the face of all fears doubts disputes cavils and objections and though it cannot clear its title to Christ yet will stay and hang it self upon Christ for life and happiness that man is certainly a Believer and will be everlastingly saved Though he slay me yet will I trust in him Job 13.15 if I must die I will die at his feet and in the midst of death expect a better life Mat. 15.22 to 28 that man acts faith to purpose that can love a frowning God and hang upon an angry God and follow hard after a withdrawing God Psal 63.1 8. yea and trust in a killing God as here Job had his Feverish sits and his impatient slips and yet he kept up his heroical resolution to lean upon the Lord whilst he had but one minute to live and this speaks out not only the truth but also the strength of Job's faith in the midst of his extraordinary combats when the soul is peremptorily and habitually resolved to cleave to the person of Christ and to cleave to the merits of Christ Gen. 2.24 Ruth 1.14 15 16 17. Est 4.16 and to cleave to the transactions of Christ with the Father for the salvation of sinners as the wife cleaves to her husband or as the child cleaves to the father or as Ruth cleaved to Naomi or as the Ivy cleaves to the Oak with an If I perish I perish then 't is safe then 't is happy then 't is out of the danger of hell then 't is within the Suburbs of heaven God never did nor never will cast such a man to hell whose soul is drawn forth to a secret resting saying leaning and relying alone upon Christ for the obtaining of all that good and all that glory that he has purchased and his father has promised But Lastly That man that makes it his principle care his main business his work of works to look to his heart to watch his heart and to reform his heart that man doubtless has a saving work of God upon his heart There are two things which a gracious soul most looks at his God and his heart Though a gracious man looks to the cleansing of his hands yet his principle care is the reformation of his heart the cleansing of his heart according to that of the Apostle James Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie your hearts ye double minded And that of the Prophet Jeremiah James 4.8 Jer. 4.14 O Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved Man must labour after a clean inside as well as a clean outside the conversation must not be only unspotted before the world but the heart also must be unspotted before God the heart is as capable of inward defilements as the body is of outward defilements 2 Cor. 7.1 O Sirs though heart-defilement is least taken notice of yet heart-defilement is the worst defilement and the most dangerous defilement in the world heart-defilement is spiritual defilement Eph. 6.12 Vide â—â—za and spiritual defilement is the defilement of divels which of all defilement is the most hateful odious and pernicious defilement The hypocrites only care is to keep his life from defilement but the sincere Christians care is mainly to keep his heart from defilement for he very well knows that if he can but keep his heart clean he shall with more ease keep his life clean if the fountain be kept pure the streams will run pure The heart is the spring of all actions and therefore every action is as the spring is from whence it flows if the spring be good the action is good that flows from it if the spring be evil the action is evil that flows from it Mâ—â— 2.35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil things Certainly the great work of a Christian lieth with his heart the reformation of the heart is the highest and choicest part of reformation Prov 23.26 because it is the reformation of the noblest part of man and is that which God looks most after The reformation of the heart is indeed the heart of reformation there is nothing reformed to purpose till the heart be reformed if the heart be naught all is naught if that be very naught all is very naught if that be stark naught all is stark naught but if that be reformed all is reformed A gracious man's watch is mainly about his heart Create in me a clean heart Psal 51.10 Psal 86.11 Psal 119.36 Psal 119 80. Psal 27.8 See Psal 119.2 Acts 8 37. Heb. 8.10 Jer. 31 33. O God and renew a right spirit within me Unite my heart to fear thy name Incline my heart unto thy testimonies Let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I be not ashamed When thou saidest seek my face my heart answered Thy face Lord will I seek Psal 119.10 With my whole heart have I sought thee Ver. 11. Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee Incline my heart unto thy testimonies and not unto covetousness Rom. 1.9 The heart of man is the fountain of life or death and therefore sin in the heart in some respects is worse and more dangerous than sin in the life and hence 't is that the sincere Christian doubles his guard about his heart Luther hit it when he said I more fear what is within me than what comes from without the storms and winds without do never move the earth 't is only vapours within that causeth earth-quakes as Philosophers observe Mat. 23 25-30 Hypocrites as our Saviour testifies are all for the outside they wash the platters and the cups and beautifie the tombs like an adulteress whose care is to paint and set a fair face upon a foul matter but now a sincere Christian Psal 50.23 though he has a special respect to the well-ordering of his life yet his main business and work is about his heart O that this ignorant heart were but more enlightned O that this proud heart were but more humble O that this prophane heart were but more holy O that this earthly heart were but more heavenly O that this unbelieving heart were but more believing O that this passionate heart were but more meek O that this carnal heart were but more spiritual O that this luke-warm heart were but more zealous for God and Christ and the Gospel and the great concernments of eternity O that this slight heart were but more serious O that this dull heart were but more quickned O that this dead heart were but more enlivened c. The highest and hardest work of a Christian lieth with his heart Mark common light common conviction education enforcement of conscience principles of common honesty and morality the eye of man the fear of man the examples of man the laws of man and
I answer affirmatively That notwithstanding all this yet a true penitential turning from sin is a continued and stedfast turning from sin and that in these five respects First In respect of his habitual purpose and resolution not to sin Psal 39.1 I said I will take heed to my wayes that I sin not with my tongue I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me See my Treatise on holiness page 507 508 509. David resolves to lay a Law of restraint upon his tongue and to clap a muzzle upon his mouth whilst he was in the presence of the wicked who did lye at the catch to ensnare him and trapan him come health come sickness come honour come reproach come poverty come plenty come liberty come restraint come life come death the true penitent is fixed in his purpose and resolution not to sin Jerom writes of a brave woman that being upon the wrack told her persecutors that they might do their worst for she was firmly resolved rather to dye than lye Secondly In respect of his babitual desires which are that he may not sin Psal 119.133 Order my steps in thy word and let not any iniquity have dominion over me David's great desire is that he may walk as in a frame that he may walk by line and rule exactly accurately and that though sin did dwell in him that yet it might not reign in him and though it did rebel in him that yet it might not have dominion over him he would have his sins to be like those beasts in Daniel whose dominion was taken away though their lives were prolonged for a season and a time Chap. 7.12 Psal 119.10 O let me not wander from thy commandements Ver. 36. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies and not to covetousness Under the name of covetousness all manner of viciousness is to be understood that being the root of all evil 1 Tim. 6.10 Thirdly In respect of his habitual endeavours which still are not to sin The ordinary and habitual endeavours of a true penitent are still set against sin he ordinarily rows against the stream of sin though sometimes the stream proves too strong for him Psal 119.11 Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee He hides the word in his heart as a treasure that he might not lose it and as a rule that he might not transgress against it The Law of God kept closs in the heart is the best armour of proof against evil lusts David locks up the Law of God in his heart as in a chest or cabinet to secure him against Satan's ambushes and assaults on the one hand and to preserve him from sin on the other hand So Psal 18.23 I have kept my self from mine iniquity Fourthly In respect of his habitual hatred of sin Although the true penitent does sometimes sin yet he alwayes hates the evil he does there is a firm and fixed hatred in his soul against sin Psal 119 1â—â— Therefore I hate every false way Ver. 113. I hate vaâ—â—â—â—oughts Ver. 163. I hate and abhor lying So Rom. 7.15 The evil that I hate that I do A penitent heart usually rises and swells against the toad in the bosom Some say that there is such a native dread and terror of the Hawk implanted in the Dove that she is afraid of every feather and that she detests and abhors the very sight of any feather that hath grown upon a Hawk so there is such a detestation abhorrency of sin divinely implanted in every penitent man's heart that he cannot but hate every thing that looks like it or that belongs to it or that comes from it Fifthly In respect of his constant path or continued way or course of life which is quite opposite and contrary to sin Gal. 5.17 Isa 26.7 The way of the just is uprightness Prov. 16.17 The high-way of the upright is to depart from evil It is as common and ordinary for upright persons to depart from evil as 't is for Passengers to keep the King's high-wayes Though an upright man through mistake or weakness of grace or violence of temptation may step out of a way of holiness yet walking in a way of wickedness cannot be charged upon him Psal 139.23 24. Search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting You know the path and practise of penitent Zacheus of penitent Paul and of the penitent Jaylor was quite contrary to those wayes of wickedness that they had formerly walked in The fourth Answer Ans 4 But fourthly and lastly As a true penitential turning from sin is a constant and continued turning from sin so 't is a returning to God Sin is an aversion from God and repentance is a conversion to God Act. 26.18 Sound repentance is not only a ceasing from doing evil but also a learning to do well Isa 1.16 17. Repentance and turning to God are joyned together as being one and the same thing Act. 26.20 The Prodigals repenting was his returning to his Father Luke 15.17 When he came 〈◊〉 himself he said I will arise and go to my father and say father 〈◊〉 â—ave sinned against heaven and before thee c. The Hebrew word for repentance is from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shob which signifies to return implying a going back from what a man had done it notes a returning or converting from one thing to another as from sin to God from evil to good from hell to heaven The common call of sinners to repentance is to turn from sin and to return to God Isa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way Consult these Scriptures Isa 44.22 Isa 19.22 Isa 59.20 Hosea 3.5 Hosea 6.1 Hosea 14.1 and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord c. Jer. 1.4 If thou wilt return O Israel saith the Lord return unto me and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight then shalt thou not remove And so Chap. 18.11 Return ye now every one from his evil way and make your way and your doings good 1 Pet. 2.25 For ye were as sheep going astray but are now returned unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls 'T is not enough for a sinner to forsake his sins but he must also return to the Lord. The true penitent subjects his heart to the power of divine grace and his life to the blessed will and word of God Look as negative goodness can never satisfie a penitent soul so negative goodness can never save an impenitent soul It is not enough O man that thou art not thus and thus bad but thou must be thus and thus good or thou wilt be miserable for ever Ezek. 18.21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my statutes and do that which is lawful and right he
that are in the soul faith is as the spring in the watch that moves the wheels not a grace stirs till faith sets it at work What is said of Solomons vertuous woman viz. Prov. 31.15 27 Heb. 11. Rom. 4.3 8.24 Zech. 12.10 That she sets all her Maidens to work is most true of faith faith sets all the graces in the soul at work We love as we believe and we obey as we believe and we hope as we believe and we joy as we believe and we mourn as we believe and we repent as we believe all graces keep time and pace with faith c. Now when your graces are most shining and your evidences for heaven are most sparkling O then give faith elbow-room give faith full scope to exercise it self upon the Lord Jesus Adams obedience to innocency was not more pleasing and delightful to God than the exercise of your faith on the Lord Jesus will be at such a time pleasing and delightful to him you are to look upon all your graces and gracious evidences as your highest encouragement to a lively cheerful 1 Joh. 5.13 Rom. 1.17 and resolute acting of faith upon the person of Christ the righteousness of Christ c. All a Christians graces and all his gracious evidences should be but as a golden bridge Gen. 45.19 21 27. or as Josephs wagons a means to pass his soul over to Christ afresh by a renewed exercise of faith When your graces and gracious evidences are most splendent then be sure that Christ be found lying as a bundle of myrrhe between your breasts and all is well and will be well Dear Christians Cant. 1.12 when your eyes are fixt upon inherent righteousness Plutarch in the life of Phocion tells us of a certain gentle-woman of Ionia who shewed the wife of Phocion all the rich jewels and precious stones she had She answered her again all my riches and jewels is my Husbands This is more applicable to Christ c. The precious stone Opalum is said to have the vertue of all stones the brightness of the Carbuncle the purple colour of the Amethist the amiable greenness of the Emerald but what are all these to Christ and upon your gracious evidences then let your hearts be firmly fixt upon the Lord Jesus Christ and his imputed righteousness Pauls eye was fixt upon his grace upon his better part Rom. 7.22 I delight in the Law of God after the inward man Ver. 25. And with my mind I serve the Law of God And yet at the very same time his heart was set upon Christ and taken up with Christ Ver. 25. I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ Though Paul had an eye to his noble part his better part his regenerate part yet at the same time his heart was taken up with the Lord Jesus Christ as freeing of him from the curse of the Law the dominion of sin the damnatory power of sin and as translating of him into the glorious liberty of the sons of God I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ So in Col. 2.2 3. You have their eyes fixt upon grace and at the same time their hearts fixt upon Christ That their hearts might be comforted being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God and of the father and of Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Their eyes were upon grace but their hearts were taken up with Christ So in Phil. 3.8 The Apostle had his eye upon the excellent knowledge of Christ But Ver. 9. his heart is taken up with the righteousness of Christ That I might be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith Though Paul had his eye upon grace upon inherent righteousness yet in the very presence of his grace his heart was taken up with Christ and with his imputed righteousness as is evident in the Text. This is your glory Christians in the presence and sight of all your graces and gracious evidences to see the free grace of Christ and his infinite spotless matchless and glorious righteousness to be your surest sweetest highest and choicest comfort and refuge Look as Rebkekah was more taken with the person of Isaac than she was with his ear-rings Gen. 24.30 53 64 65 66 67. bracelets jewels of silver and jewels of gold So it becomes a Christian in the presence of his graces and gracious evidences which are Christs ear-rings bracelets and jewels to be more taken up with Christ than with them He that holds not wholly with Christ doth very shamefully neglect Christ Aut totum mecum tene aut totum omitte Grego Nazien Christ and his Mediatory righteousness should be more in a Christians eye and always lye nearer to a Christians heart than inherent righteousness Grace is a ring of gold and Christ is the sparkling diamond in that ring Now what 's the ring to the sparkling diamond 'T is not safe to pore more upon inherent righteousness than upon imputed righteousness 'T is not wisdom to have our thoughts and hearts more taken up with our gracious dispositions and gracious actings than with the person of Christ the righteousness of Christ the life of Christ the death of Christ the satisfaction of Christ c. Dear Christians was it Christ or was it your graces or your gracious evidences or your gracious dispositions or your gracious actings that trod the wine-press of your Fathers wrath that satisfied divine justice that pacified divine anger that did bear the curse that fulfill'd the Law that brought in an everlasting righteousness that discharged your debts that procured you pardon that made your peace and that brought you into a state of favour and friendship with God If you answer as you must none but Christ none but Christ O then let your thoughts and hearts be firstly mostly chiefly and lastly taken up with the Lord Jesus Though inherent grace be a glorious creature yet 't is but a creature Now when your thoughts and hearts are more taken up with inherent grace than they are with Christ the spring and fountain of all grace you make an idol of inherent grace John 1.16 Col. 2.2 3. and reflect dishonour upon the Lord Jesus A Christian may lawfully look upon his graces and his gracious evidences and a Christian ought to be much in blessing and praising of God for his graces and gracious evidences and a Christian may safely take comfort in his graces and gracious evidences as they are the fruits of God's eternal and unchangable love Isa 38.3 2 Cor. 1.12 but still his work should be to live upon Christ and to lift up Christ above all 'T is Christ 't is his Mediatory righteousness 't is free-grace that a Christian ought to make the
This is made good by ten Arguments Page 60 to 65 Six considerable things about probabilities of grace Page 65 66 67 68 69 If a Christian can't say he has grace yet he should not say he has no grace for he may have grace and yet not know it Page 81 82 He that prizes the least dram of grace above ten thousand thousand worlds certainly that man has true grace in him Page 200 T is the wisdom and ought to be the work of every Christian to own the least measure of grace that is in him though it be mixed and mingled with many weaknesses infirmities Page 332 333 'T is the wisdom and should be the work of every Christian to look upon all his graces and gracious evidences as favours given him from above as gifts dropt out of heaven into his heart as flowers of Paradise stuck in his bosom by a divine hand Page 333 334 335 When you look upon your graces in the light of the spirit it highly concerns you to look narrowly to it that you don't renounce and reject your graces as weak and worthless evidences of your interest in Christ c. Page 335 336 337 The spirit does four things in respect of our graces Page 348 Christians may safely rejoyce in their graces Page 349 350 351 The more grace any man hath the more clear the more fair the more full the more sweet will his evidences be for heaven c. Page 378 379 380 381 382 When your graces are strongest and your evidences for heaven are clearest and your comforts rise-highest then in a special manner it concerns you to make it your great business and work to act faith afresh upon the free rich and glorious grace of God and upon the Lord Jesus Christ Page 382 383 384 385 H Of the hatred of sin An Hypocrite can't hate sin as sin Page 303 304 305 True hatred of sin includes six things Page 305 306 307 308 Of the heart and of keeping of it Where the constant standing frame of a mans heart desires and endeavâ—urs are set for God Christ Grace Holiness there is a most sure and infallible work of God upon that mans soul Page 127 128 129 130 131 132 A gracious heart is an uniform heart Page 161 162 163 164. A gracious heart sets himself most against his darling sin his bosom sin his constitution sin c. Page 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 He that has given up his heart and life to the Rule Authority and Government of Christ he has a saving work of God upon him Page 203 204 That man that will cleave to Christ with full purpose of heart that man shall certainly be saved Page 204 205 That man that makes it his principle care his main business his work of works to look to his heart to watch his heart to reform his heart that man doubtless hath a saving work of God upon his heart Page 205 206 207 208 209 210 Ten wayes shewing how men should keep their hearts Page 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 There are many that are great strangers to their own hearts Page 339 Of Hypocrites First an Hypocrites inside is never answerable to his outside An Hypocrites inside is one thing and his outside another thing Page 287 288 Secondly no Hypocrite under heaven is totally divorced from the love and liking of every known sin Page 288 289 290 291 Thirdly an Hypocrites heart is never throughly subdued to a willingness to perform all known duties Page 291 292 293 Fourthly There is never an Hypocrite in the world that makes God or Christ or holiness or his doing or receiving good in his Station Relation or Generation his grand end his highest end his ultimate end of living in this world Page 294 295 296 297 Fifthly no Hypocrite under heaven can live wholly and only upon the righteousness of Christ the satisfaction of Christ the merits of Christ for justification and salvation Page 297 298 299 300 Sixthly an Hypocrite never embraces a whole Christ he can never take up his full rest satisfaction and content in the person of Christ in the merits of Christ in the enjoyment of Christ alone Page 300 301 302 303 Seventhly an Hypocrite can't mourn for sin as sin nor grieve for sin as sin nor hate sin as sin nor make head against sin as sin Page 303 304 305 Eighthly no Hypocrite is habitually low or little in his own eyes no hypocrite has ordinarily mean thoughts of himself or a poor esteem of himself Page 308 309 310 311 312 Ninthly no Hypocrite will long hold out in the work and wayes of the Lord in the want of outward incouragements and in the face of outward discouragements Page 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 Tenthly no hypocrite ever makes it his business his work to bring his heart into religious duties and services Page 318 319 320 321 Eleventhly an hypocrite never performs religious duties from spiritual principles nor in a spiritual manner Page 321 322 323 324 325 Twelfthly no hypocrite in the world loves the Word or delights in the Word or prizes the Word as 't is a holy Word a spiritual Word a beautiful Word a pure Word a clean word Page 325 326 327 328 329 Thirteenthly and lastly an hypocrite can't endure to be tryed and searcht and laid open Page 329 330 331 I Of judging our selves We must not judge our selves Hypocrites by those things that â—he Scripture never makes a character of an Hypocrite Page 74 75 76 77. We must not judge our selves hypocrites for such things which being admitted and granted to be true would unavoidably prove the whole generation of the faithful to be Hypocrites Page 77 78 79 In judging of our spiritual estates and conditions we must alwayes have an eye to our natural tempers complexions c. Page 79 80 81 Of judgments Spiritual judgments are the worst of judgments Page 338 L Of love to the Saints No man can truly love grace in another but he that has true grace in his own soul Page 189 190 Six wayes whereby men may certainly know whether their love to the Saints be real or not Page 190 to 200 M Of singular manifestations Some Christians live under the singular manifestations of divine love Page 341 342 Of Melancholy The evil effects of Melancholy Page 72 73 74 Of merciful men Such as are truly and graciously merciful are blessed c. Page 34 35 36 Of true mourners Such as are true mourners are blessed Page 32 N Of Name and of a great Name Many Professors take up in a great Name Page 337 338. O Of Obedience If your obedience springs from faith then your estate is good then you have assuredly an infallible work of God upon your souls Page 132 Seven wayes to know when your obedience is the obedience of faith with the resolution of some considerable questions about obedience worthy of serious consideration Page 132 to 161 P Of the Promises The
fear O to what a height of holy boldness and familiarity with God had this man of God arrived to But Ninethly a godly man may argue thus To such who are poor in spirit the Kingdom of heaven belongs Mat. 5.3 By poor in spirit is not meant poor in substance that not being a thing praise worthy in it self Chrysost in loc but the broken and humble in heart who hath no high thoughts or conceits of himself but is lowly in his own eyes as a young child Blessed are the poor in spirit that is non habentes inflantem spiritum who hath no lofty or puffed up spirit Augustin Hilar. Tertullian The poor in spirit are those that are lowly being truly conscious of their own unworthiness Nulli pauperes spiritu nisi humiles none are poor in spirit but the humble Blessed are the poor in spirit that is blessed are they whose spirits are brought into such an humble gracious frame as willingly quietly and contentedly to lye down in a poor low condition when it is the pleasure of the Lord to bring them into such a condition Blessed are the poor in spirit that is blessed are they who are truly and kindly apprehensive and sensible of their spiritual wants poverty and misery There are some that are poor in estate and others that are poor in spirit and there are some that are poor spirited in the cause of God Christ the Gospel and their own souls and there are others that are poor in spirit there are some that are spiritually poor as all are that are destitute of grace and others that are poor in spirit there are some that are Evangelically poor and others that are superstitiously poor as those Papists who renounce their estates and vow a voluntary poverty The poverty that hath blessedness annexed to it is only an Evangelical poverty that see their need of God's free grace to pardon them that see their need of Christs righteousness to cloath them that see their need of the Spirit of Christ to purge change and sanctifie them that see their need of more heavenly wisdom to counsel them that see their need of more of the power of God to support them and of the goodness of God to supply them and of the mercy of God to comfort them and of the presence of God to refresh them and of the patience of God to bear with them c. that see their need of greater measures of faith to conquer their fears and of greater measures of wisdom to walk holily harmlesly blâ—mlesly and exemplarily in the midst of temptations snares and dangers and that see their need of greater measures of patience to bear their burdens without fretting or fainting and that see their need of greater measures of zeal and courage to bear up bravely against all sorts of opposition both from within and from without and that see their need of greater measures of love to cleave to the Lamb and to follow the Lamb whither ever he goes and that see their need of living in a continual dependance upon God and Christ for fresh influences in-comes and supplies of grace of comfort of strength whereby they may be inabled to act for God and walk with God and glorifie God and bring forth fruit to God and withstand all temptations that tend to lead the heart from God and that see nothing in themselves upon which they dare venture their everlasting estates and therefore flie to the free rich sovereign and glorious grace of God in Christ as to their sure and only sanctuary Luke 18.13 Phil. 3.9 Blessed are the poor in spirit that is blessed are they that are truly apprehensive and sensible of their spiritual poverty that see themselves fallen in the first Adam from all their primitive purity excellency and glory There are five things we lost in our fall 1. Our holy Image and became vile 2. Our Sonship and became slaves 3. Our Friendship and became enemies 4. Our Communion and became strangers 5. Our Glory and became miserable And that see an utter inability and insufficiency in themselves and in all other creatures to deliver them out of their fallen estate But I am poor in spirit therefore the Kingdom of heaven belongs to me Tenthly a godly man may argue thus Such as are true mourners are blessed shall be comforted Mat. 5.3 That is such as mourn for sin with an exceeding great mourning that mourn for sin with a funeral sorrow as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies that mourn for sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beati lugentes Blessed are they that mourn The way to Paradise is through the valley of tears Some report of Mary Magdalen that she spent thirty years in Galba weeping forâ—er sins as a man mourneth for the loss of his only Son Zech. 12.10 or as Jacob mourned for Joseph or as David mourned for Absalom or as the people mourned for the loss of good Josiah 2 Chron. 35.24 25. That mourn for secret sins as well as open for sins against grace as well as for sins against the Law that mourn for sin as the greatest evil in the world that mourns for his own sins Ezek. 7.16 as David did Psal 51. or as Ephraim did Jer. 31.18 19. or as Peter did Mat. 26.75 or as Mary Magdalen did Luke 7.38 And that mourns for the sins of others as well as for his own as David did Psa 119.136 158. and as Jeremiah did Jer. 13.17 or as Lot did 2 Pet. 2.7 8. or as they did in that Ezek. 9.4 That mourns under the sense of his spiritual wants that mourns under the sense of his spiritual losses as loss of communion with God loss of the favour of God loss of the presence of God loss of the exercise of grace loss of the joyes of the Spirit loss of inward peace c. or that mourn not only for their own afflictions and miseries but also for the afflictions and miseries of Joseph as Nehemiah did Neh. 1.2 3 4 or as Ieremiah did Ier. 9.1.2 or as Christ did when he wept over Ierusalem Luke 19.41 42. or that mourns because he cannot mourn for these things or that mourns because he can mourn no more or that mourns because God has so little honour in his heart in his house in his life in the world in the Churches But I am a true mourner therefore I am blessed and shall be comforted Eleventhly a godly man may argue thus They which truly hunger and thirst after righteousness are blessed and shall be filled Mat. 5.6 They are not therefore blessed because they hunger and thirst but because they shall be filled blessedness will be in fulness not in hunger but hunger must go before filling that we may not loath the loaves Aug. de verbis Domini Serm. 5. Or they that are hungring and thirsting as the Greek runs being the participle of the present tense intimating that where ever this is the present disposition of
Promises to trust in the name of the Lord Isa 50.10 Job 13.15 and to stay themselves upon their God Job in a cloudy stormy day resolves to trust â—n the Lord though he should slay him and so must you And O that this rule were more seriously minded and effectually observed by all doubting trembling and staggering Christians But The Thirteenth Maxim or Consideration THirteenthly Consider you must never judg your selves unsound The grand Rule by which we must try and judg of our spiritual and eternal estates is the word of God Isa 8.20 in this Scripture the Prophet plainly shews whither we must go with our doubts fears scruples questions and with whom we must consult and of whom we must take advice and that is the Law and the testimony or Hypocrites by those things which the Scripture never makes a Character of an unsound Christian or of an Hypocrite or of Hypocrisy Mark as you are to receive no comfort but what is backt with clear Scripture nor no evidences for the goodness and happiness of your spiritual estate and condition but such as are backt with clear Scriptures so you are to receive you are to admit of no Arguments nor pleas nor reasonings to prove your self an Hypocrite or unsound or that you have no Grace or that your spiritual estate and condition is not good but such Arguments pleas and reasonings as are backt with clear Scriptures Now tell me O thou weak doubting staggering trembling Christian if thou canst where are those clear Scriptures that proves wandring thoughts in Duty or that proves narrowness or straitness of Spirit in a duty to be characters of an Hypocrite or of hypocrisy or of one that is unsound tell me O thou sighing Christian if thou canst where are those clear Scriptures that proves the want of a good memory for the best things or the want of those gifts or abilities that many Christians have to Pray to speak to discourse to open Scripture or to dispute for the concernments of Christ and his Kingdom to be characters of an Hypocrite or of hypocrisy or of one that is unsound Tell me O thou distressed Christian if thou canst where are those clear Scriptures that will justify thee to conclude that thou art an Hypocrite because thou art without the present evidence of thy sincerity Are there not many of the precious sons and daughters of Zion comparable to fine gold Isa 50.10 1 John 5.13 Gen. 44. Lam. 4.2 who have true Grace and sincerity in their hearts though for the present it be hid from their eyes Josephs Brethren had their mony in their sacks though they did not see it nor know it till they came to their Inn and opened them So many of the dear children of God have sincerity in their hearts though for the present they do not see it nor know it O Sirs t is Christs work not Graces to evidence it self so clearly and fully to our eyes as to enable us to own it t is one thing for the Spirit of God to work Grace in the Soul and another thing for the Spirit to shine upon his own work now till the Spirit shines upon his own work the Soul is in the dark 1 Cor. 2.12 the Graces of the Spirit are best seen in the light of the Spirit as we see the Sun best by his own light T is good for doubting Christians when they are in the dark to hold fast this conclusion viz. that they may be upright though at present they are not able to see their uprightness Now though this will not bring in a full Tyde of comfort into their Souls yet it will keep them from despair and it will support and uphold their hearts till the Spirit who is a Messenger of a thousand shall shew them their uprightness Tell me O thou mourning Christian if thou canst where are those clear Scriptures that proves deadness dulness and indisposedness in duty though it be sadly lamented bewailed and mourned over and much striven against yea though it be the great grief and burden of the Soul to be characters of Hypocrites or of hypocrisy or of one that is unsound Tell me O thou disquieted Christian if thou canst where are those clear Scriptures that proves the want of those enlargements ravishments joyes comforts In all Soul cases God expects we should consult his word and cleave to his word without warping or turning aside either to the right hand or to the left John 12.48 That book that shall try you at last and that shall save you or damn you in the great day is the only book by which you must make a judgment of your present and future estates Clemens of Alexandria speaking of the Word saith it is the touchstone of truth and falshood peace or assurance that some others have to be characters of Hypocrites or hypocrisy or of one that is unsound and yet upon the account of the above mentioned things on the one hand and under a sensible want of the things last cited on the other hand how exceeding apt and prone are many poor weak doubting trembling Christians confidently and peremptorily to conclude themselves to be Hypocrites and to be unsound and that they have not a dram of Grace nor no saving interest in Christ at all O Sirs remember this once for all that as you must never admit of any Arguments Pleas or Reasonings for the comfort peace and refreshment of your souls but such as are attended with the evidence of clear Scripture but such as are backt with pregnant Scriptures So you must never admit of any Pleas Arguments or Reasonings to trouble vex perplex and disquiet the peace of your souls but such as are attended with clear Scripture evidence but such as are well backt with Canonical Scripture Now if this choice Rule were but wisely observed and carefully frequently and conscientiously practised by many weak doubting trembling Christians how would it set them at liberty from their fears doubts and misgivings of heart how would it knock off all their chains and wipe all tears from their eyes and remove that sadness that lyes like a load upon their hearts and how soon would it bring them into a condition of peace comfort quietness and settlement O Sirs every working and appearance of hypocrisy doth not presently prove the person in whom it is to be an Hypocrite A man may be hypocritical either 1. Really Or 2. In Opinion and fancy many of the dear children of God are very apt and prone many times both to suspect and falsly charge the true estate of their souls A child in a distemper may question the inheritance which is entailed on him c. But remember this if thy heart be upright all comfort is thy portion for as our distrustful fears do not prejudice the reality of the estate of grace So our frequent suspitions that we are hypocrites does not cut us off from the title and right of promised
A gracious heart that is weary of sin will certainly and habitually fall a striving against it Gal. 5.17 The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh for these two are contrary the one to the other Now contraries are naturally expulsive each of other Such a pair as a Jacob and an Esau such Twins as an Isaac and an Ishmael cannot lye quietly together in the same womb no nor live quietly together in the same house but there will be a mutual prosecuting and persecuting each of other Fire and Water may as well agree in the same Vessel as grace and sin in the same heart True Grace hath a real repugnancy and contrariety to all sin and remember this once for all that saving Grace is not contrary to sin because it is open and manifest nor to sin because it is private and secret nor to sin because it is of this or that consequence but to sin as sin whether publick or private because both the one and the other are contrary to the Law of God the will of God the glory of God the nature of God the designs of God c. As it is with true light though it be but a beam yet it is universally opposite to all darkness or as it is with heat though there be but one degree of it yet it is opposite to all cold So true Grace it is opposite to all sin it cannot comply with any known sin Look as sin and Grace were never born together and as sin and Grace shall never dye together so sin and Grace can never be reconciled together There is a natural contrariety between sin and Grace and therefore you can never reconcile them in the heart The opposition that Grace makes against sin is inward as well as outward 't is against sin wheresoever it is Nothing will satisfy a gracious soul but the destruction of sin Rom. 6.6 Knowing this that our old man is Crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is here rendred destroyed signifies weakned and the strength of it broken and made idle fruitless and uneffectual So Psal 51.2 Wash me throughly or multiply to wash me or play the Fuller upon me from mine iniquity David looked upon his sin his stain to be so inveterate so ingrained that it would hardly be ever gotten out till the cloth were almost rub'd to pieces and cleanse me from my sin David was as desirous to be cleansed of the Leprosy of sin as ever any poor Leper was willing to be cleansed of his Leprosy under the Law And so ver 7. Purge me with Hyssop and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be whiter than Snow All the Sacrifices of expiation of sin in the old Law were done by blood and that blood was sprinkled upon the people by a bunch of Hyssop so called from the Hebrew word Ezob by reason of the nearness of the sound In the legal sprinklings made with Hyssop was shadowed out the washing away of sin through the blood of Christ Rev. 1.14 Job 9.30 The Brides garments are made white in the blood of the lamb and not by any washings in Snow water When a gracious Soul looks upon sin he cries out Lord raze it raze it down to the ground Lord let not one stone be left upon another In every gracious Soul there is such a detestation and such an indignation against sin that neither Mountains of Gold nor Rocks of Pearl nor honour nor applause nor favour on the one hand nor frowns nor threats nor neglects nor scorns nor contempt on the other hand 〈◊〉 win the Soul over to sin or make the Soul one with sin Look how it was between the Lord and Amalek so it is between a gracious soul and his sins Now if you turn to that Exod. 17.16 you shall find how it was between the Lord and Amalek Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from Generation to Generation Or as the Hebrew has it The hand upon the throne of the Lord Gods hand is laâ—d upon his own Throne as swearing to root out Amalek or because Amaleks hand is lifted up against Gods Throne that is the Church so called in Jer. 4.21 and Crown of Glory Isa 62.3 therefore God will have perpetual wars with Amalek God could as soon be reconciled to Amalek as a gracious Christian can be reconciled to his sins Others sense the words thus that Moses had a solemn Oath as it were laying his hand upon Gods Throne for asseveration and assurance that he and the people will have an irreconcilable war with the posterity of Amalek And so every gracious soul is resolved to make an irreconcileable war with sin But now where there is only common Grace there a man deals by his sins as David did by his son Absolom banish him his Court for a time and afterwards receive him into full favour and court him as much or more than before An unsound heart may fall out with his sin and be very angry with its sin for the consequence of it for the shame it brings upon his person for the blot it leaves upon his name and for the stinging guilt and convulsion fits which it causeth in his Conscience and yet this very person be in a very close and strict league with sin and his heart inwardly and strongly adhering unto sin But a gracious heart will be still a restraining of sin a curbing of sin a crossing of sin a making head against sin and a withstanding it in all its workings Anger may be reconciled but hatred cannot Eightly Where the very prevailings of sin are ordinarily made serviceable to high and holy to gracious and spiritual ends Ezek. 16.61 63. Ephes 2.7 6 7. there certainly is a saving work of God upon that mans soul As when they produce more Soul-loathing Soul-humiliation Self-judging Self-abasement Self-abhorring or when they fill the Soul with a grea◠〈◊〉 admiration of the freeness and riches of Grace or when they keep down pride and prevent the despising of others or produce holy shame or when they make the blood of Christ more precious and dear to the Soul or when they engage a Christian so much the more to watch and pray and pray and watch that he may either be kept from the hour of temptation or in the hour of temptation or when every fall makes sin more bitter to the soul than ever and Christ more sweet to the Soul than ever and all the means of Grace more delightful to the Soul than ever and heaven more desirable to the Soul than ever or when sin is made the prevention of sin or when sin through the over-ruling hand of Grace is made an occasion of more Grace as that good man said As I get hurt by my Graces So I get good by my sins You know all the
falls and knocks and blows that children get that are learning to go do but make them cleave the closer and hang the faster upon the Nurses skirts or about the Mothers neck So when all a Christians falls do but work him to cleave the closer and hang the faster upon the strength of Christ and to be still a drawing more and more vertue and power from Christ then is the prevalency of sin made serviceable to holy and gracious ends and where God ordinarily thus works there is certainly a work of God in power upon that Soul 2 Cor. 7.11 For behold this self same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves yea what indignation yea what fear yea what vehement desire yea what zeal yea what revenge in all things you have approved your selves to be clear in this matter this Scripture I have fully opened in my eighth sign of godly sorrow in this book and to that I refer you The Mother by suffering the child to get one fall keeps the child from many a fall and so 't was with these Corinthians Adams fall was an inlet to abundance of grace and his unrighteousness did usher into the world the most glorious Righteousness of Jesus Christ Hezekiah falls and by his fall 2 Chron. 32.25 26 31. God gives him a clearer and fuller sight of his own heart than ever he had before in all his dayes Sin is no gainer but a loser by every fall of the Saints God does and will by the over-ruling hand of his grace make the very miscarriages of his people to be glorious inlets to more eminent degrees of Grace and holiness God hath a great Revenue of glory from the very infirmities of the Saints and the Saints have a great Revenue of comfort from their very miscarriages by the wise powerful over-ruling and sanctifying hand of God God is that powerful that skilful Physician that can make an Antidote and Sovereign remedy of sin that is the most deadly poyson in all the World God does and will make the very sins of his people to further the Salvation of his people according to that golden promise Rom. 8.28 God never suffers his people to fall into any sin but out of a design to break the neck and back of that sin they fall into God suffered David to fall into those two great sins of Murder and Adultery but by these very falls he broke the very back of those sins for we never read that ever he fell into those sins the second time And so God suffered Peter to deny him once but by that sore fall God broke the neck of that very sin for we never read that ever he denyed Christ any more at the voice of a Damsel yea 't is very observable that Peters courage and boldness for the truth received a very high advance by those deep wounds that he had formerly given them when he denyed the Lord that bought him After his sore falls for courage and boldness he carries the Bell from all the Apostles as you may see in Acts 4.12 It is the nature of true Grace to gather strength by every wound Grace gathers strength by contraries as Fire doth when it is compassed about with coldness by an Antiper stasis By all a Ch istians falls his graces grow brighter and stronger At the long run a Christian by all his falls loses nothing but his dross his chaff his scum his filth Now he that finds his sins thus over-ruled for the good of his soul he is certainly a gracious Soul O Sirs remember this for ever viz. That the oftner an Hypocrite or a Formalist falls the more ground and strength his sins get upon him and so will continue to do till all that Grace and goodness which he seemed to have had be quite extinguished But Ninthly Where a bare naked command of God is commonly ordinarily of that power force and authority with the soul as to curb sin and restrain the soul from sin and to arm and fence the soul against the encroachments and commands of sin there is certainly a saving work a powerful work of God upon that Soul When a man can say to Heaven and Hell stand you by for the present and to precious Promises stand you by for the present and to Divine threatnings stand you by for the present here is a Command of God that forbids such and such actions and therefore I cannot I dare not do this or that wickedness Gen. 39.9 and sin against the Lord there is certainly a principle of Grace in that mans heart That is a great word of David Psal 119.161 My heart standeth in awe of thy word When a naked command from God does so over-awe the heart as that it dares not sin against God then doubtless the heart is sincere with God A child does not stand in more awe of the rod nor a servant of a beating nor a Favourite of his Princes frowns than a real Christian when he is himself stands in awe of the Word So Psal 119.11 Thy Word have I hid within my heart that I might not sin against thee When a man hides the Word in his heart as a Treasure that he may not lose it and as a Rule that he may not transgress it then his heart is indeed right with God When the Law of God in a mans heart arms him against the lusts of his heart and life then doubtless his heart is sound with God So Psal 17.4 By the words of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer or as some read the words According to the command and charge of thy words I have kept me from the sinful wayes manners behaviours c. of the destroyer or the cruel man Matth. 28.18 19 20. Acts 10.41 42. Christ commanded his Apostles to make him known to the World and to Preach the everlasting Gospel and to make known those Mysteries and Riches of Grace that were hid in former Ages The Jewish Authority threatens them and commands them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus Acts 4.17 18. But the command of Christ carries it with the Apostles against all their threatnings and commands verse 19.20 But Peter and John answered and said unto them Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more then unto God judg ye For we cannot but speak the things which we have heard and seen When the commands of Authority run counter-cross to the commands of God the commands of God must be obeyed though the greatest Auâ—hority under Heaven should be displeased and enraged God never gave the greatest Authority in the world any Authority to act contrary to his commands Disobedience to unlawful commands is no disobedience Wo to hâ—m that obeyes the commands of men in opposition to the commands of God 1 Cor. 9.16 For though I preach the Gospel I have nothing
general Rule So here as no man can safely and groundedly conclude from no better Promises than from some few particular actions though in themselves materially and substantially good that his heart is therefore sincere 'T is not a pang of the Soul nor a mood nor a fit of an Ague nor a flash of Lightning nor a mans being as the morning dew but his habitual purpose resolution and inclination to good that evidences the man to be really good Psal 119.20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy Judgments at all times c. A sheep may slip into a slow as soon as a Swine and an Apple-tree may have a fit of barrenness as well as a Crab-tree But the sheep loves not to wallow in the Mire as the swine does And though the Apple-tree be barren one year yet it brings forth fruit the next so on the contrary no man ought to conclude because of some gross particular sinful actions and extravagant motions that his heart is unfound O Sirs we are not to make a Judgment of our states and conditions by some particular actions whether they are good or evil but we are to make a Judgment of our states and conditions by the general frame bent and disposition of our hearts and by the constant tenour of our lives 'T is certain that God accounts every wicked man guilty of all those sins wickednesses and vanities which the setled purpose desire bent bias and frame of his Soul inclined him to though he doth not actually commit them Matth. 5.28 He that looketh on a Woman to lust after her hath committed Adultery already with her in his heart A man may commit Adultery and yet not touch a Woman There are many thousands that dye of the wound in the eye So 1 John 3.15 Whosoever hateth his Brother is a Murtherer A man may commit Murther and yet not kill a man yea he may commit Murther and yet not touch a man Prov. 23.7 For as he thinketh in his heart so is he The man is as his mind is God esteems of wicked men according to their hearts and not according to their words So 't is as certain that the Lord accounts every godly man to do all that good that the setled purpose frame bent biass and unfeigned desires of his Soul inclines him to 2 Cor. 8.12 If there be first a willing mind 't is accepted So Heb. 11.17 By Faith Abraham when he was tryed offered up Isaac and he that had received the Promises offered up his only Son that is in disposition and full purpose of heart and willingness of mind which God accepted for the deed a true intent is in Gods account as a real act So David had a purpose a mind a will to build God a house and for this God commends him 1 Kings 8.18 And the Lord said unto David my Father whereas it was in thy heart to build a house unto my Name thou didst well that it was in thy heart yea God rewards him for it as if he had actually done it and tells him in his ear that he would build him an house 2 Sam. 7.27 So when that servant that ow'd his Lord ten thousand Talents had shew'd his readiness and willingness and resolvedness to pay all Lord have patience with me and I will pay thee all Matth. 18.26 a thing as impossible for him to do as 't is for us to keep the whole Law and not to fail in one point but his desires his mind his will his purposes was to do it well and what does his Lord do why his Lord had compassion on him and loosed him and forgave him the debt v. 27. his Lord took this for full and current payment he accepted of the will for the deed So when Zacheus had unfeignedly professed his purpose and willingness to make restitution Christ presently replies This day is Salvation come to thy house Luke 19.9 Certainly the Lord accounts that Soul a true Believer and a blessed Soul that unfeignedly desires to believe witness that Matth. 5.6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after Righteousness for they shall be filled And 't is as certain that the Lord accounts that sinner a true penitent that doth unfeignedly desire purpose and resolve to repent to break off his sins and to turn to the Lord as you may see in that great instance of the Prodigal Luke 15.18 19 20. I will arise and go to my Father and will say unto him Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son make me as one of thy hired Servants And he arose and came to his Father But when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him Assoon as ever the Prodigal did but purpose and resolve to repent and return to his Father the compassions of his Father are kindled and turned towards him and he does not go but runs and falls on his neck and in stead of kicking and killing there is nothing but kissing and embracing a returning Prodigal God alwayes sets a higher value upon our dispositions than upon our actions 2 Cor. 8.10 1 Cor. 9.17 1 Pet. 5.2 Exod. 25.2 Philemon 14 and in our best services he esteems more of our wills than he does of our deeds as is evident by the Scriptures in the Margent Every good man is as good in the eye and account of God as the ordinary frame and bent of his Spirit speaks him to be Every man is as holy as humble as heavenly as spiritual as gracious as serious as sincere as fruitful as faithful as watchful c. as the setled purposes desires resolutions and endeavours of his Soul speaks him to be Hence Noah is said to be a just man and perfect or upright in his Generation Gen. 6.9 And hence Job is said to be a perfect and an upright man one that feared God and eschewed evil Job 1.1.8 And hence David is said to be a man after Gods own heart 1 Sam. 13 14. And to fulfill all his wills Acts 13.22 here the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is wills to note the universality and sincerity of his obedience And hence Zacharias and Elizabeth are said to be both righteous before God walking in all the Commandments and Ordinances of God blameless Luke 1.5 6. Hence the Church is said to be all fair Cant. 4.7 Thou art all fair my love and there is no spot in thee And hence those hundred forty and four thousand Saints that had their Fathers Name written in their Foreheads Rev. 14.1 are said to be without fault v. 5. And in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God God in the Covenant of Grace and upon the credit of his Sons blood and for the glory of his Free Grace and favour is graciously pleased to accept of his
Oppressor no Defrauder c. A formal Professors obedience to Divine Commands does principally lye in negatives he considers not so much what the Command requires as what it prohibits and he pleases himself rather in abstaining from evil than in doing of good in being outwardly reformed than in being inwardly renewed he thinks it enough that he turns from sin though he makes no Conscience of turning to God If you ask him concerning affirmative Commands there you will find him speechless Ask him art thou holy art thou humble art thou heavenly art thou sincere art thou a Believer dost thou set up God as the great object o thy fear dost thou love God with a superlative love is the Sabbath of the Lord a delight unto thee c. Now here you strike him dumb he looks upon the neglect of these things as no sins Isa 8.13 Psal 18.1 Isa 58 1â— because they are not such scandalous sins as the others are Remember Sirs sinful omissions many times leads to sinful commissions as you may see in the Angels thaâ— fell from Heaven to Hell and as you may see in Adam who fell from his highest glory into a woful gulf of sin and misery But Fourthly If your obedience spring from Faith then you will endeavour to obey God in the Spirit of the Command as well as in the letter of the Command In every Command of God there is an intra and an extra one part of Christs Law binds the Flesh and another part binds the Spirit Thou shalt do no Murther Matth. 5.21.22 Verse 27 28. there is the letter of the Command Thou shalt not be angry with thy Brother without a cause there is the Spirit of the Command Thou shalt not commit Adultery there is the letter of the Command Thou shalt not look upon a Woman to lust after her there is the Spirit of the Command The Pharisees of old did not look to the Spiritâ—ality of the Law but only to the Letter of the Law they rested wholly upon an outward conformity to the Law when their hearts were full of Hellish lusts they were all for the outside of the Law they regarded not the inside of the Law they were all for washing of Platters and Cups and for beautifying of Tombs like an Adulteress Matth. 23.23 Phil. 3.6 Rom. 7.9 Could a man come up to all affirmative and negative Precepts in his outward conversation yet if he were not spiritual in all these his obedience would be but as a body without a Soul The Pharisees rise high in their outward obedience and yet Christ clearly and fully convinces them that they were wretched Adulterers and Murderers though they were not guilty of any such outward crimes c. whose care is to paint and set a fair face upon a foul matter they were all for paying Tythe of Mint and Annise and Cummin but they regarded not the inside of the Law they omitted the weightier matters of the Law viz. Judgment Mercy and Faith While Paul walked by the letter of the Command he was blameless in his own account but when he came to walk by the Spirit of the Command then sin revived and he dyed Friends there are the more general duties of Religion as Hearing Praying Reading Receiving Fasting Repeating Discoursing c. Now these all lye in the very letter of the Command and there are the more inward and spiritual duties of Religion as the exercise of Faith fear love hope joy patience contentation humble submission and chusing of God and cleaving to God and delighting in God and admiring of God and exalting of God and following hard after God and holy Meditation and Self-examination c. Now all these lye in the very spirit of the Command Now in the exercise of these more spiritual duties our fellowship and communion with God mainly lyes In the more general duties of Religion an hypocrite may manifest the excellency of his gifts but in the more spiritual duties of Religion a sincere Christian doth manifest both the excellency and efficacy of grace Mark an unsound heart looks no further than to the bare letter of the command to bare hearing and bare praying and bare preaching and bare fasting and bare giving and bare receiving and bare suffering he looks no further than to that part of the command which only binds the flesh or outward man and if he does but observe that in the gross he thinks he hath done marvellous well like a melancholy man that matters not what melody and harmony he makes so he does but touch the strings of the instrument But now a found a sincere Christian he looks to the Spirit of the command and if he does not come up to that in sincere desires in gracious purposes in fixed resolutions and in cordial endeavours he can have no peace no rest no quiet no comfort O Sirs as ever you would see God and enjoy God another day you must labour not only to obey the letter of the command but also to bring your hearts to the sincere obedience of the Spirit of the command This is a very close piercing distinguishing and discovering sign But Fifthly If your obedience springs from faith then you will labour not only to obey God in the matter but also in the manner of the command not only in the substance of the command but also in the circumstance of the command God requires the manner as well as the matter and God looks upon that work as not done that is not done in a right manner Did not the Lord command sacrifice and did not Cain offer sacrifice Gen. 4.5 and yet God had no respect to him nor to his offering because his sacrifice was not offered up in a right manner his offering was not offered up by a hand of faith he offered his offering but because he did not offer himself as an offering to God his offering was rejected by God A work may be materially good Luther that is not formally and eventually good and this was Cain's curse How frequently did God command the Jews to pray Isa 1.15 and yet he plainly tells them When you spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not hear He commanded them to sacrifice and yet he saith To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices Verse 11. and all because they did not manage their prayers nor sacrifices in a right manner their hands were full of bloud and their hearts were full of sins and their lives were full of lewdness and therefore all their services were vain oblations yea an abomination to God An unfound heart looks no further than to the substance of the command if he has heard and prayed and fasted and read and repeated and given alms and received the Lord's Supper he strokes himself and blesses himself and hugs himself and thinks all is well and so he looks no further But now a sound
3.22 Return ye back-sliding children and I will heal your back-slidings behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Every gracious soul hath the duplicate of God's Law in his heart and is willingly cast into the mould of his Word Rom. 6.17 Ye have obeyed from the heart the form of doctrine that hath been delivered to you or whereto you were delivered as the words may be read They did not only obey but they obeyed from the heart their hearts were in their obedience Psal 40.8 I delight to do thy will O my God! yea thy Law is within my heart Col. 1.12 Phil. 1.8 Jer. 31.33 or in the midst of my bowels as the Hebrew runs these note the tenderest affections There is the counterpane of the Law written yea printed upon every gracious heart a godly man will live and dye with the Law of God stampt upon his heart O â—eata Apocalypsis said that Martyr catching up the Revelation that was cast into the same fire with him to be burnt O Blessed Revelation how happy am I to be burned with thee in my hands It was Christ's meat and drink to do his Father's will and the same mind is in all the Saints John 4. Phil 2.5 Rom. 7.22 as was in Christ Jesus They delight in the Law of God after the inward man True obedience flows from principles of heartiness and love within and not from by and base respects and ends that are carnal and worldly It is observable that John's obedience was as ample and as large as God's command 2 King 10.30 And the Lord said unto Jehu because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel And yet because his heart was not in his obedience and because he did not purely act for God but for himself that he might bring about his own designs he met with a revenge instead of a reward as you may see in that Hos 1.4 And the Lord said unto him call his name Jezreel for yet a little while and I will avenge the bloud of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu Jehu's heart was not in his obedience he had a dispensatory conscience for though he rooted out Baals worship yet the golden Calves must still continue He destroyed Idolaters but not Idolatry and this carnal policy brought down vengeance and misery upon him and his posterity Artaxerxes goes far Ezra 7.23 Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven let it be diligently done To what a highth doth this Heathen Prince rise He will do anything for God he will do every thing for God that he requires But mark what is that which moves him to it Is it love to God is it delight in God O no! all his obedience proceeded from nothing but fear of wrath and vengeance as is evident in the latter part of the verse For why should there be wrath upon the Realm of the King and of his Sons Or as the Hebrew runs Why should there be boyling or foaming anger great indignation As it is rendred and made the utmost degree of divine displeasure in that Deut. 29.28 Some read these words Against the Realm of the King and his Sons as distinct one from another and not depending one upon another thus Against the Realm the King and his Sons and this reading the Original will bear And this reading shews That as the King feared God's wrath against himself so also against his Realm and Children and accordingly he was the more studious and careful to escape it blind nature was afraid of divine wrath â—zek 26.25 26 27. and therefore was the more sedulous to prevent it O but now a true child of God he has the Law of God written not only in his understanding but also in his heart and affections and this is that which makes his obedience to be pleasing and delightful to him so that if he might be free from the injunctions and directions of the Word with the servant in the Law he would not value such a liberty Exod. 21.4 5 6 c. he would not swear nor lye nor be drunk nor whore nor dissemble nor cheat nor run into all excess of riot if he might because in his soul he has a principle of grace and an inward contrariety and antipathy against it Eccl. 9.2 he would not cease to hear to read to pray to meditate if he might because his soul takes a delight sweet complacency in these things there is a principle within him agreeable to the precept without him which makes all religious performances to be easie and pleasurable to him Look as the eye delights in seeing and the ear in hearing so a gracious heart except when 't is under a cloud of dissertion or in the School of temptation or under some grievous tormenting afflictions or sadly worsted by some prevalent corruption delights in obeying Actions of nature you know are actions of delight and so are all those actions that spring from a new nature a divine nature c. Fifthly That obedience that springs from faith is a transforming obedience it mightily alters and changes a man from impurity to purity from sin to sanctity 2 Cor. 3.18 Rom. 12.1 2. from unrighteousness to righteousness from earthly-mindedness to heavenly-mindedness from pride to humility from hypocrisie to sincerity c. Such as please themselves with this That they are no changlings and that they are whatever they were Acts 8.13 these are still in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity That obedience of the Romans Rom. 16.19 which was said to have come abroad unto all men was an exemplary obedience and a transforming obedience Certainly Gospel-obedience is a grace of much worth and of great force upon the whole man for when it is once wrought in the heart it worketh a conformity to all God's holy will But having spoken more largely of this in my other writings let this touch here suffice c. Sixthly That obedience that springs from faith is a constant obedience 't is a fixed and resolved obedience not in respect of practise and continued acts for in many things we offend all Jaâ— 3.2 Eccl. 7.20 Prov. 20 9. 1 Kings 8.46 1 Joh. 1.8 Psal 17.3 There is not a just man upon the earth that doth good and sinneth not Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin There is no man that sinneth not If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us c. But in respect of a Christians sincere desires bent of will purpose of heart resolution of soul and faithful endeavours Psal 119.20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times Ver. 112. I have enclined my heart to keep thy
and diligent guard about them that nothing may pass in or out that may be either displeasing provoking or grieving to them But Fourthly The word signifies to keep as a man keeps his life Job 10.12 Thy visitation hath preserved here is Shamar my life Now with what care with what diligence with what labour with what watchfulness do men labour to preserve their natural lives what a guard what a watch do men daily set about their lives the same they should set about their hearts But Fifthly Men should keep their hearts as they keep a rich treasure of money or jewels or plate Now to preserve a rich treasure what locks what bolts what bars All our spiritual riches are in our hearts A good man may say with Bias omnia mea mecum parto all my goods I carry about with me what chains are made use of Our hearts are jewels more worth than all the Kingdoms Crowns and Scepters of this world There are few men that know how to value a God a Christ a Gospel a Covenant of grace a Heaven or their own hearts as they should What are mountains of gold and rocks of pearl to the heart the soul of man The heart is that pearl of price for which a man should venture his all and lay down his all O then what a guard what a watch should a man continually keep upon his heart The heart is Camera omnipotentis Regis the presence chamber of the King of heaven and upon this account it becomes a Christian alwayes to keep a guard upon his heart he keeps his heart best who keeps it as his choisest treasure c. But Sixthly Men should keep their hearts as a fond father keeps his only child the fond father will still keep his child within doors he will still have him under his eye and in his presence that so no hurt no harm may befal him day or night Our eye should be still upon our hearts or else they will give us the slip and play the wantons with us But Seventhly Men should keep their hearts as Lovers keep the love-tokens that are mutually sent one to another they love to be often a looking upon them and a thinking of them and a talking of them and will be sure to keep the strictest and the strongest guard upon them So a Christian should still be a looking upon his heart and a thinking upon his heart and a speaking of his heart either of the badness of it or of the wants of it and a keeping of the strictest and strongest guard upon his heart But Eighthly A man should keep his heart as a man keeps his house when he is afraid and in danger of being robbed by thieves in the night O! how wakeful and watchful and active will a man now be but what 's a man's house to his heart A mans heart is in ten thousand times more danger than his house and accordingly his guard should be most about his heart But Ninthly A man should keep his heart as men keep their gardens that are full of choice rich rare ripe fruits and dowers Now what care cost and pains men are at to keep such gardens you well know And O that you did but every day more and more experimentally know what it is to spend your greatest care and pains about your hearts which are Christ's garden his bed of spices where all graces flourish Cant. 4. ult Tenthly and last A man should keep his heart as spruce men and women do their fine cloaths O they won't endure a speck a spot upon them 'T is your wisdom and O that you would more and more make it your work to keep your hearts from all sinful specks and spots Let not others be more careful to keep their outsides clean than you are to keep your insides clean for what are clean cloaths to a clean heart 'T is better to go to heaven in ragged cloaths with a clean heart than to go to hell in fine cloaths with an unclean heart Doubtless that man that makes it his business to keep his heart as men keep dangerous Fellons or Traitors or as soldiers keep their Garrisons or Castles when closly besieged or as the Priests and Levites kept the Sanctuary of God or as a man keeps his natural life or as a man keeps a rich treasure or as a fond father keeps an only child or as Lovers keep their love-tokens or as a man keeps his house when he is in danger to be robbed or as a man keeps his pleasant garden or as spruce men and women keep their fine cloaths that man is doubtless a true Nathaniel a man that has a work of God past in power upon his soul yea that man whose sincere desires and whose gracious purposes and fixed resolutions and faithful endeavours is to guard and watch his heart according to the particulars we have now hinted that man without a peradventure is a gracious man and one that has the root of the matter in him and shall be happy to all eternity Look as no man can hear as he would and should nor pray as he would and should nor believe as he would and should nor repent as he would and should nor walk as he would and should so no man can keep his heart as he would and should but if a man makes it his great business and work to keep his heart to watch his heart to reform his heart to better his heart he is accepted of God and shall be blessed for-ever 'T is one of the greatest and cleerest evidences of grace for a man to make it his greatest business work and concernment in this world to keep his heart alwayes in a gracious frame Cant. 5.2 2 Kings 22.19 2 Chron. 32.26 James 5.11 Eccles 5.1 2. Col. 3.1 2. 2 Cor. 7.11 to keep his heart alwayes in a wakeful frame in a watchful frame in a tender frame in a believing frame in a repenting frame in an humble frame in a patient frame in a serious frame in a heavenly frame and in a jealous frame for the more gracious the heart is the more suspicious it will be Satan has a strong party a numerous party an old party a subtil party in all our hearts and therefore it highly concerns us to watch our hearts with a holy jealousie O Sirs God hath never said Above all keepings keep your Shops or above all keepings keep your Estates or above all keepings keep your Flocks or above all keepings keep your Bags or above all keepings keep your Friends or above all keepings keep your Bodies or above all keepings keep your Names or above all keepings keep your Conversations but he hath said above all keepings keep your hearts Look Fron. lib. 2. as the heart is the fountain of natural life and if it fail life fails and therefore it is strongly secured with ribs about it it is guarded in a castle of flesh and bones so is the soul the fountain
of spiritual life 2 Cor. 7.1 1 Thes 5.13 c. and runs invisibly through all the body Fountains were to be kept pure by the Roman Laws of the twelve Tables and the heart that is the spring and fountain of all actions is to be kept pure by the Laws of the great God Men keep the heart principally from hurt because every wound there is mortal O that men were as wise for their souls God's eye is mainly upon the heart The heart well guarded and watcht keeps all in security Alexander was safe while Antipater kept the watch so all within that little world Man will be safe while the heart is strongly guarded The heart is the fountain the root the store-house the primum mobile the great wheel that sets all a going and therefore above all keepings keep your hearts 'T is a foolish thing to watch the out-works and leave the Fort-Royal without a guard so 't is a foolish thing to watch the out-works the eye the ear the tongue the hand the feet though these must all be watcht and to leave the heart which is a Christians Fort-Royal without a guard Omnia si perdas animam servare memento If all things else must needs be lost Yet save thy soul what e're it cost He that makes it his business to watch and weep and sigh and groan most over his own heart he doubtless is in a gracious estate he that makes it his work his daily work his greatest work 3 John 2. his work of works to keep a continual guard upon his heart he certainly is in a blessed estate he that lamentingly cryes out O that my soul did but prosper as my body O that my inward man were but in as good a frame as my outward man O that this proud heart were but more humble O that this hard heart were but more softned O that this carnal heart were but more spiritual O that this earthly heart were but more heavenly O that this unbelieving heart were but more believing O that this passionate heart were but more meek O that this slight heart were but more sericus O that this blind heart were but more enlightned O that this dull heart were but more quickned O my heart my heart when wilt thou be better O my God my God! when shall my heart be better O bring it into a gracious frame and for ever keep it in a gracious frame He that thus lamentingly cryes out of his heart he certainly has an honest heart and will be happy for ever O Lord my memory is weak and my utterance is bad and my understanding is dark and my gifts are low and my affections are flat and my temptations are strong Psa 39 22 23 24 and my corruptions are prevalent but thou who art the great heart searcher thou knowest that I would fain have my heart in a better temper I had rather have my heart brought into a gracious frame and kept in a gracious frame than to have all the riches of the Indies than to be an Emperor yea than to be King over all the earth If it be indeed thus with thee thou art blest and shalt be blest for ever 2 Cor. 8.12 For if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not I know the Apostle speaks this in point of alms but 't is applicable to the case in hand and to a hundred other cases God measures his people not by their works but by their wills if their wills be to be more holy humble heavenly and to have their hearts alwayes in a most gracious frame then they are accepted of God for every good man is as good in the eye of God in the judgment of God and in the account of God as he would be Not long before famous Mr. Banes died some friends that were with him in his Library which was an excellent one fell a commending of it I saith he there stand my books but the Lord knows that for many years lost past I have studied my heart more than Books O no Minister to him no Scholar to him who studies his heart more than his books nor no Christian to him who studies his heart more than his day-books or more than his Shop-books or that studies his heart more than his counting-house or that studies his heart more than a good bargain c. That man is for heaven and heaven is for that man who makes it his greatest business in this world to watch his heart to guard his heart the hypopocrite looks most to externals but the sincere Christian looks most to internals the hypocrites main watch is about his lips but a sincere Christians main watch is about his heart the hypocrites main work lyes without doors but the sincere Christians main work lyes within doors All know that know any thing that both nature and grace begin at the heart but art begins at the face A painter doth not begin a picture at the heart a picture hath but a face but an outside And as nature begins at the heart but art at the face so grace begins at the heart but hypocrisie at the face at the outside of Religion Every man is that really that he is inwardly Rom. 2.28 29. He is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Certainly that man that makes it his great business to watch his heart and to keep his heart alwayes in a gracious frame that man is a gracious man 'T is true our hearts are like our watches seldom got to go well and when they do go well how hard a work is it to keep them going well The motions of our watches are not constant sometimes they go faster and sometimes they go slower and often they stand in need of mending Though in these and many other respects our hearts are like our watches yet if we make it our grand work to keep a constant guard upon our hearts and our main design in this world to have our hearts brought and kept in a gracious frame our spiritual estate is good and we shall be happy for ever c. In my other Writings there are variety of special evidences which the Christian Reader if he please and if need require may make use of in order to the further clearing up of his gracious estate and therefore let these twenty suffice at this time And thus much for this Chapter c. CHAP. III. Now in this Chapter I shall treat of sound saving repentance of repentance unto Life yea of that Evangelical repentance that hath the precious Promises of remission of sin and salvation running out unto it My purpose at this time is not to handle
produce a hundred other Scriptures to prove that repenting sinners are confessing sinners but let these suffice c. Secondly If you please to cast your eyes upon other Scriptures you shall find these penitent confessing sinners to be expresly under the promises of the forgiveness of sins Confessing penitents are under the promises of forgiveness c. Turn to that Job 33.27 28. and ponder upon it Prov. 28.13 He that covers his sins shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh shall have mercy c. 1 John 1.9 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins Psal 22.5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord and then forgavest the iniquity of my sin Seâ—ah Levit. 26.40 41 42. If they shall confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers with their trespass which then trespassed against me and that also they have walked contrary unto me and that I also have walked contrary unto them and have brought them into the land of their enemies if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity This will I remember my covenant with Jacob and also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember Jer. 3.12 13. Return thou backsliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord only acknowledge thine iniquity And observable is that prayer of Solomon 1 King 8 47-50 If they shall bethink themselves and repent and make supplications to thee saying we have sinned and have done perversly we have committed wickedness then hear thou their prayer and forgive thy people that have sinned against thee Qu. But what are the properties or qualifications of true penitential confession of sin Ans They are these eight that follow First 'T is free 't is voluntary not forc'd not extorted Nehemiah Ezra Job David Daniel Paul Acts 26.10 11. Ezra 9.9 Neh. 9. Daniel 9. Psal 5. Job 49.4 5. c. were free and voluntary in the confession of their sins as all know that have but read the Scripture The true penitent confesses his sins with much candour ingenuity and freedom of spirit he is as free in his confession of sin as he has been free in the commission of sin his confessions are like water which runs out of a spring with a voluntary freeness but the confessions of wicked men are like water that is forced out of a still with fire their confessions are forced and extracted meerly from sence of pain and smart or from fear of punishments c. Pharaoh never confest his sin till God brought him to the rack Exod. 10.16 1 Sam. 15.24 Num. 22 23-35 Mat. 27.3 4 5. nor Saul till he was in danger of losing his Crown and Kingdom nor Balaam till he sees the Angel stand with his drawn sword ready to slay him nor Judas till horror of conscience and the pangs of hell had surprized him and taken fast hold on him Wicked men cast out their sins by confession as Mariners do their wares in a storm wishing for them again in a calm the confessions of wicked men are commonly extorted or squeezed out either by some outward trouble or by some inward distress but penitential confession is free and ingenuous arising from an inward detestation of sin and from the contrariety of the heart to sin and therefore were there no rod no rack ho wrath no hell the true penitent would very freely and readily confess his sins when God is most free in bestowing of mercies then are they most free in confessing their iniquities Hos 14.1 2 3 4. Look as that is the best wine that flows from the grape with least pressing and as that is the best honey which drops from the honey-comb without crushing so those are the best confessions that flow that drop freely voluntarily from the soul c. Secondly True penitential confession is full as well as free That confession is not sincere that is not full Lam. 1.18 19. God loves neither halting nor mincing confessions These undid the Pharisee Luke 18.11 As penitential confessions are not extorted so they are not straitned sin must be confest in its particular species and parts all known sins must be confest fully plainly particularly as you may see by turning to these Scriptures Lev. 26.40 41 42. 19.21 Judg. 10.10 Psal 51. 1 Sam. 12.19 1 Tim. 1.13 Acts 26.10 11. Dan. 9.5 6 7 8-17 Lev. 16.21 22 c. Some there be that deny their sins with the Harlot Prov. 30.20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman she eateth and wipeth her mouth and saith I have done no wickedness And others there be that father their sins on others as Adam did Gen. 3.12 and as Eve did ver 13. and as Aaron did Exod. 32.22 and as Saul did 1 Sam. 15.22 And many there are that hide their wickedness that conceal their wickedness as that proud Pharisee did Luk. 18.11 12. That expression of the Prophet Hosea Hosea 10.13 You have plowed wickedness is rendred by the Septuagint You have concealed wickedness and indeed there is nothing more common to a wicked heart than to keep closs his sin than to cover and hide his transgressions And certainly this is that sore disease that our first parents were sick to death of almost six thousand years ago and therefore 't is no wonder if we are all infected with it Job 31.33 We are but flesh and bloud sayes one it is my nature sayes a second I cannot help it sayes a third I am not the first sayes a fourth 't was bad company drew me sayes a fifth if it be a sin I am sorry for it says a sixth if it be naught I cry God mercy sayes a seventh And thus wicked men are as hypocritical in their confessions as they are in their professions c. Man by nature is a vain glorious creature apt to boast and brag of the sins that he is free of but unwilling to confess the sins that he is guilty of There are no men so prone to conceal their own wickedness as those that are most forward to proclaim their own goodness There are many that are not ashamed to act sin who yet are ashamed to confess sin but certainly of all shame that is the most shameful shame that leads a man to hide his sins But now the true penitent he makes conscience of confessing small sins as well as great sins secret sins as well as open sins Psal 90.8 Psal 19.12 David confesses not only his great sins of murder and adultery but he confesses also his self-revenge intended against Nabal and of his knife being so neer Sauls throat when he cut off the lap of Saul's garment A true Penitent is much in confessing and lamenting over that secret pride that
father but when he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell upon his neck and kissed him Qu. But what are the properties or qualifications of that right turning from sin which brings poor sinners within the compass of the promise of forgiveness of sins Now to this great question I shall give these four following Answers First Answer Ans 1 First That turning from sin which brings a man within the compass of the promise of forgiveness of sin is a cordial turning from sin Joel 2.12 Turn ye even to me with all your heart 2 Chron. 6.38 If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul Ver. 39. Then hear thou from the heavens their prayer and their supplication and forgive their sins Deut. 30.10 If thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul c. Jer. 3.10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart but feignedly saith the Lord. Chap. 24.7 And I will give them an heart to know me that I am the Lord and they shall be my people and I will be their God for they shall return unto me with their whole heart Wicked men are serious and cordial in their sinning and they must be as serious and cordial in their returning or they are lost and undone for ever The true penitent turns from sin with his heart with all his heart and with all his soul he is turned in good earnest from his sins whose heart is turned from his sins if the heart turns not all is naught all is stark naught he that turns from sin but not with his heart turns but feignedly partially hypocritically deceifully God is a just and a jealous God and he will never endure corrivals or copartners in the throne the heart of man a holy God will never divide with an unholy Devil The true God is a righteous God and he will never share his glory with another the true God must be served truly heartily he loves neither halting nor halving Such as divide the rooms of their souls betwixt God and sin God and Satan God and the world that swear by God and Malcham that sometimes pray devoutly and at other times curse most hideously that halt betwixt God and Baal are meer Heteroclites in Religion and such whom God abhors When a man's heart gives a bill of divorce to his sins when his heart breaks the league with sin when his heart casts it off and casts it out as an abominable thing then the heart is turned from sin really effectually c. If notwithstanding all the professions that a man makes against his sins his heart still loves them and delights in them and he will still retain them and welcom them and cleave to them and make provision for them c. his repentance is feigned and not real c. But The second Answer Secondly A true penitential turning is an universal turning Ans 2 a turning not from some sins but from all sins Ezek. 18.30 Repent and turn your selves from all your transgressions Ver. 31. Cast away from you all your transgressions 2 Cor. 7.1 Let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit Psal 119.101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way Ver. 128. I hate every false way Ezek. 14.6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel thus saith the Lord God repent and turn your selves from your idols and turn away your faces from all your abominations Chap. 18.28 Because he considereth and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed he shall surely live he shall not die True repentance is a turning from all sin without any reservation or exception he never truly repented of any sin whose heart is not turned against every sin The true penitent casts off all the rags of old Adam he throws down every stone of the old building he will not leave a horn nor a hoof behind That which Nehemiah speaks of himself in that Neh. 13.7 8. is very observable to our purpose And I came to Jerusalem and understood of the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God and it grieved me sore but he rests not there but goes further therefore I cast forth all the houshold-stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber What should Tobiah do with a chamber therefore he not only outs Tobiah but outgoes all his stuff too Thus the true penitent when he considers all the evil that sin has done how it has taken up not only one chamber but every chamber in the soul and how it has for many years quite shut out God and Christ and the Spirit and every thing that is good he is grieved sore and so falls upon the outging of every lust being highly resolved that neither Satan nor any of his retinue shall ever find the least entertainment in his soul any more Such as are resolved against turning from any sin are horrible profane such as turn from some sins but close with others are hideous hypocrites such as turn from one sin to another or change their sins as men do their fashions are most sadly blinded and desperately deluded by Satan but such as turn not from some sins but from every sin are sincerely penitent And certainly there are very greaâ— reasons why the true penitent does turn and must turn from sin universally As First 'T is to no purpose for a man to turn from some sins if he does not turn from all his sins James 1.26 If any man seem to be religious and bridle not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart this mans Religion is in vain This at first sight may seem to be a hard saying One stab at the heart kills one act of treason makes a Traitor one spark of fire sets the house on fire one flaw in a diamond spoyls the price of it one puddle if we wallow in it will defile us one head of garlick will poyson a Leopard say the Naturalists that for one fault for one fault in the tongue all a mans Religion should be counted vain and yet this you see the holy Ghost does peremptorily conclude Let a man make never so glorious a profession of Religion yet if he gives himself liberty to live in the practise of any known lust yea though it be but in a sin of the tongue his Religion is in vain and that one lust will separate him from God for ever If a Wife be never so officious to her Husband in many things and though she gives him content several wayes yet if she entertains any other Lover into his bed besides himself it will alienate his affections from her and for ever separate him from her The application is easie To turn from one sin to another is but to be tossed from one hand of the Devil to another it is
shall surely live he shall not die Negative righteousness and holiness is no righteousness no holiness in the account of God Luke 18.5 Mat. 20.13 14. It was not the Pharisees negative righteousness nor his comparative goodness that could prevent his being rejected of God or his being shut out of heaven or his being turned into hell It is not enough that the Tree bears no ill fruit but it must bring forth good fruit else it must be cut down and cast into the fire that Tree that is not for fruit is for the fire Mat. 7.19 Every tree that brings not forth good fruit sayes Christ is hewn down and cast into the fire Heaven at last will be found too holy and too hot to hold such as please themselves as satisfie themselves with a negative righteousness All that negative righteousness and holiness can do is only to help a man to one of the coolest chambers and easiest beds in hell True repentance brings the heart and life not only off from sin but on to God too it takes a man not only off from the wayes of death but it engages him to walk in the paths of life Psal 119.3 They do no iniquity Nazianzene speaking of true repentance very aptly compares the soul to a pair of writing tables out of which must be washed whatsoever was written with sin and instead thereof the writing of grace must be writupon the soul both being necessary to true repentance Jer. 31.19 Job 40.4 5. Jer. 4.1 they walk in his wayes Prov. 13.14 The Law of the wise is a fountain of life to depart from the snares of death Prov. 15.24 The way of life is above to the wise that he may depart from hell beneath Psal 34.14 Depart from evil and do good We read in Scripture of God's returning to us as well as of our returning to God in both there is repentance When God returns to us he repents of the evil of punishment that he hath brought upon us and when we return to God we repent of the evil of sin which we have committed against him The true penitent does not only sadly smite upon his thigh and say what have I done but he also speedily faces about and cryes out I will do so no more When God calls for true repentance it is with an if thou wilt return O Israel return unto me And when the people of God do provoke and encourage one another to repentance Hosea 6.1 it is with a come let us return unto the Lord. Repentance unto life is not a turning from sin to sin nor 't is not a turning from prophaness to civility nor 't is not a turning from civility to formality but 't is a turning from darkness to light Acts 26.18 't is a turning from the wayes of iniquity into the wayes of piety 't is a turning from sin to God In this respect Israel's repentance was very defective witness that sad complaint of the Prophet Hosea 7.16 They return that is they make a shew of repentance but not to the most High So they in that Joel 2.12 have the half turn but returned not to the Lord with all their hearts So Jehu went far and gave many a half turn but never turned to the most High and that was his ruin at last Such a repentance as brings the soul never the neerer to God is a repentance never the neer but that repentance that brings the soul neerer to God is a repentance never to be repented of And let thus much suffice to have spoken concerning that Evangelical Repentance that hath the precious promises of remission of sin and salvation running out unto it c. CHAP. IV. Several have observed to my hand 'T is better that a hundred hypocrites should perish than that one poor Christian should want his portion Cotton on the Covenant page 78. how far an Hypocrite may go but my design in this Chapter is to shew how far an Hypocrite cannot go Many have discovered at large what an Hypocrite can do but my scope in this Chapter is to shew what an Hypocrite cannot do Some have shewed what an Hypocrite is and I shall now shew what he is not Some have shewed the several rounds in Jacob's Ladder that an Hypocrite may climb up to but my business and work in this Chapter is to shew you the several rounds in Jacob's Ladder that no Hypocrite under heaven can climb up to FIrst An Hypocrites inside is never answerable to his outside an Hypocrites inside is one thing Mat. 23.25 26 27 Luke 11.39 and his outside another thing an Hypocrite is outwardly clean but inwardly unclean he is outwardly glorious but inwardly inglorious Hypocrites are like Apothecaries gally pots having without the title of some excellent Preservative but within they are full of some deadly poyson they are like the Egyptian Temples that were beautifull without but within there was nothing to be found but Serpents and Crocodiles and other venemous creatures Hypocrites trade more for a good name than for a good heart for a good report than for a good conscience they are like Fidlers more careful in tuning their Instruments than in watching their spirits Erasmi â—â—milia Hypocrites are like white silver but they draw black lines they have a seeming sanctified outside but stuff'd within with malice worldliness pride envy c. Like window cushions made up of velvet and richly embroydered but stuff'd within with hay An Hypocrite may offer sacrifice with Cain and fast with Jezabel and humble himself with Ahab and lament with the tears of Esau and kiss Christ with Judas and follow Christ with Demas and offer fair for the holy Ghost with Simon Magus Acts 8.23 and yet for all this his inside as bad as any of theirs An Hypocrite is a Cato without and a Nero within a Jacob without and an Esau within a David without and a Saul within a Peter without and a Judas within a Saint without and a Satan within an Angel without and a Devil within Rom. 2.28 29. An Hypocrit is a Jew outwardly but an Atheist a Pagan Lucian a Turk inwardly I have read of certain Images which on the outside were covered with gold and pearl resembling Jupiter and Neptune but within were nothing but spiders and cobwebs a fit resemblance of Hypocrites Hypocrisie is but an outside like cloth of Arras fair and beautiful without but if you look to the inside you shall find nothing but rags and ends That Monk hit it that said To be a Monk in outward shew was easie but to be a Monk in inward reality was hard To be a Christian in outward shew is easie but to be a Christian inwardly and really is very hard An Hypocrites inside never ecco's or answers to his outside his inside is vicious and his outside is Religious But let all such hypocrites know that dissembled sanctity is double iniquity and accordingly at last they
an Hypocrite's ends are corrupt and selfish God may possibly be at the higher end of his work but self is at the further end for he that was never truly cast out of himself John 6.26 Mat. 6.1 5 16. Gal. 4.17 Isa 58.3 Mal. 3.14 zech 7.5 6 7. Gen. 34.21 22 can have no higher end than himself An Hypocrite is all for his own glory he acts for himself and from himself so I may have the profit the credit the glory the applause come of God's glory what will this is the language of an unsound heart An Hypocrite will seem to be very godly when he can make a gain of godliness he will seem to be very holy when holiness is the way to outward greatness and happiness but this religious wickedness will double damn the Hypocrite at last Self-ends are the operative ingredients in all an Hypocrite does self is the chief Engine self is the great wheel that sets all an hypocrites wheels a going When hypocrites take up Religion Rom. 16.18 Phil. 3.19 't is only to serve their own turns to bring about their own carnal ends they serve not the Lord but their own bellies they use Religion only as a stream to turn about their own Mill and the more neatly to effect their own carnal projects Simon Magus will needs be baptized and he is very desirous to have power to give the holy Ghost to others but his aim being only to get a name Acts 8.21 and to get money Peter tells him to his face that his heart was not right in the sight of God No man can go higher than his principles and therefore an hypocrite having no higher principles than himself all he does must needs be terminated in himself Look as all the Rivers that come from the Sea do return back again to the Sea from whence they come so all those duties which arise from a mans self must needs center in a mans self An hypocrite alwayes makes himself the end of all his service but let such hypocrites know that though their profession be never so glorious and their duties never so abundant yet their ends being selfish and carnal all their pretentions and performances are but beautiful abominations in the sight of God An hypocrite has alwayes a squint eye and squint ey'd aims and squint ey'd ends in all he does Numb 22 23. Chapters 2 Pet. 2.15 2 King 10. Balaam spake very religiously and he multiplyed Altars and sacrifices but the thing he had in his eye was the wages of unrighteousness Jehu destroyed bloudy Ahab's house he executed the vengeance of God upon that wicked family he readily 1 King 21. Jonah 3. resolutely and effectually destroyed all the worshippers of Baal but his ends were to secure the Kingdom to him and his Ahab and the Ninivites fasted in sackcloth but it was meerly that they might not feel the heavy judgments that they feared would overtake them The Jews in Babylon fasted and mourned Zech. 7.5 6. and mourned and fasted seventy years but it was more to get off their chains than their sins it was more to be rid of their captivity than it was to be rid of their iniquity Look as the Eagle hath an eye upon her prey when she flies highest so these Jews in all their fasting praying mourning they had only an eye to their own ease deliverance freedom c. in all their Religious duties they were acted from evil principles and carried on by self-respects and therefore Daniel denies that in all that seventy years captivity they had prayed to any purpose All this is come upon us Dan. 9.13 yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God that we might turn from our iniquities and understand thy truth It is the end that dignifies or debaseth the action that rectifies it or adulterates it that sets a crown of honour or a crown of shame upon the head of it He that commonly habitually in all his duties and services proposes to himself no higher ends than the praises of men or rewards of men or the stopping the mouth of natural conscience or only to avoid a smarting rod or meerly to secure himself from wrath to come he is an hypocrite The ends of a mans actions are alwayes a great discovery either of sincerity or hypocrisie Look as great gifts not sweetned with sincerity are no ornaments to us so great infirmities not sowred with hypocrisie are no great deformities to us An hypocrites ends are alwayes below God they are alwayes below glorifying of God exalting of God walking with God and enjoying communion with God An hypocrite in all he does still proposes to himself some poor mean ignoble self-end or other But now mark a sincere Christian if he prayes or hears or gives Psal 115.1 1 Thes 2.6 or fasts or repents or obeys c. God's glory is the main end of all the glory of God is his highest end his ultimate end A sincere Christian can be content to be trampled upon and vilified so God's name be glorified the bent of such a heart is for God and his glory Rev. 4.9 10 11. nothing but sincerity can carry a soul so high as in all acts natural civil and religious to intend God's glory A sincere Christian ascribes the praise of all to God Rom. 14.7 8. he sets the crown on Christ's head alone he will set God upon the throne and make all things else his servants or his foot-stool all must bow the knee to God or be trodden in the dirt he will love nothing he will imbrace nothing but what sets God higher or brings God neerer to his heart The glory of God is the mark the white that the sincere Christian has in his eye The sincere Christian lives not to himself 1 Cor. 10. ult Rev. 12.11 but to him who lives for ever he lives not to his own will or lusts or greatness or glory in this world but he lives to his glory whose glory is dearer to him than his own Life Look as bright shining golden vessels do not retain the beams of the Sun which they receive but reflect them back again upon the Sun so the sincere Christian return and reflects back again upon the Sun of righteousness the praise and glory of all the gifts graces and vertues that they have received from him The daily language of sincere souls is this 1 Chron. 29 10 18. Rom. 13.7 Non nobis Domine non nobis Domine Not unto us Lord not unto us Lord but to thy name be all the glory A sincere Christian makes conscience of giving men their dues how much more then does he make conscience of giving God his due Psal 96.7 8. Now glory is God's due and God stands upon nothing more than that we gâ—ve him the glory due unto his name Propter te Domine propter te was once and is still every sincere Christians Motto as you may see
say I hate every false way but a sincere Christian he hates all sinful wayes but his own first and most 1 Kings 5.18 an upright heart leaves no nest-egg for Satan to sit on but the hypocrite alwayes does Mark in true hatred there are six things observable First True hatred includes an extream detestation every dislike is not hatred but true hatred is an extream loathing Thou shalt cast them away as a menstrous cloth Isa 30.22 thou shalt say unto it Get thee hence Chap. 2.20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver and his idols of gold which they made each one for himself to worship to the Moles and to the Bats Their detestation should be so great that they should cast their most costly idols of silver and gold into the most dark nasty dusty corners to testifie the sincerity of their conversion to God they should hate and abhor abandon and abolish their gold and silver idols which they valued above all others Secondly True hatred includes an earnest separation He that hates his sin would fain be separated from his sin 2 Cor. 5.4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened A sincere Christian finds no burden to lay so heavy and weighty upon his spirit as sin and therefore he groans to be delivered from it In the Law Deut. 24.3 he that hated his Wife did sue out a bill of divorce from her He that truly hates sin puts in many a bill into the Court of Heaven that he may be for ever divorced from his sin Thirdly True hatred includes an irreconcilable alienation He that hates sin has his heart for ever alienated from sin he who hates sin can never be one with sin Two angry men may be made friends Lawyers often fall out at the Bar but are very well agreed when they meet at the Tavern but if two men hate each other all friendship is everlastingly broken betwixt them A man may be angry with sin and yet made friends with sin again but if once he comes to hate his sin then all friendship with sin is everlastingly broken When Christ and the soul comes to be really one then sin and the soul comes to be everlastingly two c. Fourthly True hatred includes a constant and perpetual conflict the flesh will be still lusting against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh Gal. 5.17 Rom. 7.22 23. Though sin and grace were not born together and though sin and grace shall never die together yet whilst a believer lives in this world they must live together and whilst sin and grace do cohabit together they will still be opposing and conflicting one with another That man that truly hates sin will everlastingly conflict with sin he will die fighting against his sins as one of the Dukes of Venice died fighting against his enemies with his weapons in his hand Well Christians remember this Though to be kept from sin brings most peace and comfort to us yet for us to oppose sin and for God to pardon sin that brings most glory to God 2 Cor. 12.7 8 9. Fifthly True hatred includes a deadly intention and destruction for nothing satisfies hatred but death and ruin Saul hated David 1 Sam. 26.19 20. 1 Sam. 23.23 Est 5.14 and sought his life he hunted him up and down as a Partridge in the mountains he left no stone unturn'd nor no means unattempted whereby he might revenge himself upon David Haman hated Mordecai and nothing would satisfie him but to bring him to a shameful death to see him hang'd on a gallows fifty cubits high which was design'd saith Lyra to put Mordecai to the greater shame for he hanging hâ—gh every one might see him and point to him Now when there was but one night betwixt Mordecai and a shameful death divine providence opportunely strook in and saved hâ—m from Haman's malice and caused the mischief which he had plotted against Mordecai suddenly to fall upon his own pate for he who was highly feasted with the King one day 2 Sam. 13.22 28 29 30 31 32 33. was made a feast for crows the next day Absalom hated Amnon and killed him Julian the Apostate hated the Christians with a deadly hatred he put many thousands of them to death and threatned and vowed that at his return from fighting against the Persians he would put all the Christians in his Empire to the sword but God prevented him by cutting him off in that expedition A Christian that hates sin can't be satisfied but in the death and destruction of it in all his duties the language of his soul is Lord let my sins be destroyed whoever escapes let not my sins escape the hand of thy revenging justice And in all Ordinances the language of his soul is O Lord when shall my sins be subdued and mortified when shall my cursed corruptions be brought to an under yea when shall they all be drowned in the Red-Sea of my Saviours bloud c. Sixthly True hatred includes an impartial aversation true hatred is of the whole kind but of this before To wind up all ask thy heart what is it that thou abhorrest as the superlative evil what is that which thou wouldst have separated as far from thee as heaven is from hell what is that thy heart will never renew league or friendship with any more what is that against which thy soul doth rise and with which as Israel with Amalek thou wilt have war for ever Exod. 17.16 what is that which thou wilt be avenged of and daily dost endeavour the mortifying and crucifying of what is that which thou settest thy heart against in the comprehensive latitude thereof whether great or little open or secret if it be sin if it be thy sins if it be all thy sins then assuredly here is a true hatred of sin and assuredly here is a most distinguishing character of a child of God of a sound conversion and of a saving change It was not wont to be thus with thee nor is this findable in any hypocrite Judg. 14.3 7. or in any unconverted person upon the face of the earth 2 Sam. 13.15 sin was once to thee as Dalilah to Sampson but now it is to thee as Tamar to Amnon Job 20.12 13. once it was a sweet morsel which thou heldst fast and wouldst not let it go Isa 30.22 but now it is the menstruous cloth which thou castest away Hos 14.8 saying Get thee hence Now with Ephraim thou cryest out What have I to do any more with Idols O if it be indeed thus with thee then thou hast cause for ever to be much in blessing and in admiring of the Lord for his distinguishing grace and favour towards thee O Sirs the world is full of baits snares and temptations but whilst the hatred of sin burns in your breasts you may cast up your caps and throw the Gantlet to the
by any fears or dangers on the other Sincere Christians have not taken up Religion on such slight grounds as to be either flattered or frighted out of it sincere Christians reckon upon afflictions Joh. 16. ult Acts 14.22 2 Tim. 4.8 temptations crosses losses reproaches on the one hand and they reckon upon a crown of life a crown of righteousness a crown of glory on the other hand Jer. 6.16 and hereupon they set up their staff fully resolving never to depart from the good old way wherein they have found rest to their souls Sincere Christians take Christ and his wayes for better for worse for richer for poorer in prosperity and adversity they resolve to stand or fall to suffer and reign to live and die with him When all outward incouragements from God shall fail yet a sincere Christian will keep closs to his God and closs to his duty Heb. 3.17 18. Although the fig-tree shall not blossom neither shall fruit be in the vines the labour of the Olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herds in the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvaâ—ion When all necessary and delightful mercies fail yet he will not fail in his duty though God with-hold his blessings yet he will not with-hold his service in the want of a livelihood he will be lively in his duty when he hath nothing to subsist by yet then he will live upon his God and joy in his God and keep closs to this God Though war and want come yet he will not be wanting in his duty Mark there are three things in a sincere Christian that will strongly encline him to keep closs to the Lord and closs to his wayes in the want of all outward incouragements 2 Cor. 5.14 Phil. 4.12 13. Rom. 14.7 8. and in the face of all outward discouragements And the first is a forcible principle Divine Love the second is a mighty aid the Spirit of God and the third is a high aim the Glory of God Look as Ruth kept closs to her mother in the want of all outward incouragements and in the face of all outward discouragements And Ruth Ruth 1.16 17. said whither thou goest I will go and where thou lodgest I will lodge and nothing but death shall part thee and 〈◊〉 So saith a sincere Christian I will take my lot with Christ were ever it falls I will keep closs to the Lord and closs to my duty in the want of all outward incouragements and in the face of all outward discouragements Though outward incouragements be sometimes as a side wind or as oyl or as chariot wheels means to move a Christian to go on more sweetly easily and comfortably in the wayes of God yet when this wind shall fail and these chariot wheels shall be knockt off a sincere Christian will keep closs to the Lord and his wayes All this is come upon us Psal 44.17 18 yet have we not forgotten thee neither have we dealt falsly in thy covenant our heart is not turned back neither have our steps declined from thy wayes But what do they mean by saying All this is come upon us Why that you may see in the foregoing part of the Psalm Thou hast cast us off and put us to shame Vers 9 10 11 12 13 14. The Jews sold Christ for thirty peace and the Romans sold thirty of them for a penny as Josephus relates and goest not forth with our armies thou makest us turn back from the enemy and they which hate us spoyl for themselves thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat and hast scattered us among the heathen thou sellest thy people for nought and dost not increase thy wealth by their price thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours a scorn and derision to them that are round about us thou makest us a by-word among the heathen a shaking of the head among the people Antiochus Epiphanes lookt upon the Jews Religion as superstition his wrath and rage was exceeding great both against the Jews and against their Religion he practised all manner of cruelty upon the miserable Jews but yet there was a remnant among them who were faithful to the Lord and to his Covenant and to his Laws and to his wayes even to the death though in the time of the Maccabees many revolted to Paganism yet some maintained their constancy and integrity to the last That is a great word of the Prophet Micah Mich. 4.5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his God and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever This absolute and peremptory resolution to be really the Lord's and for ever the Lord's is of the essence of true conversion 'T is not the world's flatteries that can bribe off a sincere Christian from the wayes of God nor 't is not the worlds frowns that can beat off a sincere Christian from the wayes of God But an hypocrite will never an hypocrite can never hold it out to the end his ground-tackle will never hold when the storm beats strong upon him An hypocrite is hot at hand but soon tires and gives in But Tenthly No hypocrite ever makes it his business his work to bring his heart into religious duties and services he never makes conscience of bringing his heart into his work Mat. 15 8. â— Mark 7.6 An hypocrite is heartless in all he does Psal 78.34 When he slew them then they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God The Fox when caught in a gin looks pitifully but it is only to get out They worshipped the Lord as the Indians do the devil that he may do them no hurt Ver. 36. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth and they lyed unto him with their tongues Ver. 37. For their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfâ—st in his Covenant All lip-labour is but lost labour When mens hearts are not in their devotion their devotion is meer dissimulation These hypocrites sought God and enquired early after God but it was still with old hearts which are no hearts in the account of God They made lip work of it and head-work of it but their hearts not being in their work all was lost their seeking lost their enquiring lost their God lost their souls lost and eternity lost Hos 7.14 And they have not cried unto mâ— with their hearts when they howled upon their beds When mens hearts are not in their prayers all their praying is but as an hideous howling in the account of God As dogs bruit beasts and Indians do when they are hunger-bit The cry of the heart is the only cry that God likes loves and looks for he accepts of no cry he delights in no cry he rewards no cry but the cry
of the heart Hypocrites are heartless in their cryes and therefore they cry and howl and howl and cry and all to no purpose they cry and murmur and they howl and repine they cry and blaspheme and they howl and rebel and therefore they meet with nothing from heaven but frowns and blows and disappointments Isa 29.13 Wherefore the Lord said for as much as this people draw neer me with their mouth and with their lips do honour me but have removed their heart far from me Ezek. 33.31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh and they sit before thee as my people and they hear thy words but they will not do them for with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousness Though this people flocked to the Prophet in troops as men and women do to places of pleasure and though they carried it before the Prophet as if they were Saints as if they were the people of God as if they were affected with what they heard as if they were resolved to live out what the Prophet should make out to them yet their hearts run after their covetousness Though these hypocrites profest much love and kindness to the Prophet and paid him home with smooth words seemed to be much affected delighted ravished and taken with his person voice and doctrine yet they made no conscience of bringing their hearts into their duties An hypocrite may look at some outward easie ordinary duties of Religion but he never makes conscience of bringing his heart into any duties of Religion When did you ever see an hypocrite a searching of his heart or sitting in judgment upon the corruptions of his soul or lamenting and mourning over the vileness and wickedness of his spirit 'T is only the sincere Christian that is affected afflicted and wounded with the corruptions of his heart When one told blessed Bradford that he did all out of hypocrisie because he would have the people applaud him He answered It is true the seeds of hypocrisie and vain glory are in thee and me too and will be in us as long as we live in this world but I thank God it is that I mourn under and strive against How seriously and deeply did good Hezekiah humble himself for the pride of his heart 2 Chron. 32.25 out of the eater came meat out of his pride he gat humility O Sirs A sincere Christian makes it his great business to get his heart into all his Religious duties and services to get his heart into every way and work of God 2 Chron. 17.6 Psal 86.12 Jehoshaphats heart was lifted up in the wayes of the Lord. So David I 'le praise thee 2 Chron. 22.9 Cant. 3.1 2 3 4 5 6. It is reported that when the Tyrant Trajane commanded Ignatius to be ript unbowelled they found Jesus Christ written upon his heart in characters of gold here was a heart worth gold That 's the golden Christian indeed whose heart is writ upon all his duties and services O Lord with all my heart And so Psal 119.7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart Ver. 10. With my whole heart have I sought thee So Jehoshaphat he sought the Lord with all his heart Isa 26.8 The desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee Vers 9. With my soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within me will I seek thee early Lamen 3.41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens Rom. 1.9 For God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son Pauls very spirit his very soul was in his service Phil. 3.3 For we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh Rom. 7.22 I delight in the Law of God after the inward man Ver. 25. With the mind I my self serve the Law of God A sincere Christian is alwayes best when his heart is in his work and when he can't get his heart into his duties Oh how does he sigh and groan and complain and mourn at the foot of God Lord my tongue has been at work and my head has been at work and my parts have been at work and my eyes and hands have been at work but where has my heart been this day Oh it is and must be for a sore and sad lamentation that I have had so little of my heart in that service that I have tendered to thee This is the daily language of an upright heart But now all the work of an hypocrite is to get his golden parts into his duties and his silver tongue into his duties and his nimble head into his duties but he never makes conscience of getting his heart into his duties If any beasts sacrificed by Heathens who ever lookt narrowly into the intrails was found without heart this was held ominous and construed as very prodigious to the person for whom it was offered as it fell out in the case of Julian Hypocrites are alwayes heartless in all the sacrifices they offer to God and this will one day prove ominous and prodigious to them But Eleventhly An hypocrite never performes religious duties from spiritual principles nor in a spiritual manner An hypocrite is never inclined moved and carried to God to Christ to holy duties by the power of a new and inward principle of grace working a sutableness between his heart and the things of God An hypocrite rests himself satisfied in the meer external acts of Religion though he never feels any thing of the power of Religion in his own soul An hypocrite looks to his words in prayer and to his voice in prayer and to his gestures in prayer but he never looks to the frame of his heart in prayer An hypocrites heart is never toucht with the words his tongue utters an hypocrites soul is never divinely affected delighted or graciously warmed with any duty he performs An hypocrites spiritual performances never flow from spiritual principles nor from a heart universally sanctified though his works may be new yet his heart remains old his new practises alwayes spring from old principles and this will prove the hypocrites bane Vide Isa 1.10 to 16. as you may see in that Isa 1.15 When you spread forth your hands to heaven I will hide my eyes and when you make many prayers when you abound in duty adding prayer to prayer as the Hebrew runs I will not hear your hands are full of blood These were unsanctified ones their practises were new Mat. 6. chap. 23 Luke 18. but their hearts were old still The same you may see in the Scribes and Pharisees who fasted prayed and gave alms but their hearts were not changed renewed sanctified nor principled from above and this proved their eternal bane Nicodemus was a man of great note name John 3.4 No man can understand
Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Fox Acts and Monum It was a great saying of blessed Bradford That he could not leave a duty till he had found communion with Christ in the duty till he had brought his heart into a duty-frame he could not leave confession till he had found his heart touched broken and humbled for sin nor petition till he had found his heart taken with the beauties of the things desired and carried out after them nor could he leave thanksgiving till he had found his spirit enlarged and his soul quickned in the return of praises And it was a great saying of another that he could never be quiet till he found God in every duty Nunquam abs te absque te â—ecedo Bern. Meditat and enjoyed communion with God in every prayer O Lord said he I never come to thee but by thee I never go from thee without thee A sincere Christian that is taken with Christ above all can't be satisfied nor contented with duties or ordinances without he enjoyes Christ in them who is the life soul and substance of them But now hypocrites they do duties but all they do is from common principles from natural principles and from an unsanctified heart and that marrs all Remigius a Judge of Lorraigne tells this story That the Devil in those parts did use to give money to Witches Preston's four Treatises which did appear to be good coyn it seemed to be currant at first but being laid up a while it then appeared to be nothing but leaves Hypocrites they make a great profession and are much in the outward actions of Religion they make a very fair shew they hear they read they pray they fast they sing Psalms and they give alms But these duties being not managed from a principle of divine love nor from a principle of spiritual life nor from a sanctified frame of heart turn all into leaves they are all lost and the Authors of them cast and undone for ever and ever But Twelfthly No hypocrite in the world loves the Word or delights in the Word or prizes the Word as 't is a holy Word a spiritual Word a beautiful Word a pure Word Luther said he would not live in Paradise if he might without the Word but with the Word he could live in hell it self a clean Word Psal 119.140 Thy word is very pure therefore thy servant loveth it There are no hearts but men after God's own heart that can love the Word and delight in the Word and embrace the Word for its holiness purity and spirituality witness Paul Rom. 7.12 Wherefore the Law is holy and the Commandement holy and just and good Well and what then why saith he Ver. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inward man But is this all No saith he Ver. 25. With the mind I my self serve the Law of God Holy Paul delights in the Law as holy and serves the Law as holy just and good A sincere heart is the only heart that is taken with the Word for its spirituality purity and heavenly beauty None can joy in the Word as it is a holy Word nor none can taste any sweetness in the Word as 't is a pure Word but sincere Christians Psal 19.8 9 10. The statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart These several Titles Law Statutes Testimony Commandements Judgments are used promiscuously for the whole Word of God commonly distinguished into Law and Gospel The commandements of the Lord is pure enlightning the eyes The fear of the Lord is clean that is the doctrine of the Word that teacheth the true fear of God enduring for ever The judgments of the Lâ—rd are true and righteous altogether more to be desired are they than gold yea than much fine gold sweeter also than honey and the honey comb or as the Hebrew hath it Sweeter than the droppings of honey combs The Word of God as it is a pure Word a spiritual Word a clean Word a holy Word so it rejoyces a sincere heart and so it is sweeter than the very droppings of honey combs The Word as it is a pure Word a holy Word is more sweet to a sincere Christian than those drops which drop immediately and naturally without any force or art which is counted the purest and sweetest honey There is no profit nor pleasure nor joy to that which the purity of the World yields to a sincere heart Psal 119.48 My hands will I lift up to thy commandements which I have loved Sometimes the lifting up of hands betokens admiration when men are astonished and ravished they lift up their hands I will lift up my hands to thy commandements that is I will admire the goodness spiritualness holiness righteousness purity and excellency of thy commandements Luther would not take all the world for one leaf of the Bible he took such sweet pleasure and excellent delight in it Rabbi Chiia in the Jerusalem Talmud sayes That in his account all the world is not of equal value with one word out of the Law Mr. Fox The Martyrs would have given a load of Hay for a few Chapters of the Bible in English Some of them gave five marks for a Bible they were so delighted and taken with the Word as it was a holy Word a pure Word a spiritual Word Dolphins they say love musick and so do sincere Christians love the musick of the Word It 's upon record that Mary spent the third part of her time in reading the Word she was so affected and delighted with the holiness and purity of it King Edward the sixth being about to lay hold on something that was above the reach of his short arm one that stood by espying a boss'd Bible lying on the Table offered to lay that under his feet to heighten him Sir John Hayward in vita but the good young King disliked the motion and instead of treading it under his feet he laid it to his heart to express the joy and delight that he took in the holy Word But now neâ—er did any hypocrite since there was one in the world ever love God as a holy God or love his people as a holy people or love his wayes as holy wayes or love his word as a holy word There is no hypocrite in the world that can truly say with David Thy word is very pure therefore thy servant loveth it Saul could never say so nor Ahab could never say so nor Herod could never say so nor Judas could never say so nor Demas could never say so nor Simon Magus could never say so nor the Scribes and Pharisees could never say so nor the Stony ground could never say so nor Isaiah's hypocrites could never say so 'T is true Isa 58. some of these did rejoyce in the Word and
is the great Charter the Magna Charta of all your spiritual priviledges and immunities Now in this great Charter the Lord declares That sincerity shall go for perfection Luke 1.5 6. Acts 13.22 2 Chron 3â— â—8 19 20. In this great Charter the Lord hath declared That he judges his people by the standing bent and frame of their hearts and not by what they are under some pangs of passion or in an hour of temptation In this great Charter the Lord declares That his eye is more upon his peoples inward disposition than 't is upon their outward actions and that his eye is more upon their will 2 Cor. 8.12 Phil. 2.13 than 't is upon their work In this great Charter the Covenant of grace the Lord hath declared That he will not forsake his people nor cast off his people Ponder much upon Jer. 31.31 to 38. because of those failings and weaknesses that may and do attend them 1 Sam. 12.22 For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name sake because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people He chose you for his love and he still loveth you for his choice God will rather pity his people under their weakness than he will reject them for their weakness The Covenant of grace that God hath made with his people is as the Covenant that a man makes with his Wife I will betroth thee unto me for ever saith the Lord. Hos 2.19 20. Jer. 3.13 Turn O back-sâ—iding children saith the Lord for I am married unto you Now a man will never reject his Wife he will never cast off his Wife for those common weaknesses and infirmities that daily attends her no more will the Lord cast off his people because of the infirmities that daily hang upon them In this great Charter the Covenant of grace the Lord declares that he will require no more than he gives and that he will give what he requires and that he will accept what he gives and what can a God say more and what can a gracious soul desire more O Sirs when all is cloudy over head and all dark within doors when a Christians graces are not transparent when his evidences for heaven are soiled and blotted and when neither heart nor house are as they should be 't is good then to turn to the Covenant grace and to dwell upon the Covenant of grace Thus David did 2 Sam. 23.5 Although my house be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvation and all my desire although he make it not to grow Let me give a little light into the words Although my house be not so with God Though David in the main had a good heart yet he had but a wicked house Absalom had slain his Brother rebelled against his Father and lay with his Fathers Concubines And Amnon had defloured his Sister c. Now David under a deep sense of all this wickedness and of his own personal unworthiness sadly sighs it out Although my house be not so with God c. though I have not walked so exactly and perfectly as I shold have done though neither I nor my house have walked answerable to those great mercies and singular kindnesses of God that have been extended to us Yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant The word everlasting hath two acceptations it doth denote 1. Sometimes a long duration Vide Isa 55.3 Gen. 17.7 Psal 105.9 10 Isa 61.8 Heb. 13.20 in which respect the old Covenant clâ—athed with figures and ceremonies is called everlasting because it was to endure and did endure a long time â— Sometimes it denotes a perpetual duration a duration which shall last for ever In this respect the Covenant of grace is everlasting it shall never cease never be broken nor never be alteâ—ed Now the Covenant of grace is an everlasting Covenant in a twofold respect First Ex parte soederantis in respect of God who will never break Covenant with his people but is their God and will be their God for ever and ever Psal 48.14 For this God is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide even unto death I and after death too for this is not to be taken exclusive he will never leave his people nor forsake his people Heb. 13.5 6. Secondly Ex parte confoederatorum in respect of the people of God who are brought into Covenant and shall continue in Covenant for ever and ever You have both these expressed in that excellent Scripture Jer. 32.40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Seriously dwell upon the place it shews that the Covenant is everlasting on God's part and also on our part On God's part I will never turn away from them to do them good and on our part They shall never depart from me How so I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me even that fear spoken of in ver 39. That they may fear me for ever Ordered in all things O! what head can conceive or what tongue can express that infinite counsel wisdom love care and tenderness that the blessed God has exprest in ordering the Covenant of grace so as it may most and best suit to all the wants and straits and necessities and miseries and desires and longings of poor sinners souls The Covenant of grace is so well ordered by the unsearchable wisdom of God that you may find in it remedies to cure all your diseases and cordials to comfort you against all your faintings Isa 40.28 Psal 147.5 and a spiritual armoury to arm you against all your enemies viz. the world the flesh and the devil Dost thou O distressed sinner want a loving God a compassionate God a reconciled God a sin pardoning God here thou mayest find him in the Covenant of grace Dost thou want a Christ to counsel thee by his wisdom and to cloath thee with his righteousness and to adorn thee with his grace here thou mayest find him in a Covenant of grace Dost thou want the Spirit to enlighten thee to teach thee to convince thee to awaken thee to lead thee to cleanse thee to cheer thee and to seal thee up to the day of redemption Eph. 1.13 here thou mayest find him in a Covenant of grace Dost thou want grace or peace or rest or quiet or content or comfort or satisfaction here thou mayest find it in a Covenant of grace God has laid into the Covenant of grace as into a common store all those things that sinners or Saints can either beg or need Look as that is a well ordered Commonwealth where there are no wholsom Laws wanting to govern a people and where there are no wholsom remedies