estate even by the nature and qualitie of that knowledge that is in thee And for our helpe herein I will shew you the signes and notes whereby sound and saving knowledge such as is the worke not of nature but of Gods sanctifying spirit may be discerned and judged of And they be referred to these three heads The first is taken from the object of this knowledge The second from the properties and qualities of it The third and last from the effects of it in him that hath it And concerning the object of it we have these two notes to know it by First the object of all saving knowledge is the Word of God hee that hath it hath gotten it out of this booke loveth it delighteth in it studieth it esteemeth more of it then of all the bookes in the world Hee that hath gotten his knowledge out of other bookes more then out of the holy Scriptures affecteth and delighteth in other bookes more then in them hath just cause to suspect hee hath no saving knowledge in him By thy precepts thy Word I get understanding saith David Psalme 119.104 and verse 99. I have more understanding then all my teachers for thy testimonies are my meditation Thus got hee his knowledg And the knowledge hee got thus hee esteemed the onely knowledge and such as he tooke comfort in O how love I thy law It is my meditation all the day verse 97. And Paul commending the knowledge that Timothy had learned and charging him to hold and continue in it 2 Timothy 3.14 commendeth it by this note verse 15. From a child thou hast knowne the holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation As if hee had said That is an excellent knowledge indeed that is able to make a man wise unto salvation and no knowledge can doe this but the knowledge of the holy Scripture onely Secondly Though the whole Scripture be the object of saving knowledge and hee that is taught of God desireth to know the will of God in all things and dareth not shut his eyes against any light that hee may receive from the Word Wee are present before God saith Cornelius Acts 10.33 to heare all things that are commanded thee of God Yet the speciall object of saving knowledge are those parts of the Word that are most usefull and profitable that concerne our selves If a man be never so learned in the Scriptures and understand all mysteries and all knowledge as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 13.2 yet if hee know not and desire not to know above all things the things that concerne his owne practise his owne salvation hee hath no sound or saving knowledge in him The wisedome of the prudent is to understand his way saith Solomon Pro. 14.8 That is sound wisdome and knowledge to know how things stand at home betweene God and his own soule to understand his own way whether it be right or wrong Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisedome saith the Apostle Col. 3.16 teaching and admonishing your owne selves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As if hee should have said if you cannot teach and admonish your owne selves the word of Christ dwelleth not in you in wisedome there is no saving knowledge in you This is saving knowledge for a man to know his owne sinnes the evill of his owne waies Make me to know my transgression and my sinne saith Iob 13 23. that I may be humbled for it and forsake it This is saving knowledge to know Christ aright I determined not saith Paul 1 Corinthians 7.2 to know any thing among you save Iesus Christ and him crucified This is saving knowledge to know how wee may walke in our whole conversation to please and honour God Cause mee to know the way wherein I should walke saith David Psal. 14◠8 This was that that the people and publicans and souldiers when God had effectually touched their hearts by Iohns ministery desired to know and learne of Iohn Luk. 3.10 12 14. though doubtlesse they might have learned of him many other high and excellent points What shall we do And though a man abound never so much in knowledge yea even in the knowledge of the Scripture yet if he know not these things if he cannot see a farre off nor discerne these things that belong to his future estate hee is blind saith the Apostle 2 Pet. 1.9 he seeth nothing to the purpose He that cannot see nor understand that his swearing or his drunkennesse his usury or his idlenesse is a sin certainely he hath no saving knowledge in him The second sort of signes is taken from the property the quality and nature of saving knowledge And those are also two For first Saving knowledge is a cleare and certaine knowledge of those profitable and necessary truths that God hath revealed to us in his Word I know there are degrees in this certainty some see and know the things of God more clearely and certainely then others of Gods servants doe yet every one that is taught of God hath in his measure a cleare and certaine knowledge of these things The Word was written to that end to bring us to this certainty of knowledge Proverbes 22.20 21. Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth And the ministery of the Word was ordained by Christ and given to his Church to that end also Ephesians 4.14 And every one that is taught of God is able to say with the Apostle Iohn 6.69 We beleeve and are sure that thou art that Christ the son of the living God And with Paul Rom. 14.14 I know and am perswaded this is the truth of God My people shall know my name saith the Lord Esa. 52.6 they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speake behold it is I. And he that knoweth himselfe thus to bee taught of God is so sure of the truth that nothing that is objected by any adversary against it though so learnedly as he knoweth not how to answer him shall bee able to draw him from it The sheepe follow him saith our Saviour Iohn 10.4 5. for they know his voice and a stranger will they not follow but will flee from him for they know not the voice of strangers He that is spirituall taught of God judgeth all things saith the Apostle 1 Corinthians 2.15 he hath judgement to discerne of that that is taught yet hee himselfe is judged of no man no man shall alter him or sway with him against the truth I have not departed from thy judgements saith David Psal. 119.102 for thou hast taught me They that have indeed beene taught of God shall never depart from his truth They that either are fallen away from the truth that once they professed or that cannot attaine to any certainty in religion but are like children tossed to and fro and carried about with every winde
had to know the state of the Philippians Phil. 2.19 Phil. 2.19 I trust in the Lord Iesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state And of the Thessalonians 1. Thes. 3.5 For this cause when I could no longer forbeare I sent to know your faith This then the estate of his flocke is one of the bookes the minister must study if hee would preach well for certainely such will be best able to apply the Word well Tychicus was sent to the Colossians that he might know their estate and comfort them Col. 4.8 He could not rightly apply the Word to their comfort no more could he do to the exhorting or reproving of them till hee knew their estate Secondly he had need be himselfe of an unblameable life a godly man 1. Tim. 3.2 A Bishop must be blamelesse Take heed to your selves saith Paul to the Elders of Ephesus Acts 20.28 and to the flock For 1. no man can feelingly and conscionably reprove sinne in others that doth not feare and hate sinne in himselfe Matth. 7.5 Hypocrite first cast out the beame out of thine owne eye and then shalt thou see clearely how to cast out the mote out of thy brothers eye 2. If hee could reprove sinne well yet till he have by his conversation gained authority in the hearts of the people his reproofes will doe little good Tit. 2.15 These things speake and exhort and rebuke with all authority let no man despise thee They will despise him and his reproofes that takes upon him to controll and rebuke them before he hath gained authority in their hearts Reproofe prevailes not nor is wont to be well taken but from the mouth of a righteous man Psal. 141.5 Let the righteous smite me and it shall be a kindnesse let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oyle Thirdly Hee had need bee a wise man Therefore it is said 1. Cor. 2. â— that God hath given to the Pastour whose chiefe office is to apply the Word the word of wisedome as to the Doctour whose office is to interprete the Word and to teach doctrine the word of knowledge So when the Prophet Micah would shew how God by his spirit had enabled him to reprove sin he saith Micah 3.8 He was by the spirit of the Lord full of judgement to declare unto Iacob his transgression and unto Israel his sinne He had need of judgement and discretion that should doe this well So he that should give the Lords houâ—hold their portion of meate in due season must not onely be a faithfull but also a wise steward Luke 12.42 great wisedome is required to doe this well specially to reprove sinne so as it ought to be reproved A reproofe wisely given is of great force and likely to prevaile Eccle. 7.5 It is better to heare the rebuke of the wise then the song of fooles Prov. 25.12 As an eare-ring of gold and as ornament of fine gold so is a wise reprover upon an obedient eare As if he had said It is a greater grace and ornament to a man to have an obedient care to receive reproofe then any care-ring or jewell in the world can be but what reproofe Surely such as is given by a wise reproover The best eare that is will hardly receive a reproofe that is foolishly and undiscreetly given Now this wisedome and discretion that is required in him that should reprove sin consisteth in foure things specially First He must not be apt to note and reprove every thing that he seeth to be amisse in his people but forbeare and passe by some smaller offences Pro. 19.11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger and it is his glory to passe over a transgression And 20.3 It is an honour for a man to cease from strife but every fault will be medling When Thomas out of his infidelity and discontentment had said Iohn 11.16 Come let us goe and dye with him our Saviour did not reprove him nor seeme so much as to have heard and observed his speech Secondly He must be able substantially to prove that to be a sinne which hee doth reprove and to convince the judgement and conscience of the offender therein So the Apostle requireth Timothy 2. Tim. 4.2 to reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine And saith Tit. 1.9 that the minister must be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince the gain-sayers Better were it a great deale that we would hold our peace then cry out zealously against such things as wee cannot by sound doctrine and proofes out of Gods word convince and prove to be sinnes To such reprovers it may be said as Iob said to his friends that reproved him for his hipocrisie Iob 6.25 How forcible are right words but what doth your arguing reprove Thirdly Hee must have due respect to the persons whom he doth reprove 1. The sinnes of superiours and magistrates though they may bee reproved yet not with that bitternesse as other mens nor without signification of reverence to their place and calling neither is this to be accounted either base feare or unfaithfulnes 1. Tim. 5.1 Rebuke not an Elder but intreate him as a Father The Prophets themselves when they were to reprove Kings shewed this wisedome When Daniel was to interprete Nabuchadnezzars dreame and so to discover to him his fearefull estate see how dutifull respect he shewed to his place and calling Dan. 4. in three verses of that chapter verse 19 24 27. And the Lord speaketh of it as of a priveledge particularly belonging to himselfe to reprove Kings bitterly Iob 34.18 Is it fit to say to a King thou arâ— wicked and to Princes ye are ungodly 2. Obstinate sinners are more bitterly and sharply to bee reproved then such as sinne of ignorance and infirmity Iude. 22.23 Of some have compassion making a difference and others save with feare pulling them out of the fire 3. In reproving such sinnes as some of his hearers that feare God and have tender hearts may be guilty of he must so temper his reproofe as they may not be discouraged or wounded by it This wisedome you shall see the Apostle used 1. Cor. 6.9.11 When he had said neither fornicators nor adulterers nor theeves nor railers nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall ever go to heaven he addeth by way of a prevention vers 11. and such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Iesus and by the spirit of our God The like you shall see Heb. 6.9 Beloved we are perswaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation though we thus speake The fourth point wherein the minister in reproving sinne must shew his wisedome is in discerning rightly when and where to reprove sinne and when to forbeare the reproving of it It is not only a note of a time-server of a timorous and unfaithfull minister to
having spoken of his owne experience in this case how hee being in extreame anguish of mind and unable to find case any other way by betaking himselfe to this course found comfort and assurance of mercy from God Ps. 32.5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity 〈◊〉 I not â—id I said I will acknowledge my transgression unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin He inferreth thereupon ver 6. For this cause shall every one that is godly pray unto thee that is every one that is godly that is truly humbled for his sin shall be encouraged by my example to seek the same way for mercy that I have done And what followeth Surely to the flouds of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him As if he had said He that taketh this course let his afflictions and sorrowes be never so great he shall not be overwhelmed with them hee shall bee sure to find comfort in them And it cannot otherwise be but they take this course must needs find comfort in it for God hath bound himselfe by promise to it Pro. 28.13 Hâ— that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy 1 Ioh. 1.9 If we confesse our sins God is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from 〈◊〉 unrighteousnes So Ioh 33.27 28. If any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not he will deliver his soule from going into the pit and his life shall see the light Yea he hath bound himselfe by promise to his people that though they be never so much oppressed burdened in their minds either with the sense of their sins or with any judgements that for their sins are fallen upon them though they even pine away in their iniquity as he speaketh Lev. 26.39 foretelling the case his people should be in in the time of their captivity yet saith he ver 40.42 If then they shall confesse their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers with their owne trespasse which they have trespassed against me and that also they have walked contrary unto me then will I remember my covenant And as these promises are made to all Gods people that can confesse and complaine of their sins unto him so specially to such as can acquaint themselves with God and accustom themselves to do this in secret according to that speech of our blessed Saviour Mat. 6.6 Pray to thy father which is in secret and thy father which is in secret will reward thee openly and ver 18. Shew thy selfe to fast and to be humbled to thy father which is in secret and thy father which is in secret shall reward thee openly I speake not thus much to encourage any hypocrite that is apt to blesse himselfe in his profane neglect of praying with his family and of joyning with Gods people in prayer either ordinary or extraordinary and say though I doe not joyne with others in these duties yet I use to pray and confesse my sins in secret unto God upon my bed that is the best of al. For to these I say as our Saviour doth Mat 23.23 This ought ye to do and not to leave the other undone And if thou didst indeed of conscience towards God in a conscionable manner pray in secret cenfesse thy sins in secret thou wouldst also joyne with Gods people in these duties because God hath aswell coÌ„manded the one as the other For whosoever shal keep the whole law yet offend in one point is guilty of al Iam. 2.10 But I have spoken all this to so many of you as feare the Lord that use to pray and confesse your sins with your families and joyne with Gods people in the publike coÌ„fessions that are made in the congregation do so stil in Gods name but rest not in that learne to do this duty in secret also get thee into thy closet to do this yea if thou have no place private enough in thine house to do it in do as yong Isaac did Gen. 24.63 and our Saviour Luke 5.16 get thee into the field sometimes to do it Doe as David did Psal. 22.2 in the nights upon thy bed And when thou art alone poure out thy heart unto God lay open thy sins before him in particular and aggravate them with the circumstances whereby they are made more hainous worke thy heart to do it with sorrow and with teares seeke ease to thy heart and comfort this way when thou art in greatest heavinesse remember the promises God hath made to shew mercy to them that can doe so stay thy faith upon them expect the performance of them and challenge it as his hand and doubtlesse thou shalt find comfort in it Lecture XXXIX on Psalme 51.3 Novemb. 7. 1626. NOw it followeth that we proceed unto the meanes whereby we may attaine unto this grace And those are five principally First He that would be able to confesse his sins aright unto God must seeke knowledge and understanding in the word of God without which no man can tell what is sin and what is not Rom. 3.20 By the Law commeth the knowledge of sin and Eph. 5.3 All things that are reproved are made manifest by the light And though there be light sufficient in nature to discover unto us some sins specially in the outward breaches of the second table Rom. 2. â—5 The worke of the Law is written in their hearts their consciences also bearing witnes and accordingly accusing or excusing them Yet are there two defects in that light 1. It will not discover to us all our sins nay there be many foule sins and such as of all other most provoke God against us which the naturall man cannot discerne by that light to be sins The way of the wicked is as darkenesse saith Solomon Pro. 4.19 they know not at what they stumble That which Paul saith of concupiscence the root of all sin may be said of many other Rom. 7 7. I had not knowne lust that is to say not to be sin unlesse the Law had said thou shalt not covet 2. Those sins that it doth discover to us it doth not discover them effectually so as to humble us and drive us to God thereby but either dimly by the halves so as they never affect or trouble us As our Saviour speaketh Pro. 10.23 It is a sport to a foole to doe mischiefe or else to make us inexcusable and overwhelme us with despaire as Genesis 3.8 But that knowledge of sin that is effectuall to humble us and drive us unto Gods mercy-seat commeth not by the light of nature but only by the word It is that only that doth so convince a man of sin and manifest to him the secrets of his heart as maketh him fall down on his face and worship God as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 14.24 25. In which respect Paul saith Rom. 7.7 I had not knowne sinne but by the Law As if hee should say I
Ieremy 2.19 and thy backslidings shall reprove thee know therefore and see that it is an evill thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God and that my feare is not in thee saith the Lord God of hostes Be thou sure conscience will find thee out and reprove thee sharply for thy sins sooner or later at one time or other Shall Gods people thinke we and his dearest servants be the only men whose sins shall be set before their eyes who shall be vexed and disquieted with the sense of their sins whose consciences shall accuse and smite wound them for sin No no if David and Iob and Peter have bin so troubled and put to such anguish of mind for their sins bee ye sure the reprobate and sinner shall feele much more If this be done to the greene trees that had much sap of grace and goodnesse in them what shall be done to the dry As our Saviour speaketh Lu. 23.31 The sorrow that Gods people endure for their sinnes it is nothing if it be compared with that that the reprobate shall feele The dregs of the cup of the Lords wrath all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out and drinke them as the Psalmist speaketh Psalme 7.5 8. As senslesse and benummed as Iudas his conscience was before he had betrayed Christ so as Christs powerfull ministery as you heard could not awaken it yet did it not alwayes continue so but presently after he had committed his sin it was awakened with a witnesse and did his office upon him as you may see Matth. 27.3 5. This the Lord threatneth to such sinners as have beene least troubled with their sins and most confident of his love Psalme 50.21 These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy selfe but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes And when God shall set thy sins before thee thou shalt not be able to avoid the looking and thinking of them no more then Belshazzar was the hand writing upon the wall Dan. 5.5 And when will God doe this may you say When shall the consciences of all wicked men be awakened I answer 1. God can do it even in the time of our best health and greatest jolitie as he did with Belshazzar 2. He doth it usually in the time of sicknesse or some sharpe affliction as he did with Iosephs brethren Genes 42.21 And 3 If thy conscience doe not awaken before certainly so soone as thou commest to judgement either generall or particular thy conscience will then awaken and doe his office upon thee even the office of an accuser of a witnesse and of a tormentor At the day of the declaration of the just judgement of God the conscience of every man will doe his office as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 2.15 16. Then the bookes shall bee opened Revelat. 20.12 Every mans conscience wherein as in a booke all the actions of his life and words of his mouth and thoughts that have beene in his heart are faithfully recorded and which were in many men all the dayes of their lives like such a clasped or sealed booke as is spoken of Esa. 29.11 that they could never read nor see what was written in it shall then be layd open before him that he may read yea hee shall then be compelled to read what is written in it Then will the Lord bring the hidden things of darkenesse to light as the Apostle speaketh 1 Corinth 4.5 and will make manifest the counsels of mens hearts unto them Then shall all men clearely see not onely what they have done but also whether it have bene good or evill lawfull or unlawfull that they have done The eyes of their consciences are now so blind that they cannot see nor perceive by the clearest light of the Word in the plainest ministery that is that to neglect prayer in secret and in their families to spend the greatest part of every Sabbath irreligiously to neglect the hearing of the Word upon the Lecture day upon every trifling occasion to live in malice to use fraud in their dealings with men to spend their time unprofitably c. are any sinnes but when that day commeth the scales will fall from the eyes of their consciences and they shall clearely see that they are sinnes and grievous sins too Then their conscience will beare witnesse according to the worke of the Law that is written in their hearts Romans 2.15 16. And that which he saith of the knowledge of the Elect in that day is true also of the knowledge that the reprobate shall have then 1 Corinth 13.12 Now they see but as through a glasse darkely but then face to face now they know but in part but then they shall know even as they are knowne And as the Lord speaketh in another case Ier. 23.20 it may be said unto all men in this case In the latter dayes ye shall understand it plainly which now you cannot be perswaded of that these are sinnes LECTVRES ON PSAL. LI. 4 Lecture XLIII on Psalme LI. 4 Decemb. XII MDCXXVI Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and bee cleare when thou judgest WEe have heard that in the former verse David maketh confession of his sin in generall it followeth now that we proceed to shew how he doth it in this and the next verses more fully and particularly For 1. Hee maketh confession of the speciall actuall sin that he had offended God by at this time and which Nathan had charged him with in this verse I have done this evill 2. He amplifieth and aggravateth this his sin by three arguments 1. By the person against whom this sin was committed in this verse Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight 2. By the fountaine and roote from whence this sin did spring that is to say his naturall corruption verse 5.3 By the knowledge and truth of grace that he had received from God before he fell into this sin in the sixth verse Now in this verse that I have now read there are two things principally to be observed 1. How David accuseth himselfe before God heere and amplifieth his sin against himselfe in these words Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight 2. The reason why he doth so in the last words of the verse That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest and be cleare when thou judgest Now then to begin with the first part of the verse for the opening of the words that the Doctrine may the more cleerely arise from them for our instruction and lest he should seeme by this manner of speech to extenuate rather then to aggravate his sins foure questions must be briefly resolved First was this foule act that he committed an offence against God onely was it not
are the works which as they be proper and peculiar to the Gospell and such as popery could never skill of so are they of all other the best works most acceptable unto God and most profitable unto men And certainly to conclude this first branch of my exhortation of all good workes of all workes of charity that any man can doe this is the best and that that will yeeld him most comfort when he hath beene the instrument to provide the meanes of knowledge and instruction for a people to settle and establish a sound ministery among them that had none before and to maintaine and so to give incouragement to an able and conscionable minister that is already setled and placed among a people It is said of good Iehoshaphat 2 Chron. 7.6 that his heart was lift up in the wayes of the Lord. As if the holy Ghost had said thus of him Hee did most zealously seeke to promote and advance the true religion of God And how did hee most shew his goodnesse and zeale That you shall see in the three next verses Hee provided carefully that all his people might bee well taught and instructed he sent teaching Levites and able ministers into all parts of the land and magistrates also with them to protect and encourage them in their ministery And this is noted for one of the best works that ever Hezechiah did 2 Chron 30.22 He spake comfortably to all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the Lord 1. he encouraged and heartned he spake to the heart saith the originall of all the Levites 2. hee encouraged them because they were able and conscionable teachers because they taught the good knowledge of God to the people And hee did not so himselfe onely but it is said further of him 2 Chron. 31.4 Hee commanded the people to doe the like to give the portion of the Priests and the Levites that they might bee encouraged in the Law of the Lord. Hee knew they could never doe their duty with any heart and encouragement if due maintenance were with-held from them See yet a third example for this in King Iosiah of whom wee read also 2 Chron. 35.2 3. that hee encouraged the Priests and Levites to the service of the house of the Lord. No good worke wee can doe will better argue that wee are truly religious and feare God indeed then the kindnesse and bounty wee shew to Gods faithfull ministers Obadiah feared God greatly 1 Kings 18.34 and marke the reason is given to prove this for when Iezebel cut off the Prophets of the Lord Obadiah tooke an hundred Prophets and hid them and fed them And it is worthy further to be observed in the example of Iehoshaphat 2 Chron 17.7 that hee is said to have sent his princes to teach in the cities of Iudah They were not preachers certainely hee sent them onely to countenance and encourage the Levites and even for that cause they are said to teach in the cities of Iudah And so all you that doe encourage the ministers of God that doe comfort and protect them in their ministery are your selves doers of this blessed worke So saith our Saviour Matth. 10.41 Hee that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward A Prophets reward is due to him that doth the worke of a Prophet but every one that doth entertaine and encourage the faithfull ministers of the Gospell any way doth the worke of a Prophet for he shall receive a Prophets reward I know well this is a great paradox to many now a dayes 1. they thinke they may bestow their bounty twenty wayes better then in placing and maintaining of able ministers 2. they thinke there is no want of preaching there are preachers enough and too many too every where 3. they thinke it a great priviledge to give nothing to the maintenance or to increase the maintenance of a preacher 4. they are so farre from encouraging the minister by any free gift for the increase of his maintenance that by spoyling and with-holding from him that which is his due they discourage him in his ministery all that they can But to these men I have foure things to say First That in the judgement of those three worthy Kings nay in the judgement of the holy Ghost who noteth and commendeth them for this to place and maintaine able ministers is a chiefe good worke a principall worke of mercy above all others Secondly That notwithstanding the plenty of teachers they talke of yet there bee still a great number of congregations that want able teachers whose case is extreamely to bee pitied thinke of their case and judge of it by the Prophets words Now for a long season saith he 2 Chron. 15.3 Israel hath beene without the true God and without a teaching Priest and without law Thirdly That the want of sound knowledge and instruction is the chiefe cause of all the wickednes in the land and that so many perish in their sins as appeaâ—reth by that complaint the Lord maketh Hos. 4.6 My people perish for want of knowledge Fourthly and lastly To him that is still resolved notwithstanding all that hath beene said it is no good worke no deed of charity to place and maintaine able ministers it is no sinne at all to shew no kindnesse to give no encouragement that way to his teacher no nor to with-hold from him what hee can I can say no more but what the Angell of God saith Revel 22.11 Hee that is unjust let him bee unjust still But let him withall blot out of his Bible and so his owne name also out of the booke of life that expresse commandement of God Gal. 6.6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate with him that teacheth in all good things And this shall suffice for the first branch of my exhortation that concerneth the duty wee owe unto other men wee are bound to desire and procure so farre as in us lyeth that all men may have the meanes of knowledge Secondly If knowledge bee both the foundation and the seed also of all other graces as wee have heard it is then such of us as have charge of others as all we that are parents and governours of families have are bound to use our best endeavour to bring them to knowledge that are under our charge It is a vaine thing for us to hope that either by correction or example or by any other meanes of civill education they can bee brought to grace till the knowledge of religion bee first wrought in them This is plaine by that direction the Apostle giveth unto parents Ephes. 6.4 and that that he saith to parents of their children may as well bee said to masters of their servants And yee fathers provoke not your children to wrath but bring them up in the instruction and information of the Lord. To this end 1. We must hold our selves bound to teach them our selves God established a testimony in
and lastly It cannot be denied but that in some sense a man may bee said even by this inherent righteousnesse to be justified before God For so farre forth as any man by the worke of Gods spirit in his heart is become truly holy and good upright and without hypocrisy so far forth God doth esteeme and account him a holy and good and just man The Lord taketh notice of his owne graces in his children approveth of them and giveth testimony unto them So the Holy Ghost saith of Noah Gâ—n 6.9 that he was a just man And of Zachary and Elizabeth Luke 1.6 that they were both righteous before God So Solomon prayeth 1 King 8.22 that the Lord would justifie the righteous to give him according to his righteousnesse You see then wee doe not deny as the Papists falsly slander us all inherent righteousnesse no nor all justification by inherent righteousnesse neither But this is that we beleeve and teach according to the Scriptures That this inherent righteousnesse is not that righteousnesse whereby any poore sinner in this life can be justified before Gods tribunall and judgement seat for which hee is pronounced to be innocent absolved from death and condemnation and adjudged unto life eternall Of this justification as it is opposed unto condemnation as the Apostle useth the word Rom. 8.33 34 It is God that justifieth who shall condemne and as our Saviour useth it Matth. 12.37 By thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned is the Question betweene us and them And that we are not thus justified in Gods sight by any inherent righteousnesse I will first give you evident proofe out of the holy Scripture and secondly I will shew you good reason out of the Word why no man can be so justified in Gods sight For the first Nothing is more cleerely taught in the holy Scripture then this that no man can be justified in Gods sight by the works of the law that is by doing that which the law requireth him to do And what is our inherent righteousnesse but a conformity to the law of God to that which the law requireth of us By the deeds of the law saith the Apostle Romanes 3.20 there shall no flâ—sh bee justified in his sight And againe Knowing saith he Gal. 2.16 that a man is not justified by the workes of the law but by the faith of Iesus Christ even we have beleeved in Iesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified True saith the Papist the Apostle saith so indeed but by the works of the law he meaneth the workes of the ceremoniall law which many false teachers in those daies did maintaine to be necessary unto justification And those be the works he speaketh of Rom. 4.10 Abraham was justified before he was circumcised which was a worke enjoined him by the ceremoniall law therefore it was not his circumcision nor his obedience to that law that justified him So Gal. 2.16 when he denieth we are justified by the works of the law he meaneth those works of the law he had spoken of in the former verses and for which he had reproved Peter and that was about his conforming himselfe to the Iewes in works enjoined by the ceremoniall law But to this I answer First It is true that he speaketh in those two places of the workes of the ceremoniall law and excludeth them from having any hand in our justification But even in those places he excludeth not the workes of the ceremoniall onely but all workes of the law even of the morall law also For 1 his words are generall and without any limitation Rom. 4.6 David describeth the blessednesse of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without workes without any workes And verse 5. To him that worketh not but beleeveth in him that justifieth the ungodly to him hâ—s faith is imputed unto righteousnesse And what good workes are they the want whereof maketh one an ungodly man Are they the works of the ceremoniall law onely are they not rather the workes of the morall law And in Gal. 2.16 his words are generall Knowing a man is not justified by the workes of the law 2. He excldeth the workes of that law that was given to all men to the Gentiles as well as to the Iewes and whereby the Gentiles as well as the Iewes might have some hope to be justified For he saith Gal. 2.16 By the workes of the law shall no flesh be justified As if he had said Neither Iew nor Gentile We have before proved saith he Rom. 3.9 that is to say In his former dispute against justification by workes both Iewes and Gentiles that they are all under sinne And verse 28 29. Therefore wee conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law Is he the God of the Iewes onely is he not also of the Gentiles As if he should say Neither the deeds of the law that the Iewes were bound unto nor the deeds of the law that the Gentiles were bound unto can justifie a man before God And what law was that which the Gentiles were bound to observe Certainely not the ceremoniall but the morall law only Secondly I answer The Apostle doth exclude from justification the workes of that law whereby commeth the knowledge of sin For these are his words Rom. 3.20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh bee justified in his sight for by the law commeth the knowledge of sinne As if hee should have said The use that the law serveth unto is not to justifie us in Gods sight but to discover our sin and misery to us and so to drive us to seeke justification by faith in Christ. And what law is that whereby commeth the knowledge of sin Certainely the morall law principally But then they object secondly Admit the Apostle do speake of the works of the morall as well as of the ceremoniall law yet he meaneth not those workes of the morall law that are done by the faithfull through the grace of Christ but those that are done by men while they are in the state of nature before their conversion before they do beleeve And such works of the morall law say they we confesse cannot justifie a man before God To this I answer 1. That the Apostles words are generall as I shewed before and we must use no limitation where he useth none 2. The Apostle Rom. 4.2 denieth that Abraham was justified by his workes though he were one of the faithfull yea the father of the faithfull as he calleth him ver 11. no not by those works of his whereof he might seeme to have cause to glory which he could never meane of those works he did before he was a beleever for he was an idolater before as we read Iosh. 24.2 And the Apostle would
right hand of my righteousnesse And Vers. 14. Feare not thou worme Iacob thou that art so base and contemptible in thine owne eye I will helpe thee saith the Lord. Yea of all the faithfull those that are now before-hand so fearfull and weake have most promises of God that he will give them strength sufficient when the time of tryall shall come Out of weakenesse they were made strong as you heard Hâ—b 11.34 My grace is sufficient for thee saith the Lord to Paul 2 Cor. 12.9 for my strength is made perfect in weaknesse He giveth power to the saint saith the Prophet Esa. â—0 29 and to them that have no might he increaseth strength Certainly if Gods people would make use of their faith in making claim to these promises of God and challenging of him in humble prayer the performance of them unto themselves they could not be so tormented with slavish feares as they are The fourth and last corruption that much troubleth the best of Gods people is the hardnesse of their hearts they cannot mourne they say nor weep for their sinnes they are not sensible either of the judgements or mercies of God they cannot pray nor heare nor read nor receive with any feeling or affection at all See how Gods people complaine and were afflicted with this Esa 63.17 Why hast thou hardened our heart from thy feâ—râ— Now the best way that any soule can take to cure this stoninesse of the heart to make it soft and tender able to mourne kindly for sinne and to serve God with feeling and affection is to get assurance by a lively faith of Gods love to him in Christ and of the forgivenesse of his sinnes Foure notable experiments we have for this two in the old Testament and two in the new The first is that of Gods people mentioned in Ezek. 36.28 31. after that they were become Gods people and God was become their God and he had saved them from all their uncleannesses as you read Vers. 28 29. that is after that they were entred into the covenant of grace assured of Gods favour and of the forgivenesse of their sinnes then shall ye remember saith the Lord of them Vers. 31. your owne evill wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your owne sight for your iniquity and for your abominations Nothing hath that force to make a man loath himselfe for his sinnes as the knowledge and consideration of Gods love in the pardoning of his sinnes and the receiving of him into a covenant of grace and mercy that hath beene so extreamely unworthy of it The second experiment of this force of faith to soften the heart is that of Gods people whom the Prophet speaketh of Zach. 12.10 that they should mourne as one mourneth for his onely sonne and be in bitternesse as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne And the Prophet alledgeth two causes of this 1. The Spirit of grace that God had powred upon them that is the Spirit of adoption whereby God had assured their hearts of his favour and love in Christ. 2. The looking upon Christ whom they had pierced that is the weighing with themselves seriously what Christ had done and suffred for them And therfore also it is said they mourned for him they were in bitternesse for him It is the Spirit of grace and adoption assuring us of Gods fatherly love to us in Christ it is the weighing with our selves seriously how dearely Christ hath loved us that will make us mourne for sinne more than for any thing in the world all the terrours of the law all the judgements of God are of no force to soften the heart in comparison of this The third experiment of this is in Mary Magdalen Luke 7. Of her we read Ver. 38. that she had a very soft heart she was able to weep abundantly for her sinnes so abundantly as she could wash Christs feet with her teares And what was it that made her heart so soft Surely the knowledge and assurance she had of Christs marvellous love to her in pardoning her sinnes her so many and so hainous sinnes was that that did it as our Saviour plainely telleth us Vers. 43 48. The fourth and last example is that of Peter of whom we read Luke 22.62 that he had a most soft heart he was able to weepe bitterly for his sinnes And what was it that wrought so upon his heart That the Holy Ghost telleth us Vers. 61. The Lord turned and looked upon Peter and Peter remembred the Word of the Lord how he had said unto him before the cocke crow thou shalt deny me thrice When he considered the marvellous love of Christ to him that though he had so shamefully denied and forsaken him yet he was pleased still in the midst of all his troubles to think upon him to have care of him to turn himself about and cast a gracious eye upon him this brought Peter to remember what he had done this even broke his heart and made him weep abundantly And surely look what force a true and lively faith had in all these examples the same it would have in us if we did stir it up and make use of it as they did The true cause why our hearts are so hard is this that either we have no faith no assurance of Gods love to us in Christ or if we have it we make not use of it unto this work of softning our hearts For all that are in the covenant of grace reconciled to God in Christ have this promise given them of God Ezek. 11.19 which is also repeated 36.26 I will take saith the Lord the stony heart out of their flesh and I will give them an heart of flesh And if any of the faithfull when they are most troubled with the hardnesse of their hearts could make claime unto this promise and presse the Lord with it as he loveth to be importuned as you may see Luke 18.1 7 certainely they might have helpe against it And so much for the force that faith hath in the first part of our sanctification for the mortifying of sinne The second part I must leave till the next day Lecture CXLI On Psalme 51.7 Febr. 23. 1629. IT followeth now that I shew you likewise the force of justifying faith in the second part of true sanctification in making us partakers of the divine nature and renewing the image of God in our hearts in producing the fruits of the Spirit in us in the breeding and working of every saving grace When a man is once justified by faith in Christ is reconciled unto God through his bloud then shall he bring forth fruit unto God and never till then This will make the heart of a man fruitfull in holinesse and righteousnesse and nothing but this will ever be able to doe it For the first that is to say that faith will make the heart fruitfull we have a plaine proofe in that speech of the
wicked men two wayes by the Examples of his severity towards his owne children 547 548 Iustification By Christ we are fully and perfectly delivered and freed from all our sinnes 315 316 All true believers are perfectly cleansed from their sinneâ— and pure in Gods eyes 655 The reasons of it 660 661 Foure maine differences betweene justification and sanctification 656 659 How perfectly a true believer is discharged of all his sinnes appeares in 5 points 659 We cannot be justified by inherent righteousnesse 669 670 Reasons of it 670 671 We are justified by Christs righteousnesse imputed to us 672 Objections answered 674 The knowledge of this that Christ hath purchased for us the pardon of our sinnes a sufficient ground of comfort 677. and so is the knowledge of this that Christs perfect obedience is imputed to us Ibid. K. Knowledge A Good signe to desire to know the whole will of God in all things that concerne us 423 786 794 Saving knowledge is the principall worke of Gods grace in the conversion of man 472 It is the foundation of other graces 473 It is the seed of other graces 475 All Gods people must seeke for saving knowledge 483 Signes of sanctified knowledge 485 c 1 The Word the onely object of it 2. Specially such parts of it as are most usefull and profitable for our selves 485. 3. It is cleare and certaine 4. There 's no fulnesse nor satiety in it 486 It works 1 humilitie 487. 2. Good affections 488. 3. Reformation of hearts and liâ—e 489 490. 4. Strengtheneth against tentations 491 Motives to seek knowledge 1. It concernes one as well as another to have knowledge in Religion and in the Scriptures 492 493. 2. It is a duty required of God Ibid. 494 3 It is a comfortable signe of Election and uprightnesse oâ— heart 495 4. It keepeth us constant in Religion and from danger of seducers 490 788 5. It makes us walke boldly and comfortably 497 Meanes 1. Be sensible of ignorance 2. Be truly humbled or sin 498. 3. Depend upon an ordinary and sound ministry 499. 4. Read the Word 5. Meditate 6. Conferre 7. Pray 501. Receive the Word with an honest heart 792 No man by naturall abilities can attaine saving knowledge without supernaturall grace 512 This cure not perfected in this life nor so perfectly in some as others but shall be perfected in heaven 514 Naturall mens knowledge not sufficient to salvation 515 The work of grace enlightning the understanding is extraordinarie and rare 516 This workes most free no reason of it but only Gods good pleasure Ibid. â—abour to understand every thing we do in Gods service 583 Danger of them that make light account of knowledge 598 L. Labour WE cannot performe any spirituall service unto God without labour 34 Love of God The love of God is the root of all true obedience 386 The true love of God a certaine signe of an upright heart 388 389 No wicked man doth indeed love God 390 c. There may bee true love of God in them that are much exercised with slavish feares 394 Love that is wrought in men towards God by his common savours is unsound 398 399 Faith the root of it 742 Every one that hath the Spirit of Christ loves God above all 798 Gods honour must be dearer unto us than any thing 809 M. Magistrates HAve great opportunity to honour God in their places 631 Maliciousnesse True faith will subdue it 733 734 Meanes God is the giver of all meanes and of the vertue in them to do us good 72 Meditation Meditate on that we heare 40 Memory We should be carefull to remember what we heare 39 And to keepe Gods favours in remembrance 646 Mercy of God The onely ground the best can have for hope of pardon is Gods mercy 102 c. Gods mercy most free 107 In him bowels of mercy 107 108 We must not rest in this to know that God is mercifull but labour to know that his mercy yea a speciall mercy belongs to us 126 Five differences between it and common mercies 126 127 Five notes to know whether it belong to us 127 128 Five notable effects that the assurance of Gods speciall mercy worketh in the conscience 129 130 The vilest sinner if he feele his sin and desire to turne to God need not doubt of finding mercy with him 130 c. Gods mercy to us in the things that concerne this life 224 225 In things that concerne our soules 225 c. Learne to be mercifull by example of Gods mercy 115 Ministers Why the faithfullest Ministers are so hated 46 47 What properties should be in the Minister that desires to do good specially in reproving sin 48 52 Ministers should not be given to suits and contentions 51 What manner of men Ministers had need to be 166.167 Ministers must chiefly labour to bring the people to knowledge to ground and stablish them in it 481 By what means he may do that 482 Ministers have great opportunity to honour God 631 Ministers teaching by warrant of Gods Word are to be obyed 724 A man that hath no truth of grace in himselfe may be a meanes to converâ— others 805 Ministry of the Word The means which God hath sanctified and by which he hath been wont to worke repentance and grace 18. and knowledge 499. and constancy in the truth 796 What mighty works it hath wrought and the reason it hath done so 18 21 We should resolve to live under it and why 23 24 48 To be accounted a chiefe blessing 25 478 800 804 That the best that applyeth the Word particularly and reproveth sin boldly 44 A principall work of mercy to procure or provide that for a people 479 It is Gods speciall and free favour that any of us enjoy the sound Ministry of the Word 503 507 That the Ministry of the Word is effectuall to conversion is to be ascribed onely to the Spirit 507 509 They are in a fearefull estate that enjoy not the Ministry of the Word 526 527 And also they that enjoy it and cannot profit by it 528 A great mercy to enjoy the Ministry of the Word but specially when we profit by it 531 532 We should rejoyce in this 802 803 Modesty The people of God dare not speake boldly nor immodestly of filthy actions 6 Mortification Seven meanes of it 317 c. We may with confidence go to Christ for helpe against our spirituall infirmities 331 Objections against that answered 335 Faith the onely means of mortification 732 Musicke Three things to be observed concerning the Musicke they had in the worship of God under the Law 3 N. Neighbours HOw we came to make our selves guilty of the sinnes of others 179 c. 219 We are bound to desire and procure so farre as in us lieth that all men may have the means of knowledge 477 478 O. Oath GReat care to be had in taking an oath and keeping it 183 The common sinne in taking an oath
receive whatsoever God shall teach you With such a heart came Cornelius to heare Peter Act. 10.33 We are all here present before God to heare all things that are commanded thee of God It is the suit of Christ to his Church Cant. 5.2 Open to me my sister my love my dove shut not thy heart against me and my Word To this also a promise is made Ps. 24.7 Lift up your heads ô ye gates and be ye lift up ye everlasting doores and the King of glory shall come in And Revel 3.20 If any man heare my voice and open the doore I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Certainely if men would come to the Word with such open and teachable hearts ready to receive and learne whatsoever God shall teach they would profit must more then they do But alas most that heare us come with prejudicate and forestalled hearts they have certaine imaginations and errors of their mind which they are resolved to hold concerning the Sabbath and recreations and even this point that I have now so largely handled touching the necessity of living under a sound and profitable ministery and diverse other things And these imaginations and errors of their judgement serve as strong holds to keepe Christ and his truth out of their hearts 2 Cor. 10.4 5. With this mind many a one comes to heare us I know the preacher well enough he differs from me in judgement in sundry things but it is no matter I can heare him and hold mine owne well enough I like his gifts well and will receive his doctrine so farre as I judge it to bee true but if once he fall upon his owne conceits there I will leave him And do so still in Gods name if any preacher teach his owne conceits though he had the gifts of an Angell beleeve him not Gal. 1.8 9. But take heed thou count not that his conceit which he teacheth thee by good warrant of Gods Word For in that case if thou receive not whatsoever he teacheth thee I will assure thee that that which thou seemest to receive will doe thee no good For certainely these men that in their hearing do thus limit and gage the Word and spirit of God would if it lay in their power as those wicked men mentioned Esay 30.10 Say to the Seers see not and to the Prophets prophesie not unto us right things speake unto us smooth things And those that did so the Lord calls despisers of his Word verse 12. Sixthly come with a heart resolved to obey and practise whatsoever God shall teach and command thee With such a heart came David to the Word Psal. 119.33 34. Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keepe it unto the end give me understanding and I shall keepe thy law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart To this the promise is made Ioh. 7.17 If any man will do his will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speake of my selfe Such shall attaine to a setled and certaine knowledge of the truth And Luk. 8.15 They that with an honest heart heare the Word keepe it and bring forth fruit with patience Mica 2.7 Doe not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly And how can they then profit by the ministery of the Word that in their hearing seeke nothing but knowledge intend nothing lesse then to practise ought they heare like those Ezek. 33.31 They heare thy words but they will not do them But rather resolve before hand they will be still as they were they will do as their neighbours doe as Zeâ—echia did 2 Chron 36.13 He sâ—iffaed his worke and hardned his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel No preacher shall alter them they can heare them they trow and ver do still as they list What Wee were wise men indeed if wee should practise what we heare leave our good fellowship bring religion into our families so should we be counted Puritans God forbid we should ever become such fooles Oh take heed God forbid it not indeed When Pharaoh had hardned his owne heart against the meanes God had used to soften it Exod. 8 15. ye read oft in that book afterward that God hardned his heart Exod. 9.12 O therefore take heed of this Heb. 3.7.8 If ye will heare his voice harden not your hearts Seventhly come in faith to the hearing of the Word and in a certaine expectation to receive that good from the Lord in this his ordinance which he hath promised to doe and worke by it We should thinke and meditate of the promises God hath made to this duty and expect by faith the performance of them Christ hath promised he will be with his servants in their ministery to the end of the world Mat. 28.20 Beleeve this and expect his gracious presence to make his ordinance effectuall in thine heart He hath said Luk. â—1 28 Blessed are they that heare the Word Consider who spake this beleeve him of his word and expect a blessing from him in thy hearing The Lord hath said Psal. 19.7 The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soule And Rom. 1. â—6 â—t is the power of God unto salvation Thou feelest sundry corruptions which thou wouldest faine have power to overcome and thy heart converted from them unto the Lord beleeve this which God hath said of his Word and expect to finde this converting power of God in this his ordinance So the Lord hath said of this ordinance Acts 20.32 that it is able to build his people up and to persit the worke of grace begun in them and thou wouldst grow and art troubled that thou growâ—st to better come in saith to it and looke to receive this benifit by it So the Lord hath said Esa. 57.19 that he createth and ordaineth the fruit of the lips to be peace peace to them that are nâ—are and to them that are a far of And thou wâ—ntest peace in thy conscience beleeve what God that cannot lie hath said and look verily to have peace wrought in thy heart by this meanes In a word God hath said of this his ordinance Esa. 55.3 Heare and your soule shall live And Iam 1.21 That it is able to save your soules beleeve this then and expect life and salvation by it How should the most of our hearers then receive any good by this ordinance of God when few or none come to it in this faith They never stirre up themselves to thinke of these promises or to expect any such good by it As it was with them that desired to receive good by Christs divine power in working miracles they must bring faith with them Marke 9.23 Iesus said to him that came to have his sonne dispossessed If thou canst beleeve all these things are possible to him that beleeveth And still according to their faith so they sped Matth. 9. â—9 So
is it in this case They that desire to receive good by the divine power of God in this his ordinance must bring faith to it and according to their faith so shall they speed And as it is said of Christ Matth. 13.58 He did 〈◊〉 are 〈◊〉 works in Nazareth because of their unbeliefe So may it be sayd of our Church assemblies now adayes God sheweth not his saving power much in them because of the unbeliefe of our hearers Eightly and lastly If thou wouldest profite by thy hearing pray before thou hearest No good thing ye know can bee expected from God with a blessing if it be not sought by prayer Deut. 4.7 The Lord our God is nigh unto us in all that we call upon him for And in this particular it is the duty of Gods people to pray for their teachers that they may so speake as they ought to speake Col. 4.4 and specially that in their ministery they may so apply the word as it may effectually meet with their corruptions Let the righteous smite me saith David Psal. 141.5 it shall be a kindnesse and let him reprove me it shall be as an excellent oyle For themselves also they should pray that through Gods assistance they may heare profitably and be blessed in their hearing Thus did David go to the Word Psal. 19.18 Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wonderous things out of thy law For the Lord only is he that can teach us to profite Esa. 48.17 I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profite To this is the promise made Pro. 2.3 5. If thou cryest after knowledge and liftest up thy voice for understanding then shalt thou understand the feare of the Lord and find the knowledge of God And surely this is one chiefe cause why there is so little profiting by the ministery of the word For before they come to Church pray either for the preacher or themselves nay few when they are at Church have any heart to joyne with the Preacher in the prayer that he maketh before the Sermon But that complaint may bee made in this case which the Prophet maketh Esay 64.7 There is none that calleth on thy name that stirreth up himselfe to take hold of thee Lecture VI. On the Title of Psalme 51. Novemb. 23 1625. IT followeth now that we proceed to the other two parts of the use of Direction And for the better stirring up of your affection to that which I am to deliver you must know this that to heare the word profitably is a laborious and painefull thing The bringing of your bodies hither and lending of your eares is not all though that be painfull to you that come farre but there is more belongs to it then so there is a labour of the mind and heart required in this worke Strive saith our Saviour Luk 13.24 to enter in at the strait gate Every gate every part of that way whereby wee must come to life eternall is strait and narrow and without much striving labour it is not possible to passe through it To pray aright you that are acquainted with the conscionable performance of this duty find it to be a painfull and laborious thing Rom. 15.30 Strive together with me saith the Apostle in your prayers to God for me And surely it is no lesse painfull a thing to heare spiritually and profitably Labour saith our Saviour Iohn 6.27 not for the meate which perisheth but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life And no marvell For 1. there is an utter indisposition of our owne hearts by nature to every thing that is good being alienated in our minds from God as the Apostle speaketh Colos. 1.21 and estranged as David saith Psal. 58.3 from the very wombe 2. Satan also is very busie with us when wee goe about this worke of hearing Gods Word to hinder us by all the cunning he hath from hearing it fruitfully Luke 8.12 Those by the high-way side are they that heare then commeth the devill and taketh away the Word out of their hearts lest they should beleeve and be saved 3. The Lord though he first converted us without any helpe of our owne will and endeavour for wee were by nature dead in trespasses Ephes. 2.1 yea he converted us against our will Rom. 10.21 All the day long have I stretched out my hands unto a disobedient and gain-saying people Yet will he not save us nor build us up in grace nor blesse the meanes of grace unto us without the helpe of our will and endeavour but when he hath once regenerated and renewed our will hee will have usâ— imploy it in his worke Phil. 2.12 Worke out your owne salvation Wee had need therefore to take paines with our owne hearts and strive to heare profitably For certainely as a great cause why we profit so little by the Word is this that we will not do that that lyeth in us to make our hearing profitable we will take no paines in this worke so if we would take a little paines for it we should find that the fruit and comfort we should receive by it would abundantly recompence all the paines wee have taken in it That which Solomon saith of labour in our lawfull callings Pro. 14.23 In all labour there is profite and 13.11 He that gathereth by labour shall increase there is a secret blessing of God upon men that labour in the meanest calling that is that they are able to live and thrive by it may fitly be applyed to this purpose they that labour and will take paines in the worke of their owne salvation to make all meanes of Grace profitable unto themselves shall certainly thrive and increase in Grace whereas the lazy soule under the best meanes of Grace that are shall still be like Pharaohs Kinâ— lâ—ane and ill-favoured Gen. 45.21 VVe find by experience that it is not the greatnes of a mans living that maketh him rich but the good imploying and carefull husbanding of it A little ground if a good husband a carefull and painfull man have the occupying of it proves oftentimes more fruitfull then a great deale more land will doe in the hands of a lazy and carelesse husband though it be of it selfe a better soile and have more helps from God and nature then the other hath Pro. 24.30 3â— I went by the field of the slothfull and by the Vineyard of the man void of understanding and loe it was all growne over with thornes and nettles had covered the face thereof and the stone wall thereof was broken downe So it is not the greatnesse and excellency of the ministery that a man liveth under and daily frequenteth that will make one rich in Grace but the care and endeavour himselfe useth to make it profitable to him A weaker ministery with this care will be more availeable to inrich the heart then the strongest can be without it As I therefore shewed you the last day what you must do before you come
of it in our hearts Deut. 4.39 Know therefore this day saith Moses and consider it in thine heart David was much given to this Psal. 119.15 I will meditate in thy precepts The blessed Virgin is commended for this Luk. 2.19 All the things she heard concerning Christ she kept them and pondered them in her â—eart This is enjoyned as a duty most necessary to this purpose Esa 46.8 Bring it againe to minde O ye transgressors For 1. This would argue a love to that we heare and a delight in it Psal. 1.2 His delight is in the law of the Lord and in that law doth he meditate day and night and 119.97 O how love I thy law it is my meditation all the day 2. This would greatly increase our comfort in the Word and cause us to feele more sweetnesse in it as the chawing of our meate makes us tast more sweetnesse in it Psal. 119.15 16. I will meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy waies I will delight my selfe in thy statutes 3. This would greatly increase and confirme our knowledge Psal. 119.99 I have more understanding then all my teachers for thy testimonies are my meditation 4. This would cause the Word to have more power in our hearts to draw us to practise and to nourish and increase the life of godlinesse in us As meat though it be never so good never so well dressed nourisheth us not but is rather a burden then benefit unto us if our stomack cannot concoct and digest it so it is with the food of our soules Iosh. 1.8 Thou shalt meditate in the law day and night that thou maist observe to do according to all that is written therein How then should the Word you heare doe you good when you never thinke of it after you have once heard it It is noted of the Disciples that though they had seene Christs mighty power in the miracles of the loaves yet their faith was never the stronger but upon every new tentation and occasion of feare they were extreamely troubled and that this was the cause of it Mar. 6.52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves for their heart was hardned They had seene that miracle and it may be also remembred it but they had not considered and meditated of it and therefore they were never the better for it Thirdly you must conferre of that which you have heard and repeate it among your selves 1. It is often spoken of in Scripture as a duty wee owe to God and his Word to speake of it unto others Psal. 119.172 My tongue shall speake of thy Word for all thy commandements are righteousnesse Yea this is noted as a speciall use we should make of our reading and hearing of the Word to speake of it unto others it must not be in our heart onely but in our mouth too Iosh. 1.8 This booke of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth And that which is said of the Priest Mal. 2.7 that his lips should keepe knowledge is said likewise of every one that truly feares God Pro. 5.2 My son attend unto my wisdome and bow thine eare unto mine understanding that thy lips may keepe knowledge 2. You that go home together from the Sermon should make this use of your company to conferre together of that which you have heard as they did Luk. 24.14 3. Yea you should all count it a benefit to have a companion you may conferre with about that which you have heard Christs Disciples used it much When Christ had taught how hard it was for rich men to be saved it is said Mar. 10.26 They were astonished out of measure and said among themselves who then can be saved The like you shall find spoken of their conferring among themselves of another Sermon of our Saviours Ioh. 16.17 18. Yea it is reported of other of his hearers too besides his Disciples that they did use to conferre among themselves of that which he had taught Ioh. 7 35 36. 4. But chiefly this is required of you that have families that you repeate unto them examine them conferre with them about that which they have heard For this we have a plaine commandment Deut. 11.18 19. Ye shall lay up these my words in your heart-and yee shall teach them your children speaking of them when thou sittest in thy house c. Yea it is said to be a chiefe thing that the Lord had respect unto in giving us his Word and vouchsafing to us the knowledge of it that we might instruct our families in it Deut. 4.10 Gather me the people together and I will make them to â—eare my words that they may learne to feare me and that they may teach their children According to that proverbe Mat. 5.15 Men do not light a candle to put it under a bushell but on a candle-sticke and it giveth light to all that are in the house For this we have an example which above all others we should desire to follow even the practise of our blessed Saviour himselfe who though he spent himselfe so much in his publique labours yet did use to conferre with his family of the Sermons hee had made to examine them and make all things plainer to them Mat. 13.51 Have ye understood all these things And Mar. 4.34 When they were alone he expounded all things to his Disciples This repeating and conferring of that wee have heard would certainely greatly further our profiting by the Word In this that proverbe will be found true as much as in any other thing Eccl. 4.9 Two are better then one We may all in this kinde receive helpe one from another even he that is stronger in knowledge and grace from another that is weaker then himselfe is Yea God is so pleased with it that a blessing may be expected from God in the use of it It is said of the two Disciples that went toward Emmaus Luke 24. â—5 That whâ—le they communed together and reasoned Iesus himselfe drew neare and went with them And againe that when they went to relate to the Apostles that they had seene him and what he had said to them and the Apostles and they were conferring of this matter it is said Luk. 24.36 That as they spake Iesus himselfe stood in the midst of them Foure speciall benefits certainely you might reape by it First It would make your children and servants to marke better then they do what they heare if they knew they should be examined when they came home The Disciples of our Saviour were so diligent and watchfull in hearing that hee commends them for it Mat. â—3 16 Blessed are your eares for they heare And what made them so attentive Surely this was one cause that they knew their master was wont to examine them as you heard Mat. 13. â—1 Secondly It would much helpe and confirme both your families and your selves also in the understanding and beleeving of that which hath beene taught you if you would thus repeate
doctrine of their mothers Pro. 1.8.6.20 which sheweth plainely it was the practise of Gods Church then that even mothers were teachers of their children even when they were very young and under their government they were wont to teach them good things Yea there is an expresse commandement for this not onely that we should teach our children but that we should teach them even when they are very young Teach a child in his way saith Solomon Pro. 22.6 that is that way that is fit for him according to his capacity as he is able to receive it by a little at once as you poure liquor into narrow mouthed bottells As you do when first you begin to feed their bodies with the spoone so must you do when first you begin to feed their soules with instruction Secondly You must betimes acquaint them with the practise of religion as reading of the Word and prayer and giving of thankes at their meat and singing of Psalmes We shall find Mat. 21.15 that the little children had learned of their parents to sing Hosanna part of the 118. Psalme to the praise of Christ. Yea more then this parents should endeavour to restraine their children from evill and to breed in them a conscience of sin even while they are very young You know the fourth commandement enjoyneth us that not our selves onely rest from all our own works on the Sabbath but that our children do so too Exo. â—0 10 Ezekiel professeth unto God Ezek. 4 14 that from his child-hood from his infancy as some read it he had not eaten any thing that Gods law had forbidden His parents had taught him even then and yet then we know the appetite to meate is most strong and unruly to make conscience of it Parents therefore must joyne instruction with corrections that may breed in their children a knowledge and conscience of the sinne for which they correct them Reproofes or corrections for instruction saith Solomon Pro. 6.23 are the way of life Without instruction correction will do little good And one fault amended by a child out of conscience that it is a sin is worth the amending of an hundred out of the feare of the rod onely That which David saith of Gods corrections may fitly be applyed to this Psal. 94.12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest O Lord and teachest him out of thy law Few or none are the better even for the Lords rods if they be corrected onely by him if they be not instructed also Thirdly You must bring them with you to the Church to the publique worship of God betimes even while they are very young even so soone as they can come and be there without disturbance of the Congregation that they may be acquainted with Gods worship and ordinances betimes Moses told Pharaoh Exod. 10.9 they must have their little ones with them to the solemne worship they were to do unto God in the wildernesse and would not accept of liberty for all the rest unlesse they might have their little ones with them And when Ioshuah according to Gods commandement read the law of God solemnly to the Congregation of Israel Ioâ—â— 8.35 they had their little ones with them in that solemne assembly And when Christ was preaching in the Congregation the people brought their little children unto him Mat. 19.13 that their little ones might have the benefit of his prayers Fourthly and lastly You that are parents must examine your children how they profit by the meanes of grace try how they understand what they heare repeate it and make it plainer to them and in repeating it apply it also Moses requireth the people Deut. 6.6 7. to teach that to their children which they had heard of him They might have objected what needeth that seeing they being present in the congregation heard what thou taughtest as well as we Yes but thou must teach it them againe saith hee for all that more plainly more familiarly Teach these things diligently to your children saith hee yea wheâ— and sharpen them upon your children for so the word there signifieth that is so repeat and make things plainer to them as you may apply them also labour to bring them to some feeling and conscience of that that is taught them O how would Religion flourish how would knowledge and grace grow in your children if you that are parents would thus doe your duty would bee teachers as well as wee and lay to your helping hand to this worke And the best ministery in the world will doe little good while you hang off and will doe nothing Two objections there be that some parents are apt to make against this First It is an absurd thing say they to teach children religion for them to meddle with the Scriptures or for them to bee taught to say either their Catechisme or prayers or grace A Parrat may as well be taught these things as a little child For alas they have no capacity to understand and bee sensible of such matters and therefore it is but a taking of Gods name in vaine to teach them such things Indeed this hath ever beene the conceit of carnall men Pharaoh could not abide to heare Moses say they must have their little ones with them to serve God Exodus 10.10 And Matth. 21.15 When the high Priest and Scribes heard the little children meddle with the Psalme and sing Hosanna they were sore displeased Yea when the disciples themselves Mar. 10.13 carnall men also in this as appeareth by the rebuke they received for it from their master ver 14. he was much displeased with them for it when they saw men bring their children to Christ they rebuked them for it But this is but a carnall conceit as shall appeare by three things that I have to answer unto it First Children when they are very young are capable of the seeds and beginnings of regeneration and saving grace See a notable proofe for this in the example of Iohn Baptist Luk 1.44 Assoone as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine eares saith his mother to Mary the babe leaped in my wombe for joy There were certainly in that babe the seeds and beginnings of saving knowledge and faith of saving grace both in his understanding and in his will and affections also But you will say that case was extraordinary and miraculous I grant it was so indeed yet is it to the purpose for all that For it sheweth that the youngest infant is not so uncapable of saving grace but that God is able to worke it even in them And that this should encourage us to use all the meanes wee can to breed grace in them betimes because wee know not how soone God may bee pleased to worke with the meanes and blesse them unto them According to that of Ecclesi 11.9 In the morning sow thy seed and in the evening with-hold not thy hand for thou knowest not whether shall prosper either this or that But heare now
extraordinary constantly who yet cannot master nor subdue any one lust but if they did use them conscionably and in a spirituall manner certainely the strength of their corruptions would bee abated by them Walke in the spirit saith the Apostle Galat. 5 16. and yee shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh If in this as well as in other parts of our conversation wee could walke in the spirit performe spirituall duties in a spirituall manner wee could not fulfill the lusts of our flesh as wee doe See the truth of this but in two exercises of religion not to trouble you with more that are in most dayly use with all Christians and that is the Word and Prayer First There is great force in reading of the Word and hearing of it to subdue and mortifie sin in us if it be used conscionably Now yee are cleane saith our Saviour to his Apostles Iohn 15.3 through the word which I have spoken unto you The conscionable hearing of the Word is able to cleanse the heart from the corruption that is in it It is therefore called Iamesâ— 21 because as the sciense of a good fruit that is grafted into a crab-tree-stocke will change the nature of the juyce and sap of it so the Word is able to change our natures quite See two notable instances of the power the Word hath this way 1. In the young man in whom wee know all kinds of lusts are most strong and violent and yet of him David saith Psal. 119.9 that if he would but conscionably exercise himselfe in the Word if he would take heed to his way according the Word he might be able to cleanse his way to cleanse his heart even from those unruly lusts of his 2. In a King who of all men in the world is in most danger as of other sins so specially of this to have his heart lifted and puffed up with pride and contempt of them specially that are his owne subjects and yet of him the Lord saith that if he will but exercise himselfe conscionably in the reading of the Word hee shall obtaine power over this corruption For giving the reason why hee would have him every day to read some part of the Bible he saith thus Deut. 17.20 That his heart bee not lifted up above his brethren and that he turne not aside from the commandement to the right hand or to the left As if hee should say this will subdue both the pride of his heart and every other corruption that is in it And two reasons there are why it must needs be so First Because the Word is able to discover every corruption to us how closely soever it lurke in our hearts and the loathsomnesse and odiousnesse of it also by the law commeth the knowledge of sin saith the Apostle Rom. 3.20 It is a discerner and discoverer of the very thoughts and intents of the heart as he saith Heb. 3.12 Compared therfore to a glasse Iam. 1.23 and to the light that maketh all things manifest as the Apostle speaketh Eph. 5.13 Secondly Because there is also a divine spirit life and power in it to work upon the heart to conquer and kill sin in it The words that I speake unto you saith our Saviour Iohn 6.63 they are spirit and they are life I have hid thy word in my heart saith David Psal. 119.11 that I might not sin against thee How could that keepe him from sinning Surely when any lust began to rise in his heart when he was tempted to any sin if he could then but remember some sentence of Gods word that condemned that sin that would be of force to stay him from it That even as our blessed Saviour himselfe did overcome Satan with Scriptum est It is written Matth. 4.10 so may the members of Christ bee able to overcome Satan and their owne corruptions by calling to mind and meditating and applying to themselves that which is written in the Word against them So saith David Psal. 17.4 By the words of thy lips I have kept mee from the paths of the destroyer For it is the sword of the spirit as the Apostle calleth it Ephes. 6.17 It is the weapon of our warfare mighty through God to cast downe our imaginations and every thing in us that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivitie every thought to the obedience of Christ as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor 10.4 5. This Divine power that is in the Word to bridle and subdue their corruptions Gods people have alwayes felt and found by experience in themselves and doe all of them to this day and that is the cause why they doe take such paines for it and esteeme more of it as Iob speaketh Iob 23.12 then of their necessary food They that regard not the Word exercise not themselves in the reading and hearing of it or if they doe read and heare it yet have no care to hide it in their hearts and to use it as the sword of the spirit against their owne corruptions certainly such are farre from mortification any have no desire at all to mortifie and kill sin in themselves The other exercise of religion that hath such force to master and conquer our corruptions is prayer if it be used conscionably and spiritually This was the meanes that Paul used when hee was troubled with the thorne in his flesh and sought to be rid of it 2 Cor. 12.8 and by it he obtained though not a full deliverance from it yet strength sufficient to master it so as he was not overcome by it That which David saith of his worldly enemies Psal. 56.9 every Christian may say of these lusts that warre against his soule When I cry unto thee then shall mine enemies turne backe When we can pray we may be sure to become conquerours over any of our lusts By our faithfull prayer we may be able to deliver any brother from the bondage of any sin that he is fallen into if it be not the unpardonable sin For so saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 5.16 How much more may wee have confidence to obtaine by prayer deliverance from the dominion of any of our owne corruptions For of all suits we can make to God we have greatest assurance to speed in this when we pray for grace How much more saith our Saviour Lut 11.13 shall your heavenly father give the holy spirit to them that aske him Certainely this is one chiefe cause why the most of us can no better prevaile against our corruptions because we doe not more heartily complaine unto God of them and pray against them And wee may say as the Church doth Esay 64.6 7. Our iniquities like a wind have taken us away they carry us headlong whether they please And the reason is given in the next words There is none that calleth upon thy name or that stirreth up himselfe to take hold of thee The fift meanes the spirit of God in the word hath
God had not commanded were suddenly consumed with fire from heaven Levit. 10.1 2. The other is in Vzzah who because in a right good intent hee put forth his hand to stay the arke from falling which hee had no calling nor warrant from Gods Word to do the anger of the Lord was kindled against him and strucke him dead suddenly 2 Sam 6.6.7 And thus have we seene what is the rule and patterne of all true righteousnesse and that nothing can be a good worke that is not done by the direction of Gods Word which is the first generall poiâ—t I propounded in handling the first property of true goodnesse Let us proceed now to the second of them That the cleaving unto the word and following the direction of it in all that we doe is a good note of an upright heart To make Gods Word the onely guide of our life to make conscience of nothing as in it selfe sinfull or holy but onely of that which God hath commanded or forbidden in his Word is a singular note of an upright heart See the proofe of this first in the description the Holy Ghost maketh of the man that hath an upright heart Psal. 119.1 Blessed are the undefiled or the perfect and sincere in the way Yea but how shall we know who are such Who walke in the law of the Lord saith hee As if hee should have said that is the note to know them by So verse 7. I will praise thee with uprightnesse of heart when I shall have learned thy righteous judgements And Psal. 112.1 Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord. Yea but how shall we know him That delighteth greatly in his commandements That is the way to know who truly feareth God Secondly See the proofe of this in foure notable examples 1. Iob was an upright hearted man Iob 1.1 Yea himselfe was very confident of the uprightnesse of his heart as you may see Iob 23.10 He knoweth the way that I take when he hath tried me I shall come forth like gold And what made him so confident of this That he telleth you in the next words verse 11 12. My foot hath held his steps his way have I kept and not declined neither have I gone backe from the commandement of his lips I have esteemed the words of his mouth more then my necessary food 2. Of David likewise God himselfe giveth testimony 1 King 9.4 that he had walked before him in integrity and uprightnesse of heart But how did that appeare That he telleth you in the next words by doing according to all that I have commanded 3. Of Iehoshaphat God giveth testimony 2 Chron. 19.3 that he prepared his heart to seeke God he had an upright heart How did it appeare Surely when he shewed most frailty in taking part first with Ahab then with his sonne Ioram yet even then the uprightnesse of his heart appeared in his dependance upon the direction of Gods Word and the high account he made of it 1 King 22.5 Enquire I pray thee at the word of the Lord saith he to Ahab And verse 7. Is there not here a Prophet of the Lord besides that we may enquire of him And the same you shall see noted of him also when he went with Ioram 2 King 3.11 Is there not here a Prophet of the Lord that we may enquire of the Lord by him And when he heard that Elisha was there The word of the Lord is with him saith he ver 12. so he and by his meanes the other two Kings likewise sent not for the Prophet though that they might well have done but went downe to him The fourth and last example is Iosiah of whose goodnesse the Holy Ghost makes honourable mention even after his death 2 Chron. 35.26 Now the rest of the acts of Iosiah and his goodnesse As if hee should say There was goodnesse indeed and truth of grace in him But how is that proved According to all that is written in the Law of the Lord saith the Text As if he had said His goodnesse appeared in making Gods written Word the onely rule of his life Now let us make some application of all this that wee have heard touching this first property of true goodnesse and righteousnesse and that 1 by way of exhortation 2 by way of tryall and examination of our owne hearts For the first If this be so that the written Word of God is the onely rule of true righteousnesse if it be so perfect a rule and patterne as we have heard if the following of the direction of it in all things be so sure a note of an upright heart then what a necessity is there laid upon every one of us that desire to please God to exercise our selves with all diligence in the reading and hearing and meditating of it What marvell is it though not onely Kings and Magistrates Deut. 17.18.19 Iosh. 1.8 be commanded daily to read and meditate in it but that the Holy Ghost describeth the blessed and good man Psal. 1.2 by this that his delight is in the law of the Lord and in it he doth meditate day and night O with what certainty and security and comfort might we walke in all our wayes if we had that knowledge in the Word and were so well acquainted with it as in these daies wherein we live and under such meanes as we enjoy we might be Secondly Let us all examine the uprightnesse of our hearts by this note 1. Certainly if we make no reckoning of the Word delight not in it desire not the knowledge of it but have other rules to guide our lives and consciences by beside the Word how much devotion so ever seemeth to be in us how good so ever our lives are there is no truth nor uprightnesse in our hearts If either we make the commandements and customes of men or our own heart and good meaning the rule of our spirituall life or if we make conscience of and be religiously strict in the observation of such things as God in his Word hath given us no direction for we are no better then hypocrites See how bitter our Saviour is against the Pharisees for the great conscience they made themselves and for the great zeale they shewed in pressing others to the observation of their purifyings as a point of holinesse which they had no other warrant for but the tradition of their elders and the commandements of men Mar. 7.6 and so forward For this he calleth them hypocrites and saith they did worship God in vaine And the Apostle likewise against such as did forbid marriage and the eating of meates that Gods Word did allow 1 Tim. 4.1 3. he saith this was a doctrine of divels that they that taught it taught lies through hypocrisie and had their consciences seared with a hot iron Marke well I say the vehemency and bitternesse of them both against these men and you will see cause to wonder at it For admit this was an errour
is so farre from keeping all the commandements of God that he breaketh them all he keepeth none of them as they ought to be kept Thus speaketh holy and zealous Nehemiah of all Gods people and putteth himselfe in the number Neh. 1.7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee and have not kept the commandements nor the statutes nor the judgements which thou commandedst thy servant Moses Yea be hath certainely a false heart no uprightnesse no truth of grace in it that saith in his heart of the commandements of God as that rich young man did Mat. 19.20 All these things I have kept from my youth up or that thinketh himselfe to bee free from the transgression of any one of the commandements of God Secondly I answer Though this be so no man keepeth all no man keepeth any legally that is so as the law requireth so as to satisfie the law and to free himselfe by his obedience from the curse of the law yet is there never an upright hearted man in the world not the weakest of them all but he keepeth all the commandements of God evangelically that is so as in the new covenant of grace he is in Christ accepted of and accounted to have kept them all For this is the new covenant that God hath made with his people Ezek. 36.27 I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walke in my statutes and ye shall keepe my juâ—gements and doe them David did so as we have heard Zachary and Elizabeth did so yea the Apostle saith thus of all faithfull 1 Iohn 3.22 Whatsoever we aske we receive of him because wee keepe his commandements and doe those things that are pleasing in his sight For 1 there is no one commandement but in his minde and judgement he consenteth unto it and saith of it as Rom. 7.12 The commandement is holy and just and good He can say of himselfe as David did Psal. 119.128 I esteeme all thy precepts concerning all things to be right 2. There is no one commandement of God that he doth wittingly dispense with himselfe in but he maketh conscience of it and it hath a divine authority in his heart He can say with David Psal. 119.6 that he hath respect to all Gods commandements And with Paul Rom. 7.15 That which I doe when I transgresse any commandement I allow not for what I would that doe I not but what I hate that doe I. As if hee had said I would faine keepe every commandement of God though I doe it not my desire is to doe the will of God in all things I dislike in my selfe and hate every transgression of the law of God And he that doth thus approve in his minde and set his seale unto every commandement of God he that doth thus make conscience of and unfeignedly desire to doe the will of God in all things is certainely an happy man Never did any hypocrite or naturall man in the world goe thus farre He is not thus subject to the law of God saith the Apostle Rom. 8.7 neâ—ther indeed can be He cannot esteeme in his mind all Gods precepts concerning all things to be right but he hath in himselfe secret reasonings and imaginations that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 10.5 against some part of Gods will revealed in his Word neither can he make conscience of or in his will unfeignedly desire to doe the will of God in all things but doth willingly dispence with himselfe in some things and say with Naaman 2 King 5.18 In this thing the Lord beare with thy servant No no never could hypocrite goe thus farre Thou that canst thus consent unto Gods law and approve of Gods will revealed in his Word in all points and dost unfeignedly desire to doe every thing the Lord requireth of thee thou hast certainely notwithstanding all thy failings an upright heart yea thou art a righteous man in Gods sight not onely by imputation of Christs perfect righteousnesse unto thee but by an inherent righteousnesse which the spirit of Christ hath wrought in thee The righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in thee as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8.4 Thou dost keepe all the commandements of God though not legally or so as to be justified thereby yet Evangelically and so as by the new covenant of grace through Christ thou art esteemed by God as a fullfiller of them all And this made Paul to say Rom. 7. â—7 It is no more I that doe it as if hee had said I am not a transgressour of the law And verse 25. I my selfe serve the law of God as if he had said I do keepe and observe Gods law And so much may serve for the answer to the first question The second question is this Hath no man an upright heart that maketh more conscience of some of Gods commandements then of other some My answer to this question must consist of two parts 1. I will shew you how farre forth an upright hearted man may and ought to shew more respect to some of Gods commandements then to other some 2. How and wherein hee doth and must shew an equall respect unto them all For the first A man may have an upright heart and yet be more slacke and carelesse in some duties then in other in his obedience to some of the commandements of God then in other more apt to offend in some sinnes then in other This may arise 1. Sometimes from this that he hath more light and knowledge of his duty in some things then in other So it was with Iacob and the Patriarchs who being most holy men in other things yet made no conscience at all of Polygamy because though it was ever a sinne yet it was not knowne by them to be so 2. Sometimes from this that their tentations are stronger to some sinnes then to other and their pull-backs stronger to with-hold them from some duties then from other Of both these cases we have an example in Iehosaphat Iehosaphat was as zealous as any King of Iudah for the planting of true religion throughout his kingdome as you may see 2 Chron. 17.6 9. and yet in the abolishing of the reliques of idolatry he shewed nothing so much zeale as Hezekiah and Iosiah did Alas it was with him as with our good King Edward he did what he could but was not able to doe it as you shall see 2 Chron. 20.33 Howbeit the high places were not taken away for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers The backwardnesse of the people did hinder him he could not doe as he would So in another case he that shewed in all his other courses such a deale of piety and zeale how great want of zeale and piety did he shew in that league and affinity that he made with Ahab and being so ready to helpe both him and after him his two sonnes Iehoram and Ahaziah three as grosse
draw a man unto obedience and to a conscionable practise of that he knoweth if his knowledge be sound and saving Give mee understanding and I shall keepe thy law saith David Psalme 119.34 yea I shall observe it with my whole heart 3. It will effectually restraine from sinne and reforme the life of him that hath it They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountaine saith the Lord Esa. 11.9 for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea As if he had said Where the true knowledge of the Lord doth abound it is not possible that any oppression or violence should reigne If yee have beene taught by him saith the Apostle Ephes. 4.21 22. as the truth is in Christ Iesus that yee put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts As though hee had said Whosoever hath beene taught of God to know Christ in truth must needs put off the old man Therefore also the Holy Ghost maketh ignorance the cause of all sinne calling all the sinnes which are pardonable and for which sacrifice was to bee offered by the law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ignorances Hebrewes 9.7 the lusts wee had when wee were in ignorance 1 Peter 1.14 and workes of darkenesse Ephesians 5.11 Yea hee ascribeth all the ungraciousnesse and wickednesse of men to their want of knowledge and understanding There is none that understandeth saith the Apostle Rom. 3.11 there is none that seeketh after God Why are men so profane that they never seeke peace with God Surely their brutish ignorance is the cause of it Why are men in their hearts and lives so alienated from all goodnesse The Apostle will tell you the true cause Ephes. 4.18 They have their understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindnesse of their heart If any man shall object and say That this is contrary to all sense and experience For all sin doth much more abound now in these daies of light then it did in times of greatest darknesse and blindnesse and in what places now is all outragious sinne so rife as in those where there is most teaching and where knowledge doth most abound To this I answer in the words of the Apostle Romanes 3.4 Yet let God bee true and every man a liar Certaine it is because God hath said it that not knowledge but the want of knowledge is the cause of all the wickednesse of these daies of these places of these persons that you speake of 1. Many that live in these daies of light and in places where the light shineth most bright are blind and receive no benefit by the light They are as ignorant as those that live in the darkenesse of Egypt They love darkenesse more then the light yea they hate the light as our Saviour speaketh Iohn 3.19 20. For this cause God giveth them up unto vile affections as the Apostle speaketh of the Gentiles Romanes 1.26 And marke what he addeth verse 28 29. As they regarded not to know God God gave them up to a reprobate minde to doe those things that are not convenient being filled with all unrighteousnesse fornication wickednesse covetousnesse maliciousnesse full of envy murder debate deceit malignity whisperers c. And if God were so severe against them that regarded not but despised the light of nature what must he needs bee against them that regard not but despise the light of his glorious Gospell Marvell not though such men be more outragiously lewd or at least more senslesse and obdurate more hardly moved and brought unto repentance then any other men in the world 2. Though it cannot bee denied but many a wicked man hath knowledge For so the Apostle speaketh of the hypocriticall Iew Romanes 2.18 Thou knowest his will and approvest the things that are more excellent being instructed out of the law and verse 20. Thou hast the forme of knowledge and of the truth in the law As if he should say Thou hast the knowledge of the will of God as it is revealed in his Word yea thou art expert in the whole body of true religion gathered out of the law of God and in thy judgement approvest of it yet of him wee may say as the Apostle doth 1 Corinthians 8.2 Hee knoweth nothing yet as hee ought to know Their knowledge is not true saving and spirituall knowledge They were never taught of him as the truth is in Iesus as the Apostle speaketh Ephesians 4.21 Their knowledge swimmeth in their braine it soaketh not into their heart In their hidden part God never made them to know wisedome as he did David heere But of this wee shall say more when we come to the uses of this Doctrine Lecture XCVI On Psalme 51.6 Septemb. 2. 1628. IT followeth now that wee proceed to shew you what uses this Doctrine may serve us unto And they are principally two First To exhort and stirre us up unto a duty wee owe both unto others and to our selves Secondly To reprove us for neglect of duty in this kind That which wee are heere to bee exhorted unto is First of all a duty that wee owe unto others Secondly a duty that every one of us oweth unto himselfe And for the first Branch of this Exhortation it concerneth three sorts 1. All of us in generall 2. Such of us as are masters of families 3. Lastly Such of us especially as are Ministers of the Gospell For the first Seeing as wee have heard knowledge is both the foundation and the seed of all other graces wee are bound to desire and procure so farre as in us lieth that all men may have the meanes of knowledge It cannot be denied nor doubted of but we are all bound to pity and commiserate the estate of all wicked men even of Turks and Indians of Iewes and Papists of the most dissolute and profane men we are bound I say to pity their estate and unfeinedly to desire and pray for their salvation I exhort saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.1 that first of all supplications prayers and intercessions bee made for all men And that prayer which the Church maketh Psalm 67.3 and to expresse the vehemency of her desire therein repeateth againe verse 5. should doubtlesse bee the prayer of every good soule Let the people praise thee ô God yea let all the people praise thee As if shee had said Oh that all people even the worst men that live upon earth might bee brought to honour and worship thee aright And the very summe and effect of all the three first petitions of the Lords prayer Matthew 6.9 10. is no more but this Oh that thy great name may be knowne and duly honoured every where that all that thou hast appointed to save may come in and become thy subjects and servants and so live as becommeth thy subjects and servants to doe So that
Iacob saith the Prophet Psal. 78.5 and appointed a law in Israel which hee commanded our fathers that they should make them knowne unto their children All parents you see are commanded to instruct their children themselves in the law of God 2. Wee are bound to bring our children and servants with us to the publique meanes of knowledge and instruction When Elkanah went to the house of God in Shilâ—h 1 Sam. 1.21 his manner was to take his whole family with him 3. We are bound to examine our children and servants what they have learned and how they have profited in knowledge by that which hath beene taught them For this we have the example of the best master of a family that ever was Matth 13.51 For though many that have beene from their childhood brought up thus in the knowledge of religion for the present seeme to be as void of grace as any other yet is not our labour lost for if they belong to God even this dead and senslesse knowledge which they have gotten by these our endeavours will be of good use unto them one day and a great advantage unto them when the time of their visitation shall come as there is good use of laying the wood together in the chimney before-hand though it will not burne till fire be put to it So that knowledge which the Iewes learned of Iohn the Baptist concerning Christ though for the present they regarded it not but rather were offended at it yet in the day of their conversion it proved a great advantage unto them and helpe unto their faith Iohn 10.41 42. Thirdly and lastly Seeing knowledge is both the foundation and seed of all other saving graces wee that are ministers must be exhorted to make it our first and chiefe care to bring the people to knowledge to ground and stablish them in it True it is this is not all that we have to doe we must apply as well as teach Hee that prophesieth saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.3 speaketh unto edification and exhortation and comfort Wee must labour to worke upon the heart and affection as well as upon the understanding Speake to the heart of Ierusalam saith the Lord Esay 40.2 Yet is this our first and chiefe worke to open the eyes of Gods people and to turne them from darknesse to light as the Lord told Paul Acts 26.18 to worke upon their understanding and to bring them to knowledge As he is said to bee a pastor according to the Lords owne heart Ieremy 3.15 that feedeth the people with knowledge and understanding That is that that feedeth the soule The Preachers chiefe care must be to teach the people knowledge Eccl. 12.9 The minister then that hath taken the charge of soules upon him and would approve himselfe to be a pastor according to Gods owne heart and liking must doe these things First He must hold himselfe bound to catechise as well as to preach and count catechising a chiefe part of his ministery The Apostles the great master builders tooke this course they taught first the chiefe principles of religion and laid that as a foundation to all their preaching Heb. 6.12 The Romans had a forme of Doctrine a catechisme delivered unto them this way Rom. 6.17 And so had other Churches also that the Apostles did plant Hold fast the forme of sound words saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 1.13 which thou hast heard of me Secondly Hee must not content himselfe to teach diligently but hold himselfe bound also to teach plainely that the people may understand the text that hee handleth understand how his Doctrine riseth from it understand how it is confirmed by the word Thus is the preaching of the Levites commended Nehem 8.7 8. They caused the people to understand the law they gave the sense and caused the people to understand the reading Thus it is said of Moses that hee laid before their faces all the words that the Lord had commanded him Exodus 19.7 Hee made all things most plaine and evident unto them Thirdly We must lay a good foundation of Doctrine for all our exhortations and reproofes and deale substantially and soundly in our ministery Be instant saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 4.2 reprove rebuke exhort but do it with all long suffering and doctrine Fourthly and lastly We must study and take paines for our sermons It is said of Ezra 7.10 that hee prepared his heart to teach in Israel statutes and judgements hee studied much Because the preacher was wise saith Solomon Eccles. 12.9 10. he still taught the people knowledge yea hee gave good heed and sought out and set in order many parables The preacher sought to find out acceptable words and that which was written was upright even words of truth I know well there is a great difference betweene that preacher and the best of us for hee spake and wrote by divine and immediate inspiration but that addeth much to the strength of the proofe I bring from this place For 1. If hee gave good heed to that he taught and sought out and set in order his parables was carefull both to find out good matter and to deliver it in a plaine and good method if hee had such need to take these paines If Paul the Apostle 2 Timothy 4.13 had such need of bookes and of his parchments too which may appeare to bee note-bookes of his owne making the Syriak translateth it the bundle of writings folded up together for they used then parchment to write in as wee doe paper now how much more need have wee who may expect no immediate inspirations as they had but must attaine all the knowledge wee have by reading and meditation and prayer to God for his blessing upon these ordinary helpes both to have bookes to read and note-bookes and common-place bookes of our owne and to study hard that wee may bee well furnished and prepared for this worke 2. His reasons concerne us as much as him For 1. we must still teach the people knowledge strive to teach them more then they knew before and bee as good stewards bringing forth new as well as old Matthew 13.52 2. We must labour to find out acceptable words such as may give our hearers content and make them delight to heare us 3. Yet not by humouring them but by words of truth And this cannot bee done without study Lecture XCVII On Psalme 51.6 Septemb. 9. 1628. WEE proceed now unto the second branch of the exhortation which is to stirre us up unto a duty that every one of us oweth to his owne soule And that is no other then that very exhortation the holy Ghost giveth us Pro. 4.5 Get wisedome get understanding And verse 7. Wisedome is the principall thing therefore get wisedom and with all thy getting with all that thou hast gotten with all thy wealth and substance get understanding Now when I exhort you to get knowledge and understanding I desire to perswade you unto these two things First That you would
not rest nor content your selves with any other good thing that may seeme to bee in you so long as you remaine ignorant and want knowledge not in this that your life is civill and honest and vertuous that you are just and mercifull too and doe many good deeds but joyne to your vertue knowledge saith the Apostle 2 Peter 1.5 An unblameable and a vertuous life will not serve the turne without knowledge no nor this neither that you have a good meaning and desire to doe well that you are devout and given much to prayer For the Apostle beareth record Rom. 10.2 that they had the zeale of God a zealous care to please God and to serve him and yet because it was without knowledge the wrath of God came on them to the utmost for all that as he telleth us 1 Thes 2.16 Secondly I would faine perswade you not to rest nor content your selves with some smattering or small measure of knowledge but seeke to bee rich in knowledge to increase and abound therein to attaine unto a setled and well grounded judgement in the matters of your religion to a certainty and full resolution in them Brethren saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.20 bee not children in understanding in malice bee yee children but in understanding bee yee men of ripe age Let every man be fully perswaded in his mind saith hee Rom. 14.5 Even in the least matter of conscience and practise a Christian should seeke for certainty and full assurance of understanding And this none of us can attaine unto unlesse the word of Christ dwell richly and plentifully in us as the Apostle speaketh Col. 3.16 But for the better enforcing of this exhortation that is so necessary I will speake distinctly of it and observe this methode in the handling of it 1. I will shew you what this knowledge is that we are bound to seeke for above all other things and to bee at such cost and charge for the obtaining of it â— I will give you Motives that may provoke us thus to seeke it 3. I will shew you the meanes we must use for the obtaining of it For the first It is certaine that not all knowledge no not all knowledge in the holy Scriptures in the true religion of God is so highly esteemed of 1. Many an hypocrite that was never converted unto God nor ever had truth of grace in him hath attained unto knowledge even unto this knowledge Therefore the Apostle speaketh of knowledge as of an ordinary gift common to all that live in the Church 1 Cor. 81. Wee know that wee have all knowledge As if hee had said That is no such great matter to bee gloried in Yea many an hypocrite hath had a great desire to get and to grow in knowledge and hath delighted much in it They seeke mee dayly saith the Lord of those hypocrites Esay 58.2 and delight to know my wayes 2. It cannot bee denyed but many an hypocrite and gracelesse man hath much excelled many of Gods dearest servants this way Iudas no doubt had more knowledge then a great number of Christs best hearers had Yea Satan himselfe the prince of darkenesse knoweth the truth much more clearely and certainely then many of Gods Elect doe and could say to Christ even then when hee was unknowne to the greatest part of the Church Marke 1.24 I know thee who thou art even the holy one of God Yea 3. there is a kind of knowledge that is a great barre and impediment unto grace and maketh men more wicked and uncapable of grace then otherwise they would bee Thy wisedome and thy knowledge saith the Lord Esa. 41.10 it hath perverted thee and thou hast sayd in thy heart I am and none else besides mee In which respect it hath beene observed in all ages that there hath beene more grace and power of godlinesse in the common sort of simple people oft-times then in the greatest schollers The common people heard Christ gladly saith the Evangelist Marke 12.37 But of the most learned men that were in those dayes it is sayd Iohn 7.48 49. Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees beleeved on him But this people that know not the law are accursed Insomuch as it is spoken of as a matter of great wonder Acts 6.7 that a great company of the Priests were obedient unto the saith What is then the knowledge that wee should so desire and make such high account of Surely such knowledge as David heere speaketh of In the hidden part thou hadst made mee to know wisedome such knowledge as the spirit of God worketh in the hearts of such as hee doth effectually convert saving knowledge sanctifying knowledge This is called the good knowledge of God 2 Chron. 30.22 the other will doe a man no good at all unlesse it grow unto this Of all the knowledge that is in naturall and unregenerate men that may bee truly said which Salomon speaketh Eccles. 1.18 Hee that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow the more thy knowledge is unlesse it bee for the present or at least prove in the end a sanctified knowledge the more shall the sorrow and anguish of thy soule bee one day Nay this onely deserveth the name of true knowledge The knowledge of holy men saith Solomon Proverbs 9 10. of regenerate and goodly men is understanding This is the knowledge wee should seeke and make reckoning of Teach me good judgement and knowledge saith David Psalme 119.66 Though wee have but a little knowledge yet if wee can find that little knowledge wee have is sanctified knowledge the knowledge of the holy wee may take more comfort in it then the greatest Clearks in the world can doe in all their learning The want of this knowledge should humble the best of us that though wee have much light and knowledge wee have but a little of this saving and sanctified knowledge This is that the Prophet Agur complaineth of Proverbs 30.2 3. Surely I am more brutish then any man and have not the understanding of a man I have not learned wisedome nor have the knowledge of the holy As if hee should say Till I have the knowledge of the holy and regenerate till I find I have sanctified knowledge I am bruitish and voyd of understanding Every unregenerate man certainely how great a clearke soever hee bee hath no true light in him but is in darkenesse even untill now as the Apostle speaketh 1 Iohn 2.9 and with all his knowledge and learning shall perish for want of knowledge as the Lord speaketh Hosea 4.6 O let every one of us take heed it bee not so with us Take heed saith our Saviour Luke 11.35 that the light that is in thee bee not darkenesse Take heed lest that knowledge that is in thee bee no better then naturall and carnall knowledge that that is in hypocrites and cast-awaies and in the divels themselves If the light that is in thee be darknesse saith Christ Mat. 6.23 how great is that darknesse Examine thy
of doctrine as the Apostle speaketh Ephes. 4.14 certainely were never taught of God had never any saving knowledge in them Secondly Saving knowledge hath no fullnesse nor satiety in it but the more any man hath of it the more he still desireth to have A wise man will heare saith Solomon Pro. 1.5 and will increase learning And 15.14 The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge And 18.15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge and the eare of the wise seeketh knowledge David may bee a notable example for this who though hee had attained to that measure of this knowledge as hee excelled all his teachers yet seeketh still to God for more knowledge as if hee had beene the most ignorant man in the world Psalme 119.27 Make mee to understand the way of thy precepts verse 73. Give mee understanding that I may learne thy commandements verse 125. I am thy servant give mee understanding that I may know thy testimonies verse 144. The righteousnesse of thy testimonies is everlasting give me understanding and I shall live They then that thinke they have knowledge enough and feele no need they have to learne any more that wonder at and deride the folly of them that thinke they can never heare enough or read enough certainely were never taught of God nor have any saving knowledge in them Wo unto you that are full saith our Saviour Luke 6.25 for ye shall hunger Lecture XCVIII On Psalme 51.6 Septemb. 16. 1628. THe third and last sort of the signes of saving knowledge is taken from the effects of it and those are foure principally First Whereas carnall knowledge even of heavenly things I meane such a knowledge of them as a man by the strength of his owne wit in hearing or reading or study even of the Word of God attaineth unto will puffe up a man and make him proud and apt to censure and despise others Knowledge puffeth up saith the Apostle 1 Corinthians 8.1 Yea Paul himselfe was apt to bee exalted above measure with the abundance of revelations he had received above other men as himselfe saith 2 Corinthians 12.7 Saving knowledge that is wrought in the heart by the spirit of grace hath a quite contrary effect for it humbleth a man and maketh him thinke more lowly of himselfe then ever he did before See this is Iames 3.13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you saith he let him shew out of a good conversation hit workes with meeknesse of wisedome As if he had thus said If he have true and saving knowledge and wisedome indeed let him shew it by his meekenesse and humility in his whole conversation The meeke will he guide in judgement saith David Psal. 25.9 and the meeke will he teach his way As if hee had said Those that are taught of God will be meeke and humble men And indeed it must needs be so For the more this light shineth into the heart of a man the more ignorance and corruption shall he see to be in himselfe All things that are reproved evill and reprovable saith the Apostle Ephes. 5.13 are made manifest by the light This experience sheweth us in the best of Gods servants and such as have most saving knowledge in them None complaine so much of their ignorance none so much humbled in the sense of their owne corruptions as they are Nay themselves before their conversion when they had farre lesse knowledge and lesse goodnesse then now they have never thought so basely of themselves as now they doe What is the cause of this Surely God hath now opened their eyes that were shut before this light of grace hath discovered that ignorance and corruption of heart unto them that before they never discerned nor thought had beene in them Let every one of us by this note try his owne knowledge whether it be the good knowledge of God such as will doe us good whether it be the worke of Gods spirit and grace or of nature onely 1. Seest thou no matter of shame and humbling in thy selfe no ignorance and blockishnesse no sluttish and foule corners in thine owne heart that thou never discernedst before Nay art thou not indeed humbled oft for these things Certainely this light of saving knowledge never yet shined in thy heart The first worke of it wheresoever it commeth is the discovering of ignorance and corruption and the humbling of the heart for it 2. Art thou well perswaded of thine owne knowledge and proud of it doth it puffe thee up and make thee censorious and apt to despise others that thou thinkest have not that knowledge and grace that thou hast like the supercilious Pharisees Iohn 7.49 This people who know not the law are accursed a fault that many of our young professours doe much dishonour the Gospell by certainely thou maist have knowledge I will not deny but thou wert never yet taught of God saving and sanctified knowledge thou hast not For so saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.2 If any man thinke he knoweth any thing if he be conceited and proud of his knowledge if it make him swell and puffe him up as he had said verse 1. he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know The second effect of saving knowledge is this It swimmeth not nor floteth aloft in the braine onely of him that hath it but it soaketh and sinketh downe to the heart it worketh upon the heart and affections of a man And a God is said to know them onely whom he doth affect and love and care for as he saith to his people Amos 3.2 You onely have I knowne of all the families of the earth And of wicked men whom he loveth not nor affecteth he saith Mat. 7.23 that he never knew them So man is said to know nothing in religion unlesse his heart be affected with that which he knoweth Thus speaketh Ioshuah of the knowledge of Gods people Iosh. 23.14 Ye know in all your hearts and in all your soules As if he had said Ye know the truth of God in his promises not speculatively onely but feelingly comfortably and experimentally So speaketh the Lord of his peoples knowledge Esa. 5â— 7 Hearken unto mee ye people that know righteousnesse in whose heart is my law As though hee should say No man knoweth righteousnesse and religion indeed and with a saving knowledge unlesse the law of God and that that he knoweth in religion be in his heart and affection as well as in his braine and understanding O tast and see saith David Psalme 34.8 that the Lord is good As if hee had said You can never see nor discerne and understand it well unlesse yee tast and feele the sweetnesse of it in your owne hearts So the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 2.14 that by his ministery God made manifest the savour of his knowledge in every place That knowledge of God which the faithfull gat by his ministery and whereby they were converted had savour in it it was a
savoury knowledge This light of sanctified knowledge is not like the light of a gloworme or like the light that the Moone giveth which glittereth and shineth but hath no heate in it at all but it is like that of the Sunne yea of the spring or summer sunne which doth not onely give light unto the world but it warmeth also and quickneth every thing Therefore is this light called the light of life Ioh. 8.12 No man knoweth God aright with a saving and sanctified knowledge but he must needs feare him and love him and put his trust in him The spirit of knowledge is called Esa. 11.2 The spirit of the feare of the Lord. These graces goe alwaies together So speaketh the Apostle likewise of love 1 Iohn 4.8 He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love So Psal. 9.10 They that know thy name will put their trust in thee for thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seeke thee No man knoweth himselfe or his owne sins both of nature and practise aright with a knowledge of the holy spirits working but he must needs loath himselfe in his owne sight as the Prophet speaketh Ezek. 36 31. No man can know Christ aright know him to be his Saviour but hee must needs be affected with it and joy more in it then in any thing in the world besides So speaketh the Apostle 1 Pet. 1.8 In whom though now ye see him not yet beleeving in him knowing that he loved you and gave himselfe for you ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory To conclude this second effect of saving knowledge No man can have any knowledge in the Scriptures of Gods teaching but he must needs affect the Word love it and delight in it So David in that very octonary and part of Psal. 119. that is to say part 13. wherein he speaketh of the knowledge and understanding he had gotten by studying the Scriptures professeth how he was affected to the Word verse 97. O how love I thy law And verse 103. How sweet are thy words unto my tast Yea sweeter then hony unto my mouth And verse 50. Thy Word hath quickned me As if he should say It hath not beene a dead and senslesse knowledge that I have gotten by it but such as hath enlightned me and bred holy affections in me Now if we would examine our selves by this note we should find that many of us that make a goodly shew in the Church of God after all these meanes of knowledge we have enjoyed have little or no saving knowledge in us Of a number of us it may be said as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 8.1 We know that we have all knowledge and a great deale of it many of us But we are not affected with that we know it worketh not upon our hearts we have a great deale of light in our understanding but it is but like as the Moone-shine or the glittering of the glo-worme it warmeth not our hearts at all but they remaine still as cold and dead as any stone We have the knowledge of God and of all his attributes his holinesse his justice his omniscience his power his goodnesse but what affections doth this knowledge worke in our hearts What reverence what feare to offend him what desire to be reconciled unto him what love unto his name We know well enough what sin is and what the curse of God is that is due unto sin yea that our selves are sinners and that if we be not still yet certainely we were under this curse yet all this that wee know never maketh our hearts to quake worketh no feare nor sorrow nor humiliation in them We say we know Christ not onely to be an all sufficient Saviour to the elect but that he hath redeemed us from the curse of the law his body was broken for us and his bloud was shed for us but we are not affected with this at all we tast no more sweetnesse in Christ then in a chip wee rejoyce not in him In a word wee have knowledge in the Scriptures and increase in it daily by reading and hearing we learne more and more but nothing we read or heare or learne affecteth or moveth us or if it worke any motions in us they are but sudden flashes that vanish quickly and can this be saving knowledge No no beloved deceive not your owne soules the knowledge that Gods spirit worketh resteth not in the braine but sinketh and soaketh into the heart and worketh kindly upon the affections of a man Labour therefore for good affections and make much of them mourne for this that thy heart is so senslesse and dead Know that as good affections without knowledge will yeeld thee no comfort no more will knowledge without good affections It will doe you no good to know God unlesse you feare him and love him If any man love God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.3 and that that he saith of love may be said of feare the same is knowne and approved of him It will doe you no good to know your selves to be sinners and to be able to make large confessions of them unlesse you can mourne and be humbled for them When Christ had said Matth. 5.3 Blessed are the poore in spirit he addeth verse 4. Blessed are they that mourne As if he had said Without this the other will never make us happy It will doe us no good to know Christ unlesse we can rejoyce in him We are the circumcision saith Paul Phil. 3.3 the true people of God which worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Iesus It will doe us no good to read and heare much and so to increase in the knowledge of the Word unlesse we be affected with that we heare and learne These words which I command thee this day saith the Lord Deut. 6.6 shall bee in thine heart If ye will not heare saith the Prophet Mal. 2.2 and if ye will not lay it to heart As if he had said As good not heare at all as not lay that to heart and not to be affected with that we heare The third effect of saving and sanctified knowledge is this It will reforme the heart and life of him that hath it it is an operative a powerfull and effectuall knowledge It will make the man that hath it a godly man In physick and law and other sciences a man may attaine to a good understanding and sound judgement in them though he never practise them himselfe But in Divinity it is otherwise a man knoweth nothing aright in religion till he become a practiser of that he knoweth This the Apostle teacheth us notably Ephes. 4.20 24. But ye have not so learned Christ saith he that is to say to professe your selves to bee Christians and yet to live lewdly still if so bee that ye have heard him and have beene taught by him as the truth is in Iesus Why What is it to be taught by Christ as the truth is
foure principally First The regenerate sinne against greater meanes of knowledge and obedience then other men doe and therefore their sinnes are greater more heinous and odious unto God then the sinnes of other men True it is that all wicked men doe sin against the meanes and that is that that doth aggravate the sinne of every man and will make him inexcusable as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 1.20 that he sinneth against the meanes God hath given him to keepe him from sinne But Gods people that live in his Church in the valley of vision as the Prophet calleth it Esa. 22.1 under the ministery of the Gospell enjoy farre greater and stronger meanes then all other men do For that is the power of God unto salvation as the Apostle calleth it Rom. 1.16 And proportionable to the greatnesse and excellency of the meanes that God vouchsafeth to any to keepe him from sinne is the greatnesse and heinousnesse of his sinne in the sight of God All men shall find one day that even the having of a sound ministery of the Word whether they profit by it or profit not even the having of such meanes will greatly increase the heinousnesse of their sinnes Whether they will heare or whether they will forbeare saith the Lord Ezek. 2.5 yet they shall know that there hath beene a Prophet among them As if he should say They shall know what it is to have had excellent meanes and not to be bettered by them So saith our Saviour of the Iewes that enjoyed his ministery Iohn 15.22 If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sinne that is their sinne had beene nothing in comparison of that that now it is but now they have no cloke no excuse for their sinne And for this cause he saith Mat. 11.24 that it should be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgement then for Capernaum The sinnes of Capernaum were more heinous and odious unto God then the sinnes of Sodom because they were committed against greater and stronger meanes then the other were Secondly The regenerate sinne against greater knowledge then other men doe and therefore their sinnes are greater and more heinous then other mens are True it is that all wicked men doe sinne against their knowledge and conscience for by the light of nature they know many things that they doe to be evill Iohn 1.9 Rom. 2.15 And this sinning against their knowledge and conscience is that that greatly increaseth the sinne of every naturall man Because knowing the judgement of God that they that commit such things are worthy of death saith the Apostle Rom. 1.32 yet they not onely doe the same but have pleasure in them that doe them This shall stop the mouth of all iniquity as the Psalmist speaketh Psal. 107.42 at the day of Iudgement when the bookes of conscience shall bee opened and men shall be judged according to that that is written therein Revel 20.12 But all that live in the Church sinne more against knowledge sinne against a farre greater light then any other man doth The light men have by nature is but a dimme light they that seeke God by that light do but grope after him as the Apostle speaketh Acts 17.27 The word is a farre clearer light and they that are instructed by it have a farre clearer knowledge then by any other meanes a man can have The commandement is a lamp saith Solomon Pro. 6.23 and the law is light And yet they that are inwardly inlightned by the spirit of God as all the regenerate are have a farre clearer light and knowledge of God then any man can have that enjoyeth the outward light of the word onely when in the hidden part the Lord hath made a man to know wisedome as David speaketh here For though the word be a most cleare light yet every naturall man hath such a vaile over his heart as he cannot cleerely discerne it but when the heart is once turned to the Lord and converted as the Apostle teacheth 2 Cor. 3.15 16. that evill is taken away The regenerate mans knowledge is farre greater and clearer then any other mans can bee and consequently his sin must needs be also greater then any other mans For the greater measure and degree of knowledge that any man hath the greater is his sin To him that knoweth to do well and doth it not saith the Apostle Iam. 4.17 to him it is sin What and to no body els yes but not so much to any other sin shall not be imputed and laid so heavy to the charge of any man as to him that hath sinned against his owne knowledge and conscience If you were blind saith our Saviour Iohn 9.41 ye should have no sinne that is nothing so much sin so hainous sin as now ye have The servant that knoweth his Lords will saith our Saviour Luke 12.47 and prepared not himselfe nor did according to his will shall bee beaten with many stripes And no marvell for all sins against knowledge are in some degree presumptuous sins and are committed with an higher hand and in more direct contempt of God then other sins are as appeareth by that opposition that is made betweene sins of ignorance and presumptuous sins both in Numb 15.27.30 and Psal. 19.12 13. Thirdly The regenerate sin against greater mercy and kindnesse they have received from God then other men do and therefore their sins are greater and more hainous then the sins of other men True it is there is no wicked man but he hath received much mercy and kindnesse from God The Lord is good to all saith the Psalmist Psalme 145.9 and his tender mercies are above all his workes And his sinning against this goodnesse and mercy of God is that that greatly increaseth the sin of every wicked man and will much aggravate his condemnation This is that that treasureth up wrath unto them against the day of wrath as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 2.4 5. But the mercies and kindnesses that God hath shewed to any wicked man are nothing if they be compared with that which he hath shewed to every regenerate soule They are but common mercies they are but as the crummes that fall from their masters table as that poore woman speaketh Matth 15.27 Remember mee ô Lord saith David Psalme 106 4 with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people The Lord hath shewed another manner of favour and love to his owne people he hath done more for the poorest wretch that is regenerate he hath given him more then all the world besides Hee hath given them his owne sonne To us a sonne is given Esa. 9.6 He hath given them a full and free pardon of all their sinnes Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people thou hast covered all their sinne saith David Psalme 85.2 Hee hath given them his holy spirit Because yee are sonnes saith the Apostle Gal. 4.6 God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts He will give them the
to come as the Apostle speaketh Hebrewes 10.1 yet even then God would have his people to understand what they did in his service even in his ceremoniall worship Therefore he did not onely command the Levites to teach the children of Israel all his statutes and to instruct them in the meaning of them Levit. 10.11 but he laid this charge also upon every parent to teach their children the meaning of the whole service of the passeover and of all the rites and ceremonies used in it Exodus 12.26 27. and of the law of offering unto God the first borne of every thing Exodus 13.14 and generally the meaning of all other the ceremoniall lawes as well as of the morall and judiciall Deut. 6.20 The children should aske and the parents should teach them the reason and the meaning of every thing that was done in Gods service But this is much more required of Gods people in the morall worship that wee understand what wee doe in it specially now under the Gospell wherein the Lord requireth more knowledge of his people then hee did under the law and of which times hee did foretell Esa. 11.9 That the earth should bee filled with the knowledge of God Therefore the Apostle alluding to the ceremoniall worship which consisted chiefly in sacrifices and burnt offerings and opposing the morall worship of God under the Gospell unto it Rom. 12.1 teacheth us that the onely sacrifice and service that is now acceptable unto God is our reasonable service that is such service as is done unto him with reason and understanding See the necessity of this in six severall parts of Gods morall worship First The reading of the Word will doe us no good though wee use it never so constantly if we doe it as a stinted taske that wee have set to our selves unlesse we be carefull to mark and understand what we read True it is no man must be discouraged from reading the Scriptures because he cannot understand every thing that he readeth For 1 even little children are to bee trained up in the reading of them as is plaine in the example of Timothy of whom it is said 2 Tim. 3.15 that from a child he had knowne the holy Scriptures And 2 that which wee read though wee understand it not for the present yet the very acquainting of our selves with the letter of the Scriptures by continuall reading or hearing of them read unto us may be of great use to us hereafter as it is plaine by the Apostles putting him in mind of it in that place that Timothies reading of the Word in his child-hood was a great meanes to further him in the knowledge of the Word afterward and to confirme him in the truth But yet this is certaine our reading of the Word will doe us no good unlesse wee endeavour to marke and understand what wee read Even children should bee taught according as their capacity serveth to marke and understand what they read Traine up a child saith the wisedome of God Proverbs 22.6 in his way that is in his kind and according to his capacity and when hee is old hee will not depart from it As if shee had said Hee will be the better for it while he liveth This necessity of understanding what we read if we would please God in this duty of his service or doe our selves any good by it is plaine by two places of the holy Scriptures 1. By that which is said Neh. 8. â— 3. of them to whom Ezra was carefull to read the law He brought the law before the congregation both of men and women and all that could heare with understanding and read therein before the men and the women and all that could understand Marke how he repeateth this twice He judged that their comming together to the publique reading of the Word would neither please God nor doe themselves any good unlesse they could understand what was read The second place is that speach of Philip to the noble Eunuch Acts 8.30 when hee heard him reading in private a Chapter of the Prophet Esay Vnderstandest thou what thou readest saith he As if he should say To what purpose readest thou if thou be not carefull to understand what thou readest Secondly The hearing of the Word preached though wee seeme to love it never so well though we take never so much paines for it will doe us no good unlesse we heare with understanding Hearken unto me every one of you and understand saith our Saviour to his hearers Mar. 7.14 And after he had preached his manner was to examine his Disciples whether they understood that which he had taught Matth. 13.51 Have ye understood all these things Yea hee had so pressed upon them the necessity of this to seeke to understand whatsoever they had heard him teach that if they had heard anything that seemed harsh unto them or that they could not understand they durst not murmur or take offence at it running away with their owne sense and leave hearing of him as a teacher of absurd things as some other of his hearers did Iohn 6.66 and as many doe now a daies but held themselves bound if they could not be resolved by conference among themselves to goe unto him and desire him to make his meaning plainer unto them And this wee shall find they did oftentimes Matth. 13.36.17.10.19.10 and in other places They knew well as our Saviour had taught them in the parable of the sower Matth. 13.19 that of all kind of hearers those senslesse wretches that are like to the high way and understand not what they heare are most uncapable of receiving good by the Word and that Satan of all others hath most power over them Thirdly The Sacraments can doe us no good unlesse wee come to them and use them with understanding I speake not now of infants to whom the Sacrament belongs though void of understanding for the present but of men of ripe yeeres Therefore it is Gods ordinance that before the Sacraments bee administred unto any people they should first be instructed by the ministery of the Word Goe and teach all nations saith our Saviour Matth. 28.19 baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost As if he had said First teach them before you doe administer the Sacraments unto them Therefore also we shall find that Iohn the Baptist before he baptized any first preaâ—hed unto them He preached the baptisme of repentace as the Evaâ—gelist saith Mar. 1.4 And when the Disciples came together at Troaâ— upon the first day of the weeke the Lords day of purpose to breake bread to administer the communion Acts 20.7 yet did not Paul administer the communion till he â—e had first preached unto them Fourthly We cannot please God in our prayers nor receive any good by them unlesse we be first instructed how to pray unlesse we can pray with understanding As no man can receive good by joyning with me in prayer
unlesse he understand what I say as the Apostle teacheth 1 Cor. 14.16 so neither can I have confideâ—ce to receive any good by mine own prayer unlesse I know I pray according to Gods will as the Apostle saith 1 Iohn 5.14 Therefore hearing is the first duty that is injoined to them that goe into Gods house When thou goest into Gods house saith Solomon Eccl. 5.1 bee more ready to heare then to give the sacrifice of fooles As though he should have said All our prayers and other services we doe to God in his house are but the sacrifice of fooles till we have first by hearing beene instructed how to doe them according to Gods will For God hath no pleasure in fooles as he there saith verse â— hee taketh no pleasure in the prayers or other services that fooles and ignorant sots doe offer unto him Fiftly Our singing of Psalmes pleaseth not God nor can doe us any good unlesse we endeavour to understand what we sing Sing ye praises with understanding saith â—â—avâ—â— Psal 47.7 Sixtly and lastly No man can please God in taking of an oath which is also a part of Gods worship and a duty iâ—joined in the first table but he onely that can doe it with understanding Thou shalt swear in truth in judgement and in righteousnesse saith the Lord Ier. 4 2. As if he should say Though it be never so true that any man sweareth though the oath be taken in righteousnesse and no man wronged by it 〈◊〉 if it be not taken also iâ— judgement with good advisednesse and understanding it is an unlawfull oath Therefore in one of the best oathes that ever was taken wherein men women and children did bind themselves to walke in Gods law Nehemiah 10 28 29. there was care taken that this holy and necessary oath should yet be taken onely of every one having knowledge and having understanding You see then in all these particulars that we must labour to understand what we do in every part of Gods service and that no ordinance of God will do us any good unlesse we use it with understanding The reason of this first branch of the Doctrine is this That as God is a spirit and therefore delighteth in that service that is spirituall The true worâ—â—ippers shall worship the father in spirit and in truth saith our Saviour Ioâ— 4 23 for the father seeketh such to worship him he longeth for such worshippers as worship him with feeling and affection and they that doe not so worship him not in truth are no better then hypocrites So is it not possible to serve God spiritually and with feeling in any part of his worship if wee doe not understand what we doe in it For the devotion and good affections that grow not from knowledge are vaine and of no worth in the sight of God Knowledge is the root and foundation of all holy affections This I pray saith the Apostle Phil. 1 9. that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement And this shall suffice to have beene spoken of the first branch of the Doctrine David did understand the meaning of the ceremoniall worship and so must we labour to understand what we do in Gods service Now wee must proceed to the second branch of the doctrine and for the plaine and distinct handling of it we must observe these foure things First Every part of Gods worship is spirituall and there is in it both an outward and bodily action done by man and an inward and spirituall worke that is done by the Lord himselfe In these purifications that David here alludeth to man did wash the body and sprinkle with hysope the water blood upon it for the legall purging and cleansing of it and God did wash the soule in the bloud of Christ and sprinkle it upon the consciences of his people So in circumcision man did cut of the fore-skin of the flesh and God did circumcise the heart Deut. 30.6 In baptisme Iohn baptized the body with water as hee saith Matth. 3.11 and God himselfe baptized the soule with the holy Ghost So in the ministery of the word man speaketh to the eare and outward man and God openeth the heart to attend unto that that is taught and beleeve it as we see in the example of Lydia Acts 16.14 Lastly In prayer man worketh and God worketh too The spirit it selfe maketh intercession for us as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8.26 Secondly The Lord hath bound himselfe by promise to his people that hee will thus accompany his owne ordinances and worke with them in their hearts God will worke with us in every part of his worship he will doe his part if we doe ours This promise God made concerning that worship of his which he ordained under the law Exod. 20.24 In all places where I record my name where I establish my publique worship I will come unto thee and I will blesse thee saith the Lord to his people And this promise he hath likewise made concerning his worship under the Gospell Matth. 28.19 20. Goe and teach all nations baptizing them c. preach my word administer my sacraments and loe I am with you alwayes even unto the end of the world Where men do their parts in the use of any of his ordinances God will not faile to doe his part also Thirdly Whatsoever man can do in Gods worship is nothing worth unlesse God worke with it All the outward parts of Gods worship are indeed great helps to us and the least of them as we heard the last day may not be neglected by us for they are the meanes and instruments that God hath sanctified and appointed to worke by in our hearts But if God withdraw his hand and refuse to worke by them they can do us no good at all no more then the best toole that is in the world can if the workemâ—n doe not put to his hand I have planted saith Paul 1 Cor. 3.6 7. and Apollo watered but God gave the increase so then neither is he that planted any thing neither he that watered but God that giveth the increase And verse 9. Wee are labourers together with God ye are Gods husbandry ye are Gods building And that which the Prophet speaketh of the materiall building Psalme 127.1 may much more truly be said in this case Except the Lord build the house they labour in vaine that build it All that the best man can do in Gods worship is nothing worth unlesse God do his part if he worke not with him The inward vertue and power that God by his blessing and worke doth give unto it is the very life and soule of every part of Gods worship without it it is no better then a dead and loathsome carkasse The kingdome of God saith the Apostle speaking of preaching a chiefe part of Gods outward worship 1 Cor. 5 20 is not in word but in power As if he had said That is the right
are they the better for it Wherein are they better then other men And alas what shall we say to these men How can wee deny but that this is most true that they say Onely let our selves take notice of the true cause of this surely the Lord doth not his worke in these exercises of religion that men doe use the Lord with-draweth himselfe from his ordinances and then all is in vaine that man is able to doe The Lords glorious presence which was wount to dwell in his sanctuary to accompany his owne ordinances and to worke with them is now departed not from his sanctuary onely but from the City too as once the Prophet in a vision saw it doe Ezekiel 11.23 This reason the Prophet rendereth Esa. 53.1 Who hath beleeved our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed Few or none doe profit by the ministery of the word because the Lord sheweth not his power in it he worketh not with it And why doth not the Lord his worke in his owne ordinance Surely as for other our sins so for these among the rest First Because of the sin that aboundeth in these times and even among them that enjoy Gods ordinances and frequent them most This was that that caused the Lord of old to leave his Sanctuary Sonne of man saith the Lord to his Prophet Exekiel 8.6 seest thou what they doe even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here that I should goe farre from my sanctuary If hee see any fi lt by thing in thee hee will turne away from thee saith Moses Deut. 23.14 Can two walke together saith the Prophet Amos 3.3 unlesse they be agreed Is it any wonder that God joyneth not with many of you in any of his ordinances worketh not with you in them blesseth them not unto you while you live as you doe Nay is it any wonder if God withdraw himselfe from the Sanctuary it selfe from our whole engregregations for the whoredoms and drunkennesse and oathes that breake out amongst us and of which we every one stand much more guilty in his sight then the whole congregation of Israel was of the sinne of one Achan Ioshua 7.11 12. Secondly The second cause why the Lord with-draweth himselfe from his owne ordinances and doth not his part in them is because we doe not ours Wee use to serve him by the halves Whereas hee requireth in every part of his worship the service of our soule and spirit as much yea much more then of our bodies and that as David doth in the duty of thankesgiving call upon his soule Psalme 103.1 2. Blesse the Lord ô my soule and all that is within me blesse his holy name and againe Blesse the Lord ô my soule so wee should doe in every ordinance of God wee use to give to the Lord the service of our lip or eare or knee or body onely And is it any wonder if the Lord withdraw himselfe from us and refuse to joyne with us in these services wherein as our Saviour complained of the hypocrites of his time Matth. 15.8 we draw nigh to him with our mouth and honour him with our lips but our heart is farre from him A third and last cause may be this that we rest too much upon and blesse our selves in the excellency of the meanes that wee doe enjoy and make an idol of them as they of Lystra you know did of Paul and Barnabas Actes 14 11 13. and never seeke to God that hee would inwardly worke with his ordinances in us we care not for that And even to this that may bee applyed which the Apostle speaketh of every naturall man Rom. 3.11 There is none that understandeth there is none that seeketh after God And that this will much provoke God to see his glory given to his instrument that ascribed to the meanes which belongeth to him you may perceive by that feare and indignation that Paul and Barnabas did expresse when they saw them of Lystra offend this way Acts 14.14 Lecture CXVI On Psalme 51.6 Aprill 28. 1628. FOlloweth the second use of the Doctrine namely the use of exhortation and that is double according to the two severall branches of the Doctrine For first If no duty we performe to God in his worship can please him nor doe us any good unlesse it bee done with understanding therefore wee must bee exhorted that if wee desire to bee saved wee would make this our first care and endeavour to get knowledge With all thy getting saith the wisedome of God Prov 4 7. with all thy possessions whatsoever it cost thee get understanding And that for this cause chiefly because till a man by catechising and preaching of the word be brought unto knowledge all his prayers and other services he doth to God are in Gods account no better then the sacrifice of a foole as you heard the last day out of Eccl. 5.1 He that said to his people even under the law Hosea 6.6 I desire knowledge more then your burnt offerings As if he had said I was ever of that mind even when I did most straitly command the offring of sacrifices and seemed most pleased and delighted with them he will much more say to us that live under the Gospel I desire knowledge more then your prayers more then your comming to the Communion or any other service you can doe unto me Certainely most men do not beleeve this And that appeareth in three things that may be observed in the dispositions and humours of men First All men hold themselves bound to serve God all men thinke they sin that doe not use to pray but few or none hold themselves bound to use the meanes to get knowledge they are grossely ignorant and desire to continue so Of the most people in our congregations the Lord may justly take up that complaint which hee made of Israell a little before the captivitie Ieremy 4.22 My people for so they professe and hold themselves to be is foolish they have not knowne me they are sottish children and they have no understanding they are wise to doe evill but to do good they have no knowledge Secondly For other of Gods ordinances they will seeke to Gods ministers and crave their helpe If they have a child borne they will seeke to the minister to have it baptized but they will never seeke to the minister nor crave his helpe for the catechising and instructing of their children when they come to yeares of capacity they make no hast they shew no forwardnesse in that at all So they seeme to make great conscience of comming to the Communion and thinke they were undone if they should not receive it once a yeare but for hearing of the word they care not at all it would be no trouble at all unto them to want that Ye fooles and blind saith our Saviour to the ignorant and superstitious Pharisees Mat. 23 19. whether is greater the gift or the altar that
upon My first proofe is the testimony that the Lord hath given unto them that cleave constantly to his truth The second is the comfort that Gods people themselves have found and the confidence they have reposed in that Of the first sort of proofs I will give you but three The first is that which you shall find Esa. 26.2 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in Marke three things in this first proofe 1. God makes it the character of the righteous nation the true Church the whole company of true believers that are made righteous by the imputation of Christs righteousnesse unto them that they are such as keep the truth Yea that he saith they are such as 2 keepe the truths all truths every truth that God hath in his Word revealed unto them 3. Marke what is said Vers. 1. of this nation that keepeth the truth and what security they may have that are of that nation We have a strong City salvation will God appoint for wals and bulwarks The nation that keepeth the truth yea every truth of God is as a strong city Gods salvation and protection shall be in stead of all wals and bulwarks unto that nation My second proofe of the first sort is that speech of our blessed Saviour Ioh. 8.31 If ye continue in my word then are ye my disciples indeed and not in name and profession onely He that is Christs disciple indeed taught of God a true believer will continue in Christs word in the truth he hath learned of him and not be drawne away from it And the third is like unto this 2 Iohn 9. Whosoever transgresseth He meanes not in action and practice for all men are apt to transgresse so There is no man that sinneth not 1 Kings 8.46 and every one that sinneth transgresseth the law 1 Ioh. 3.4 But he speaks here of such as transgresse in judgment forsake the right way as they did 2 Peter 2.15 and fall from the truth Whosoever saith he transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God hath no part in God no saving knowledge of God no comfort in him He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ hath both the Father and the Sonne hath God for his father and the Sonne of God for his Saviour And this is my first sort of proofe the testimony that the Lord hath given of them that cleave to the truth and are constant in his holy religion you see what account the Lord makes of such My second proofe is the testimony that Gods people themselves from their owne experience have given unto this even of the comfort that they have found in this in the times of their greatest tryals and aâ—flictions that they have been constant in their religion and faithfully persisted in the truth of God And for this kind of proofe I will give you three particular examples of most holy men and one more generall of the whole Church The first of my three examples is holy Iob who when he was overwhelmed almost with tentations of all sorts found not more comfort and strength against them all in any one thing than he did in this Iob 23.11 12. My foot hath held his steps his way have I kept and not declined neither have I gone backe from the commandement of his lips I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food As if he had said How many and how great soever my frailties and corruptions have been whereby I have justly deserved the Lord should thus afflict me yet I thaâ—ke God this my Conscience can witnesse with me and this is my comfort that I have never been variable in my religion I have been constant in that My second example is Davids who when his soule cleaved to the dust Psal. 119.25 and melted for heavinesse as he saith Vers. 28. when he was brought very low by outward and inward affliction raiseth up himselfe with this testimony that his conscience gave him as with a principall comfort Vers. 30 31. I have chosen the way of truth thy judgements thy Word for so is that word taken most commonly in that Psalme have I laid before me I have stuck unto thy testimonies O Lord put me not to shame As if he should have said I have deliberately advisedly and upon good grounds I finde for it in thy Word not out of any carnall respects because it is the religion of the time and State I live in made choice of this religion which I do professe and I have stuck to it and would never be drawn from it therefore O Lord put me not to shame forsake me not nor leave me not without comfort My third example is that of the holy Apostle 2 Tim 4.6 7. I am now ready to be offred as a sacrifice in martyrdome and the time of my departure is at hand that was a time certainly wherein he should need to bethink himself of the best grounds of comfort he had and what was the chiefe thing that he grounds his comfort and confidence upon at that time Surely this which he expresseth in the next words I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith As if he had said Though by many oppositions of false teachers and bitter persecutions I have beene strongly assaulted to forsake it yet I have I praise God and this is my comfort even to the finishing of my course and end of my dayes kept the faith that is the doctrine of faith as the word is taken Acts 6.7 Rom. 1.5 Gal. 1.23 and in many other places And mark how confidently he infers even upon this ground in the next words Vers. 8. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall give me at that day My fourth and last example is more generall even of the whole body of the Church that God had then upon earth Psal. 44.17 18 19 All this is come upon us yet have we not forgotten thee neither have we dealt falsly in thy covenant our heart is not turned backe neither have our steps declined from thy way though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons and covered us with the shadow of death As if they had said No reproach or persecution that ever we indured all which we might easily have escaped if we would have dealt falsly in thy covenant and forsaken thy truth could make us so much as in heart to turne backe from thy way as our fore-fathers did in the wildernesse of whom it is said Acts 7.39 that in their hearts they turned backe into Egypt they could have found in their hearts to be there againe but so could not we and this testimony of our uprightnesse we have to comfort our selves with in all the miseries that have befalne us And thus have I given you the proofe of the point that a mans constancy in the
doth make and which may rise in your mindes against it And indeed if it were an objection of Papists onely I would never trouble you or my selfe about it But wee are all by nature ranke Papists in this and in many other points of religion and I know this first reason will seeme strange and absurd to many of you and that you will be ready to say what Shall every man in the matter of religion rest upon the instruction and perswasion hee hath from his owne private spirit This fond conceit saith the Papist hath already and still must needs bring into the Church an infinite variety of opinions in religion Quot capitatot sensus so many men so many mindes and opinions there must needs bee in religion if every ones private spirit bee supreame judge and determiner what is truth in the matter of religion Is it not a farre surer way for all men to depend and rest upon the Doctrine and instruction of the Church according to the ordinance of God then upon that which their owne private spirit teacheth them Aske the priests concerning the law saith the Lord Hag. 2.11 and againe The priests lips shall keepe knowledge saith the Prophet Mal. 2.7 and the people should seeke the law at his mouth Now unto this I have Foure things to answer First That though this Doctrine that every true beleever hath the spirit of God and that the spirit of God will teach him bee strange and ridiculous to such as are sensuall not having the spirit as the Apostle speaketh of some Iude 19. and indeed to every naturall man yet to the regenerate man it is not so The spirit of truth saith our Saviour Iohn 14.17 the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for hee dwelleth in you and shall bee in you Every true beleever every true Christian hath the spirit of God and knowes and finds in himselfe that hee hath it Because ye are sonnes saith the Apostle Galathians 4.6 God hath sent forth the spirit of his sonne into your hearts crying Abba father Hee could not pray els nor cry Abba father unto God And he that hath it not let him scoffe and â—lout at it never so much is in a wofull case certainely and will find it to be so one day He that hath not the spirit of Christ is none of his saith the Apostle Rom. 8.9 Secondly The spirit that every faithfull man hath to teach and instruct him is not his owne private spirit as they scornefully and blasphemously call it for 1 it is the spirit of God even the same that first indited the holy Scriptures and inspired the holy Prophets and Apostles in the writing of them and is therefore best able to instruct and teach us in the true meaning of them Wee have received saith the Apostle â— Cor. 2.12 not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that wee might know the things which are freely given us of God And 2 besides it is not mans private spirit because it is one and the same in all the faithfull throughout the world and teacheth them all one and the same thing By one spirit saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 12.13 wee are all baptized into one body whether we be Iewes or Gentiles bond or free and have beene all made to drinke into one spirit As if hee should have said As all the faithfull throughout the world enjoy the same outward Sacraments so is the inward grace that is sealed thereby one and the same in all the faithfull throughout the world and teacheth them all one and the same thing So that this teaching that every true beleever hath and must have from the spirit is no cause of the diversity of opinions that is in the world no no it is the following and hearkning unto our own naturall and carnall spirits that is the true cause of that if we were all taught by the spirit of God we should agree better in opinion then we do Yea it is one and the same spirit that is in all the faithfull that are now living that it was in all the faithfull in old time and teacheth us now no other thing then it did teach all the faithfull from the beginning of the world So the Apostle alluding unto David and to the faithfull in his time saith 2 Cor. 4.13 We having the same spirit of faith according as it is written I beleeved and therefore have I spoken we also beleeve and therefore speake Thirdly Wee doe not say that that teaching and perswasion which every faithfull man receiveth inwardly in his owne heart from the spirit of God is the supreame judge and determiner what is true and what erroneous in the matters of faith and religion from which no appeale is to bee made for all hereticks and selfe-conceited persons will bee apt to pretend that but wee have a certaine rule given us whereby that which the spirit of God teacheth a man inwardly may be knowne and discerned from all opinions and motions that come from a false and fantasticall spirit and that is the written Word of God That Doctrine that is consonant to the Word is of the spirits teaching that that swerves from the Word comes certainely from a false and erroneous spirit By this rule we must judge of the spirit that is in other men Beloved beleeve not every spirit saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.1 but try the spirits whether they bee of God But how shall wee try whether the Doctrine that our teachers bring us bee such as they received and learned of Gods spirit or no Why wee must try it by this rule To the law and to the testimony saith the Prophet Esa. 8.20 if they speake not according to this Word it is because they have no light in them As if hee should have said they were never taught of God And this is also the rule whereby wee must try every opinion in religion that wee hold every motion and inclination that wee find in our hearts whether it bee of the spirit of God yea or no the spirit never disagreeth from the Word Behold saith the wisdome of God Proverbes 1.23 I will powre out my spirit unto you I will make knowne my words unto you And Esa. 59.21 This is my covenant with them saith the Lord my spirit that is upon thee and my word which I have put in thy mouth The spirit and the Word goe alwaies together Fourthly and lastly The spirit of God useth to teach the conscience by the ministery of the Word that is in the Church of God and not either by immediate inspirations and enthusiasmes or by any other outward meanes ordinarily but by this onely And by this also a man may judge whether that that hee holds in religion bee of the spirits teaching yea or no. Whether the good things that seeme to bee in him were wrought by the spirit of God that is if hee have learned and