satisfaction to its expectation and large capacitie Hence it is that giue Rome to Caesar as they say and he will ambitiously pursue the Soueraigntie of the whole earth Let Alexander conquer the world and he will aske for moe let those be subdued he would climbe vp the staires of his vast desires towards the starres if hee could aspire thither hee would peepe beyond the heauens c. No rest vnto mans soule but in Gods eternall rest 3. That there being no proportion betweene spirits and bodies thou maiest aswell vndertake to fill a bag with wisedome a chest with vertue as thine immortall soule with gold siluer riches high roomes this whole materiall world or any earthly thing See Eccles. 5. 10. 4. I say Besides these three causes of vnsatisfiablenesse God himselfe doth iustly put that property and poyson into all worldly things doted vpon and desired immoderately that they shall plague the heart that pursues them by filling it still with a furious and fresh supply of more greedinesse longings iealousies and many miserable discontentments So that they become vnto it as drinke vnto a drunkard a man in a dropsie or burning feauer serue onely to inflame it with new heate and fierie additions of insatiable thirst and inordinate lust No maruaile then though the working heart of euery naturall man vnreconciled to God be like the raging sea that cānot rest That roaring Element to which the Spirit of God resembles a wicked man must needes bee a much troubled and very restlesse creature sith it is continually tossed turmoyled with variety of contrary and confused motions that of estuation reuolution reflectiō descension and agitation by the windes semblably if thou couldest see the inside of the greatest gracelesse Monopolist and ingrosser of all the most desireable excellencies vnder the Sunne glistering in the highest Emperiall Throne vpon the earth thou shouldest behold his heart for all that rent asunder with many raging distempers and tempestuous whirlewindes of contrary lusts a very hiue of vnnumbred cares sorrowes and passions boyling incessantly with irkesome suspitions false feares insatiable longings secret grumblings of conscience torturing distractions and tumultuations of hell By the way let me tell you that this immoderate desire inordinate delight which I speake of glued to some speciall sensuall obiect which naturall corruption singles out and makes chiefest choice of to follow and feed vpon with greatest contentment and carnall sweetnesse become the parents of euery mans bosome sinne If it fall in loue with honours and greatnesse it breeds and brings forth ambition which is an vnquenchable thirst after visible glory and a gluttonous hunting after high roomes As it inhabiteth the highest and haughtiest spirits and is superlatiue and transcendent in its obiect and aspirations so of all the stormy perturbations which rent and rage in the heart of man it is most tempestuous and desperate Ventrous it is to climbe vp any staires of basenesse bribery blood to tread vpon the ruines of the noblest innocency vpon the mercilesse desolations of dearest friends and neerest kindred to domineere for a while though it be damned euerlastingly afterwards as it is too cleere in the Turkish Emperors and in that great Master of mischiefe and Machiauelisme Richard the third of this Kingdome who with a bloody hand pressed out the breath of those two orient Princes in the Tower his Nephewes and naturall Lords It is victorious ouer all other affections and masters euen the sensuality of lustfull pleasures as appeares in the greatest Warriours and ancient Worthies amongst the Heathen who tempted with the exquisitenesse and variety of choisest beauties yet forbore that villany not for conscience sake and feare of God whom they knew not but lest they should interrupt the course and stop the current of their warlike reputation ambitious designes and atchiuements of state But whatsoeuer other pestilent properties empoyson it it neuer failes to ingender in the heart which harbours it as its proper Thunder-bolt and blasting feares cares iealousies enuies enraged thirst of rising still impatiencie of competition vncapablenesse of satiety which is most for my purpose For the proud and ambitious man enlargeth his desire as hell and is as death and cannot bee satisfied Hab. 2. 5. Who can fill the bottomlesse pit of hell or stop the vnsatiable iawes of death neither can the greedie humour of an haughtie spirit the aspiring insolencie of a boisterous Nimrod be possibly stayed or stinted no not with the top and variety of highest honours though hee should alone and absolutely be crowned with the Soueraignitie of the whole earth and command the felicities of this wide world If it fall in loue with riches it breeds and brings forth couetousnesse the vilest and basest of all the infections of the soule in the most contemptible and dunghill disposition For this kyte-footed corruption wheresoeuer it seizeth and domineeres blasts and banisheth all noblenesse of spirit naturall affection humanity discretion reason wisedome manlinesse mutuall entertainements entercourse of kindnesse and loue and turnes all euen the soule it selfe into earth and mudde It drawes by a cunning reserued basenesse all occasions circumstances aduantages witte policy euen friends and acquaintance nay religion conscience and all to bee seruiceable and contributary to a greedy wolfe and raging gangren of hoarding vp Gold and worldly pelfe In a word it makes a man with a Bedlam cruelty to contemne himselfe body and soule for a little transitory trash wilfully to abandon both the comfortable enioyment of the short time of this present mortality and all hope of the length of that blessed eternity to come And as the obiect of it is most earthly base and incompetent so of all other vile affections it is most sottishly and senselesly vnsatisfiable For how is it possible that earth should feed or fill the immateriall and heauen-borne spirit of a man It can not be and the Spirit of God hath said it shall not be Eccles. 5. 10. 4. 8. He that loueth siluer shall not be satisfied with siluer The eye is not satisfied with riches Hence it is that the deepelier and more eagerly the dropsie heart of the couetous man doth drinke of this golden streame the more furiously still it is inflamed with vnsatiable thirst nay certaine it is that if he should purchase and possesse a Monopoly of all the wealth in the world were he able to empty the Westerne parts of Gold and the East of all her Spices and precious things should hee enclose the whole face of the earth from one end of heauen to another and heape vp his hoard to the starres yet his heart would be as hungry after more riches as if he had neuer a penny and much more If it fall in loue with beauty and the swaggering brauery of good fellowship it begets lust and sensuality which make their minions madde with bitternesse and malice against the very least glimpse of holinesse or any religious restraint enrage them
that they finde no such acceptation and applause with worldlings by reason of their worthlesnesse and that naturall men entertaine them not with that estimation and account proportionable to their proud expectation and conceiuing also that by their association and siding with the Saints who in preciousnesse of regard and dearenesse of loue euer infinitely preferre the poorest Christian before the proudest Nimrod for one Larke is worth a thousand Kites they shall be prized aboue vulgar esteeme and ordinary valuation purposely put on a vizour of outward conformity to the courses of Christianity that thereby they may procure and purchase some speciall credit and remarkable respect and with some at least bee accounted some body in the world 2. Others there are who seeing they cannot so easily and excessiuely satisfie and glut their greedy humours by their commerce dealings and mutuall negotiations with naturall men for such are well able with equall cunning to counter-mine against their craftie and coozening vnderminings their consciences will serue them to encouhter retalliate their vnconscionablenesse with like ouer-reaching retributions of circumuention and wrong they can well enough sound and fathome with the crooked line of their owne deceitfull hearts the inuisible depths of their Machiuellian proiects and plots and knaueâ—…y I say others there are who vpon such occasion that they may thriue in the world and grow in wealth more easily and vnobseruedly put on a cloke of outward profession and in policie onely and hypocrisie draw towards the better side mixe and ioyne themselues with Gods children hang vpon and adhere vnto true Christians because they pitch vpon them make speciall choice of and single out such vpon purpose as those from whom by reason of the singlenesse and simplicitie of their hearts vnsuspiciousnesse of their charitie the equitie and conscionablenesse of their dealings in these coozening supplanting and vndermining dayes they may most fairely and easily sucke out the greatest aduantage and prey vpon most plentifully with the deuouring teeth of couetousnesse and craft guilded ouer only with a vaile of seeming and vernish of hypocrisie 3. Some there may be whom onely the very terrours and sting of slauish feare and fore-thought of the wrath and torment to come may driue and restraine from the execution of grosser villanies excite and enchaine to the outward exercises of holy duties and many actual religious conformities For instance some may repaire to the House of God vpon the Lords Day not for any such great loue vnto Gods Truth or conscionable Ministerie but for feare that being then alone or walking idlely abroad their guilty consciences should worke more fearefully and fiercely vpon them and that thoughts of their sinnes death hell damnation and other such terrible considerations would come into their mindes with affrighting griesly formes and apparitions of horrour Some it may be for feare they should bee iustly censured and marked out by men acquainted and experienced in the mysterie of grace and wayes of God with the odious deserued brand of Prayerlesse and Atheisticall wretches or lest they should bee seized vpon with some remarkeable iudgement in their owne persons families or goods by fire robbery tempest ill successe death horrour despaire or other fearefull accident dare not for their liues but continue a course and formall taske of Prayer Euening and Morning in their houses Some also in times of trouble and terrour especially as of extraordinarie thunders impetuous tempests dreadfull apparitions in the ayre c. flie into the company and communion of Christians driuen thither by the fearefulnesse of their spirits and hope to receiue protection of their guiltinesse and preseruation from wrath by the prayers presence and acceptation of such holy Ones Wee see in mens carriages to humane lawes that euen feare of them restraines many from many lawlesse outrages and constraines to many ciuill conformities against which their sensuall hearts and humours doe infinitely rise and reclaime with much distaste and auersion Doe you not thinke that many drunkards would as well liue in murther and vpon the spoile as in their present abominable swinishnesse did they not hold it a more horrible thing to be hanged than to pay fiue shillings or sit in the stocks Would not many at Sermon time rather be in the Ale-house than in the House of God were not the constitutions of men a curbe vnto their corruptions Would not some desperate wretches as well strike thorow at once and quite dispatch those they hate as kill them all the yeere long with their cruell thoughts and bloody malice were not thought free and actuall murther death by the lawes of men Would not many malicious Papists thinke you as well speake traiterously of the King as teare Gods glorious name with their oathes and blasphemous tongues were they not terrified with feare of Tyburne It may be so proportionably in mens behauiours towards diuine Lawes the holy Statutes of Heauen and that highest Tribunall But as in the former we ought to be subiect not onely for wrath but also for conscience sake so in the latter much more not onely for terrour of Gods Iudgements but also for loue of His Truth A worthy Diuine summes vp all I would say in this point thus Sometimes saith he the feare of Gods Iudgements as of the racke of an accusing conscience of the torments of hell fire c. holdeth men in a slauish obedience I feare me there are too many abroad in the world especially great Ones who by forbearance of other grosse sinnes to which their sensuall affections are not so endeared outward performance of some holy duties formall presence at religious exercises countenancing and patronage of godly Ministers and good men hope to make amends as it were and to purchase protection and dispensation for the vengeance due vnto the sinfull pleasures of some bosome and beloued lust wherein they secretly lie And therefore their outside conformitie in other things is caused by feare of being horribly and remarkably plagued for that close darling-delight 4 Others there are who by reason of awefulnesse vnto correspondence with dependance vpon gainfull expectation from some gracious great One Christian friend reuerend Pastour Patrone Land-lord or Gouernour religious rich kinred c or other such by-respects conforme to the outward formes of Religion and liue â—…seruedly vnder the Canopie of a counterfeite profession The false and hollow hearts of men harbour many times many priuate ends in their outward seruices of God and howsoeuer they openly pretend Religion yet they secretly intend and plot the satisfaction of their humour and seruing of their owne turnes by an artificiall enforced temporarie taking part with the better part Such seruile Professours as these ordinarily in the meane time stand at a stay in an externall conformitie to Christian courses for no spirituall life warmes their affections no roote of grace growes in their hearts Formalitie in this kinde is euer voide of all vitall vigour vegetation and actiuitie
SOME GENERALL DIRECTIONS FOR A COMFORTABLE WALKING with God DELIVERED IN THE LECTVRE AT KETTERING IN NORTHhamptonshire with enlargement By Robert Bolton Preacherof Gods Word at Broughton in the same County The second Edition corrected and amended with a Table thereunto annexed AT LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Edmund Weauer and are to be sold at his shop at the great North doore of Pauls Church 1626. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE AND TRVLY NOBLE EDWARD Lord Mountague of Boughton a fruitfull increase of all heauenly graces and all watchfull preparation for the Glory that shall be reuealed Much Honored and Noble Lord ALthough the eminency of your other personall worth great Wisdome and noble parts a sufficient attractiue to euery honest heart by reason of the particular interest it hath in the common state of goodnes or your speciall bounty to my selfe which ought to stir vp an ingenuous minde to apprehend any opportunity of due and deserued acknowledgement or your publike deportment in the face of our Country so worthy and Honorable and managed with such true honesty graue moderation and noblenesse of spirit which cannot but draw from euery heart truely sound to our great Lord in Heauen and His Royall Deputy our highest Soueraigne vpon earth a great deale of reuerence loue I say though any of these seuerally might exact from me a more exact and able demonstration of the thankefull deuotions of my heart yet my Lord and you may beleeue mee there is another thing besides all these which was the strongest and most predominant motiue to quicken mee to this Duty and Dedication euen your sincere and inuincible affection to the Gospell of Iesus Christ His faithfull Ministers and most precious Wayes And this to tell you the truth is farre the fairest and most orient flower in the Garland of all your goodnesse and incomparably aboue all your Greatnesse were you aduanced euen to desert nay to the highest top of all earthly felicities and mortall honour For howsoeuer the world euer beside it selfe in point of faluation and starke blind in the right apprehension of Heauenly things doth ◅ote vpon guilded miseries stinging vanities golden setters and wickedly deemes pursuite of purity the height of folly yet I can assure you in the Word of life and truth the richest and rarest con◅luence of all humane happinesses the most exquisite excellencie and variety of the greatest worldly pompe and splendour that euer the Sunne saw since the first moment of its creation or shall looke vpon while it shines in Heauen is but dust in the ballance to one graine of grace it is but dung to an humble minde sauingly illightened with a forecast but of the least glimpse of that incomprehensible endlesse glory which shall shortly be reuealed It is all in the true valuation but as a vaine smoake which doth not onely vanish as it riseth and vtterly looseth it selfe at the highest but also drawes teares frō a mans eyes nay at last wrings the very heart-strings of euery impenitent soule with that extremest euerlasting horrour which would burst ten thousand hearts seriously and sensibly to thinke vpon before-hand It is not onely vanity but also vexation of spirit Let worldly wisdome say what it will and hold them melancholike and madde who by the helpe of the holy Ghost hold a constant counter-motion to the course of the world and corruptions of the time that they may keep a good conscience the richest treasure and dearest Iewell that euer the heart of man was acquainted with who infinitely desire rather to be religious then rich to bee good then great to enioy the fauour of God then the soueraignty and pleasures of all the kingdomes of the earth yet assuredly when all is said and truely summed vp it is onely the true feare of Gods blessed Name a zealous forwardnesse for his glory goodnesse and good causes at this day vnhappily and to the ruine of infinite soules called by the world pragmaticalnesse and Too much precisenesse which can truely beautifie and adorne both all other personall sufficiencies and indeed sanctifie and blesse all publike imployments and seruices of State For the first A Professor euen something Popish doth yet truely teach that Heroicall nobilitie is an illustrious eminency shining in a man by the heauenly infusions of supernaturall grace whereby he is made by adoption the sonne of God the Spouse of Christ the Temple of the holy Ghost without which all other Nobilities are nothing not worth a button Suppose a faire and goodly horse to the eye as exquisitely featured colourd paced as that fained by Bartas to be managed by Cain yet if he wāted mettle he were worth nothing to a man of spirit Giue me the most magnificent glorious Worldling that euer trod vpō earthly mould richly crowned with all the ornaments and excellencies of nature art policy preferment or what heart can wish besides yet without the life of grace to animate and ennoble them hee were to the eye of heauenly Wisdome but as a rotten carkasse stucke ouer with flowers magnified dung guilded rottennesse golden damnation And that which is more dreadfull when the sunne of his short Summers day is set the hot gleame of transitorie prosperity past and the bitter tempestuous winters night of death approacheth from which all the Gold and Pearle of East West can no more deliuer him then can an handfull of dust I say then shall bee powred vpon his head that terrible showre of snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest His soule sinkes immediatly in a moment into the depth of remedilesse misery and is desperately plunged for euer into the bottome of the burning Lake His body descends into the graue as into a dungeon of rottennesse horror arrested as it were by the second death in the deuils name and at length haled and dragged vnto the terror of that great and last Day where no creature can rescue him no mountaine couer him from that vnquenchable wrath neuer-dying Worme which shall euer lastingly day and night feed vpon his soule and flesh Wheras now on the other side that poore neglected One who hath in truth giuen his name vnto Christ and his gainefull seruice perhaps by the World most disdainfully and contemptuously trampled vpon euen into the dust with the feet of cruelty and pride at least most certainly euer made extremely vile and contemptible by the villany of tongues and cruell mockings yet is such an One as the World is not worthy of in the meane time in the meaning of the holy Ghost a Crowne of glory in the hand of Iehouah as beautifull and amiable as the bloud of Christ and his righteous roabe can make him crowned full gloriously with Gods owne comelinesse which hee hath put vpon him designed from all eternitie in due time for so his sanctification now assures him to weare an euerlasting Crowne of blisse And when his pilgrimage is past
singularitie I meane it not in respect of any fantasticalnesse of opinion furiousnesse of zeale or turbulencie of faction truely so called but in respect of abstinence from sinne puritie of heart and holinesse of life Reasons 1. Gods holy Word exacts and expects from all that are new-borne and heires of Heauen an excellency aboue ordinary Pro. 12. 26. Matth. 5. 20. 47. Being taken forth as the precious from the vile Ierem. 15. 19. by the power of the Ministerie they must not onely goe beyond the hiest ciuill perfections of the exactest morall Puritane amongst the most honest Heathens Heb. 12. 14. but also exceed the righteousnesse and all the outward religious conformities of the deuoutest Pharises whose sufficiencies Luk. 18. 11 12. many thousands in these times come short of and yet hope to be saued or they can in no case enter into the Kingdome of Heauen But lest any bee proudly puft vp with sence of this singularitie and excellencie aboue his neighbour let him know that humilitie is euer one of the fairest flowers in the whole garland of his supernaturall and diuine worth and that selfe-conceitednesse would impoyson euen Angelicall perfection 2. They must vpon necessitie differ from a world of wicked men by a sincere singularitie of abstinence from the course of this world the lusts of men the corruptions of the times familiaritie with gracelesse companions the worldlings language prophane sports all wicked wayes of thriuing rising and growing great in the world c. 3. They make conscience of those duties and diuine commands which the greatest part of men euen in the noonetide of the Gospell are so farre from taking to heart that their hearts rise against them As to bee hot in Religion Reu. 3. 16. To be zealous of good workes Tit. 2. 14. To walke precisely Ephes. 5. 15. To bee feruent in spirit Rom. 12. 11. To striue to enter in at the straite gate Luke 13. 24. To plucke out their right eyes that is to abandon their bosome delights Matth. 5. 29. To make the Sabbath a delight Isa. 58. 13. To loue the Brotherhood 1. Pet. 2. 17. With an holy violence to lay hold vpon the Kingdome of Heauen Matth. 11. 12. 4. Experience and examples of all ages from the creation downeward clearely prooue the point At this time as you see the Saints of God were all harboured vnder one roofe and yet not all sound there Suruey the ages afterward The time of Abraham who was as a brand taken out of the fire of the Chaldeans The time of Elijah when none appeared to that blessed man of God The time of Esaiah who cryed chap. 53. 1. Who hath beleeued our report The time of Manasseh who built altars for all the host of Heauen in the two Courts of the House of the Lord The time of Antiochus when he commanded the Sanctuarie and holy people to bee polluted with Swines-flesh and vncleane beasts to be sacrificed the abomination of desolation to bee set vp vpon the Altar That darksome time when the glorious Day-Star Christ Iesus himselfe came downe from Heauen to illighten the earth The time of Antichrist when all the world wondred after the Beast Our times wherein of sixe parts of the earth scarce one of the least is Christian. And what a deale of Christendome is still ouer-growne with Popery and other exorbitant distempers in point of Religion And where the Truth of Christ is purely and powerfully taught how few giue their names vnto it And of those who professe how many are false-hearted or meerely formall 5. Me thinks worldly wisdome should rather wonder that any one is wonne vnto God then cry out and complaine Is it possible there should be so few Sith all the powers of darknesse and euery diuell in hell oppose might and maine the plantation of grace in any soule sith there are moc snares vpon earth to keepe vs still in the inuisible chaines of darknesse and sinne then there are starres in heauen sith euery inch euery little artery of our bodies if it could would swell with hellish venome to the bignesse of the greatest Goliah the mightiest Gyant that it might make resistance to the sanctifying worke of the holy Ghost sith our soules naturally would rather die and put off their immortality and euerlasting being then put on the Lord Iesus In a word sith the new creation of a man is holden a greater worke of wonder then the creation of the world 6. Lastly let vs set aside in any Country Citie Towne Family First all Atheists Papists and distempered exorbirants from the blessed Truth of doctrine taught in our Church Secondly all Whoremongers Drunkards Swearers Lyers Reuellers Worldlings Vsurers and fellowes of such infamous ranke Thirdly all meerely ciuill men who come short of Cato Fabricius and other honest Heathens and wanting holinesse shall neuer see the Lord Heb. 12. 14. Fourthly all grosse Hypocrites whose outsides are painted with superficial flourishes of holinesse and honesty but their inward parts filled with rottennesse and lust who haue their hands in godly exercises when their hearts are in hell Fiftly all formall Hypocrites who are deluded in point of Saluation as were the foolish Virgins and that proud Pharise Luk. 18. 11. Sixthly all finall back-sliders of which some turne sensuall Epicures and plunge themselues into worldly pleasures with farre more rage and greedinesse by reason of former restraint by a temporarie profession others become scurrill deriders of the holyway some bloody goads in the sides of those with whom they haue formerly walked into the house of God as friends Seuenthly all vnsound Professors for the present of which you would little thinke what a number there is I say let these and all other strangers to the purity and power of godlinesse be set apart and tell mee how many true-hearted Nathaneels wee are like to finde Vses 1. Trie then the truth of thy spirituall state by this marke of a sober and sincere singularitie If thou still holdest correspondence with the world and conformitie to the fashions thereof if still thou swimmest downe the current of the times and shiftest thy sailes to the sitting of euery Winde if thine heart hanker still after the tastlesse fooleries of goodfellowship and follow the multitude to doe ill if thou be carried with the swinge and sway of the place where thou liuest to vphold by a boisterous combination lewdnesse and vanity to prophane the Lords day to scorne Profession oppose the Ministerie and walke in the broad Way In a word if thou doest as the most doe thou art vtterly vndone for euer But if with a mercifull violence thou bee pulled out of the world by the power of the Word and happily weaned from the sensuall insensible poison of all bitter-sweet pleasures and fellowship with vnfruitfull workes of darknesse If by standing on Gods side and hatred of all false wayes thou art become the Drunkards song as Dauid
right hand Which may for euer with sweetest peace and freedome from slauish trembling assure vs of our rootednesse in Christ constancie in grace and euerlasting abode with him in the other World Hee that will rent vs from Christs mysticall Body being once implanted into Him by a liuely fruitfull Faith and blessedly knit vnto Him by His Spirit as fast as the sinewes of His precious Body are knit vnto His bones His flesh to his sinewes and his skinne to His flesh must pull Him out of heauen and remoue Him from the right hand of His Father What so furious or infernall power can or dare lay a finger on vs in this kinde Hee hath taken the poisoning power out of euery thing that should hurt vs or hale vs backe to hell He hath conquered captiuated carried in triumph and chained vp for euer all the enemies of our soules and enuiers of our saluation They may exercise vs in the meane time for our good but they shall neuer be able to execute their malicious wils or any mortall hurt vpon vs either heere or in the next life 3. The irreuocable obsignation of the blessed Spirit Eph. 1. 13 14. 4. 30. And who or what can or dare reuerse the Deede or breake vp the Seale of the holy Ghost Heere then as you see the blessed Trinity is the vnmooueable ground of our going on in grace 4. The lasting and immortall power of the Word once rooted in a good and honest heart Luke 8. 15. 1. Pet. 1. â—…3 5. The certainety and sweetnesse of promises to this purpose Ier. 32. 39 40. Zech. 10. 12. Ioh. 8. 12. 2. Sam. 7. 14 15. Psal. 89. 31 c. 6. The force and might of Faith 1. Pet. 1. 2 3 4 5. 7. The efficacie of Christs Prayer Luk. 22. 32. Ioh. 17. 15 20. Rom. 8. 34. 8. The durable vigour of sauing graces Ioh. 4. 14. Rom. 11. 29. 9. The inabilitie nay impossibilitie of all causes or creatures to plucke out of Gods hand Ioh. 10. 29. or to draw any of His to a totall or finall falling away 1. It is not the Diuell himselfe can doe it 1. Iohn 5. 18. 2. It is not the world 1. Ioh. 5. 4. Ioh. 16. 33. 3. It is not the concurrent fury and vnited forces of all the powers of darknesse Math. 16. 18. 4. It is not sinne 2. Sam. 7. 14 15. Psal. 89. 31 c. 5. It is not weakenesse of Faith and other graces Mat. 12. 20. Esa. 42. 3. 6. It is not the imposture of false prophets Matth. 24. 24. 7. It is no creature or created power Rom. 8. 38 39. Vses 1. This Point thus confirmed doth confound that forlorne Tenent of the Popish Doctors which tels vs that a iustified and sanctified Man may fall finally and totally from grace In which I haue heretofore vpon other occasion in your-hearing punctually refuted those which I conceiued Bellarmines best Arguments I wil not then trouble you now with his Sophistry againe 2. This sweet and precious Truth may crowne the hearts of all those that are truly Christs with ioy vnspeakeable and glorious Let new Conuerts and Babes in Christ who are woont to bee very fearefull and much troubled lest they should not hold out because vpon their first entrance into the wayes of Christianitie they are cunningly and concurrently encountred with so many oppositions From the Deuill which then rageth extraordinarily From the World which then tendereth moe and more alluring baites From the Flesh which naturally is very impatient of any spirituall snaffle From carnall Friends who cannot endure their forwardnesse From their old Companions who cry out They are turning Puritanes From the Times which lowre and looke fowre vpon their zeale Sometimes from the Father which begat them from the Mother which gaue them suck from the Wife which lies in their bosome from a world of enemies to grace I say in such a case let them graspe in the armes of their Faith the proofes and promises in the present Point and ride on because of the Word of Truth Let them sweetly with full assurance and vnconquerable resolution repose vpon that euerlasting encouragement for the finishing of their spirituall building which Zerubbabel receiued from the mouth of God Himselfe for successe of the materiall a Type of this Not by might and power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts Who art thou O great mountaine before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plaine and hee shall bring foorth the head stone thereof with shoutings crying Grace grace vnto it And that they may more comfortably and constantly go on let them cast their eyes betime vpon these and the like cautions at their very first giuing their names vnto Christ. 1. Propose such interrogatories as these to thine owne heart Art thou content to abandon thy bosome sinne the sensuall froth of former pleasures hereafter to delight in God as thy chiefest ioy Canst thou take vp thy crosse and follow Christ His Truth and holy tracke amidst the many by-paths that leade to hell and different opinions of multitudes of men Art thou willing to suffer aduersitie disgrace and discountenance with the righteous and contemned godly Ones Canst thou endure to haue things laid vnto thy charge thou neuer didst thoughtst or dreamdst on To become the Drunkards song a By-word to those that are vilâ—…r then the earth musicke at the feasts of those that sit in the gate c In a word for Christs sake to deny thy selfe thy worldly wisdome naturall wit carnall friends old companions pleasures profits preferments ease excellency of learning acceptation with the world outward state liberty life or what else thou canst name dearest vnto flesh and blood If thine heart answere not affirmatiuely I meane out of the resolution of a well-aduised regenerate iudgement for I know the flesh will grumble and reclaime thou wilt certainly fâ—…ll away or end in formality 2. Looke to thy repentance that it be sincere vniuersall constant from the heart-roote for all knowne sinnes to thy dying day 1. If some worldly crosse be the continued principall motiue 2. Or the humour of melancholy 3. If it bee confusedly onely for sinne and in generall 4. Or for some one speciall notorious sinne onely 5. Or for some lesser sinnes with neglect of greater as for tything Mint c. 6. If it be onely legall 7. But for some sinnes of what kinde soeuer leauing but so much as one knowne sinne not taken to heart 8. Or but for a time All will come to naught A foundation of godly sorrow leasurely aduisedly and sincerely laid at first will be for euer after a comfortable encouragement to Faith spirituall ioy well-doing and walking with God 3. Take the touch-stone of fruitfull powerfull and speciall markes to discerne and difference iustifying sauing Faith from all false and insufficient faiths For a temporarie may goe farre 4. Let knowledge and affection like two indiuiduall twins grow vp together in thee and mutually
and rare felicitie in pitching iust vpon the golden meane as they conceiue betweene prophanenesse and precisenesse infamous notoriousnesse and persecuted strictnesse But that Prouerbe in the meane time falls pat vpon their pates There is a generation that are pure in their owne eyes and yet is not washed from their filthinesse And at length most certainely the iust execution of that terrible commination Reuel 3. 16. will crush their hearts with euerlasting horrour confusion and woe But I should be endlesse in the discouery of this hidden and hellish gulph of hypocrisie wherein thousands are swallowed vp euen in this glorious Mid-day of the Gospell For a man may assoone find out the way of an Eagle in the Ayre the way of a Serpent vpon a Rocke the way of a Ship in the midst of the Sea and the way of a man with a maid as to tracke the cunning and crooked footsteps of this foule fiend in the false hearts of Satans followers Only take notice that thou canst neuer possibly delight in God or euer comfortably come neere him if thou giue any entertainment vnto it in what forme soeuer it represent it selfe or whatsoeuer vizor it offers vnto thee though neuer so fairely varnished and guilded ouer with the Deuils angelicall glory III. Build and erect all thy resolutions and conclusions for Heauen and Gods seruice vpon that strong and purest pillar that maine and most precious Principle of Christianitie Selfe-deniall No walking with God no sweete communion and sound peace at his Mercy-Seate except for his sake and keeping a good conscience thou be content to denie thy selfe thy worldly wisdome naturall wit carnall reason acceptation with the world excellencie of learning fauour of great Ones credit and applause with the most thy passions profit pleasures preferment neerest friends ease libertie life euery thing any thing And feare no losse for all things else are nothing to the least comfortable glimpse of Gods pleased face From this Principle sprung all those noble resolutions and replies of Gods worthiest Saints and Souldiers That of Hester for the preseruation of the people of God Well saith she I wil goe in vnto the King which is not according to the law and if I perish I perish That of Micaiah sollicited strongly by the messenger to temporize in managing his Ministery with sutablenesse and conformity to the Kings pleasure and plausiblenesse of the false prophets As the Lord liueth what the Lord saith vnto mee that will I speake That of Nehemiah Should such a man as I flee As if he should haue said Tell not mee of fleeing my resolution was pitcht long agoe if need require to lay downe my life and lose my blood in the Lords battels That of Paul when his friends were weeping and wailing about him What meane you to weepe said hee and to breake mine heart For I am ready not to be bound onely but also to die at Hierusalem for the name of the Lord Iesus That of Ierome If my father stood weeping on his knees before mee and my mother hanging on my necke behind me and all my brethren sisters children kinsfolke howling on euery side to retaine me in sinfull life with them I would fling my mother to the ground despise all my kinred run ouer my father and tread him vnder my feet thereby to run to Christ when hee calleth me That of Luther dealt with earnestly and eagerly not to venture himselfe amongst a number of perfidious and blood-thirstie Papists As touching me saith he since I am sent for I am resolued and certainely determined to enter Wormes in the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ yea although I knew there were so many Deuils to resist me as there are tiles to couer the houses in Wormes That of a most renowned Italian Marquesse Galeacius Carracciolus tempted by a Iesuite with a great sum of money to returne from Gods Blessing at Geneua to the warme Sunne in Italy Let their money perish with them who esteeme all the Gold in the world worth one dayes societie with Iesus Christ and his holy Spirit That of George Carpenter Martyr My wife and my children are so dearely beloued vnto me that they cannot bee bought from mee for all the riches and possessions of the Duke of Bauaria but for the loue of my Lord God I will willingly forsake them That of Kilian a Dutch Schoole-master to such as asked him if he loued not his wife and children Yes said he If the world were Gold and were mine to dispose of I would giue it to liue with them though it were but in prison yet my soule and Christ are dearer to me then all IV. Exercise thy selfe continually and bee excellent in that onely Heauen vpon Earth and sweetest Sanctuarie to an hunted soule the Life of faith Which to liue in some good measure is the duty and property of euery liuing member of Christ Iesus Loue therefore and labour to liue by the power of faith the life of saluation sanctification preseruation 1. Of saluation thus Let thy truely-humbled soule grieued and groaning vnder the burden of sinne throw it self into the meritorious and merciful armes of Iesus Christ wounded broken and bleeding vpon the Crosse and there let it hold and hide it selfe for euer in full assurance of eternall life by vertue of that promise Ioh. 3. 36. Hee that beleeueth on the Son hath euerlasting life For hauing thus laid hold vpon him He by his Spirit doth communicate first himselfe vnto thee then both the merit of his death for remission of thy sinnes and of his actiue obedience for thy right to saluation and happinesse and withall the power of his Spirit to quicken thee to the life of grace in this World and to raise vp thy body to the life of glory at the last day 2. Of sanctification If thou keepe thy faith the fountaine roote and heart as it were from which all thine other graces spring in life and vigour thou shalt pray more comfortably bee more couragiously patient heare the Word more fruitfully receiue the Sacraments more ioyfully passe the Sabbaths more delightfully conferre more cheerefully meditate more heauenly walke in all the wayes of new obedience with more strength and conquest ouer corruptions For ordinarily euery Christian shall finde the exercise of other graces to bee comfortable or cold according to the liuelinesse or languishing of his faith 3. Of preseruation both temporall and spirituall In crosses afflictions and all Gods outward angry visitations by the power of such promises as those Psal. 89. 33. and 50. 15. Heb. 12. 7 8 11. 1. Thes. 3. 3. Act. 14. 22. Luke 9. 23. Isai. 63. 9. In the course and carriage of thy particular Calling the duties and workes whereof if thou discharge with conscience diligence and prayer thou mayest goe on with comfort contentment and freedome from that torturing and racking thoughtfulnesse from those restlesse and cursed carkings of carnal worldlings
wherein they basely languish and lose their soules and leaue the successe issue and euent of all thy labours and vndertakings vnto the Lord whatsoeuer it may bee resting sweetly and euer relying vpon that gracious promise Heb. 13. 5. I will neuer faile thee nor forsake thee In ordering and guiding the affaires of thy family depend by faith vpon Gods blessing the strength and sinew of all sound comfort and true contentation that way See Psal. 127. In the losse of outward things for thy loue and seruice vnto God by beleeuing that Man of God 2. Chron. 25. 9. The Lord is able to giue thee much more then this Nay in the losse of all earthly things in euery kind see Habac. 3. 17 18. Although the fig-tree shall not blossome neither shall fruit be in the Vines the labour of the Oliue shall faile and the fields shall yeeld no meate the flocke shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalles yet I will reioyce in the Lord I will ioy in the God of my saluation Consider also for this purpose Iobs patient blessing of God vpon the surprize and concurrence of an vniuersall misery Iob 1. 21. In pangs of the New-birth spirituall infancy weakenesses of faith prayer godly sorrow and other graces by those cordiall refreshing promises Reu. 21. 6. Math. 5. 6. Isa. 42. 3. and 40. 11. and 57. 15. In oppositions against the raising or restauration of spirituall buildings by the Ministery of the Word or in temptations against a mans personall progresse and holding out against Gods waies vnto the end by renouncing our owne strength disclaiming the arme of flesh and crying in euery encounter Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hoasts What art thou O great mountaine c In languishings and tremblings after relapse into some old or fall into some new sinne by such precious places as these 1. Ioh. 2. 1. Luk. 17. 4. 1. Sam. 12. 20. 1. Iohn 1. 9. From this last place a reuerend Diuine collects this comfort If we see our vnworthinesse and with broken hearts acknowledge it God is faithfull and iust to forgiue it bee it neuer so great But this is a iewell fit onely for the eare of a sincere Christian when out of the fearefulnesse of his distrustfull spirit he puts off all comfort though truely humbled after ensnarement in some more speciall affrighting sinne Let no swine trample vpon it In all kindes of temptations by the power of that promise 1. Cor. 10. 13. Nay euen amidst varietie of them by obeying that precept Iam. 1. 2. My brethren count it all ioy when you fall into diuers temptations In spirituall desertion by refreshing and resting thy sinking soule in the meane time vntill the Lord returne vpon that surest Rocke Isa. 30. 18. Blessed are all they that waite for him Most blessed deare and sweetest Sanctuary If the Christian die in that waiting state he shall be certainely saued For the holy Ghost pronounceth him blessed In the deepe and almost despairing apprehensions of thine extreme vilenesse and as it were nothingnesse in grace by apprehending that most mercifull promise from Gods owne mouth Isa. 43. 25. In thy perplexed and troubled thoughts about returne after backsliding by those comfortable encouragements Ier. 3. 1 12 13 14 22. Hos. 14. 1 2 4. In doubts of losing the loue of God and life of Grace by consideration of those passages in Gods Booke where it appeares that the loue of God vnto his child in respect of tendernesse and constancy is infinitely dearer then that of a most louing mother to her little one Isai. 49. 15. stronger then the stony Mountaines and Rocks of flint Isa. 54. 10. as constant as the courses of the Sunne and of the Moone and of the Starres and of the day and of the night Ier. 31. 36. and 33. 20. nay as sure as God himselfe Psal. 89. 33 34 35. In the Haile stormes of slanderous arrowes and empoysoned darts of disgrace by cleauing to most glorious promises 1. Pet. 4. 14. Mat. 5. 11. In the valley of the shadow of death by an assurance of Gods mercifull omnipotent presence Psal. 23. 4. In the extremitie depth of such desperate distresses and perplexities wherein in thy present feeling thou canst see and find no possibilitie of helpe from Heauen or Earth God or Man but art both helpelesse and hopelesse as the Church complaines Lam. 3. 18. by such like places as those Isai. 33. 9 10. 2. Chron. 20. 12. Gen. 22. 14. Exod. 14. 13. Psal. 78. 65. In euery thing or any thing that shall or can possibly befall thee prosperitie or pouertie crosse or comfort calmnesse of conscience or tempests of terror life or death c. by extracting abundance of vnconquerable patience and peace of soule from those three heauenly golden conduits of sweetest comfort Rom. 8. ver 18 28 32. Thus in any trouble of soule body good name outward state present or to come thou mayest by the soueraigne power of faith working vpon the Word not onely draw out the sting and expell the poison of it but also create a great deale of comfort to thy truly-humbled soule and maintaine it in despite of all mortall or infernall opposition in a constant spirituall gladnesse For all those promises whereupon thy heauy heart in such cases may repose and refresh it selfe haue their being from the blessed name Iehoua see Exo. 6. 3. and therefore are as sure as God himselfe they are sealed with the bloody sufferings of his onely Sonne and therefore as true as truth it selfe and if thou be in Christ are all as certainely thine as the heart in thy body or blood that runnes in thy veines Nay and a little more for thy comfort the glory of Gods truth is mightily aduanced and himselfe extraordinarily pleased by thy more resolute stedfast and triumphant cleauing vnto them What a blessed sweete and heauenly life then is the life of faith V. Apprehend in thy minde and settle in thine heart a true estimate and right conceit of the substance and power marrow and materials of Christianitie Which doth not consist as too many suppose In outward shewes profession talking in holding strict points defending precise opinions contesting against the corruptions of the times in the worke wrought externall formes of religious exercises set-taskes of hearing reading conference and the like in some solemne outward extraordinarie abstinences and forbearances censuring others c. But in righteousnesse peace ioy in the holy Ghost in meekenesse tender-heartednesse loue in patience humilitie contentednesse in mortification of sinne moderation of passion holy guidance of the tongue in workes of mercy iustice and truth in fidelitie painfulnesse in our Callings conscionable conuersing with men in reuerence vnto superiours loue of our enemies an open-hearted reall fruitfull affectionatenesse and bounty to Gods people in heauenly-mindednesse selfe-deniall the life of faith in dis-esteeme of earthly things
euer since 2. Resist and crush euery exorbitant thought which drawes to sinne at the very first rising Encounter it with this dreadfull Dilemma Say vnto thy selfe If I commit this sinne it will cost mee vnvaluably more heart-breake and spirituall smart before I can purchase assurance of pardon and peace of conscience then the sensuall pleasure is worth If I neuer repent it will bee the death and damnation of my soule See what a world of misery man brings vpon himselfe by giuing way to the first wicked thought Disc. of true Happinesse pag. 150. 3. Entertaine euer with all holy greedinesse and make exceedingly much of all good motions put into thy heart by the blessed Spirit howsoeuer occasioned whether by the Ministery of the Word mindfulnesse of death Christian admonition reading some good Booke some speciall crosse extraordinary mercy any way at any time Feede enlarge and improoue them to the vtmost with Meditation Prayer and Practise So thou shalt preserue thine heart in a soft holy comfortable temper and heauenward which is a singular happinesse 3. Eleuation and often lifting vp of the heart towards heauen What Christian heart can indure to discontinue its sweet familiaritie and humble entercourse with God for one day Let thy broken heart therefore euery day besides solemne and ordinarie eiaculations Euening and Morning and vpon other speciall occasions bee sure 1. To bathe it selfe deliciously in the blisfull depths of Gods boundlesse mercies in Christ that it may bee happily kept spiritually merry thankefull and in heart to all holy duties 2. To kisse sweetly the glorified Body of our crucified Lord with the lips of infinitely dearest and vnexpressably affectionate loue though the distance bee great yet the hand of Faith will bring them easily together that it may be preserued in peace puritie and reuengefull opposition vnto sinne for as the application of his meritorious Blood is a soueraigne Plaister to heale the wounded conscience to turne Crimsin and Scarlet into snow and wooll so me-thinkes a serious and compassionate commemoration of the deare effusion thereof should bee both a precious corrosiue to eate out the heart of corruption and a speciall preseruatiue to keepe from sinne sith sinne was the principall in slaughtering the Lord of life 3. To cast the eye of hope vpon the glory euerlastingnesse and vnutterable excellencies of that immortall shining Crowne aboue which after this life and this life is but a bubble a smoake a shadow a thought shall be set vpon thy head by the hand of God a very glimpse of the goodly splendour and rauishing beauty whereof is able both to sweeten the bitterest villanies and basest wrongs from the world and wicked men and to dispell those mists of fading vanities and hurtfull fumes of honours riches and earthly pleasures which this great dunghil of the world heated by the fire of inordinate lusts is wont to euaporate and interpose betwixt the sight of mens soules and the blisse of Heauen VI. Be very watchfull ouer thy most predominant and troublesome passion whether it be feare sorrow loue anger c. All of them are vnruly and raging enough but yet commonly one ouer-rules all the rest and playes Rex as they say in the vnregenerate man nay too often offers to rise in rebellion euen against the most sanctified soule Whatsoeuer it be 1. In thy priuate morning sacrifice be sure to lay on loade of deepest groanes and strongest cries for mortifying grace against it and comfortable conquest ouer it Let that period and passage of thy prayers bee enforced and enlarged with an extraordinarie pang of feruencie and feelingly sealed as it were with the most Seraphicall Selah 2. Cut off all occasions whatsoeuer it cost thee which may any wayes stirre awaken and kindle it Withdraw the fewel that ministers food vnto that passionate flame though it should bee as painefull vnto thee as the plucking out of thy right eye or the cutting off of thy right hand Assuredly the pleasures of inward quiet and sweet spirituall calmnesse of thy so vnderstanding Soule will infinitely recompence any paines in oppositions and resistances in that nature 3. Consider seriously before-hand what a deale of disturbance and vnsettlednesse the visible exorbitancy and breaking of it out will breede and bring vpon thy inward man It will be like a dead Flie in a boxe of precious oyntment disgrace all thy graces and full foully darken the glory of thy profession It will be like fire in the Thatch and for the while cast into combustion as it were the whole frame of thy spiritual building and turne the heauenly peace of thy appeased conscience into a bitter tempest Tell mee whether after a lawlesse transgression of those bonds of moderation to which thy Christian resolution hath confinde it and that it hath preuailed against thee with any notorious excesse I say whether at night thou finde not thy spirit quite downe and much deaded to the exercise of prayer or any other euening duty And if vpon thy waking in the night there should be any terrible winde dreadfull thunder or other affrighting accident whether thy heart would not smite thee vpon that occasion with much more feare and apprehensions of horrour I will suppose thy raigning or rather rebelling passion for I speake to the Christian to be choler and anger and then first listen to the counsell which the very morall Sages minister against this spirituall maladie and to the rules and remedies which the light of reason leades vs vnto 1. Cut off say they the causes and the effect wil vanish Quench the firebrands which enrage this fury and thou shalt be at quiet They are such as these 1. Weakenesse of spirit vnmanlinesse of minde Hence it is that old men infantâ—… and sicke folkes are commonly more cholericke then others Impotency and excesse of passion euer argues the disgrace and inferiority of the vnderstanding part the noblest power of the soule And therefore if we would be armed against the sallies and assaults of this domineering raging distemper we must suffer the hiest and heauenliest part of our soule to know and exercise its place and strength Wee must not make our vnderstandings vnder-lings but giue reason his right and regiment 2. Selfe-loue a foolish doting vpon and adoring our selues which springs from the cursed root of Selfe-ignorance and quite puts out that light of Natures law in our consciences Doe as thou wouldest be done by If before thou lose the reines to that short phrensie thou wouldst suppose and set thy selfe in the place of the party with whom thou art angry and then say and doe no more then if thine owne person were the patient it would bee a notable meanes to curbe thy choler and keepe the credit of dipassionatenesse and moderation and make thee patiently suffer that which perhaps thou hast often confidently offered to others 3. An ouertendernesse and delicate nicenesse in bearing wrongs an impetuous impatiencie for being abused Whereas insensibilitie and
abominable and beastly wretches that wee were wee set our selues with sensuall rage against the very face of heauen lay in actuall high Treason and bore Armes in open Rebellion against that dreadfull Maiestie which might most iustly euery moment of that wofull time haue arrested vs with death arraigned vs at the Barre of his Iustice and throwne vs down into hell What manner of persons then I pray you ought wee to be in the short remainder of those few and euill dayes which are behind Euen to imploy and improoue the vtmost possibilitie of all our naturall acquired and gracious parts our credit calling outward state all our power means occasions aduantages to win and worke out glory vnto God enlargement of Christs Kingdome confusion to the deuils dominion conuersion of others comfort vnto our owne poore soules against our ending houre A fellow that hath loytered a great part of the day in his iourney or businesse and yet must needes reach home and finish his taske will toile and sweat at it towards night double his paines and put all his strength vnto it so we hauing not only been slacke in our businesse about Gods seruice and slow in the way to heauen but euen for many yeeres perhaps runne in a quite contrary course and done the deuils worke must now towards the night of our naturall life and the conclusion of the short span thereof spare no paines double our diligence presse hard to the Price of the high calling quit our selues like men and be strong with an holy violence lay hold vpon the Kingdome of heauen with all zeale courage and resolution labour to redeeme the time past for the dayes are euill and our particular doome for eternitie of ioyes or woes pleasures or paines drawes on apace and is euen at the doore And as consideration of former time cursedly misspent so a fore-conceit also of dreadfull times to come may iustly cause vs to make much of and husband well euery moment wee haue presently in our hands for treasuring vp an heauenly hoard of grace comfort patience and courage against the euill day Though the times as yet bee faire and calme happy and Halcyonian and the Candle of God shines still vpon this Kingdome with extraordinary prosperitie and peace there is no carrying into captiuitie or crying in our streets but euery man is quietly reposed vnder his owne Vine and there refresheth himselfe with the riches and comforts of a good and pleasant land yet as sure as the night followes the day a change will come If the glorious and Triumphant times of the daughter of Ierusalem that men called The perfection of beauty The ioy of the whole earth The glory of all lands were turned into a day of trouble and of treading downe and of perplexitie by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision breaking downe the walles and crying to the mountaines what may wee of this Land looke for if we still turne the grace of God into wantonnesse but at length to bee turned out of our houses of peace as the vnthankfullest and vnworthiest people that euer the Sunne of Heauen saw or the Sunne of Christs glorious Gospell did shine vpon so faire and so long But howsoeuer the Kingdome fare and God deale with vs in publike Onely let me tell you by the way that in the meane time wee stand by a miracle of Gods mercy and a prop of his extraordinarie patience yet euery one of our particular day and doome cannot bee farre off As yet perhaps the Almighty is with vs his prouidence protects our habitations no remarkable affliction hath taken hold vpon vs so that there is no mourning or spectacles of miseries in our families no crying O my father Abraham and O my sonne Isaac O my sonne Absalom my sonne my sonne Absalom O Absalom my sonne my sonne And these houses of flesh it may be wherein wee dwell for a few and euill dayes are as yet in reasonable good repaire and it is euery way with vs as it was with Iob in the dayes of his youth when he washed his steps with butter and the rockes powred him out riuers of oyle yet wee may build vpon it as a Principle which neuer failed sinfull mortalitie that dayes of danger and distresse will haue their turne and time also Sorrow and sicknesse perplexitie and feare temptation disertion trouble of conscience the destroying Sword a fierie triall striuing vnto blood Marian times of most abhorred memory or some dreadfull visitation in one kinde or other may seize vpon vs we know not how soone But howsoeuer we escape in the meane time sure I am these fraile bodies of ours after a short while will fall in funder and moulder away into rottennesse and dust and our naked soules must stand at the iust Tribunall of the euerliuing God countable with exactnesse and truth for all things done in the bodie Farre bee it from vs then and euery one that at that last and great Day would not cry to this Rocke and that Mountaine to couer him like sonnes and daughters of confusion to trifle away time in this heate of our spirituall haruest but rather with doubled and extraordinarie resolution let vs gird vp the loynes of our mindes and with all fruitfulnesse and power improoue euery houre of this faire Day of our gracious visitation to treasure vp peace to our poore soules against the stormy winter night of death towards which euery winde driues vs and both sleeping and waking we are posting apace though we perceiue it not 4. Wee must bee countable for time At the dreadfull Barre of that last Tribunall as wee must bee exactly answerable euen for wandring vaine imaginations idle words and euery the very least errour of our whole life nay for not improouing all our gifts goods and graces to the best aduantage for Gods glory for misimployment of our wit vnderstanding memory affections health strength courage learning libertie authoritie policie or any other power or possibilitie which God hath put into our hands so must wee also giue vp a strict account for the expence of euery moment of time Now tell mee at that great and generall Audit whether of these two summes will sound more sweetly in our eares Item so many dayes in Recreation or so many dayes in Humiliation so many houres in Prayer or so many houres in playing at Cards so many weekes in Iouiall reuellings and merry meetings or so many weekes in watching ouer our wayes and walking with God c. A serious fore-conceit of the vnconceiueable comfort of the one and how cold the other will strike vnto our hearts might make vs easily grow into blessed Bradfords care and practise this way of whom it is reported That he counted that houre not well spent wherein he did not some good either with his pen study or in exhorting others c. and not to rush vpon recreations vnseasonably without necessity and warrantable calling 5. The holiest hearts of
very spectacle of commiseration to euery spirituall eye euen as that body is which adorned with a goodly feature and many other admirable beauties yet wanteth eye-sight the comfort of life whereby it walkes in perpetuall darkenesse and desperate danger Goodnesse though attended with contempt and disgrace is incomparably more amiable in the eye of an honest Cato much more of an holy Christian then all the vaine-glorious boisterous representations of any greatnesse or pompe Memorable and remarkable to this purpose was the magnanimitie and resolution of that holy Prophet 2. Kings 3. 14. As the Lord of hosts liueth before whom I stand Surely were it not that I regard the presence of Iehoshaphat the King of Iudah I would not looke toward thee nor see thee Miserable then is the vanity and vaine-glorious slauery of such as with great eagernesse and impotency hunt so ambitiously after high dependances and hold it a strange happinesse to insinuate into the bosome of the worlds Fauourites though it be by basenesse bribery an vniuersall obsequiousnesse and vile accommodations They many times with vaunting intimation also to others proudly applaud and please themselues for their accesse countenance and entertainement with Great men as though it argued in them some rare extraordinary sufficiencie and worth when as perhaps it is their owne flattering insinuations and intrusion their instrumentall agencie and imployment in some ill offices lewd seruices which brings them into such request and acceptation But let such know it is a thousand times more comfort and true credit to be receiued with Christian loue and armes of grace into the heart and affections of a good man then to be entertained with greatest brauery and worldly applause into grace and fauour with the greatest gracelesse One vpon earth For alas when a man hath done all he can to please the humours of vngodly great Ones by an vnconscionable satisfaction of their carnall desires and to gratifie them hath vnhappily grieued his owne conscience hee can at last when Gods dreadfull visitation and flaming vengeance shall seize vpon him for that sinne looke for no better reward and reply than that cold comfort and cutting answere which Iudas in the extremity of his anguish and horrour receiued from the High Priests and Elders Matth. 27. 4. That cursed man came vnto them ready out of the rage of his vexed conscience to teare his traiterous heart out of his body with his own bloody hands and threw the thirty pieces of siluer amongst them and cryed out I haue sinned in that I haue betrayed the innocent blood But what recompence doe they returne for his imployment in villany to serue their turne Their reply is What is that to vs See thou to that And such a man shall certainely in the day of distresse bee enforced to take vp some rufull complaint proportionable to Wolseyes heauy groane Had I beene as carefull to serue the God of heauen as my great Master on earth He had neuer left me in my gray haires And wee see in the meane time fauour is deceitfull and transitory euen in priuate men much more in great personages The volubility of whose nature is soone glutted and very variable for kinds of satisfaction A thousand experiences in all Stories and times teach vs how irregular and many times retrograde the reuolutions of highest fauours runne They haue their paroxysmes and declinations and euer at length their most certaine expiration and euerlasting period But on the other side consciousnesse of hauing held an vnfained fruitfull correspondence and communion with Gods people the onely excellent Ones by all neerest and dearest engagements and Obligations of a profitable and comfortable fellowship in the Gospell and mutuall entercourse of godly conference heauenly counsell spirituall encouragements consideration one of another confirmation in grace and well-grounded testification of meeting together in heauen will incomparably more refresh the trembling heart of a dying man than if he had been crowned all his life long with the Imperiall glory of all earthly kingdomes And in the meane time there is nothing in this world to be admired but the illustrious splendour of heauenly graces shed and shining from Gods mercifull Throne by his sanctifying Spirit into the soules of the Saints Neither any thing so to bee desired no such prerogatiue and Paradise in this vale of teares as a mutuall communicating of their diuine brightnesse and the sweete ioy issuing thence a very glimpse and earnest of euerlasting glory to the humble hearts one of another 4. When thou visitest others or thy selfe inuitest them take notice euer before-hand with as punctuall and special suruey as thou canst possibly of their humours dispositions carriages opinions and behauiours and thereupon premeditate and prepare conuenient and seasonable matter whereby thou maist more successefully addresse and apply thy selfe with all meekenesse of wisedome and patient discretion to insinuate interpose argue answere reprooue reply and so demeane thy selfe in thy whole discourse that through thy default neither the glory of God the honour of his Truth the reputation of Christianitie or thine owne conscience receiue any indignitie disgrace diminution or wound Would Christians take this counsell hold this course they would at such times not so often depart with spirituall discontent and so smitten with consciousnesse afterward of their silence omissions cowardlinesse and vnprofitablenesse in company For want of care and conscience in this point countrey people meet many times in their Conuenticles of goodfellowship at Ale-houses Bake-houses Gossippings as they call them c. as at a common Mart of Tale-telling back-byting disgracing their neighbours raging against Professors sawcily and vnseasonably medling with and miscensuring other mens matters yea and would you thinke it sometimes euen highest Mysteries of State reuiling the Ministerie especially if managed with manifestation of the Spirit and an holy impatiency to see the deuill domineere and reuell it in the blood of the peoples soules without contradiction When they come together at such times euery one opens his packe of tales for I haue told you heretofore that a Tale-bearer is compared to a Pedlar as the word in the Originall cleerely intimates who hauing furnished himselfe and filled his packe with variety of peddling and petty stuffes trots vp and downe for vent from house to house where he finds best custome and speall entertainement I say at such meetings it is their manner to open euery one his packe of false and slanderous tales which they haue raked and scraped together by their owne malicious surmises listnings whisperings pragmaticall inquisitiuenesse into other mens businesses or some odde idle Intilligencers whom they entertaine for that purpose and there out of an itching humor of talkatiuenesse and tattling they lay abroad such rotten wares to the empoysoning of the eares of those that heare them the defaming of their brethren farre better then themselues and certaine remonstration to their owne consciences that they are as yet the children of the deuill the
reason and become brutish but also they who addict themselues to drinking powre in excessiuely though their braine will beare it without any great alteration And a dreadfull woe dogs them at the heeles aswell as the grosse drunkard Isa. 5. 22. See also 1. Pet. 4. 3. Austin forbids both Let no man be drunke saith he let no man at any feast presse another to drinke more then is fit Ierome also iumps with the former Fathers against this noble vanitie It is an occasion saith he of accusation as if he should say a meanes to insnare a man in a suspition of disloyalty Not to drink againe and againe when the King is named But not onely the Fathers by diuiner illumination but the very Heathens also by naturall light condemned this custome In that most magnificent Feast of that mighty Prince Ahasuerus there was a Royall charge and command from the King himselfe that none should be enforced to drinke but euery one left to his owne liberty And the drinking was saith the Text according to the Law none did compell for the King had appointed to all the officers of his house that they should do according to euerie mans pleasure Ester 1. 8. Nay the very Popish Doctors who in other cases allow some foule sinnes which honest Heathens did abominate euen they despute against this sinne Lessius de iustitia iure in his Question Vtrum sit peccatum prouocare ad aequales calices an fas sit respondere Whether it bee a sinne to begin an health and whether it be lawfull to pledge it Besides other proofes and authorities It is against reason saith he for neither reason nor necessitie of nature nor good health nor the vigor of the minde nor the alacritie of the senses is made the rule of drinking but another mans belly nay the whole capacity of his belly bowels veines Thou maist fitlier terme these as great Basil calls them botteles barrels very pipes or rather sinckes then men fellowes fit onely for the office of Hog-heads to receiue a great deale of wine or rather to conuey it thorow their bodie as thorow a sinke and so wickedly waste it And it is a wonder saith he they do not in like manner make matches and trie masteries also in eating sleeping c. Lastly It is contrary to distributiue Iustice saith the Ciuilian Euen the Poet gybes at it Cartwright in the perusall of his conscience and publication of his repentance to the whole world cries out It wounds me to thinke of my blasphemous oathes vttered in passion and destemper my disobedience to my Parents my excesse my drinking of Healths c. Now in a third place concerning sleepe I haue little to say no constant rules of and certaine measure can possibly be prescribed Because it is much diuersified and necessarily receiues great variation by health and sicknesse by age by time of the yeere by emptinesse or fulnesse of the body by variety of naturall constitutions onely let mee counsell Christians who onely make conscience of expence of time and are sensible of its preciousnesse expressed before to take notice that they may surfet and sinne in sleeping as well as in eating and drinking That it ought only as other of Gods good creatures to serue the strengthening and refreshing of our bodies not to satisfie ease sloth and a sluggish humour and therefore to beware and diligently to watch lest that great deuourer and waster of time rob and bereaue them of the very marrow and fat of time the flower and first fruits as it were of the day I meane many precious and golden houres in the morning freshest and fittest to conuerse most fruitfully with God to examine our spirituall state to offer vp an acceptable sacrifice of Prayers and Praises to buckle fast vnto vs the Christian Armour and to prepare with resolution and life to hold a sweet and blessed communion with his holy Maiestie all the day after And let them often remember when they see the Sunne vp before them that saying of Austin It is an vncomely thing for a Christian to haue the Sun-beame finde him in bed and if the Sunne could speake saith hee it might say I haue laboured more then thou yesterday and yet I am risen and thou art still at rest For conclusion let me aduise and forewarne with as great earnestnesse and heartinesse as I can possibly all Gods Children that as they tender and preferre infinitely a pure heart an heauenly minde that vnualuable Iewell of a peaceable conscience and that sweetest life walking with their God before a world of gold they would watch ouer themselues very extraordinarily and with singular care and heedfulnesse in the vse and enioyment of things lawfull in their owne nature yet by our corruption capable of inordinatenesse and excesse such as are meate drinke sleepe apparell marriage visitations recreations c. For moe saith a worthy Diuine perish with preposterous following of lawfull things then by vnlawfull courses Soft sands swallow moe ships then hard rockes split asunder How soeuer sure I am Christians are in more danger of being spiritually vndone by a slie infinuation and ensnarement of licentiousnesse and immoderation in such lawfull things then by the grosse assault of foule sinnes and temptations to doe notoriously For 1. A sanctified heart will generously rise and resist with resolution against the inuasion and grieflinesse of any worke of darkenesse which by its enormity wastes the conscience as adultery murther swearing prophaning of the Lords Day vsury bribery speculatiue wantonnesse idlenesse c. which it may too often be insensibly seized vpon and surprized by an excessiue sinfull delight in things vnsinfull in themselues yet empoysoned vnto vs by the venome of our owne ouer-eager vnmortified affections and that without any great remorse or reclamation 2. Wee finde too often by wofull experience that some who hauing giuen their names to Religion at first with great forwardnesse and heate yet afterward not so much foild by grosse relapse into notorious sinnes as surfetting with licentious excesse in the abuse of lawfull things and drinking too deepe of worldly pleasures vnder a colour of Christian liberty and conuenient recreations fall fearefully into a dead sleepe of carnall security and cursed forgetting of God at least for a time vntill they be reuiued and quickned by the inquisitiue hand of some piercing Ministry the smart of some outward heauy crosse or wrath of God vpon their consciences if they fall not quite away 3. Things not sinfull in their right vse and offering themselues with vnsuspected representation of harmelesnesse and allowance without extraordinary watchfulnesse and heed doe more easily lime our earthly rauenous affections farre sooner ensnare and deceiue insensibly draw and drowne vs in many scandalous excesses and estrangements from God before we be aware Thus much also of naturall actions IIII. Now concerning ciuill affaires and dealings in the world That thou
in all corners of the Christian world the blood of the Martyrs of Iesus as greedily and with as furious thirst as euer hee did since the Dragon first gaue him his power But I hope in the strong God of our saluation For strong is the Lord God who iudgeth the Whore that this is the last draught and that vpon his next health as it were begun to the Deuill in this cup of fierie crueltie against the seruants of Christ the Vial of Gods vnquenchable wrath wil choake him for euer Blood he shal haue enough but from the reuenging hand of the Lord God of recompences in fury and iealousie 2. Besides that thus the rage of vnsatiablenesse and restlesnesse of pursuit doth still boyle in euery carnall heart that is carried immoderately after its owne wayes or inordinately vpon any earthly thing it is also thereby in Gods iust iudgement extraordinarily hardened and estranged from God For the deepelier our affections are drowned in the World and endeared to any sensuall delight the more desperately are they diuorced from God and deaded to heauenly things It is iust with God to suffer that heart to be turned first into earth and mud and after to freeze and congeale into steele and Adamant which preferres Earth before Heauen a dunghill before Paradise broken cisternes which can hold no water before the euer-springing Fountaine of glory and blâ—…sse a few bitter-sweet pleasures for an inch of time in this vale of teares before vnmixed and immeasurable ioyes through all eternity in those glorious mansions aboue Our hearts are originally hard by the curse of Nature Ezek. 11. 19. afterward by a wilfull course and continuance in sin we adde Adamant of our owne Isai. 48. 4. Zech. 7. 12. and by not suffering the Sword of the Spirit to search and sunder our minion-delights from our bosoms Heb. 4. 7. Then Satan is let loose to put to his iron sinewes Luk. 22. 3. Lastly God himselfe hardeneth by an act of Iustice as wee may see Exod. 9. 12. Thus the heart which hates to be reformed being glued to a sensuall obiect or worldly lust by its owne inbred corruption infusion of hellish poyson and iust curse of God growes into such a prodigious rocke That no crosse or created power not the softest eloquence or seuerest course nay not the waight of the whole World were it all prest vpon it can possibly mollifie or reclaime it It will neuer yeeld or relent or be rent from its darling delight but dye in its deadnesse and be desperately hardened for the very depth of Hell except the Almightie Spirit take the hammer of the Word into his owne hand that by his speciall vnresistable power and mercifull violence he may first breake it in pieces with legall remorse and after by the sprinkling and powerfull application of Christs blood resolue it into teares of true Euangelicall repentance that so onely by a gracious miracle of diuine mercy it may be softned sanctified and saued The stubborne Iewes were heauily loaden with an extraordinary variety of most grieuous crosses and afflictions There was nothing wanting to make them outwardly miserable and no misery inflicted vpon them but vpon purpose to humble and take downe their rebellious hearts The Prophet Isaiah Chap. 1. paints out to the life the rufull state of their fresh bleeding desolations The whole head saith he is sicke and the whole heart is heauie c. for the place is meant not as some take it of their sinnes but of their sorrowes But all these blowes and pressures were so farre from melting them that they made them harder Wherefore should you be smitten anymore for yee fall away more and more What created power can possibly haue more power vpon the soules of men then the sacred Sermons of the Sonne of God who spake as neuer man spake And yet His deare intreaties and melting inuitations which sweetely and tenderly flowed from that heart which was resolued to spill its warmest and inmost blood for their sakes moued those stiffe-necked Iewes neuer a iot Hierusalem Hierusalem how often would I and you would not Matth. 23. 37. Isaiah that Noble Prophet whose matchlesse stile incomparably surpasseth the vtmost possibility of all humane inuention and to which the choicest elegancies of prophane Writers are pure barbarisme shed many and many a gracious showre of most heauenly piercing sweetest eloquence vpon a sinfull Nation and rebellious people which were fruitlesly spilt as water vpon the ground or lost as vpon the hardest flint His many heauenly soule-searching Sermons which breathed nothing but spirit and life yet to them hardened in their sinnes and hating to be reformed were but as an idle and empty breath vanishing into nothing and scattered in the ayre The Lord as he saith made his mouth like a sharpe sword and himselfe a chosen shaft and yet that two-edged sword was full often blunted vpon their hardest hearts and his keene arrowes discharged by a skilful hand rebounded from their flinty bosomes as shafts shut against a stone-wall Which made that Seraphicall Orator cry out I haue laboured in vaine I haue spent my strength for naught and in vaine A course of extraordinary seuerity and terrour was taken with the Tyrant Pharaoh he was not onely chastised with rods but euen scourged with Scorpions and yet all the plagues of Egypt were so farre from taming and taking downe his proud heart that euery particular plague added vnto it a seuerall iron sinew so farre they were from softning it that they seared it more No materiall weight can more crush the heart of a man into pieces then braying in a morter and yet saith Salomon Though thou shouldest bray a foole an old obstinate sinner in a morter among wheate with a pestle yet will not his foolishnes his wilfull cruelty in killing his owne soule and Bedlam madnesse in exchanging a little transitorie pleasure with endlesse paine depart from him Prou. 27. 22. Now what an horrible hardnesse and hellish stone is that which no ministery or misery nay nor miracles See Exod. 10. 27. 1. King 13. 33. 2. King 1. 11. Ioh. 18. 12. nor mercies Isai. 26. 10. can possibly mollifie Here now should I haue passed out of this point did I not conceiue that of all the waightiest ciuill affaires incident to humane deliberation there is none more materiall important or of greater consequence either for extremest outward vexation and hearts-griefe or extraordinary sweete contentment and continuall peace then matter of marriage A word or two therefore of 1. conuenient entrance into and 2. comfortable enioyment of that honourable estate For the first 1. Let thy choyce be in the Lord according to blessed Saint Pauls Rule 1. Cor. 7. 39. onely in the Lord. Let pietie bee the first moouer of thine affection the prime and principall ponderation in this greatest affaire and then conceiue of personage parentage and portion as they say and such outward things and
defray the charge Otherwise to beginne and not able to make an end were but to lay a ground-worke of his disgrace and scorne in the losse of his cost and paines A Prince which would wisely make Warre must first haue a true triall of his owne and dexterity to discouer his enemies strength otherwise to bid him battaile were but to incense him more and thrust a title into his hands to defeate him of all hee hath Hee that seriously sets himselfe to seeke God in truth and to saue his soule indeed must cast vp his reckonings before-hand what will be required at his hands and consult with his owne heart whether willing to forgoe all such contentments hopes pleasures preferments worldly comforts which are incompatible with a good conscience and the path that is called holy and to endure all those troubles and indignities from the angry world which ordinarily are wont to crowne the heads of all Christs Souldiers else most certainely he will shrinke in the wetting Hee must resolue by the inuincible noblenesse of his Christian courage to digest the hate and opposition of dearest friends neerest kindred the raylings and reproaches of men most abiect and contemptible in respect of those whom they reuile he must bee content to become the drunkards song table-talk to those that sit in the gate and the byword of basest men viler then the earth c. In a word he must prize and preferre his sweetest Sauiour His truth cause and seruice infinitely before the whole world Now besides my blessed change thus qualified and this glorious worke of the Holy Ghost vpon my soule by the helpe of God I haue stood at the staues end with the darling pleasure and minion delight of my former damned time euer since I was new borne I haue euer since made conscience of all sinne and to performe all holy duties I haue had respect to all Gods Commandements and all his Ordinances I haue loued dearely my blessed Lord and all things that belong vnto him His Titles Attributes creatures workes of Iustice and Mercy His Word Sacraments Sabbaths Ministers Seruices Children Presence Corrections Comming I haue since delighted in the Saints the onely excellent Ones vpon earth whom I heartily hated before I haue dayly with as great earnestnesse and feruency as my poore dull heart could possibly complained and cryed vnto my God in Prayer against mine owne sinnes passionate distempers rebellious risings the malice of Satan the allurements of the world corruptions of the times the cruelties of strange iniections and horrible temptations my many and often faylings frailties and imperfections Vpon due and impartiall examination I haue happily ridde mine hands of all that consuming pelfe which any way crept into mine estate by wicked wrongful meanes in the dayes of mine iniquitie For scarce any man in the state of nature but deales falsly in one kind or other I haue desired and endeauoured to adorne my profession as well with workes of iustice mercy and truth as by the outward acts of pietie Herein I haue exercised my selfe to haue alwayes a good conscience void of offence toward God and toward man c. And in all these passages and particulars both of my conuersion and conuersation had I onely reposed vpon the outward act and rested in the worke wrought I had vtterly fainted and beene quite vndone in the day of aduersitie But truth of heart was the touchstone and sinceritie is the sinew of all my assurance and comfort this way I haue beene I confesse yet full sore against my will and the hearty desire of my soule haunted and hindred in passing thorow the pangs of my new birth and managing my Christian businesses with the violent intrusion and insinuating mixture of many imperfections distractions temptations wants weakenesses infirmities and faylings priuie pride secret hypocrisie distrusts and deadnesse of mine owne naughty heart I was much wanting by reason of the naturall rebellion of mine hard heart to those workings of the Law and Gospell mentioned before I haue come farre short of that sorrow for sinne which I desired and of that heauenly-mindednesse in performing holy duties which was required But then I haue from time to time grieued and groaned vnder those too many frailties and defects as vnder an heauy burthen I haue many a time bitterly bewailed them in secret they haue made mee walke more humbly before my God and towards men I haue continually complained heartily against them at the Throne of Grace I haue sincerely desired and endeauoured after all those meanes which might restraine and mortifie them and made conscience to discouer and decline their vnwelcome insinuations and so I haue gone on still in the holy Path with sincerity of heart and in obedience vnto God still vpholding mine heart with consideration of the sweet and mercifull disposition of my dearest heauenly Father who euer if the heart be vpright and truely humble takes the will for the deed and accepts vs according to that which we haue and not according to that which we haue not And therefore I am most sure neither by the helpe of God shall all the deuils in hell driue me from this hold that they are all buried for euer in the righteous and meritorious blood of my blessed Sauiour And so I hold vp my head still against all contradiction of carnall reason naturall distrust Satans cruell suggestions being well assured That hearty humiliation and grieuing vnder weakenesse in well-doing is as true a fruit of sanctification and marke of true conuersion as spirituall abilitie to doe well It is not so much the muchnesse and quantitie as the truth of grace not so much the exactnesse of the outward act in performing holy duties as sincerity of heart which qualifies a broken hart for comfort in the promises of life and assurance of Gods loue Though I know well there was neuer any who tasted truely grace but hee sincerely thirsted and endeauoured after more Neuer did any man well in the worship and seruices of God who did not bewaile his wants and faylings therein and truely desire and labour to doe better It is the propertie of Pharises and formall professours to conceiue that they are spiritually rich enough already and haue need of nothing but the better the Christian is the more sensible hee is and heartily complaining of his spirituall pouertie naughty heart and manifold imperfections Heere now then may wee see in this Discourse of the true Conuert comforting himselfe in the point of his spirituall estate other kind of stuffe sincere matter sounder grounds more speciall workings of the holy Ghost then any one of the fore-mentioned deluded Ones was euer practically and experimentally acquainted with Neither is this all The true Christian hath yet more noble immediate and demonstratiue euidences to strengthen his heart in the assurance of Gods euerlasting loue vnto him through Christ and present possession of his fauour For with submission to better
vnreseruedly and indifferently for all places times and persons where and when he may bring glory vnto God good vnto others comfort to his owne soule in discharging a good conscience He dares not for his heart either out of humour or for feare he should make himselfe too cheape as they say or any other vaine respect conceale any thing in his heart or braine were it the highest straine of his heauenly skill or any experimentall secret in the mysterie of Christ from the meanest Christian could hee wisely and seasonably thereby doe him any spirituall good Let vs therefore infinitely abhorre by filthy vaine-glory to staine the glory and blast the fruitfulnesse of our graces but rather with all humilitie and watchfulnesse obserue and apprehend all the wayes occasions and callings whereby wee may glorifie God most with them and improoue them best for our Lords aduantage that so we may giue vp our account at the great and vniuersall Audite with more fauour and enter more comfortably into our Masters ioy 7. Let the feare and foresight of the many fearefull effects and much ill that certainely followes and is euer found where this white Diuell spirituall pride haunts hunt it out of thy heart and keepe a continuall narrow watch against all its slie insinuations Besides that it plagues the soule that harbours it with many spirituall miseries distempers disacquaintance with God for Hee is euer most familiar with those who are most humble Pharisaicall swellings inflamations of furious zeale and the like it euer prooues also of pestilent consequence and preiudice to the common state of goodnesse to the honour and acceptation of Christianitie 1. A truely proud professour puffed vp with his gifts and supposed sufficiencies which wickedly aimes more at vaineglory then glorifying God at his owne praise then profiting others is for the most part very irkesome tedious and burdensome to the company of humble wise iudicious Christians For ordinarily hee is ouertalkatiue swift to speake and too full of words farre more forward to ouer-rule and domineere in opposing moderating resoluing then seuen men that can render a reason An itching humour after applause and of carrying away the credit for abilitie to discourse and eminencie aboue others puts him on too often to powre out himselfe indiscreetly and impertinently in all companies to presse and obtrude vpon others with much verball importunitie and vnconquerable stifnesse his master-like conceits without due respect or seasonable obseruation of the humble abilities and sufficiencies of by-standers that many times when he hath neither calling fitnes efficacy of matter or power of the holy Ghost And if a man doe not presently vpon the bare and first proposition accord and accommodate his iudgement to euery circumstance of whatsoeuer he holds and square exactly to his Oracles hee begins to shake the head as though hee were a lost man and is ready ipso facto to excommunicate him out of his conscience I speake not thus to stop the current of comfortable talk edifying discourse and fruitful conference in any true-hearted Nathaneels There is infinitely more need to stirre them vp and quicken them to more forwardnesse and foorth-putting this way at Christian meetings but onely to intimate the vaine-glorious empty opinionatiue talkatiuenesse of such as are possessed with this white Diuell 2. Such an One also is woont to be too austere censorious sowre and imperious in his cariage towards those which are without whereby he becommeth both a stumbling blocke to them in their way to Christianity and brings also an vnnecessary scandalous false aspersion vpon the wayes of God and yoke of Christ as though they were harsh heauy and vnpleasant when as they are most sweet easie and amiable I know full well there is not the wisest holiest humblest discreetest Christian aliue can so possibly beare and behaue himselfe but prophanenesse will plague him with slanderous imputations of any kinde Iesus Christ our Master was not free this way which of his seruants then can dare or will expect and desire exemption Blessed bee God that our good names are oyled so that the inke will not sticke which is cast vpon them There is scarce a religious Professor especially of resolution and spirit to bee found but some men of the world will charge him with surlinesse and pride Whereas many times not only the imputation is misgrounded mistaken misse-imputed fastened vpon him for the most part by reason of his 1. inconformity to the courses of the world and corruptions of the times 2. vnsociablenesse with profane men 3. resolution and vndauntednesse in good causes 4. innocency and independency which beget boldnesse and brauenesse of minde c. but also those fellowes themselues who so slander him because their consciences were neuer illightened with sight sence and acknowledgement of the foulenesse of sinne their own vilenesse the exactnesse of Gods Law purity of his most holy Nature seueritie and certainty of his Iudgements cannot possibly chuse but be passingly proud Yet for all this I would aduise all those who haue in earnest giuen their names to Christ that they would walke warily and so demeane themselues that they giue no iust offence in this kinde For when they haue tryed both wayes they shall finde that mercifulnesse and meekenesse to those which are without humilitie and humanitie affable courteous and louing deportment and so becomming all things to all men in Pauls sence and so farre as wee may with a good conscience is the better way subscribed vnto by the manifold experiences of wisest and worthiest Christians to winne honour to our profession to gaine moe vnto Gods side and to preserue our selues in as much peace amidst a naughty and crooked generation as holinesse will possibly permit 3. God in his iust iudgement giues ouer such an One sometimes to santasticall opinions odde and absurd tenents swaruing brainelessely and senselessely from the holy harmony of confessions and our blessed pure Orthodoxe Articles of Religion the truth whereof euery honest Man if need required ought to seale with his bloud which when superficialnesse and its ordinary consort selfeconceitednesse haue vnhappily brought forth by the midwifery of a kind of spirituall wantonnesse be they neuer so monstrous and mis-shapen yet some giddy heads will hearken and hanker after them so that many times many weake vngrounded vnstable young beginners in Profession are limed and wofully entangled as wee see too often in our chiefest Citie whence ensues an incredible deale of preiudice hurt and hindrance euen to the common state of goodnesse to the honour and acceptation of Christianitie For thereupon is raised a cry in all conuenticles of good fellowship and consistories of worldly wisdome That these forward professours will all turne phantasticall Familists Anabaptists Arrians any thing Which cry awakes the eye of State-iealousie and so by an vnworthy consequent drawes vpon those who are true of heart euen Gods best seruants and the Kings best subiects discountenance suspicions if not
like a Lion Let sadnesse sit vpon their foreheads as its proper seate and furies of conscience affright their spirits still with cryes of blood Let no voyce of ioy or gladnesse bee heard in their habitations but the most griezly apparitions of damned horrour dwell for euer in the eye of their guilty consciences For without repentance this is their lot and this is their euerlasting portion And most happy were they if any thing would fright and fire them out of the armes of darkenesse and snares of the deuill I say let the aspiring Lucifers looke heauily vpon foresight of their dreadfull downfall for though they exalt themselues as the Eagle and though they set their nests among the starres yet thence will I bring them downe saith the Lord. Though their excellencie mount vp to the heauens and their head reach vnto the clouds yet they shall perish for euer like their owne dung Let all couetous worldlings cry out for so the holy Ghost commands them Goe to now ye rich men weepe and howle for your miseries that shall come vpon you your riches are corrupted and your garments motheaten your gold and siluer is cankered and the rust of them shall bee a witnesse against you and shall eate your flesh as it were fire ye haue heaped treasure together for the last dayes Let all impure goodfellow-drunkards hold downe their heads and howle for the horrible Woe which dogs them at heeles Woe to the Crowne of Pride to the Drunkards of Ephraim Behold the Lord hath a mighty and strong One which as a tempest of haile and a destroying storme as a flood of mighty waters ouerflowing shall cast downe to the earth with the hand the Crowne of Pride the Drunkards of Ephraim shall be troden downe vnder feete Let the very heartstrings of all lasciuious wantons tremble at the terrour of that cutting commination Heb. 13. 4. Whoremongers and Adulterers God will iudge Let that stinging But Eccles. 11. 9. strike cold to the hearts of all sensuall Gallants and sonnes of pleasure Reioyce O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheere thee in the dayes of thy youth and walke in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into iudgement Nay let the heart of euery man whosoeuer he be of what cloth soeuer his coat be made that goes on in the willing allowed practise of any one knowne sinne fall asunder in his brest like drops of water for the day of horrour that is at hand and the sword of vengeance which hangs ouer his head For certainly at length the Lord will wound the hairy scalpe of euery one that goeth on still in his trespasses In a word wayling and wringing of hands woe and alas is the merriest song that any wicked man vpon earth can sing vpon good ground while hee yet abides in his vnregenerate state Who doth not see and acknowledge it except he wilfully shut his eyes or be grosly hood-winkt by the Deuill or a ranke Atheist For there is a cup which is called a cup of Gods fury and a cup of trembling in the hand of the Lord whose little finger is able to beate the greatest mountaine to powder and rent the hardest Rocke in pieces and the wine is red which intimates vnto vs the sharpenesse and fiercenesse of Gods fiery indignation it is full of mixture brimfull of stinging ingredients and he powreth out of the same to stirre vp and quicken as it were the bitternesse and very bottome and all the wicked of the earth shall will they nill they wring out the dregs thereof and drinke them Psal. 75. 8. But now on the other side Let all those of the Brotherhood I vse the phrase of the holy Ghost all those who haue giuen their names to Christ in truth and are true of heart in his holy seruice vpon whose heads euerlasting light doth rest lift vp their heads Let the amiable aspect of sweetnesse and peace euer dwell vpon their foreheads Let heauenly beames of spirituall lightsomnesse and mirth shine fresh in their faces Let neuer vncomfortable dampe of any slauish sadnesse or touch of hellish terrour vexe their blessed hearts Let them neuer more be afraid of any euill tydings or of destruction when it commeth In a word Let them be infinitely and for euer merry and sweetly glad at the very heart roote And good cause why It is the charge and command of the Spirit of all truth and comfort Bee glad in the Lord and reioyce ye righteous and shout for ioy all yee that are vpright in heart Psal. 32. 11. Oh therefore that the Lord would bee pleased so to perfume and sweeten the ensuing passages with the refreshing glimpses of his glorious face and deare infusions of Diuine Ioy that I might bee vouchsafed that honour of being his humble Instrument to raise vp and quicken the drooping spirits of all that are true of heart of all that beare a sincere inuincible affection to the Gospel of Iesus Christ and power of Godlinesse that they would be euerlastingly merry that they would arise and shake themselues from the dust and put on their beautifull garments that they would for euer with a resolution neuer to bee shaken with all the powers of hell banish and barre out of their happy soules all their vnnecessary scruples distrusts deiections sad thoughts and heauinesse of heart that they would out of sensiblenesse of their present vnutterable felicity and strength of their truly Heroicall spirits beare and behaue themselues as heires of heauen indeed and as the Fauourites of the King of Kings So should they infinitely more honour the sweetnesse of Gods mercifull disposition the dearenesse of his loue the tendernesse of his compassionate bowels the bottomlesse mysterie of his free grace the preciousnesse and truth of his promises the vnualuablenesse of his Sonnes Blood the pleasantnesse of the wayes of grace and the glorious worke of the holy Ghost vpon their owne blessed soules Let them euer keepe fresh and strong in their mindes for this purpose such causefull considerations as these 1. True ioy the most noble sweet and amiable affection that euer warmed the heart of man is by warrantable proprietie and rightfull interest onely peculiar and proper to honest humble and holy hearts Such gracious and golden Cabinets are onely fit for this heauenly Iewell The beauty and deliciousnesse of it are confined onely to the communion of Saints the sealed Fountaine the Spouse of Christ. The Brotherhood alone is blessed with its refreshments and rauishing influence It neuer did or euer will shine or sparkle out the least glimpse vpon the world or to any earthly heart The most ambitious eager hunters after pleasures the worlds greatest Fauourites and dearest minions haue onely but ingrost and graspt a Bedlam counterseit of it I said of laughter saith Salemon It is mad For the truth is
sweete voice of Christ Iesus rather then the murthering sophistry of Satan if in good maners thou wilt come when thou art called and not retire in a sinfull and cruell modesty thou shalt be presently lightened Yea but saith the Tempter thy heart hath been so strangely hardened and soakt in sinne heretofore now such an heâ—…sh cloud of darkenesse hath seized vpon it that there is no hope nor possibility But what saith the Word Seeke him that maketh the seuen starres and Orion and turneth the shadow of death into the morning It is hee alone that can most easily change the dismall midnight of thy present spirituall misery into the glorious midday of sweetest peace and lightsomnesse of heart Yea but saith he further thou hast lien long vpon the Rocke of guilty horrour had much counsell and been vnder the hands of many spirituall physicians and yet no comfort comes And what then Heare what the Spirit of truth tels vs Since the beginning of the world men haue not heard nor perceiued by the eare neither hath the eye seene O God besides thee what Hee hath prepared for him that waiteth for him Isa. 64. 4. Waiting patiently for the Lords comming to comfort vs either in temporall or spirituall distresses is a right pleasing and acceptable dutie and seruice vnto God which hee is woont to crowne with multiplyed and ouerflowing refreshings when he comes See Isa. 40. 31. Nay and shouldest thou die in this state of waiting if thy heart in the meane time sincerely hate all sinne heartily thirst for the mercy of God in Christ and resolue truely vpon new vniuersall obedience for the time to come thou shalt bee certainely saued because the Holy Ghost saith Isaiah 30. 18. Blessed are all they that waite for him 6. That defects distractions failings in our spirituall exercises and vndertakings groaned vnder grieued for and striuen against by an vpright heart are so farre from nullifying grace that they should not bereaue vs of peace of conscience or interrupt our sweet communion and comfortable walking with our God 7. Not to confine vnderualue and extenuate the mercies of God promises of life the holy Spirits sauing worke vpon thy soule and the present graces thou possessest in truth c. These cautions premised let vs come to the examining and answering of some complaints and counterpleas against entertainement of comfort which are wont to arise in troubled consciences out of ignorance and misconceite of the mercifull wayes of God and the mysterie of his free loue through Christ and doe thou conceiue that proportionable soueraigne Antidotes and counter-comforts may bee collected also in abundance out of Gods blessed Booke against the rest or any reply whatsoeuer And to begin with the first cryes of a Christian in the pangs of his New birth I. A poore soule hauing wallowed long in vanity of villanies and vanities of lust and licentiousnesse is now by diuine blessing at this or â—…e other Sermon struck thorow by the Sword of the Spirit with penitent remorse and his heart broken into pieces by the hammer of the Law In this depth of heauiest distresse and bleeding case he casts his eyes vpon Iesus Christ lifted vp in the Ministerie as an Antitype â—…o the brazen Serpent for his comfortable binding â—…p and euerlasting cure Those Messengers of God who are able to declare vnto Man his vprightnesse assure him in the Word of life and truth and charge him in His name who was anointed by the Lord for that purpose and appointed by the Father of mercies to comfort all Mourners in Sion that now being truly cast downe vnder Gods mighty hand thirsting for the blood of Christ and sincerely resoluing vpon a new course for the time to come He would turne his legall terrours into Euangelicall weeping ioy put on beauty for ashes the garment of praise for the spirit of heauinesse That he might be called a Tree of righteousnesse the planting of the Lord that hee might bee glorified Oh no saies he out of the deepe sence of his bottomelesse vilenesse The newes is too good to be true to wit that now the blessed Sonne of God and all the precious rich purchases of his vnualuable passion should belong vnto mee the sinfullest wretch that the earth beares who haue desperately spent my dayes and strength so long in the furious seruice of Satan and mine own sensuall lusts c. whereupon he refuses comfort and chooses rather to sinke againe and languish vnder the horrours of guiltinesse and feare Whereas he should incomparably more honour and please the God of all comfort by trusting his mercy sealing to his truth then by vnseasonable suspecting his iustice and power Here then hee wofully failes and forgets himselfe in a distrustfull vnder-prizing Gods incomprehensible greatnesse Almightie mercy vnlimited liberalitie and freenesse of his loue He is in this case not so much to consider what is fit for him to receiue as conuenient for the ability and bounty of so great and good a God as the mighty Lord of Heauen and earth to giue who as I told you before vpon other occasion doth all things like Himselfe If hee build he makes a world If he be angry with the world hee sends a floud ouer the face of the whole earth If hee goes out with the Armies of the Saints hee makes the Sunne stand still the Starres to fight the Seas to swallow vp the most dreadfull Armadoes If hee loue the precious hearts blood of his owne Sonne is not too deare If he deliuer any man Hee puls him out of the hand of the Prince of darknesse and frees him from euerlasting flames If any become his Fauourite through Christs mediation He wil make him a King giue him a Paradise and set a Crowne of eternitie vpon his head Earthly Princes at their pleasures ennoble those they loue with Dukedomes Marquesdomes Earledomes What then doe you thinke shall be done vnto the man whom the King of Heauen desires and delights to honour Let vs then I say in such cases consider not so much what is fit for vs silly wormes to receiue as for so great a God to bestow If wee can once bring hearts bruised and broken with the burden of our sinnes bleeding and weeping vnto his Mercy-seate Hee will thinke all the meritorious sufferings of his Sonne all the promises in his Booke all the comforts of his Spirit all the pleasures in his Kingdome little enough for vs. If wee looke vpon our selues sinful wretches we might iustly feare the extremest torments fiercest flames and lowest dungeon in hell infinitely rather then expect a Kingdome But Hee loues vs freely Hos. 14. 4. It is his pleasure to giue vs a Kingdome Feare not little flocke saith Christ for it is your Fathers good pleasure to giue you the Kingdom Luk. 12. 32. If it be the good pleasure of the King of Kings to bestow a Kingdome vpon a truely humbled soule which hee makes in the