bear our Testimony for Truth then Truth is advanced It is a good Observation that Marloret hath upon Dan. 8. to shew that Truths were advanced by Suffering verse 11. it is said of the little Horn He hath magnified himself even to the Prince of the Host and by him the dayly sacrifice was taken away and the place of the Sanctuary was cast down And an Host was given him against the dayly Sacrifice by reason of Transgression it cast down the Truth to the ground and it practiced prospered That is saith he not the Horn as it is ordinarily carried for it is in the Feminine Gender which only can relate to the word Truth not to the Horn he cast down the Tru h and the Truth practiced and prevailed So that Suffering times are Truth-advancing Times As Suffering times are Truth-advancing Times so Suffering times are uniting times In times of Prosperity Professors they wrangle fal out divide but when the Shepheards Dog comes then the Sheep run together Suffering times are uniting times As Suffering times are uniting times so Suffering times are Praying times He that wil pray we say let him go to Sea there he wil be sick and that wil make him pray that is the meaning In their affliction they will seek me early Suffering times are praying times As Suffering times are praying times so Suffering times are Soul-assuring times There is many a man or woman goes up and down many years doubâ—ing and hath no assurance and when they grow sick God doth send in his Evidence for Heaven by the hand of that sickness and he hath Assurance for Heaven that never had it before according to that in Hos 2.14 I will allure her and bring her into the Wilderness and speak to her heart Comfort ye comfort ye my People saith your God speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem because her Iniquity is pardoned When In the day of her Warfare for her Warfare is accomplished her Iniquity is pardoned for she hath received double from the hand of the Lord. Suffering times are Soul-assuring times As Suffering times are Soul-assuring times so Suffering times are Weaning times when this Mustard is laid upon the Breast of the World then are we Weaned Suffering times are Weaning times Lastly Suffering times are Heavenly times and
in the things of God and so be in the dark If a good man may be engaged in some division and dissention then he may be in the dark Dividing times are dark times and possibly a great division and dissention may fal amongst good men So great and sharp a division fel between Paul and Barnabas that they forsook one another I read of two good men whom Epiphanius makes mention of that were fellow-Sufferers for the Christian Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and being condemned and sent to work in the Mettal Mines there fel so great a difference between them that they drew a partition wal between them in the Mine and would not hold communion each with other in the Service of Christ for which they both suffered Cyprian doth impute the great Sufferings and Persecutions of the Primitive Times unto the discord Epist 4. Lib. 4. and dissention of brethren Imâ— vero nec venissent fratribus haec mala si in umon fraternâ—tas esset animata saith he Cupio ex hac vita migâ—are ut liberater ab immâ—nibus et implacabilibus odiis Theologorum Melanch St. igellius Mâ—c Adam Et vidi mare vitreum mixtum igni Apoc. 15.2 Quid autem aliud ignis designet atque ferventes lites et contentiones flagrantes odiis ignem veni missurus in tertam inquit Christus c. Hujusmodi ignis vagatur per totam Reformatam Ecclesiam quae vel abs mit plurimos vel molesta est reliquis dum restinguere nituntur Brightm in Apoc. 15. 404. Ye have heard of the difference between Chrysostom and Epiphanius and of that between Jerom and Ruffinus and of that between Ridley and Hooper In Luthers time the Contest was so hot and great and violent between him with his Party and Zuinglius Oecolampadius and others that though they met together with divers Princes for Reconciliation and they did at that Meeting draw up several Articles of Faith wherein they did all agree and whereto they did all subscribe yet Luther would not cal the Calvinists Brethren And in these Daies of ours what scuffling is there between Brethren fighting one with another Why but because they are in the dark If Brethren fight and scuffle one with another who wil not say they are in the dark A good man may be under some Desertion God may withdraw from him and when God withdraws then he is in the dark Desertion Time is a dark Time and such a Cloud as this may go over the heads of the best Surely therefore it is possible that a very good man may be much in the dark And if a good man may be under some Temptation and Sin then he may be in the dark Temptation time is a dark time When a man cannot see his own hand though he lift it up before his Eyes then he is in the dark indeed Now possibly a good man may be in such a Temptation that he shal not be able to see the lifting up of his own hand in prayer saying I go to prayer but I cannot pray at al and that which I do perform it is no Duty Somtimes it is so with him that he cannot read his own Graces nor see them Though the Fish lie playing upon the Water and you may see them in a fair Sun-shine yet in a storm or night ye see them not though they be in the Pond or River stil So here though when the Light of Gods Countenance doth shine upon the Soul he is then able to see and read his own Graces yet if it be a storm or the night of Temptation he cannot see them Why not because they are not in his heart life as before but because he is in the dark Possibly therefore a good man may be in the dark upon a dark ground and in a dark condition That 's the first thing Secondly Though a good man may be in the dark yet he hath Scripture-Light to walk by God hath not left him comfortless and without Light in obscure darkness as the wicked are but he hath Light within him and that great Light of the written Word without whereunto ye do well that ye take heed saith the Apostle as unto a light shining in a dark place This Scripture-Light he hath alwaies by him To the Law and to the Testimonies saith the Prophet Isaiah chap. 8. if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no Light in them 't is a dark time which â—he Prophet speaks of For many shal stumble and fal and be broken and be shared and be taken verse 15. The Lord hideth his face from the house of Jacob verse 17. Behold I and the Children whom the Lord hâ—th given me are for signs and wonders in Israel verse 18. And they shall look unto the Earth and behold trouble and darkness dimness of anguish and they shall be driven to darkness verse 22. yet in this time they have the Law and the Testimony that great Scripture-Light to walk by Quest But have not even wicked men this Light also of the Scripture to walk by in their darkness Answ They have it as a blind man hath the Sun The Sun is in the Firmament over the head of a blind man yet it 's no light to him So here And though a wicked man doth hear and may read the Scripture and know many Truths which are therein contained yet he doth not know the greatness of them A man may know and say this is the Sun and this is the light thereof yet not know the greatness of the Sun that it is abundantly bigger than the Earth So a wicked man may and doth know many Truths but he doth not see and know the greatness of Truths for he prizeth other things of the World above them A good man knows the Truths of the Gospel and he sees the greatness of them for he leaves all to follow them Duplex est cognitio rei disciplinaris et intuitiva disciplinaris est per audium et narrationem soâ—um intuitiva est illa quam ex te presenti et sensu percepta manantem habemus illam infideles et impii multi assi quuntur in ipsis fidei mysteâ—is hanc vâ—o minime 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 1.9 Amâ—s de Lumine Naturae et gratiae And though a wicked man may have his Eyes open to see manâ— Truths of the Scriptures yet in seeing he doth not see the same for as a good man may know Natural things in a Spiritual way so he doth know Spiritual things in a Natural way A good man seeth the things themselves that are contained in the Scripture and therefore it is that the knowledg of Christ is called Christ Tâ—ll Christ be formed in you saith the Apostle that is til the knowledg of Christ be formed The thing is put for the knowledg of it Why Because in knowing the Saints know the things themselves Wicked men know and have
last and they are also profitable for us to consider I shall take them in their order and speak only unto the first at this time which is this Doct. 1 There is an inward Peace and Quietude of Soul which the Saints and People of God ordinarily are endued with Therefore David saies here Why art thou cast down and why art thou disquieted within me It seems then that this was not his ordinary temper his Pulse did not alwaies beat thus high in this way of Discouragement but ordinarily he had Peace and quiet within So that I say There is an inward peace and quietness of soul which the Saints and people of God ordinarily are endued withal Ordinarily they are arrayed in white so they are brought in Rev. 7.13.14 verses What are these which are arayed in white robes at the 13. They are such as have washed their robes and made them White in the blood of the Lamb verse 14. this book of the Revelatâ—on doth attend much unto the Jewish customes and among the Jewes they had their Mourning their Rejoycing garment the Mourning garment was a black garment and therefore when a man is brought in in a mourning way he is brought in in a black garment as ye find in the next Psal the 43. the 2. vers why go ye in mourning the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Signifies Black Why goe ye in Black because of the oppression of the enemy So that the mourning garmenâ— was the Black garment the Black garment was the mourning garment And the white garment was the Reioycing gâ—â—ment therefore Eccles 9.8 it is said let thy garments be alwayes white and let thy h ead lack no oyntment Upon which â—ccount the nobles amongst the Hebrewes were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 becanâ— they were clothed with white rayment Eccles Martinus de Râ—a sing S. Script Lib. 2. Cap. 1. 10.17 bâ—essed art thou O land when thy king is the son of nobles Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the â—on of princes or of those that are in white I confess this phrase doâ—h somtimes note the purity and holiness of the person so Rev. 3.4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments and they shal walk with me in white for they are worthy but ordinarily it notes the joy fulness and comfortableness of our state so in Rev. 7. the Saints are brought in in white not onely because of their purity and cleaneness but because of their rejoycing I say then ordinarily the Saints and people of God go in white they have a peace and a rest within Great peace have they that love thy law saies the Psalmist and nothing shal offend them Rom. 2.10 But glory honor and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile Let him be what he wil be if he be godly if he work that which is good Glory Honor and Peace shal be upon him not onely an outward but an inward peace he shal have And indeed how can it be otherwise For the Saints and people of God do walk with God they converse with God they do acquaint themselves with God Now if ye look into Job 22.21 ye shal find that this acquaintance bringeth rest peace Acquaint now thy self with him and be at peace The Saints and people of God are as I may so speak of Gods special acquaintance and so they have peace for they do walk with God and have communion with him They have communion with the Father and he is the God of al consolation they have communion and fellowship with the Son and he is the Prince of peace they have communion and fellowship with the Spirit and he is the Comforter they have communion with the Father and the Son and the Spirit in and by the Gospel and that is the word of peace the Gospel of peace How can it therefore be but that the Saints and people of God ordinarily should have peace within But to make out this more fully unto you Consider I pray How the Father the Son and the Holy-ghost with whom the Saints and people of God have communion and fellowship are engaged for their peace I. The Father is engaged to give peace unto them He is engaged by his Prerogative by his Commandement by his Promise by Christs Purchase and by the Saints Chastisements He is engaged by his Prerogative Kings and Princes wil stand ye know for their Prerogatives And this is the great Perogative of God the Father to give peace inward peace I create the fruit of the lips Isa 57.19 peace peace And he is called â—he God of peace the God of Consolation not the God oâ— Indignation not the God of War but the God of Peace This is the great Prerogative of God the Father to give peace unto his people He is engaged also by vertue of his Commandement And therefore if ye look into Isay 40.1.2 Ye shal find that he commands the Prophets and Ministers to preach comfort Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God vers 1. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished that her iniquity is pardoned for she hath received of the Lords hand double for al her sins Suppose a mans Affliction or Temptation be very great or much he hath commanded us to comfort and comfort twice Comfort ye comfort ye not once but twice Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith the Lord. But there are divers comforters that are indeed like Jobs comforters like Jobs friends they speak hard words unto poor distressed souls Wel saies he therefore at vers 2. speak ye comfortably so ye read it but in the Hebrew speak ye to the heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speak soft and sweet words speak to the heart of Jerusalem O! but my Temptation is so great that I am not able to hear those that come to comfort me Mark what follows Speak ye to the heart of Jerusalem and cry unto her lift up thy voice and cry if a poor soul be distressed tempted and cannot hear easily you that are Ministers lift up your voice and cry not onely speak to the heart but cry lift up your voice and cry unto her Wel but what are they to speak and cry There are three things which wil comfort a poor distressed soul and they are here to be spoken Say 1. That her warfare is accomplished Affliction and Temptation is at an end it shal be no more 2. That her iniquity is pardoned Her sin is forgiven fully and freely 3. That she hath received at the Lords hand double for al her sins God hath no more against her no quarrel no controversie no further Punishment to inflict upon her she hath sufficiently born the punishment of her iniquity thus the Lord hath commanded Ministers for to preach peace and to preach Comfort And what God hath commanded us to speak he hath ingaged himself to
〈…〉 â—nointed by Samuel yet a darkness presently rose upon him buâ— it was the darkness of a cloud only and not of the 〈◊〉 Why Because it was such a darkness as arose immediately aâ—ter he â—hinings forth of a Promise And I pray you shew me any â—cripture where you find that ever any darkness arose presently aâ—ter the breaking shining forth of a Promise which was more than the darkness of a cloud which vanished away Or whe e do you find in all the Scripture that ever any poor soul came into the dark immediately after the giving out of a Promise but that soul did come to the light again Now as for the darkness that covers the Saints it is usually a darkness that comes after the giving and shining out of a Promise and therefore that darkness is but the darkness of a cloud and they may say a cloud a cloud and it will pass away Answ 2 Secondly If a man be so in the dark as yet he can see to work and dig up pits it argues that the darkness is but the darkness of a cloud a man cannot see to work artificially in the night but though there be much darkness by reason of a cloud yet he may see to work and to dig up pits because it is day Now in Psalm 84. the Psalmist faith at verse 5. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee and in whose hearts are the waies of them who passing through the Valley of Baca dig up pits the rain also filleth the pits they go from strength to strength till they appear before God in Zion It is an alluâ—ion to the practice of the Jews when some of them went up to Jerusalem their way lay through the Valley of Baca which was a very dry Valley where no houses were where no Water was for their relief and refreshment whereupon they digged up pits and to the rain fell and they were refreshed got strength and went on to Jerusalem where they saw the Lord in his Ordinances So saith the Psalmist Blessed are they in whose heart the Law of God is There are a Generation of men in the world that have the Law of God in their hearts though they cannot act and work towards God as they would these somtimes are in a dry and barren condition where no Water or Comfort is yet if in this condition they dig up pits go to prayer wait upon God in Duty though they find no Comfort springing up in their Duty for the present yet in due time the rain of Gods Blessing will fill those dry pits and empty duties whereby their Life shall be like unto a Pool of Water and they shall go from strength of Grace to strength of Grace till they see the Lord. Know ye therefore any man that is in this Valley of Baca where no Water is yet if he can find in his heart to dig up pits to pray read hear meditate confer and perform Duties though those duties be empty of Comfort for the present yet the rain of Grace and Mercy shall fall upon those Pits and he shall go from strength to strength till he appears before the Lord in Glory Now thus it is with the Saints though darkness and a great darkness be upon them yet in that dark condition they are still digging up pits and therefore this darkness is not the darkness of the night but the darkness of a cloud and they may say this is a cloudy darkness and it wil over ere long Answ 3 Thirdly If the darkness which a man is under be such as there are some openings of Light withal then it is the darkness of a cloud and not of the night though the cloud may cause much darkness yet ever and anon it opens and there are some interims of light withal but the night opens not there are no interims of light then Now interims and intermissions of Light are sure and certain pledges of a greater light which is yet to come You know that when David fled from Absolon he was in a dark condition for the Text saith He went and he wept and he went bare-foot his own son persecutes him drives him from his Throne a great consederacy was raised against him by wicked men with the child of his own bowels here was darkness upon darkness matter of great discouragement but it was a cloud and no more You wil say How should David have known that it was but the darkness of a cloud David prayed The Lord turn the Counsels of Ahithophel into folly and before David had overcome Absolon and was restored to his Kingdom Ahithophel did hang himself David singled out Ahithophel to pray against and the Lord heard his prayer that Judgment of Ahithophel was the return of Davids Prayer here the cloud opened and this Answer of his Prayer in the interim was a Seal to David of the full deliverance that came afterwards Deus uno Sigillo Sigillat diversas materias for God seals divers matters with the same Seal So when a man is in the dark by reason of some temptation affliction or desertion which he cannot see the end of if in this interim before the full deliverance comes he hath some lesser deliverance that lesser deliverance in the interim is a Seal unto him of the future deliverance and he may say here is a pledg of my full deliverance for here is the opening of the cloud Now thus it is alwaies with the People of God they never are in any affliction temptation or desertion but before their great deliverance comes they have some special Providence some reviving in the midst of their trouble some interim of light some openings of the cloud and therefore in the midst of all they may say surely this my darkness is not the darkness of a night but of a cloud I say there is no discouragement doth befall the Saints but the matter thereof is a cloud and they may say it is but a cloud it will pass over and therefore why should they be discouraged Surely there is no reason for their discouragements whatever their condition be If these things be so Applic. How heavily doth this Doctrine fall in reproof upon some I wish I might not say some of the Servants and People of God A godly man hath no true reason for his discouragements whatever his condition is although it be never so sad and some are alwaies discouraged whatever their condition be although it be never so good whatever falls out the Saints should not be discouraged no not at any thing and yet many are discouraged at every thing and upon every occasion O! what unworthy walking is this how contrary do you walk to God And do you know what it is to walk contrary to him Hath he not said If you walk contrary to me I will walk contrary to you Object But I have reason to be discouraged for I have no sence and feeling of Gods Love Answ 1 We do not live
sate under the means yet you have no just cause and reason for Discouragement for though you may be weak in regard of others yee you may be strong in regard of your former self and be more strong in the Lord and in the power of his might than you have been heretofore And to cleer that Consider The more extensive a mans Obedience is unto Gods Commandements the more he is grown in Grace Weak Christians are much in some Duties and therein they are most intense but little or nothing in others and as they grow in Grace so their hearts are dilated and extended unto other Duties The more exact and accurate a man is in Duty the more he doth grow in Grace and the more he grows in Grace the more exact and accurate he doth grow in his Duty He that writes better than he did before doth not write more Paper or make more Letters only he doth write more exactly and accurately So the gâ—own Christian doth not perform more duties than he did before but the same more exactly The more a man sees and understands his Christian Liberty and yet doth walk more strictly the more he doth grow in Grace Some think they grow in Grace because they have more understanding in their Christian liberty though they do walk more loosly these are deceived in their spiritual growth but if I know my Christian liberty more fully and now do walk more strictly in my life then do I grow in Grace indeed Now is it not thus with you yes through Grace I am able to say That I see my Christian liberty more than I did heretofore and yet I am morâ— strict in my life though I cannot yet pray as I would and hear as I would and perform duty as I would yet I do perform my duties with more exactness than formerly and though I have not so much affection as I had in this or that work of God yet now I find that I am more dilated and my obedience is more extended and extensive unto Gods waies and Commandements than before Then though you are stil weak in regard of others yet you are grown stronger in regard of your former self and therefore certainly you have no just cause or reason to be discouraged in this regard Quest But suppose that I am yet but weak in Grace and Temptations or discouragements press in upon me in regard of the weakness of my Grace what shal I do that I may be able to bear up my heart against those discouragements Answ 1 Then consider what a great charge God the Father hath given to Christ of those that are weak Isa 42.1 Behold my servant whom I uphold mine Elect in whom my soul delighteth I have put my spirit upon him c. but why vers 3. A bruised Reed shal he not break and the smoaking Flax shal not he quench This is my Charge saith the Father which I give to my Son And upon this account he came into the world That those who have life might have it in abundance and for this cause he did die for us Rom. 5.6 For when we were yet without strength in due time or according to the time that is the time appointed by the Father Christ died for the ungodly Answ 2 Consider also what charge our Savior Christ did give unto his Apostles and in them to al the Ministers of the Gospel concerning those that are weak in Grace Peter Peter said our Savior Lovest thou me then feed my sheep And again Lovest thou me then feed my lambs And again thirdly Lovest thou me feed my lambs Have a care of those that are weak in Grace Al the time that Christ lived upon Earth he went about doing good healing al sicknesses and diseases and condescending to the weaknesses of men One comes to him and thought to have stollen her cure yet Christ did bear with her Another comes and puts an If upon his wil Lord If thou wilt thou canst make me clean And he did bear with him Another comes and puts an If upon his power Lord If thou canst do any thing c. Yet Christ did yeild to him And when he left the world then he charges his Apostles with the weak Saints Feed my Lambs and again Feed my Lambs Answ 3 Consider also what a great mercy it is to have a little Grace though it be but a little For though you have never so little Grace yet if you have Grace in truth you have union with Christ you have communion with the Father you have your own nature taken away and are partakers of the divine nature you have a right and title unto al the promises yea unto al the Ordinances yea unto al the Creatures Your afflictions are not curses the curse is taken out of every cross you have an interest in al that Christ hath done and suffered you are made partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light an inheritance uncorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away you have God for your Portion Christ for your Savior the Spirit for your Comforter Heaven for your Inheritance the Angels for your Guard and all the Creatures in the Earth under your feet this and all this you have though you have never so little Grace and can you read over al this Inventory of mercies and sit discouraged in the midst of them Answ 4 Yet if al this wil not prevayl in the time of your Temptation think with your self and consider seriously How much you shal weaken your self yet more and more by your discouragements in this kind Al discouragements weaken humiliation weakens not the greatest humiliation doth not weaken but the least discouragement doth upon what account soever Now if al discouragements do weaken then what an unreasonable thing is it for me to be discouraged at the sight of my weakness but so it is that discouragements even from the sight of our own weakness do yet more and more weaken surely therefore it is an unreasonable thing for a man to be discouraged at the sight of his own weakness wherefore lift up your hands O! ye Saints and be ye lift up O! ye drooping souls Wee aâ—e commanded ye may read our Commission Isa 35.3 To strengthen the weak hands and to confirm the feeble knees and to say to them that are of a fearful spirit be strong fear not And if it be our duty to say and speak thus then it is your duty to encourage your self in the Lord and to say to your self be strong O my soul and fear not Be thankful for your little and in due time you shal have much labor also for much yet be content with little even with little Grace if God wil have it so And thus I have done with the Second Instance A LIFTING UP In case of MISCARRIAGE OF DUTIES Serm. VI PSALM 42.11 Why art thou cast down O my Soul Stepney May 14. 1648. and why art thou disquieted within me c. Instance 3
of the Promise Now so it is that the condition of one is the thing promised in another Promise For Example In one Promise Repentance is the Condition of the Promise 2 Chron. 6.37 38. Joel 2.15 16 17 18 19. But in another Promise Repentance is the thing promised Ezek. 36.26 I will take away the heart of stone and give you an heart of flesh In one Promise Faith and coming to Christ is the Condition Come unto me all ye that are weary and I will give you rest Matth. 11.28 But in another Promise it is the thing promised John 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me In one Promise Obedience is the Condition of it Esai 1.19 If ye consent and obey ye shall eat the good of the Land In another Promise it is the thing promised Ezek. 36. I will put my Spirit into you and cause ye to walk in my waies In one Promise Perseverance is the Condition Matth. 24. He that continueth to the end shall be saved But in another Promise it is the thing promised Psal 1. His Leaf shall not wither Ezek. 36. I will put my fear into your hearts and ye shall not depart from me In one Scripture of the old Testament the coming of the deliverer is promised to the Jews upon condition that they turn from ungodliness Esai 59.20 The Redeemer shall come out of Zion and unto them that turn from ungodliness in Jacob. But in another Scripture in the New Testament turning Jacob from ungodliness is the thing promised Rom. 11.26 There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer and turn ungodliness from Jacob. Now if the Condition in one Promise be the thing promised in another Promise will ye fear that the Promise doth not belong to you because ye have not performed the Condition Answ 3 Thirdly And again What if the Condition of the Promise be performed for you better than you could perform it In the beginning the Lord made a Covenant with man a Covenant of Works Do this and live and Adam the first man stood as a common person for us all to perform the Condition of Doing and if Adam had performed the Condition we all had performed the condition Now the Lord makes a new Covenant of Grace with man and the Lord Jesus Christ is a Second Adam and he stands as a Common Person and if he perform the Condition then all his Seed do perform the Condition Now the Lord Jesus Christ hath performed the Condition for all his Seed although the first Adam did not perform the Condition for his Seed yet the Second Adam hath performed the Condition of the Promise and of the Covenant for his Seed to the full Now if all these Three things be true namely That a man may go to the Promise the Conditional Promise with acceptance although he hath not performed the Condition That the Condition of one Promise is the thing promised in another Promise That the Lord Jesus Christ hath performed the Condition of the Promise for you better than you can perform it Have ye then any reason to be discouraged and to keep off from the Promise because you have not performed the Condition But so it is That a Child of God may go to a Conditional Promise with acceptance although he hath not performed the Condition And the Condition of one Promise is the thing promised in another And the Lord Jesus our Second Adam hath performed the Condition of all the Promises for all his Seed Surely therefore you have no reason to be discouraged in this respect Object But this is not my case For I do not only want Assurance of Gods Love and have no particular Promise but instead of the Promise I have a Threatening set upon my soul O! the bitter words of the Threatening have soaked into my heart Time was heretofore indâ—ed that I had a Promise I could say I had a Promise and I rejoyced in it but now I have lost my Promise and instead of the Promise a Threatening is come O! I see the smart and the anger of the Threatening and have I not just cause and reason to be discouraged now No For Answ 1 First If you be drawn to Christ is it material whether it be done with a Cord of Flax or with a Cord of Silk God hath two Arms whereby he draws us unto himself The Arm of his Love and the Arm of his Anger and Justice The Arm of his Love is put forth in the Promise the Arm of his Anger and Justice is put forth in his Threatening And with both these he doth lift up the fallen sinner What if God lift you up with his left Arm so you be lifted up Somtimes he lifts up with the Arm of his Threatening that he may carry us in the Arm of his Promise for as the Law was a School-Master to bring to Christ so the Threatening is a School-Master to bring us unto the Promise Is the Threatening therefore come then is the Promise a coming for the Threatening is given forth in order to that Answ 2 Secondly And if this which you complain of may be the condition of the Saints then you have no reason to be discouraged Now for the loss of the Promise you know how it was with Joshua The Lord gave Joshua a gracious Promise I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Be strong be not dismayed be not afraid be of good courage for I will not leave thee nor forsake thee Josh 1. But the Children of Israel were a little discomfited by the men of Ai and see how Joshua lost the sight of the Promise in Josh chap. 7. vers 6 7. Joshua rent his Cloathes and fell to the Earth upon his face before the Ark of the Lord he and the Elders of Israel and put dust upon their heads and said Alas O Lord God wherefore hast thou at all brought this People over Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us Would to God we had been content to dwell on the other side Jordan O! what Unbelief is here what discouragement is here how had he lost the Promise O! Lord saith he what shall I say when Israel turns their backs before their Enemies and O! what shall we say when Joshua turned his back upon the Promise But so it was with Joshua here he had lost the sight of the Promise which once he had And as for the Threatening you know how it was with David having sinned greatly in the matter of Vriah the Lord threatens him That the Sword should never depart from his House And the Threatening did take hold upon him and David was under the stroak of the Threatening But was not Joshua Godly and was not David Godly So then a Godly man may possibly lose the sight of the Promise and have a Threatening set on his soul too Answ 3 But Thirdly If a Promise given out by the Lord shal never be reversed and a
is in the plural number Elohim and so when the Prophet in Isa 26. doth exhort unto Trusting in the Lord he gives this reason at verse 4. For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength so you read it but according to the Hebrew thus Trust in the Lord for ever for in Jehovah jah is everlasting strength For in Jehovah jah Jah is an abridgment or an abreviation of Jehovah noting the Son of God and so when Jesus Christ comes in the latter end of the world to sit upon his glorious Throne the converting Jew shal praise him under that name singing as you read in Revel 19. Halelujah praise the Jah which if you compare with Psalm 68. you shal find is to be understood of Christ at verse 4. Sing unto God sing praises to his Name extol him that rides upon the Heavens by his Name Jah rejoyce before him extol him that rideth upon the Heavens by his Name Jah and they shal sing Hallelujah Now if you look into the 18. verse of that Psalm you shal find the reason why this Jah is to be praised for saith the Psalm Thou hast ascended on high thou hast led Captivity captive thou hast received Gifts for men Which words Ephes 4. are applied to Christ But unto every one of us is given according to the measure of the Gift of Christ verse 8. Wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high he led Captivity captive and gave Gifts unto men So that when the Prophet doth exhort us to trust in Jehovah Jah he exhorteth us to trust in the Lord in Christ and therefore I say both according to the old and new Testament Faith is the repose or recumbency of the soul upon God in Christ But yet that is not all A man that doth repose upon God in Christ trusting in him doth trust unto him for some good thing that lies out of sight and therefore the Apostle saith That Faith is the Evidence of things not seen Heb. 11. where he gives divers Instances of Abraham Sarah Moses and others who all did repose upon God for somwhat that lay out of view and this indeed is only worthy of the name of Faith I will trust a man that is most unworthy I will trust a Thief I will trust a Lyer so far as I can see him But as Parisiensis saith well this is Fides Deo digna Faith worthy of God to repose on God for somwhat that lies out of sight and out of view and when a man doth thus stay himself upon God in Christ for somwhat that lies out of sight then he is said to trust in God and when a man doth continue thus then he is said for to wait on God This is the First But then Quest 2 Secondly How may it appear that Faith and the exercise thereof will quiet the soul suppress or allay Discouragements Answ You know how it was with Hannah when she had received a word from God She went away saith the Text and looked no more sorrowful her heart was quieted Why she had a word from God and though before she was a woman of a sorrowful Spirit yet having received a word from God and beleeving that word her heart was quiet Prov. 16.3 Commit thy Works unto the Lord there is Faith and thy thoughts shall be established there is Quietude And if you look again into Isa 26. you shal find that the Scripture is most expresâ— for this verse 3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is staid on thee because he trusteth in thee Mark the words First The Lord doth here engage himself to give peace unto those that do stay upon him that have this Faith of Relyance though they have not yet attained to the Faith of Assurance to be able to say I know my sin is pardoned and that Christ is mine yet if they can but stay themselves upon God the Lord doth hereby engage himself to give peace unto them yea he doth noâ— only engage himself to give peace unto such a soul as staies himself upon God but double Peace you read it in your English perfect Peace thou wilt keep him in perfect Peace but in the Hebrew it is Peace Peace thou wilt keep him in double Peace he shall have Peace and Peace not Peace and Doubting not Peace and no Peace but if he stay himself upon the Lord he shall have Peace Peace he shall have double Peace Yea the Lord doth not only engage to give Peace unto such a soul but to keep him in Peace Thou wilt keep him in perfect Peace or in Peace Peace and all upon this account Because he trusteth in thee not because he prayed not because he humbled hiâ—self though that is his Duty and he doth thereby placere Deo though not placare Deum but because he trusteth in thee because he stayeth himself upon thee And ye know that if ye have a business depending at Law though for the present you be much troubled about it yet if you have a Friend a Lawyer that is able faithful and willing to look to it if you can but leave your business with him it doth very much quiet your heart the very leaving your business with him doth quiet your mind So here If a man can but leave his business and his Cause and his Things with God then he is at rest and he may say Return unto thy rest O my soul as David did which is done by Faith And to cleer this a little Three or Four things there are that do ordinarily cause disquietude or discouragement First The darkness that is in the Understanding for when a man is in the dark especially if he be alone he is very apt to be skared and to be disquieted Secondly Inordinate and unruly Affections and Passions especially that of Fear whereby the soul is benighted Thirdly Guilt of Conscience Though there be much water that doth beat upon the Ship at Sea yet it sinketh not but when there is a leak a hole in the Ship then the Ship sinketh and the water doth become its grave So though there be many troubles that beat upon a man yet his heart doth not sink but when there is a leak in his Conscience when there is a hole there when a man hath a guilty Conscience then he sinketh and his heart fails him And Fourthly The apprehension of Gods Greatness with our distance from him Now Faith cures all this for in opposition to the first of Darkness Faith brings Light into the soul and shews a man his Way and his Warrant for what he doth Secondly It doth pare and take off those inordinate and unruly affections and passions that are in the soul and therefore in Psalm 37. at ver 1. and 7. you shal find that fretting and trusting are set in opposition Fret not thy self because of the evil Doer verse 3. but trust in the Lord. And again verse 7. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him fret not thy self
to present himself to me as an Angel of Light so he would represent Christ as an Angel of Darkness But is this true That the Lord wil not cast me off for my sins of Infirmity then will I never beleeve that my dear Savior is an hard Master If the Lord Christ wil not cast me off for my Sins of Infirmity then through the Grace of God I wil not question my Spiritual Estate and Condition for every Sin I wil grieve for every Sin of Infirmity because it is a Sin but I wil not question my Condition because it is but a Sin of Infirmity Then wil not I cast off my self and others for the Sins of Infirmities Shal Christs Eye be good and shal my Eye be bad Wil not Christ cast me off for mine Infirmities and shal I cast off others for their Infirmities God forbid Then wil not I cast off the things of Christ because of any infirmity that may adhere to them or the Dispensation of them When Christ took our Nature on him his Deity was vailed under our Humanity his Excellency under our Infirmity So now his Grace and his Dispensations are vailed under the Infirmity of our Administrations As for Example Preaching is an Ordinance of Christ yet the Sermon may be so delivered with so much weaknes of the Speaker that the Ordinance of Christ may be vailed under much Infirmity So the Admonition of a fallen Brother is an Ordinance of Christ yet it may be so administred with so much passion in the Speaker that this Ordinance may be vailed under much Infirmity Scarcely any Ordinance but is vailed under some Infirmity in regard of its Administration But is this true That the Lord wil not cast me away because of mine Infirmities Surely then I wil never cast away the Ordinances or things of Christ because of those Infirmities which may adhere or cleave unto them And if the Lord wil not cast me off for my Infirmities then through Grace I wil nâ—ver be discouraged from the performance of any Duty I wil pray as I can and hear as I can and though I be not able to pray as I would I wil pray as I am able and though I am not able to examine mine own heart as I would yet I will do what I am able for the Lord wil not cast me off for Infirmities and therefore I wil not cast off my Duties because of them And lastly If the Lord Jesus Christ wil not cast me off for mine Infirmities then wil I never sin because the sin is but a Sin of infirmity Wil the Lord pardon my Sin because it is but an Infirmity and shal I commit Sin upon that ground because it is but an infirmity then shal I walk contrary to God then shall I turn the Grace of God into wantonness Surely therefore I will never Sin upon that account because it is but a Sin of infirmity Thus ye see what we are to do and what gracious Resolutions we are to take up from the consideration of this great Truth Quest But though the Lord will not cast us off for our Sins of Infirmity yet there is much evil in this sin especially if we fall into it again and again What shall we therefore do that we may not fal into this same Sin so often Answ 1 Be sure that you do not forget your former Sins the slumber of Grace is a preparation to Sin and the forgetfulness of a former Sâ—n is a preparation unto future Sin When we forget our old Sins then God leaves us to fall into new Sins as long as the sence of old Sins abide upon your heart so long you will be kept from new Sins and as the sence of old Sins doth wear off so the lust after new Sins wil come on Would you not therefore fall into the same Sin again and again then take heed that you do not forget your old Sins or lose the sence thereof Answ 2 If you would be kept from Relapses into your infirmities or other Sins then take your Sin and quench it in the blood of Christ by a fresh act of Faith over and beyond all your Resolutions and acts of Humiliation You know how it is with a Candle if it be blown out only it is easily lighted again but if you quench it in Water it is not so easily lighted again So in regard of Sin if a man blow it out with a Resolution it wil be soon recovered but if besides a mans Resolutions and Humiliations he takes his Sin and by an act of Faith doth quench it in the blood of Christ it wil not be lighted again with that ease and facility Answ 3 And if you would not fal into the same Sin again and again then watch and pray Our Savior Christ here saw that his Disciples were like to sleep again and again and I pray you what direction doth he give them Only this Watch and pray as if watching with prayer anâ— prayer with watchfulness were the only or chief means to keep us from falling iâ—to the same Sin again and again And indeed it is not all our habitual strength that can keep us from falling for then Adam in the state of Innocency would have been kept from falling nor is it want of Temptation that can secure us from falling for then the Angels in Heaven should not have fallen for they had no Temptation there but we are kept by continual dependance upon God in Christ 't is not therefore enough to watch but we must watch in Prayer neither is it enough to pray but we must pray with watchfulness What I say therefore to one I say to you al and to mine own soul Let us watch and pray and pray and watch that we enter not into this Temptation THE FALSE APOSTLE TRYED AND DISCOVERED By William Bridge Preacher of the Gospel at Yarmouth LONDON Printed by Peter Cole in Leaden-Hall and are to be sold at his Shop at the sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhil neer the Royal Exchange 1656. THE False Apostle TRYED AND DISCOVERED REVEL 2.2 And hast tryed them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them Lyars IT is not only the Opinion of Mr. Brightman In â—oaâ—â—â—â— Apocal. septeâ— Ecclesâ—s scribitur per quaâ— unâ— Catholica designatur Greg. Hom. 15. iâ— Ezek. Joaâ—nes seribit ad sepâ—am Ecclesias in quibus etiam universas Ecclesias septenario numero intelligimus commendari Austin Epist 106. extra septoâ—â— Ecclesias quicquid foâ—is est alicnum est optat Milevi aâ— Lib. 1. but of very antient Writers That these Seven Epistles written to the Seven Churches of Asia do contain the State and Condition of the whol Church of God unto the coming of Christ This First Epistle is written to languishing Ephesus holding forth the State of the Church presently after Christ and his Apostles and is a good Looking-glass for all those which begin now to languish and to lose their
great and though the thing be smal put your Faith to work in ordinary matters put your Faith to work Somtimes you come to a great matter and you put on your Faith there but because your Faith is not used to smal things your Faith wil not come on here I remember a Speech of Mr. Greenham concerning Suffering saith he If you would suffer hard things from Papists be content to suffer smal things from Protestants and if you would be able to suffer hard things from Enemies you must be content to suffer smal things from Friends saith he you wil never be able to suffer great things from Enemies if you are not able to suffer smal things from Friends So say I in the point of Doing You wil never be able to do great things by Faith if your faith be not used to do smal things And therefore Christians in al things you do the Life you live in the flesh put your faith to work in your particular Callings in smal things and when your faith is used to do smal things you wil be able to do great things but you wil never be able to improve your faith to do great things if you use not your faith to do smal things Fiftly and Lastly Study much and look much upon the Cal you have to any Work and do not stand poring upon your own ability or upon the difficulty of the work Thus these Worthies when the Lord called them the work was great awd difficult and they were weak but they looked upon Gods Cal and they did not stand poring upon their own Abilities but as Abraham considered not his own Body so these and therefore they did great things by faith Possibly a man is called to a Place in the Magistracy and he looks upon it as a great Work I am not able saith he it is beyond me So a man is called to the Ministry I have no Parts nor Gifts the Work is beyond me So for beleeving a man is commanded to beleeve but I cannot beleeve my heart is dead I cannot beleeve whereas now if men did but look upon the Cal of God they would be able to do great things for God Either Christian thou art commanded to beleeve or not If thou are not commanded to beleeve then Unbelief is no sin and if you are commanded to beleeve then you are called to it do not stand poring upon the Difficulty of your Work but look upon the Cal of God and thus shal your faith work and do great things And thus I have done with the main Doctrine that grows out of these words There are some particular Notes that as little Twigs do grow from this great Oak which I shal draw out and so conclude and that is out of the 32. Verse First In that the Apostle saith What should I say more for the time would fail me c. The number of Beleevers in the times of the old Testament it seems was not smal The time would fail me saith he to tâ—l of the Beleevers of the old Tastament few shal be saved indeed comparatively but through Grace many there are that do beleeve If there were many in the old Testament times certainly then there are many now in the new Testament times that do beleeve Secondly In that the Apostle doth here instance in Gideon and Barak and Sampson and Jeptha Gideon and Barak he instances in them thus much you may note God will own that Faith that is but weak at first Gideons faith was weak at the first Baraâ—ks faith was weak at the first it is more like to live this faith that is weak at the first than that which is born with Teeth faith that is weak at the first God wil own It is true not only for Faith that is weak at first but al weak Faith God wil own the weak faith and commend the strong faith he will bear with the weak faith and commend the strong faith See it in the case of Thomas Thomas saith he Reach hither thy hand and thrust thy finger into my side Lord saith he I beleeve my Lord and my God wel saith Christ Thomas thou beleevest here he owns his faith though it is weak but commends the strong faith Blessed is he that hath not seen and yet hath beleeved Christ wil own the weak faith and commend the strong faith but I say he wil own the faith that is weak at the first May be here are some that are Beleevers that begin to look after Christ some yong Christians that begin to look after God and turn from their evil waies and begin weakly at the first remember this God wil own that faith as weak as it is But God see here Gideon before Barak and Sampson before Jeptha The Second Note from thence is Though the Lord wil own the weak faith weak at the first yet God doth most highly esteem of them that do most excel in faith Gideon is before Barak Sampson before Jeptha those are in most account with God that do most excel in faith But then Thirdly In that the Apostle doth here instance in Sampson for a Beleever It is possible that a great sinner may become a true Beleever yea possibly a man may have true faith yet he may fal foully so Sampson but if he do fal foully and be a Beleever he is like to pay dearly for it so Sampson both his Eyes went for it but though a man do pay dearly for it yet God wil return again and own his faith and record his faith so Sampsons faith is Fourthly In that the Apostle doth here make mention of Jeptha Jeptha who was a Bastard under a reproach yet recorded for a Beleever Possibly a Bastard may become a Beleever one that lies under great reproach in regard of Parentage may become a true Beleever Behold what that is that wil rowl away reproach from a Family it is faith true saving faith behold here was a reproach upon Jeptha and his family as a Bastard now he beleeves and faith rowls away the reproach from his person and from his family and he is recorded for a Beleever Let none be discouraged in regard of any reproachful Condition that they are in true faith wil rowl away the reproach and by faith you may become of good report Fiftly In that the Apostle doth speak of David Of David also and Samuel and of the Prophets Consider I pray these were extraordinary men When then God hath any extraordinary work to do he wil raise up extraordinary men to do it and when God doth raise up a man exâ—raordinarily he wil give extraordinary Gifts But mat I would have you consider thence is this That we may make use of extraordinary Examples to strengthen our ordinary faith here are extraordinary cases and brought in by the Apostle to this end and purpose to strengthen our faith Be not discouraged then when you go into Scripture and read of extraordinary Examples Satan tels you I but