not sensible of their inability to holy desires though they may have many flashes like unto holy desires yet they are wholly strangers to those desires after God which are truly holy 3 These prize not the meanes of grace they long not after them they will not labour they will not bee at charge they will not endure hardship to attain them they are not conscionable in the use of them in any power they use not all meanes if one way will not bring their desires to effect they try not other wayes they are not solicitous about the successe of meanes they look not much after them but rest themselves in the bare use of them not examining not searching their hearts to see what is in them that hinders the blessing not bemoaning their unprofitablenesse under meanes 4 Their desires are not strong unsatiable other contentments quiet their hearts Time weares away the strēgth of their desires though they bee as farre from the enjoyment of the things that were desired as they were at the first 5 Their endeavours are not powerfull they are not working constant endeavours they doe not dedicate devote give up themselves whatever they are or have to the seeking after the Lord their consciences cannot but tel them that the strength of their hearts and endeavours is after other things David in the 119. Psalm 48. vers saith That hee would lift up his hands unto Gods Commandements which hee had loved and hee would meditate in his Statutes Hee did not thinke it enough to have a love to to have some wishes and desires to keepe Gods Commandements but he would lift up his hands to them hee would set himselfe on worke in labouring to obey them hee would meditate set his minde and thoughts to plot and contrive how he might best come to the fulfilling of them Psal 27. 4. One thing have I desired and that will I seeke after Certainly those slight vaine desires and wishes that there are in many peoples hearts are not the following this blessed God fully they are but the dallyings and triflings with God and their owne soules they are so farre from bringing them unto God as they prove to be their destruction The desire of the slothfull killeth him for his hands refuse to labour Prov. 21. 15. Thirdly others have good resolutions now and then in some good moods the truths of God come darting in with some power as they cannot but yeeld to them and then they are resolved that they will doe better that it shall not be with them as it hath beene they will set upon a new course of life things shall bee reformed and their lives shall bee changed but yet these vanish too they follow not God fully They are as those in the 5. Deut. 27. who seemed to have strong resolutions to walke in Gods wayes Goe thou neare say they to Moses and heare all that the Lord our God shall say and speake thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speake unto thee and we will heare it and doe it But as the Lord said there concerning them Verse 29. So I may say of these Oh that there were such a heart in them How farre are they from having yet a heart to follow God fully For 1 Their resolutions are not fruits of their deepe humiliation for their former neglect of God and the former sinfulnesse of their wayes They are only to procure peace unto themselves for the present their hearts being stirred by the power of the truth darted in 2 They arise not from changed principles from a renewed nature from out of love to the Lord his blessed wayes hence they vanish and they never bring them up unto the Lord. Fourthly others have strong sudden affections they feele sometimes some meltings in sorrow for sinne in hearing the blessed truths of God revealed to them they feele some sweetnesse in the working of truths upon their hearts they are sensible of some joyes in good things they have a taste of the powers of the world to come When they heare Christ preached or see his body broken or his blood shed in the Sacrament they think with themselves Oh that Jesus Christ should come from heaven to save such poore wretches as we are that hee should shed his pretious blood that hee should die for such vile sinners yet these are a great way off from following the Lord fully For 1 these affections are sudden and flashing the truths of God passe by them leaving a little glimmering behinde them or as water passeth thorow a Conduit leaves a dew but they soake not into the heart as the water soakes into the earth to make it fruitfull 2 These are stirred with the pardoning comforting saving mercies of God but not with the humbling renewing sanctifying mercies when the word puts them upon any hard thing to flesh and blood it is unsavoury to them their hearts turne from it If the word urgeth to strict examination of themselves if it puts them upon the finding out of the deceits of their spirits their secret corruptions and would straine them to higher duties than their principles reach unto then their spirits fly off they seeke to blesse themselves in that they have already and think that these things trouble people more than needs if God should not bee mercifull to such who finde such affections such stirrings of heart as wee doe then Lord what shall become of us 3 These flashy affections doe not arise from spirituall judgement apprehēding the spirituall excellencies of godlinesse after a spirituall manner their apprehensions of spirituall and heavenly things are too too carnall and sensitive Hence afterwards when they come to finde the good things of the wayes of God to be spirituall and heavenly not sutable to those apprehensions they had of them their hearts are then taken off as those wee reade of in the 6. of Iohn 34. verse When Christ told them That the bread of God is hee which commeth downe from heaven and giveth life unto the world Oh say they Lord ever give us this bread their hearts were up exceedingly stirred Well as if Christ should have said You shall have it I am the bread of life hee that commeth to mee shall never hunger hee that beleeveth in me shall never thirst as if he should have said This must bee done by faith you must feed upon my flesh by faith and drinke of my blood by faith But now they having apprehended a strange kind of bread from heaven before and afterwards hearing of no other but comming to Christ and beleeving in Christ they were deceived of their expectations and so were offended and now their affections fall for verse 41. they begin to murmur at him and verse 60. they said It was an hard saying who could heare it and ver 66. From that time many of them went backe and walked no more with him The like example wee finde in the
to the soule but how pleasant then is the fruit when it comes to ripenesse The more fully we follow on in Gods wayes the more full will the testimony of the witnesses both in heaven and earth bee in witnessing our blessed estate unto us Those three witnesses in heaven the Father Word and Holy Ghost and those three on earth the spirit water and the blood of which S. Iohn in his 1 Epistle 5. 7 8. they will all come with their full testimony to that soule which followes God fully By following the Lord fully wee keep our evidences cleare sinne blots and blurs our evidences that oftentimes wee cannot reade them but when the heart keeps close to God and walks fully with him then all is kept faire The Kingdome of God consists in righteousnesse peace and joy the more fully wee are brought into his Kingdome the more fully wee are under his government as there will bee the more righteousnesse so the more peace and joy Es 9. 7. Of the encrease of his government and peace there shall bee no end saith the Text. The more encrease there is of Christs government in the soule the more full it is the more peace will be there Seventhly there is great reason that wee should walke fully after the Lord because the way that God cals us to walke in is a most blessed and holy way In the 21. Revelation 21. verse The streets of Ierusalem that is the wayes of Gods people in his Church wherein they are to walke they are said to bee of pure gold and as it were transparent glasse they are golden wayes they are bright shining wayes Prov. 3. 17. The wayes of wisdome are the wayes of pleasantnesse and all her paths are peace There is not any one Command of God wherein hee would have us to follow him but it is very lovely there is much good in it God requires nothing of us but that which is most just and holy as God is holy in all his workes so he is holy in all his Commands they are no other but that which if our hearts were as they ought wee would choose to our selves A righteous man is a law to himselfe he sees that good that beauty that equity in all Gods Lawes as hee would choose them to himselfe were hee left at his owne liberty What one thing is there in Gods Law that could bee spared What is there that thou couldst bee glad to bee exempted from It may bee in the strength of temptation when some lust is up working the flesh would faine have some liberty but upon due serious thoughts looking into the bottome of things a gracious soule closeth with the Law and loveth it as gold yea fine gold and breakes for the longing it hath not to the reward of obedience to Gods Statutes and Judgements but to the Statutes and Judgements of God themselves as David saith his soule did Howsoever our path in following the Lord may seeme rugged and hard to the flesh in regard of the afflictions and troubles it meets withall in it yet where there is a spirituall eye the way of holinesse appeares to it exceeding lovely and beautifull Though David Psa 23. supposed the worst that might befall him in his way as that he might walke through the valley of the shadow of death yet he cals his way greene pastures and saith Godwill leade him by the still waters It is true the wayes of God are grievous to the wicked but very good and delightfull to the Saints because they are the wayes of holinesse as Esay 35. 8. And a high-way shall be there and it shall bee called the way of holinesse The uncleane shall not passe over it Eightly the consideration of the end of our way should bee a strong motive to draw our hearts fully after the Lord in it the entrance into it is sweet the midst of it more as before we have shewed but the end of it most sweet of all there is that comming that will fully recompence all Consider of the sweetnesse of the end of our way 1 In that period of it that will be at death and 2 In that glorious reward we shall have in heaven That sweet and blessed comfort that the full following of the Lord brings at death is enough to recompence all the trouble and hardship that wee meet withall in our way while we are following of him This hath caused many Saints of God to lie triumphing when they have been upon their death-beds blessing the Lord that ever they knew his wayes that euer he drew their hearts to follow after him in them When Hezekiah received the message of death Esay 38. 2 3 he turned his face to the wall and said Remember O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight and Hezechiah wept sore O the sweetnesse that possessed the heart of Hezekiah which did flow from the testimony of his conscience that hee had fully walked after the Lord with a perfect heart the verbe there I have walked is in that Mood in the Originall that addes to the signification of it It signifies I have continually without ceasing walked Thus Luther who was a man whose spirit was exceeding full in his love unto and walking after the Lord Jesus Christ while hee lived and when hee came to die his spirit was as full of comfort and joy as before it was full of zeale and courage these expressions brake from him O my heavenly Father O God the Father of the Lord Iesus Christ the God of all comfort I give thee thanks that thou hast revealed thy Sonne Iesus Christ to mee whom I have beleeved whom I have professed whom I have loved whom I have honoured whom the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the rout of wicked men have persecuted and contemned and now I beseech thee O my Lord Iesus Christ receive my soule my heavenly Father although my body is to be laid downe yet I certainly know that I shall for ever remaine with thee neither can I by any be pulled out of thy hands The grace of Gods Spirit oftentimes appeares most in the glory of it when death approacheth because grace and glory is then about to meet That soule that hath followed God fully here when it comes to depart out of the body it onely changeth the place nor the company which was the speech of a late reverend holy Divine of ours a little before his death I shall change my place saith hee but not my company meaning that as he had conversed with God and followed after the Lord here in this World hee was now going to converse with him and to follow after him more fully in a better World Death to such a soule it is but Gods calling of it from the lower gallery of this World to the upper gallery of Heaven to walke with him there Here
in the actions we doe that now our judgements are better informed whereas the truth indeed is our lusts are more satisfied the corruptions of our hearts are more increased Oh take heed for ever of labouring to blinde our understandings of withholding the truth in unrighteousnesse of imprisoning it to keep it from working with power upon our hearts This distemper of heart is exceedingly opposite to the following of the Lord fully 6 To follow God fully is to follow him so as to bee willing to venture the losse of all for him willing to decline from cast off whatsoever comes in the way though never so deare unto us to follow him close whatsoever comes in competition with him when wee cannot follow him without parting with much for him when our following him will cost us the losse of our formerly most deare comforts and contentments to follow the Lambe wheresoever he goes thorow all afflictions thorow all straits knowing that his way though it bee a way of blood yet it leades to the throne To follow Christ to mount Calvery where hee is to suffer as well as to that Mount that wee reade of Esay 25. 6. where the Lord makes to his people A feast of fat things a feast of wines a feast of fat things full of marrow It is nothing to follow him when our comforts peace ease honour goes along together with him it cannot then be knowne whether wee follow him or no or whether it be our owne ends that we follow As when a Serving-man followes two Gentlemen we know not which of these two he followes till they part but then you shall see which was his Master So here when Christ and our own ends part one from another then is the triall which was followed before Wee must love the truth not onely when wee can live upon it when wee can get advantage by it but then also when it must live upon us when it must have our estates our peace our names our liberties our lives to live upon and to bee maintained by wee must follow him when wee must deny our selves and take up our crosse when we must throughly deny our selves for the word in the Originall is a compound noting more than a single more than an ordinary selfe deniall when wee must take up our Crosse not chuse what Crosse wee are willing to meet with to think if it were such an affliction that such a man hath I could beare it but I know not how to beare this but it must bee our Crosse and willingly tooke up and that daily too We must be willing to follow him thorow the wildernesse Cant. 8. 5. Who is this that commeth from the wildernesse leaning on her beloved The wildernesse is the troubles and afflictions of the Church she comes thorow them with her Beloved resting her selfe upon her Beloved If the Lord will lead us thorow the fire and thorow the water yet wee must follow him there if he will lead us where fiery Serpents and Scorpions are yet wee must follow him there Deut. 18. 15. Iosephus writing of the times of Christ sayes There was one Jesus a wise man in those times if it bee lawfull to call him a man for hee did divers admirable works yet he was condemned to the crosse but notwithstaÌ„ding this those who followed him from the beginning did not forbear to love him because of the ignominie of his death but followed him still To follow a crucified Christ a coÌ„temned Christ to sollow him in the bloody paths of his sufferings this is to follow him fully indeed When one came and told Christ that hee would follow him wheresoever he weÌ„t Mat. 8. 19 Jesus saith unto him The Foxes have holes and the birds of the ayre have nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head As if he should have said You must not expect great matter in following mee but you must bee content to suffer hard things Christ â—els the yong man that came running to him to know what hee should doe for eternall life that if he would be perfect he must sell all and then come and follow him if hee would follow him fully he must bee content to part with all for Christ to sell all as the wise Merchant sold all for the Pearle If there bee any thing in the world that you are not willing to part withall if any thing that you are not willing to suffer you cannot follow mee fully In this consists the uprightnesse of heart to goe in a right line to God what soever comes betweene God and us yet not to fetch a compasse but to goe thorow it for if we fetch a compasse the line is not right we must therefore strike thorow all troubles and hazards we meet withall still keepe our way not break the hedge of any Commandement to avoid any peece of foule way Many thinke they desire to follow God but when they meet with some trouble in their way then they would fetch compasse to baulke that and yet hope to come to God well enough at last they would bee loath not to bee accounted followers of God But let such know that this fetching compasse which they thinke to bee their wisedome it is the declining from uprightnesse Many follow God as the Dog followes his Master till he comes by a Carrion and then he lets his Master goe and turnes aside to it Thus many seem to be forward in profession of Religion till they meet with some opportunity of satisfying their lusts then they leave off and turne aside to the enjoyment of them But the heart that fully followes God is not onely willing to part with any lust for Christ but it gives up it selfe to the dispose of God to become of his estate credit liberty comforts life what God pleases it is not sollicitous about these things the businesse that it hath to do is to follow the Lord it knowes that it is the work of the Lord to take care for it about these things while it is in following of him It is said of Amaziah 2 Chron. 25. 2. That he did that indeed which was right in the sight of the Lord but not with a perfect heart he did many good things but he had not a heart to follow God fully and this was one Argument of it which wee have Verse 9. that he was so sollicitous about his money for when the Man of God came to him and told him the minde of God that hee must not have the Army of Israel go with him because hee had hyred the Army with an hundred Talents hee was very sollicitous what he should doe for his money for so he saith But what shall wee doe for the hundred Talents which I have given to the Army of Israel Whereas if his heart had been right and full in following God as it should have beene it had beene enough for him to have knowne the command of God let
them Although God takes it well at the hands of those whom hee hath raised in the things of the world higher than others when hee seeth them forward in setting out his praise yet he would not have them thinke that he is beholding to them as if the honour of God depended so upon them as it would faile did not they put to their helpe No God can raise his honour by other meanes he can glorifie himselfe and get himselfe a great name by low meane and contemptible things It is not because God hath need of honour from you but because he delights to honour you that he is pleased to use you in his service It is an advancement to whatsoever greatnesse you have in the world to bee imployed for God were it but in the meanest service he hath to doe Where the heart is right even in that it gloryeth more than in all the dignity that earth can put upon it But yet the greater Instruments the Lord raiseth up for his glory the greater services he cals them unto the greater things may wee hope he intends for his Church When S. John saw the Elders casting downe their crownes before the Throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power Apoc. 4. 10. soone after S. John heard every creature in heaven and on earth and sea saying Blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lambe for evermore cha 5. 13. And soone after that hee saw Christ with his Crowne upon him going forth conquering and to conquer Chap. 6. 2. What great mercies might we expect did we see God raysing up truely noble and generous spirits more generally in the great ones of the earth did we see the Elders and Nobles casting downe their Crownes before the Throne of the Lambe willing to deny all their glory and excellencies and estates for the raising up the glory of Iesus Christ Certainly God hath great things to doe in this latter age of the world and hee is a God with whom there is as great abundance of spirit as ever when his time comes how soone will such a thing bee as the raising mens spirits to higher and more noble designes than now we can imagine The observing the frame and work of your most pretious noble spirit Right Honourable put mee upon the thought of this Argument The chiefest book that I made use of for the inlarging 〈◊〉 Meditations in it next the Scripture was that which I joyfully beheld in you 〈…〉 selfe and your Noble and much honorred Lady highly honoured and lov 〈…〉 and that deservedly in the esteeme and hearts of all who know her and the truth John Ep. 2. ver 1. Such gracious principles appeared in your spirits such divine rules by which yee were guided those high and noble employments in which yee delighted those blessed qualifications which as so many Diamonds in their lustre and beauty sparkled that light that freenesse that strength that publikenesse that holinesse c. Those comsorts of a higher nature than the common drossie comforts of the world that yee chose to your selves to satisfie your spirits in and found contentment in the enjoyment of that caused the dilating of my thoughts about these things and now making knowne themselves publikely they crave patronage from your Lordship who have beene the originall from whence they came And here I humbly present them to your Honour and to your vertuous and noble Lady as a glasse wherein your selves and others may see the frame and workings of your spirits I dare say that all who know you and know that I had the happinesse to bee so neare unto you and to have excited to look about thee if false Art thou indued with such a spirit as here thou maist find nothing in the world in hell or in thy flesh shall be able to conquer thee as Christ himself thou shalt indure such crosses and contradiction of sinners as these times are big with thou shalt despise the shame and be able to resist to bloud if God should call thee to that honour What excellency of spirit was in S. Paul when he took it ill that they diswaded him from going up to Jerusalem where he was to meet with sharp afflictions What mean you to weepe and break my heart saith he for I am ready not to be bound only but also to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus Moses refuses to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter though himselfe or some of his posterity might happily have come to the Kingdome by it and chuses afflictions rather with the people of God c. He would not become an Egyptian though of the Royall Stem but abide an Hebrew who were abomination to the Egyptians He knew that the reproach of the Members did redound to the Head and would bee well recompenced by him and therefore he will suffer afflictions and esteeme the reproaches of Christ above all the treasures of Egypt a greater patrimony saith Ambrose So base are many spirits in this age that they had rather censure than trace his practice Scaliger tels of a Tree to which when a man cometh Ramos constringit but when he departs ramos pâ—dit Too many are like this tree when any Ministers or Christians that have the reproach of Christ upon them come neare them and have to deale with them let relations promises ingagemeÌ„ts be what they wil they shrink up themselves are troubled sadded and perplexed thinking it disgrace unto theÌ„ to have to do with such but when they are gone then their hearts dilate again their faces grow pleasant such an adulterous generation there is that are ashamed of Christ in any of his poore reproached despised Members not only ashamed but like that Plant called the Tartarean Lamb which in shape and proportion answers the Lambe but grazeth and eateth up the grasse round about it suffering no green thing to be neare and these men are Lambes in shape but eating up every green thing that is neare unto them Psa 14. 4. They eate up my people as bread they are the food their malice feeds upon It is observed the Pope was so busie and hot against Luther that he neglected to look to all Christendome against the Turk such basenesse was in a Popes brest that he could easier have digested Mahumetisme than Lutherdnisme may we not think the Alcoran would be welcome to those Confessors who have enjoyned their burthened in conscience to burne their Bibles for Pennance this some living know to be a truth There is much basenesse in the spirits of men and upon little occasion it vents it selfe Doeg haead 〈◊〉 malicious murderous spirit in him spared not those that ware the Linnen Ephod The rich man Luk. 12. 19. was all for earth nothing for heaven A great man finding his sicknesse encreasing caused his bed to be made between or upon his Coffers
not that I regard the presence of Iehosaphat the King of Iudah I would not looke towards thee nor see thee Hee had a fulnesse of Gods Spirit in him that could speake thus to one of the gods on earth When a mans heart is filled with divine influence he feares not the enemies of goodnes neither is ashamed of ought accompanies godlinesse 2 Tim. 1. 7 8. God hath given us the spirit of power of love and of a sound mind be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony c. When the power of God is in a mans spirit he will not bee ashamed of the Crosse nor refuse to share in the afflictions of the Gospel It is the honour of Religion to have such Disciples as will own her and stand for her at all times and that with an undaunted courage Acts 4. 8 9 10 11 12. Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost and said Bee it knowne unto you all and all the people of Israel that by the Name of Iesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified whom God raised from the dead even by him doth this man here stand before you whole this is the stone which was set at nought of you builders c. And after when he and Iohn were commanded silence what said they Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than God judge yee for we cannot but speake the things we have seene and heard It is a brand upon Nicodemus that he came to Christ by night and so of the chiefe Rulers that beleeved on him but because of the Pharisees did not confesse him lest they should be put out of the Synagogues but it was Nicodemus praise for that he had got boldnesse to speak for Christ when vilified though himselfe suffered reproach for it this shewed some excellency and growth in his spirit that he could both speake and suffer for Christ So Ioseph of Arimathea was timerous at Ioh. 19. 38. but being filled with grace He went in boldly to Pilate and craved the body of Iesus Mark 15. 43. With what holy boldnesse did those men march through reproaches afflictions and persecutions for the truths sake Reader swallow thou this Booke as Ezekiel did his rowle and thou shalt be inabled to doe as much Principle and fill thy spirit with the pretious truths contained in this little Treatise and thou shalt find thy drooping spirit to receive a heavenly warmth to come upon thee and a holy boldnesse thrusting thee forward for God and godlinesse Wickednesse is too bold and godlinesse too shamefast it hath lost and suffered much through mens cowardlinesse Reade meditate and feast thy spirit with what thou herein findest and thou mayst walke bold as a Lion through the midst of a crooked and perverse generation thou shalt daunt wickednesse it selfe and make Religion truely beautifull and honourable If thou shouldest say This book might have been kept in there are too many already I answer thee There be many but few to purpose The Sea is full of water yet God addes daily to it by rivers and showers Many would read little if new bookes were not set forth daily Bookes do quicken up a drowsie age to the best purpose New bookes are like new fashions taken up at first with affection Notwithstanding all the Munition of the Kingdome there is new made daily Books are more needfull than Armes the one defends the body the other the soule If thy spirit be choice and right thou wilt acknowledge this worke solid spirituall and such as hitherto thou hast not met with many like it If trees be knowne by their fruit what other sentence may bee passed upon the Composer of it but that hee hath profited in the Schoole of Christ above thousands hath had a large operation of Gods Spirit in his own soule attained to a choicenesse and excellency of spirit himselfe that he hath clearly differenced betweene pretious and base spirits I shall appeale to thy selfe Christian Reader when thou hast perused this Booke whether thou wouldest have had it buried in the dark If he deserves a curse that withholds corne Prov. 11. 26. thou wilt blesse God for this corne the Authour hath sent to market God made him a fountaine not to bee sealed up but to slow for common good Veritatem celare est aurum sepelire In a fountaine sealed and treasures hid the Authour knew was little profit Hee hath let out himselfe to advantage thee taken this off from his owne spirit to put upon thine Doe thine endeavour to better thy selfe by it and if thou gettest any good give unto God glory if none suspect thy spirit and spare thy censures The Authours spirit is above them and counts it a very small thing to bee judged of mans judgement My prayers are that thou mayest profit much attaine true excellency of spirit and follow God fully all thy dayes that so thy end may bee comfortable and glorious Thy Christian friend W. Gr. A GRACIOVS SPIRIT A CHOYCE and a pretious SPIRIT Numb 14. 24. But my servant Caleb because he had an other spirit with him and hath followed me fully him will I bring into the land wherein he went and his seed shall possesse it CAP. I. What that other spirit is which a godly man hath differing from the world IN these words we have Gods approbation of Caleb accepting his faithfull service in the testimony hee gave of the good Land encouraging the hearts of his people to goe into it As for the other that were sent God determines against them they shall never see that good Land But my servant Caleb c. First Gods commendation of Caleb Secondly his blessing upon him For the first hee sayes three things of him 1 He is my servant 2 He hath another spirit 3 He hath followed me fully He is my servant It is a great honor to bee the servant of the blessed God and to bee acknowledged so by God himselfe We should not looke at our services to God only as duties injoyned but as high priviledges as dignities put upon us wee should glory in his service It was a great part of that glorious reward of those who came out of great tribulation who washed their Robes and made them white in the bloud of the Lambe that they should bee before the Lord and serve him night and day Apoc. 7. 14 15. My servant He hath shewed himselfe to bee my servant indeed I will for ever owne him what ever others did hee continued faithfull with me To bee a servant unto the Lord is an honour but to bee acknowledged faithfull that higher I have obtained mercy to be faithfull saith Saint Paul To be faithfull in service is not only a meanes of obtaining mercy but it is a great obtained mercy My servant Caleb Caleb is only mentioned here and so in the former Chap. verse 31. Why is not Ioshua mentioned likewise for surely hee followed the Lord fully
Lord the apprehension of the presence of the Lord damps all and therefore they desire not to have mention made of the Name of the Lord Amos 6. 10. So to rejoyce as to be able to blesse God for our joy so to rejoyce as to make the presence of God the chief matter of 〈…〉 joy indeed this 〈…〉 for the spirit to feed upon such comforts is a choyce blessing indeed They are spirituall comforts for they are administred to the soule by a speciall worke of the Holy Ghost it is the office that the Holy Ghost is designed to by the Father and the Sonne to bee the Comforter to bring in sutable comforts to the spirits of his setvants and surely the holy Ghost will not be failing in this worke of his as the Father and the Sonne have been full and glorious in all their workes so is the Holy Ghost in his and therefore such must be the comforts of the spirits of Gods servants as must manifest a glorious worke of the Holy Ghost in the discharge of that he is sent to doe by the Father and the Sonne No marvaile then though the Apostle called this joy unspeakeable and glorious Consider what a difference must there needes be betweene the comfort that a little meat and drinke and vaine sports afford and the comforts of the Holy Ghost which hee conveyes into the soules of the godly by the appointment of the Father and the Sonne Surely these must needs be soule-satisfying soule-ravishing consolations God is the God of all consolation therefore here are all consolations There is surely infinite good sweetnesse treasures of all excellency in God and what are they all for but to bee comforts for the spirits of his servants to rejoyce in these are not for common ordinary spirits they have meate the world knowes not of a stranger shall not intermeddle in these joyes men of ranke quality as they are in higher condition than others so their comforts and delights are much different from the delights of ordinary people As God hath raised the condition of his people higher than other men so he hath raised their comforts Childrens bread from the Lords owne table is provided for them while husks and swill serves worldly spirits Their comforts such as are the delights of God himselfe of Iesus Christ they partake with them in their joyes and surely such joyes as they come and joyne with them in must needs be sweet and glorious indeed I and my Father sayes Christ will come and sup with them and they shall sup with mee They have dainties which their spirits feed upon that are savoury even to the Father and the Lord Iesus Christ Surely the world mistakes who thinks the life of godlinesse not to be a comfortable life as if the most excellent and highest life should have the worst and lowest condition surely it is a grosse mistake to think that the spirits of the Saints should bee the most sad and melancholy spirits Gods Spirit witnesses of them that they are the children of the Light yea that they are light If they be sad it is because they meddle too much with things below it is when their spirits are down when they get up their spirits to heavenly things then they can rejoyce and sweetly delight themselves their hearts are inlarged their soules are filled with joy The Birds doe not use to sing when they are on the ground but when got up into the ayre when on the top of trees then they sing sweetly If they be sad and melancholy it is because they differ no more from the world than they doe because they retaine so much likenesse to your spirits stil in them were they freed altogether from the likenesse there remaines in them to your spirits they would never be sad more but their spirits would be filled with everlasting joy For the present they joy in things sutable to them and sutablenes is the thing that causes comfort in any creature If the Swine could expresse it self it would tell you that no such comfort as in Swill and Dung and wonders that any other creature can take comfort in any other thing like to this because this is the most sutable to their natures Thus worldly brutish spirits because these low vile things are so sutable to them they thinke there can bee no such comfort in any other thing these things they rejoyce in for they know no better but if their natures were changed their greatest comfort would be in the despising and vilifying such comforts S. Augustine before his conversion could not tell how hee should want those delights hee found so much contentment in but after when his nature was changed when hee had another spirit put into him then he sayes O how sweet is it to bee without those former sweet delights You thinke we have no comforts or at least not like yours know we can taste naturall comforts as well as you if the poyson of sinne bee not mixed with them and God gives us leave to reioyce in them God hath made these outward comforts for his setvants Surely God hath not made the flowers for Spiders and Frogges but rather for the Bee to suck honey out of them wee can taste another manner of sweetnesse in them than you can for we can taste the love of God through them we can taste them as the comforts that flow from that God in whom all comfort is we can taste them as fore-runners of eternall comforts A Bee can sucke her honey out of a flower that a Flie cannot doe But besides these there are other conveyances of comforts through which our spirits finde comforts to feed on namely the Ordinances where the Lord lets out himself in a blessed sweet manner to the soules of his servants and yet besides God communicates many comforts immediately 2 Thess 2. 16. Now our Lord Iesus Christ himselfe and GOD even our Father which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation Doe you thinke we have no comforts What did Iesus Christ come into the world suffer so many sorrowes and miseries die such a painfull death and all to bring us to a more sorrowfull estate than we had before Let us alone with our comforts wee envy not yours As Tertullian sayes in his Apologie against the Gentiles Wherein doe we offend you If we beleeve there are other pleasures if wee will not delight in our selves it is our own wrong wee reject those things that please you and you are not delighted with ours CAP. 11. Wherein the excellencie of this gracious spirit appeares THus they are men of another spirit and this is their excellencie A spirit thus differenced from the world where all this is found is an excellent spirit indeed Here is true worth all the bravery and glory of the world not worthy to be mentioned with this The soule is the excellencie of a man and this is the excellencie of the soule
dark hole in some obscure contemptible place it is expected we should make it conspicuous that we should hang it in some eminent place so as to manifest that wee rejoyce in it as an ornament to us It is a great evill to obscure the Graces of Gods Spirit to keepe in the work of God upon our spirits in which hee hath set out the glory of his owne Image to that end that he might be glorified in us before men Angels Every man delights in the expression of that wherin he esteems his excellency to consist be it Eloquence Wisdom or any Art wherin he hath attained any eminency yea if he accounts his excellency to consist in his riches in his honor in his beautie he loves to make them appear before others as the Prophet in another case Esa 60. 1. Arise and shine for the light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee If God hath shined upon your spirits by his grace let your lights shine before men that the world may see there are men of other spirits who can doe such things as they cannot Oh what beautifull convincing cōversations would men live if they were onely acted by this renewed spirit As it was said of Steven they could not resist the Spirit by which he spake so it would be true here men could not resist that spirit by which you live What doe you more than other men sayes Christ to his Disciples Matt. 5. 47. Men of other spirits must manifest in their lives that they can do more than other men Let me in the name of the Lord plead with you for more honour and service for the Lord than he hath from others First your birth is from him you are borne of God in another manner than others are and therefore it must not be with you as it is with others Men of high birth will not live as other men doe Hence we read of a custome amongst the Heathen they were wont to derive the pedigree of their valiant men from their gods to this end though the thing were not true yet they beleeving themselves to be a Divine off-spring they might upon confidence there of undertake higher attempts than others with the more boldnesse Much higher things should those endeavour after who are indeed borne of God Secondly God hath put forth an other manner of power out upon your spirits than upon other men other men have but a generall common influence of Gods power let into their spirits but he hath manifested the exceeding greatnesse of his power in you as Eph. 1. 19. observe the gradation there the Apostle speaking of the power of God put forth upon those that doe beleeve expresses it in a sixfold gradation 1 It is his power onely the power of a God could doe it 2 It is the greatnes of his power 3 It is the exceeding greatnesse of his power 4 It is the working of his power 5 It is the working of his mighty power 6 It is the same power by which he raised Christ from the dead and set him at his right hand in the Heavens farre above all Principality and Power and might Now God doth not use to put forth great power but for great purposes he uses not his extraordinary power for ordinary things when supernaturall power is put forth it is that it might raise to supernaturall operations 3 Againe God doth put other abilities into you that others have not that grace with which hee hath endued your spirits is a sparke of his owne divine nature as you have heard it hath a divine power with it and a divine activity in it that is expected from you that none can doe by an inferiour power as by the strength of parts education morall principles if your lives bee not beyond the highest of those who have none other principles than such to raise them you dishonour God and his grace and your holy profession Fourthly your spirits have beene made acquainted with more truths God hath revealed to you the secrets of his Counsels of his Kingdome he hath showne you himselfe his Glory his Majesty Soveraingty Holinesse he hath showne you the reality beauty excellency equity of his blessed wayes Hee hath made known to you the certainty the infinite consequence of the things of eternitie the vilenesse pollution poyson danger of sin he hath given you experiences of the things of heaven the sweetnesse of his wayes the distresse of conscience for sinne Fifthly he hath separated you for himself he hath takē you into a near communion unto himselfe though God is to be feared by all yet more especially in a higher degree hee is to bee feared in the assembly of his Saints and to be had in reverence of them that are about him Psa 89. 7. Sixthly God hath put other dignities upon you that hee hath not put upon other men he hath made you Citizens of the new Ierusalem favorites of heaven heires co-heires with the Lord Jesus Christ God hath raised you above the condition of men and therefore you must not walk as men The Apostle 1 Cor. 3. 3. blamed the Corinthians that they did walke as men Hee hath redeemed you from the earth Revel◠4. 3. Therefore you must not walke as the men of the earth God hath not dealt thus with other people they know not what these things meane Therefore well may the Lord expect from you other manner of service and honour than he hath from other men Seventhly more depēds upon you than upon others the waight of many services depends all upon you which are no wayes expected to bee performed by others What shall become of Gods Name his Glory the fulfilling his will in the world if men whose spirits are fitted for his service should not live in a higher way of holinesse and doe more for him than others God expects great things from you Esay 63. 8. I said surely they will not lie When others are base unfaithfull and vile in their wayes yet God rejoyceth in this that hee hath a generation in the world a choyce company of other spirits pretious excellent spirits and hee shall have other dealings from them Eighthly your sinnes goe nearer to the heart of God than others Other men may provoke God to anger but you grieve his Holy Spirit God tooke it very ill at Salomons hand that hee dealt ill with him after hee had appeared twice to him 1 King 11. 9. How often hath God appeared to your soules What gracious visitatiōs have your spirits had from him It is a shamefull thing indeed for you to fall as other men doe It was an aggravation of the fall of Saul 2 Sam. 1 21. That the shield of the mighty was cast downe the shield of Saul as though he had not beene anoynted with oyle for you to fall as though you had not beene anoynted as others which have no such oyntment powred upon them this is
I and in this I doe and will rejoyce this is indeed to be able to doe much more than others this shewes a great eminencie of spirit All the parts gifts abilities that any man in the world hath where this is not come farre short of this excellencie to be able to doe this is more than to bee able to â—xcell others in any excellencie whatsoever if this bee wanting If God hath given thee this hee hath given thee that which is a thousand times more worth than strong parts and abilities in which thou might'st have been farre more eminent than thou now art or than others are 9 If thou wilt shew the excellency of this spirit in some choyce thing then labour to keep the heart low in prosperitie and man heavenly cheerefulnesse in adversitie not only contented but joyfull in a quiet sweet delightfull frame In the greatest difficulties and straits when you are put upon hard things go on in your way with what strength you can without vexing distracting thoughts let your spirits bee stayed on God quietly meekly committing your selves and cause to him as the people of God in the 26. Esay 8. They professe their willingnes in all quietnesse to wait upon God in the wayes of his judgements and they give the reason because the desire of their soule is to his Name and to the remembrance of him If in the times of our troubles the desires of our soules were to Gods Name and to the remembrance of him and not unto our own names and to the remembrance of our selves we should not have such sinking discouraged disquiet vexing spirits as we have The spirits of most men if any difficult thing befall them they are presently in a hurry so disquiet and tumultuous that all the peace and sweetnesse of them is lost and they hinder themselves exceedingly both in the businesse they are about adding much to the difficulty of it and in all other businesses that concerne them This notes much distemper of spirit like distempered flesh of a mans body if it be but toucht with the finger or the least aire come to it it presently festers and ranekies 10 Be more carefull to know the fountain from whence all your mercies come to have a sanctified use of them when you enjoy them than to have the possession of them or delight in them An ordinary spirit lookes at nothing but only to have the thing it desires is not solicitous about the fountaine from whence they spring nor carefull to attaine any sanctified end to which they tend looks not at them as from God neither uses them for GOD but where all these are here is the work of a choice pretious spirit indeed the peculiar work of it this is to do more than others and thus Gods servants must doe or else they can never live convincing lives While Pharaoh and his Magicians saw that Moses did no more than they could doe they were not convinced but when Moses did that which they could not doo then they acknowledged the finger of God So it is here while wicked men see those that are religious doe onely such things as they could doe if they would as going to Sermons speaking of good things they are never convinced by them but when they fee them do some thing which their consciences tell them they cannot do then they are forced to acknowledge that there is a reall excellencie in godlinesse which they have not as Christ said once If I had not done those things that no man did they had not had sinne Ioh. 15. 24. It aggravated the sinne of the Jewes that they did not beleeve in Christ notwithstanding he did those works amongst them that no man ever did So if godly men did manifest the choicenesse of their spirits amongst the men of the world in doing such as none other can doe this if it did not convert them and bring them in love with Gods wayes it would certainly much aggravate their sinne and increase their condemnation It is therfore a most shamefull thing that those who make a great shew and profession of godlinesse should in their lives be no more than equall unto yea be lower than others who are meerly Morall lower than a Socrates than a Fabritius than others of the Heathen How many civill morall men goâ— beyond them who would be taken for godly they are more meeke and patient more courteous more faithfull and trusty more liberall and helpfull more ingenuous and candid Many servants who would seeme godly are not so obedient so diligent so humble and submissive so conscionable in their worke as others whom they judge meerly carnall So many wives not behaving themselves with that quietnesse respectivenesse love and obedience to their husbands as others whom they themselves judge to be onely civill In like manner many husbands and masters of families who professe godlinesse yet in their houses are more froward more dogged more churlish cruell and bitter to wife and servants than others whom they esteeme onely carnall So many children more stout to their parents and parents more negligent in the care they ought to have of their children than others What a shame is it saies S. Hierom that faith should not be able to doe that that infidelity hath done What not better fruit in the garden in the vineyard of the Lord then in the wildernesse What not better fruit grow upon the tree of life than upon the root of nature Where lies the power of godlinesse If it carries not men beyond these what is it to live godly in Christ Jesus in the vertue in the power and life of Christ Jesus if it doth not enable to go beyond others There needs no such vertue power life of Christ Jesus to enable one to dof that which others can doe What is godlinesse but a notion but a conceit that it will not carry men beyond the light of nature CAP. XI An Exhortation to labour to get this excellent spirit IT is an use of Exhortation let us labour to get this other spirit Every one desires to be eminent to be above others in estate in esteeme in naturall excellencies if we would faine be eminent let us labour to be eminent in spirituall blessings in getting our souls endued with higher spirituall excellencies than others have It is coÌ„mendable to strive to be as eminent here as we can especially you whom God hath raised higher than your brethren in other things in the Nobility of your births the eminency of your places the greatnesse of your estates Doe you labour to be as high above others in the excellencies of your spirits that as your birth is other your places other your estate other than coÌ„mon mens so your spirits may be other spirits What an excellent thing is it to have a spirit sutable to ones condition A great mind becomes a great fortune sayes Seneca He means greatnes of minde in the exercise of vertue
dignities yea grace is the only thing that blesseth them and advanceth them And you whose spirits God hath raised above others in the excellencies of your parts and many excellent endowments of learning you have who are men of larger understandings of higher apprehensions than others and can looke upon ordinary men as low and meane in respect of the difference between your parts and theirs Do you labour yet to raise your spirits higher by grace and godlinesse that as you differ from them in naturall excellencies so you may differ from them much more in spirituall and divine How eminent would you be in grace if those parts and abilities of learning you have were sanctified for God What blessed instruments might you be of glory to God of comfort and encouragement to his people but otherwise your parts and gifts are poisoned a sinfull wicked heart will poison all It may be said of many as it was of Pope Eugenius the second he was a man of great Learning and great Eloquence with a mixture of great hypocrisie If it may bee thus said of any He is a man indeed of excellent parts very learned of strong abilities but he hath a corrupt spirit he is a man of a corrupt minde surely these parts are all poisoned no marvell then though such men swell so much by reason of them Parts unsanctified doe exceedingly enlarge mens spirits to be so much the more capable of spirituall wickednesse more than others of meaner and lower parts can be your parts will aggravate all your sinnes and increase your damnation It is a lamentable thing that such excellent parts and abilities as many have which might be of so great use for God and his Church yet that they should vanish into froth It was the great complaint of one Robertus Gallus a famous man an opposer of the corruptions of those times in which he lived which was in the 13. Century He compared the Schoole-Doctors to one having bread and good wine hanging on both his sides yet notwithstanding he was gnawing hungerly on a flint-stone Thus they leaving the wholesome food in the Scriptures busied themselves with subtile questions wherein there was no edification or comfort to the soule thus their excellent parts did all vanish into nothing Now if it be so grievous a thing for parts and learning to be imployed about meane and unworthy things how much more grievous is it when they are employed against God Oh what great cause have we then to pray for these men whose spirits are raised by naturall parts and how great cause have they themselves to seeke God and to use all meanes that their spirits might bee likewise raised by grace that that great blessing of parts and learning might be blessed to them by Gods bestowing upon them this other spirit Oh consider what an opprobrious thing it is to you that God should have more feare honour service from men of lower farre meaner weaker abilities That their hearts should close more with the wayes of godlinesse That their hearts should be more enlarged towards God than yours That they should enjoy more heavenly spirituall communion with God than you yea such communion with God as you are altogether unacquainted withall And that at length their soules should be saved and for ever blessed when yours shall be cast out as filth and an everlasting abhorring from the presence of the Lord What a grievous thing will it be to you when it shall appeare that your parts shall serve for no other and than to enlarge your soules to be more capable of the wrath of God than other men for be you assured that none are so filled with Gods wrath as knowing men It was the grievous complaint of S. Austin in his time The unlearned sayes he rise up and take heaven by force and we with all our learning are thrust down into hell It is a speech well knowne to Scholers of how great use might it be if God did settle it upon their hearts And S. Bernard hath a speech somewhat to the like purpose Let the wise of the world sayes he who minde high things and yet feeding upon the earth let them with their wisdome goe downe into hell And Luther hath a notable story which may be very usefull for this purpose It is in his writings upon the fourth Commandement which he makes the third It is to shew how the holinesse of the spirits of meane and unlearned men shall confound great understanding learned men where there is not the like godlinesse In the time of the Councel of Constance he tells us There were two Cardinalls riding to the Councell and in their journey they saw a shepherd in the field weeping one of them pitying him sayes that he could not passe by but he must needs go to yonder man and comfort him and comming neare to him hee asked him why he wept he was loath to tell him at first but being urged he told him saying I looking upon this Toad considered that I had never praised God as I ought for making mee such an excellent creature as a man comely and reasonable I have not blessed him that hee made not me such a deformed Toad as this When the Cardinall heard this hee was struck with it considering that hee had received greater mercies than this poore man and he was so struck as hee fell downe presently dead from his Mule his servants lifting him up and bringing him to the Citie hee came to life againe and then cried out Oh Saint Austine how truely didst thou say The unlearned rise and they take heaven and we with all our learning wallow in flesh and bloud You therefore whom God hath honoured with excellent parts that you may not be thus confounded another day before the Lord and his blessed Angels and Saints bee you restlesse in your spirits till you finde God hath added a further beautie to them even the beautie of holinesse the sanctifying graces of his Holy Spirit that may make you lovely in his eyes truely honourable before him and for ever blessed of him Take heed you rest not either in gifts of learning or in gifts of moralitie the gifts of moralitie are yet a further ornament to mens spirits but yet they come short of those divine excellencies of spirit that will make it blessed for ever Wee reade of many who were very eminent in morall excellencies and yet altogether strangers from the life of grace As for example Iosephus lib. 15. c. 8. reports of Herod the King that which would make one thinke hee was raised to very high morall excellencies once making a speech to his Army amongst other passages he hath this Perhaps some men will say that right and equitie is on our side but that the greater number of men and meanes are with the other but this their speech is unworthy of my followers for with those with whom justice is with those also God is and where God is
shall follow them with anguish and horrour and fill up their spirits with them It may be once they had some flashy comforts in the performance of some duties but they shall be all taken from them and dismall horror and hideous amazement of spirit shall possesse them Pro. 14. 14. The backslider in heart shall bee filled with his owne wayes Much more than the backslider in heart and life too hee shall bee filled he shall have enough of them Conscience one day will upbraid fly in the face and teare the heart Oh wretched creature what hast thou done whom hast thou forsaken is it not the God of life and peace and comfort and all good that thou hast forsaken are they not the blessed wayes of holinesse the wayes of eternall rest and peace that thou hast left God hath likewise forsaken thee and all good and comfort begins to withdraw it selfe from thee thou art like to bee left in horrid dismall darknesse Just it is that thou shouldst be left as a forsaken forlorne miserable wretch who hast thus wretchedly and vilely forsaken God and his truth for the enjoyment of such poore base things as thy heart is turned aside unto How wilt thou be able to looke upon the faces of those with whom thou hast formerly joyned in holy duties and hast had communion with But how canst thou looke upon the face of the blessed God when hee shall appeare in his glory unto thee What anguish will it bee to thee when thou shalt see others who have continued in their way following the Lord to be for ever blessed in that God whom their soules have followed and cleaved constantly unto but thy selfe because thy base unbeleeving heart dared not venture all upon him now thou art cast out for ever as an eternall curse Oh what rack of conscience will it bee when thou shalt see in what a faire way once thou wert but for want of comming off fully and constantly in such and such particulars thou art now for ever lost Lastly these men are hatefull both to God and Men they are hatefull to Men because they goe so farre and to God because they goe no further as Hebr. 10. 38. If any man draw back my soule shall have no pleasure in him Oh what a happy thing were it if God would trouble the wayes of these poore creatures if hee would make them bitter and grievous to them if hee would magnifie his mercy and his power in turning their hearts againe towards him if hee would deale with them as hee did with his people Hosea 2. 6. 7. Hedge up their wayes with thornes make a wall that they should not find their paths that so they might at length come to that blessed resolution wee find there I will goe and returne to my Husband for then it was better with me than now So I will goe and returne to my former wayes and follow after the Lord againe from whom I have wretchedly departed for then it was better with me then it is now then I had more comfort more peace more safety more blessing than I have now And let such know that though it were just with God for ever to reject them who have forsaken him just to say that vanity should bee their portion who have turned after lying vanities and many of the Ancients have made the case of such exceeding doubtfull especially if after conviction they have forsaken God againe and againe as Clemens Alexandrinus thought that God might give such the first and second repentance but if they fell oftner there was no renewing them by repentance And Origen seemed likewise to bee of the same minde in his 5. Homily upon Leviticus Chap. 25. So Tertullian in his Book of repentance God grants saith hee a second repentance but no further Thus we see the strictnesse of these Ancient times But though these leave these men exceeding comfortlesse yet let them know that the Lord cals them to returne again unto himselfe For though it be saith the Lord that if a wife have played the harlot and shee be put away and become another mans her husband will not receive her again yet saith the Lord Ier. 3. 1. Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers but yet returne to mee and verse 22. Returne yee back-sliding children and I will heale your back-slidings Oh that your hearts would answer as theirs there did Oh that this gracious offer of the Lord might have the same effect upon your hearts as it had upon theirs Behold say they wee come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God truely in vaine is salvation hoped for from the hils c. Wee see wee see wee have beene utterly deceived the wayes that wee have chosen have not beene good shame hath devoured our labour wee have bestowed our labour in shamefull things we lie downe in our shame and our confusion covereth us for wee have sinned against the Lord our God As when a man goeth from the Sunne yet the Sunne-beames follow him shine on him warme him so though thou hast departed from the Lord yet the beames of Gods mercy this day follow thee they shine on thee Oh that they might so warme thy heart as to cause thee to returne CAP. IV. Comfort and encouragement to those who follow the Lord fully IF this following of the Lord fully be the honour of the Saints before the Lord then here is comfort and encouragement to those whose conscience doth witnesse that their hearts and wayes are fully after the Lord. What ever others do yet there are a generation of men in the world who doe fully follow the Lord Blessed are you of the Lord you are honourable in the eyes of God and man you make up in part that hurt that is done to Religion by others you bind up the wounds of Jesus Christ and do in part heale his scarres If you bee content to give up all to God to betrust God with all know that there are many blessed promises full of mercy and encouragement for you that God will make good to the full unto you yea they shall come to you fuller of goodnesse and blessing than you can imagine Caleb challenged this promise of God to him made in this place upon this ground Ioshuah 14. 8. five and forty yeares after it was made for hee was but forty yeares old when hee went to spie out the Land and when hee challenged this promise in this place bee saith verse 10. I am this day fourescore and five yeares old Though God may seeme to deferre a while the fulfilling of his promise yet bee encouraged to follow him still for the eye of God is upon you to make good his word unto you and the longer it stayes the more full with good and blessing it will come God seemed to deferre a long time that promise he made to Abraham That hee would make his seed as the starres of heaven for two hundred and fifteene
yeares after this promise was made there were but seventy soules that came out of Abrahams loynes namely when Iacob went down into Egypt which if we compute the time wee shall find to bee just two hundred and fifteene yeares for Abraham was seventy and five yeares old when the promise was made hee was an hundred yeares old when Isaac was borne Isaac was forty yeares old before he married and hee continued twenty yeares without a child and Iacob was one hundred and thirty yeares old when he went into Egypt so that the time fals to bee just two hundred and fifteene yeares which was just halfe the time from the promise till the people of Israels comming out of Egypt which S. Paul saith Gal. 3. 17. was foure hundred and thirty years Now observe that whereas God halfe this time did but little for Abraham in the fulfilling of this his promise yet because Abraham followed him fully ventured himselfe wholly upon the faithfulnesse of the Lord see how fully God came in with his mercy at the last for in the second two hundred and fifteen yeares hee so encreased his seed that from seventy soules they were growne up to bee sixe hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty Num. 1. 45 46. and these onely from twenty yeares old and upward such men as were able to goe to warre there was thus many of these besides all children and women which it is like were far the greater number yea and the Tribe of Levy was not numbered amongst this number there were two and twenty thousand and upwards of them besides Thus you see how fully God comes in at the last in his mercy and making good his word of promise to such who follow him fully Be you as full as you can in following the Lord the Lord will bee as full towards you in doing good unto you Gods mercy shall be every as full as your obedience can bee 2 Sam. 22. 26. with the upright thou wilt shew thy selfe uprigh The words are in the Originall With the strong and perfect thou wilt shew thy selfe strong and perfect God will goe on strongly to his perfection of mercy towards them who doe goe on strongly in their perfection of obedience towards him Psal 11. 7. The Lord loveth righteousnesse and his countenance doth behold the upright The words translated word for word are thus The Lord loveth righteousnesses and his faces shall behold the upright Righteousnesses that is when all the duties of righteousnesse are together And his faces shall behold that is all the severall kindes and manners of the blessed comfortable manifestations of his love the upright shall have The great difficulties thou meetest with in Gods wayes if thou beest not discouraged but goest thorow them they shall turne to thy greatest comforts As Caleb who was not discouraged by the Anakims those great Gyants and the strong places they lived in which so much discouraged the rest Therefore Hebron the place of the Gyants was given unto him for a possession Iosuah 14. 12 13 14 and 15 verses God certainly will remember the kindnesse of those who are willing to follow him through the wildernesse of difficulties and discouragements Ierem. 2. 2. You who doe thus shall die without staine without any blur which few doe your memories shall be sweet and blessed when you are dead and gone You shall have an entrance ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. 11. This is promised not onely to those that are godly but abound in it as verse 8. They shall be as a ship comming gloriously into the Haven with full saile Thus S. Paul 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. with much confidence and full assurance concludes That seeing hee had fought the good fight and finished his course and kept the faith henceforth there was laid up for him a crowne of righteousnesse which the righteous Iudge should give him at that day hee challengeth it upon the righteousnesse of God When the soules of these who have followed God fully are to enter into heaven the everlasting doores shall stand wide open for them as when great men come to a house the great gates are set open for their entrance and in Heaven oh how full a reward shall there be there for them as 2 Ep. Ioh. 8. vers There is fulnesse of joy at Gods right hand Psalme 16. ult So full as shall bee more than can enter into them they must enter into it because it cannot enter into them there they shall not taste of joy and happinesse but shall bee filled up with them This Christ encouraged his Disciples withall Luke 22. 28 29. Yee are they which have continued with mee in my temptations and I appoint unto you a Kingdome as my Father hath appointed unto mee With this S. Paul encouraged himselfe in all his afflictions hee met withall while hee was following the Lord 2 Cor. 4. ver 17. For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a farre more exceeding eternall waight of glory First it is glory and this word alone implies that there is exceeding much in it but further it is a waight of glory yea an eternall waight of glory and more than that an exceeding eternall waight of glory as if yet it were not exprest fully enough hee addes further a farte more exceeding eternall waight of glory and what expression can bee fuller than this This was that likewise that incouraged Moses in his full following the Lord forsaking the pleasures the riches the treasures of Egypt that hee migh follow the Lord fully For hee had saith the Text a respect unto the recompence of reward Hebrewes 11. 26. And you whose hearts and wayes are fully after the Lord have the more cause to rejoyce in this your blessednesse because it it is the blessednesse but of a few Iniquity shall abound saith Christ and the love of many shall waxe cold but hee that endures to the end shall bee saved It is but a hee in the singular number that endures to the end Let these encouragements then fill your hearts with joy and your spirits with renewed resolutions and vigour to fill up your course let them fill your sailes that you may goe on with strength and prosper and be for ever blessed in your way I conclude this Vse with that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 7. 1. Seeing we have these promises these incouragements let us labour to perfect our holinesse in the feare of God And thus I passe to the last Vse which is of Exhortation CAP. V. An Exhortation to follow the Lord fully NOw the Lord carry our hearts fully after himselfe As the two blinde men Matth. 20. vers last as soone as their eyes were opened they followed Christ so were our eyes opened wee would certainly follow after the Lord were they fully opened our hearts would follow fully Many of you have some convictions
Gods Word and inable not to deny his Name Secondly therefore is Christ filled with all fulnesse of all grace that out of his sulnesse thou mayst receive grace for grace that Spirit by which he is so plentifully annoynted it is for thee But I am afraid my spirit is not this choice spirit and therfore I shall not hold out in following the Lord. First is it a broken humble spirit in sense of thy weakenesses and wants Secondly that which thou dost though but weakly is it upon divine grounds and hast thou divine ends Thirdly doth the sight of thy weaknesse make thee cling and cleave unto Jesus Christ Fourthly when thou losest God in following him art thou sensible of the want of his presence and doest thou never leave crying and seeking till thou enjoyest him again Certainly this is a true choyce spirit that will carry on fully in following the Lord when thousands of glorious Hypocrites shall vanish and come to nothing If it be this choicenesse of spirit that is the only thing that will fully carry after the Lord then let us learn to looke to our spirits Keepe thy heart with all diligence for out of it come the issues of life Doe not so much complain of teÌ„ptations oppositions troubles you meet withal but look to your spirits all is safe and wel If there be the spirit of love of a sound mind there will be the spirit of power for these are joyned together by the Apostle there need not be the spirit of feare for the spirit of a sound mind the spirit of feare are opposed one to another in the same place But wherein should we looke to our spirits First take heed to your judgmeÌ„ts keep your judgemeÌ„ts clear for God his truth as it is said Es 33 that wisdom and knowledge should be the stability of those times so true wisdome and knowledge preserving the judgments of men right sound are the stability of mens hearts Take heed your judgmeÌ„ts come not to be altered to thinke otherwise of Gods wayes than you did before to have other opinions of theÌ„ Though there may bee many weaknesses yet if the judgement be kept right all may doe well but if the Leprosie bee got into the head then the soule is in a dangerous condition as Lev. 13. 44. when the Priest shall looke upon a Leprous man and see the plague is got into his head the Text saith he shal pronouÌ„ce him utterly unclean for the Plague is in his head The Priest was to pronouÌ„ce none to be utterly unclean but such who had the plague in their heads Secondly labor to keep conscience clear take heed of pollution there take heed of a breach in thy spirit there for that will weaken it much conscience is the strong Tower of thy soule if the Truth of God be got out there the strength of the soule is gone Thirdly labour to keepe thy heart low and humble when the flesh swels it cannot beare any hard thing upon it though a member growes bigger when it swels yet it growes weaker so it is with the soule Fourthly labour to keepe the spirit heavenly mixture of drosse will weaken it convince thy soule that a little of the Creature will serve turne to carry thee thorow this thy Pilgrimage well enough One told a Philosopher If you will be content to please Dionysius you need not feed upon green hearbs The Philosopher answers him And if you will be content to feed upon greene hearbs you need not please Dionysius So if men would be content with a little in the World to be in a low and meane condition they need not flatter those things that draw others from following after the Lord would not move them at all Fiftly labour to keep thy spirit in a continuall trembling frame abiding in the feare of the Lord all the day long the feare of the Lord causeth men to depart from evill meditate the feare of the Lord continually Lastly keep thy spirit continually working many things have much power in them while they are in motion but weake when the motion ceaseth sinne is very strong while it is in motion but when affliction stops the motion the truths of God have more power over it so grace while it is acting it is strong but if it growes dull it growes weake and is soone turned aside Thus we looking to our spirits wee shall bee able to follow the Lord fully and finish our course in peace FINIS Sal. l. 4 de Gab. 1. Dei Nazian in Encom Athanas Bern. pag. 1010. Act. 21. 13 Heb. 11. â—xerâ—it 18◠§. 27 28. 1 Sam. 12. â—eh 6. 11. Ve. s 13. 17 Dan. 3. 18. * As Groasthead Bishop of Lincolne once answered the Pope See Act. and Mon. 2 Vol. p. 553. Stock See in his funerall Sermons Dan. 6. 10. Acts 13. 9. 10. Aug conf l. 11. Cap. 1. Obs 1 Cor. 7. 25 Quest Answ Abulensis 〈◊〉 54 55. Scrarius l. 1 Ios c. 8. q. 6 Lorinus in Numb 14. 24. Implevit sequi 1 1 〈…〉 1 Sapida â—â—iâ—â—tia Philo Iudaeus in his book intituled Om nis probus liber tâ—ls of the Pyâ—â— agereans that inter Sacrata praecepta this was a principall Per viam publicam ne ingredere Argumentâ— turâ—issimis 〈◊〉 turba sayes Seneca 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eadem ratione hanc vita viam quaeri oportet qua in altoiter navibus quaeritur nisi aliquid cali lumen observent incertis cursibus vagantur quisquis rectum iter vitae tenere nititur non terr'd debet aspicere sed coeluâ—â— ut aâ—ertius loquar on hominem debet sequi sed Deum Lactant. l. 6. c. 8. 4 1 5 1 2 Cor. 4. â— Nos Imperator so a terrena militia tibi obstricti sumus in animas nullum tibi jus est illarum Deminus est solus Deus Coutzen aulâ— speculum pag 47. Non admittit status sidei allegati onem neces sitatis deliuouendi quibus una est necessitas non delinquendi Tertul. de Cor militis cap. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8. 15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 T 〈…〉 1. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3 Hem Germ ma illa bestia non 〈◊〉 auruÌ„ Melchior â—dâ—m in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nemo est dignus namine hominis qui unum diem vâ—lit esse in vo luptate lib. 2 de sinibus Platonis Phoedo p. 81. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 or sum et ad majora naturquà m vt mancipium sim corporis mei Sen. 〈◊〉 66. Valde protesta tus sum me nolle sic saâ—iari ab co Melchier Adam in vita Iuth Feciâ—â—i nos Domine prote â—â—qu etum est â—or n 〈…〉 do 〈…〉 veniat adte Luke 12. 19. Hern. de amore 〈◊〉 Sicut mea â—on tibi placent oblata nisi mecum sic bon rum tuorum contemp 〈…〉 io resiâ—â—t nos s 〈…〉 non sat at
Galathians at the first they would have pluckt out their eyes for S. Paul their affections were so stirred by his Ministery they apprehended some great matters in the message of the Gospel that S. Paul brought but afterwards finding that those great and excellent things that the Gospel spake of were onely spirituall which their carnall hearts had little skill of and could not relish their affections were soon cooled they fell off from S. Paul Take heed therefore of resting to these flashy affections for if you do when these are gone your hearts will bee left in darkenesse Many examples are knowne of such who have proved to bee most vile Apostates yet time was wherein they have had many meltings much sudden strong joy so as they have professed that the joy they have found hath beene so great that if it had continued but a while they could not have lived but their spirits would haue expired A solid worke of the soule proceeding from an humble broken heart casting it selfe upon the faithfulnesse and freenesse of the grace of God in the promise for pardoning and sanctifying mercy and there resting so as willing to venture it selfe there for ever though it hath no present sense of joy yet it is farre more to be prized than the strongest of these sudden flashes of affection These flashy affections which have not principles to maintain them are like to Cōduits in the City running with wine at the Coronatiō of Princes or some other great triumph but it will not hold they are like Land-floods which seeme to bee a great sea but come to nothing in a day or two As there may be flashes of terrour and yet no true feare of God The Israelites were terrified when the Law was given and yet God saith Deut. 5. 29. Oh that there were a heart that they would feare me So there may bee flashes of joy desire sorrow and yet no true sanctified joy desire or sorrow at all There is much deceit in mens affections Affections not well principled not well grounded soone vanish time will weare them away The people of Israel at the giving of the Law had their affections much stirred so that one would have thought they had been engaged unto the Lord for ever and yet within fourty dayes their hearts were so taken off from God and his Law as if God had never made himselfe knowne unto them they call to Aaron to make them gods to goe before them and say to the Molten Calfe These be thy gods O Israel which brought thee out of the land of Egypt Another notable example wee have of people whose affections are strong for the present and yet worne away in a little time in the 13. of Hosea 1. When Ephraim spake trembling hee exalted himselfe in Israel but when he offended in Baal hee died When Ephraim spake that is when Ieroboam who was of the Tribe of Ephraim declared his purpose to alter the worship of God the people at the first were exceedingly affected with it they stood all trembling at such a strange thing as that was the very thought of it made their hearts to shake because they knew how jealous a God the Lord was But Ieroboam exalted himselfe in Israel hee went on resolutely in his way and would bring his purpose to effect then the people in a little time were brought to offend in Baal and then they died and they became a dead sottish heartlesse people fit to receive or do any thing though never so vile Fifthly others follow the Lord but they follow him in a dull heavy manner there is no spirit no heat no life in their following of him therefore they doe not follow him fully They rest themselves in a middle temper in a lukewarme course they like well of Religion and profession but what need men goe so farre what need they doe so much As Pharaoh said to the Israelites Exod. 8. 28. I will let you goe onely you shall not goe farre away The judgement of these men is for a middle way they are mixed spirited men like Ephraim Hosea 7. 8. mixed with the people as a cake not turned halfe baked and halfe dough they goe on in an ordinary track of performing the duties of Religion without any growth or any sensiblenesse of the want of growth they set upon some faire way of Religion which they perswade themselves is enough and that they meane to hold to they are content to make use of Christ and the profession of Religion so farre as may serve their owne turnes but to entertaine Christ and his truth as an absolute Lord to rule them that their spirits cannot beare in their converse there is no ribauldry no filthinesse so there is no warmth no heat to refresh and quicken any gratious spirit that hath to deale with them in all the Duties of Religion that they perform they take no paines with their hearts to work them to God Luther cals such kind of men Cainists that is such as Cain who offered to God the work done but do not offer themselves to God they content thēselues with generall hopes of Gods mercy upon weake and unexamined grounds they never trouble themselves in calling things into question about their conditions and their eternall estates they never lay to heart the miseries of Gods Church and the publike cause of God is not deare unto them they have not heat enough to cause a melting spirit for the dishonor that God hath by themselves much more is that heat wanting that should keepe their hearts melting for that dishonour which God hath from others Now this temper is so farre from following the Lord fully as it is loathsome and abominable to the Lord so loathsome as he threatens to spue such out of his mouth It is observable that of all the seven Churches we read of in the Revelation there is some good said every one is cōmended for somthing onely this Church of Laodicea excepted which was a luke-warme Church and of this there is no good at all said and yet none of the Churches had that high esteeme of it selfe as this had none of them conceited themselves to be rich and encreased with goods and to have need of nothing as this did No people doth so blesse themselves in their way as luke-warme people doe and yet no people more abominable to God than they What a dishonour is this luke-warme temper to God as if God were such a God as such flat sleight dead-hearted formall services as are performed by them were sufficient to honour his holy great dreadfull and infinite Majestie God pronouneeth a curse in Malac. 1. verse 14. against those who doe not offer the best that possibly they can in sacrifice to him and gives this Reason of it Because my Name is dreadfull and I am a great King saith the Lord As if he should say Therefore onely the most high and excellent things that can bee
performed by the creature are fit for to be tendred up to mee This luke-warme temper wrongs Iesus Christ exceedingly as if there were no other life and vertue in Iesus Christ than to inable a man to doe as they doe What hath Christ laid down his life shed his pretious blood for the renewing of Gods Image in man and is it nothing but this if Christ had never come into the world men might have done as much as this comes to It is a wrong to the Holy Spirit likewise for it is the special office of the Holy Ghost for to bee a Sanctifier to frame the heart to God to quicke the soul with the life of grace and holinesse and is this all it doth this were a poore worke if there were no other but this It dishonours holinesse which is the most glorious thing in the world the life of God the Divine Nature this makes it as if it were nothing but a morall livelesse dead-hearted empty thing this puts holinesse in subjection to humane reason to carnall wisedome it must bow to their discretion to the opinions and wayes of men and in truth to their base lusts though it be in a more cleanly way than in others Be convinced then that this is not that following the Lord fully which is the honour of Gods people in his eyes Sixthly some go beyond this dull luke-warme temper they are very forward in some things but in other things their hearts sticke they come not off fully in them Agrippa saith of himselfe that Paul had almost perswaded him the words are Thou perswadest mee a little The hearts of these men are divided as it is said of those in Hosea 10. 2. they will not let goe their profession but will keepe their corruption too As Camden reports of Redwald King of the East Saxons the first Prince of his Nation that was baptized yet in the same Church had one Altar for Christian Religion and another for Sacrifices unto Devills Thus these men joyne Religion and their lust together If they let out their hearts inordinately to any contentment and take liberty sometimes in satisfying some lusts they thinke to make up all againe by some forwardnesse and earnest devotion in some other thing as many who get surfets think they can sweat and purge them out again This division of heart the Lord cannot endure and therefore it followes in that place of Hosea They shall be found faulty or as the words are read by some Now shall they bee made desolate for in the Hebrew the word signifies both to bee guilty and to bee desolate It is too much boldnesse and presumptuousnesse in men to venture to take liberty to themselves to chuse wherein they will yeeld to God in some things but in others presume to satisfie themselves this is not to cast downe our soules before the Lord as poore condemned vile creatures to lie at his mercy in an humble faithfull resignation of our selves up to him in all wee are or have which is that honour that God expects from us and is infinitely due unto him While our hearts are thus divided betweene God and other things God doth not account himselfe obeyed or honoured at all in any thing all that we seeme to doe in truth is nothing at all Hence in Ierem. 32. 23. the Prophet chargeth the people with this that they neither walked in Gods Law and that they had done nothing of all that God had commanded them to doe and Ver. 30. he saith they had only done evill and in 2 Kings 17. the people are said to feare the Lord and serve their owne gods Verse 33. and yet in Verse 34. the Text sayes that they feared not the Lord shewing unto us that where the heart is divided betweene God and other things there God hath not the heart at all God is not feared he is not honoured at all If wee joyne the counsels of the flesh with the spirit we frustrate all Seventhly there are others who cannot bee so easily convinced in what particulars they forsake God in any of his wayes they seeme to have a generall forwardnesse in that which is good but the truth is they follow themselves and not God in all they rise no higher than Selfe in all they doe which their owne consciences upon search made will tell them the Commandement of God may be made the pretence but Selse is the chiefe Engine Selse is the great mover in all As Physitians putting in many operative ingredients into their Physick and they are the things that worke but besides they put in something to give a colour or a little taste which neither doth good nor hurt that hath no operation at all Thus it is in many mens Religion selfe-ends are the operative ingredients in that they doe and the shew of obedience to God is but that which gives the colour that that which they doe may have the better apperance It is impossible that a man which seekes himselfe should come up to this fulnesse of spirit that is required in this following of the Lord. Hos 10. 1. it is said That Israel is an empty Vine Why so he bringeth forth fruit unto himselfe hee brings forth fruit but yet is empty because hee bringeth it forth unto himselfe Where selfe-ends are the chiefe movers there is no further latitude or degree of godlinesse minded but such as may be serviceable unto them Now they cannot but bee low strait narrow in comparison of those who lift up God in all they do and therefore their profession must needs bee empty and scant not full and powerfull as it is in the other A selfe-seeking heart is alwayes an empty heart but a gracious heart is fruitfull in all manner of pleasant fruits new and old And what is the reason I have laid them up for thee O my beloved Cant. 7. v. last Observe the difference Israel is an empty Vine hee brings forth fruit to himselfe but the Church here brings forth all manner of pleasant fruit for shee layes them up for her Beloved shee brings them not forth for her selfe as Israel did Eightly others follow the Lord earnestly a while but afterwards they forsake him they turne Apostates they doe not fill up their worke they have begun but undoe all againe of whom it may be said as Lament 4. 8. They were whiter than Milke they were as Rubies and polished Saphires in regard of their glorious profession but now they are blacker than a Coale God may justly complaine of them as he did of his people Micah 2. 8. They who were my people yesterday are now risen up against me as an enemy it was far otherwise with them very lately than now it is Many are very hopefull at the first yet they prove exceeding vile afterwards yea the more forward in good at first the more vile after As water that hath once been heat and growes cold againe is colder than ever it was It