with him every Believers name and every one of their wants and necessities and for every one of them makes requests unto his Father 4. Christs Intercession in Heaven is the presenting of his will unto his Father He presents his will unto his Father for the application of the good which he hath purchased on the behalf of his servants Joh. 17. 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am c. When you pray for mercy for grace for strength for deliverance for any good then Jesus Christ appears for you Father he is one for whom I undertook for whom I died and satisfied whom I have reconciled unto thee on whose behalf I purchased and merited all this now for my sake and upon my account hear him and answer him This is the Intercession of Christ when his blood speaks good things for us Heb. 12. 24. and obtains the application of all which he hath merited for us 5. The Intercession of Christ is powerfully and effectually prevailing and it is alwayes It is powerfully and effectually prevailing so God the Father is well-pleased with him and with us in and for him and accepteth of our persons and grants our Petitions for his sake Joh. 11. 42. I know that thou hearest me alwayes Rev. 8. 3. There was another Angel that came and stood at the Altar having a golden Censer and there was given unto him much Incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the Throne verse 4. And the smoake of the incense which came with the Prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand 6. This work of Intercession is a fixed permanent continued work My meaning It is a fixed and permanent work is that as long as there remaines any one Elect person any one Believer on earth untill every one of them be gathered up into heaven so long doth Christs Intercession continue even untill Jesus Christ hath brought them all and every one into his Fathers house and setled on every one of them eternal glory and saith Now you do perfectly enjoy as much and all that I have suffered for and purchased on your behalf 2. Now follows the Vertues and Benefits of and from the Intercession of Christ The benefits of Christs Intercession Accesse unto the Father 1. Accesse unto the Father with whom we may freely hold communion and unto whom we may put up all our requests with confidence Heb. 10. 19. Having therefore boldnesse to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus verse 20. By a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vaile that is to say his flesh verse 21. And having an high Priest over the house of God verse 22. let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith In this Scripture the Apostle exhorts the faithful to seek and to hold up communion with God in heaven And for this end propounds several Arguments 1. Their Liberty by Christ Christ hath opened Heaven for us by his blood so that by this blood we may enter into the Holiest unto the presence of the most holy God by faith in him And we may freely speak all our minds unto him in Prayer so the word boldness signifies a freedom of speech telling God all our mind all our griefs all our fears all our desires 2. The Ground of this Liberty In the price and purchase of it even the blood of Jesus 3. The extent of this Liberty All that are brethren enjoy it all that are the Children of God and Members of Christ are Brethren and though some are strong and others are weak yet they are admitted to come and enter into heaven freely to pour out their prayers 4. There is way made for them a new way that is of grace and upon the account of Christ and a living way Christ ever lives to make intercession for them and to help them and it is consecrated for us set apart on purpose for us 5. They have Christ still for their Priest who once offered Sacrifice for Believers and reconciled them and doth still intercede for the reconciled And he is a Priest over the house of God he hath authority to bring whom he pleaseth and to speed and help them And therefore he presseth them to draw near with a true heart sinners though weak and with full assurance of Faith being setled and fully confident to be accepted through Jesus Christ and find favour and audience and dispatch by his blood and intercession 2. Encouragement against all the shortnesse imperfections and mixtures of our holy Encouragement against our imperfections services and performances Our best services are very weak and imperfect more is to be done than what we do and much sinfulness mingles with our very prayers there is the Candle and the Snuffe the Fire and the Smoake the Gold and the Dross the Wheat and the Chaffe enough in our best doings to undoe them and us to move the holy God to hide his eyes and stop his ears at our Prayers But Jesus Christ our Intercessor covers those imperfections and takes away the dross in our sacrifices and by his Merits makes them to be an acceptable offering unto the Lord and a sweet savor unto him Exod. 28. 36. Thou shalt make a plate of pure gold and grave upon it Holinesse unto the Lord. ver 38. and it shall be upon Aarons forehead that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts and it shall alwayes be upon his forehead that they may be accepted before the Lord. So Jesus Christ c. Rev. 8. 3. He is that Angel having the golden Censer and much Incense to offer it witâ— the Prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the Throne Though in respect of our selves and our own services as performed by us we cannot expect acceptance nor answer yet in respect of Christ our Intercessor that promise shall be made good Isa 56. 7. Even them will I bring to my holy Mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer their burnt-offerings and their Sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine Altar 3. A security against all charges objections and accusations and condemnations Security against all accusations Rom. 8. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth ver 34. who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died or rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh Intercession for us This sin and that failing may be objected against us but Jesus Christ maketh Intercession Father for my sake forgive it and passe it by Heb. 9. 29. Christ is entered into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us and who can appear against us
1. Because he works where and on whom and when and how he himself pleaseth he blowes where he lists Joh. 3. 8. 2. And he is a â—ree Spirit in as much as all spiritual freedom and liberty is received of us from him hence the Apostle 2 Cor. 3. 17. where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty 4. The good Spirit by Spirit is good â—sa 143 10 Thou gavest them of thy good Spirit The good Spirit Neh. 9. 20. The Spirit is essentially good and counsels good he is indeed a good Spirit unto us All the good thoughts in us and all the good desires in us and all the good we have or shall receive from God in Christ is handed to us by this good Spirit yea and all the sweet sights of God himself that ever we enjoyed and all the tasts that ever we have had of Jesus Christ and all the joyes and contentments in our souls we are beholding unto this good Spirit for every one of them though in some respect you are not beholding unto the Spirit for dying and suffering and satisfying and reconciling and purchasing for you yet this I may safely affirme that for all the enjoyments of all the sweet comforts depending on the sufferings of Christ you are singularly beholding to the good spirit for them you never could have partaked of Christ nor of any one good purchased by Christ had it not been for this good Spirit 5. The powerfull or mighty Spirit The Spirit of the Lord is called the Spirit of The powerful Spirit might Isa 11. 2. The power of the holy Ghost Rom. 15. 13. the power of the Spirit of God verse 19. the power of the Highest Luke 1. 35. It was the power of this Spirit which did convince you of your sins and which did break your heard harts and did rescue and deliver you from the power of darknesse which doth subdue your iniquities and pull down your strong bolds It was and is this powerfull Spirit by whom the Ministrations or Ordinances of the Gospel have been and still are of power with you The Word is called the sword of the Spirit Ephes 6. 17. The Ministrations of them selves are weak it is the concomitant presence of the Spirit which makes them powerful and lively for your conversion comfort and salvation you had laine in the same condition and darknesse and bondage and death with other men had not the powerful and mighty Spirit of God put forth the greatnesse of his own strength to the alteration of your hearts by his own grace 2. The Spirit is yours in respect of his gifts and fruits You read in 1 Cor. 12. The Spirit is ours in respect of his gifts or fruits 14. of diversities of gifts of the Spirit for edification or to profit withall ver 7. and you read of the first fruits of the Spirit Rom. 8. 23. and of the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. The Spirit of God as to these gifts and fruits is called the Spirit of grace Zach. 12. 10. and the Spirit of wisdome Isa 11. 2. and the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord and the Spirit of faith 2 Cor. 4. 13. and the Spirit of love 2 Tim. 1. 7. and the Spirit of supplication Zach. 12 10. the fruit of the Spirit saith the Apostle in Gal. 5. 22. is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith and ver 23. meeknesse temperance There are six things which I would briefly observe concerning the graces or fruits Six things concerning the graces of the Spirit They are the beauties of a Christian They are necessary to salvation of the Spirit 1. They are the Beauties Glories Ornaments Chains Pearls Jewels of a Christian you have no excellencies till you partake of them but are dead loathsome polluted and vile These are the very image of God 2. They are necessary unto salvation No man can be saved without them They are the way to the kingdom though they be not the cause of reigning in the kingdom without holinesse no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12. 14. 3. They are pledges of salvation therefore called the first fruits which were They are pledges of salvation the beginnings and the pledges of the full harvest and also the earnest of the Spirit which he leaves with us to assure us of that glorious happinesse which we are to receive shortly in fulnesse 4. They are given to none but unto such as shall be saved There are the common gifts of the Spirit which are for the edification of others These they may have They are given to none but such as shall be saved who shall perish like those who helped to build the Ark and yet were drowned But there are the special gifts of the Spirit which are for Renovation of the soule and for the preparation of it for glory These are given to none but unto such who are elected unto salvation As many as were ordained to eternal life believed Act. 13. 48. Matth. 11. 25. Hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes 5. Every gift or grace which accompanies salvation is by the Spirit given Every grace accompanying salvation is given to every child of God to every child of God to every one who hath God to be his God in Covenant every one of them hath every saving grace of the Spirit 1. The spirit of grace I will poure upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace Zach. 12. 10. 2. The Spirit of knowledge They shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them Jer. 31. 34. 3. The Spirit of wiâ—dâ—me The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ give unto you the Spirit of wisdome Eph. 1. 17. 4. The Spirit of faith We have the same Spirit of faith 2 Cor. 4. 13. You are all the children oâ— God by faith in Christ Jesus Gal. 3. 26. To them that have obtained like precious faith with us 2 Pet. 1. 1. 5. The Spirit of love 2 Tim. 1. 7. Ye your selvâ—s arâ— taught of God to love one another 1 Thes 4. 9. What should I speak of godly sorrow repentance humblenesse meeknesse patience c. whatsoever gift is necessary to our salvation the Spirit doth certainly work in every one of the people of God although not in the same measure proportion and height yet to the same truth and for the same efficacy unto their salvation Every child of God hath the same Spirit of grace and faith and love and though one Christians graces may fall short of anothers for the quantity yet they do not fall short for the present quality nor for the future glory The weakest grace of the Spirit is able to change the heart and save the soul 6. The Spirit doth cherish and preserve and keep all those saving gifts of his The Spirit doth cherish and prese ve all those saving gifts in
Christ in us Col. 1. 27. 3. And the holy Ghost hath an interest in you he dwells in us and abides in us 2 Tim. 1. 14. and you also have an interest in every one of the persons 1. You are in the Father the Church that is in God the Father 1 Thes 1. 1. 2. You are in the Son Of him are ye in Christ Jesus 1 Cor. 1. 30. 3. You are in the Spirit He that is joyned unto the Lord is one Spirit 1 Cor. 6. 17. I also have the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 7. 40. Now this common relation and interest of every person in the Trinity as to you and the mutual relation and interest again as to them is a matter of such infinite consequence and full happinesse as indeed I am not able to unfold it I will only touch at a few things in relation to one of these persons and that is God the Father If God be your God in Covenant then he is your Father and you are his Consider this in relation to God the Father children the Apostle admires at this in 1 Joh. 3. 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath shewed us that we should be called the sons of God the dignity is most high that we should be the sons of the most High But let us view the comforts of it There are six comforts from this that our God is our Father 1. Your Father is the Father of mercies Blessed be God even the Father of our Your Father is the Father of mercies Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies 2 Cor. 1. 3. God is the Father 1. Of Christ 2ly Of every believer 3ly And of mercies All mercies are in the Father and from the Father And shall you want mercies who are in so near a Relation to the Father of Mercies 2. Your Father doth love you exceedingly Is Ephraim my dear son is he a pleasant Your Father doth love you exceedingly childe Jer. 31. 20. love is frequently given to God the Father Joh. 14. 23. 1 Joh. 2. 15. Cap. 3. 1 c. his Jewels Mal. 3. 3. Though you have offended him yet if you mournfully return unto him he will Though you have offended him yet if you returne he will be gracious Your Father hath enough to help you You may easily prevaile with your Father for all necessary good You shall be heirs who are children of this Father There is a common engagement of the whole Trinity unto you be very gracious unto you and receive you kindly When the Prodigal childe came back to his Father his Father faw him yet a great way off and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him Luke 15. 20. 4. Your Father hath enough to help you and he will take care of you In my Fathers house there is bread enough and to spare Luke 15. 17. Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things Matth. 6. 32. 5. You may easily prevail with your Father for any necessary good If you being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask him Matth. 7. 11. 6. You shall be heirs who are children of this Father If Sons then Heirs Rom. 8. 17. Heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ Luke 12. 23. It is your Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdom Matth. 25. 34. Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world 5 There is a common engagement of the whole Trinity unto you every one of the persons is engaged to you The Father is engaged to you to do all that a God and Father can and will do for his children The Sonne is engaged to you to do all that a Christ and Mediatour and a Redeemer and Saviour can and will do for his Members The Holy Ghost is engaged to you to do all that a Spirit of truth knowledge faith comfort can do for those who do come to the Father and the Son 6. Lastly There is a communion twixt you and every person of the Trinity 1 Joh. 1. 3. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 13. 14. Thereis a communion but wixt you and every person of the Trinity The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all Communions with a Father with a Sayiour with a Comforter And verily these communions are most gracious and heavenly in respect of every one of them when the Father manifests himself unto you in the Relation and Testimonies of your loving God and Father And whom Christ discovers himself unto as your Head and as your Lord as your Saviour in your interests in him and his in you and when the Holy Ghost opens himself unto you in the strengthning of your graces in his comforts and evidences and assurances and fealings why These things are as life to the dead and as raine to the thirsty land they are an exceeding refreshing unto you they are a most heavenly tranquillity and joy and satisfaction unto your hearts And thus have you heard of the happinesse of those people who have God to be their God in Covenant in respect of his Attributes and in respect of Christ and in respect of the Spirit and in respect of every person of the Trinity and in their conjunctive relation and operations I will proceed a little further to some of the rest of the comforts depending upon Gods being your God which I mentioned at the first SECT XI 6. IF God be your God in Covenant and you be his people then all the promises If God be ours then all the promises are ours of God are also yours As you are the children of God so you are the children of promise and as you are the heirs of God so you are the heirs of promise and as your title is clear unto you so your possession is sure you shall certainly inherit all the good comprehended in them I have discoursed largely of the promises in general and shall God willing in the prosecution of this discourse of the Covenant speak more of the promises in particular and therefore I shall at this time only touch at two things viz. 1. The real statings of the promises upon all who have God to be their God in Covenant 2. Their singular happinesse thereby that all the promises of God are theirs 1. The promises do belong to all who are in Covenant with God They The promises do belong to all who are in Covenant with God are stated and settled upon them They are the heritage of the servants of the Lord the childrens bread Vnto us are given exceeding great and precious promises 2 Pet. 1. 4. The very nature and constitution of the Covenant do evince this which is a very cluster of promises I will be merciful to
having God to be your God in Covenant There are divers rights and possessions and liberties and priviledges which you do enjoy and none but you who are the people of God and have him to be your God And I will propound these 1. In the general Where be you pleased to take notice of five things In general 1. Whatsoever priviledges believers have those are yours who are the people of God The priviledges of faith are yours all that faith can pretend unto from a Whatsoever priviledges believers have are yours right in Christ and a title by Christ as Mediator in respect of suffering of satisfying of purchasing of victorious conquest of interceding they are all of them yours whatsoever advantage a soul may get by Christ and whatsoever advantage Christ is to a believing soul that is yours 2. Whatsoever priviledges belong to the friends of God they do belong unto you All the people of God are stiled the friends of God James â— 23. and the friends What priviedges belong to the friends of God are yours of Christ John 15. 14 15. Cant. 5. 1. Friends as friends have free accesse courteous welcome and entertainment liberty of speaking familiarity of converse delightful communion confident imparting and openings of their hearts one to another chearful counsel and helps of one another thâ—se in a spiritual way do you enjoy with your God and from your God who because you are the people of God are therefore the friends of God 3. Whatsoever priviledges do belong to the sonnes and children of God these also do belong to you for you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus The priviledges of the children of God are yours Gal. 3. 26. I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sonnes and daughters 2 Cor. 6. 18. You are the children of the Lord your God Deut. 14. 1. Children have the priviledges of nearnesse of residence in their fathers house of dependance on their father of presence of confidence c. 4. Whatsoever are the priviledges of the Kingdome of God those are yours who are the people of God It is a Kingdome of righteousnesse of peace of joy of The priviledges of the Kingdome of God are yours The priviledges of the heirs of this Kingdome are yours In special You have twelve priviledges Liberty of appeal safety of blessing of honour of immortality c. 5. Whatsoever are the priviledges of the heires of this Kingdome those also do belong to you Forasmuch as if you be children you are then 〈◊〉 Rom. 8. 17. All the Charter and conveyances and assurances and hopes and at length possessions of the heavenly inheritance are yours 2. In special you have twelve excellent priviledges which I will touch upon a little 1. You have liberty of appeal and that appeal is accepted and ratified you have the liberty to appeal 1. From the Judgment-seat to the Mercy-seat 2. From the merits of sinne to the merits of Christ 3. From a condemning conscience to an acquiting God 4. From the Law to the Gospel 5. From your own unworthinesse to Christs righteousnesse 6. From your own feeling unto Gods promises When you see your selves cast at the barre of justice you may decline the sentence by flying unto the Throne of mercy O Lord justice condemns me but let mercy succour and save me when your hearts are overwhelmed in the apprehension and consideration of your many sinnes and the great guilt of them you may then appeal to the infinitely precious and surpassing merits of Christ whâ—re sinne abounded grace did much more abound and as sinne hath reigned unto death even so doth grace reigne through righteousnesse unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 5. 20 21. When your conscience condemns you for sinnes past then may you appeal unto your God for mercy to pardon you God be merciful unto me a sinner saith the Publican Pardon my sinne O Lord for it is great saith David When the Law indites and pursues you as guilty then may you appeal to the Gospel as the Sanctuary to receive and secure your distressed souls when your hearts faile you because of your own unworthinesse then may you appeal to the righteousnesse of Christ and so be justified in the sight of God When you feel your selves as to your own sense utterly destitute left lost forsaken then may you appeal to the ptomises of God and there finde your selves still owned and loved and plentifully and graciously assured 2. You have this priviledge that all your communions with God are by a Your communions with God are by a Meditour Mediaâ—or and Advocate and Intercessor Or you pray not in your own names but in the Name of your Christ and Mediator and you plead not in your own names but in the Name of your Christ and you speed not in your own name but in the Name of your Christ nay you believe and hope not in your own names but in the Name of Christ There are two sad things for any man 1. To be left alone unto himself so as to have no part in Christ 2. To go alone in his approaches to God without a Christ to plead for him to have no Christ to own him to step in for him to undertake for him But this is your priviledge and this is your comfort who are the people of God that you never deal with your God but by a Mediator when you appear before your God Jesus Christ appears with you and he appears for you when you do invocare then he doth advocare when you put up your petitions then doth he make intercession he is your Advocate with the Father and he ever lives to make intercession for you 3. You have this priviledge that you trade altogether at the mercy-seat and You trade altogether at the mercy-seat at the Throne of grace God deals with you in no other Court but that of mercy and answers you from no other Throne but that of grace and you deal with God at that Seat and that Throne only When you have any sinnes to be pardoned you may go to your merciful God and to your gracious God and your merciful God will pardon them and your gracious God will freely pardon them When you would have any kinde of good and help you may go to your good and kinde God and he will give it and to your gracious God and he will freely give it 4. You have this priviledge that you may go to your God when you will You may go to your God when you will There is no space of time whatsoever but the door is open to you and your God is at leisure to speak with you You have liberty of accesse and that liberty is never restrained let your occasions be never so urgent never so many you may freely speak with your Father yea though there be ten thousand Petitioners before him yet you may put in your
the life of your comforts it is your Paradise and your Heaven here on earth 5. Maintain and justifie your Covenant-relation when once it is made manifest Maintain and justifie your Covenant-relation Four things we should alwayes maintain The unchangeableness of out Covenant-relation unto you against all the suggestions of Satan and against all the risings and oppositions of your own unbelief I here are four things especially which you should still maintain and make good for at them doth Satan most strike at 1. The unchangeablenesse of the Covenant-relation This God is our God for ever and ever He will be our Guide even unto death Psal 48. 14. For I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. You are many times under Spiritual sâ—â—ences God seems not to regard your prayers and many times under Spiritual delaies God puts you off from day to day and many times under Spiritual desertions God hides his face from you and Satan in such cases puts it upon you to question and disown your Covenant-relation If God were your God it would not be thus But notwithstanding all these or any other trials of your selves yet God still maintains his interest in you and your relation to himself God hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew saith the Apostle Rom. 11. 2. I am the Lord I change not Mal. 3. 6. I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the housâ— of Jacob and will look for him Isa 8. 17. But Zion said the Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb Yea they may forget yet I will not forget thee Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands thy walls are continually before me So Hosea 2 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever and Heb. 13. 5. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee 2. The tendernesse of your Covenant-relation The tendernesse of Gods love The tenderness of your Covenant-relation unto you and the tendernesse of Gods care over you Do not suffer Satan to raise jealousies and do not you nourish any jealousies about these if you do so you dishonour your God by them and make your soules to serve him with bitterness your God loves you with as tender love as ever Father loved his dearest child Is Ephraim my dear son is he a pleasant childe my bowels are troubled for him Jer. 31. 20. His love is set upon you Deut. 7. 7. And he doth rest in his love Zeph. 3. 17. He loves you with an everlasting love and therefore draws you with loving kindnesse Jer. 31. 3. And your God hath a most tender care over you as a man hath over his jewels which are his chiefest treasures I will make up my jewels Mal. 3. 17. and as a man hath over the apple of his eye he led him about he instructed him he kept him as the apple of his eye Deut. 32. 10. And as an Eagle stirreth up her nest fluttereth over her young spreads abroad her wings taketh them beareth them on her wings verse 11. So the Lord c. 3. The goodnesse of the Covenant relation that God still is and will be The goodnesse of the Covenant relation good unto you that he prepares of his goodnesse for and he prepares mercy and truth for you and layes up exceeding goodnesse for you reserves it for you and is never weary nor will ever turn away from you from doing of you good 4. The graciousnesse of your God in Covenant that as at the first when he took The graciousnesse of your God in Covenant you into the Covenant this was the work of his own grace so all along in the dispensations of the Covenant the Lord still acts in a way of grace towards you alwayes and altogether upon free termes he freely loved you and he freely chose you and he freely called you and still he freely blesseth you and doth good unto you and upon gracious termes he deals with you all the dayes of your life in all things for which you have to deal with him 6. Walk and live like a people who have such a God to be your God in Covenant Walk and live like a people in Covenant with God as your relation is different from all other peoples relation so your conversation should be different from the conversation of all other people as your condition is now higher than the condition of other people for God exalts you by making you to be his people so the word avouching signifies in Deut. 26. 18. so your walking must be better than that of other people and as your enjoyments and hopes transcendently exceed all other mens so your returns must be in some proportion answerable unto your great interest in so good a God and as God by becoming your God makes you high above all Nations which he hath made in praise and in name and in honour Deut. 26. 19. so hath he formed you for himself that you should shew forth his praise Esay 43. 21. You are a chosen Generation a royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar People that ye should shew forth the praise of him who hath called you out of darknesse into his marvelous light 1 Pet. 2. 9. Which in time past were not a people â—ut are now the people of God which had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy verse 10. Quest If any of you demand how that people should live and walk who have How a people in Covenant should walk God to be their God in Covenant Sol. I answer Such a people should walk 1. By faith in a continual dependance upon their living and giving God 2. In a singular love and delight in their good and merciful God 3. With holinesse before their Holy and Omnipresent God 4. With uprightnesse before their Omniscient and All-sufficient God 5. Without inordinate cares before their Faithful and Never-failing God 6. Without inordinate fears before their Almighty God 7. Without offence or grieving of their Loving God 8. With all contentednesse and well-pleasednesse of Spirit before their Wise and gracious God 9. With all humility before their Great and Merciful God 10. With all cheerfulnesse and gladnesse of heart before their Blessing and Blessed God 11. In all constancy of obedience before their Eternal God 12. In all the kinds of zeal for the honour of that God who hath so much honoured them as to be their God 1. You who are the people of God and have God to be your God in Covenant Live and walk by faith in dependance upon the living God you should live and walk by faith in a continual
dependance upon your engaged and promising God 2 Cor. 5. 7. We walk by faith not by sight Hab. 2. 4. The just shall live by his faith Psal 115. 9. O Israel trust thou in the Lord he is their help and their shield ver 10. O house of Aaron trust in the Lord he is their help and their shield ver 11. Ye that fear the Lord trust in the Lord he is their help and their shield And mark the reasons annexed why every one of these should trust in the Lord ver 12. The Lord hath been mindful of us you have had experience of his goodnesse for the time past and therefore trust in him and you shall every one of you finde him to be your good God still for the time to come therefore still trust in him he will blesse us he will blesse us He will bless the house of Israel he will blesse the house of Aaron ver 13. He will blesse them that fear the Lord both great and small There are six Arguments to perswade you unto this one duty viz. to depend Arguments for it upon your God by faith 1. Because he is your God and your Father and this comprehends within He is your God and Father it all the foundations and grounds for your faith and dependance He is an infinite all-sufficiency and goodnesse and he undertakes all your helps and supplies and stands engaged unto you for whatsoever is necessary to life and godlinesse and gives unto you so many promises as so many bonds and assurances that he will do you good and besides all this he is able to performe them and likewise faithful in his word yea and besides all this he loves you above all the people in the world and looks on you with tender compassions 〈◊〉 loving kindnesses and assures you that he will do you good for his own Names sake What can there be more and what can he said more to draw and perswade any to depend on a God and to rely upon him 2. Because you are his people Should not a people seek unto their God You are his people saith the Prophet Esay 8. 19. Whether should children go but to their father I am a Father to Israel and Ephraim is my first-borne Jer. 31. 9. And wilt not thou cry unto me My Father Thou art the guide of my youth Jer. 3. 4. Upon whom should the wife depend but upon her husband why The Lord is married unto you Jer. 3. 14. Thy Maker is thy husband Esay 54. 5. And how is he married unto you why In righteousnesse and in judgment and in loving kindnesse and in mercies and in failhfulnessâ— Hosea 2. 19 20. Truly even this alone that you are his people lays bond enough upon you to depend and trust upon your God for what is it to be his people but to choose him alone to be your God and for to acknowledge him by trusting upon him and loving of him and obeying of him if he be a God not worthy of your trust you are a people not worthy of his love and care 3. Because your God hath given unto you that choice grace of faith for this God hath given faith for this end end to act all along upon the Covenant of grace that he hath given faith unto you it is unquestioanble otherwise you were not his people now your faith is given unto you for foure ends One is for entrance that you might become his people and choose him for your God A second is for acquaintance that you as such a people might hold communion with such a God A third is for discovery that you might be able to finde out and behold all the undertakings and promises of your good God A fourth is for reliancâ— that you might be able to trust upon him for all that good which he hath promised unto you Faith is the eye which is given for to see our good and it is the feet which are given us to carry us to the fountaine of our good and it is the hand which is given to lay hold to take to receive all the good which our God hath promised us 4. Because it concerns you above all people to honour your God And how can you It concerns you above all people to honour your God honour him if you will not trust him faith hath if I may so expresse my thought all the glory of God in its hand you cannot possibly put more honour upon God than by believing and depending on him this is indeed to set him up as a God as the original of all c. 5. Because you know his Name How often have you found it good for you You know his Name to draw near to God And when you have laid the whole burden on his promises by faith you have alwayes found him a very faithful and helpful God Now saith David They that know thy Name will trust in thee 6. Have you any other to depend upon Every creature naturally is in a You have no other to depend upon state of dependency it is weak and wanting and an insufficiency to it self and therefore it must lean upon some stronger prop than it self And do not you finde it so with your selves finde you no wants at all can you be a sufficiency unto your selves under those wants will any or can any but God supply the wants of the people of God Most of your wants are above all Creature helps 2. You who are the people of God should walk in an exceeding love of your Walk in an exceeding love of your loving God good and loving God Matth. 22. 37. Jesus said unto him Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy minde 1 John 4. 19. We love him because he first loved us Deut. 11. 1. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God Psal 31. 23. O love the Lord all ye his Sairts There is a love of desire O God thou art my God my soul thirsts for thee Psal 63. 1. Of delight Delight thy self in the Lord Psal 37. 4. In thy presence is fulnesse of joy Psal 16. 11. Of Admiratâ—on who is a God like unto thee Micah 7. 18. Of Satisfaction I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse Psal 17. 15. Lord shew us the Father and it sufficeth us John 14. 8. Thy favour is better than life Psal 63. 3. Of Adhaesion never to part with God nor forsake him I held him fast I would not let him go Cant. 3. I and you should love as with the choicest kinde of love Foederal love so with the highest degrees of love you should love him more than all the world and more than all your friends and more than all your kindred more than father or mother sister or brother and more than your nearest relation than husband or wife and more than all your possessions and more than your own safeties and more
this Covenant both As to the composition of it composition of it and to the happinesse in and by it 1. This Covenant of grace is so modell'd and framed with as winning and alluring a way for sinners as possibly can be drawn out by the wisdome of a kinde and good God It is made with all advantages to the sinner so that if there be any loosing or damnifying it falls rather to God than to the sinner all the expressions of it are upon the account of Gods grace And it is made with such tender respects to poor sinners that all the active part to make them to be the people of God is undertaken by God himself he undertakes to make us to be his people to give himself to give Christ to give his Spirit to give a new heart to give the Spirit of prayer to give the Spirit of faith to give pardoning mercy to give all O how might all this if seriously and rightly meditated upon melt in our hearts to God and make us willing to take him for our God! 2. And as the Covenant of grace is framed to allure in the sinner so when the sinner is brought in it settles upon him the only true happinesse and all true happiness And as to out happinesse in and by it with certainty and to all eternity As soon as ever you take God to be your God and are become his people immediately is blessednesse settled upon you as your portion and as your portion for ever Psal 34. 12. Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance Psal 144. Happy is the people whose God is the Lord CHAP. V. Isaiah 55. 3. And I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David I Have discoursed of the Covenant of grace as it stands in opposition to the Covenant of works and likewise of the vital nature of it the very marrow and summe of it in those expressions I will be to you a God and you shall be to me a people I am now in the third place to open unto you this Covenant in the adjuncts or properties of it which do as it were blazon and ennamel this Covenant or set it out in beautiful colours to the eyes of us poor and distressed sinners as God appeared unto Moses in his glory when he made himself known unto him in his gracious Attributes so this Covenant appears in The adjuncts or properties of the Covenant wonderful glory when it is opened in the admirable adjuncts or properties of it There are twelve adjuncts given unto this Covenant 1. It is a new Covenant 2. It is a plentiful or perfect Covenant 3. It is a bountiful and giving Covenant 4. It is a free or gracious Covenant 5. It is a well-ordered Covenant 6. It is a pure or holy Covenant 7. It is a sure or stedfast Covenant 8. It is the last Covenant 9. It is an everlasting Covenant 10. It is the best Covenant 11. It is a clear and open and plain Covenant 12. It is the only Covenant SECT I. 1. THis Covenant is a New Covenant I will make a new Covenant with It is a new Covenant the house of Israel and with the house of Judah Jet 31. 31. Behold the dayes come saith the Lord when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah Heb. 8. 8. In Scripture the word New is diversly taken 1. Sometimes that is stiled New which succeeds another in Exod. 1. 8. there The several exceptions of the word New in Scripture It succeeds another Covenant arose a New King in Acts 7. 18. this New King is called another King In this respect this Covenant is a New Covenant it succeeds another Covenant a former Covenanâ— it follows the Covenant of works Quest. It may be argued Why the Covenant of works should be first and the Covenant of grace next Sol. We may be satisfied concerning this order First from the pleasure of The reason of the order of the two Covenants God that he would have it thus Secondly from the wisdome of God who by this order glorifies his justice in the one and his mercy in the other Thirdly From the capacity of man who being at the first created righteous was thereby fitted for a Covenant of works and his created condition was unmeet for a Covenant of grace but being fallen his sinful condition became fit and meet for a Covenant of grace and utterly unfit for a Covenant of works 2. Sometimes that is stiled New which is wonderful unusual the like not It is a wonderful Covenant heard of before The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth a woman shall compass a man Jer. 31. 22. That a Virgin should conceive and bring forth a man-man-childe this was a new thing it was wonderful indeed so Isa 43. 19. Behold I will do a New thing I will even make a way in the Wildernesse and Rivers in the Desart this was a new work that is wonderful and unusual In this respect also is the Covenant of grace stiled New that is it is a wonderful Covenant how wonderful is it that the Lord who was so exceedingly dishonoured and injured and provoked by sinners should yet so infinitely condescend to sinners as to treat afresh with them and to offer life unto them upon better and surer terms than before and should promise such exceeding mercies and give such a gracious Redeemer and Mediator There are foure things wherein and for which God will be eternally admired 1. In making this Covenant of grace 2. In giving his only Son for a Saviour 3. In bringing any sinner to Christ and into the Covenant 4. In the glorifying of them that believe 3. Sometimes that is stiled New which is excellent and very necessary John It is an excellent Covenant 13. 34. A New Commandment I give unto you that ye love one another this Commandment is a new Commandment that is it is a rare an excellent a necessary Commandment so Revel 2. 17. To him that overcomes I will give a New name that is an excellent name to be one of the sonnes of God which is called a dignity an excellent priviledge John 1. 12. In this respect also is the Covenant of grace stiled New it is an excellent Covenant and very If it be considered necessary It is excellent consider it either comparatively no Covenant like unto this Comparatively that Covenant of works falls exceeding short of it and that Covenant with nature for the preservation of common life is not to be compared with it Or absolutely in it self it is all of excellencies an excellent love an excellent Absolutely Christ the most excellent mercies and the onely excellent happinesse Or respectively unto us our hopes our helps our comforts our life our Respectively eternal life lies in this Covenant all
mercy He did not leave me to my sinful heart and life he did pity and call me and brought me in to Christ and made me one of his people who aforetime was none of his people But I still finde such a body of sin such a law in my members warring against the Law of mind so many sinful corruptions within and so many strong and violent temptation without and so much weakness and insufficency in my self that fear I shall never hold out unto the end I shall one day faile and loose all my interest in God and in Christ and grace Consider To this sad complaint I would briefly speak three things There is a twofold fear 1. There is a twofold fear There is a a fear of unbelief and this is a vexing and distressing and disabling fear it loosens our confidence in God and in his A fear of unbelief this is to be resisteâ— promises It is a naughty fear and beware of it and resist it and bewaile it And there is a fear of tenderness and jealousie in regard of the Natural deceitfulnesse of our own hearts and of the supernatural weaknesse of our own strength this is a A fear of tenderness and jealousie is good good fear and blessed is the man that thus feareth alwayes The weak child feareth and thereupon cries out to the Parent to take him to hold him to support him and by his fear of falling he is preserved from falling So the child of God fears and thereupon he cries out unto his God! Lord help thy servant forsake me not make haste to deliver me keep me who cannot keep my self establish my goings Thou hast promised to keep and preserve the feet of thy Saints This fear is that fear which God hath promised to put into the hearts of his people that they shall not depart from him And indeed this fear is their strength the more of this fear the more safe they are Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall Thou standest by faith Be not high-minded but fear work out your salvation with fear and trembling 2. Your standing or continuing in the Covenant doth not depend upon your own Our standing doth not depend upon our own strength strength nor doth God leave you unto that but it doth depend on his strength and on his power Ephes 3. 16. That he would grant you according to the riches of his grace to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man Mic. 4. 5. We will walk in the Name of the Lord our God for ever and ever Zach. 10. 12. I will strengthen them in the Lord and they shall walk up and down in his name saith the Lord Though your strength be insufficient yet the strength of your God and of your Christ is sufficient for you 1 Pet. 1. 5. We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation 2 Cor. 12. 9. My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness 3. The Lord is able to keep you from falling and to preserve you faultlesse before The Lord is able to keep you from falling the presence of his glory with exceeding joy Jude ver 24. Nay and he will keep you from falling Wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling Psal 56. 13. Thou hast delivered my feet from falling Psal 116. 8. He will keep the feet of his saints 1 Sam. 2. 9. When I said my foot slippeth thy mercy O Lord held me up Psalm 94. 18. 2. The everlastingnesse of the Covenant should be a Cordial to the people of God in the time of desertions when they are apt to question whether God be not Against desertion fallen off from them and hath forsaken them But consult these Promises and you may finde these fears removed Isa 49. 14. Zion said The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me ver 15. Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb Yea they may forget yet I will not forget thee ver 16. Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands Thy walls are continually befâ—re me Isa 54. 7. For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee ver 8. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer ver 10. The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee Use 4 Is the Covenant which God makes with his people an everlasting Covenant Then blesse God and not your selves for your standing and for your continuing inCovenant with him Blesse God and not your selves for your standing in Covenant with him There are three things for which we should blesse God 1. For his restraining grace 2. For his converting grace 3. For his confirming grace that he will and doth keep you stedfast to himself in Covenant O beloved we could never keep our selves nor establish our selves were it not for the goodness and the power and the love and the faithfulness of our God we should break with God and turn aside from him and leave all truly it is almost a wonder that the people of God do hold out in keeping Covenant with God considering 1. The daily and frequent discouragements which they meet with in the world the continual scorns and threats and persecutions and affronts to their persons and godlinesse 2. The manifold allurements snares and temptations unto sin and sinful wayes by wicked example and promises and hopes and connivencies wickednesse in judgement in practice is a general infection the common aire is infected with this plague it is therefore the more hard to keep our health 3. The malice of Satan and his power and subtilty is exceeding great he desires to sift and winnow us as wheat he threw down the third part of the Stars he helped to break the first Covenant There is not any one of the people of God but may say of him as David of his enemies Psal 118. 13. Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall but the Lord helped me 4. How strongly some of the people of God have been hazarded in the lasting part of the Covenant Solomon Peter Asa insomuch as many from their falls have erected the Doctrine of the Apostacy of the Saints 5. Those many remaining Principles for inconstancy and failing as spiritual pride unbelief hypocrysie and worldliness much of every one of these still in our hearts 6. Adde to all these the exceeding weaknesse in all our graces How little faith how weak love and how apt to be shaken and offended Truely we must acknowledge that what we are we are by the grace of God and that if we be strong we are strong in the
people Ver. 34. And they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more Jerem. 32. 39. I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and their children after them Ver. 40. And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me Ezek. 11. 19. I will give them one heart and I will put a New Spirit within you and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and will give them an heart of flesh Ver. 20. That they may walk in my Statutes and keep my Ordinances and do them and they shall be my people and I will be their God Hosea 2. 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever and I will betroth thee unto me in righteousnesse and in judgement and in loving-kindnesse and in mercies Ver. 20. I will betroth thee unto me in faithfulnesse and thou shalt know the Lord. Hebr. 8. 10. This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel I will put my Laws into their minds and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people c. Quest But why is God pleased to promise to give unto his people in Covenant Why God gives spiritual blessings as well as â—emporal His people have souls as well as bodies spiritual blessings as well as temporal Sol. The Reasons are these First Because his people have souls as well as bodies and their souls do stand in as much need of spiritual blessings as their bodies do of temporal blessings Every mans soul since the fall of Adùm is in a fourfold miserable necessity which cannot be relieved but by spiritual blessings 1. In an estate of spiritual death out of which it cannot be relieved but by the donation of spiritual life a quickning by the Spirit of Christ is necessary for a soul dead in trespasses and sins 2. In an estate of spiritual enmity and that enmity cannot be slain but by the death of Christ nor any atonement peace or reconciliation enjoyed but by his blood 3. In an estate of offence and guilt which expose the soul unto wrath and punishment by reason of which the soul needs exceeding riches of grace and mercy to forgive and acquit the sinner 4. In an estate of pollution and bondage being held under the power of sinful lusts in which regard the soul needs the Lord Jesus to be redemption and liberty unto it and the soul can never be freed nor free but by Christ and his Spirit John 8. 36. If the Son shall make you free you shall be free indeed Rom. 8. 2. The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death If a man had all the blessings of the world riches honour friends health pleasures c. they could be of no help or relief unto his soul at all notwithstanding all these the soul still remains sinful and miserable Give the soul Christ and grace and mercy or else you give it nothing it must perish for ever without them And therefore doth God give unto his people spiritual blessings because the soul needs them and they are sutable to the spiritual necessities of the soul Secondly His people are people of another life they have the promise of eternal His people are for another life life 1 John 2. 25. This is the promise that he hath promised us even eternal life Titus 1. 2. Inhope of eternal life which God that cannot lye promised before the world began 2 Cor. 5. 1. We know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens But what of this will you say why hence it follows that therefore God will give unto them spiritual blessings and why spiritual blessings because spiritual blessings are necessary for them in relation unto that eternal life Acts 4. 12. Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other Name given under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved Loe here is a necessity of Jesus Christ for our salvation John 3. 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Loe here is a necessity of faith for salvation Matth. 5. 8. Blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall see God Hebr. 12. 13. Follow holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord. Joh. 3. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Loe here is a necessity of holinesse and regeneration for salvation and they are congruous and fitting us for salvation or eternal life Colos 1 12. Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light It is meet to enjoy grace before we come to enjoy glory it is meet to have a conformity to Christ on his Crosse before we come to have a conformity to Christ in his Crown c. Thirdly His people are designed and set apart for special duties and services His people aâ—e set apart for special duties the which they can never performe without spiritual gifts and blessings They are to glorifie their God Isa 43. 6. Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth Ver. 7. Even every one that is called by my Name for I have created him for my glory Ver. 21. This people have I formed for my self they shall shew forth my praise They are to deny themselves and to take up the Crosse of Christ and to follow him they are to crucifie the lusts with the affections thereof they are to suffer losses and reproaches and persecutions and perhaps death it self they are to fight the good fight of faith to resist temptation to quench the fiery darts of Satan to overcome the world they are to live by faith against hope to believe in hope to walk in all well-pleasing before the Lord. They are to have daily communion with God and their hearts are to be set on him and on things above Can any of these duties and services be performed by them without spiritual strength or can they partake of spiritual strength unlesse and untill God doth give unto them spiritual gifts or graces Fourthly All the people in Covenant with God they have his image restored They have Gods image restored to them unto them they behold as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. They are made partakers of the Divine nature
of them is proper to him Secondly Because unto whom the power of death and condemnation authoritatively belongs unto him also the power of life and absolution doth belong but the power of condemnation belongs only to God Ergo. These are acts seated in the same power Thirdly Because the forgivenesse of sin takes off the infinite desert of sin reaching even unto eternity of punishment eternal punishment is deserved by sin and who can relieve us from that but God alone Fourthly Because our consciences might have a resting place which they could never have if God himself did not forgive sins What if all the men in the world did forgive you if God did not clear you but still held you guilty What though all the lower Courts absolve a Malefactor as long as the Supreme Court condemns him what though the Malefactor forgive himself if the Judge do not forgive him Simile But here lies the comfort that God himself who is the Supreme Judge who hath the Soveraign Power to save or to destroy to remit or binde to acquit or to condemn whose sentence none can reverse if he will pardon our offences and sinnes against him now there is peace with him and peace in our own Consciences Secondly As forgiveness of sins solely appertains to God so God undertakes the same by way of promise which shews that he is willing to forgive sins and God undertakes it by promise that he engageth himself to forgive sins and that he will certainly forgive sins Jer. 31. 34. I will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sin no more Pro. 28. 13. Whosoever confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall finde mercy 2 Chro. 7. 14. If my people shall turn from their wicked wayes then will I forgive their sins Isa 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and turn unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and abundantly pardon 1 Joh. 1. 9. If we confesse our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins Quest Now if any should demand why God contents not himself with a Declaration Reasons of it only that he is a God who forgives sin but also he makes a promise that he will forgive sins Sol. I suppose these Reasons may be given of it First Because this is a greater relief to the troubled conscience A promise of forgivenesse is a more hopeful foundation to work upon than a meer Declaration that God hath power to forgive and it serves to answer our fears and doubts more fully You would not imagine how powerful and dreadful the guilt of sin is and how strongly working when a conscience is awakened and wounded with the sence of it How great is the apprehension of Gods wrath how amazing is the curse threatned how hard is it to look toward the Mercy seat through all the threatnings and through all the terrors how difficult is it to settle it with any apprehensions of mercy And therefore the Lord is pleased not only to declare that he is a God forgiving sins but also he makes promise that he will forgive sins for Christs sake this is apt to preserve troubled sinners from despair and to breed some hopes in them that perhaps they may find mercy for who can tell but that a merciful God and a God who promiseth mercy to poor sinners may at length shew mercy to them and forgive their sins Secondly Because this is a stronger Obligation and Argument to prevail with sinners to repent of their sins and to turn unto the Lord. Beloved I beseech you mark what I say 1. The greater inevidence and improbability there is of forgiveness of sins the more indisposition and averseness there is unto repentance If a person apprehends mercy as impossible he then looks upon repentance as unuseful either he grows despairing or desperate For saith he to what end should I repent and come into God who I am sure will shew me no mercy 2. Again the greater hopes that a sensible sinner hath of mercy the more easily and kindly is his heart wrought upon to Repent to come off from his sins to God Hos 14. 2. When taking away of sin is hinted then ver 3. Ashur shall not save us neither will we say to the works of our hands Ye are our gods for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy so Jer. 3. 12. Return thou back-sliding Israel and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord. Ver. 22. Return ye back-sliding children and I will heal your back-slidings behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Mark how this insinuation of mercy bowed in their hearts Psal 103. 4. There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared Now when a sinner sees forgiveness of sins in a promise this appears with more evidence of hope for him I may yet have mercy so great is Gods goodness and why should I stand out any longer and why should I for lying vanities forsake my own mercies I will home to my Fathers house for there is bread enough and to spare c. Thirdly Because this is the surest ground for faith you know this is the great scruple But may I find mercy and what ground have I to expect mercy Suppose I do repent what assurance have I that God will forgive my sits Why having Gods promise for the forgiveness of your sins in this case you may be confident that if you come to him and rely upon him he will unquestionably be as good as his word he will shew mercy to you Jer. 31. 18. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself Ver. 20. I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Ezek. 18. 21. If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed c. he shall surely live and not dye Ver. 22. All his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him SECT III. 3. I Now come to the third part of the Proposition of forgiveness of sins viz. God promiseth the same to all his people That God promiseth the same unto all his people all his people in Covenant Psal 85. 2. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people Isa 33. 34. The people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity Micah 7. 18. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage Note Of the people of God some are sooner in Covenant and some are later in Covenant for some are called at one houre and some at another houre as Paul spake of Andronicus and Junia Rom. 16. 7. who were in Christ before me that may we say of people some are in Covenant before others but as soon as any of them are brought into Covenant they are pardoned immediatly their sins are forgiven unto them Again of the people of God some have been greater sinners and some have been lesser sinners but as soon as
of some sinners in the like condition of guilt with himself whom yet God did pardon but did ever any sin as I have sinned and did God ever pardon any who have sinned as I have sinned or had their sin all those aggravations though God hath pardoned them as my sin hath can you give me any one clear record or pattern of the same There are two reasons which draw a troubled sinner thus to search and thus to enquire 1. One is because he thinks that what God never did in a way of mercy he will never do 2. Another is because he thinks that the apprehension of great mercy past in a case parallel with his will be a quicker help to his hope and faith that God may likewise forgive his great sins even as he hath forgiven the same to others Nevertheless under favour be it spoken this is not so regular a way Yet this is not so regular nor so sure a ground of hope nor yet so sure a ground for hopes of mercy for 1. If instances and precedent patterns of former mercy were necessarily to be look't at as grounds for hopes in us of the like mercy then the first transgressors they that had been first in the guilt of great transgressions must have despaired of forgiveness for no pattern example or instance of the like was ever found before but mercy was pleased to make them the pattern of mercy for others as Paul speaks of himself in 1 Tim. 1. 16. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting The Lord himself would have put us upon that way of searching records and instances before we should look up unto thiâ— promise by faith 2. These instances of mercy will not absolutely quiet the troubled conscience but notwithstanding them the fire will still burn and the torments and fear will abide in strength and that upon a double account First Though God shew mercy to a great transgressor in the like kind yet he hath not shewed mercy to every one in that kind so that still the sinner is troubled But will God shew mercy to me Again that a like great transgressor I find hath had a great change wrought in him O but this I cannot find or discern in my self Ergo. So then troubled sinners do usually look after instances and examples of pardon before they do look up to the promises of mercy but this is not so regular nor so sure a way to raise faith as I shall presently shew unto you But secondly Though you cannot finde a powerful instance yet possibly there Though you cannot finde a parallel instance yet instances in the same kind may be found may be found instances of transgressors in the same kind of sinning whom God hath formerly pardoned though you cannot find them yet they may be found in the Scriptures Suppose your great sin hath been 1. Extortion you may read that forgiven in Zacheus 2. Drunkenness you may read that forgiven in Noah 3. Theft you may read that forgiven to the Penitent Thief on the Cross 4. Whoredome you may read it forgiven to Mary Magdalen and adultery it was forgiven to David 5. Incest you read it forgiven to Lot and to the incestuous Corinthian 6. Sodomy you read it forgiven to some of the Corinthians 7. Murder you read it forgiven to David 8. Idolatry you read it forgiven to Solomon and also to some of the Corinthians 9. Blasphemy why all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven c. Matth 12 31. 10. Apostasie Return thou back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful Jer. 3. 12. 11. Scoffin and mocking of the Gospel and the Ministers thereof yet some of these heve been forgiven Act. 2. 13 38. and 17. 32 34. 12. Denying and forswearing of Christ yea and that after knowledge and faith yet pardoned unto Peter possibly the great sin which lies so heavy upon the Conscience may be soon one of these and then you see a parallel instance as you do desire But 3ly admit you read not of a particular personal example yet if you do May not instances of pardon of sins that exceed yours serve the turn read of any instance of forgiving mercy to any sinner whatsoever whose great transgressions do not only equal but farre exceed that or those of which you are guilty may not that serve you Surely it is not impossible that thy great sins may be forgiven if mercy hath past an Act of grace in forgiving some sinners their great transgressions Object O no! no mans sins were ever greater than mine c. Sol. Well but what if I produce one whose sins have been such that thy heart will be amazed at and dread to think of being guilty of such transcendent iniquities my instance shall be in Manasseh of whom you may thus read 2 Chro 33. 2. He did evil in the sight of the Lord like unto the abominations of the Heathen whom the Lord hath cast out before the children of Israel Ver. 3. For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his Father had broken down and he reared up Altars for Baalim and made Groves and worshipped all the Host of heaven and served them Ver. 3. Also he built Altars in the house of the Lord whereof the Lord said In Jerusalem shall my Name be for ever Ver. 5. And he built Altars for all the Host of heaven in the Courts of the house of the Lord. Ver. 6. And he caused his children to passe through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom Also he observed times and used Inchantments and used Witchcraft and dealt with a Familiar spirit and with Wizards he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger Ver. 7. And he set a carved image the idol which he had made in the house of God Ver. 9. So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to erre and to do worse than the Heathen whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel Ver. 10. And the Lord spake unto Manasseh and to his people but they would not hearken Are not these sinnes greater than thy sinnes Such high Idolatries sacrificing of Children to the Divels Yet this greatest of sinners that you read of in the old Testament upon his deep repentance found mercy as Paul who called himself the chiefest of sinners in the New Testament did likewise obtain mercy c. Fourthly Under the sense of incomparably great sinnings the business is not Under the sense of great sinnings the businesse is not to debate but to repent to debate but to repent Not what great sins you or others have committed and whose great sins God hath pardoned but to obtain an heart from God to repent of those sins for though
heard thee preach in our Synagogues Have we not eat and drunk in thy presence c Luke 13. 26. There is not any one hypocrite there is not any one formal Professor but he doth deceive himself with a false opinion of his estate and with a false assurance And there are four great Reasons why these men do thus delude themselves 1. One is Pride of heart and vain-glory they will appear not to be inferiour to any and therefore will deceive themselves to deceive others and will boast of what they have not 2. Another is the reach of common gifts which may give them a taste of Christ and of the good Word and of the Powers of the world to come Hebr. 6. 5. A taste makes them think it is assurance 3. A third is the neglect of self-examination they take things upon trust and will not search their hearts and try their ways and bring them to the light to the rule to the touch-stone to the Word they will not try their hearts by the Word nor their supposed graces by the Word nor their comforts nor assurances by the Word and therefore they deceive themselves 4. A fourth is the just iudgement of God upon them to send them strong delusions that they should believe a lye because they received not the love of the ruth 2 Thes 2. 10 11. Only a notion of it but not the love of it only the form but not the power of godliness Thirdly As many have deceived themselves with a false assurance so Many still deceive themselves How one may know he hath a false assurance many still do deceive themselves with a false assurance instead of a true assurance Quest But will some of you say that is the question unto which we desire you to speak a few words what are the discoveries of a false assurance or how one may know that the assurance or perswasion which he hath if the forgiveness of his sins is false is but a delusion Sol. For your help in this I will present unto you six infallible discoveries of a false assurance First The first is When it is a seal without any date my meaning is when a person When it is a seal without a date always hath had assurance never was there any time when he doubted of this point he was never troubled concerning it but always believed and his heart hath always been confidently perswaded that Christ dyed for him and that his sins were pardoned Why this alone may convince thee that thy assurance is but a delusion Mark the Apostle a little in Rom. 8. 15. Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Ver. 16. The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God Here the Apostle lays out three works of the Spirit with the order of his workings 1. First He is efficientè operativè the spirit of bondage to fear i. e. making us rightly sensible of our sinful and miserable condition which makes our hearts to fear what the Lord will do against us 2. Secondly Hereupon in time he is the Spirit of Adoption working faith in us by which we become the children of God and look on him as a Father with love and without any servile fear 3. Thirdly After both these he is the Spirit of assurance bearing witness with our spirits that we are the children of God This is the last work of the Spirit it is not the first nor the only work of the Spirit it comes after the Spirit of Adoption as that comes after the spirit of bondage to fear From this place thou mayst evidently discern the assurance of which thou boastest to be false to be no work of the Spirit who begins in a work of conviction and humiliation and ends in a work of testimony and assurance begins in bondage and ends in liberty begins in fear and ends in peace and comfort the Spirit never begins but ends in comfort Secondly The second discovery of a false assurance is this that as it hath It hath not the Spirit of God for the Author of it not the Spirit of God for the Author of it so it hath not the Word of God for the Instrument and means of it Beloved the Word of God is the Organ or Instrument which the Spirit of God doth ordinarily use for the forming of all his gifts and graces and comforts upon the soul of man I hardly know any one of them for which he doth not employ the Ministry of the Word when the Spirit 1. Enlightens the soul he makes use of the Word to convey and let in light into the soul Psal 19. 8. It enlightens the eyes 2. Humbles the heart he makes use of the Word to break the heart and to lay it low Acts 2. 37. When they heard this they were pricked in their hearts 3. Converts and calls the soul he calls it by the Word and converts it by the Word 1 Thes 2. 19. He called you by our Gospel Jam. 1. 18. 4. Brings in a soul by faith unto Christ he doth this by the Word Rom. 10. Ephes 1. 5. Raises and comforts when he strengthens and assures the soul he doth quicken it by th◠Word and comforts it by the Word and strengthens it by the Word 〈◊〉 assures it by the Word yea and recovers by the Word assurance when it is lost Ephes 1. 13. In whom we also trusted after that ye heard the Word of truth the Gospel of salvation In whom after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise 1 Thes 1. 5. Our Gospel came unto you not in word only but power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance Here you see the Word to be the means of believing and so making way for sealing and assuring Psal 119. 50. Thy Word hath quickned me but now a false assurance was never wrought by the Word which will appear plainly if you do consider three things that are usually found in men presumptuously and deludingly assured 1. They care little for the Word especially for that Word of God which doth powerfully search and prepare the heart and fit it for the assuring work of the Spirit 2. They have most peace and assurance when they keep them most from the faithful and powerful delivery of the Word and their assurance is never more interrupted and shaken and dashed than under the soul searching and convincing Ministry of the Gospel it cannot stand before it nor abide the tryal of it 3. Notwithstanding all their seeming regards unto the Word yet never is there any thing contributed by the Word unto their assurance nor further confirming or strengthening or enlarging all which doth evidently demonstrate that a false assurance was never wrought by the Word but is the fruit of fancy and a dream of our own hearts only Thirdly A further discovery of a false assurance is
these two great Gifts of holiness and forgiveness to sanctifie his people as well as to justifie them There Reasons why God doth sanctifie as well as justifie Both have a necessary respect to our salvation may be these Reasons for their Connexion First Both of them have a necessary respect to the salvation of the people of God A man must be justified if he will be saved and a man must be sanctified if he will be saved he cannot be saved without both he cannot be saved unless he be justified Rom. 8. 30. Whom he called them also he justified and whom he justified them he also glorified None are justified but such as are called and none are glorified but such as are justified Mar. 16. 16. He that believeth shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned He cannot be saved unless he be sanctified Joh. 3. 5. Jesus answered Verily very I say unto thee except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God Heb. 12. 14. And holiness without which no man shall see the Lord Here you see a necessity of both of them in reference to salvation we many times think that if our sins are pardoned there needed no more to save us but we are deceived for as forgiveness is necessary so is holiness necessary to our salvation as no unpardoned person so no unsanctified person shall be saved Secondly The people of God do stand in need of them both neither can they be Gods people stand in need of both restored or repaired without both for the sinnes which are in them are 1. Guilty obligations they bind them over to wrath and curse 2. Filthy pollutions they do stain and defile them and make them odious in the eyes of God Under the first notion they are a debt and under the other notion they are a disease and under both they render us needy of mercy and of grace Pardoning mercy alone doth not answer the sinful condition of man for that is a remedy only against the guilt of sin sanctifying mercy is also required to be a recovery from the filthy pollution of sin As if one be a sick Malefactor this man hath a double need he needs a pardon as he is a Malefactor and he needs a healing medicine and plaister as he is sick Now the Covenant of grace is a full remedy to the sinner and it is a full recovery Ergo God promiseth to sanctifie as well as to justifie Thirdly God doth intend an everlasting communion twixt his people and himself God intends an everlasting communion betwixt him aâ—d his people in the Covenant a communion in this life and a communion in the other life and indeed the people of God their fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ 1 Joh. 1. 3. They are made nigh by the blood of Christ and have accesse unto him But they must be sanctified as well as justified for the enjoying of that communion because two things are opposite to our communion with God 1. One is enmity 2. The other is inconformity Whiles God and we are enemies how can there be communion between us Therefore in justification that enmity is removed and slain by the blood of Christ and whiles God is holy and we remain unholy there is such a dissimilitude and inconformity of our natures that there can be no communion neither and therefore God doth sanctifie our hearts by his Spirit that we partaking of the Divine Nature by way of similitude may have fellowship and communion with him Pardon of sins only makes not sufficient way for this communion for notwithstanding that pardoning mercy the heart of man is so sinfull that God cannot endure us being of purer eyes than to behold sin Put away your iniquities from before mine eyes and then come and let us reason together c. Isa 1. Fourthly We cannot glorifie God unlesse he sanctifie us Beloved the people of God are formed by him to shew forth his praise they are the only people We cannot glorifie God without sanctification that do glorifie him and honour him But this cannot be unless he were pleased to sanctifie them God indeed can glorifie himself towards us though we be not holy but we cannot glorifie him untill we are made holy we cannot glorifie him in our hearts for what glory can God have by an unbelieving impenitent hardened sensual ignorant proud ungodly heart Nor in our actions for they are as our hearts are the fruit is as the tree is c. What can a dead or a sick man do for service Fifthly we should have small comfort and peace if the Lord did not sanctifie as well as justifie us to have sinfull lusts still raigning and ruling and breaking out this would make our life uncomfortable Sixthly Are not the people of the Covenant his children and would you have the holy Father to be the Father of unholy children is this to be born of the Spirit Whatsoever is born of the flesh is flesh and whatsoever is born of the Spirit is Spirit Joh. 3. Vse 1. This serves to reprove those men who divide those things which God Reproof oâ— those who do divide these hath joâ—ned together who are altogether for Justification but nothing at all for Sanctification They exalt the Righteousness of Christ but they cry down the holiness of Christ They would have men to be believers of Christ but they would not have men to be holy and why not holiness as well as Faith because say they holiness cannot justifie us But this is both an Erroneous and Ridiculous Opinion as if Christians had nothing to look after but Justification and as if the gracious works of the Spirit must therefore be rejected because they are not able to justifie us Luther arguing upon this Point saith that we must give In Gal. 3 p. 356. unto every thing that which is proper unto it would you saith he conclude that because your monie and lands and eyes and hands do not justifie you therefore you must reject all these So because holiness doth not justifie you will you conclude that you must reject it As the Righteousness of Christ hath its proper excellency to justifie us so hath holiness its proper excellency to renew us to conform us unto Christ and to make us to walk as becometh men in Christ Besides would God have made Christ to be our Sanctification as well as our Righteousness if holiness did not concern us as well as faith and would he have joyned Remission of sinnes with the sanctifying of our hearts if that alone were all that concerned us Nay Faith is said to sanctifie us as well as to justifie us Vse 2. It also reproves the general presumption of men who think of nothing Reproof of the general presumption of men in order to their salvation but Gods mercy they talk much of mercy and sometimes seem affectionate
of his ways but when that comes then he judgeth of himself as he is and of his ways as indeed they are and have been Psal 73. 22. So foolish was I and ignorant I was as a Beast before thee 1 Tim. 1. 15. To save sinners of whom I am chief and for his wayes he now looks on them as ways of death and paths of hell in which who so walks shall find no rest nor peace In respect of God and his ways God is now look't upon as an only happiness and could I enjoy him for my God in Christ I were blessed for ever and his ways are righteous and good and holy and most pleasant and only safe the way of Repentance the way of faith the way of holiness the way of a godly Conversation how excellent how beautiful how desirable are all of them to an heart renewed by grace which yet in former times were judged with scorn and contempt and hatred Thirdly Where the Lord gives a new heart there he gives new cares and New cares and requests requests Before the Lord renews the heart by grace a sinner is very careful and very careless He is very careful for two things One is for the world What shall I eat and what shall I drink and wherewith shall I be cloathed Matth. 6. His heart is set on the world and he minds earthly things and his heart goes after his covetousness and who will shew us any good his affections are set on things below The other is for his fleshly lusts They that are after the flesh minde the things of the flesh Rom. 8. 5. And they make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof Rom. 13. 14. But he is very careless about his soul therefore he is said to despise his soul and not to know the day of his visitation nor the things which concern his peace and to make light of the invitations of Christ But when the Lord begins to renew the heart by grace there are new cares and new desires O how the soul is taken with the soul and for the soul Lord What will become of my poor soul and what shall I do for my poor soul if I get not Christ my soul is lost and if I get not mercy I am undone Take the world who will and take sinful pleasures who will but O Lord be merciful to me a sinner and O Lord be thou reconciled to my soul and lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Every new heart hath new thoughts and cares and desires What shall we do said they to John the Baptist Matth. 3. And What shall we do said they to Peter Acts 2. 37. And What shall we do to be saved said he to Paul and Silas Acts 16. 30. Fourthly If a new heart be given there will then be found in you the presence New principles of all new principles which are contrary to all the old principles in the old sinful heart there is not any one spiritual and heavenly principle respecting salvation but they may be found in you v. g. 1. Ignorance that is one principle of an old heart the contrary unto it viz. Knowledge is given when you come to partake of a new heart Colos 3. 10. And have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge Eph. 5. 8. Ye were sometimes darkness but now are ye light in the Lord. 2. Carnal wisdome that is another principle of the old heart the contrary unto that is given to a person when God renews his heart viz. Spiritual and heavenly wisdom a wisdom for salvation 2 Tim. 3. 15. A wisdom unto that which is good Rom. 16. 9. A wisdom to approve the things that are excellent Phil. 1. 10. A wisdome to know the times or seasons of grace and to imbrace and improve them Hebr. 3. 3. Vanity of spirit that is another old principle in the old heart an old heart is a vain heart and an old mind is a vain mind but when the Lord gives a new heart he then gives a spiritual seriousness unto the heart To work out its salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2. 12. And to serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear Hebr. 12. 28. And to give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 1. 1â— And taking heed of neglecting so great salvation Hebr. 2. 1 3. 4. Hardness this is another principle in an old heart the heart is a stony heart Ezek. 36. 26. and an heart of Adamant Zach. 7. 11 12. But when God gives a new heart there is a principle contrary unto this put into the heart namely a soft and tender and mournful heart Josiah had a tender heart 2 Chron. 34. 27. God maketh my heart soft Job 23. 16. They shall mourn as one mourneth for his only son Zach. 12. 10 5. Pride this is another old principle of the old heart Mark 7. 22. so Psal 73. 6. Pride compasseth them about as with a chain So Jer. 48. 29. We have heard the pride of Moab he is exceeding proud his loftiness his arrogancy and his pride and the haughtiness of his heart So Rom. 1. 30. Deceitful proud boasters But when the Lord gives a new heart there is a principle of humility given which is contrary unto that pride of heart Deut. 33. 3. All his Saints are in thine hand they sit down at thy feet every one shall receive of thy words Psal 131. 1. Lord my heart is not haughty nor mine eyes lofty c. Ver. 2. Surely I have behaved and quieted my self as a childe that is weaned of his mother my soul is even as a weaned childe Acts 20. 19. Serving the Lord with all humility of minde 6. Stubbornness of resistance and unyieldingness this is another principle of an old heart an old heart is a stubborn heart as for the Word which thou hast spoken in the Name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee said they to Jeremiah Jer. 44. 16. Ye always resist the Holy Ghost ye stiffe-necked and uncircumcised in heart said Stephen unto them in Acts 7. 51. But when God gives a new heart there is given a contrary principle unto this even a yielding and obedient spirit to the Word and Will of God Acts 9. 6. Lord what wilt thou have me to do Acts 10 33. We are all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God Isa 66. 2. To him that trembleth at my Word Psal 119. 161. My heart standeth in awe of thy Word Rom. 6. 17. Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine which was delivered you 7. Hypocrisie this is another principle in the old heart an old heart is an hypocritical heart it is full of guilt and deceit Jer. 17. 9. Deceitful above all things But when the Lord gives a new heart he gives a principle contrary to this viz. sincerity and uprightness of heart and a true heart John 1. 47. Behold
but a mock of sin so utterly unsensible is he of sin Secondly Because it is an unflexible heart you may bow a stick and melt An unflexible heart the brass and bend the very iron but you cannot bow nor bend the stone the stone may be broken in pieces yet you can never so mollifie it as to make it to bow it is naturally hard and naturally unyielding Thus it is with the heart which is hard it is unflexible and unyielding it will be what it hath been Ezek. 3. 7. It will not hearken it will not obey it will receive no instruction advice counsel let God speak and do what he will let men speak and do what they can yet a hard heart fears not God nor regards man God sends Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh with a command to let Israel go he rejects this command Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice c. Then they shew wonders before him yet he will not yield then God sends plagues upon the fruit and corn and cattle and servants yet he will not yield nor obey Thus when the Israelites fell sick of the stone I mean when their hearts became hardned then they became unflexible and unyielding 2 Chron. 36. 15 16. The Lord sent Prophets to them early and late but they mocked the Messengers of God and despised his Word and misused his Prophets You may read in Amos the 4th how God dealt with them in manifold ways of judgement yet there was no yielding in ver 6. He sends them cleanness of teeth and want of bread yet have ye not returned unto me saith the Lord in ver 7. He with-held rain from them yet ver 8. have ye not returned unto me in ver 9. He smites them with blasting and mildew yet have ye not returned unto me in ver 10. He sent the pestilence among them after the manner of Egypt yet have ye not returned in ver 11. He overthrew some of them as he overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the rest were as a fire-brand pluck't out of the fire yet have ye not returned O this is the hard heart which when God speaks it will not hear when God calls it will not yield though God intreats it by mercies yet it will not yield to leave sin though God threatens it with wrath for continuing in sin yet it will not forsake sin though God plucks away mercies after mercies though God lets down judgement after judgement though he wounds the conscience though he throws it into hell yet it will not yield to obey the voice of the Lord to turn from sin Thirdly Because it is a resisting heart the hard stone doth not only not A resisting heart receive impression but it resists and turns back the stroaks even so when the heart is hard it doth not only not admit the Word but instead of yielding it opposeth the Word and resists the Spirit of God Jer. 44. 16. As for the Word which thou hast spoken unto us in the Name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee Ver. 17. but we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth out of our own mouth Zach. 7. 11. They refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their ears that they should not hear Ver. 12. And made their hearts as an Adamant stone lest they should hear the Law Acts 7. 51. Ye stiffe-necked and uncircumcised in heart ye do always resist the Holy Ghost Hence it is that sinners of hard hearts are said to make light of the Word to despise it to reject it to mock at it to contradict it to blaspheme and speak against it as the Pharisees and the Jews c. Fourthly Because it is an heavy heart the stone is naturally heavy descending A heavy heart and inclining downward if you will find it you must look for it in the earth and if you throw it up it will fall down again to the earth that is its center thither it inclines and there it resteth So the hard heart it is an heavy heart not only heavy in a way of indisposition and untowardliness to what is good no mind to pray or hear or repent c. but also heavy in a way of inclination it is an heart which inclines downward to worldly lusts and sinful lusts in them it delights and rests as in its center Although sometimes in an exigence of outward trouble and inward anguish of conscience it seems to be lifted up yet upon the cessation of their working it returns again to its old love and practice of sin Fifthly Lastly The hard heart is called a stony heart because it is a barren A barren heart and unfruitful heart What fruit is to be gathered from the stone or rock Cast the seed on it let the rain come down from heaven upon it let the Sun shine with its beams upon it yet the stone is a stone still a barren and unfruitful lump of earth And thus is it with an hard heart though the man lives under many precious means of grace and manifold helps and daily opportunities and though others are wrought upon by the Word the Word brings forth in them the fruits of knowledge of godly sorrow of repentance of faith of love of newness of heart and life c. yet in him it is unfruitful though he lives under it many years yet his heart is ignorant still and proud still and earthly still and filthy still he is not humbled nor changed nor reformed at all Thus you have some Reasons why the hard heart is called a stony heart Now in the next place lets enquire Quest 2. What kinds of stonyness or hardness of heart is to be found in man The kinds of hardness in man that so we may the more admire at the greatness of Gods mercy who promiseth to take it away out of our natures Sol. For this know that there is a threefold hardness incident to the heart of man 1. One is Natural 2. The second is Habitual or Contracted 3. The third is Judicial or Penal First Natural hardness of heart is that Tomb-stone of sin and death Natural hardness it is one part of that wretched nature conveyed unto us by the fall of Adam by which our hearts are made dark and unsensible of our sins and untoward and disobedient and gain-saying and unyielding and refractory and obstinately set against the commands and ways of God and the strivings of his Spirit and all his dealings either in ways of mercy or in ways of judgement This natural hardness as it is in every man by nature so it is in every part of man in every faculty of his soul In his understanding there is a wonderful incapacity and stupidity and inapprehensiveness of them though distinctly opened and often revealed truths and ways of God In his memory there is such a hardness that all the heavenly delivery of the mind of God in things pertaining to salvation fall away as
to do any thing according to the Word indeed the heart is so hard that unless the Lord himself be pleased to put out his Almighty power it will never yield unto any saving operation of the Word Sixthly I will adde one Demonstration more of the hardness of mans heart The unsensibleness of it which is this the unsensibleness of that hardness of heart naturally the heart is so hard that it doth not and cannot perceive its own hardness indeed when grace comes into the heart then a spiritual sensation comes into the heart then we can feel our sins and feel our hardness and complain of the one and bewail the other O Lord why hast thou hardened our hearts from thy fear Isa 63. 17. But while men are in this natural sinful condition they are not sensible of their finful burdens nor are they sensible of the unsensibleness of their stupidity and hardness of their hearts They are sensible of this loss and of that want and can complain of this and take on for that but when did you ever hear a natural man complain of his hard heart O I have such an heart so full of sin and yet I cannot mourn for sin so unteachable so untractable so resisting so opposing the Word of God and ways of God! What shall I do whether shall I go O it is a burden that I cannot bear c. Why this unsensibleness that our hearts are hard it is a demonstrative conviction that they are hard and indeed no heart is more hard than that heart which is not sensible that it is hard Now I come to the useful Application of this unto our selves SECT II. Vse 1 IS there a stony heart in every man is the heart of every man naturally a hard heart Then wonder not to see so little good done upon men wonder Wonder not to see so little good done upon many By private instructions not 1. That our own private instructions and counsels and intreaties and reproofs usually come to nothing How often do we find parents abounding in cares and watchings and teachings and advising and checking and correctings of their children and when they have said and done all they can they fall a weeping and a sobbing and sighing why what 's the matter O nothing will work on my childe and what 's the reason of it thy childe hath a hard heart and an hard heart is an unteachable and an untractable heart Publick pains 2. Wonder not that Simile the publick pains and labours in the Ministry of the Gospel of Christ many times proves but like rain that falls upon the house top or upon the rocks little or no fruit comes of studies of prayers of doctrines of exhortations of reproofs but people remain still what they were as proud as vain as profane as impudent in sins as before And Ministers are apt to be discouraged and complain that they spend their strength in vain and labour for naught Isa 49. 4. And some imagine if other Ministers came into their room the matter would be much mended and other Ministers do come and then awhile they fall a weeping and complaining What a people are these that no part of the Word of God will work on and no kind of delivery of the same will take hold of them if we intreat them they slight us and if we plainly reprove them they grow worse Now I say wonder not at this Christ himself met with such kinds of people when he preached here on earth and he did hit upon the right cause of all this untowardliness and aversness and that was the hardness of mens hearts I have heard some preach that if Ministers would use clear convictions in their preaching that their hearers would be taken for they were reasonable creatures alas that they should proclaim their own ignorance that men are rational creatures a Philosopher can teach us but that men are sinful creatures and have hard hearts the Scriptures teach us and all the convictions and demonstrations of the will of God will never make impression unless the Lord take away the stony heart out of them 3. Wonder not that all the Providential Dispensations of God work not better amongst men you see many times that personal affections do no good at Providential Dispensations all though one loseth husband wife children estate he fears not he returns not he mends not wonder not at this for the man hath an hard heart You find many times publick judgements in a Nation and God pouring contempt and wrath upon it and on all sorts of men and yet the Inhabitants thereof do learn no righteousness but he that was ignorant is ignorant still and he that was filthy is filthy still and he that was proud is proud still and men grow more wicked under the judgements and plagues of God upon them wonder not at this for their hearts are hard hearts and nothing whatsoever will or can effectually work as long as the heart continues hard Thou mayst pity and pray and weep and fear but persons of hard hearts will do none of these untill God take away the stony heart from them Vse 2 Is there a stony heart in every man then let us make a stand and wonder at the exceeding patience of the Lord and his long-suffering that he can Wonder at the exceeding patience of God bear so much and forbear and hold in his wrath and not make an end of sinners and utterly destroy them You cannot possibly comprehend what affronts and injuries the hard heart puts upon God and what continued provocations that heart daily sends forth and raiseth against him O what careless neglects of his commanding will What proud slightings of his severe threatnings What contemptuous refusals of his gracious offers of mercy What audacious resistances of his Spirit What desperate boldness in sinning What an obstinate course and progress in offending of him What unteachableness and barrenness after all the pains that God takes with it all the cost that he is at to work upon it for good and yet the Lord is patient towards it and renews offers of grace and sends early and late and there is line upon line and precept upon precept and yet he doth not leave the sinner for all this but for a long time stands at the door and knocks and waits that he may be gracious and gives him time and expects him when he will consider and hearken and return Truly the hardness of mans heart is wonderful which will not bow after so many gracious dealings of God and the patience of God is more wonderful who will bear so many and so long affronts from a proud and hard heart If the Husband-man hath a piece of ground which after all his Tillage still bears bryars and thorns he will cast it off If the School-Master hath a Scholar which after long teaching and instructing continues dull and uncapable he will meddle no more with him Sir I can do
mend the soft heart 3. In respect of the Works and Dealings of God all of them make impression on the soft heart those of mercy and those of judgement those of blessing those of affliction they all work kindly Fifthly The Author and Cause of all this is God himself Job 23. 16. God is the Author of it God maketh my heart soft Zach. 12. 10. They shall look on him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn c. The Lord doth give this soft and tender heart when he doth effectually call and convert a sinner as you may see in Pauls conversion and thus you see what the heart of flesh is what a soft and tender heart is SECT II. Quest 2. NOW to the second Question How it may appear that the people of How this appears God are people of soft and tender hearts First By Instances all the Scripture over I will mention some David was By Instances a godly man and he was a man of a soft and tender heart when he did cut off the lap of Sauls garment his heart smote him as soon as Abigal spake with him he was with-drawn from his rash and dangerous resolution Nathan spake but one word unto him Thou art the man and presently he is struck I have sinned and that made him to water his couch with tears Josiah was a godly man and he was a man of a soft and tender heart see 2 Chron. 34. 27. Because thine heart was tender and thou didst humble thy self before God when thou heardest his words against this place and against the Inhabitants thereof and humbledst thy self before me and didst rent thy cloaths and weep before me c. Joseph was so both to God Gen. 39. 9. How can I do wickedness c and to Man How tender to his father and brethren Job was so and so was Peter on whom one look of Christ did work so kindly that he went out and wept bitterly What should I speak of Jehoshaphat Hezekiah Nehemiah Ezra Daniel or of Paul or of the Corinthians 2 Cor. 3. 3. Ye are the Epistle of Christ written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God not in tables of stone but in fleshly tables of the heart nay see more of this softness and tenderness 2 Cor. 7. 11. Behold this same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves yea what indignation yea what fear yea what vehement desire c. Secondly By Practice and there are eight things appearing in their By Practice practice which do shew that they are persons of soft and tender hearts First Quick apprehensions even of a frown and of Gods displeasure afar Quick apprehensions off in the beginnings in the threatnings in a with-drawment in any stop or estrangedness of communion and visits and unusualness in these cases presently the heart of them begins to misgive and fear Is all well is not the Lord angry He looks not on me I hear not from him as formerly Have not I offended him c Secondly Easie convictions A reproof saith Solomon Prov. 17. 10. entereth Easie Convictions more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool and so doth any conviction if the people of God have sinned Christs look to Peter Nathans word to David sometimes a glance an hint a passage in a Sermon or in Discourse is enough for conscience is very tender and takes presently and yields and confesseth c. Great griefs for lesser trespasses Thirdly Great griefs for lesser trespasses Great sins trouble not an hard heart Simile no more than the nettles and thorns do the hardned hand but little sins do exceedingly trouble the hearts of the godly being soft and tender Simile if a mote fall into the eye it causeth vexation because the eye is tender the omission of duty the coldness of performance distraction in services vain and idle thoughts unprofitable words losing of time sit heavily upon the hearts of Gods people c. Fourthly Special care of sure warrant for special actions They must have Care of sure warrant for special actions a light and a voice going before them This is the way Walk in it May I do this and may I do that Doth the Lord command such a work and doth he enjoyn me and am I sure and clear that I do not transgress if I should venture upon it Fifthly Wise Caution in doubtfuls Where if the work or way seems doubtfully Caution in doubtfuls good or doubtfully evil the godly person makes a pause a stand a stop he dares not to act boystrously if it be but a perhaps it is evil but a perhaps God may be dishonoured or his Gospel prejudiced he will abstain untill he gets more light to clear his steps as Job offered sacrifice in the case of perhaps Sixthly Present obedience When God commands no delays no shufflings Present obedience no consultings with flesh and blood their hearts are indeed at Gods command I made haste and delayed not to keep thy Commandments Psal 119. 60. You need not use many arguments and perswasions to the people of God a word of Gods command is of easie authority c. Seventhly And Choice obedience they would serve the Lord with their spirits Choice obedience Rom. 1. 9. and seek him with their whole hearts Psal 119. 10. and serve him acceptably with reverence and godly fear Hebr. 12. 28. and love him with all their might Eighthly Earnest supplications that they might not offend or if they have Earnest supplications offended that they might not offend so David Keep thy servant from presumptuous sins Psal 19. 13. Let not any iniquity have dominion over me Psal 119. 133. And in case of offence O take away iniquity I have sinned I have done exceeding foolishly O Lord forgive be merciful unto my transgressions heal my back-slidings return in mercy speak peace whence is all this but from the tenderness of their hearts Simile they cannot live out of doors under frowns having any difference 'twixt their God and their souls no more than the tender wife or child c. Quest 3. Why the Lord gives a heart of flesh a soft and tender heart to his Why God gives a heart of flesh Four reasons of it people Sol. The Reasons may be these which I will but mention First God will teach them they shall be taught of God and write his Law in their inward parts Ergo. Secondly His people must be his servants they must serve the Lord their God be at his command to do his will and his work Ergo. Thirdly They must be like unto their God and Father and have a nature answerable to his nature God is a God of very merciful nature very tender and gentle easie to be entreated and if I may so say to be wrought on sometimes a prayer works on him sometimes a tear sometimes
Jacob and he will teach us of his wayes Isa 2. 3. Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes Psal 119 33. But many people they have no desire to hear the Word nor any heart to be taught by the Word Nay they think the Word is much beholding to them if they will vouchsafe him an hours time to come and hear have these men tender hearts to please God who care not at all to know the mind of God Secondly They will not walk according to the rules and prescriptions of it but They will not walk according to it esteem of them as burthens which they would cast off and as cords which they would break asunder Psal 2. 3. or as superfluous niceties and preciseness which they need not to regard Their wills are absolutely incomplying with the will of God and condemning the will of God and perking up above the will of God Can any rational man imagine that such persons have soft and tender hearts to fear the Lord to obey his voice whose heart will not yield to his Word nor submit at all unto it Object But will some say Are there any such men Sol. 1. There have been such amongst those to whom the Word hath come Jer. 44. 16. As for the word which thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee And ver 4. I sent unto you all my Prophets saying O do not this abominable thing that I hate ver 5. But they harkned not nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness to burn incense to other gods ver 17. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth out of our own mouthes c. Zach. 7. 9. Thus speaketh the Lord of Hâ—sts Execute true judgement and shew mercy and compassion every man to his brother ver 10. and oppress not the widow or the fatherless the stranger nor the poor and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart ver 11. But they refused to hearken and pulled away their shoulder and stopped their ears that they should not hear Secondly And there are such amongst our selves who will not conform unto the will of God nor obey his Word The Lord saith swear not at all Matth. 5. 34. but they will swear by their faith and by their troth and by the creatures c. The Lord commands every man everywhere to repent Acts 17. 30. but they will not leave their sins he that was proud is proud still and he that was filthy is filthy still and he that was drunken is drunken still The Lord commands us to keep the Sabbath day holy Exod. 20. 8. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy but men will not hearken to the Lord in this they will have their delights and will sell their wares and will have their pastimes and meetings on that day c. The Lord commands Parents to teach and instruct their children and to bring them up in the nurture of the Lord and Governours of Families to set up his worship and fear in their houses but men will not do this c. The Lord commands us all to walk strictly and circumspectly Ephes 5. 15. and according to the rule Gal. 6. 16. But we will not be bound up to the straight path of life we will allow our selves such a loosnesse of Opinion and such a loosness of speaking and such a loosness of walking which the Lord doth not only not allow but expresly forbids and condems in his Word assuredly this is farre from the frame of tender and soft hearts Thirdly They do slight and mock at the threatnings of the Word and misuse They slight the threatnings of the Word the Messengers of the Lord Isa 21. 11. Watchman what of the night watchman what of the night Jer. 23. 23. What is the burden of the Lord Chap. 5. 12. They have belyed the Lord and said It is not he neither shall evill come upon us neither shall we see sword nor famine Jer. 6. 10. Behold the Word of the Lord is a reproach unto them 2 Chron. 36. 16. But they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets Acts 2. 13. Others mocking said These men are full of new wine Unquestionably such men as these are far from softness and tenderness of heart which when any have it they do fear the Word of the Lord and do tremble at his threatnings Nevertheless we do find it among our selves that many persons do slight and mock at the reproofs and threatnings of the Word and do misuse the Messengers of God when reproving their sins and applying those threatnings which God himself hath denounced against them for their sinnings As like Solomons fool they do make a mock of sin so like those hardned Jews they do make but a mock of Gods threatnings for their sins despise and laugh at them whereas they should humble their hearts under them and repent of their sins that so they may avoid that wrath which God threatens them for their sinnings Fourthly They will not be brought under the obedience of it let the Lord do what he will Hose 6. 5. I have hewed them by the Prophets I have slain them by They will not be obedient to the Word the words of my mouth and thy judgements are as the light that goeth forth ver 7. But they like men have transgressed the Covenant there have they dealt treacherously against me Zeph. 3. 5. Every morning doth he bring his judgement to light he faileth not but the unjust knoweth no shame ver 6. I have cut off the Nations their Towers are desolate I made their streets waste that none passe by their Cities are destroyed so that there is no man that there is no inhabitant ver 7. I said Surely thou wilt fear me thou wilt receive instruction so their dwellings should not be cut off howsoever I punished them but they rose early and corrupted all their doings Thirdly By untowardlinesse and untractablenesse of their hearts under all the mercies By untractablenesse under mercies of God and all the merciful dealings of God Beloved that man is certainly under the dominion of hardness of heart and without all softness and tendernesse on whom no mercies of God will work why nothing will work if mercy will not work Now there are six choice merciful dealings of God which yet work not to any purpose on the hearts of many men viz. 1. Gods merciful Providence 2. Gods merciful Treaties 3. Gods merciful Strivings 4. Gods merciful Waitings 5. Gods merciful Warnings 6 Gods merciful Repentings First Gods merciful Providence in manifold nay in daily fruits of preservation His merciful Providences and deliverance of goodness and blessings the Lord it is who gives us life and all things that pertain to life he feeds our bellies and clothes our backs and maintains our health and multiplies our seed sowen and makes us to prosper and thrive
punishment An exegential softness as in Pharaohs case You would not imagine what tenderness may appear in men while the rod is held over them or whiles the rod lies heavy upon them penal evils have a marvellous contrariety unto our natures and they have many times a strong authority with us the rod of God commands and obtains that from us which the Word of God cannot because our natures are servile and are more ready to act out of fear than out of love Hence is it that we read of such a quick plyableness in distressed and punished sinners unto the will of God Psal 78 34. When he slew them then they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God ver 35. They remembred that God was their Rock and the high God their Redeemer Nevertheless ver 36. they did flatter him with the mouth and they lyed unto him with their tongues Hose 5. 15. In their affliction they will seek me early Chap. 6. 1. Come and let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will bind us up Judg. 10. 15. And the children of Israel said unto the Lord Do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee ver 16. And they put away the strange gods from among them and served the Lord. How many persons in times of common judgements and in personal sicknesses how mournful prayerful dutiful yet their hearts are not softned Secondly The Legal softness which is when Conscience is awakened with the Legal softness sense of Gods wrath O what a softness what a tenderness what a plyableness doth there appear in persons at such a time as this they will weep most bitterly they will pray most earnestly they will hear most diligently they will not come near to sin or the occasions thereof they set upon a â—eformation what may not God have now from them what resolution Covenants yet all this is but iron in the fire all this is but a Mariner in a storm but a Sea sickness all this is but forced work all this crouching is but to compound the sooner self-love and self-ease and self-fear and self-deceit are the Grounds and Reasons of this softness or tenderness And when this Conscience troubled sinner hath got safe to land and all grows quiet and calm then his tenderness and plyablness is gone he laies aside his cares and fears and tears and reformations and resolutions and he returns to folly again and his heart grows more hard and more unsensible and unmournful and unflexible and disobedient than before Thirdly The Partial softnesse which is when the heart of man is uneven in Partial softnesse this work of tenderness it appears in some things but not in other things v. g. In trouble for sin where the sin hath been foule and notorious now the man is sensible and troubled but not so for spiritual sins which are more dishonouring of God and more dangerous though less infamous amongst men ignorance guile of heart unbelief c. In commission of sin a tenderness is like to be discovered when it is with them as with those Job 24. 17. If one know them they are in the terrors of the shadow of death but none if it may be carried with security Jehu is against Ahabs idolatry but not against Jeroboams idolatry Some have a tenderness not to swear but no tenderness to lye and slander and speak idly In practice of obedience there may be a tenderness not wholly to neglect it but no tenderness conscienciously to perform it a tenderness in duties to man but no tenderness in duties to God Fourthly The Temporary softnesse which may be great even to zeale and yet at length it wears away what an earnestness have we seen in some against sin Temporal softness and what a forwardness in duties nay they have seemed very much to bewaile their own sins as well as to bewail the sins of others and to put on themselves as well as others to the practice of duties both publick and private and yet after a while this tenderness is lost their jealousie and watchfulness and provocation of themselves and others it is gone they grow very negligent very careless and may perhaps be found amongst the companions of profaneness and ungodliness Again some in the hearing of a Sermon in good company c. as Felix when he heard Paul may express much tenderness This tenderness doth nor arise from renewing grace but from some secret lash in conscience or from some inconsiderateness of spirit or from some carnal design or from vain glory c.. Fifthly The Worldly softness I have observed a kind of tenderness and plyableness and softness in some persons First When they would get some worldly things as the Shechemites would be Worldly softness circumcised upon this ground Shall not their cattel and their substance be ours Gen. 34. 22 23. O how many persons will come to the publick Ordinances hear the best Ministers be acquainted with them order their conversations demurely and inoffensively yea and religiously and all this is but to get some good match or some rich place Secondly When they have lost some worldly things a Husband a Wife a Child a Parent a Friend an Estate now they melt into tears mourn and will not be comforted they accuse their sins and send for a Minister and what must they do But this softness is only worldly sorrow and aâ—â—seth from natural affections and is quickly alayed and cured by the accesse of some other worldly comfort and blessing Sixthly The Desperate softnesse and tenderness of despair And indeed when Desperate softnesse any one doth despair there is in him an exceeding and surpassing sensibleness he is deeply semsible of his sins and dejected and overwhelmed in the apprehension of them and often cries out in an amazing manner concerning them and the wrath of God for them and the expectation of judgement and destruction But this is also a false tenderness of heart and it comes not from faith and is not raised by mercy drives the soul from God keeps up impenitency and hardens the heart against all help and hope 3ly The demonstrations of the manifold miseries incumbent The misery of â—ersons destiâ—ute of softness of heart upon and incident unto all persons destitute of softness and tenderness of heart I will mention some of them unto you First Certainly there is no work of grace in such persons they are still in their sins under the power and dominion of them in a dead and unconverted condition There is no work of grace in them without the Spirit and the life of Christ For where renewing grace is wrought in the heart there is alwayes an heart of flesh a soft heart a plyable heart the heart is brought in and made willing and obedient and ready and serviceable unto God Now a graceless condition is a most miserable condition Secondly Certainly these people
durationis He that hath a soft heart mourns and grieves 1. For his own sinnes Ezek. 7. 16. They that escape of them shall escape and shall be on the mountains like Doves of the valleys all of them mourning every one for his iniquity David that man of a soft heart how mourning and lamenting for his sin My sin is ever before me Psal 51. 3. I water my couch with my tears Psal 6. 6. Those in Zechary mourning as one mourneth for his only son And in bitternesse as one that is in bitternesse for his first born Zech. 12. 10. Mary Magdalen weeping and washing the feet of Christ with her tears Luke 7. 38. Peter remembred the words of Jesus who said unto him Before the cook crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice and he went out and wept bitterly Mat. 26. 75. The Penitent Corinthian so mourning for his sin that Paul writes unto the Church by all means to forgive and comfort him least he should be swallowed up with over much sorrow 2 Cor. 2. 7. Now by the way observe that persons whose hearts have been really soft and tender they have mourned not only for their gross sins but also for their lesser sins not only for corporal sins but also for their spiritual sins for pride hypocrisie vain-glory unbelief not only for outward sins but also for inward sins not only for the sins in life but also for their sins in heart for the sin of nature original sin and the secret motions thereof not only for his sinful doings but also for his sins which do accompany his best doings not only for the sins which they have committed alone but also for the sins which they have caused others to commit either by their perswasion or by their evil example Not only for their sins of knowledge but also for their sins of ignorance as he prayed Lord forgive me my known sins and Lord forgive me my unknown sins so c. not only for present sins but for sins long since committed and pardoned 2. For the sins of others as well as for his own sins Psal 119. 136. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes because they keep not thy law Ezek. 9. 4. Go through the mid'st of the City through the mid'st of Jerusalem and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the mid'st thereof Jer. 13. 17. If you will not hear it my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride Exod. 32. 31. Oh this people have sinned a great sin and have made them Gods of gold Luke 19. 41. When he came near he beheld the City and wept over it The sins of others do grieve the Lord Fourty years long was I grieved with this generation Psal 95. 10. and dishonour him and how can a tender heart endure to see his God and Father grieved and dishonoured but his soul must grieve and mourn be afflicted and troubled Paul reproves the Corinthians because they grieved not for the sin of the incestuous Corinthian Thirdly Fear to sin True tenderness of heart alwayes breeds the greatest care to please God and the greatest fear to displease God where there is no Fear to sin fear to sin there is no tendernesse of heart and where there is true tendernesse of heart there is an exceeding fear to sin against God Prov. 23. 17 Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long Act. 9. 31. The Churches walked in the fear of the Lord. There is one who sets out seven degrees of fear which are to be found in every truely tender-hearted child of God viz. 1. He is afraid to commit grosse sinnes though never so secretly as you finde in Joseph when tempted by his Mistris O saith he How can I do this great wickednesse and sin against God! Gen. 39. 9. And in David when he was strongly tempted to take revenge of his mortal enemy and had an opportunity also put into his hands yet he durst not do it and why because he durst not sin against God! Who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords Anointed and be guiltless 1 Sam. 26. 9. 2. He is afraid to commit little sins what a small matter had it been for Daniel and the three children being brought into Babylon to have eaten of the meat and to have drunk of the wine which Nebuchadnezzar appointed for them but Daniel saw it was such meat as was contrary to the Ceremonial Law then in force and therefore he would not defile himself with it Dan. 1. 8. 3. He is afraid to omit the least duty Moses was commanded to fetch the people of Israel with their cattel and substance out of Egypt Pharaoh consents for the people and their little ones but he would have the Flocks and Herds stayed by no means saith Moses Our Cattel also shall go with us there shall not an hoof be left behind Exod. 10. 24 26. So in the setting up of the Tabernacle and in all other Services commanded by God he was faithfull in all things he durst not leave out one knop not one tach not one pin which the Lord prescribed about the Tabernacle c. 4. He is afraid to serve the Lord carelesly and negligently Awake Psaltery and Harp I my self will awake early Psal 108. 2. With my whole heart have I sought thee Psal 119. 10. Not slothful in businesse fervent in Spirit serving the Lord Rom. 12. 11. 5. He is afraid to do any thing that is of evil report which though in itself it may be lawful yet if advantage may thereby be taken to cause Religion or the profession to be reproached and evil spoken of he is afraid to do that thing 1 Cor. 6. 1. Dare any of you having a matter against another go to Law before the unjust and not before the Saints And why might they not do so what unlawfulnesse was there in that Is not civil Magistracy ordained of God 't is true but though all things are lawful all things are not expedient 1 Cor. 6. 12. At that time such applications would have exposed the Christian Religion and Profession unto scorn and contempt amongst unbelievers c. Give none offence neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles nor to the Church of God he speaks it concerning things indifferent 1 Cor. 10. 32. 6. He is afraid not only of apparent evils but also of the appearance of evil 1 Thes 5. 22. Abstain from all appearance of evil if it hath the look or shew of evil it is enough to a tender heart to avoid it and abstain from it If it looks like pride if it looks like unchastity if it looks like unbefitting service of God if it looks like persecuting of the Gospel c. like error idolatry c. 7. He is afraid not only to do any thing that is evil Let not any iniquity have dominion over me Psal 119. 133. nor only to speak any evil Set
will never be quiet untill repentance be renewed and God appears to be pacified Thirdly If we have hearts spiritually soft and tender this will appear by the respectiveness of our hearts to the word of God And there are ten Properties of a tender heart in relation to the Word of God 1. It sets up the Word as a Light and Rule So Psal 119. 105. Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my paths ver 133. Order my steps in thy Word 2. It studies the Word and meditates therein to understand the mind of God concerning it Psal 119. 15. I meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy ways ver 148. Mine eyes prevent the night watches that I might meditate in thy Word 3. It layes up and gives special heed unto what God saith in his Word 2 Pet. 1. 19. We have also a more sure word of Prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed Psal 119. 11. Thy Word have I hid within my heart that I might not sin against thee Prov. 7. 1. My son keep my words and lay up my commands with thee ver 3. Bind them upon thy fingers write them upon the table of thine heart 4. It stands in awe of the Word Psal 119. 161. My heart stands in awe of thy Word 5. It is led and guided by the Word Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel Psal 73. 24. Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors Psal 119. 24. My sheep hear my voice and follow me Joh. 10. 17. 6. It keeps close to the Word in all matters of faith and practice receives all and admits no more will not go without it and dares not strive against it 7. It conformes itself unto the Word Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it even to the end Psal 119. 33. All that the Lord hath said will we do and be obedient Exod. 24 7. O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes Psal 119. 5. He will teach us his wayes and we will walk in his paths Isa 2. 3. Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine whereto ye were delivered Rom. 6. 17. Moulded cast 8. It is quickly reduced wrought upon and recovered by the Word As in Davids case when Nathan said Thou art the man 2 Sam. 12. 7. David said unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord ver 13. So Judges 2. 2. Ye have not obeyed my voice why have you done this ver 4. And it came to passe when the Angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel that the people lift up their voice and wept ver 5. And they called the name of that place weepers Bochim and they sacrificed there unto the Lord. 9. It will often review and try itself by the Word lest it hath sinned or lest it should sin against God Psal 77. 6. I communed with my own heart and my spirit made diligent search Psal 119 59. I considered my wayes and turned my feet unto thy testimonies 10. It desires and endeavours to comply with all the Word of God and to fulfill all the will of God and to walk according to it in all things I have lived in all good Conscience unto this day Act. 23. 1. We trust we have a good conscience Heb. 13. 18. I have respect unto all thy commandements Psal 119. 6. Zachary and Elizabeth walked in all the Commandements and Ordinances before the Lord blameless Luke 1. 6. Fourthly If we have hearts Spiritually soft and tender this will appear by By our sensibleness in cases of Gods honour or dishonour our sensibleness and choice behaviour in the cases of Gods honour and dishonour This I think is one of the fullest discoveries of a soft and tender heart and therefore I will insist the more upon it by shewing unto you 1. The several wayes how God is honoured 2. The several expressions of a tender heart in relation unto Gods honour 3. The several wayes of Gods dishonour 4. The several affections and workings of a tender heart in the case of Gods dishonour First The several wayes of Gods being honoured God may be and is honoured How God is honoured As â—â— his Name and Attribuâ—es 1. As to his glorious Name and Attributes Deut. 28. 58. That thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful Name the Lord thy God When we do acknowledge and admire and exalt God in his holiness and goodness and mercifulness and Omnipoâ—ency and wisdom and greatness and authority and justice and faithfulness c. Exod. 15. 11. Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the Gods who is like thee glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders Job 9. 4. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength Exod. 34. 6. The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering abundant in goodnesse and truth Ver. 7. Keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquiâ—y transgressions and sins and that will by no means clear the guilty Deuter. 7. 9. Know that the Lord thy God he is God the faithful God which keepeth Covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandements to a thousand generations 2. As to his worship and service Psal 29. 2. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name or as it is in the Hebrew the honour of his Name worship the As to his Worship Lord in the beauty of holiness When we set up the true worship of God and serve him only and worship him only in Spirit and in truth and keep faithful unto it now we do honour and glorifie our God Thou hast not honoured me with thy sacrifices Isa 43. 23. The place where God is worshipped is called the place where his honour dwelleth 3. As to his Word and truths when they are magnified believed and embraced At his Word and upheld and obeyed when they have liberty and prosperity and success of efficacy 4. As to his works of Providence whether merciful respecting the good As to his Works of his people or judicial respecting the punishment of his adversaries in both which very much of God is to be seen and admired and blessed Secondly Now a soft and tender heart is exceedingly affected with Gods honour How the tender heart is affected in case of Gods honor and glory and with all the wayes publick and private for the honouring of God Such a person will take much pains to recover and restore the honour of God as you may see in Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah and Josiah to restore the true worship of God such a person will be at much cost to promote the honour of God 1 Chron. 29. 3. Because I have set my affection to the house of my God I have of mine one proper goods of gold and silver which I have given to the house of my God over and above all that I have prepared for thy holy house even three thousand talents of gold of the
several relations and any one who is of a soft and tender heart makes conscience of them all The tender Magistrate makes conscience of governing and ruling and believing and protecting and reclaiming and punishing and rewarding and dare not be unjust neglect or unfaithful or oppressing or out-facing or over-bearing and so people of tender hearts dare not to be disobedient unruly reviling despising c. The tender Minister makes conscience of feeding his flock with wholsome food and not to keep back any of the counsel of God concerning them he is instant and diligent in his work he instructs and exhorts and warns and reproves and comforts according to the several conditions of his people and the people will pray will love will honour will encourage will obey them that have the rule over them in the Lord. The tender husband will love and cherish his wife and the tender wife will love and please and reverence her husband The tender Parent will pray for will instruct will teach his children and bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and the tender child will hearken c. Fourthly A person of a tender heart and soft heart makes conscience of all He makes coâ—scâ—ence of all duties 〈◊〉 the â—imâ—s the duties respecting the times and changes that do befall him He meets with times of adversity and with times of prosperity with times of love and with times of hatred with times of peace and with times of trouble with times of light and with times of darknesse with times of Gods clear presence and with times of Gods desertions And there are several and distinct duties proper unto these variations the which he strives to draw out and act in their time If his time be the time of prosperity he is doing whilst he hath that time and to honour God with his increase and to blesse him and to do for him and if his be the time of adversity he desires patient submission unto the hand of God and special instruction and improvement and refining c. In an high estate he will love his God and in a low estate he will by faith live still upon his God Fifthly A person of a tender heart will make conscience of duties 1. Though never so small and little thou shalt not lay a stumbling block before the blind nor cause the deaf c. thou shalt fear the Lord thy God The smallest 2. Though never so great and difficult and strict to deny himself to enter in at the strait gate to render good for evil blessing for The greatest cursing 3. Though contemned and reproached by profane men and erroneous Most contemned men or disaccepted by those unto whom it is performed 4. Though dangerous and exposing c. as Daniel of praying the three children Most dangerous of worshipping God only the Apostles of preaching Christ 2ly For the manner of performing these duties The manner of performance of duties A tender heart hath a special regard unto that he will serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear Heb 12. 28. And as David after the due order 1 Chro. 15. 13. The duties which he performes they are by him done 1. Willingly Psal 110 3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power Rom. 7. Willingly 19. The good that I would do And Isa 26. 8. The desire of our soul is to thy Name freewill-offerings 2. Delightfully 1 Joh. 5. 3. His Commandements are not grievous Nay Delightfully Psal 40. 8. I delight to do thy will It was Christs meat and drink to do the will of his Father that sent him Joh. 4. 34. 3. Humbly as Paul Act. 20. 19. Serving the Lord with all humility of Humbly mind and with many tears 4. Believingly resting on the strength of Christ for their performance Phil. 4. 13. I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me And he acknowledgeth Believingly all that is done to be done in his strength 1 Cor. 15. 10. I laboured more abundantly than they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me and expecting all the acceptance of duties for Christs sake Rev. 8. 3. The prayers of the Saints were offered up with incense upon the golden Altar 5. Sincerely with a plain honest obediential heart with all his heart Sincerely with his very soul and spirit in truth without guile and with a direct pure and single respect unto Gods glory These are the desires and these are the endeavours thus to serve and obey the Lord by every truely soft and tender heart and if he misseth or is interrupted in any of these his heart is troubled and grieved and he strives and wrestles with God to cloth him with the strength of his Spirit that he may thus serve his God according to his will Sixthly If our hearts be soft and tender hearts this will appear by the temper of our spirits in the occurrences of temptations There are temptations and suggestions By the temper of our spirits in temptations From Satan 1. From Satan he many times presents unto the minds even of the people of God thoughts of Atheism and blasphemy and other vile and inglorious thoughts O what an affrightment amazement and grievous burden are these unto a person of a soft and tender heart they do even crack and crush his spirits and take away all rest from him and fill his heart with tears and complaints and prayers 2. From the World to withdraw from God and Christ and the truth and From the World holy walking partly by reproaches scoffs threatnings restraints and punishments these a tender heart will bear and suffer and rejoyce in and by them grows more resolute for Christ and to hold fast his truth and to walk with him And partly by profits pleasure friendship fears and honours these a tender heart will trample under foot rather than sin against Christ Like Moses who refused to be called the Son of Pharaohs daughter Hebr. 11. 24. Châ—sing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season ver 25. Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the creasures of Egypt ver 26. 3. From our own hearts in several wicked motions to several vile affections From our own hearts And if your heart be tender it will not dally with them in contemplation nor yield unto them in prosecution but will resist them and pray against them and strive to have them mortified and subdued and instead of them would have a daily frame of holy and heavenly thoughts raigning in the mind SECT IV. Vse 2. DOth the Lord promise to give unto all his people a soft and tender Get such a heart heart an heart of flesh Then by all means let every one of uâ— strive to get this heart which God promiseth to give Now for this I will propound 1. Some Motives
to perswade you to get a soft and tender heart 2ly I will shew you the way and means to compass and enjoy it 1. The Motives to get a soft and tender heart First The possibility of getting this heart God can give it therefore it is Motives The possibility of it possible to get it God can take away the heart of stone and he can give the heart of flesh Again God hath promised to give it therefore it is possible why should any one think it more impossible for God to give any spiritual good which he hath promised then to give any outward good which he hath promised he having as much power and willingness and faithfulness to perform spiritual promises as he hath to perform temporal promises Nay once more he hath given this soft and tender heart do you not read in Scripture and do you not find in your own experiences many persons of soft and tender hearts and who but God hath made their hearts soft it was God who subdued the pride and stoutness and hardness and rebellion of their hearts and it was God who made their hearts humble and sensible and mournful and teachable and plyable is not God as able as willing as powerful now as ever he was Secondly The necessity of having this heart can you be saved without it what will become of an hardened sinner of the disobedient sinner of the sinner The necessity of it that doth and will walk contrary unto God that will not hearken unto him shall heaven open to to let him into glory who will not open his heart to let in grace can you be brought into this without it if your hearts continue hardened will they not continue unbelieving and if they continue unbelieving will they not continue Christless and if they continue Christless will they not continue hopeless Ephes 2. 12. Without Christ having no hope For Collos 1. 27. It is Christ in you the hope of glory can you find pardon of your sinnes without it Do you find in all the Bible pardon of sins either conferred or promised unto the hardened sinner wrath and destruction are threatned unto unto that sinner but mercy and forgiveness are promised only to the soft and mourning and tenderhearted penitent Thus you see that there is a necessity to get this soft and tender heart if you will be saved if you will have Christ or be Christs and if you will be pardoned Ergo. Thirdly The excellency of this heart As an hard heart is a base heart so The excellency of it the soft and tender heart is an excellent heart Pharach stands upon Record for a hard heart and it is his infamy as long as the world lasts And Josiah stands upon Record for a person of a tender heart and it will remain for his glory as long as the world continues There are five things which are a mans glory and excellency 1. One that he belongs to God in a special relation that God is his Father and that he is one of the children of God why the person of a soft and tender heart is indeed in this relation he is in Covenant with God God is his God and Father and he is a child of God 2. A second that he is a new creature that new creature is an excellent creature he is a glorious creature he is changed into the glorious image of Christ 2 Cor. 3. 18. And made partaker of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. Now every person whose heart God hath made soft and tender he is a new creature God hath changed his heart which was a heart of stone but now is made an heart of flesh 3. A third that he is an humble person Humility is an ornament and God much esteems of the humble and puts honour upon them and will give grace to them but he abhors and resists the proud Now every tender-hearted person is an humble person and the more softness of heart there is the more humbleness of heart there is they alwayes go together as hardness of heart and pride do David Hezekiah Josiah Job Paul the Publican the Prodigal were persons of soft hearts and of humble hearts 4. A fourth that he is one who loves the Lord exceedingly Is not this a mans honour and excellency to love his God! O love the Lord all ye Saints Psal 31. Saw ye him whom my soul loveth Cant. 3. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul c. Simile Is it not an honour to the wife that she loves her husband and to any of us to love our friend and to the child that he loves his father Thus doth every person of a soft and tender heart he loves his God he fears to sin and offend his God why he loves him and he is zealous against any dishonour done to God why because he loves him 5. A fifth that he is obedient to the voice and will of God ready to hearken ready to follow willing to obey careful to come up fully to the mind and command of God Is not this our honour and our excellency Speak Lord for thy servant heareth And O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes Surely it is a shame and reproach to be disobedient to God For 1. Sam. 15. 22. To obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of Lambs Ver. 23. But rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry And certainly the tender heart is an obedient heart very ready to receive the Law from the mouth of God Fourthly The Benefits and helpfulness of this heart It would be of wonderful use and advantage unto you sundry wayes The benefits of a tender heart A help to repentance 1. It would be an help to repentance both initial and renewed It would help you to repent of your old sinful course of life to bring you off from it with shame and grief it would not suffer you to continue in such wayes of dishonouring God any longer but would hasten and compel you out of it with grief and detestation you would quickly cast away your sins as a menstruous cloth saying Get ye hence if the heart were once made soft and tender it would recover you out of particular falls you would quickly see and acknowledge them and bewail them and return to your first husband and do your first works if you had but soft and tender hearts as David Hezekiah Peter and the Church of Ephesus c. 2. It would be a dayly preservative against sin and temptations unto sin A preservative against sin tenderness is the foundation of fear and fear is the Guardian of the soul against sin No man is more secured against sin than the man of tenderness and of faith and of fear as the hardened sinner is presumptuous and will venture on any sin and on the occasions thereof so a tender heart is fearful of the least sin and
through God to the pulling down of strong holds 2 Cor. 10. 1. Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ ver 5. This spiritual Ministry is that with which a spiritual heart doth and can most close O a Ministry which doth most dive into the heart and discovers the depth of sin and the hidden things of the heart and the secret guiles and hypocrisies of our spirits And that Ministry which shames our sins most and rents them out of our bosomes and makes our souls to loath them And that Ministry which like a spiritual Adamant draws a heart to Christ breaking down all the powers of unbelief And that Ministry which discovers and dashes in pieces all our self-deceits and all our self-confideace And that Ministry which presseth and leadeth one to the power of godliness and to the practical expressing of the virtues of Jesus Christ and of him that calleth us And that Ministry which raiseth a drooping soul with spiritual truth and rules though never so strict and contrary to flesh and blood This is a Spiritual Ministry and this is a Ministry of the Spirit and this is the Ministry which every one who indeed hath the Spirit of God doth highly prize doth cordially close with and desires from his soul to live under Psal 139. 23. Search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts Ver. 24. And see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting Such are singularly tender as to the spirit Seventhly They who have the Spirit have this property also that they are singularly tender as to that spirit which appears in four things 1. In no case will they part with the Spirit Psal 6. 11. Take not thy holy Spirit from me 2. They are afraid by anything to grieve the Spirit Ephes 4. 30. Grieve not the holy Spirit of God by whom c. 3. If they have grieved him so as to withdraw himself they are not at rest untill the Spirit returns again in his gracious operations and manifestations Psal 51 10. Renew a right Spirit within me And Ver. 12. Vphold me with thy free Spirit 4. They strive more and more after purity of Spirit that so that good Spirit may take more and more delight to dwell in his temple Thus have I at length finished the Tryals and Characters by which we may know whether the Lord hath given his own Spirit unto us SECT III. 2. Use I Now proceed unto a second Use which shall be of Comfort unto all and every one unto whom the Spirit of God is given who do find him in their hearts in any of those works and saving effects before-mentioned Not without cause doth the Apostle Paul take pleasure in this I have the Spirit of Christ and we have received the Spirit of God and the Holy Ghost is given unto us Yea Christ himself look't upon the sending and giving of the Spirit to be the Comforter unto his Disciples as equivalent unto his own presence with them and as a sufficient cordial against all the troubles of their heart and against all the temptations of the world Quest But will some say What benefit and happiness is there by having the Spirit of God given unto us Sol. I will answer you 1. In the general 2ly In particular unto this Question 1. In the General The presence of the Spirit of God within you it is an infallible evidence of The benefits which come by having the spirit Such are assured of their election your happiness in the whole estate of it from first to last from eternity to eternity from the time past to the time present and the time to come First For the time past Beloved our happiness begins long before we do begin it begins in the eternal love of God and in the election of God before the foundation of the world Ephes 1. 4. The Records of election are Records of Eternity that is the date of writing our names in heaven and in the book of life And questionless this is a great part of our blessedness it is the first stone thereof which is said that we are out of a free and an immutable love and purpose set down and infallibly chosen and ordained for blessedness of which gracious act the presence of the Spirit is a sure evidence unto us 2 Thes 2. 13. God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit Ephes 1. 4. He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy Secondly For the time present it is you know a common doubt and debate among serious and solid Christians whether their present spiritual condition Such have the spirits presence to assure them that God is their Father be right and sound whether or no they have a real relation to God as their Father and whether Christ be in them of a truth and verily that estate is really good and sound and sure in which there is such a relation and such a profession Now when the Spirit of God is given his presence and work are undoubted evidences of him Rom. 8. 15. We have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Ver. 16. The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God 1 Joh. 3. 24. Hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us Thirdly For the time to come there is reserved for all the people of God in heaven an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that fadeth not away 1 Pet. 1. 4. Assured of their salvation A Crown of life Rev. 2. 10. An exceedingly exceeding and eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4. 17. And of this also is the presence of the Spirit a sure evidence unto us Ephes 1. 13 14. The holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance q. d. The Lord will hereafter give you full possession he hath promised you no less than an heavenly kingdom and a glorious inheritance for you are his Children and Heirs and to satisfie and assure you of this he hath given you a pledge or earnest and that earnest is his own Spirit in that you have for the present the Spirit of God this is your earnest that you shall hereafter fully enjoy the kingdom of God And now I beseech you tell me whether the enjoying of the Spirit of God be not very happy and comfortable If you look back by this you know that your names are written in heaven If you look on your present condition by this you know that God is your Father and you are his children Christ is yours and you are Christs If you look forward by this also you know that heavenly glory is yours and shortly you shall perfectlâ— anâ— eternally possesse it and all this you may look on
new born babes as the Apostle calls them 1 Pet. 2. 2. The graces of the Spirit are sometimes in so weak and so low a ebb that they are compared to a bruised reed and to smoaking flax and to the dawning of of light in the morning and to a grain of mustardseed and to a little leaven in the lump Now here I would shew you three things 1. How one may know that he hath as yet but a very weak measure of the Spirit of grace 2. How one may know that the weak measure of grace is not false but true grace 3. That no Christian should discourage himself because his grace is weak but rather encourage himself because grace is sound although it be weak How to know our grace to be weak 1. Quest How one may know that he hath as yet but a very weak measure of the Spirit of grace Sol. This may be known In our first conversion First By the time of the implantation of it this is a truth that grace begins in weakness if a man be but newly converted his grace cannot be but weak Simile The Christian at first is but as a plant newly set and but as a sick man newly recovered or as the Sun newly risen although it may seem much unto him and he may find many stirrings in his spirit and in his affections yet this grace is but weak it hath but little strength in it Simile As a prisoner who hath been long in captivity and bondage when he is delivered his rejoycing may be great and yet his body may be very weak so when the Lord converts a man and so delivers him from the bondage of sin his heart may exceedingly rejoyce in his mercy that he is translated from death to life and yet his Spiritual strength of grace is very weak in him Secondly By the strength of corruptions The stronger that any mans corruptions By the strength of our corruptions are this is a sign that his graces are but weak I call those sinful corruptions strong which do often prevail upon us and lead us captive which are able to hinder us from doing what is good and to drive and force us to do that which is evil nor are we able to withstand this why this ariseth from weakness of grace Simile When it is with us as with a little Child who is ready to stumble and fall at every straw as we speak at every stone at every chip is not this the weakness of the Child So when every temptation every occasion every strong motion of sin is apt to shake us and stagger us and to surprize us is not grace very weak within us If this be a truth that sin grows weak as grace grows stronger Simile that the darkness is less when the light is clear then this also holds true that grace is weak when sin is strong Simile when grace is like a little light in the mid'st of much darkness By the proportions of actings Thirdly by the proportion of actings Every true grace of the Spirit is of an active nature it is apt to put forth itself Simile in this respect it is like all true fire and light which in the least degrees are apt and do put forth themselves but they have their different proportions in acting a little fire acts but little and a great fire acts much so weak grace hath but a weak operation and strong grace stronger operations weak grace acts most in desires and most in the will and most in tears and most in sighs and groans O that I could believe Lord help my unbelief answered the father of child with tears O that I could mourn that I could obey To will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I find not Rom. 7. 18. Fourthly By the mixture of contrary workings a little of grace and much of corruption a little of faith and much of doubtings a little of hope and By the mixture of contrary workings much of fear a little of sorrow and much of hardness a little of prayer and much of distraction a little of zeal and much of flatness a little that is done and much that is undone a little of knowledge and much of ignorance a little heavenly-mindedness and much of earthliness a little fire and much smoak a little going and much halting c. Fifthly By the aptness to live not by faith but by sense when God draws up all our helps and hopes into his promises and puts us now to fetch all our supplies By aptness to live by sence and comforts from his good and faithful Word Here is my Word that I will pardon your sins and here is my Word that I will subdue your iniquities and here is my Word that I will answer your prayers and here is my Word that I will supply your wants and I will never leave you nor forsake you O but because we feel not the assurance of pardon and because we find not victory over our sins and because we do not see the answet of our prayers and because we cannot discern the means and wayes how our wants may be supplyed therefore our hearts fail us and we are troubled and perplexed and sad thoughts do arise in our hearts and they are much cast down within us If it be thus with us certainly our graces are weak very weak the lesse able are ye to trust an All sufficient and faithful God in his promises but you must have the portion in your own hands you must see or else you will not believe you cannot so stedfastly believe that Gods Bond is sufficient c. Simile The child is but weak which must still be held by the hand c. Sixthly By the prevailing of discouragements If we be apt to be offended By the prevailing of discouragements and discouraged this shews weakness of grace there are discouragements taken from Gods dealing with us as when he delayes our suits and denies some of the requests and tries and exercises us with smart afflictions and suffers temptations to abide on us From the wayes of Christianity the strictness of them and the danger by them and the greatness of them From men that wicked men do so vex and trouble us that good men are so strange and unkind unto us From ouâ— selves that we go on so slowly and exactly and uncomfortably and others get so far before us and attain so much Discouragements from any of these shew that there is in us but small knowledge little faith much fear and weak grace Seventhly By the presence of censoriousness of strife and contentions and envyings 1 Cor. 3. 3. For ye are yet carnal for whereas there is among By the presence of censoriousness you envying and strife and division are you not carnal and walk as men 2. Quest How may one know that the weak measure of grace is not false but true grace and the very effect of
will you weary my God also said the Prophet Isa 7. 13. So say I Is it a small thing that you injure another but will you also injure the Spirit of God Simile If a friend should help you out of prison and heal all your diseases and sores and furnish you with clothes and money and house and lands do you not wrong him in saying upon every discontent What hath he done he hath never done any thing for me Why it is the Spirit of God who hath quickned you from the dead who hath delivered you out of the power of darkness who hath renewed and healed your soul who hath begun every saving grace in your hearts who hath been your life and strength and after all this is it meet for you to say What hath he done and he hath wrought nothing for us nothing why how came you to be so sensible of your sins how came your hearts to be broken and mournful whence came those desires after Christ and grace whence came those fervent prayers and importunate cries whence came those resolutions to walk with God and careful endeavours to honour and glorifie him O Christianâ— be humbled for thy rashnesse and for thy unthankfulness and for this injuriousness done unto the good Spirit of God disown him no more and deny not any work of his any more though it be but little yet do not disown it though it be sometimes hidden from thee yet do not disown it though it doth many times work but weakly do not disown it though it be put sometimes to a stand though thou dost not in every particular answer the motions and rules of the Spirit yet do not disown the work of the Spirit condemn every sinful work which is thine own but do not deny or dishonour any work that is his Secondly By not crediting the testimony of the Spirit Beloved sometimes By not crediting the spirit we do bear witness or give testimony for the Spirit as when we humbly and thankfully confess his workmanship in our hearts saying This is the Lords doing this he hath done for my soul c. Sometimes the Spirit bears witness or gives in testimony unto our hearts he bears witness saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 16. that we are the children of God and concerning this he gives in his testimony partly by his works of Faith and Regeneration which are to be found in all and only the children of God And partly by extraordinary assurance letting in such a ligâ—t and evidence and perswasion which abundantly clears up our Relation that without doubt God is our Father and we are his children If now after both these testimonies in assurance of the Spirit in after times of darkness and desertion and temptation we call the testimony of the Spirit into question and charge it for a false delusion do we not exceedingly injure the Spirit of God in some sort to make bim a lyer and a false witnesse Object But we do not do so and we dare not do so his testimony is true only How to know the testimony of the Spirit we fear that the testimony which we have found was not his testimony but a delusion either of Satan or of our own hearts Sol. O but what if indeed that testimony was not the delusion of your hearts but the very testimony of the Spirit which you have challenged and rejected as a delusion are you not then very guilty of great injuriousness unto the Spirit And that it was the very testimony of the Spirit of God may thus appear 1. It was a testimony after deep humblings of the heart for sin 2. It was a testimony after importunate cries and wrestlings for mercy and assurance 3. It was a testimony after your believing and closing which Christ offered and accepted 4. It was a testimony after the matching of the promises with your souls condition 5. It was a testimony that filled your heart with joy unspeakable and glorious and with a love most dear and superlative and with most humble and serious care and diligence how to walk more exactly and chearfully to the praise and honour of this most gracious God If it was thus it was no delusion it was indeed the testimony of the Spirit and you have dealt unkindly and unworthily thus to requite him and thus to disgrace his precious testimony Thirdly By disregarding and slighting the Ordinances of Christ Some people do think that because they have the Spirit therefore there is no need of Ordinances By slighting Christs Ordinances at least for them perhaps they hold that the Ordinances may be useful for others who as yet have not received the Spirit but yet they are needless for them who have received the Spirit And three places of Scripture they alledge for this Jer. 31. 34. They shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest of them saith the Lord. 1 Joh. 2. 27. The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lye and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him 2 Pet. 1. 19. We have also a most sure Word of prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place untill the day dawne and the day-starre arise in your hearts With your favour I will speak something in 1. Opposition to this Opinion it is the Opinion of the Libertines of old and of some now amongst our selves The Libertines answered who desire and endeavour to subvert the Ministry and the Ordinances of preaching 2ly In resolving the true meaning of those places of Scripture First I affirm that Gods giving of his Spirit unto his people was never intended by him to put a period unto any Evangelical Ordinance or to render them useless unto any of his people this may be demonstrated thus First From the scope of the Scriptures All Scripture saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 3. 16. is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Iâ—struction in Righteousness that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works ver 17. If the Word of God be given for these ends For Doctrine to teach us the matter of faith for Reproof to convince errors for Correction to condemn sin for Instruction to shew us our duties and to make us perfect To beget us Jam. 1. 18. Of his own will begat he us with the Word of truth To build us up Acts 20. 33. I commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified then certainly the presence of the Spirit and the Ministry of the Word are not
Covenant with me by Sacrifice 2. The other is that they keep Covenant Psal 103. 18. To such as keep They keep Covenant with God his Covenant and this he expounds in the following words to those that remember his Commandements to do them When we enter into Covenant with God what is it that we do I suppose if we do understand our selves that we do then take him to be our God 1. In his Gracious Mercy 2ly In his Righteous Society that he and he alone shall be our Lord our King to Rule and guide and prescribe us laws and we will be his people to hearken unto him to be at his command to obey his voice and will Is any man so wild to make such a Covenant with God or to think that God will make such a Covenant as this with him I will have mercy and blessing from God but I will not obey him he shall be none of my Lord nor King or that God will yield to these termes I will be yours for all blessings but live as you list do what you please walk how you will serve your lusts regard not my Law Did God ever make such a Covenant as this Saith God to Abraham Gen. 15. 1. I am tby shield and thy exceeding great reward And Chap. 17. 1. I am the Almighty God I am able to do thee good and will do so but then he addes walk before mee and be thou perfect q. d. I will be a God to you for blessing and also a God over you for Ruling I expect that you should walk uprightly before me i. e. observe my wayes my Commandements and act them with sincerity of heart not willingly disobey and prevaricate So Exod. 19. 5. If ye will obey my voice in doing and keeping my Covenant then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people And Verse 6. Ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of Priests and an holy Nation But a little more to demonstrate this truth unto you be pleased to consider these five particulars First Those several Relations which fall upon all people who come to be in The relations betwixt God and his people in Covenant require obedience Covenant with God and they are all such as lay obligations upon them to obedience to walking in his Statutes They are the children of God and have God to be their Father Now saith God to them that pretend to stand in this Relation but walk disobediently A son honoureth his Father Mal. 1. 6. And if I be a father where is mine honour They are the servants of God and God is their Lord and Master Now saith he in the same place a servant honoureth his Master And if I be a Master where is my fear should not a Lord and Master be feared and what is it to fear God but to have an awful respect to his Commandements and a tender care to do his will They are his subjects and he is their King he is the Lord that Reigneth over them gives Laws unto them and are not his Subjects a willing people in the day of his power Do not his Saints humble themselves sit down at his feet and receive of his words doth not the fiery Law proceed from his right hand for them whom he calls his Saints Deut. 33. 2 3. Secondly The Covenant mercies and blessings as their scope is to express the Rich bounty of God to his people so likewise the end of them is to quicken constrain And so do the Covenant mercies and indear them unto duty and obedience Psal 86 12. I will praise thee O Lord my God with all my heart I will glorifie thy Name for evermore Ver. 13. for great is thy mercy towards me Psal 130. 4. There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared Deut. 10. 12. And now Israel what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to fear the Lord thy God to walk in his wayes and to love him and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul Luke 1. 74. That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear Ver. 75. In holiness and righteousness Rom. 12. 1. I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrificâ— holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service Nothing more usual in the Scripture than to press the people in Covenant to obedience by and from the mercies of the Covenant The full and clear Revelation of the New Covenant takes in with it an express institution of obedience Tit. 2. 11. The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men Ver. 12. Teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world The full and clearest Revelation of the new Covenant was when Jesus Christ himâ—elf appeared in the world and taught and dyed and rose again and ascended into heaven and even thence is obedience chiefly urged the Gospel all along pressing duties upon the people of God to love the Lord their God and to love their neighbour and to walk as children of the light Ephes 5. And to be obedient children 1 Pet. 1. 14. And to be holy in all manner of conversation Ver. 15. And to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called with all lowliness and meekness Ephes 4. 1 2. And to put off concerning the former conversation which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts Ver. 22. And to put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Ver. 24. And to walk circumspectly Ephes 5. 15. or exactly unto the highest pitch of holiness and obedience Fourthly The Mediatour of the Covenant concerning whom you And the Mediatour of the Covenant finde 1. That he professeth that he came not to destroy the Law but to fulfil it 2. That he explicated the Law in the true and spiritual sense of it vindicating it from the false glosses of the Pharisees and pressing it in many branches upon us as you may see in Matth. 5. from ver 21. to the end 3. Himself to be under the Law and making special use of it in several parts aginst the temptations of Satan It is written thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God Matth. 4. 7. And it is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve ver 10. 4. That he makes obedience the discovery of our real love unto him Joh. 14. 15. If you love me keep my Commandements Ver. 21. He that hath my Commandements and keepeth them he it is that loveth me Ver. 24. If a man love me he will keep my words 5. That it was one end of the giving of himself to deth for us Tit. 2. 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good
his praises 1 Pet. 2. 9 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father c. Matth. 5. 16. You are bought with a price to glorifie God in c. 1 Cor. 6. 20. 3. His gracious disposition towards his servants and people which appears in four particulars First In his concurrence he passeth by many a failing in the performance of our duties Micah 7. 18. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage Mal. 3. 17. I will spate them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him Secondly In his acceptance he will accept of a willing mind 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to what a man hath and not cording to that a man hath not The servant that gained two talents and the poor widow that cast in two farthings were accepted Thirdly In his assistance as he commands us to walk in his statutes so he puts his Spirit within us to cause us to walk in them underneath are the everlasting arms said Moses Deut. 33. 27. And I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me said Paul Phil. 4. 13. Fourthly In the recompence Psal 19. 11. In keeping of thy Commandements there is great reward Isa 1. 19. If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the Land Rom. 2. 10. Glory honour and peace unto every man that worketh good Secondly In respect of the Statutes themselves they are holy and righteous and good The best way and the safest way to walk in are those which are pleasant to us well-pleasing to God The walking in the statutes of God is the best way that any man can walk in which appears thus First It is the way which the only wise and good God hath consecrated It is not a way of mans invention it is not a way of Satans delusion it is the way of God which he himself commands commends approves and likes Secondly It is the best way to walk in for our selves The benefit which comes by walking in Gods wayes 1. For a mans comfort and peace Great peace have they which keep thy Law Psal 119. 165. To him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God Psal 50. 23. Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and sincerity we have â—ad our conversation 2 Cor. 1. 12. The people of God do find his paths paths of pleasure and never meet with sorrow but when they are wandring from them Prov. 19. 16. He that keepeth the Commandements keepeth his own soul but he that despiseth his wayes shall dye 2. For a mans safety you are sure of Gods protection whiles you are in his service and in his wayes Gen. 17. 1. I am God Almighty walk before me and â—e thou perfect q d. keep thou my wayes and I will keep thy safety 3. For a mans honour The service of God is our greatest liberty and our Itâ— our honor greatest dignity Deut. 4. 6. Keep therefore and do these statutes for this is your wisdom and understanding in the fight of the Nations which shall hear of these statutes and say Surely this Nation is a wise and understanding people 3ly In respect of the people of God themselves which have so many obligations In respect of Gods people upon them from their God 1. His Truth 2ly His Mercy 3ly Giving Christ for to them 4ly Giving his Spirit to them 5ly Shedding his love in their hearts 6ly Daily and hourly blessings 7ly The many sweet experiences found by them in the wayes of obedience 8ly The bitterness met with when starting aside and wandring c. Fourthly Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the way of the Lord Holy obedience blessed are they that keep his testimonies Psal 119. 1 2. Holy obedience or walking in Gods statutes is a testimony of our effectual calling to Christ of our salvation with him Rom. 6. 4. We are buried with him by baptism into death that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father so we should walk in newness of Life Ephes 4. 21. If so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus Ver. 22. Put off the old man c. Ver. 24. And put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Chap. 5. 8. Ye were sometimes dark but now are ye light in the Lord walk as children of that light SECT I. 1. Use ARe the people of God charged and bound to walk in the statues of God and to keep his judgements and to do them O how few people then Few are Gods people hath God where is the man that doth obey his voice who doth indeed take any heed to walk with God in his statutes who orders his steps according to his Word Some there are that instead of giving an ear unto all the Scriptures and to all the Ordinances and to all the Statutes and Commandments of God they are beyond the Scriptures and beyond Ordinances and beyond the Law or Statutes of God and they cry out against men as Legalists who press obedience and as Antichristian and favouring of works I do indeed believe that there are many Antichrists amongst us and fear the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that great Antichrist is too much amongst us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Apostle describing the great Antichrist 2 Thes 2 3. saith that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Exlex sine lege one who doth trample down the Law of God c. Many others there are who though they be not Antinomians in opinion yet are so in their practice like those in Psal 2. 3. Let us break their bonds asunder and cast away their cords from us Particular Libertines who will have no Lord over them and will walk after the lusts of their own hearts and despise the statutes of God Hose 8. 12. I have written unto them concerning Ephraim the great things of my Law but they were counted a strange thing Beloved take but a short view of Gods statutes and of mens walking and we shall confess that few there are that walk in his statutes The statutes of God respect 1. Himself 2ly Our Neighbour Who they be that walk not after Gods Commanments 1. Himself in the glory of his Nature of his Worship of his Name and of his Day O but how few walk in these statutes 1. The ignorant that know not God 2. The Atheists that acknowledge not God 3. Unbelievers that trust not God 4. The profane that love not God nor fear him 5. The superstitious and idolatrous worshippers 6. The cursed swearers and forswearers 7. The rabble of Sabbath-breakers who make the day of God the day of their idlest recreation or profaness
a door-keeper in the house of my God c. Seventhly The further you proceed in walking in the paths of Gods Commandements The farther we go in these wayes they are the better We shall have the clearer knowledg of them the better you shall finde it to walke in them There are four things which may demonstrate this 1. Because the farther that you proceed in the wayes of God the clearer knowledge you shall attain to both of God and of his wayes the more we do obey him the better we shall know him and love him and be beloved of him Joh. 14. 21. He that hath my Commandements and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father and I will love him and will manifest my self unto him 2. Because the further we proceed in the wayes of God the further testimony shall we have from conscience that our hearts are upright There is you know And fuller testimony from Conscience much of our happiness or unhappiness in the testimony of conscience and upright walking gives a great advantage unto conscience to speak on our behalfe Psal 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the way of the Lord and ver 2. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies and seek him with the whole heart Now affectionate walking and stedfast walking do shew that our hearts are upright in walking 3 Because the farther we do proceed in walking in Gods statutes the more And the more sweet experiences sweet and heavealy experiences shall our soules meet with Still you meet with promises but if you make farther progress you shall meet with the fruits and effects of those promises Psal 25. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenants and his testimonies 4. Because the further that you do proceed to walk in Gods Statutes the And the neerer we are to our journeyes end neerer you are to the journies end and to the crown of life It is but one stile more and then I am at my fathers house but a few steps more and then Well done good and faithfull servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Math. 25. 21. Object Thus you see the point demonstrated that the people of God are to make progress they are to move on they are to persevere all their dayes in the path of obedience or in walking in Gods Statutes Many of Gods children are sometimes out of the way True will some say thus they should do but who of them ever did thus There are none of them but we finde them some time or other out of the way I Answer Sol. First Although it be so yet it should not be so all their steps should be in the Yet it should not be so All that are sincere do walk on wayes of life But Secondly All that are sincere they do so they are still walking on in the Statutes of God I told you lately that particular actions do not denominate any estate it is the course of actions which doth denominate our walking Though a wicked man doth sometimes a particular good yet this man still walks in his iniquities because the course of his life is spent in the path of sin So though a good man doth some times a particular evil yet this man may be said still to walk on in the Statutes of God because that path takes up his course of life When Similâ— a man is travailing a journey though he doth some times stumble and fall into the dirt yet he is said to be a travailer and to go on in his journey because he lies not in the dirt but gets up and away he goes so c. Infirmities are passed by of God How deviations are the fruits of weakness Thirdly The aberrations of weakness do not nullify or evacuate a continued progress in walking Infirmities God passeth by and puts them not into the account Now therefore things which shew that the deviations of Gods people are the fruits only of weakness 1. One is that they do principally depend upon the subtilty and suddain power of Satans temptations 2. A Second is that they would not do any evil The evil that I would not do I do saith Paul 3. A Third is their cries and tears and complaints They are in this particular like the lost Sheep or a lost Child 4. A Fourth is that they must and do returne into the right way again SECT I. Use 1 SHould the people of God walk in Gods Statutes i. e. make progress in them and move forward and hold on and persevere in the obedience of them all the dayes of their life Against this duty foure sorts of men deeply offend e. g. 1. All Inconstant Professors 2. All Declining Professors 3. All Non-Proficients Who offend against this duty All inconstant Professors 4. Especially all Revolters and Apostates First All Inconstant Professors to whom that may be applied spoken of in Hosea 6. 4. O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee O Judah what shall I do unto thee for your goodness is as a morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away You have many Professors like unto Ephraim and Judah who in their distresses enquired early after God they take up duties and then they will pray and hear and reform and obey the voice of the Lord O how many hollow-hearted Christians are there who in their sickness and troubles of Conscience and outward straits and fears will seek unto the Lord and serve him and walk in his wayes but as soon as fears and straits and sickness and dangers are off they fall presently from God and from his wayes and from walking in his Satutes The Similâ— sun consumes the morning cloud and dries up the early dew So when ease and prosperity and safety appears then an end of praying of mourning of repenting of doing for God and walking in his wayes Secondly All Declining and luke warme Professors Such I mean that have been forward and high and zealous in holy duties but they are fallen low and All lukewarm Professors flat and careless and negligent of them The time was that they were full of cares and desires and of spirituall fervor and vigor O how they have prized the ordinances How did they abound in duties of obedience How much of their time did they lay out in meditation in praying in reading in hearing in reforming themselves in instructing their families in watching over themselves and their wayes O they durst not neglect their duty any opportunity nor come neer any iniquity But now the case is altered with them there is not that fear of God in them nor tenderness of conscience nor forwardness of obedience their wine is turned into water and their fervor into deadness they have no regard nor minde nor heart to walk at all in Gods Statutes and wayes they shut up