many more such like which make the child of God doubt and take him at another time when Sathan doth not batter him when the sense of his unworthynesse doth not terrifie him when God hath not withdrawn himselfe from his soule when hee is not opprest with a floud of danger suddenly overwhelming him the man doubteth not at all But now the reprobates doubts are occasioned by despairing thoughts God sayes to him as Ier. 2. 25. Withhold thy foot from being unshod and thy threat from thirst but thou saidst there is no hope the case is desperate with me and there is good reason for his despairing for at that same time that he sayes There is no hope he also sayes no For I have loved strangers and after them will I go I have loved my sinnes and lived in them yea and I will love and live in them and for such wretches they truly say There is no hope Here 's a great difference betwixt the Beleever and the Reprobate in doubting the Reprobates hope is cut off from before the Lord their hope is as the giving up of the ghost as Iob speakes Iob 11. v. 20. Now the Saint of God though hee doubts yet hee doubts not without abundance of hope hee hath a strong and lively hope for that concerning which he doubteth The Lord sayes to the wicked Returne you now every one from his evill way and make your wayes and your doings good the blessing upon it is not exprest And they There is no hope and what then Wee will walke after our owne devices and we will every one do after the imagination of his evill heart Now the Beleever although he be ready to dye with doubting yet he hopes Pro. 14. 32. The righteous hath hope in his death So that the occasion of the wicked wretches doubting is either an atheisticall ignorance or a plain despair of mercy They say there is no hope and hence it is that terrors make the wretches afraid and this is easily seen for if despaire be their principle or occasion they will resolve to damne themselves to purpose and say with the Iewes Wee will walk after our own wayes c. seeing there is no hope as we conceive that God will doe us good we will resolve to do him as much mischiefe as we can this is the second note Now Christian examine thy doubtings by it doest thou think there is no hope and therefore doubtest whether the promise belongs to thee or no or hath Sathan been busie with thy soule by his temptations or hath God withdrawn his comfortable presence a little or art thou under the sense of a present sad danger and have these occasioned thy present doubting Thus the best Saints of God may doubt Thirdly thou mayest distinguish thy doubting by the object about which thou doubtest examine the object of thy doubting 1. Something in God is ordinarily the object of the wickeds doubt but the object of the Beleevers doubting is ordinarily something in himselfe something below the Creator The Beleever hath ordinarily high thoughts of God and Jesus Christ his low base thoughts are of himself he lookes upon God as a God mighty in his power of mercy free of his loving heart to poor creatures but he sayes Lord I am unworthy that thou shouldst come under my roofe therefore I doubt whether thou wilt or no will the Lord pardon one that hath refused pardon denyed him slidden back from him the Beleever sayes not God cannot save me nor yet God will not save me but I will not bee saved Ah! Sir it is my base heart is my damnation I cannot goe to Iesus Christ. Ah! I cannot beleeve therefore I am full of doubts hee doubts of his own goodnesse not of Gods he hath all this while high admiring thoughts of the free grace of a sinne-pardoning Saviour Now the wicked wretch he sayes God is not mercifull enough God doth but juggle with sinners his Gospell cals all sinners his election book sayes he will call but some I doubt whether I be one of those that am called but not chosen thus the wretch layes all the fault upon God Christ never dyed for me c. God will never save me c. still the the wretch makes the mole in Gods eye and forgets the beame which is in his owne eye the power of God the free will and grace of God upon these is all the blame laid and concerning these he doubts The reason of this difference is very plaine First because it is naturall to every carnall wretch to exalt himselfe no fault must be in themselves no they pray they fast they are good Churchmen they read c. they beleeve as well as any in the Country where they live they tythe mint and annise now therefore if God will not save them it is not because of their blindnesse and sin for are they blinde like the Papist if he misseth Heaven it shall not be because he doth not merrit it but meerely because God will not giue it him like those Matth. 7. 24. Lord wee have prayed in thy name and we have prophesied in thy name and in thy name we have cast out Devills therefore open to us Naturall unbeleeving wretches build Castleâ— in the ayre have high opinions of their owne doings they never doubt their owne worthinesse but Gods willingnesse It is not a doubting of humility Lord who am I c. Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roofe but it is a doubting of Gods willingnesse Secondly It is not a doubting of Gods willingnesse bottomed upon a deep and horrid sense of their own unworthinesse but a doubt of Gods willingnesse yet supposing their owne worthinesse The best child of God may sometimes have so low apprehensions of himselfe and his own vilenesse and unworthinesse that he may seeme a little to doubt of Gods willingnesse or at least dispute he may disceptare if not dubitare say will God be mercifull to such a wretch as I am though hee hath a good measure of confidence and perswasion in the interim that he will not understanding that even in this there is a secret dishonouring of God and slandering of the Charter of free grace Secondly now on the contrary the childe of God makes something in himselfe the object of his doubting in regard of the exceeding low thoughts of himselfe and present understanding of infinite love he looks upon himselfe all filthy and polluted a monster of sinning a â—it object for wrath upon all his righteousnesse as a menstruous cloth and a filthyrag and cries out what is thy servant a dead dog that my Lord should make this promise to me no surely it is to some else that is not of so unclean an heart that hath not so base an heart as I have though yet I say here is a misunderstanding of infinite love for Christ came not to call the Righteous but â—inners to repentance hee that comes as a buyer of
is an assent a yielding in thy soul to the word of God an agreement to the truth of it Exod. 14. 31. Israel beleeved the Lord and his servant Moses viz. gave credence and assent agreed that it was just and good and true that the Lord spake and relied upon the authority of him that spake it So by this act of Faith doth the beleever when he hears the word of God revealed concerning his salvation he closeth with it as suppose that Ioh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever beleeves in him should not perish but have everlasting life Or that of the Apostle There is no other name under heaven whereby a man may be saved but the name of Iesus or that again This a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation that Iesus Christ came into the world to save sinners Faith now doth not onely know this but closeth with God in these truths And so concerning the promises of salvation when God sayes Though your sins were as scarlet I will make them as snow though they were as crimson yet they shall be white as wooll Faiths work now is to perswade the soul to an assent to and credence of the truth of this good word of God yea and it is not every assent that is an act of Faith neither First It must be a stedfast assent The beleever doth as verily beleeve the promise of God as that he doth live he sayes in his heart and with his whole heart First The word that tells me this is the world of an ever-living and unchangeable God and it is undoubtedly his Word Secondly It is the word of a true and faithfull God The Apostle calls Gods Word The word of truth And it is the word of truth either materially the matter of it is truth or objectively the object of it is truth It hath the God of truth for the Author It is whole truth for the matter And this the beleever gives full and stedfast credit unto Secondly Yea and he gives credit to every truth that the word of God holds out to him as truth Faith quickens the soul to thirst after full discoveries of truth and quickens the soul to receive every beam of the light of truth that shines into it The Hebrews say That there is not the least tittle of the law upon which great mountains do not depend The beleever saith there 's not the least jot in the word of God upon which great mountains of truth do not depend not any leaf but the God of truth is wrapt up in I remember that it was Gods command in the 28. cha of Deut. That when the severall curses were read all the people should say Amen and that not to this or that curse but at the denuntiation of every curse all the people said Amen I do not reade the like command when the blessings were pronounced yet without question their assent was required to them as well as the other But our hearts are ready enough to say Amen to blessings and promises but we would not say Amen to threatnings and curses Now the beleever gives assent and credence to the word of God V. Balls Treat of Faith 1. p. even there where it seemeth most to strike at his own interest and happinesse he beleeves all things that are written in the law and the Prophets Acts 24. 14. Yea and he gives thirdly a clear assent to the word of God and every portion of it He is not like him that saith Amen to any thing he will give his assent to every piece of the word of God and yet not a blinde assent to any piece of it but every truth that he assents unto shines into his soul with a light as clear as the suns at high-noon-day As Christ told the woman of Samaria Ioh. 4. 22. You worship you know not what but we know what we worship The discourse had been very high about very great mysteries Christ had told her of a strange gift he would give her Living water v. 10. That should have a strange quality even a quality to quench thirst for ever v. 14. She gave some assent to this the water pleased her tast but it was but a blinde assent for she dreamed of such a water as might satisfie her bodily thirst that she might no more come thither to draw And v. 20. When she made a confession of her Faith to Jesus Christ that it was just of the same length bredth of her fathers not an inch longer nor shorter a Faith of the same last with most now a dayes Christ told her that in the dayes to come there should be a strange kinde of worshipping the Father Neither at Ierusalem nor yet in that mountain Ye worship saith he you know not what but we know what we worship Many assent this day to the word of God They assent to it that there is a Christ come into the world to save sinners c. None will deny this but it is in their brains but as a dark notion or else they have received it as a tradition of their fathers Our forefathers religion is a great plea in these dayes The Samaritans they worshipped they gave a kinde of a blinde credence and assent to some things that were truths in the word But alas they worshipped they knew not what they had no clear distinct knowledge of those truths that they made an orall profession of and with their mouths did pretend assent to So wicked and profane men now a dayes give a kinde of an assent to the word of God and to the Doctrine of Jesus Christ but it is far from the meanest and lowest act of true Faith When they hear or have received it from tradition that Christ was born of a Virgin or that Christ though eternall God yet was also perfect man that he died for sinners c. The wretches will tell you they beleeve these things But alas they assent not to them as clear distinct truths made out evidently and convincingly to their souls they say they professe they worship they know not what They understand not these things The natural man receiveth not the things of God for they are foolishnesse unto him 1 Cor. 2. 14. nor can he know them for they are spiritually discerned He gives his blinde assent and perhaps will set his hand to them but he doth but set his hand to a blank if he does Nor can it be otherwise for the carnall man hath nothing but the bucket of carnall reason to draw with out of the unfadomable depth of the mysteries of salvation and while he hath nothing else thus reason disputes and cannot but dispute in his soul If Christ be God How could he be born or dye reason cannot answer these questions therefore they seem dark to the poor blinde wretch and though he professes he gives credence to the word of God in these particulars Yet his assent
querie as Where is thy God become Let your Honour lift up your head The day of your redemption draweth nigh The Lord Jesus is pulling out his handkerchief laced with love to wipe all tears from your eyes and hastning to bow the heavens and come down to Gather his Saints together even those that have made a covenant with him vvith their lips and translate them from this valley of tears to that place where they shall hunger and thirst no more but be satisfied with his likenesse who is the brightnesse of his Fathers glory I humbly beg your Honours pardon for my presumption Your Honours former honouring me with the acceptation of some former labours hath emboldned me and I know your Ladiships spirit is so low that it can rejoyce in stooping to take a message from the Prince of glory though from the mouth of his meanest Embassador In which confidence I humbly offer these worthlesse indeavours to your Ladiships hands and with my humble supplications at the throne of Grace for your Honours progresse in Grace here and happinesse in Glory here after I rest Your Honors most devoted servant in the work of the Lord Iesus JOH COLLINGS From my study in Chappel-field-house in Norwich Aug. 17. 1648. To the Christian Reader especiallie such an one as walks with a troubled Spirit FOr thy sake Dear Heart were these Sermons composed preacht and now made publike The world this day abounds with treatises and excels former times in the Spirituality of the penmen who have written powerfull and practically Some there are that have made it their work to Plant These have led souls up the stairs to Iesus Christ shewing them the way to the land of Glory such have been our Shepheard and Hooker with divers others Others God hath set to build and as he used the other chiefly as his porters so he seemeth to have used these as the Grooms of his chamber appointed them to set out the excellency of the Lord Iesus Christ to them that are sick of love These have led souls from chamber to chamber shewing them all the chambers of free grace and making it their chiefest work to set out the Bridegroom in his glory and exalt the Riches of free mercy The work of the first was to dresse the Bride The second discover the Bridegroom in his wedding Robes A third sort have had their work allotted them to shew Christians how to keep house with Iesus Christ These have directed Christians how to walk closely with Iesus Christ of that number have been our Bolton and Burroâ—ghs and Sibbs and Downham A fourth sort have been Gods weeders making it their work to deliver poor souls from the snares of the Devil and the truth of God from those errours which this age hath brought forth And no wonder if in greater plenty then former times in regard we have had a summer so wet with showers of grace in the dispensations of Gospel-mysteries excelling the drinesse of former times A fifth sort there have been though a scanter number that have attended upon Christs hospitall indeavouring to heal the wounds of bruised spirits In this way have our Downham and Bolton and Sedgwicks and Sibbs laboured in part I have laboured to rank my self in the latter number offering to thee some Receits for the staying of thy soul if sick of love If there be any thing in this Treatise spoken to thy souls particular wants Let God have the glory and the Author thy prayers Sure I am to some of those in whose ears they were delivered they were As apples of Gold in Pictures of silver Think not there is any vertue in these lines they are but as Elishaes staff to the face of the dead childe Possibly thou mayest from hence discover how irrationall the temptations of Sathan are if once duly weighed Use these poor meditations with faith and prayer and possibly Christ may honour them so far as to make them instrumentall for the clearing the way of thy faith and establishing thy souls peace Truly Reader it was not my own but others opinion of them which hath made them publike If by removing a block out of thy way they but quicken thy pace to Iesus Christ if by removing or preventing thy doubts they adde but a dram to thy faith it shall be mâ—â—crown if they but discover to thee the evenues of Gods wayes which the Devil and thy and my base heart would make rugged I have my end who desire nothing from them but a giving glory to God in helping on the peace of thy soul My intention is to make a further progresse I have sent this but to usher the way and to see if this age can like any treatise that quarrels not in cholerick disputes nor smells of novelties It is a sad Age Christian in which we live while most of our time is spent in Tithing mint and Annis we neglect the weightier things of God law Disputing opinions hath eaten up the Religion of Christians we are all too apt to spend more time in examining our Brethrens Tenets then in searching our own hearts How much of our times How many of our Books are spent in quarrelling for the Ius Divinum of a Church-government which is but as the mint and Annis to the weightier things of Gods Law Yet am I not of so loose principles as to think The Government of the Church a meer circumstance nor can I think that form of Government worth taking up in a street that for the essentials is not to be found in the word of God Iuxta secundum are terms I understand not Every Truth of Christ hath the brightnesse of a star in its forehead but of these stars some differ from others in glory Reader thou shalt see here a great deal of the poor creatures weaknesse but his strength must be perfected in weaknesse whose work it is to stay up the hearts of them that relye upon him Search the Scriptures see if these things be true which thou here meetest with if they be receive them for truths sake and use them as an handkerchief to wipe the tears from thine eyes I have endeavoured neither to darken them with misty expressions nor yet to paint them with beauteous vermilion-language I had rather they should take thine heart then thine ear and be rather an object of thy meditation then admiration I remember that true speech of Hierom in his Epist ad Nepotianum instructing him how to preach Docente te in Ecclesiâ non clamâ—r populi sed gemitus suscitetur lachrimae auditorum laudes tuae sint Sermo Presbyteri scripturarum sale conditus sit Nolo te declamatorem rabulam garrulumque sine ratione seâ— mysteriorum peritum Sacramentorum Dei tui eruditissimum Verba volvere celeritate dicendi apud imperitum vulgus admirationem sui facere indoctorum hominum est Nihil tam facile quam vilem plebeculam indoctam concione linguaeque volubilitate
merit of any graces which he hath infused into us 7. Obj. But when the Iaylor asked Paul what shall I do to be saved he doth not say mourn and be saved 〈◊〉 fast and pray and be saved but beleeve and be saved and when we read of the conversion of Lydia we do not read that she had any such humiliation as these Legallists talk of the text onely sayes that God opened the heart of Lydia Ans 1. To that of the Jaylor it is true that Paul doth not say mourn and be saved c. Paul had learned more wisedom then to afflict the afflicted the Text sayes He came trembling and fell at the Apostles feet Now the Apostle seeing him thus amazed with terrour bids him beleeve and though he knew not what to do yet he might be saved and how this proves that there is no need of humiliation let the discreet reader judge because when the Jaylor was so terrified that he was ready to dye Paul doth not bid him still be humbled but beleeve therefore there is no need of humiliation It is plain out of the Text that his humiliation although it was sudden and short yet it was strong First It made him tremble and fall down at the Apostles feet Secondly it wrought fully to its appointed end to beat the sinner out of himself Sirs saith he Wâ—at shall I do to be saved I know not what to do is implied for if he had known what to do he would never have askt what shall I do 8. Obj. But some will say his trembling and falling down was for fear the prisoners were gone Ans That is cleared out of the Text Paul had cried unto him Do thy self no harm for we are all here after all this cometh his trembling and crying what sall I do But secondly we may shape another answer to it Paul saith to the Jaylor only beleeve and thou shalt be saved beleeving doth here include humiliation Faith is an act of an humbled soul and no soul will or can beleeve that hath not been truly humbled therefore the great hurt that those do that preach down humiliation under a pretence of preaching up Faith is dealing too deceitfully with peoples souls First Preaching onely Faith Secondly Perswading them that a sinner as a sinner drunkard whoremunger c. is the subject of Faith and not a sinner as an humbled sinner For the example of Lydia and the Eunuch which is all that there is any pretence to boast of We answer First That God opened her heart without any knocking is easier for us to denye then for them to prove Secondly saith Master Shepheard These were examples of souls converted unto God before who did beleeve in the Messias but did not know that this Iesus was the Messias which they soon did when the Lord sent the means to reveal Christ so that it doth not follow she had never sorrowed because she did not theâ— sorrow vid. Shepheard Sound beleever p. 54. Thirdly In examples recorded in Scripture saith he of Gods converting grace do not think they had no sorrow for sin because it is not set down in all places and quoteth 1 Tim. 1. 13 14. Paul was a persecutor but the Lord received him to mercy doth it follow therefore he was received without humiliation see the contrary Act. 9. Fourthly Gods works are not alwayes alike in all therefore in stating the question I put in in Gods ordinary way of dispensations Elijah went to heaven in a fiery charriot but every one must not look to be coacht thither See Master Shepheards eight Rules concerning this in his Sound beleever a p. 48. ad pag. 57. And now I leave every Christian reader to determine by Reason Scripture and his own experience Whether Faith goes before Repentance or sorrow for sin or whether that goes before Faith SERM. II. LUKE 17. 5. Lord increase our Faith Cap. 2. The way of comforting a soul under that trouble of conscience I am not enough humbled c. THe last day you may remember I discust the question Whether humiliation goes before Faith or no which being premised I shall come now to speak something by way of satisfaction to such souls as labour under this perplexity of spirit Ah! saith a Christian I cannot beleeve I dare not rest my soul upon Christ nor upon the promises Alas I was never yet sufficiently humbled were my heart broken enough then I might be bound up by resting upon the premises World God lay me low enough then I might hope to be exalted but would you have such an hard flintâ—-hearted wretch as I think I beleeve what one that hath such a proud stiff-neck how is it possible that I should have any ground of Faith Faith they say is a flower that grows nowhere but just upon the brink of the lake that burns with fire and brimstone it must be bottomed upon the sense and pain of a lost condition the way to be found is to be lost could I be weary and heavy loaden once I might think to be cased by Faith This is the sad affliction that many a good but sadded poor soul groans under Now for my more methodicall proceedings in speaking something to the satisfaction of poor souls groaning under this trouble of spirit I will first speak a word by way of premise Then I will offer some considerations to comfort a soul under such a perplexity and distresse of spirit Lastly I shall speak something by way of direction and caution For the first of thâ—râ— by way of Premise Premise We use to say there is no errour but hath some truth in it no ore but hath something of gold as no field of wheat but hath some tares nor scarce a field of tares but there is some ear or two of wheat And so it is in this complaint of the soul here is something of truth as well as something of mistake upon what the complaint is grounded that therefore no soul might presume from what I shall speak by and by not to oil up a presumptuous soul but to establish a fainting soul Let me premise First That it is a truth and that which must stand if all the world be found liers to it That God seldom or never gives the soul power to apprehend and apply Iesus Christ and truly to rest upon him before that he hath first of all shewed the soul it s lost and undone condition God makes humiliation to act first in the soul in regard of our sight and hence are the promises made not to sinners as sinners but to sinners as humbled sinners I mean that God hath humbled and brought low I proved this sufficiently the last time Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance I say this is a truth and we must grant it yea and we must grant too that it is according to the ordinary dispensations of his grace and if any come
drink Though I begd my bread and wanted water all the dayes of my life O that I had the robes of his righteousnesse to cloth my soul though I went naked O give me Christ O give me Christ above all for all instead of all or else I dye Here now be comforted the end is wrought again and thou hast no ground not to beleeve because thou art not enough humbled The cause must not destroy the end The end of humiliation is as you have heard What serves humiliation for but to bring thee to it If thou beest already by humiliation brought that thou art grieved for sin past that thou hatest sin present that thou loathest the thoughts of embracing sin for the time to come that thou art made willing to close with Jesus Christ that thou prizest him above all the earths contentments whatsoever thou hast no ground nay thou sinnest in letting thy Faith stumble upon this threshold 4. Consider that it is possible thou mayest mis-judge thy self in this point of the measure of humiliation too The fountain of humiliation is often so deep that we cannot fadom it the well may be deep though we see but a little of it First Consider that in thy humiliation you must measure length and bredth and all Secondly Consider thou must measure inside as well as outside Thirdly You must remember it is not done though it may be done enough for thee to apply a promise and rest upon Iesus Christ and receive and apply him to thy soul First Many Christians mistake upon this Principle Why doest thou think thy humiliation is not enough They will answer you alas I was never in such a depth of amazing sorrow as Paul was as I have heard such and such a Christian was they were even in the jawes of hell My work was a slight work to theirs Half so much broad-cloth of a great bredth will make a suit as well as so much again of some that is not half the bredth the bredth makes amends for the length of the other Others God hath given them deep sorrow but short perhaps he hath given thee long sorrow but not so broad and deep there may be as much water in a shallow pond that is broad as in a deep well that is straight It may be thou hast been divers moneths weeks years under thy sorrow though it was not such an heart-rending sorrow as others might be They had sorrow that even rent their heart in pieces but it lasted not so long as thine before they had joy God measured out their measure in depth and thinc in bredth Secondly Consider if you will measure your humiliation right you must measure both inside and outside Possibly you judge you are not humbled enough because you have not shed so many tears as others have you measure it onely in the outside alas many tempers are not so disposed to tears as others Suppose two men were wounded the one bleeds nothing or little at all the other bleeds that the blood stains all his apparell runs down the streets you see scarce a drop of blood come from the other but the wound closeth will you therefore say that the one bleeds not so much as the other nay surely you will say that he bleeds more desperately he bleeds inwardly The seat of humiliatiō is the heart not the eye Humiliation is not to be measured by wet handkerchiefs the swoln face is not alwayes the outside of a most broken heart possible your heart weeps your soul is ready to burst with groanings but you want the vent of your eyes they are tongue tied The measure of your humiliation for all this may be greater then the other Thirdly Possibly some may say O but can I think that God requires no more tears no more sadnesse for those thousands of sins that I have in my life time committed against him Consider therefore Christian that your humiliation is not past when you have apprehended and applyed Christ to your souls You must reserve some tears for the time to come you have humiliation-work after Faith Zach. 12. 10. Though the seven Devils be cast out and Mary be set by Christ yet she may wash his feet with the tears of her eyes and wipe them with the hairs of her head She may come again and stand behinde him weeping you have to do to look upon him whom you have pierced and mourn As the man that takes physick it works before he takes his broth but that sets it working again and more So though before you apply Jesus Christ there will be some humiliation yet your receiving him and resting upon him by Faith doth not stop up your fountain of tears you shall have a mourning time after that save an handkerchief to wet then Fifthly For thy comfort consider that humiliation ought not to be 1. A ground of Faith 2. Is not a ground of acceptation The first will depend upon the latter First Consider thy humiliation is not a ground of thy acceptation Thou art not therefore accepted because thou art thus and thus humbled If we watch not our nature saith reverend Sibbs There will be a spice of Popery which is a naturall Religion in this great desire of more grief as if when we had that we had something to satisfie God withall and so our minde still runs too much upon works If free-grace did not clarifie tears and the greatest sorrow we could have for sin those bitter waters would be more filthy then the puddles of the street If the blood of free-grace doth not cement a broken heart and accept it and merit for it hell is its desert and portion for all any merit in it It is a good piece of a prayer Psal 20. 3. The Lord accept thy sacrifice or make far thy sacrifice or turn thy sacrifice into ashes A broken and a contrite heart is the Lords sacrifice which he will never despise Psal 5◠17. But the Lord must 1. Turn it into ashes 2. Make it fat 3. Accept it And therefore this can be no sufficient remora in thy way of Faith For couldst thou make thy head a fountain of water and thine eyes rivers of tears they should merit no salvation heaven is not to be bought with sighes nor art thou therefore accepted because thou art humbled but even thy humiliation must have an acceptation otherwise God should save us not for his own sake and for his Name sake as indeed he doth but for our tears sake for our humiliation sake for our works sake for Christians must warily consider that God doth not save his people and accept his children for those works which his own spirit worketh in them This is a Doctrine of Popery who to wash their hands of the Doctrine of merits wherewith they are charged tell us they hold no such matter as that a Christian may be saved by his own works but God gives him grace to work good works and for them he accepts for
secrets so far or whether according to Aquinas ideo dicitur nescire quia nos scire non faciet he therefore be said not to know because he will not suffer us to know I shall not dispute either of both will serve our turn Gods particular decree of election is a secret lockt up in the bosome of him who is the auncient of days of which either Christ himself as man was ignorant or concerning which to be sure he was so secret as neâ—er to reveal his fathers thoughts he was indeed as God the Privy-counsellor of eternity but a secret keeper of his fathers thoughts and counsels as well as an obedient Son to his commands in revealing his fathers will Christ indeed tells his Disciples Ioh. 15. 26. He had chosen them but it was though not because they beleeved that he chose them yet after that he had called them and they were come to him and had walked constantly and obediently with him that he told them so Christ hath not revealed particular election to any before Faith Secondly Nor ever will be Will Christ think you ever reveal the secrets of eternity to those that actually are his utter enemies Election is one of Gods secrets it is the roll wherein the eternall covenant betwixt this or that particular soul and the King of eternall glory is written and inrolled Now the Scripture indeed saith Psal 25. 14. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will shew them his covenant But hath the Scripture ever said the secrets of the Lord are with unbeleeving damned wretches for he that beleeveth not is damned already no when the soul is once called and beleeves on the Lord Jesus Christ then God in his due time reveals the secrets of eternity to such a soul and puts it on spectacles to reade the particular covenant that he hath made entred and enrolled in the court of heaven which is written in small and invisible characters and cannot be read but with enlightned eyes guided by the eternall spirit Besides Thirdly Consider the phrase of Scripture how it doth reveal to us our particular election Peter calls to them to Strive to make their calling and election sure First your calling then your election 1 Ioh. 2. 5. and 3. 6 10. 1 Joh. 2. 5. It is the constant language of Scripture 3 Ch. v. 6. 10. and the sense of all the Apostles that by our Faith and fruits of our sanctification which are the consequents and attendants upon Faith We must know whether we be in God or no whether we be the sons of God or no our particular election must be known to us by the effects doest thou therefore stick at this I must know that I am elected otherwise I cannot beleeve thou cuttest off the means by which thou shouldst attain to thy end Thy end is to know thy election Now the means by which thou shouldst attain to this particular knowledge and assurance must be Faith and the fruits of it This thou casts off a thing so absurd that thou wouldst condemne it in any worldly matter Thirdly 3 Con. Consider thou hast no ground for thee to thinke thou art not elected unlesse it be thy unbeleefe God hath made open Proclamation Whosoever beleeveth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life Whosoever commeth unto me I will in no wise turne him away Let all come and I will ease you Suppose a King should make a Proclamation concerning some Malefactors Let every one that will come to me and beg his pardon and he shall have it Though he hath a secret reservation of thoughts in his bosome to pardon none but such and such because he is confident the rest will be too proud and stout to come yet upon what justifiable ground shall any Malefactor think the King intends not to pardon him before he comes to him and humbly begs his pardon Shall he stand and at a distance say Let the King send me a particular pardon and then I will come for it and thank him but till I am sure he intendeth to give it I will never take the pains to go Upon what grounds shall such a malefactor think the King intends not to give him his life hath he not good cause to think his stoutnesse is the clearest and proximate cause God saith come beleeve and you shall live Thou saith now no I do not think I shall live let me know that and then I will beleeve what ground hast thou to think thou shalt not have the end but because thou wilt not use the means Suppose a man lay very sick his Physicians should prescribe him such and such means ☜ in order to his recovery no not he he remembers His time is in Gods hand and he cannot passe it he is sure he will see first whether God will let him live or no and if God will send him a lease of his life then he will use means Suppose now such a man should dye what might any think the cause why he dyed so soon What the period that God had set to his dayes or his own refusing the means to sustain his life But this will be further enlarged in a fifth consideration Fifthly Consider but this That all those whom God hath elected he hath not onely elected to the end but to the means Gods eternall decree of election is not entred thus in the Court-book Be it ordained that such or such a person shall live eternally But be it ordained That such or such a person shall in time be called and beleeve the Gospel and walk holily like one of my children and after receive the crown of glory We were predestinated That we should be to the praise of his glory Eph. 1. 12. and 2. 10. For we are his workmanship created in Iesus Christ unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them God hath ordained the means as well as the end and you must first know by your calling and beleeving that you are elected to them before you can know you are elected to eternall life the same God that hath made it a decree of eternity this and that man shall be saved hath also made it a decree that this or that man should beleeve Beleeving that I am elected and one chosen of God to eternall life is a piece of sense not of justifying Faith saith learned and pious Rutherford and it is a piece of sense too to think I beleeve as I have at large heretofore shewed but it is an higher thing to beleeve and be fully perswaded that I shall infallibly be saved then to think I truely beleeve it is a step higher the demonstration is plain because no Christian can think that he shall be undoubtly saved unlesse he thinks first that he doth truely and savingly beleeve Now therefore thy first work must be to get a sense of Faith to beleeve that thou beleevest for thou wilt never
were in his drowning danger though he be on the shore the terrours had surprized him before are not presently shaken of A second cause may be in regard of some holds that have already failed the soule Faith is when the soule layes hold upon Jesus Christ as the twig of salvation and hangs upon him for life and heaven and happinesse Now the soule hath had many twigs failed It is the nature of man to be timerous and as a drowning man will catch hold upon any thing which comes next hand to save his life on if he catcheth hold on one and that breaks he claps hold on another if that again breaks he claps hold on a third if that also breakes he still claps hold on a fourth beleeving it will hold otherwise he would never lay hold upon it yet so many having failed he cannot but feare lest that should faile him too So it is with a poor soule sin hath almost drowned him in terrour first he claps hold upon moralitie and civilitie resolving to live a sober and honest and vertuous life and thinks this will beare him well this twig breakes and will not hold when God hath a minde to work his work upon the the soule he quickly shewes the soule that this is a bruised reed and broken staffe the soule is plunged into a depth of horror and terror again well then hee claps hold of another twig and that is his duties he prayes and fasts and here he hangs this shall save me saith he this twig also breaks the Lord shews the poor wretch that all its righteousnesse is as a menstruous cloth and as filthy rags in his sight and here the soule is again plunged in feare at last God shews the soule the bough of Jesus Christs Righteousnesse the drowning sinking poor creature layes hold of this but with trembling lest this should also faile at first it feares A third cause may be in regard of the promise Faiths work is to lay hold upon the Lord Jesus Christ but now the soule doth not do this immediately but mediately Christ doth not appear and speak out of heaven to the soule and say I am thy salvation then the work of Faith would be more easie but Christ hath given the soul many both sweet and precious promises and these are the cords that the Lord Iesus Christ throwes out to the soule to pull it to the land with Now the soule takes this but with trembling untill it hath tryed the strength of them in regard it conceives the promises are lyable to many ambiguities bounded with many conditions and limitations and the soule conceives it selfe either not within the bounds of the promise or unable to fulfill the conditions of the promise or that it may make a false application of the promise And hence it is that come to a poor drooping soule that feares its condition and hath a true though a trembling hand of faith for Faith may have the palsey and urge the faithfulnesse of God in promising the surenesse of the promise once made the unchangeable nature of God they will tell you they do not a jot question this they know God is not man that he should lye nor yet as the son of man that he should repent they know that he is both faithfull and true but the promises they feare are not made to them they indeed rest upon them but whether rightly or no God knowes they conceive that either the promises were made to particular persons as to the Nation of the Jewes or they are sure to the particular number of Gods Elect of which they are none c. they will tell you that indeed the promises are true but they are conditionall and they feare that the conditions of the promise are not fulfilled in their soules so that the work lies another way not so much to perswade them of the truth of the promises in generall the cause of their trembling lies not here for feare that the promise should faile those to whom it belongs but for feare that they should misapply and misunderstand the faithfull and true promises of God And now although we must say concerning this trembling this is also our infirmity yet none can deny that it is an hereditary disease to the nature of man and will be in us more or lesse so long as any of us be in the flesh and so long as sinne remaines in our flesh and will be especially and most in those that have lien under greatest feares and terrours and are newly got out of them and begin to have a little of the light of comfort glimmer upon them even as a man that should come out of an horrid and dark dungeon where he hath been in darknesse thick darknesse into the glaring sight of the Sun in the top of the Meridian at the first will be dazeled and rub his eyes and apprehend himself in some darknesse though he be in the light He that had his eyes opened Ioh. 9. first thought he saw men like trees and this trembling may consist with true dependance Iob. 13. 15. Though he kill me yet I will trust in him the last words yet I will trust in him argued faith and a strong faith faith that he would trust a strong faith that yet hee would trust and yet whoso considereth the first words that Iob apprehended himself in a danger of killing will easily think that it was a trembling faith that Iob there acted And as it is ordinary with poor Christians through their infirmity to beleeve tremblingly in the beginning of their conversion so there is also another time when trembling doth ordinarily accompany true faith in the people of God and that is a time of desertion Secondly in time of desertion I think none will deny but Gods children have and act and must act true faith in this saving and justifying act of reliance and dependency but I am sure this they cannot doe without trembling Such was the condition of Iob in that place I before mentioned Iob 13. 15. David did rely and strongly rely in his time of desertion insomuch that in his 6. Psalm v. 8. he speakes confidently of a thing that he beleeved for as if it were already done The Lord hath heard the voyce of my weeping and yet whosoever readeth but the former part of that Psalm will finde that he was in a trembling temper His soule was sore vexed his bones were troubled he was weary with his groaning and he made his bed to swim with his teares c. Now the cause of this trembling ariseth First from the sense of the sinne The sinner saith Ah! the promises did belong to me but I have been a backslider and now what have I to doe with the promises What hath such a wretch as I to doe with these filthy unclean hands of mine to lay hold upon a clean Christ The sense of sin strikes a deep impression upon the soule and puts a shaking into the heart of
as every thing that hangeth upon a pin or a peg is as sure as the pin or peg on which it hangeth So that soule that hangs upon the mercy and Free-grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the rocky promises of salvation is as sure as the promise c. And thus I think I have sufficiently cleared the first thing that a Christian may have a true saving Faith yea and such a one as shall be strong and certain both in respect of the object and event that yet hath not this sublime act of Faith which is assurance I hasten to a second conclusion and all the rest of my Propositions with respect to a full perswasion that our sins already are actually and formally pardoned 2. Conclus Thy Assurance and perswasion that thy sins are pardoned may be a true perswasion and assurance though but weak or to speak more properly you may have this reflex act of faith and be perswaded that your sins are pardoned and this perswasion may be a true reflex act of faith and yet not constant in degrees Sometimes it may be weaker sometimes stronger I call the weakest perswasion wrought in the soul that its sins are pardoned a reflex act of faith for I doe not think that it is a piece of Faith necessary to the justification of a soule that it should believe that its sinnes are really and actually pardoned though it be a beame of grace that the soule should love and look after more then the world and it is and ought to bee more pretious to a believing soule then all the rocks of gold or mountaines of silver or beds of spices or ten thousand rivers of oyle yet I say I doe not take it to be an act of justifying Faith but of the justifyed soule Now this may be true in the soule though it be sometimes weaker and sometimes stronger That soule that all times is perswaded that its sins are pardoned and actually remitted is not alwayes a like perswaded of it It is a beame of Gods manifestative love which admirs of degrees Now as upon the earth in the day time there is alwayes some light though through some interpositions of clouds the light is not alwayes alike so in Christians that the Lord hath brought to this degree that they doe really believe that their sinnes are pardoned though through the sun-shines of Gods manifestative love upon their soules they for the most part think so yet they are not alwayes alike perswaded of it I doe verily believe that David generally was in this temper and who so peruses his pretious book of Psalmes will finde that he takes the pardon of sinnes for granted yet who so againe peruses the severall Psalms will easily perceive that Davids perswasion was not alwayes alike as any one may see by comparing Psal 6. and Psal 41. vers 11. you shall finde him in some Psalmes altogether singing and praysing and triumphing not a mention of a teare but in others declaring perswasion yet wants expressing confidence yet teares as in that sixth Psalme vers 1. 2 3 4. compared with vers 9. Sometimes the heavens are so cleare to gracious soules that the shinings of grace dazzle their soules so much that nothing will satisfie them but heaven Now Lord let thy servant depart in peace O that now I might dye and be incorporated into glory they are so wrapt into the third heavens that they cannot speak their joy another while it is lower water with their soules the Moones influence is not as it was David I am confident would have beene glad of an errand to have sent him out of the world to heaven Psal 34. But the good man again in the 39 Psalm prayes as heartily for his life as any poore wretch could have done that lay under an apprehension of a past sentence in hell against him 1 Pet. 1. 8. we read of a rejoycing with which believers should rejoyce even with joy unspeakable but there was not such a constant overflowing and full tide of joy alwayes sure It is a sure note that manifestative love hath its degrees and it is from a strong influence of Gods manifestative love to the soule that the soule hath such a perswasion now had I leasure I might at large here tell you at what times commonly the spring-tide of assurance flowes highest and on the contrary what may make the apprehension weaker and at what times it is ordinarily most weak 1. Commonly just upon Gods return after a long desertion and sad expectation the souls assurance is very great and its perswasion very high God turns mid-night into mid-day The soule then brings the Lord Jesus Christ into her mothers house into the chambes of her that conceived her commonly when the husband comes home after a long absence and long expectation more then ordinary tokens of love and passages of love are discerned betwixt him and the wife of his bosome Christ comes in then to make amends for his frowns and lowrings with the sweetest kisses and imbraces Mid-winter is turned into a Mid-sommer this you shall finde constantly in Davids Psalmes and so on the contrary when the soule is under desertions if there bee left yet a perswasion that though God doth hide his face yet hee doth not hide his heart yet it is but a weak and just living perswasion 2. And commonly at greatest distresse God comes in with strongest perswasions and fullest assurance as when the Christian is cal'd to Martyrdom or cal'd to dye or cal'd to do any great services that it distrusts its own strength and is ready to feare of faint that nothing but the most reviving quick and hot cordiall water can keep the soule cleane and able to undergoe that great and extraordinary service that God cals for at his hands ordinarily now at such times the Lord is pleased to come in with a fulnesse into the soul It was but yesterday you heard by my Reverend Brother that ordinarily God comes in with sighes which are evidences to sence when the soule is in greatest streights and we shall finde that Gods promise made to Abraham was often renewed to him and to Isaac and to Iacob but the diligent Reader shall observe that God pickt out that time or those times when he called his Saints to some hard work in doing of which their hearts might sink concerning the Lords promise The originall promise was in Gen. 12. 7. it was renewed to him chap. 13. v. 15. when he was to goe out of the land he scarce knew whither and leave it to others to possesse and to Isaac when he went to Gerar Gen. 26. 4. and to Iacob going down to Egypt Gen. 46. 4. At such times the children of God are to doe double work and had need of double strength and so a double subsistence when Eliah was to go in the strength of his meat forty dayes he had need eat a good meale the Angel therefore twice admonished him to arise and eat 1 Kings