that is but little they may take away my life but I make no account of it saith he if other men made as little account of these things as I do they would be as bold as I. Therefore I say now it is a time for a man to stir up his strength to be willing to part with these things when actions come that have hazzard accompanying them and opposition and persecution and resistance from this temptation and from that Now be strong in the Lord Ephes. 6. When there comes temptations if any thing be to be suffered be strong to endure it If any thing be to be done be strong to go through with it if be any special duty be strong wrestle with the Lord as Iacob did in distresse there was his course stir up thy strength at that time and wrestle with all thy strength So if â—he businesse be to contend for the common truth and faith a man must be strong what though it be accompanied with hazzard this is a time for a man to stir up his strength that is one case A second is in all great changes of estate for that is a time when a man should stir up his strength because then a man is most apt to be weak That is if a man â—alâ— into great crosses and afflictions and adversities and again if he be raised to prosperity more then ordinary now 〈◊〉 him be strong that is let him look to himself and take heed now that his heart be not broken by the one nor puffed up with the other now is the time for a man to be strong upon these great changes As the body of a man when he comes into a strange Countrey to change of diet and air he is affected with it it works upon him so the soul of a man in all great changes of estate that it falls into cannot but be affected with them Therefore the Scripture calls it drunkennesse A man may be drunk with prosperity and adversity and a man is apt to be so that is when a man is drunk his brain is weak and the beer or wine is strong so when the heart of a man is weak and the operation is strong the estate that falls on him is strong it makes him drunk both wayes A man is drunk with prosperity one while another while with adversities this is a time to be strong As the Apostle expresseth it Phil. 4. I am able to want and to abound to pass through good report and evil report That is now in this great change if you talk of strength I am able to do all things through strength from Christ. A man in an even condition it is nothing for him to keep his minde in an even temper but in the unevenness of a mans condition now to keep his minde equally disposed that is the difficulty And it is not onely difficult in that which riseth from the unevenness of a mans estate but the suddenness of the change When a sudden change comes look to thy self be strong As we say of the body it is a rule of Physicians it indures not sudden changes no more can the minde but it is apt to be disquieted and put out of temper As when a man hath had a great heat and sudden cold comes when a man is in one condition and suddenly comes into another now is the time to stir up strength That is the second Thirdly and lastly there are certain seasons and opportunities wherein a man is called to exercise such and such a grace now is the time when we must be strong to put that grace in practice Sometimes there is a season of using the grace of patience sometimes of love sometimes of temperance sometimes one grace sometimes another whensoever these seasons and opportunities come now put forth these graces and let them have their perfect work every grace in his season That is the time now when a man is to stir up his strength in those opportunities and turnings of a mans life Such things fall out every day now one grace is to be used and then another now be careful to stir them up as we see 2 Pet. 1. 5. when a man hath one grace saith the Apostle let him add one to another Therefore give all diligence thereto join vertue with faith and with faith knowledge and with knowledge temperance with temperance patience with patience godliness with godliness brotherly kindness with brotherly kindness love That is suppose saith the Apostle thou hast faith perhaps there iâ— need of more then that there comes seasons when thou art to do good works to add works to thy faith therefore remember in such a case to join vertue to it for vertue is taken here for action a readiness in a man to perform to bring that faith into use But when you are set on work perhaps it may be a difficult case to know what a man in discretion should do in this ambiguous case therefore add knowledge and prudence to guide and direct you in that you do but when you have gotten prudence and know what is to be done then add to knowledge temperance It may be a man may know well enough what to do but he is drawn aside with some pleasure and lust for it is usual for a man to know but because he is byassed the wrong way with some inordinate affection he performs not that 〈◊〉 knows therefore saith the Apostle now is the season to add temperance to knowledge to abstain from those things And besides as pleasures are a means on the one side to keep him from the practise of what he knows so there are likewise some dangers and difficulties somewhat that a man is to suffer When a good action is to be done a men shall find many crosses and oppositions somewhat he must part with therefore add not temperance onely but patience that is a time for patience or else he cannot do any thing to purpose When both these are done joyn with patience godliness A man may do much and join temperance and patience but these are moral vertues a man may do them for other ends he may be a good servant but he may serve a wrong Master therefore saith he eye God in all you do join to these godliness do it out of sincerity advance him and his glory and do it not for your own ends and with godliness brotherly kindness that is that the work and business you do though it must be done to the Lord for his sake and so you must do it in a godly manner yet your business is with men for the most part therefore you must join with godliness brotherly kindness that you do it out of love to men as well as out of sincere respect to God I but there are other men in the world besides godly men and we have to do with them and there are many businesses to do for their sake and advantage therefore saith the Apostle
woman hath all from the man and she should seek to imitate him because she is the glory of the man she is to have no power of her own Therefore that is to be observed which is said ver 3. that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man That is Christ is the head of every man as the man is the head of the woman Now because the man is the head of the woman the woman is to have no power upon her head that is no ensign of power this is to be subject to the man After the same manner Christ is every mans head that is no man is to have any power of his own he is to do nothing of himself or for himself but to do all for Christ to be perfectly subject to him even as the creature to the creature even as the clay to the Potter for Christ is the head of the man and God saith he is Christs head That is Christ as he was the Son of God and the Mediator he looked to God and was altogether subject to him Therefore I say it is that the Lord looks at nothing but godliness because godliness giveth him glory all the rest giveth glory to the creature but not to the Lord. So much shall serve for the reasons We will come to make some use of it You see now what godliness is and the reasons why the Lord accepts nothing but godliness why nothing is pleasing to him but godliness First Then let us make this use of it let us not content our selves then with any thing that nature hath wrought in us let us not content our selves with moral vertues let us not content our selves with common care of worshiping of God nor with all the outward actions and shewes of Religion onely for all this is not acceptable to God as you see but let us labour for this which is called true Godliness this is all in all Therefore you shall find that the Apostle Saint Peter 2 Pet. 1. he exhorts you to this that we are now about Saith he add to your faith vertue to your vertue knowledge to your knowledge temperance to your temperance patience and to your patience godliness Mark what is his meaning in this surely this As if he should say when you here me speak to you of patience and temperance c. and that all these are goodly vertues you must add godliness to all or else they are nothing worth the Lord will not regard them that is you must look to God in them all there must be more then nature in you you must reach at an higher end then nature can and therefore content not your selves with any of these But you will say what do you cast away nature and civility are these nothing worth these moral vertues No my brethren this is not my meaning they are of very much worth as we said before Jesus Christ looked upon the young man and loved him There was that in him which was truly aimable within its compass and sphear But it is one thing to be lovely to salvation and another thing to be aimable in its own degree and kind Therefore we do not say we cast away these they are very necessary God hath placed them there himself but as we have said heretofore Godliness doth make use of all these these are like the stream and the wind that must carry along the ship If it were not for these natural powers and vertues we should not be able to do the duties of godliness Onely this we say there must be some what superadded to it that godliness must sit at the stern and turn the rudder and rule the compass and guide the scope of the ship to the right haven So that I say godliness doth not take away nature but addeth to it As you know your riders of horses when a rider comes to a horse full of mettle he doth not take away that mettle he doth not extinguish it but he endeavours to improve it in a right way he fashons it and brings it under and makes it of use for the rider Even so Godliness when it cometh to a man if it find much mettle in a man many excellent vertues which nature hath planted in him many moral vertues which customs and education hath edded to it Godliness it casts not away these but orders them and breakes them and subdues them and makes them serviceable to God and man So doth the Physician when he comes to his patient he doth not overthrow all the humours in the body and extinguish them but onely he corrects them onely he adds to those that are defective and takes down those that are excessive and composeth and helps them into a right frame Even so doth godliness with nature it composeth and ordereth and addeth to nature it elevates nature it puts a higher end upon it it adds a spiritualness to it As for example nature hath made a man to love himself to love his Children It is natural affection that hath taught a man to grieve for that which is evil and obnoxious to himself when it is upon a man Godliness now doth but make a right use of this When nature hath digged a fountain of tears godliness doth but turn the stream the right way When nature hath put such a principle in us as love godlinesse comes and teacheth us to love this and that for God and from God Therefore our exhortation is that you would but add godliness to all these You will say what is that That is learn to be emptied of your selves to cast away all these as St. Paul did to reckon them as dross and dung that you may be found in Christ. As you must do this for justification so you must do it in matter of sanctification for you must know this that when Christ comes to dwell in a man that man must no longer live to himself and for himself but to the Lord and for the Lord. Now every man the less he lives to himself and in himself the more he will live to Christ and in Christ. Therefore I say the thing we would exhort you to is this that you would contend with your selves and reason the matter seriously why a man should no more look to himself but to God altogether For a man is a reasonable creature and it is certain that till a man see reason why he should not look to himself he will do it but let him be perswaded it is best for me to look no more to my self to stand no more upon my own bottom but it is safest for me to seek the Lord. I say this reasoning with our selves so as to be convinced of it will bring us to serve God altogether For when you are come to this once to see that it is onely God in whom all your happiness is you will no longer look to your selves Therefore you must learn to
to beseige Ierusalem upon the Covenant that they made with the Lord though it were feigned the Lord drew him back and set them at liberty but afterward because they did not keep their promise and observe the Covenant that they had made the Lord sent him the second time and destroyed them utterly Do we know what the Lord will do yet further The Lord hath removed this sickness but who knows whether he may not send a greater then this if we do not render according to the mercies received although the sickness be removed yet be assured that there is wrath out and it will seize upon us Indeed it is possible to defer it and to stay it yet if we do not render to the Lord if we do not humble our selves we have cause to fear that there is not an end In 2 Chron. 7. 14. See what conditions the Lord requires when he will heale a land indeed If my people humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turne from their evill wayes then I will hear in heaven c. Marke it The Lord never heals a land to purpose he never heals the wound to the bottom but when their sins are healed and forgiven when the disease is taken away till men turne from their evill wayes till they seek the Lords face and his presence till men be humbled aright till they do thus their healing is but a skinning of the wound it will break out again Therefore we must not think that all is past because the Lord hath removed it for the present he may send the sword and a greater plague and therefore we are to consider this and no man is to put it off God observes how every man is affected with these works of his he that doth not consider but neglect it he takes the name of God in vain In a special manner I say the Lord observes this how men behave themselves at such times whether they do more for him then they were used to do These great actions of the Lord ought not to be passed by negligently but he expects great answering of such great mercies But you will say wherein doth this rendring to the Lord according to the mercies received consist What is this thankfulnesse I answer as it is said of love so it may be said of thankfulness it must not be in word onely but in deed and in truth Not but that it must be in word Psal. 107. It is required that we confesse the loving kindnesse of the Lord before men we should be ready to speak of it but that is not all it must be indeed and in truth And that consists in two things One is that our hearts be affected with the mercies and loving kindness of the Lord that the heart be enlarged towards the Lord with love and fear of his holy Name For when a man doth kindness to another that which winneth love is to consider the bountifulness of the mans disposition When we observe the Lords patience and long-suffering this should teach us the knowledge of the Lord and this should make us consider what a God he is that so his mercies may cause us to love him and that thereby our hearts may be enlarged towards him So David in Psal. 18. I love the Lord for he hath done thus and thus c. This is to be thankful indeed when our hearts are affected towards God when we think the better of the Lord for therein Davids affections were right that he was still speaking good of the Lord more and more he is worthy saith he to be praised So when we learn to trust the Lord he hath done thus and thus therefore we will trust him And when our hearts remember the Lord when we think of him continually And secondly as one part stands in this in the affection of the heart so likewise in our actions then we are thankful to the Lord indeed when we do something for him when our thankfulness is not a thing consisting onely in fancy and notion and imagination but when it produceth action and when we do the works of the Lord more abundantly When a man will set his thoughts on work to study what he may do or what he can do for the Lord. And when he shall do this not onely for the reward to come for that gives not a lustre to the action but it proceeds from thankfulnesse indeed when a man doth that which he doth because the Lord hath done thus and thus for him therefore he will serve him Herein our thankfulnesse is seen when we do something really because it is for the Lord. Saint Paul as he abounded in thankfulnesse so he abounded in labour Iacob because the Lord had heard him he would give him the Tenth of his goods and the Lord should be his God So when we have received special mercies we should do some special thing for God some extraordinary thing to pray more to be more frequent and fervent to be at more cost for the Lord upon such occasions to be more exact in reforming our lives and more fearful of offending God In a word as the Lord enlargeth himself in mercies to us so our hearts should be enlarged to him to do as much as may be And thus our thankfulnesse is exprest when we have opportunity when ever men come in place and occasions wherein they have opportunity to do service to God now to venture more to be more zealous for his sake to be more solicitous to do something to be more intent for the glory of God this is to be thankful according to the mercies received a man must set his thoughts on work to do something extraordinary when there is an extraordinary mercy bestowed To help us now to do this is to remove that which hinders it You shall see what hindred Hezekiah His heart was lifted up he did not render according to the mercies received from the Lord for his heart was lifted up In this there are three things First his heart was lifted up to other things to minde them and it was not lift up to the Lord to think of him and to serve him So that there was forgetfulnesse in him that is one thing intended when a man shall lift up his heart to other things to minde other things to do other things his heart forgets the Lord. Therefore the Lord when he would have his mercies remembered he appoints something to keep them in mind He hath appoynted the Sacrament of the Lords Supper do this in remembrance of me The passeover was appoynted to be taught to their Children that when they should ask them what they did meane by such a thing they should tell them that the Lord had delivered them out of the land of Egypt Forgetfulness is the cause of unthankfulness therefore to remember the mercies of the Lord is one thing that helps us to be thankful that is to observe the passages of his providence towards us
hereditary As for example take the grace of faith I do not say that it heals all infidelity and doubting but it overcomes it so that it hath the mastery and prevalency over it faith is predominant above infidelity For it is a rule that the School-men have and a true one faith doth not exclude all doubting but faith overcomes doubting that is the nature of it though it be assaulted with doubttings yet it overcomes them and as it is the nature of faith so of every saving grace it is prevalent and powerful So is the grace of knowledge it comes with a full evidence and demonstration of the Spirit and brings every thought into subjection to it though it suffers ignorance and some other errors it may be to remain yet it overcomes ignorance And so spiritual love it brings under and eats up and swallows all other loves and spiritual fear brings under all other fears True desire subjugates all other inordinate desires whereas on the contrary when grace is not true you shall have a kind of faith and a kind of knowledge and some good purposes and desires and some fear of God but these though they be in the heart they are not commanding and prevailing objects that bring the heart into subjection they lie there glowing as a coal in the dark but they do not overcome the darkness but still their foolish heart is full of darkness as the Scripture saith Rom. 1. So that you must remember that it so heals these diseases that yet still it gets the victory over the disease though it doth not altogether take away the disease not that it dries up the fountain of these issues so that they are no more but the meaning is that it gets the dominion over them it masters them and brings them down that they have not the prevailing force as formerly for it is the nature of sincerity that it gets the mastery Sincerity is of that quality that though it be the least of all graces in the beginning yet it grows the strongest of all other So I say grace heals after that manner as for example when a man is recovered out of his sickness take the least degree of health this least degree hath the victory over the whole disease it hath overcome it We say it hath not overcome it fully and totally yet that little degree of health runs through the whole man and it over comes the disease and at length grows stronger and stronger So wheresoever these healing qualities of grace come they have so much power as to get the mastery over corruption Though the natural corruptions byass us and draw us aside yet I say they are healed For mark that by the way there is a great deal of difference between that unevenness and inconstancy that comes from the natural corruption of a man unsanctified and that that proceeds from the remainder of those corruptions that are left in the soul after saving grace In the one there is an unevenness of the kind in the other the unevennesâ— of degrees As for example a man that hath not his heart sanctified he hath his corruptions exprest by fits this we say is an unevenness of kind when a man sets himself in holy courses and presently gives over himself to all his lusts This is that unevenness spoken of Iam. 1. such a man is unstable in all his wayes the meaning is such a man hangs between two objects that he knows not whether he shall chuse this or that like a man that hath two wayes before him and knows not whether of them he shall go either this way or that but sometimes he is for God another time he is for his lusts his mind hangs in such an aequi librio that he hath nothing to sway him such an unevenness there is in a natural man Now this double-mindedness is opposed to singleness of heart when a man is resolved to chuse one in such a manner that he subjugates and leaves his choice and leaning to the other So it is when grace is come into the heart when it heals corruption it brings a man to such a pass that he chuseth the wayes of God he chuseth to serve God with all his heart with uprightness and he chuseth it in a fixed resolved manner And though he may be byassed and drawn aside through the weakness and sickness that is left yet behind yet I say he is pitched upon one object therefore he is not said to have the inconstancy of kind he is not instable in his wayes so that though he may be sometimes carried out of his way yet because he hath set himself wholly to serve the Lord we may say that he hath a single heart for grace doth not take away all unevennes The holiest men that have the most grace yet that grace is subject to ebbing and flowing it is sometimes in a greater degree somtimes in a less You see a bowl that is cast out of a mans hand so far as the strength of the man lasts it carries the bowl along to the place which he aims at notwithstanding the bias be at it were contrary so it is here the bias of corruption that is left within us is not quite cut off or taken away but yet the strength of grace with which the soul is first acted it keeps us along and carries us in the wayes of righteousness notwithstanding that biass that is within us that inclines to the contrary Hence it is that sometimes the Saints are carried aside in their wayes with some unevenness but it is the unevenness of degrees I say not the unevenness of kind This I add that as we should exclude those that have no grace notwithstanding they have some good intentions towards God so we must be careful that we discourage not those that have some failing and some expressions of their corruptions yet the bent of their soul is set aright This then is one thing wherein you shall see the evident power of grace when it is in the heart it heales the hereditary diseases of the heart Therefore let every man examine himself by that whether that grace which is in him hath so much power in it as to cure those natural diseases whereunto he is subject Now I say it doth not onely cure the diseases of the soul but it elevates and raiseth common nature to do more then that which otherwise it could do That is herein the power of grace is seen that it makes you able to do that which no man else can do and that which thou thy self couldest never do before As for example for a man to delight in the commandments of God it is more then any natural man in the world can do because delight as we say ariseth from a suitableness in the subject to the object Now unless there be a suitableness between the wayes of God and the heart of a man there cannot possibly be any delight in the
believe how doth he rejoyce on the contrary if we tell one of an evil about to happen to him as if a Physician should tell a man he should die presently if he should believe it it would make him sad if one told another of a good course of life if he did believe it to be so he would take it so if there be any promise in the word if it were believed it would make a man to rejoyce if we did believe any threatnings we would fear them more then any cross if we did believe any direction we would follow it faith is the pen that writes the word in the heart to wit in the will which hath an influence in the whole man therefore God mâ—kes his convenant that he will write his word in their hearts Fifthly It must be received with an honest heart Luke 8. 15. it is required and it is the quality of the fruitful ground to receive the seed of the word into an honest heart that is when a man comes with resolution to do whatsoever he sees to be Gods will And it stands in two things First To be easy to be convinced of a truth to be hard to be convinced of an untruth is a sign of an honest heart Ier. 4. 3. 2 These that Ieremy told they should not go into Egypt would not believe but said he spake falsely and the reason was because they were unwilling to staâ— in Iudea whence it is plain that if the will be bent to do a thing the understanding will hardly hold the contrary Let reasons be brought out of the Scriptures to prove usury unlawful and to prove that sabboths must be kept holy if men will not be kept in or will not be so straight laced they will not be convinced the spirit must convince them Otherwise for the Minister to speak without the spirit is as it were to bring a letter 〈◊〉 written without a candle to read being dark For the Minister may bring reasons but if the spirit light us not to read them they will not profit us nor convince us Secondly It stands in doing whatsoever we are convinced of See an example of an honest heart to be considered in Cornelius Act. 10. 33. we are here present saith he to Peter to hear whatsoever is commanded of God to hear viz. to obey See in Nathaniel behold a true Isralite in whom there is no guile This is guile in a mans heart when he makes a shew to do many things and deceives himself in doing them See in Paul when he was strucken down to the earth Act. 9. he said Lord what wilt thou that I do and I will do it And so he did not onely in doing but suffering for him and such a heart is in every man after conversion for till then he will not give his shoulders to the yoke See an example of an honest heart seemingly in Iohanan Ier. 42. where he bids Ieremy to go to God and see if they should go down into Egypt there he made a shew that he would do whatsoever God commanded yet after he tells him he intends it not unless the word should run with the streams of his affections Ezech. 14. 3. these men saith God have set up idols in their heart yea and a stumbling block before their faces So that there is an Idol in the hearts of many when they come to hear and that hinders their profiting by it and hearing by accident that makes it worse as we see in Physick impurum stomacum quo magis nutrieris eo magis laseris an impure stomack the more it is nourished the worse it is because the stomack is of that nature that either it assimulates the meat into nourishment or else rejects it but unto an unhonest heart the word is a reproach and therefore when in the Word it meets with admonitions it swells and is moved at them as if it were provoked by a defamation This concerns Ministers onely if the words of a Minister must be wholesome then Ministers must behave themselves accordingly And there are six advertisements for them First That concerns the act of doing and the five other the manner First If the words of a Minister must be wholesome then he must be diligent because his words must be health and Physick if he neglect this then he hinders them both of the profit of health and Physick And as none must do this so especially not those that have a flock depending on them For if he be worse then an infidel that provides not temporal food for his family what is he then that provides not spiritual food for them that depend on him asmuch as a family doth upon a master if he loves not his brother that hath this worlds goods and seeth him want and gives not to him how then doth he love God that hath spiritual food and seeth others want and gives it not As we count rich men cursed who are hoarders up of corn when the year is plentiful by not bringing it into the markets So there is no famine of the word knowledge doth abound as water in the sea yet a famine is made because Ministers bring it not out into the congretions that the people may feed thereof and live As any thing has more in nature so it communicates more to others The greatest luminary gives the greatest light the fullest fountain the most water the most fruitful soil brings forth the most fruit so ought we in good things to do as the preacher did Eccl. 12 9. The more wise he was the more he taught the people knowledge The Word is Physick therefore they are the Physicians and must heal them least they take that complaint Ier. 8. last Is there no balm in Gilead is there no Physitian there Why then is not the health of my people recovered Let us make up the similitude a little the word is balm the Ministers the physicians the people patients now we reckon him no better then a murtherer that being sent to a sick man should take his fee and all this time he is with him spend his time in sporting and let his patient die so if the people that are sick for knowledge send for a Physitian a Minister and give him his fee and he neglect them and they perish he is a murtherer Though many perish ex morbo non ex defectu medici by reason of the disease and not the defect of the Physician yet this is the fault in most Again if the word be food then the Ministers are shepherds and a shepherd must not feed himself with ease and pleasure not but that these may be conveniently taken but he must not spend his time in them See if this induction be not made Ezech. 34. 23. Wo to the shepherds that feed themselves should not the shepherds feed the flock they eat the fat and clothe them with the wooll they kill them that are fed by other But here because they