her Beloved inquire of the watchmen the Ministers of the Gospel where and how to find what he seeketh and followeth Christ by earnest prayer as the woman of Canaan did untill he obtaine his suit and he must not rest satisfied with the beginnings thereof but still labour for increase The Scripture speaks of assurance and full assurance of hope of assurance and sull assurancâ— of faith of the riches of full assurance of understanding and of great boldnesse in the faith to be attained in this life and this the Apostle prayed for for the Ephesians and laboured to beget in the Colossians as appears by the forecited place and this the Scripture exhorts all Christians to labour for and saith That he that doth these things shall never fall but an entrance shall be ministred unto him abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ which one would think were argument enough to perswade any Immortall soul to seek after it Thus of the second rule propounded for the getting of assurance The third is this He that would get assurance of the Love of God must work by the help of the Spirit of God who searcheth all things yea the deep things of God as the Scripture saith And beareth witness with our Spirits that we are the Children of God the Word cannot without the Spirit the Spirit will not without the Word assure us oâ— eternall happinesse therefore he that would get assurance must work by the help of the Spirit he must try himself and his graces by the Word through the help of the Spirit In the fourth place He that would get assurance must carefully avoid all the hinderances thereof in the generall he must shun and avoid all sinne more especially these sinnes Ignorance Atheisme Prophannesse and Hypocrisie Vnbelief and Impenitency Erronious Opinions Presumption and Desperation neglect of the meanes of Grace formall Vse of them and Rebellion against them strangnesse with God and Iesus Christ. Fifthly He that would get assurance must labour for all those qualifications and graces which may render him capable â—f it and which God usually imparts this blessing to First he must become a new Bottle I mean a new Creature for assurance is new wine and Christ will not put it into an old Bottle for it would burst the Bottle Labour therefore for grace trush of grace every renewing grace But more especially these graces Knowledg Faith Sincerity Heart-humility Contritition accompanied with Convertion and new Obedience Assurance will not dwell in an Ignorant Vnbelieving Hypocriticall Heart therefore he that would attain it must labour for those graces which are contrary to these vices God dwels as a reviver in the heart of the humble and contrite sinner He revives the spirit of the humble and the heart of the contrite ones Iesus Christ puts the strongest wine in broken Bottles I do not say into old but into broken Bottles he binds up the broken hearted He therefore that would get assurance must labour for an humble and broken heart A wise father will not assure a prodigall and disobedient Child of his inheritance while he continueth such no more will our Heavenly Father He therefore that would get assurance of inheritance with the Saints in light must come home to his Heavenly Father with a submissive and obedient heart with a heart obedient unto all his Heavenly Fathers Will. It is not every one that hath truth of grace that attains assurance but he that hatâ— truth of grace and strength of grace true faith and strong faith Therefore in the second place labour for strength of grace strength of faith and every other grace It is not every one that hath truth of grace and strength of grace that attains to assurance but he that hath grace and knows that he hath it Therefore if thou wouldest attain assurance labour to know the grace of God in thee In the third place Labour to know that thou haâ—â— grace that thou hast a true justifying faith that thou hast sincerity c. Grace in Gods Children is many times hidden from themselves and that is the reason why they reap so little comfort of it so little evidence by iâ— they do not know that they have received an earnest penny of God they do not know Gods ingagements of himself unto them Therefore if thou wouldest get assurance try and prove all thy graces whether they be true and reall Evangelical and renewing yea or nay especially these graces Faith Lovâ— Repentance Obedience Poverty of Spirit Sincerity c. that thou maist know thou hast truth of saving grace such grace as is crowned with glory and pray to God for sensâ— of grace Fourthly Get Righteousnesse Evangelicall Righteousnesse Righteousnesse of Iustification and Righteousnesse of Sanctification Assurance is an effect of Righteousnesse though not an inseparable concomitant of it The work of Righteousnesse shall be peace and the effect of Rrighteousnesse quietnesse and assurance for ever Labour therefore to get Christs Merit for thy Iustification and Christs Spirit for thy Sanctification Fifthly Labour to beleeve as if there were no law to condemn thee and to live as if there were no Christ to save theâ— Labour to beleeve stedfastly and walk exactly with God and Man When Stephen beheld the glory of God The Text saith He looked up stedfastly into Heaven and it 's certain that though a weak faith may bring a man to Heaven and glory yet it will not bring a man to behold the glory of God whilst he is here below it will not bring him to the riches of full assurance therefore if thou wouldest attain this labour for a strong and stedfast Faith joyned with a holy life These qualifications he must labour for that desires assurance Sixtly he that would get assurance must deny himself in point of finne and in point of righteousnesse First he must deny himself in point of sinne he must not spare a right hand nor a right eye but if it offend cut it off pluck it out as Christ speaks he must deny himself in his darling finne he must not allow himself in any one known finne nor in the omission of any one known duty towards God or towards man want in this is that which Satan usually makes his great battering Ingen to overthrow if it were possible the Faith and Hope of Gods Elect and that whereby he hinders them from getting or keeping this rich jewell of Evidence Allowance of sinne and assurance cannot stand together they are as contrary as fire and water the one will out the other Therefore he that would get assurance must deny himself in point of sinne Secondly He must deny himself in point of righteousnesse he must renounce all his own righteousnesse in point of justification before God and count them all losse and drosse and dung and build upon a sure Foundation viz. the Rock Christ. He
Spirit of God in the soul whereby a sinner is so much touched in heart for his sinnes that he truly turns from them all unto the Lord. I think it not necessary nor meet for me to discuss the termes or genus of this description But here Noâ—e 1. That repentance unto salvation is an Evangelical grace a Gospel-grace The Law knows no Repentance cals for none nor works none it is the Gospel and the Gospel onely that knows Repentance cals for it and works it Moses cals not for Repentance but Christ doth Mar. 1.15 That this Repentance consisteth of two Essentiall parts to wit contrition and conversion humiliation and reformation therefore he that would make a true trial of his Repentance must have recourse unto both of these That it is Evangelical contrition and not legall that is the first Essential part of Repentance unto life it is cordial reformation and not feigned that is the second Essential part of Repentance unto life But what is this Evangelicall contrition and how may I discern whether I have it or no Evangelical contrition is a godly sorrow of soul for all sinne arising from the apprehension of a gracious God displeased by sinne and thou maist discern it by this which here follows 1. Evangelical sorrow springs out of the Love of God and hatred of sinne and increaseth the Love of God and hatred of sinne in the soul the Love of Christ constraineth the soul to hate sinne and to mourn and grieve for sinne and the bitterness of this sorrow and grief for sinne sweeteneth the Love of God in Christ unto the soul and inbittereth sinne And hence it comes to pass that the soul loves Christ more and hates sinne more after it hath once felt this sorrow and been soked in it then ever it did before 2. Evangelicall sorrow is mixed with faith The Evangelical mourner bewailes his sinne and rests on the mercy of God in Christ and the promises which are in him yea and in him Amen for the pardon of his sinne and the mortification of his corruptions and grace to amend Faith of adherence is an inseparable concomitant of Evangelical sorrow although faith of evidence be not so He that sorrows for his sinne and rests not on Christ for the pardon of his sinne his sorrow is legal and not Evangelical desperation and not contrition 3. Evangelical sorrow is mixed with hope The Evangelical mourner mourns not without hope he hath hope of obtaining mercy even in the deepest of his sorrow for sinne as appears by his carriage in his mourning He despaires not but seeks to God for mercy his sorrow drives him to God and not from God as is evident by the example of the Prodigall in his deepest distresse he despaires not but goes to his father for mercy but had he not had hope of obtaining mercy he would have despaired had he not had hope of obtaining mercy he would never have gone to his father to seek it 4. Evangelical sorrow is mixed with Joy being mixed with Faith and Hope the Evangelical mourner looks upon his sorrow as a sacrifice with which God is well-pleased and therefore Joys that he can sorrow that he can offer this Sacrifice to God The Sacrifices of God are a broken and a contrite heart and spirit A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise saith the Scripture Psal. 51.17 And this the contrite heart beleeves and therefore Joys when it can sorrow 5. Hence it comes to passe that the Evangelical mourner is an agent as well as a patient in the action of mourning He strives to provoke and quicken his dull heart and soul to mourn and thinks no labour too much to bestow to bring his soul to a godly manner of mourning He desires nothing more then to turn his Carnal mirth into Godly mourning Be afslicted and mourn and weep saith the Scripture Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into heavinesse Jam. 4.9 This this soul labours wonderfully to do and nothing grieves him more than that he cannot more grieve for sinne He labours to make his carnall mirth the matter of his spiritual mourning and wishes O that mine eyes were a fountain of tears that I could weep day and night for the sinne of my nature and the sinne of my life and the iniquity of my People 6. Evangelical sorrow is a heart-mollifying sorrow it softeneth the heart and makes it very tender and pliabâ—e sensible of the least sinne and the least displeasure of God for sin Hearts broken with evangelicall sorrow are like broken bones very sensible of every touch Hearts broken with Evangelical sorrow are very pliable to the will of the Lord above all other Lord what wilt thou have me to do saith a contrite soule Act. 9.6 as if he had said declare thy will Lord and I am ready to obey it to the utmost of my power whatever it be Such as the measure of this sorrow is such usually is the softness of the heart and the pliability of the will the more of this sorrow the soul hath the more tender is the heart made thereby and the more pliable is the will the less of this sorrow the soul hath the less softening hath the heart and the less yielding is there in the will to the Will of the Lord. 7. Evangelical sorrow is a heart meekening sorrow it meekeneth the heart and maketh it humbly stoop to the yoke of Christ and patiently bear the Chastising hand of Christ during the good pleasure of Christ. I will beare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him untill he plead my cause and execute judgment for me saith the contrite soul Mich. 7.9 It moderateth anger and maketh all calm within and without 8. Evangelical sorrow is a heart-humbling sorrow it maketh the heart humble and lowly The more of this sorrow there is in the heart the more humble it is and the less of this there is in the heart the prouder it is the more fearless and careless it is of sinne I am no more worthy to be called a Sonne make me as a Servant or any thing the meanest imployment in my fathers house is too good for me saith the contrite soul. I am but a walking-dunghill and fitter to be set on a dunghill then on a Throne saith the contrite soul. 9. And hence it is that the soul evangelically contrite admires free grace in every favour that it receives spiritual or temporal and is the thankfullest soul of all others for mercies received What shall I render unto the Lord for all his mercies towards me saith a contrite soul This soul speaks to it self in the language of the Lord to Ierusalem I was polluted in my blood and cast out to the loathing of my person and no eye pitied me to do any office of love unto me And then the Lord had compassion on
me and washed me with water yea with blood with the blood of his Sonne he throughly washed away my filth and annoynted me with oyl indued me with his Spirit and his grace c. I had forfeited all right to Heaven and earth into the Lords hand and he hath given me all back again freely and put me in a better condition than I was in before O the deepnesse of the riches of the Justice and Mercy of God! 10. In the tenth place Evangelical sorrow is a sorrow that keeps the soul in a sweet heavenly frame for all holy and heavenly duties it sweetly fits the soul for all holy performances Sorrow that flowes from the apprehension of Love in God is fresh and lively and full of spirits so that a man never performs any holy duty better then when his heart is filled with this sorrow Set a soul filled with this sorrow to pray and he will pray sweetly and heavenly fervently and effectually to wit in faith and so prevaile much with God Set him to hear and he will hear humbly and the whole Word of the Lord will be sweet unto him every precept and every threatning of the Lord every bitter thing will be sweet unto him every crum that fals from his Table will he gather up as precious food Set a soul filled with this sorrow to Divine Meditation and he will do it with great delight and freedome set him to receive the Sacrament of the Supper of the Lord and he will do this action in its beauty He will looke upon him whom he hath pierced and mourn for his sinne that hath pierced him and every other holy duty will he perform with a more heavenly mind than others which have not felt this sorrow or not in that measure which he hath done 11. The soul Evangelically contrite sorrows not so much for suffering as for sinning not so much for being displeased as for displeasing and dishonouring God by sinne it is grieved for its sinne because the holy Spirit of God is grieved by its sinne and broken with its whorish heart as the Prophet speaks and is melted by the consideration of the incomparable goodness of God and his kindnesse and love in Christ towards its self abused by its self rather then broken with horrour threatnings punishments or slavish feare Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight saith the contrite soul and this is that which pierceth his soul. 12. The soul Evangelically contrite longs after freedome from sinne more than freedome from suffering it saies with the Church Lord take away all mine iniquity not with Pharaâ—h the plague Lord look upon my affliction and my pain saith the contrite soul and ease me of that if it be thy blessed Will but however forgive all my sinnes deliver me from all my transgressions Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sinne hide thy face from my sinnes and blot out all mine iniquities O wretched man that I am Who shall deliver me and when shall I be delivered from the body of this death This is the language of contrite souls The soul Evangelically contrite counts sin the worst Evill and Christ the best Good the guilt of sinne the power of sinne and the being of sinne is of all burdens the heaviest unto a contrite soul and that which of all other it longs to be freed from 13. The soul Evangelically contrite priseth Christ as the chiefest Good as the only true Good it is not satisfied with any thing without Christ it is not fully satisfied with any thing but Christ Christ in his Blood Christ in his Spirit Christ in his Ordinances Christ in his Ministers Christ in whomsoever his Image is stamped is precious above all earthly things unto the contrite soul Thou art my beloved and my desire is towards thee saith the Contrite heart to Christ. To the soul Evangelically Contrite the light of Gods Countenance and the sense of his love in Christ is more worth than all the treasures and pleasures in the world Lord lift thou up the Light of thy Countenance upon me thy love is better than wine better then Corn and Wine it strengthens more it comforts more it puts gladness in my heart more then Corn and Wine more than the choicest Creatures in the world saith the Contrite soul. When once this contrition had ceazed on Davids heart his soul did thirst for God as the thirsty land for rain and as the chased Hart for the water-brooks And not after God only in his immediate dispensations but in his mediate also after God in his Ordinances in his Sanctuary as appears Psal. 63.2 84.10 27.4 and thus did Mary Magdalen and Paul and other Saints under the New Testament when once this contrition had ceazed on their hearts they were very industrious seekers of God in his Ordinances By which it is eminently evident that it is the nature of Evangelical Contrition of hearts Evangelically contrite to prize highly communion with God in his Ordinances As it was with David and Mary and the other Saints here so it is with every soul Evangelically Contrite he hath the same judgement of and affection towards Gods Ordinances in truth though not in the same degree Such as the measure of contrition wrought in the soul is such usually is the measure of his affection to and thirst after these Divine excellencies forementioned 14. The soul Evangelically Contrite disclaims all righteousnesse of its own and rests wholly on the merit of Christ for justification before God We are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy raggs saith the Contrite Church Isai. 64.6 What things were gain to me those I counted loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Iesus my Lord and do judg them but dung that I may winne Christ saith the Apostle Phil. 3.8 9. When once this Evangelical contrition hâ—d ceazed on the heart of Paul he renounced all his own righteousnesse all before conversion and all after conversion his old man and his new in matter of justification and rested wholly upon the merit of Christ which plainly demonstrates the truth asserted 15. Evangelical sorrow is a lasting sorrow and a wasting sorrow When once it hath ceazed upon the heart of a Christian it doth not pass away as the morning cloud and early dew or a land-flood but continueth and riseth up as a spring and is never exhaust till sin the cause of it be wholly taken away and not only the guilt and punishment of sinne but the very being of sinne till total deliverance from this body of death be granted This is evident in the Apostle Paul when once this sorrow had ceazed on his heart he did not cease to bewail his proness to sinne till his being in this world ceased as appears Rom. 7. ver 14.24 And as it is a lasting sorrow so it is a wasting