himselfe and his If the Lord Jesus did justly accurse the servant I mean the figtree for not bearing figs at all seasons which if sin had not letted it might have done shall not the master much more be accursed for making himselfe barren being created fruitfull 5 Nor for leading into tentation So also let us not accuse God for suffering them to fall It s said Hophni and Phinees could not hearken to their father because God would slay them And the Jewes could not heare the voice of the Lord because Esay had foretold the contrary viz. that God had hardned them For why Act. ult God put no evill into any of them But because he saw what basenesse and rebellion was in them already he left them thereto and would not overpower their hearts for it was just for him thereby to be avenged upon them for their wilfull contempt and so make them as snares to others to fall by Those ten tribes were justly snared by Ieroboams calves because they had plaid the Idolaters before in Salomons daies under the freedome of the Temple worship and so God would plague them for all at once and both give them a King in wrath and sweep them away in displeasure A master having a slie servant oft drunken and carelesse of his businesse to the end he may pay him for all doth justly send him to some place which accidentally occasions him to fall he sends him upon an errand justly but because he means to prevent all his shifts and punish him soundly he will suffer him to fall into a snare that he may take him in the manner and punish him for all his prankes together So when God punishes the sinnes of parents upon the children Ahabs upon Iehoram Eli's upon those hundred and eighty Priests slaine by Saul Salomons upon Rehoboam For why The Lord beholding them in the sinnes of their parents imitated and unrepented of destroies both serpent and egs together Let us I say strive to be convinced in our judgements Exod. 20. Nor for punishing the sins of parents in their posterity touching Gods most just Prerogative in all these and all other kindes and being settled in judgement we shall not easily stagger in our affection and practise Thirdly let us submit so farre under this Soveraignty of God as to do Branch 3 to the uttermost of our power to obey all his charges and commands Do what lies in us to obey Gods will and to stoope to all his ordinances which he propounds unto us for our conversion Shall God have us at so great a bay as he hath and shall we wax carelesse Or because we are not able to do that which he requires for the matter shall we therefore in a sullen and desperate humour sit still and doe nothing Shall we not shun any sinne for conscience which we can shun if hired with mony Because all is not either in our willing or running shall we neither will or run Nay more put case we have brought upon us by our sin such an avoidable languor disability that we cannot put forth our selves to the uttermost that common enlightning might worke us to what Shall we therefore doe nothing which lies in our power to do yes surely in holy awe of this freedome of God to do with us and our endeavours what him lists let us tremble and in all humility doe the best we can yet trusting to none of it loathing to be Pharisees and Pelagians but abhorring much more to be Epicures and malecontents walke we in Gods way in which he only is found and may be found of us But those that disdain to heare to pray to take paines because God hath the bridle in his owne hand shew themselves Giants rather and such as would be revenged upon God then desirous to get heaven by submitting to his power and Soveraignty As those lamps were fitly planted under the olive branches to receive the oile which dropped from them by the providence of God so let us accommodate our selves under the dropping of the ordinances ascribing nothing to our selves but all to the meer grace of the ordainer as Zachary there speakes Zacha. 4 5. not by strength or mans wisdome but by my spirit saith the Lord. Fourthly let it teach us tendernesse and charity towards meane ones Branch 4 ignorant yea loose and dissolute ones Be charitable to others let us not affect the disdaining of the basest simplest vilest although we ought to loath their manners but consider thy selfe if thou onely exceed them in morality wit and parts tremble to think that such silly ones and ungodly may perhaps arise pull heaven by violence to themselves and thou with all thine abilities be thrust to hell where were then thy boasting Ipta was thrust out for a base excrement from the family of Gilead Judg. 10.4 But they were all glad to seeke him for their Captaine in their distresse Poore Ioseph the slave was yet so preferred that the Sun Moone and starres were faine to do homage to him despise not the least free grace may make him thy better and make thee glad to seek to him for helpe and succour ere thou die and envy not the greatest neither for the Lord can ingraft thee also into the same stocke as meane as thou art if thou canst adore his soveraigne mercy which magnifies it self as much in the setting up of the low as the mighty that they who boast might not boast of their person or quality but of the Lord. Fifthly let thy stony heart break in peeces between the hammer of his Soveraignty and the pillow of his long suffering and patience toward Branch 5 thee Surely in that he hath so long had thee at so infinite advantage its strange that ever he should forbear thee so long Breake thy hard heart hereby offer thee such meanes ordinances or should passe by the daies of thine ignorance or suffer any seed or remainder of a tender heart to abide in thee I say it is strange he should restore thee out of so many perills diseases and hazards stil present thee with hope and possibility of forgetting such a multitude of transgressions and forgiving thy offences What should all this argue save a most bountifull abatement of extremity rigor and that notwithstanding his power yet his love is more prevailing with him to spare thee Shall this kindnesse of his leading thee to repentance be an occasion to forget both his soveraignty and thine owne guiltinesse and according to thine hard heart which cannot repent wax stout and wilfull against him and so heap up wrath against the day of just vengeance Rom. 2.4 No rather this mixture of both should keep thee within bounds and put holy thoughts of his purpose and pleasure into thee then breed a desperate enmity on the one side or security on the other to both which thy heart is far more propense then to come in give up thy
will be long enough ere you of your selves stirre one inch off your own ground If he alter not your intentions sure it is you will intend small good to your selves but please your selves in your drousie dead and senselesse way till yee goe hence and be no more Me thinks you should rouze up your selves and moan your selves to the Lord saying Am I the onely dry barren wretch of all others whom thy Spirit should never blow upon whom no mercies crosses or government of thine should ever affect I see O Lord thy steps wheresoever they goe drop fatnesse and thy fingers drop mirrh upon the handle of the doore Cant. 5.5 where thou knockest But I am still a barren desolate creature without any acquaintance with thee in thy wayes And for the second sort of such as have felt the Lord comming toward them in sundry wayes and that hee hath not left them without witnesse but by his Word his workes by death of wife or husband or by good company or losse of children estate name many privie and secret warnings of their conscience hath checked them or offered them many meanes of good and drawne their hearts thereby but they have shaken them off as a dog doth a blow on the head That sometime in such houses and places as they have dwelt in sometimes in hearing some searching Sermons or by the offer of Christian yoke-fellowes or by other occasions Such as God hath prevented beware of dallying the Lord hath solicited them earnestly to turn and repent howbeit it is with them as with Israel in the wildernesse whose carcasses were scattered therein they have tempted him seen his works but to no purpose for the Lord is vexed with them for their stubbornnesse and their hard and rebellious hearts which will not know God nor come in Oh! beware lest this patience of God which should have drawne you to repentance doe not harden your hearts to utter destruction To both sorts I say this Know it if those whom the Lord means to save he wil be alway busie about them to accommodate all things to their calling and conversion what a wofull case are they in who have all their lives long either seen no finger of his in meaning them good or else escaped his fingers most subtilly and slily as fast as he hath pursued them Doubtlesse for ought can appeare the Lord meanes them no good if they had been sheep belonging to his fold he would never have suffered them to erre and lose themselves so deeply in their lusts but hee would have recalled them But his not suffering the breath of his spirit one whit to stirre in them doubtlesse he meanes they shall nuzzle up themselves in a dead senselesse estate unto perdition Oh! what beds of ease doe you lye upon that you should take one nights rest two nights till you finde your selves out of this misery Secondly this should teach us to adore this great God and onely wise Vse 2 and that because hee hath the key not of the wombe onely and deeps Instruction Adore the wisedome and love of God in his preventing grace Jerem. 10.23 clouds and the grave but of the hearts of the sonnes of men Hee onely can order their courses wayes and intentions to their owne greatest good and his glory It is not in man to order his owne way the heart and purposes of men are their owne but the dispositions thereof are from the Lord as the issues so the preparations to life and death are in his hand It is no priviledge of a Prince over his subjects nor of a parent over his children nor of husband over wife They have authority to over-rule the bodies the outward behaviour and duties of such as are under them But for the secret over-swaying of intentions and turning them from their owne to his way it is onely the Lords prerogative It is with mans intentions as with the body of a man in a ship who walkes upon the hatches from East to West Yet the motion of the ship being contrary carries the man the way of her owne motion neverthelesse This should therefore breed in us singular reverence of God and provoke us to magnifie him both with our prayses and with our prayers With our praises first By praises As the Church in the Psalme having professed that shee had seene goings of God both towards their fathers and themselves Psal 68 24. Deut. 8. in wildernesse and Canaan that he might humble and try all in their heart subjoynes presently The men singers that goe before and the women singers after Psal 123.1 and praise the Lord. If the Lord had not been on my side shouldest thou say in disposing every way for my conversion I had never been brought home But I see that it was the finger of God that when I had run my selfe into desperate company forsaken the counsell of all friends shaped a course to my selfe perhaps to spend my patrimony riotously perhaps to haunt harlots and lewd companions or to travell beyond sea in an humour of discontent to seek my fortunes or to seek the world and implod my self in the dirt and dunghill of covetousnesse or to mâ—â—ch my selfe resolutely with one whom I fancied onely for her out-sidâ—â—ayâ—â—g Give mee her for she pleases me well then did the Lord provide better for mee then I deserved turn mine intentions quite off divert them to serious thoughts of mine estate prepare a good wife a peaceable life in marriage good friends good Ministery and turne mee from the pit I sought a good frame in a blinde corner under an Idoll the Lord tooke him away sent a better and tooke me napping in my hole and brought me home to himselfe Job 33. No good soule that hath tasted these preventions of God can bee silent Sundry passages of preventing providence one prayses God that living in a desolate prophane corner of the Country in the practice of drunkennesse and lewdnesse the Lord sent a friend by providence to the house where he dwelt who by his sober caniage and report of the fruit of the Gospel in other parts brake me off from my sinfull life bred a zeal after God good means by which I was haled out of my dungeon to live under the Ministery in Goshen where I was convinced by the light of truth and converted to God Another comes in and saith O Lord if I had rusht upon such a match lighted upon such a Ministery I had been quite lost thou plantedst me better As Psal 80. the Church blesses God for pulling her from Egypt where she grew as a lilly among thornes into a better soile So should we adore Gods preventing us accommodating and suting occasions crossing lets giving strength to the meanes and overruling purposes as no doubt the woman John 4. going to her kinsfolke and saying Come see a man who hath told me all magnified mercy which finding her in a cursed scornefull
costes and be as nothing an unprofitable one when thou hast done all cast not God in teeth with them call not for them backe againe nor bring him his owne in a napking For these qualities poyson all thy labours Gods hearers will be at Gods dispose for blessing and drive the Lord further off rather then draw him nearer And when thou hast turned all thy selfe-defeated discontent into selfe-deniall and art willing that the Lord should doe with thee as he list then see how he will dispose of thee A little barley or an handfull of meale with a little oile shall make a more accepted meat offering to him with an heart willing to be at his dispose then all thy plenty of costly sacrifices without it Joel 2.13 Lastly it reproves all such as yet goe beyond these also and are content Branch 3 to submit humbly to all such waies as the Lord prescribes for the attaining of mercy but yet it mightily troubles them that God doth so delay his season and lets them goe so long without giving them their desire To whom I answer All yee have done hitherto is well Adde one thing more give all your humblenesse your labours your endeavours to God Waiting upon God necessary for such as looke to speed of grace and when you have waited upon him therein give him your waiting too for it is not too good for him perhaps there may be a Selfe in that also and sure it is the finer Selfe is spunne the more she will take pritch if she be defeated But be thou as Paul was 2 Cor. 12.9 who feeling no bottome in himselfe yet was content to be under that weaknesse and all to try what mercy could doe doubtlesse in such a case thou shalt finde that grace shall at least bee sufficient for thee if the Lord doe not also magnifie his power beyond expectation in thy infirmity And poore soule what gainest thou in the mean while by thy carking plodding and casting about with thy selfe If thou doe thy duty shall it not be well with thee And hast thou not a great recompence in this that thou art accepted and thy successe is with God Is it not much that a sinfull wretch who cannot lay claime to the aire earth water to breath in to tread upon and the like maist yet come and looke up to heaven with hope and come to the Lord as bound by his promise Alas his pay may be leasurely but it is sure the gaines may seeme small but still they are comming and will make a heavy purse at last And what Is there not some scurffe which the Lord must purge out thinke you Hath not a long course in evill hardned thee And may not a speedy course of thine owne hurt the more another way What if the Lord should leave thee to such corruption of thine owne as should cause thee to wax wanton were it not better prevented by longer delay And speake the truth to shame the Divell and thy slavish heart is it not better with thee at sometimes then at other If it be noâ— suspect thy selfe if it be suspend thy cavils cease thine enmity thine hard thoughts thine unbeteaming heart the Lord loves to be as freely thought of for his love as he deserves And for thy selfe if it be thy lot to lye longer under hope then others and to want the cheerings which some have yet sure it is if thou abide waiting in thine innocency not being tainted with shrewd dregs of thine owne stale and base heart the Lord will at length breake out so much the more in pitty to thy fainting soule by how much his delay hath made thee waite so long and it shall not then trouble thee that thou hast thus indured Mercy at last shall be sweetest to thee Esay 57.16 that thou faile not wholly Singularity of delay sometimes argueth an heart tainted with Selfe in more then a common manner And so much for the use of reproofe Vse 3 Lastly to finish this point and so draw to an end Let this be Admonition both speciall and generall Great men must submit their great spirits to God First speciall to such as are Naamans great ones in place renowne authority birth or any other worth above others viz. That their great stomacks rise not up in arms against God to quarrell with him when they are crossed in their owne hopes and expectations The truth is the streame of Selfe is ranke enough of it selfe though there be no oile added to the flame The poorest wretch could say though I am not so rich as thou yet I have as proud an heart as thou But yet when one streame meets another the flood is the greater Great men who thinke it a peece of their Noblenesse to take no affronts at any mans hand what ever it cost them had need deny themselves farre to get a subject heart even to God himselfe Their great bloud the repute of their owne eminency and parts exempts them in their owne opinion from the common lot as we read of him 2 King 6. who having first raged at Elisha as the supposed cause of the famine saying God doe so and so if his head stand on him this day after being greeted by him more discurteously then he looked for flew in Gods face too and said shall I attend on the Lord any longer Ver. ult As once a great Prince being crossed of his pastime by the weather told God swearingly he was a King too and he offered him ill measure so to defeat him Abner the pillar of Sauls house being but reproved by weake King Ishbosheth set up by himselfe for medling with his fathers concubines 2 Sam. 3.6 tooke it so hainously that he forth with revenges himselfe and betraies the Crowne to David Great men therefore swell easily if defeated and indeed these two were as bad as great but the best in this kinde take defeats heavily Let such consider that which Naaman if he had had the knowledge which they have would soone have noted viz. How desperate a thing it is to fight against God and to crosse him when he serves not our turne If God resist all proud ones especially great ones how much more proud resisters Pride being of it self a resistance Although your spirits rise up soon against men which yet I allow not beware ye be not found fighters against God Act. 5. Know that though men accept your persons yet God puts no difference especially in matter of salvation It is counted a great humility in a great one to be never so little humble But oh worme for what is the greatest flesh else if thou thinke it equall that a poore beggar should stoop to thee what shouldest thou do to God to whose eminency thine is as the drop of a bucket Take not upon thee though thou be the chiefe of the Parish the Lord of the Towne and Patron of the Minister to yoke him to any other
a Warriour should now bee subdued by a few followers who had so stouted it out with the Prophet himselfe But as the Lord used this course to abase his pride so hee effected that which hee sought and now makes him a tame Captive to meane Conquerours The poynt then is An humble heart will not scorne the counsell and help of the meanest The proud give great words and scorne meane ones thinking it a disgrace to be dealt with by such But it must be a poore thing indeed which an humble soule will despise in the way of God Rom. 12.13 and his souls welfare This is that which Paul Rom. 12. urgeth at the hands of Christians That they condiscend to them low degree and thinke themselves equall unto them And yet see how Apollo that learned and eloquent man Acts 18.26 disdain'd not to learne the way of God more perfectly even from Aquila and Priscilla Tent-makers See how Paul consorts himselfe with young Timothy 1 Thess 1.1 and calles him his fellow-labourer how honourably hee speakes of private men and craves the prayers of poore Christians Our Lord Jesus how did hee in his agony Matth. 26.37 seek the help and prayers of poore sleepy Disciples But I will adde a few reasons Reason 1 First it must be so because humblenes is a reall grace and discerns between shadowes and substance and esteemes it selfe not by the latter but the former A fooles eyes are bleared with any thing that hee is better bred hath more money in his purse hath a braver stomacke then his fellow nay if he have a little more gold in his Hat-band or a longer lock of haire at his eares then another But he that hath grace is purged from such scurfe of vanity hee knowes that God esteemes no such stuffe but judges by the inner man and the vertues of the soule which if an inferiour doe excell him in he neither despises him for his meannesse nor exalts himselfe for his complements Both are of one seed one flesh from one maker Acts 17.26 tending to the same death and dust Counters in a summe differ not save in opinion although the one stand for an hundred pound the other but an half-peny Secondly by this equalling himselfe to a lower degree an humble Reason 2 man shewes the soundnesse of his humility Many will seem humble enough among their Peeres and equals though their hearts be proud because all colours of pride are removed But hee who is humble to the meane hath cast off all covers of shame and pretexts of pride and shewes himself to be truly humble indeed because he might be proud under a defence Each grace of God covets to expresse it selfe in her naked hue without hypocrisie and so humility abhorres all contrariety to her selfe not onely open scorne and blustering but even that secret queasinesse and coynesse of heart which is as I may say the relique and staine of corruption in this kinde Thirdly by this meanes it concurres with Gods wisedome and Reason 3 stoops to his Arguments For the Lord himselfe to humble proud man sends him to the most base and contemptible creature and doth oftentimes arme it to foyle mans pride Now then to disdain a meane one being in the image of God as wel as thy self how insolent a pride were it both against Man and God himselfe But to hearken to the meanest is to learne humblenesse of our Father who sends us to that Schoole for the purpose that he might tame us Prov. 6.6 Goe thou sluggard to the Pismire Fourthly by this meanes we imitate the Lord himselfe who hath Reason 4 abased himselfe even to the lowest degree of basenesse in this kinde Philip. 2 8. emptying hiâ—self that hee might bee equall to them of greatest basenesse nay more might be baser then thousands of them who yet had been extreamly base if he had been the sonne of an Empresse So the Lord himselfe Esay 57.17 though that holy one and inhabiting eternity yet lookes downe upon the poore and lowly that he might dwell with them and be strong with them The use to be briefe is first to all inferiours either Ministers or others Vse 1 in inferiour place Inferiors must not pull backe their service from their betters if God call them not to withdraw their service in this kind from their superiours I say when God calles them to advise rebuke exhort not to pull back their neck out of the Collar through indirect and sinister conceits It is the sinne of the inferiour and the misery of the superiour to be so handled I ascribe the horrible debauchednes of great ones at this day and their sinfull unlimited courses next to their owne natures to the desperate basenesse of such as being set in place of Ministery or attendance neglect their duty toward such being eye-witnesse of their sinne What saith one shall I one of the puny Chaplaines speake to my Patrone or great Lord of his uncleane courses then hee might cast my boldnesse in my teeth when ancienter learneder wiser and more experienced feare his displeasure distrust their owne strength shall I begin Truly the very servants of Heathen great ones shall rise up against such as stay not their Masters in their riots but connive and correspond with them Alexander himself had one lover of Alexander though most were lovers of the King And are we onely lovers of mens greatnesse for our owne ends and not of their soules So men that have others but a little above them in place Ministers having Gentlemen in their Townes dare not speake for feare of them I shall doe them no good and my selfe much hurt Perswasions to it say they by speaking and so for lack of the service they shall rot in their sinne For why First why shouldst thou distrust God If thy heart be not false cannot that God who hath given thee a wise and loving tongue to reproove give him also a wise and inclining eare to heare When Moses answeâ—ed the Lord Send whom thou shouldst to Pharaoh Exod. 4.12 for I am a man of a stammering tongue doth not God answer him Who made the tongue or ear have not I Cannot I give thee gifts for mine owne worke and him the grace of hearkning But put case wee prevaile not No more did Ieremy Jerem. 1.18 whose face yet God made as brasse to speake to a rebellious house But then saith God thou hast saved thy soule their bloud shall rest upon their owne head So then to end this doe thou thy duty O inferiour and trust God for successe If Naamans servants had now neglected their duâ—y what had become of their Master Be encouraged by their successe Vse 2 Secondly this is admonition Admonition to all sorts to lay aside that pride and prejudice that coynesse and statelinesse of spirit which fore-stalles it from learning of the meane and inferours It is the phrase of proud Ajax in the Poet He that
which God will have out and there the Lord and it are upon debate or there is a cursed naturall antipathy between the Lord and the way of salvation or the soule is full of teches and pritches against reproofe or it hatcheth some false conceit that it hath obeyd when it hath not which it will not see or puffes and snuffes against some other thing the Minister the Ordinance the difficulty of Religion the uncertainty of the promise Whatsoever it be it is a distastfulnesse of heart and a resistance against God which if it were not the soule would nakedly come in and obediently submit to the Gospel But this disease hath this misery that the more dangerous it is the lesse it will bee convinced of such a thing and this nourishes the heart in her wretchednesse it is not time alone which will heale it rather it causes it to rankle and wax worse and worse Men ascribe it to other matters being willing to gull themselves because they have no will to be rid of it They say they have weake memories little capacity and the Minister is too high for them But in very deeds their hearts are too high for him till the Word come neerer 2 Cor. 10.4 and worke inward to cast downe all imaginations and high things no submission will follow to the obedience of Christ The effect every one dare confesse but the cause they will not see it is not unprofitablenesse or an ill memory that hath caused your hearts to be so surly and perverse but it is a proud and gainsaying heart Acts 28.27 which hath so long made you unprofitable Doe not lin till you are convinced hereof for till the cause be seene it cannot bee removed Doe not lay the fault where it is not doe not blanch over the cause with fine words mitigate not the extremity of the sin with gentlenesse Perhaps you doe not live in wrath and rage with your wives family neighbours you make a shift to comply with men courteously so long as no body hurts you but truly if you beleeve not in all this while there is a pad in the straw your spirits are not inwardly brought to that tender softnesse and selfe-deniall to thinke equall thoughts of God and his way something stickes in your base stomackes which will not suffer the word of God to goe downe and pierce into you to perswade you If you would but bethinke you what a great let this is which hitherto you have not seene or if you could thinke how the case would bee changed with you if once a tractable comming and inclining heart were in you how the Ministers of God the Angels â—ea the Spirit of grace it selfe which you have so long grieved and resisted would rejoyce in the change Oh! you would never lin with your owne soules till you had cast it out and having shaken it off you would thinke it a greater ease then ever that Martyr of Christ did B. Hooper when he had cast off all his Popish trash and furniture from his shoulders Secondly it is reproofe Reproofe to many Professors who in hope are of Vse 2 the better sort who although by this sinne have not perhaps wholly stopped and choked the passages of the grace of conversion Christians of crabbed peevish stubborne hearts lose the grace of faith yet by the dregges thereof remaining in them and nourished dampe that obedience of heart that life of faith and selfe-deniall yea that peace joy and open heart to God and goodnesse which else they might attaine It is strange how some Christians dare give place to their corruption in this kinde yea grow to thinke it their praise Some are sowre and crabbed as it were steeped in vinegar so censorious and uncharitable that none can escape their censure some so suspitious jealous that none can live by them some so sullen that no estate can content them some so selfe-loving that none can please them save they who humour them in all their passions and pangs some so implacable that if once offended they can scarce looke a man in the face to rights some so eager in revenge that nothing else will content them some alwayes stirring up debate betweene neighbours so busie in Law and in matters of contention as if they were Salamanders alway living in the fire others so eager in spirit so lowring and sad that though they breake not out with others yet they never agree with themselves nor walke with a cheerfull countenance Why Save that the sweet oyle of gladnesse hath not suppled them nor the peace of God which passeth understanding hath possessed and stablished them Oh friends How dare you dally and venture to abide thus How sad a reflex will this bee upon your death-beds You will say It doth oft trouble you and you are grieved for your waspishnesse and anger But what then Is that an amends to God to vomit up that at an odde time which afterward you doe returne to and licke up ugaine without sense or feeling Oh! it were meet for you to be so heart-sick of it that you might for ever abhor it Christians should mark the secret creepings of such poyson how it dogges them chokes humblenesse and cheerfulnesse in them and makes them walke unfruitfully and unsetledly from time to time And say that sometimes you fast and pray and vow and covenant against them yet if the corruption and your soules are so incorporated together that when it steales in upon you with the old sweetnesse it inchants you and disables you from resistance what cause of boasting have you None surely nor shall till the Lord come between you and home with the spirit of true remorce and sorrow for it unto repentance never to be repented of and till your beloved lust become your bane See and apply that in James 4.1.2.3 till the Lord in secret chasten your spirits that you can sit and bemoane your selves with Ephraim and say O Lord what is the cause that I am so enthralled to this stout and unbroken heart Alas No word of thine no patience of thine can enter while this sin harden me I am not fit to bee wrought upon by any crosse blessing meditation or ordinance All washes away as it comes Oh! shall I never be rid of this misery this chaine When Lord will it once be Who shall breake off the slavish custome of my heart this way and set me at liberty Oh! if once it may bee I shall even account it as a second resurrection from the dead Oh! set such a guard over mee that I may never be surprized any more with it Let mee thinke the Divell not farre off when I see this messenger of his at my heeles so to dogge and buffet me Let thy Spirit from above which is pure peaceable Jam. 3 i5 long-suffering mercifull and patient humble and loving deliver me from this spirit of envie sullennesse Selfe and her fruits most earthly sensuall
And this was the whole course of this Hypocrite in crossing the command of God having once won ground for himselfe by his first trick lo he hardens himselfe so fast in his treachery that he sees not his owne hypocrisie And what was his end Surely notwithstanding all his tricks yet he could neither avoid the censure of God nor escape vengeance when it fell point blanke upon him Jude 11. Num. 31.8 for he was devoured by the sword he all his nation both Kings and people Oh let not this terror passe from us in vaine Assuredly whosoever shall shuffle with Gods commands and harden his heart by his owne subtilty to sinne without sense commonly the Lord suffers them to goe on blinde-folds without any hope of remorse Fearful judgement of God upon hollow hearts in dispencing with commands till he teare them in peeces like a Lion and there bee no remedy Dally not with Gods commands for it will cause the conscience to fret secretly like a moth without sense and that 's the next way for the Lord to teare it in peeces and to send it to hell that there at leasure it may feele that which before it would take no notice of And all to teach men to abhorre the breaking of commands under colours of distinctions 2. Branch The trickes and wayes of hypocrites in breaking of commands The second Branch by which I would make way for this Terror is to lay downe the severall wayes by which hypocrites do cast off Gods commands when they pinch them The view whereof will aggravate the terror exceedingly And these briefly may be summed up in these heads following First hypocrites cast off pinching commands by denying and avoiding the truth and realnesse of the command 1. By avoiding the realnesse of commands And thus many shunne the dint of a spirituall command to keepe the Sabbath holy by denying the whole morality of it and calling the authority of the fourth Commandement into question and scruple that so under that buckler they may walke on desperately and senslesly in the breaking of it whether Ministers by not preaching or people by not sanctifying it Secondly by a base shifting off the knowledge of a command 2. Shifting off the knowledge of them that having no knowledge thereof they might lurk in their disobedience the more sweetly Thus Joh. 3.20 They who hate the light come not at it that so they may lurke as unconvinced of their own sinne which if convinced they must needs abandon So also those Jewes who being urged by our Saviour to answer whether the Ministery of Iohn were from heaven or from men Marke 11.31 They consulted together thus If we say it was from heaven he will aske why then did you not beleeve it If from men the people will stone us seeing all held Iohn to be a Prophet They resolve therefore to answer we cannot tell which though it were false and a deluding of their conscience 3. By diminishing their extent yet they washt their hands of it the more easily Thirdly if they needs acknowledge commands in spite of them yet they take away and diminish from the extent of a command and limit it to a narrower extent then it reaches unto Gen. 3.5 Thus Adam and Eve were content to abridge the strictnesse of the charge and to restraine it as themselves pleased adding a peradventure to Gods absolutenesse and so of an whole charge they made but halfe an one Thus the Pharisees by their Sophistry cut off the spirituall part of the morall Law Matth. cap. 5.6.7 and they limited it to the outward act by which they established their own ease in the keeping thereof literally 4. By opposing of one command to another Matth. 15.4 Fourthly when they are beaten off here then they shunne a command by opposing one against another that so they may destroy both And thus did those Pharisees by their Corban They imagined that it could not be denied but there was good use of offering to holy ends and it seemed a pious act for a child to nurse a decayed parent Now for their private Corban they discharge the child from his obedience to father or mother as Papists doe at this day debarre parents of their children by snaring them with vowes against their consent whereas first it should be decided whether of the two commands were most necessary to bee done That so the one might give place the other might prevaile Fifthly 5. By false plea of presidents and examples hypocrites shunne the dint of commands by false plea of presidents and examples of such as God hath dispenced with in some speciall cases and therefore say they why may not we bee spared aswell as such A some have stollen other goods some have been tollerated in their officious lies See Gen. 30.39.41.42 others have beene allowed other liberties or at least been connived at and pardoned in them why not they aswell Whereas some of their examples are facts of boldnesse and presumptuous pollicy Exod. 1.19.20 1 Sam. 20.6 as Davids answer to Abimeles Ex. 12.35.36 and the apology which he put into Ionathans head to stop Sauls mouth withall Others although God winked at yet he allowed not Sixtly hypocrites elude the force of Gods commands by the adding of new commands which God never made 6. By adding of new commands of their owne as supposing that hereby they may well be spared from obeying such as God hath commanded And this is an old and beaten way of hypocrites to load themselves with outward burdens and imposts of their owne that they may seeme to be farre from them that breake commands They will not spare their flesh but impose more then God could finde in his heart to impose If he call for an hin of oyle or wine they will offer him whole Baths and Buts thereof Mica 6. yea rivers and floods if God require of them a fast once by the weeke tâ—ey will fast twice if he appoint them a sacrifice of their flocke Luke 18.12 a sheep or bullocke they will outvie him and offer him the fruit of their owne loines and wombes in sacrifice by which superogating they doubt not but to be accounted through-obeyers of his owne commands and by this pollicy our Papists and formall worshippers at this day subsist and justifie themselves imagining themselves to be worthy obedients to commands because they devise so many which God never dreamt of But you must consider in the meane while that the commands which themselves devise may bee obeyed by their owne strength and power and serve to while and keepe them occupied that Gods commands may be dispenced withall They are no such great friends of voluntary as they are sworne foes of necessary commands As it was said of Ottomans horse That where he once set his feet grasse would no more grow after so where the devotions of these hypocrites take place Religion and the
and despised yet he shall be precious who can heale him he will not starve for lacke of plate or silver to eat or drinke out of but he will stoop to any Physitian as Naaman here did And to conclude he is now meet Reason 11 to accept of a remedy upon the termes of his Physitian which though Naaman was not yet because not tawed throughly yet he is in preparation to it He is content upon any conditions to have ease to renounce his owne mony and price as Naaman to accept it of free gift to be as bare and beggarly as if he had not one brasse farthing and to make his best requitall to be only this a free acknowledgement of the meere naked entire and superabundant bounty of love and good will in him who cured him I say when a man is throughly begirt and put to it the Lord workes thus by it as by this example I confesse where the soule is but in halfe a distresse Exception Straights make hypocrites but to counterfeit while they are on the racke or in a straight without God attending it with the spirit of grace there is no other worke effected save violent and constrained which comes to nothing for the soule under a pressure is like a man on the racke who to avoide the paine will say any thing though it be a lye But when the feare is over then they returne to their old byas againe Examples whereof we have of all sorts Pharoah by name and the Israelites For the former during those ten plagues oppressing him and his people what promises would he not make how did he tremble and send for Moses Exod. 6.7 8 9. cap. and resolve to dismisse Israel but no sooner was he at liberty but he hardned his heart worse and would not suffer them to goe Touching the latter the booke of Judges is a sufficient witnesse while they were under cruell Lords who vexed them how importunate were they time after time to be delivered what humiliations did they professe Judge 10. end with 11.1 c. and shewes of repentance and no doubt selfe meant as it spake but the heart being still it selfe deceived it selfe and mocked God and being rid of the straight became worse Idolaters then before Oh what will not the deepe deceitfull heart pretend for her owne ends Simile They say the Fox being in a snare will gnaw off her leg to quit her selfe of the perill and goe upon three legges so the vile heart will doe any thing for the present that so after she may enjoy her selfe either wholly or in part But if the Lord himselfe make the yoke of set purpose to catch a wilde wretched sinner and stop him in his course that he might turne him home not only the straight but the word also shall worke upon conscience aswell as the outward man and whatsoever the lets are as subtilty pride rebellion the Lord will conquer and subdue them to the obedience of faith Explication of the point To open this a little conceive it thus It is with the spirituall man enlightned as with the carnall A corrupt appetite alway seekes to it selfe some object of false happinesse Some compting knowledge to bee an happinesse seeke that others honor and preferment others their ease and welfare others jollity and the pride of life others reputation and name among men others long life and prosperity If they attaine their desires they are pitcht as they would be and enjoy happinesse in their attainements But if God crosse them of their intents as for example if he deny the first capacity and ability of parts to compasse his aimes if he defeat another by denying them promotion and preferring others if he crosse a third with the losse of health and perfect sences that he tastes no pleasure in his games and pastimes or old age removes him for them if a fourth bee followed with the disdaine and ill opinion of the multitude if a fifth be afflicted with diseases and be in perill of death alas what is their life worth being robbed of their whelpes their life is but wearisome they are at a set joylesse and out of heart As a mizer having lost his treasure or an ambitious favorit out of his Princes favor are like Nabals their hearts dye like a stone in them Onely by this they can helpe themselves that as it was their misery to chuse such base objects so it is their subtilty when they are defeated of the one they turne to another As if learning faile then runne to preferment if that faile to ease to pleasure to mony or the like and all because the soule loaths a straight So is it with him who is enlightned and convinced in conscience When once the Lord by his law or terrors convicts a man that although he attaine whatsoever his heart desires yet he hath gotten but a fading Paradise hee hath no more then an hel-hound may have he hath nothing which can quiet the appetite of the soule which is immortall I say when such a light comes into the soule telling him the misery of all he hath and the happinesse of a man that hath that which he wants Christ and pardon grace heaven how can it be but such a man lying thus convinced must needs be as a man stabd slaine bereft of all his fooles Paradise at once But if such anone hearing of a better happinesse will play the hypocrite dissemble a kinde of religion make himselfe demure and holy precise and zealous in the worship of God and yet still hold his former erronious happinesse coloured over with some devotion destitute of any better principle to settle upon what is this but to get out of his pressure by a false indirect way and so deprive himselfe of the true end of his conviction which is to cast out his old principle and bottome himselfe upon an new But to what tends all this The summe of all is that a straight and pressure when the Lord is the maker of it and the holder of it on is a speciall meanes to pul down the heart before God to force it to seek conditions of peace upon Gods owne termes be they never so difficult and that to avoide a greater incombrance For why The Lord is able by this meane not only to subdue corrupt selfe by his law but also religious selfe erronious and deluded selfe by his Gospell and so to translate the soule meerely from a false bottome to a sound whatsoever it cost him But where the Lord and the Spirit of the Word attends not such straights although in an extremity the heart is beset and straighted yet afterward it will slip the collar and in the meane time will use all trickes and shifts as the poore creature hard hunted and in danger to avoide the trouble yea it will turne it selfe into a thousand guises and devices rather then leave her old trade and cleave to a promise I come
our hearts to sensuality ease Sabbath-breaking lusts excesse of pleasures riot gaming and stretching of our selves upon beds of Ivory that the clamours of the oppressed the afflicted people of God might not be taken to heart or regarded Who considers how the hearts of the fathers have been estranged from the children Malac. 4. and the childrens from them who trembles at it and feares lest by a common enemy the Lord should smite the earth with cursing who hath humbled his soule under our moth-eatings and seekes to prevent the Lions tearing of us in peeces But all of us abhorre to acknowledge any pressures please our selves with such contents as we enjoy in private that we might oppresse sense and conscience Hee that could bring us newes of all well hopes of good welfare and prosperity should bee a welcome man to us but as for sadder times to search the sound from the hollow we are loath to heare of them because wee are loath to prepare for them The effects of those things cannot please us the causes whereof we are loath to bestow the cost to remove In the meane time how is the Lord frustrate of his expectation for hee pinches and yokes us that hee might heare of us that our beloved pretious lusts might bee divorced from us We pray and fast but the Lord tels us wee cannot speed because we still keep a breadth in his narrow Esay 58.5.6 and in our afflictions are light-hearted our hearts are not broke enough our speciall lusts wee have pleasure in when heaven is falling upon our heads wee can beleeve nothing ere we feele it lest it should cost us labour to cast it out Our Babylonish garment secret plague of heart pretious sin wee dare nourish in the midst of all terrours and crosses thundring about us So mad wee are that wee cry peace in the midst of ill tidings ruines of other Churches troubles in our owne dearth unseasonable weather losses of our estate and evils both suffered and feared Surely God hath us down now Joel 2.12 common stuffe will not serve us I might speak as much of our abusing of personall streights The like complaint in respect of personall pressures How many of us are privie in our places and dwellings to sundry who in the extremities of horrour and guilt of conscience upon their sick beds have sent for the Minister whom they have scorned before and there vomited up all their gorge accused and condemned themselves for their pride malice drunkennesse contempt of religion have shed salt teares in abundance wrung the Minister by the hands cried him mercie for all wrongs covenanted and taken witnesse if they lived they would be new men They have been neare to death and had reconciliation offered them But no sooner hath the hiew and cry been over but they have returned to their vomit their bowing like Bull-rushes hath turned to stand bolt upright and they have growne more base and wicked after 1 King 13.6.7 then before As Ieroboam while his dried hand lasted was tame and penitent but when restored fell to his Idols double and treble What was there not such a deep pressure upon them as spent and consumed their flesh and marrow and brought them to the graves brinke Yes But yet it was not deep enough it pierced not to the inner man the heart was the old one still so that wee Ministers had not need to bee over confident of them for if that had been pierced then the thoughts of their heart the affections and lusts had been galled and purged As the Philosopher being beaten with Clubs Men not to be trusted on their sicke beds said You beat my Tun meaning his skin and flesh but you beat not me so may these say to God Thou layest me upon my bed breakest my bones takest away my stomack abasest humblest my flesh and terrifiest my sense but my heart is whole my stoutnesse unbelief hollownesse and prophanenesse remaine my soul was never flayted who would ever have thought it Surely if the Lord then mean thee good hee must put more drammes and drugges into the Physicke else they will never worke Note Take heed Ieroboam had a command first that hee broke then a Prophet him he scorned then a threat that he out-grew and at last was left so hardened that meanes ceased because God meant to destroy him Beware this be not your lot Vse 3 Thirdly this should teach us not to wonder that men are so loath to take any notice of streights Wonder not that men so little joy in hearing of streights either generall or personall Surely they see that they are searching humbling taming things sent to pull the heart low and lay it open before God this they flye from as Moses from a serpent therefore as Pharaoh by his Sorcerers and Ieroboam by the death of the Prophet hardned themselves against the streights that befell them so do these with fool-hardy courage flye against the returning waters lest they should be stopt in their course All the wits that men have are mostly spent upon these two objects either dispensing with the strictnesse of commands Or when judgements come avoiding the dint and pressure of them Mens shifts agâ—inst their streights Men shuffle them off thus either they concerne not themselves or they befell by chance or may be bought off with money or shunned by policie or worne out with time or lessened by comparison But to take note thereof to lay sin to heart and repent of it they are utterly opposite to it David was not more resolved to lye in his filth and when Vriahs death was told him 1 Sam. 13. hee did not more equivocate with his conscience saying Tush the sword kills all sorts what 's his death to me then these professe to goe on blind-folded with sweet inchantments or fool hardily with rebellion and to give no way at all to divine yokes and pressures to pinch them What argues this but a desperate heart to fight it out with God 1 King 7. end with him that said This comes from the Lord shall I attend him any longer Such a cursed hard heart doth but keep all to the last heaping up wrath and when long-suffering hath spent it selfe in pulling them to repentance then shall they bee left to conflict nakedly with hell and vengeance till it carry them away quicke and there be none to deliver Oh! be admonished take note in season rather of Gods meaning and fight not against God What doe yee thinke that God hampers you either by word or workes to destroy you If his meaning were so he could doe it without warning And as for shifting off Gods yokes bee sure of it there is no counsell against him if you balke him one way he can match you ten wayes Better stoop betimes No râ—sisting of God 1. 2 King 16. and come in freely for he can make thy whole life a pressure fill thee with
Monica was so carefull for her sonne Augustine that Ambrose told her the sonne of such prayers could not perish and as it fell out he was a true Prophet for never had any man greater and stranger preventions as may easily be seenâ— in that life of his written by his Deacon to excellent good purpose as the lives of many other Worthies both ancient and moderne have bin for the setting forth of the blessed fruit of Gods preventing providence both for the salvation of the parties and unspeakable good of Gods Church by the labours of such instruments And for this use so much Vse 3 Thirdly this point should be a great consolation to all such as have had experience of such mercy preventing them Of Consolation It should comfort and Branch 1 encourage them from all those doubtfull distempers which arise up in their fearfull mindes Experience of former prevention should encourage us for time to come that God will leave them in the midst of his work unperfect and unfinished It is a wofull unthankfulnesse in many who having found God gracious to them and theirs beyond expectation in preventing much evill seasoning them betimes even in their tender years and stopping evill That yet they dare not trust him forth on especially if they perceive any staggering in themselves or delaying of their desires so that God proceeds not on with them and theirs according to their hopes Judg. 13.22.23 But let them learne of a woman Manoahs wife to correct their folly who hearing her husband to feare least God would slay them answered no for then God would never have freely discovered himselfe to them at all touching a Son which should save Israel Surely if those first free preventions and gales of grace were so prised and so thankefully entertained and observed by us wee should not dare to give over God so easily for the finishing of his worke Dallyance with Gods first preventions is the cause to change his course But it is commonly mens dalliance with the first grace of God and his early preventions of us and ours yea it is our presumption upon free mercy as if it were pinned to our sleeves which causes us to winde it about our fingers and carry it loose about us as a pearle in a loose pocket and which causes the Lord to blast us to change his first course with us to suffer us to wax pearke and sawcy with him and to venture upon such occasions companies and actions as at first we durst not thinke of And so the Lord frownes upon us and changes our first motions into cold qualmes and loose affections and the base fruit of our presumption to trie whether his grace be pretious or no and whether we will forsake our fatnesse and sweetnesse of first beginnings to exalt our selves our wits conceits and humours and through embracing of lying vanities forsake our mercy If we doe let us know the Lord prevented us rather to make our destruction inexcusable then to convert us But if it be otherwise then let it appear in our extraordinary humiliation and teares Jonah 2.8 repentance and recovery of our former workes and affections let not Satan stall us in our own mire of sinne nor oppresse us with distrustfull bondage and despondency of heart to drive us to despaire let all our vanity be vaine and all our stollen waters bitter our pride and new-found selfe-contents odious unto us in comparison of former old compassions let us bee zealous I say and amend rather then harden our hearts so far till the print of our first preventions tendernesse feare and conscience be quite worne out This by the way not impertinently But to returne if there have been a levell and even eye to walke according to our first Grace let us not warpe ungrounded feares out of unthankfull distrust to thinke like that wretch 2 King 3. God hath brought us to this point to forsake us or as tâ—â—y said to slay us in the wildernesse Read Jer. 2. and we see how the Lord speaks to such as cavilled against him Oh! saith he I remember the love I made toward thee in the wildernesse a barren drie land and the first love of thy youth when thou wert dainty to me and still I can beteame thee the same love if thou wert not weary of it A sweet place Could God finde in his heart to be so to Revolters to Idolaters such as had forsaken his fountaine and digged pits to themselves and shall he not much more poore soule of little faith remember thee Art thou of no more worth then so Oh! the Lord remembers his first love still its pretious to him he cannot forget it and is it not so to thee Put case his assisting and perfecting grace seemes not in thine eye so proportionall at the first May there not bee cause Is it not to teach thee to claspe about the first as the Ivy about the bow to suck out juice from it to support thee Doubt not but proceed He that prevented thee first perhaps when thou soughtst him not or soughtst him but formally he will not faile thee now he will sticke to thee by his assisting grace also uphold thee in thy zeale meanes using make the mystery of Christ more cleare and evident draw forth reall desires and hungers esteems and diligence yea he will not give thee over till he have also finished the worke of conversion and effectuall calling in thee by the worke of faith and by daily familiarising with thine heart by his promises create the fruit of the lips which is peace in thee Isaih 57.17 Onely suffer not thy selfe to wax lazy loose and dallying with him to give him over thy selfe and then lay the fault upon him That he was very forward to lay the foundation but was not able to finish his building None but hypocrites dare bring in such verdicts rather slanders upon God Luke 14.30 Be not thou the first And againe it may be consolation in a second regard to all such to Branch 2 wit that he who not being tied to them by promise yet called them of encouragement Rom. 5.8 will now much more sticke to them having a promise to plead Which I speake because many forgetting the old mercies of God by a worldly unthankfull and estranged heart make that part of their lives most sad which should be gladdest of all And that What to doe when feare of our corruptions masters us by distrusting God for the mercie consequent upon their calling They feare that God will never make them masters over some speciall corruptions of theirs pride world ease nor increase any grace to any fulnesse but onely leave them to a poore pittance nor yet uphold them in their outward wants and crosses of poverty or infamy Deut. 32.13.14 c. by his all-sufficiencie nor rid them out of their streights by unreasonable men nor recover them out of their revolts to their former
to containe townes corners and Kingdomes in peace and order which being so extensive a good within her compasse must needs cause men to imagine some excellency therein Fourthly 4. The examples and opinion of men rarely vertuous the rare parts and endowments of such as are thus qualified excelling in shew the vertues of some such as are in an higher ranke of christianity and religion and blemishing their weaker qualities must needs reflect upon them more then ordinary esteeme among such as behold them especially when they shall bewray more bounty liberality compassion and mercy forbearance and patience with other usefull and admired vertues then they who claime the chiefe name goodnesse Fifthly when besides all these Civilities and Moralities 5. Some tincture of religion they adde some varnish and lustre from a tincture of Religion keeping their Church applauding a forme of serving God and discoursing of such matters which although they doe not for any perfiting of their vertues which they â—ount to be their strong hold but onely for complement and formality 6. Similitude with the godly yet hereby they stop the mouthes of any who might brand them with irreligion and prophanenesse Adde hereto the similitude which they seeme to hold with the godly for they also have their slips and errors sometime blemishes of note and vices of deepe dye and alas these have no more and therefore so long as outsides only may hold water there will seeme little difference There are none so bad and base None so bad but some shreds of good may be found in them 2 Sam. 12.27 1 Sam. 11.7 Gen. 27 41. And what use a civill person makes of it but have some shreds of goodnesse in them Ioab a vile cruell and bloody wretch yet a valiant Captaine who fought Gods battels and was usefull to the Church in destroying the enemies of it Saul a notorious hypocrite and self-lover yet adorned with abundance of heroicall martiall politique and morall vertues wisedome awe and authority courage and resolution equity and justice love to his followers till his spirituall treachery of heart quasht them Esau himself had his restraint of malice and so had Haman till their fitter opportunity And in a word as there are few so good but they have their tincture of some evill so neither are there any so bad but they have some morall reliques left in them of vertue and praise And this causeth them through a base heart balking God in his way of Christ to rest themselves satisfied in that sufficiency which they finde in these things as thinking they neede seeke no further for any superiour happinesse because they finde this to give them so abundant content both from within and from without feeling these feathers and colours of their owne both to heat and to adorne them And the truth is this selfe of morality and nature is so much the more dangerous by how much in shew it seemes so glorious for how vast a gulfe seemes to be betweene the former vicious forlorne caitiffe and this painted moralist Alas nothing is more apt to puffe up a naturall man then the abused privity to a former estate of excellency such and such they were bred and although they have lost all yet their breed and the reliques of their old ruines are enough to make them some body As we see it in them who having bin well bred Simil. and fallen to decay though they have nothing to take too yet even in the necessity of forced begging beg with indignation at the basenesse of it and will say good Sir shew some respect to a poore Gentleman putting on their hat instantly and scorning to bee as they are even so is it here That which should most abase us doth most pride us our very ruines seeme rarities unto us and nourish a sufficiency of our owne in us so that wee canâ—ot resigne it up and throw it at the feete of Christ to purchase a better But then much more prone are we to be puft up if we thinke that wee have raised our fortunes to a pretty estate the second time by our owne improvements and industry None are prouder then such as being privy to their ruined estate of creation yet make themselves beleeve that by their owne worth they have raised themselves from it to a very faire competency of estate in morall and civil vertues others remaining still in their beggery of viciousnesse and base evills Use of the point Briefly then of this second sort this I adde Oh how lamentable is it that a man borne to bee a sonne of God and beautified with his owne image should become so disguised as having lost grace in the substance to rest in a meere shadow thereof destitute of a principle of divine life and goodnesse and to stay all such from their conceit of selfe-sufficiency herein A civill estate dangerous let me tell them first their vertue is copper coine and wants of the nature of gold as much as kennel water of the purenesse of spring water therefore their sufficiency is but a dreame a fruit of their ignorance and owlelight of discerning nay it is but a madnesse as he must be a foole who really can satisfie himselfe in counters as if they were peeces Secondly there is no safety herein for the error of their conceit may more harden them against Christ then the prophanesse of the wickedst if God vouchsafe them both equall light Thirdly if God leave them in this hardnesse of heart they may prove as desperate opposites and pursuers of all grace of Christ and Christians as the most horrible open swine yea worse as we see in Saul and Iulian. Therefore to conclude let all such know that till the Lord have lighted a torch by his word of a greater discovery of themselves then yet they have seene they are farre off from the embracing of Christ they are wedged already into so deepe a sufficiency of their owne that Christs is unsavory And therefore although I will not advise them to renounce the vertues themselves nor judge them as vile as open offenders yet I wish them to come under a better banner and cast their owne worth upon the dung-hill They are gone up to heaven by a ladder of their owne framing and setting But they must come downe each step thereof with more shame and confusion ere they can set one step towards Christs ladder in which respect I see not but he who stands upon the ground still and never went higher is somewhat nearer the bottome of Christs ladder then they And so much also of this second kinde of grosse selfe viz. selfe-naturall morality I come to the third The third carnality or flâ—shly savor Rom. 8.6 And that is carnality or fleshly savor of the which I spake somewhat in the tenth verse shall say more in verse twelve Here therefore I will onely touch the point and shew wherein this grosse selfe opposeth Christ
it to see an insufficiency in a thing which is the price of every thing Mony and wealth can build Churches pulpits buy all ornaments of a Church Bibles and Tables and Chalices and hire Preachers and maintaine the Gospel now why then should it not buy Christ too especially if alms good deeds and workes of charity accompany a profession of Christ and his religion and a verball depending upon him and his merits alone not any Popish works or Idolls for salvation Alas such profession of word and holding Christ in judgement may easily stand with living upon the creature and building the soules nest of joy content and sufficiency in the holes of this rocke How hardly then should such a rich man or such a selfe in the creature enter into heaven What an enemy it is to Christ It is easier for a Camell to goe through a needles eie The Lord Jesus the truth it selfe spake it of a yong man who thought himselfe past danger Matth. 19.23 who yet hearing of this sufficiency of Christ if he would sell all went away sorrowâ—ull and why he had great possessions that is great possessions had him and filled him top full with another sufficiency which made Christ unsavory and the same I may say of these who were in the chase to get them when the sufficiency of Christ and all his dainties and fulnesse even a feast was offered them lo their answer was I am to goe see a farme I have bought oxen Luke 14. I am to marry a wife have us excused we have that which we like better we cannot come Farmes and oxen are joyned with wives to shew that selfe in any creature and carnall content sets the heart at rest and gives it a common wealth within so that it need not seeke out Matth. 13. So the third and last bad ground which had both some roote and some depth within yet without was so cumbred with these thorns of mony and pleasures living preferment great dependances favor and repute in the world that like a canker they fretted out the marrow and vigor of Christ and faith or neede of his sufficiency First How the creature forestalls Christ 1. It swells the soule with imagination that God loveth it 2. Prides it selfe in the ease and welfare which it feeles the fulnesse of the creature swells the soule up with a conceit that God loves it deerely that hee will entertaine it so richly thinking him to be as busie in heaven to make it a mansion as hee hath beene liberall in giving it one here not dreaming that the body may be full when the soule is leane and that riches are given for a snare of the owners as Micoll to betray David Secondly it prides the soule to thinke of her selfe according to the outward appearance and glee of wealth and welfare and that the soule is in as good case to God as worldward and though there bee infinite much in the world against it yet such is the bribing property of selfe in the creature that it perverts sound judgement not suffering the soule to thinke a thought against her owne worth conceiving that all should think her as she doth her selfe very good and in a safe condition Not remembring that for all the creature it may be blinde miserable and naked and go from a Paradise here to an hell hereafter as Dives did Thirdly it stiffens and hardens the heart against the words both of Law and Gospel 3. Stiffens the heart against the word preached the one including all the richest within wrath and driving them to a losse within themselves the other offering the eie-salve gold and robe of the Lord Jesus to supply that losse How shall that soul hearken to either which feeles no neede when the eare and heart is so bedulled and ingrossed with fulnesse and fatnesse of the creature that none of the Redeemers sufficiency can enter Now if it stumble at these two in the porch how should it ever enter into the secret the holy of holies in faith and regeneration This may be enough for the purpose of this discourse to open the truth save that this one reason may be added That selfe in welfare and wealth hath in it the spirit of scorning the Ministery of Christ With disdaine it bewrayed it selfe even when Christ himself preached for it is said That some who heard him scorned him for they were rich Luke 5. and the like humor possesses their successors And this property agrees well with them who make the creature their strong hold as I have heard of a City besieged which cast out loaves and victualls to the enemy in scorne and telling them that they were farre from starving As he said soule take thine ease thou hast laid up for many yeares Even for so many that the need of Christ will hardly be felt Therefore to conclude this branch also let mee admonish these persons that if ever the Lord will settle the alsufficiency of Christ upon them Admonitions to this sort he will first captivate this selfe in the creature and sub-ordaine it to himselfe he will cause the image of it to be despised yea cause the soule to cry out of her selfe and say what a foole yea a beast am I in thy sight Psal 73. the soule I say shall bee full of the creature even in a contrary sense that is stomacke sicke of it as a surfet The Lord shall rectifie the soules judgement about this selfe then the ranknesse of this pleurisie to be let out of the soule 1. See the vanity of the creature First by shewing it the vanity and insufficiency of it to helpe in the day of wrath how poore a fort it will prove in the day of affliction and feare It cannot rid the owner of an ague of the tooth ache of the least affront it hath no bloud in it to satisfie 2. Behold the image and face of God in the promise Secondly the Lord shall set the soule in a serious posture and meditation of that presence of his which shall make all the earth and the glory of it to vanish and melt and those who have beene formost in this creature-happinesse to come hindmost stand a far off from them who have chosen Christ to be their sufficiency then shall the glory of the one bee turned to confusion and the disdaine of the other to admiration Then shall all their worldly proppes become as broken staves the splinters of which shall pierce them much more then ever the care to get them could pierce them with sorrow 3. Behold the curse stamped upon the creature yea despaire The Lord will cause them to looke into the creature and to behold it as branded with a curse by sinne but doubly cursed when in stead of serving Christ it resists him and fights against him and makes Christ and the soule servants to it which is to renounce him who is blessed for ever
our places and callings and be not too indulgent to our backs bellies companies travells and the like sensuall recreations and contentments many men affect such a breâ—th in the uttermost of their liberties and jollitie that their very garbe bewraies them to bee men who savor not much of denying themselves goe to the Lord often with this thorne in thy heele and bemoane thy paine unto him 2 Cor. 12.6 till he ease thee as Paul did and ceased not till the Answ 6 spirit was sufficient for him Beseech the Lord not to leave thee to thine owne findings but to take thee into his own patronage maintaining thee at his cost and charge It is said that Ieconia long after his obedience to the Prophet Ieremy Jerem. 52.31 to yeeld up himselfe to the King of Babel was so honoured by God as to become of a vassall and captive a favorite and to be nourished from the Kings owne dish to have a portion of meate from him daily meditation of the Pearle Matth. 13.44 caused the Merchant to sell all and buy it How doth Paul Phil. 3. heate his heart with the Lord Jesus till hee cast out himselfe as dung Dâ—vid Psal 73. recovers himselfe out of his temptation of distrust and impatience by meditation and then breakes out Whom have I in heaven but thee Luke 2.51 Mary bred Christ in her soule by pondering the message of the Angell against her feare and doubting Nothing a greater nourisher of Selfe then unacqaintance and slothfull neglect of the promise Againe behold the practice of the Saints both in Scripture and experience both living and dying Heb. 13.7 how they have moulded their souls into the truth of God and have been content to hazard their own salvation thereupon saying if I perish I perish Let also as I toucht before the afflictions Answ 8 of God whether in our bodies or soules breake us off from our wilde olive stock and implant us into the naturall and sweet olive Say Lord it is a sweet mercy not to live to my self though it cost me deare to learne this discipline but to be at thine allowance As an idle wench chuseth to live basely and idely at her owne hand rather then under a Mistresse so would Self do if God did not over-rule the soul But when she is corrected and instructed then she smites upon her thigh and repenteth Lastly Answ 9 be not too eager in pursuit of our worldly affairs but quietly let us set our boate upon our streame of providence to crosse our selves in our carnall appetites and though God crosse us not yet deny we our selves inuring our hearts to mercy compassion to such as are in necessity bodily or spirituall Let not Papists the chiefe favorites of Selfe condemne us Protestants in this kinde farre it be it from us to foster a spirit of envy which lusteth in us after uncharitablenesse indignation morosity austerity censoriousnesse anger revenge suspitions contentions Jam. 4.4 discontents either with men or with providence and Gods administrations that please us not for these morall distempers will defile us spiritually if we be not aware of it Seeke not honour repute respect and acknowledgement from men let God alone with these Joh. 5.44 and let us not for such base scurfe yet highly set by in the world destroy the worke of God Oh! beloved consider what I have said of this weighty argument and the Lord give us understanding in all things for mine owne part I have cause to mourn that notwithstanding all I have spoken I have so small hope to prevaile with men because I goe against their edge and speake riddles to men of another metall What are we but signes and spectacles to men and divells in preaching these doctrines What serve we for save to harden their hearts For they will fulfill the doctrine and Selfe is like to quash their hopes when all is done The Lord prevent it in you for his mercies sake And so much also shall suffice for this whole use of exhortation to them that seeke conversion Now concerning the latter branch of Exhortation 2. Branch of Exhortation Gods people must practise selfe-deniall in their conversation to them who through mercy are converted already Let me urge this upon them so much the rather to deny all for Christ and his name by how much they have already obtained favour to count all as drosse in respect of pardon and reconciliation If in the former respect that of our Saviour be true how much more in the latter He that will bee my Disciple must deny all if the case so require take up his crosse and follow me And the truth is such are the times we now live in that I am in a manner forced to adde this point of use to the former For you must know the former is secret from the view of men though one day it shall be knowne to men and Angells so that we should doe men a world of wrong if we should judge them to bee other then selfe-denyers and beleevers Matth. 16. end But indeed there is another selfe-deniall a consequent upon faith and that is an outward renouncing of our selves and selling our selves out of all our profits pleasures ease and liberties for the name the truth of doctrine the profession of Christ in power That rather then we would betray these to the enemies thereof neither liberties nor lives should be deare to us Now herein what doe men Alas they shew that either they never knew what it meant to cast out Selfe to receive Christ or else they have found a narrow distinction between barke and tree to save themselves harmelesse viz. That although they deny themselves inwardly for him never so yet they have a dispensation so that outwardly they will not lose a dramme of wealth credit maintenance ease love of wife child will or appetite for his sake And at this plat the world of our professors now fall off Causes They love Christ with their hearts but they will not lose one straw for him Alas what wonder that it is so with them For why Why most men so little deny themselves for Christ To deny a mans selfe for Christ requires a better bottome then they have any The Lord Jesus never denyed himselfe to the death for the redemption of their soules never gave himselfe as a price to wrath for their pardon and peace The Apostle Rom. tells us Doubtlesse for a good man one would be content to dye Christ hath not been a good Christ to them for if he had they would deny themselves to the death for him They are upon their owne bottome still their owne ease will health pleasures life and liberties are too deare to them they love them as pretiously as a zealous Christian loves Christ therefore they will part with nothing for him If Christ were their Selfe their inner man their joy and content they would cleave to him as their
as the end of that Psalme witnesseth See againe Psal 43. wherein the absence of one principle caused David to grow into deadly dumps and that was this His troubles were so long that he beganne to thinke God might repent him of that free grace wherewith he had once imbraced him This caused exceeding distemper in his spirit so that hee thought himselfe cast off So Hezechia in his sickenesse Esay 38. So Ionah in the whales belly And so the Church in captivity Lam. 3. thought herselfe forsaken and that God had forgotten to be mercifull Hence the heart grew hardened the peace of it declined to feare and horror then the word and promises grew unwelcome then the ordinances grew unsavoury then the practice growes secure and loose and so all goes to havocke which might all have beene prevented if the soule had kept herselfe to the rule That whom the the Lord loveth Joh. 14.1 to the end he loveth them Read moreover Lam. 1.8.9 where Ieremy describes the wofull downfall sorrow that Jerusalem was fallen into and how she was come down wonderfully by steps to the lowest abasement And why Sure the sad error lay in the foundation she thought God would keep covenant with her though she brake with him she thought that to lye close to God and keepe covenant was no such great matter but that she might trie conclusions and so by a little deceitfulnesse of sinne the heart grew defiled the conscience crazy the spirit hardened by custome the soule impenitent and secure grew to care for no threats to reject commands to distrust promises and so came Jerusalem down wonderfully All which had beene prevented if either she had kept close to the covenant or repented betimes upon her revolt Besides look upon Heb. 3.12 Take heed lest there be in any of you an evill heart of unbeliefe to depart away from the living God and so wax hardened by the deceitfulnesse of sin How doe many who beginne zealously yet wax weary of weldoing by an evill heart Upon that how doth Satan encrease delusion and tickle with his temptations How doth the error of the wicked added thereto draw away more by example Psal 50.18 Then perhaps God is patient and smites not so that the sinner thinkes him like herselfe then loosenesse growes then a conceit that former practice hath been too precise lesse will serve Then groweth a mean esteeme of the word especially if powerfull and comming close Then perhaps sin having kindled thus far makes the life of faith unsavoury the baites of sin sweet makes us thinke it easie to repent at our pleasure and so we grow some to embrace one lewd pranke some another some to take their ease neglect prayer good company nible at the Divells baites pleasure company gaming petty oathes dalliance with women base fashions to concurre with the world and at last to waste the conscience with Sampson and David so farre that a man is snared and growne to a falling sicknesse and cannot recover himselfe All which might have beene prevented by holding the rule keep well while thou art well Be not weary of weldoing and the like It were endlesse to dwell any longer upon proofes Reasons are many First because Religion is a condition of life much Reason 1 more warily to be tended and watched unto then any other businesse whatsoever Now yet in all other affaires thus we finde it yeeld but one absurdity infinite many will follow upon it unavoidablely Take it in the businesse of war If one mistake fall out how many sad inconveniences follow Let a besieger of a City be too ventrous and what perill ensueth How was Abimelec slaine by a milstone under the wall How was Vria and other worthies destroyed by a desperate affront made by Ioab How were the Benjamites enclosed betweene the two armies of Israel the one burning their City the other before their face How easie is it to fall upon privy ambushments suspecting no danger In point of contention betweene couples in marriage or partners in trading or others in worldly businesse neglect but one rule in marriage to forbeare and give place to wrath what a fire is kindled Neglect but oft recknings betweene men how endlesse and confused grow the accounts Admit but one tetch and conceit without due pondering the matter and how endlesse contention followes blowes upon words sutes upon blowes and the ruine of each other by sutes So fares it in all other kindes Let there be but an error in the digestion and what can mend it Nothing the bloud must needs be bad the concoction cannot amend it and so all diseases attend the ill stomacke both in the head and parts of the body Is it so in all things and must it not much more bee so in the chiefe affaire of all other which is the matter of Religion Must not one radicall error there cause an infinite pudder in the consequences thereof Yes verily no remedy of it Reason 2 Secondly by law of contraries it must needs follow For if true peace in our course attend the cleaving to our rule because the whole safety of it hangs upon the grounds and directions of truth which minister life support light and defence to the particular practise how can it chuse but that those who warpe from the rule must of necessity forfeit peace and runne upon confusion See Gal. 6. He that walkes according to rule peace shall be to him For when the rule holds entire it ministers peace to the soule in all her actions even as a sound inside of health in the heart liver and braine ministers content to the body in all her operations And contrarily if the rule be broken it fares with the life as it fares with the operations of nature when the inward parts wax diseased a palsey braine causeth the members to flag and hang downe an ill liver causeth the body to swell Even so is it with a spirituall man All the acts of Religion must issue from the soundnesse of rule and grounds if either there be knowledge or no sincerity or if there both yet some maine error creep in between the joynts secretly lo all the whole life is miscarried and those errors which we see may thanke some rooted one which we see not because it affords continuall succour unto it Reason 3 Lastly Religion is an holy harmony and consent agreeing in all her parts most sweetly Religion is like an harmony Eccles 10.1 As a song sung or lesson plaid in musicke let but one disproportion bee in the tone and voice one string jarring in the instrument the whole melody is marred one dead fly marres the whole box of ointment So is it in Religion each part affects the other by consent an error in one makes a jarre in all either there must be a sutablenesse in all or else there is a disorder in the whole If then a string amisse be enough to spoile musicke what is an error in the instrument
the vile that is the worke of his owne convincing spirit from the worke of their owne rebellious nature their discontent their fullennesse melancholy feares and other extremities that cleave unto them Also that he would shew them what hee hath done for them already that they may not provoke him by unthankefulnesse and what is yet to be done and at what especiall knots and objections they sticke what their chiefe barres and lets are which most hold them downe and if they cannot feele themselves rid of these confusions of spirit yet that the Lord would take away that wilfulnesse of stomacke that crossenesse that waywardnesse which makes their disease so ranckle in them and send them to seeke advice with a minde desirous to subject it selfe to God and to his ordinance and to mourne when it cannot being held in the chaines of it owne horrors or rebellion And secondly let them commend the enterprise in hand to God for successe that the Lord would bee pleased to dispose of the understanding of him that is to advise them that he may bee as from God unto them like Elihu that he may discerne of their complaints rectifie their errors meet with their corruption shew them their state and wants and comfort them at the heart as God allowes them That if they cannot at the first finde stay and support yet if they see but a little light at a crevis they may be glad of a little and not be dismaid that they may seeke still after counsell till the worke by degrees be perfected that they may not lay stumbling blocks in their owne way to fall by but hold the measure of light so farre as they are come waiting till God reveale the rest and not defiling their consciences the whiles Phil. 3.15 and so make the worke new to beginne Thirdly that the Minister of God may be wise as an Angell of God as well to find out apt and meete Scriptures to encounter the soule as the need thereof requireth either threats or promises or other sentences and when they see that these are urged not by the authority of a man but of God whom they only must look at in this case and not man that then their base hearts may no further kick cavill and gainesay and so put the Minister of God to a double toile not only to conflict with their reall distresse but also with their wilfull and accidentall sullennesse pride and rebellion Fourthly let them crave of God a wise utterance of their estate to the Minister of God or at least an inckling thereof that it may not be mistaken for a crooked rule being put into a mans hand will force him to make a wrong line though his skill be good enough to draw a right one Fifthly chuse thee out a faithfull interpreter one of a thousand for love lenity skill patience long suffering bowells of compassion and experience For such a mercury is not made of every blocke thou maist else light on miserable comforters Sixtly above all other things let such persons beware of any base motive or principle leading them to aske advice let them not affect any sinister respects nor aime at any base ends to bee noted for zeale to thinke themselves safe because they have taken counsell to choake and smother the accusations of conscience to make them bolder in sin to pretend and alledge the counsell and comfort of such a Minister to harden themselves against any just reproofes which after may bee urged upon them and the like base ends whereof the bouget of mans vile heart is fraught and full especially in this formall crafty age wherein every one will be Religious and Satan transformeth himselfe into an Angell of light For by this meanes that uncleane spirit will returne with seven worse then himselfe and defile more dangerously But let thy aimes in this worke be honest simple and sincere to goe forward with God according to thy light cheerfully and humbly and so looke to prosper Secondly for the Minister of God let him be exhorted also first 2. Branch to Ministers 3. Things Abhorre error and prejudice 1. Error to cast out all bad principles perverting the spirit of counsell and crossing the gift of restoring the weake And these are first a prejudicate sowre heart enclined to sinister thoughts of the afflicted conceiving them according to carnall reason and not discerning the worke of Gods spirit in such This is no common grace to have a cleere spirit this way For the spirit that is in us lusts after envy We are all a kinne to old Eli who seeing poore Hanna sitting sad with her lippes moving and no voice thought her drunke But when he perceived her to bee a woman of a troubled spirit 1 Sam. 1.13.14 powring out her soule from a full heart to the Lord and understanding the cause he became a Prophet of God unto her for her satisfaction and comfort 2. Error 3. Error Beware therefore of a base heart of prejudice error misprision rashnesse And yet take heed also that love and pitty make us not too hasty in comfort Also ease unmercifulnesse unbeteamingnesse sullennesse uncharitablenesse wearinesse and loathnesse to be enlarged in our bowells as the Lord allowes us of which disease Ionah was sicke 4. Error Also waspishnesse suddennesse and hastinesse whereby as Physitians cutting off their patients in their complaints they are impatient to heare and so discourage them I confesse that the talkatives and vanity of many weake ones in their complaints who in stead of inclining their eare and hearing that their soules might live are swifter to jangle to neglect that which which is spoken then to marke and have never done with idle repetitions may sometimes cause a wise counsellor to chide and reprove them justly yet with tendernesse and meekenesse And the like I may say of those endlesse answers which many make when they are demanded how counsell hath prevailed and they rather bewray themselves worse and worse then better and better for though it be not in our power to settle the spirit sooner then the Lord please yet it behoves not any distressed soule so to nourish themselves in their lowring and distempers as to dismay the Minister but rather by wise concealement or desire of new satisfaction to draw his heart to pray for them more earnestly and waite more patiently till the spirit shall blow peace upon them The second duty Practise This preparation being made the next exhortation is that the Minister of God do first meekly then wisely speak to the heart of the afflicted For the first of these it is a duty much pressed and exemplified in Scripture I say a mercifull and loving heart of fellow feeling and tendernesse to the heavy Fot hereby the Minister of God conveieth the heart of the Lord Jesus into the soul of the afflicted of whom it is said He had learned compassion towards them by his owne sufferings Heb. 2.18 that so
pleasures But leave we such to themselves and trust we God who hath taken such strickt order for our provision and contentment so long as we be faithfull As Peter speakes Feed we the flocke of Christ not for filthy lucre sake or from a greedinesse of gaine Pet. 5.2 but from a ready minde well appaid and satisfied with our service as serving a good Master who will see us abundantly requited Josh 13.33 The Lord told the tribe of Levi that they should have no inheritance among their brethren in the division of Canaan For why He himselfe would be their portion He had taken good and sure order for them and theirs that they should have no cause to complaine And so he did For so long as they walked in their places faithfully they were richly provided for Should the Levites then murmâ—re against God for this unequall distribution Should they cavill against him and say that he had cut them off from their hopes and means and preferred their brethren before them so that they must wait upon their trenchers and feed upon their scraps No no Rather he had exalted them above their brethren and alotted them a portion out of their estates by a command so that now their life was a life of faith their duty was to feed his people in Iaacob and his inheritance in Israel Their lips were to preserve knowledge so that the people might from their mouthes understand the lore and law of God If they attended these things well they were to cast themselves upon God for the rest who was their God allsufficient in a more eminent measure then any of the other Tribes Even so let the same care of God for us encourage us to our worke Let us not forsake this plow of the Ministry looking backe after the world and our owne ends Let us not distrust him for sinister and outward respects The world is unthankefull and the hearts of men very false and hollow this might cause us to forsake conscience and seeke our owne ends leave our studies conceale needfull discountenanced truths pick quarrells with our calling and alledge that we Ministers of all others are meanliest appointed exposed to the wrong and base usage of men that know not their worth nor how to prise their paines Therefore they must be faine to be lesse attendant to reading study oversight visitation of the people and regarding of their soules They must be compelled to turne Purchasers Usurers Merchants Husbandmen and to busie themselves deeply in the world They have a charge to looke too wife and children to maintaine and they know if they bee gone no body will looke after their posterity therefore if they turne their studies and Ministeries into carkings and toylings for the world let none blame them Well there is no doubt some cause to accuse the unthankefulnesse of people But of all others you may worst complaine for you rather harden their hearts by your own covetousnesse and base dishonouring of your Ministry by your sloth and idlenesse then procure to your selves or deserve respect and esteem from them they only may plead that who cleave to their Ministry and be instant in season and out of season not distrustfull Tit. 1.6 slothfull Cretians and worldlings and therefore be admonished Take not an occasion by the sinnes of the people to distrust God but rather by the promise of God abhorre your ease and distrust and fall to Gods work with cheerfulnesse and good conscience Againe seeing God hath taken the care for us Ministers 2. Branch Admonition Snare not our consciences in doing our worke whiles we are at worke let us not snare our selves with an ill conscience in the doing of our worke God is not tyed to our sinne for the meanes of supporting us Many make it a strong argument for the swallowing of any gobbets and to defend themselves in their flattering of their betters in their sinne smoothing and blanching them in their base courses because else say they wee shall not have their good will encouragement and assistance Great mens frownes are now a dayes all in all to scare men from faithfulnesse in their Ministry And if any perill or danger be cast in mens way for keeping of conscience presently this objection offers it selfe but what shall wee doe would you have us beg endanger our estates and freeholds our liberties and welfares Alas poore soules Is this the thanke which you returne to God for his alsufficient providing for you Should you distrust him after all the care which hee hath taken 1 Pet. 3. Should you now as Peter speaks cry a confederacy with the wicked cleave to base dishonourable courses to attaine your owne ends as if there were no God to provide It were base enough to do thus if the Lord hath left you at six and sevens to shift for your selves but having so faithfully promised to see to you while you are faithfull why should so vile a thought enter into you as to imagine that except you lick up the scurfe of the time and play the temporizers and hypocrites against conscience you must needs want supplies and be destitute of maintenance No no Trust God walke in your uprightnesse feare not the feares of the malicious but sanctifie the Lord God in your heart who hath promised to bee with you to the end of the world Matth. 28. ult Let him be your fear Let his promise be your strong hold forsake him not and he will not faile you he hath a treasure hid in the bowels of the earth for those that cleave to him and warpe not from him by an ill conscience hee hath not set men on worke to honour and support them to the end that he himselfe should let them sinke or swim if others should happly neglect them but in such a case he will step in himselfe and be their God alsufficient rather then faile so that they shall say by experience There is nothing lost by trusting God Heb. 13.5 At the hardest they have Gods bond to put in sure and he hath said 1 Pet. 4. ult Matth. 16.26 Habac. 3. He will not faile them Fear not therefore what man can do But in well doing commit your self unto him who is a faithfull keeper lose not conscience for what shall a man give for the recompence of ir Can all that a man gaines by such a bargaine requite his losse No surely Therefore quiet our selves though there were no calfe in the stall or bullocke in the flock yet the Lord will be your strong salvation I have seen the posterity of the idle scandalous covetous of Epicures and lovers of their owne bellles ease and lusts such as with Hophni and Phinees have stollen from Gods sacrifices to serve their owne turnes to beg their bread yea in that very place 1 Sam. 3. it s threatned But never saw I the righteous forsaken I have heard of a faithfull Minister who refused to change his living
pride earthly hearts abides in them and annoyes them they cannot thinke the promise concernes them Oh! if they could finde themselves rid of these they should have hope else none Others cast their thoughts afarre off and thinke that faith carries with it the implied condition of such a change for time to come as they shall never attaine too For say these beleevers must be holy and cleane whereas we carry such base lusts about us hearts so hardned with sins that we cannot repent it were death to us to forgoe some beloved evills or to keep within a compasse of an holy course for any time As good tye a Tygre to a rope and make him to plow the furrowes as their wilde hearts to any duty and good behaviour And when they are told that faith will purge their hearts and they must not forestall God then they say though they should repent yet they should never persevere Before they dye the Divell who owes them a mischiefe will surely pay it them one temptation or other will foile and betray them so that ere they die they shal revolt most fouly and fall away like Demas Hymeneus and so goe to their grave with misery without returning to God and besides bring such a staine upon the Gospel as will never bee worne out There are others discouraged by the long space of time since they came to see themselves under the condition of grace as to be lost broken c. and yet they come not to any sound settling upon the promise if God they say meant to save them at all he would have saved them long ere now for they were once farre more tender then now they are they were at first onely guilty of sinnes against the Law but now they have added sinnes against the Gospel also as it were drunkennesse to thirst yea they are hardned sapped and past feeling And moreover they see many others who beganne farre later then they yet are got before them as in other gifts and graces so in faith and insight into the mystery of Christ in which they grow not but notwithstanding all meanes abide so silly so simple so ignorant and uncapable that there is little or no probability of being better They feele little difference neither they say in their course but alway in darkenesse sad feares going on and on but gaining no ground nor growing more toward the hope of beleeving and therefore they conclude that they belong not to Gods number they are not surely chosen of God and therefore they may will and runne long enough but they shall not finde mercy And so long as this bone sticks in the throat how should any savour of the promise goe downe their stomacks or enter into their hearts Another sort by these and the like distempers wax sullen and transported with melancholy and mopishnesse and grow therein so obstinate and that they will heare no counsell they know they say what their destiny is therefore let no body trouble himselfe about them As it is and hath beene so it will be with them still They know as much as any Minister can teach them They will not bee brought so much as to consent that there is any better estate then they live in neither doe they thinke that any can have any more assurance then themselves if they see any Christians merier then themselves they presently judge them to be presumptuous hypocrites and condemne them Others do not so much censure others as themselves and grow conceited against the meanes will not be perswaded to heare or pray because they doe but encrease their damnation nay but for necessity of nature they would not eat their meat nor drinke when they are athirst nor goe to any nor suffer any to come at them neither aske nor take counsell for they say these things belong to them whose they are But they are none of Christs and therefore have no right unto them And yet even many of these setting aside the malice of Satan holding them under with this melancholy of body or conceit of minde or both have given good signes of a loaden broken and desirous heart To draw to an end the most sad hindrance of all is that the beauty of the promise the good things of God given to his are not seene into by them They have not yet met with the spirit of light and perswasion somewhat or other hath dazled it either their confidence that it shall be well with them or their neglect of meanes or their using them in a scanty slacke and formall manner or their subtilty closenesse slynesse loathnesse to part with their pleasures or some bitter roote of earthlinesse which dampes the esteeme of the Lord Jesus they cannot be gastered from the creature it is so naturall so rooted in them or some base thing or other they will nourish as sugar under the tongue and hope to reconcile it with Christ so that both may goe together loth they are that onely bare and naked Christ should beare sway and come into a naked house or else I say the true kindly and cleere beauty of that which the promise presenteth to a soule under a condition is by some meanes hidden from them as by error and misconceiving what faith is by giddinesse by forgetfulnesse by foolish intermedling with many things Luke 11. one thing being necessary by little meditation applying pondering and incorporating the word into their hearts by stumbling at the very point in hand thinking that seeing good onely can and in time will releeve the soule therefore let all goe cast all upon God and be lazy and secure But one more I will adde of most usuall error to many especially such as are ungrounded and that is in the putting no difference between Doctrines and Truths handled in the course of their hearing As it is a sad error of some men that so they preach it skills not what nor how They little attend the estates periods and degrees of their people so the people are like them so they heare the truth they little minde what truths doe most concerne them 2 Tim. 3.7 and so alway are hearing but never come to knowledge Why They are foolish and undiscerning All is fish which comes to the net and they embrace alike one and other whereas although all be good yet it concernes them to looke out such as might fit their needs and further them in the worke they aime at Tell a woman whose fruit is come to the birth of this tale and that aske her what linnen she hath or what meat she will eat doth she savour such questions Are they not tedious Doth she not aime at one thing that is how she may get strength to bring forth So should an hearer that seekes the fruit of his labour not while himselfe with every truth lesse concerning for the present but hearkning after such as may answer his doubts cleere his objections reveale that which he most wants and which
handle him in this We look rather at our little sins in our beleeving then his great promises Oh saith one if my sinnes had not been so deep died so odious and long lien in I should hope well Rather thou shouldest say if mine heart were not so hardned that I am past all feeling and faith I should doe well If thy sinnes have not driven thee to be desperate in rebellion and contempt they are not surely too great for mercy to pardon Looke upon Manasse and Paul 1 Tim. 1.13 Though I were a persecutor a blasphemer and injurious Chron. 33.12 yet mercy and truth abounded in Christ Jesus He saith not sinne abounded beyond mercy Oh saith another But I have sinned since my first enlightning sin'd against the remedy adding drunkennesse to thirst What Dost thou so still and nourish a rotten peace and a secure heart still against the promise No but thou doubtest that thy abusing the meanes and hardning of heart will not be pardoned But know that the Lord Jesus his sufferings are of a deeper nature to merit then thy sinnes to destroy He was made all sinne 2 Cor. 5.21 satisfied for all sinne he was a nature of sinners not a sinfull person onely and therefore can pardon even them that murthered him and not in vain is that example set down in Acts 2.30 to prevent that feare They who come to Christ must come to him not as the greatest sinners onely but as to the greatest Saviour able perfectly to save all who come unto him The strongest eye must bee cast upon his strength Heb. 7.25 Esay 27.5 not upon thy deservings The mystery of mercy is to save to the uttermost that so the soul may break and God may be honoured to the uttermost Well but yet he pardons none save such as have faith and how shall I know that he will give it me I answer the promise that offers pardon workes faith to beleeve it and therefore it s said that it creates the fruit of the lips Esay 57.16 Matth. 11.29 which is peace it offers ease to him that is loaden if it offer the effect it must needs worke the cause But saith a poore soule this might be if mine affections would rise to it with some earnestnesse but I am dead and under infirmity Nay even then also can the Lord create this hand of faith in thee 2 Cor. 12.9 by the seed of the word how did Paul lie under sad buffetings yet this grace was sufficient for him In a word what ever the sense of thy weaknesse be yet its Gods strength which thou must take hold on to make peace and that comprehends thy weaknesse when thou canst not comprehend that strength So much for this Fifthly this reproves such as runne to promises without wisdome Branch 5 aptnesse Unapt appliers of promises or other parts of the word reproved and the particular necessities under which they live When they should runne to the promise for comfort they rather please themselves in running to the threats of the word for deeper humbling that pleases them better because they thinke it may better be felt but this course sutes not with the truth as it is in Jesus which requires that each malady apply it selfe to her proper remedy This causes the wound to rankle not to heale When men are called to doe some speciall service and duty they forsake that and rush themselves upon suffering promising to themselves that God will sustaine them and so provoke needlesse sorrow like Ionah to themselves and all by their rashnesse Others being called to suffer Jona 1.6 shunne that and promise to themselves strength in doing But this is to misapply promises for they alway attend upon commands and while we be in Gods way not our owne God payes no man wages for doing his own work Others promise themselves great blessings upon attempting difficult workes above their strength unto which they have no calling leaving their Ministery ere God knocke them off or thrusting themselves into trades in which they want skill leaving their owne and the like But the wiser way for them were to apply themselves unto promises which concerne those speciall callings conditions and waies unto which God calles them Branch 6 Sixtly and lastly those are here to be reproved who doe in any kinde goe to worke preposterously with the promises Preposterous appliers of promises reproved contrary to their nature and use or scope who separate them from their end which is to mortifie purifie and better the soule as well as to comfort and pacifie it Also all such as mistake discover darken stretch dis-joint the promises who take not such a due measure of the promises as they ought putting them on as they may best fit them and so never come to the kindly use and fruit thereof as the Lord offers them Of which I say no more this shall serve for this whole Use of reproofe Thirdly this point serves for Exhortation Exhortation to incite and draw all who Vse 3 would beleeve aright to beleeve according to the uttermost extent and purpose of a promise and not to defraud the soule of that due which the Lord allowes her This is the way to engage the soule in God to walke most comfortaly in the life and practice of faith God requires no small service and cost at his peoples hands which will hardly be except the soule be deep in Gods bookes and that cannot be till she come to beleeve promises according to their full extent To this end two things would be knowne First 2. Questions 1. How a promise beleeved what should the soule doe that she might beleeve a promise according to the reach of it Secondly how should she practise and set this grace on worke For the former of these three things would be done First 1. A promise must be sounded the soule must fathom and comprehend a promise truly Eph. 3.15.16 That you may comprehend with all Saints what is the length c. That which the woman John 4. tells our Saviour I may say of this The Well is deepe and there is nothing to draw with There is depth in a promise but few are men of understanding to fetch it out There may be enough in it for ought most men looke after their shallownesse discourages them from attempting it Vertue is gone out of the Lord Jesus into it both for life and godlinesse this and a better life in crosses and blessings for all turnes so that each idle cavill of a base heart ought not to elude it Hath God set it open for his whole Church to be filled with the fulnesse thereof and shall it not be sufficient for a poore members supply Accustome thy selfe to deal with a promise as the marriner doth with the sea whose depth he is ever and anon sounding lest his ship should runne a ground and be swallowed up Thy misunderstanding may eclipse the beauty of it
as you know And so I say to us Levit. 26.21 If wee walke contrary toward the Lord hee will walke contrary to us trust to it And that not onely in case of foule revolts if wee should play the Adulterers Oppressors Blasphemers c. Such sinnes wee dare not meddle with haply for the lowd cry and inward wasting of conscience Heb. 10.37 But yet perhaps we dare withdraw our selves from God by unbeliefe fall out of love with his promises wee dare forgoe our joy and delight which we have had in his presence Jer. 2.13 and runne to pits which will hold no water as if the fountaine were unpleasant Wee dare suffer that pretious seed of Life to dye if it may dye in us and walke deadly coldly basely in our course We dare allay and forsake our first love to God and zeale to his truth wee dare run to the course of this declining formall saplesse and powerlesse world and shake off all spirituall closenesse and communion with God and yet wee thinke to doe well But know it this is the great quarrell of all Levit. 26.25 I meane the quarrell of Gods covenant God will avenge it sadly his soule shall have no pleasure in such Lay it to your hearts brethren and know the performance of promises is the immediate way whereby the Spirit of Grace conveyes the presence of God to his servants Wee have no voice to heare nor sights to see save the voyce and light of the promises If we can cleave to them we hold the Lord and hee is present in our soules as he was to Paul in that sad darknesse Acts 27.23 But if wee shake off the life of faith where is our title to the performing of promises or where is our right to the presence of God I remember what the Lord tells those Israelites in the Wildernesse I will send my Angell before you Exod. 23.20 and he shall carry you forth in your journey But take heed you grieve him not for he will not spare you but withdraw his presence from you So say I We would claime Gods presence and God must bee our God and performe all promises as fast as we gape after them But in the meane season we leave the condition at large Some of us have formerly been zealous yea suffered for God and lost our credit our goods our liberties for him Here was life and power but now wee hold but a carkasse of the old temper a meere name that we live wee are growne Polititians civilians close professors wise in our way rest in the fagge end of formality and common worship And what thinke we May we be as bold upon performance of promises as formerly May we chalenge the presence of God in his Word as formerly No no others of us dare be forward with God as Iona was nourish our spirits in anger Jona 1. 4. let the Sunne goe downe upon it rage and raile like mad men in our moods And if we be told of it wee will defend it we will be so for we say our wrong was reall and flesh and bloud cannot beare it What Will you flye from God and looke that hee should follow you up and downe Judg. 19.3 as the foolish Levite did his whorish Concubine Others of us dare abuse the Sabbath or else have no delight in it speaking our owne words Others cannot be rated off from the creature but run after our profits wills vanities pleasures fashions and cocker our children therein without checke Others will take the uttermost of our liberties and goe upon the brinke Others regard not our families set not up the worship of God there or pray for fashion Others are growne just to the frame of the times and give God so much and no more then the common sort doe and yet passe well And so I might be endlesse But know it Brethren Gods promises are like himselfe and are faithfully performed on his part howbeit if this be our frame we shall finde a change and hee will take in his Sun-shine we shall not finde his presence as in former times to us Job 6. and throughout Did the Lord withdraw himselfe from holy Iob while he walked in uprightnesse and eclipse his presence and promises from him write bitter things against him compasse him about with terrors hide his face and all justly even to humble him more deeply and prevent that which else prosperity might have bred in him Wonder not then brethren if the Lord withdraw himselfe from us and turne away his performing of promises into breach of covenant when hee meets with such scurfe as this in our hearts and lives And let the use of the point in Gods name be this which I pray us all to oberve that henceforth we cease to wonder if wee finde the Lord otherwise towards us then formerly so long as the quarrell of his Covenant depends I grant that there were never any dayes such as ours in point of complaint of Gods absence darknesse and not performing of promises But withall consider when were there such wofull dayes of Revolts Apostasies from God and the power of his truth as now Each face is pale and each hand is upon the pained side But it is rather because men may not have their will of God and keep him close in performance of promises when yet their lives swarme with all abominations Should I not be avenged of such time-servers and hypocrites as these saith the Lord in the Prophet doe you wonder if hee have hidden himselfe Esay 1. and doth count you as you are refusing to performe promises No no wonder not wonder rather if he should looke not for it till you repent If he darken himselfe in the chiefe promise of pardon of peace and comfort in conscience or in point of his Spirit of presence and the graces of it as humblenesse and patience love and mercy if he shorten you in the beauty of your conversation that your lives are not so sweet Spirituall penalties attend spirituall sins your light not so cleare as in time past if hee absent himselfe from you in his Ordinances restraining the influence of them suffering them to be dark and fruitlesse if he leave you in your companies to bee unprofitable in your liberties to bee carnall in your solitarinesse to be dead hearted if he harden your hearts and cause you to erre from his waies so that all your praiers fastings sacraments covenants should come forth at your nostrils as irkesome as those Quales did I say wonder not it s but righteous Make this use of it Vse Breakers of covenant with God shall finde God breake with them to abhorre boldnesse with God in challenging promises to be performed when you breake the condition Rather enter into your soules and search out the cause of the Lords absence saying it was not wont to be thus that thou shouldest breake promise thus Lord and leave me
at times or a little water in a glasse to keepe it sweet will this prove a cure Or if he go to a cunning Chirurgion and he tell him I can cure you and make you as sound a man as ever you were but then you must be at some cost endure some paine be content to be lanced or to have your sore search'd to the quick or to have the dead flesh deeply corrasived and then to be tented and to be patient till it be quite healed But then the sore man should say Alas here is cost I am loth to waite so long Can you not bind it up for me the whiles and keepe it warme and the Ague from taking it if you can I le be content a while and hereafter I will come againe But by that time the sore is gangreen'd or fistulated or hath taken the bone and marrow and the Cihrurgion tels him it is incurable his legge must be cut off or it will cost him his life Would any man praise this man Surely such are many lazars cures even such as will make them creeples or bed-rid ones But sound cures we heare of few In the feare of God take warning All cures are not of one sort God can bee slight with the slight and sound with the sound Therefore come unto him open thy wound move him to pity thou art but a dead man if he helpe not come ere thy heart be quite hardned and past hope confesse his skill submit to his cure let him search tent and handle thee as he will If a sound cure be thine aime to get an heart truly purged of thy humours broken beleeving and repentant know the Lord can cure thee wholly as good cheape as by halfes renounce thy patchery and hollownesse and come to plaine termes and he can make thy flesh come againe as a childs But know that till then no spirit of a cure will be seene in thee nothing save a shifting shuffling doubtfull darke and staggering course will be come by Onely this sound cure will create a spirit of cure in thee to be a zealous humble and close Christian to be for the honour of Him who hath delivered thee from death and hell which no Physitian under Heaven save him selfe could have done for thee Use 2 Secondly Terrour this may be terrour to all whose frame is contrary Branch 1 to this spirit of Grace and Conversion So farre from being for God his Glory his Gospel and Ordinances so farre from the spirit of thankes Terrour to all such as nourish open and notorious diseases in themselves zeale and joy for grace and pardon that they still continue in the myre of their owne filth and still wallow in their defilements of covetousnesse prophanenesse uncleannesse and the like wofull wayes So contrary to the spirit of such as God hath healed that they carry about and upon them the nasty and leprous skin of Naaman An heathenish brutish and ignorant mind void of all light of truth an uncircumcised heart a rebellious obstinate and impenitent course fraught with all sinne possesses them I may say these rather have the spirit of deepe and mortall disease upon them then the spirit of a cure they carry that in their bosomes which is farre more mortall then Naamans disease To wit the spirit of old Adam of blindnesse bad customes the spirit of the earth and their lusts nay worse the spirit of rebellion malice and untractablenesse of heart they will not be reproved nor convinced but fight against the Lord and his truth yea some of them against their owne light which is as contrary to the spirit of Grace as can be Oh! the sinnes they commit are committed with an high hand they were never slaine by the killing letter of the Law but are alive jolly and secure their sinne weares a Crowne the King is not higher when he weares his Crowne then these are when they are in their Alehouses their games their adulterous and ungodly practises Their tongues are their owne for they were never redeemed with a price their passions humours are violent Their thoughts Psal 12.5 1 Cor. 6.20 Esay 13.22 a very through-fare for the Devill as Esay saith an habitation of Dragons and Ostriches so furious so false in their dealings so intemperate that none can live by them Brethren it is one thing to have sinne another to have a spirit of sinne A spirit of wrath is a prevailing habitednesse of it a spirit of revenge is a restlesse spirit never quiet till it have wreckt it selfe upon an enemy a spirit of uncleannesse is to be given over to it a spirit of the world is when not onely the soule hath the world but the world hath it It is one thing for a man to fall into a river and to have some water got into his body A spirit of sin what and how fearfull it is Heb. 13.5 another to lie under water and to be drown'd in it The Apostle Heb. 13.5 tels us of a conversation in covetousnesse or the love of silver as the word is which is then when a man is in the power of that lust when it hath got the soule into her snare and chaines so that the flame and bent of it is for gaine all the thoughts affections and devices of the heart are that way sleeping waking alone or in company in calling or in worship of God worky dayes or Sabbaths all is fish comes to net with such a base heart as is powred out after that Idoll And Brethren how many still of our people are such as these So farre from the spirit of Grace tendernesse 2 Cor. 4.4 compassions bowels of deare affection to God to his truth and Name that rather the spirit of the Prince of this world rules in them acts and carries them as sworne slaves of hell and foes of grace according to his owne pleasure Oh brethren these are the sadde times wherein the true spirit of Grace and of a converted soule are rare dainties Since the power of the Gospel hath beene resisted God hath given men over to the spirit of all sensuall prophanenesse The spirit of roysting swearing drunkennesse long lockes and all lust yea scorning the Gospell and all wholsome Ministery is come in stead thereof That promise of powring out the spirit of prophecie upon all flesh is gone The spirit of the Stewes and Alehouse Ioel 2. ignorance and every man for himselfe is come in The faces of men and women are altred with their spirits into the faces of Lions Wolves and foxes The Gospel serves either for a stalking-horse of hypocrites or a scare-crow of the lewd Except God be a breaking off our whole frame and knocking together of our old brasse and pewter to melt us and mould us anew in the Furnace of affliction I know not what to thinke of the spirit that rules among us If Heathens should see some of us it would make them loath the Gospel and