but Thirdly from the devil are interruptions and hinderances cast in and in this case you are to do as Abraham did when the fowles did light upon his sacrifice he drove them away Gen. 15.11 By the fowles coming upon the carcases of Abrahams offering as Deodate saith it is an evident signe of the devils disturbing the elect when they are about any holy performance now as Abraham did so do you when these fowles as they are compared in Matth. 13.4 to the devil those foul and infernal spirits when they come to disturb you in worship you must drive them away all those impertinencies and vain thoughts which the devil casts in Job 1.6 In the first of Job you read that upon a certain day the Sons of God presented themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among them By the Sonnes of God there cannot be meant the Angels for then it would follow that the devils would be in heaven where the Angels are therefore by the Sonnes of God are meant the children of Iob and thus were the posterity of Seth called in Gen. 6. Gen. 6.2 See Zech. 3.1 The Sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair Now to my purpose the children of Iob are said upon a certain day to appear before the Lord that is say Interpreters on the sabbath-Sabbath-day now when they appeared on that day before the Lord it is said that Satan came among them Celeberrimum sabbati festum Pined and you may be sure the devil came for no good intent but to labour to interrupt and disturb them in those religious performances And therefore seeing that you have not onely your own hearts the world and natural infirmities but the devil also to hinder and divert you what cause have you with utmost diligence to watch over your selves 7. If the flesh doth interrupt you in Gods service then learn not to place any confidence in your most religious performances darest thou lay the weight of thy soul upon such a weak foundation if thy duties are tainted and mingled with so much evill how darest thou rest in thy duties It is the speech of Iob Though I were righteous yet would I not plead with thee Job 9.28 and again sayes he I am afraid of all my sorrowes I know that thou wilt hold me innocent In the vulgar translation it is I am afraid of all my good works and further sayes he Though I should wash my selfe with snow-water and make my selfe never so clean yet shalt thou plunge me in a ditch and my own clothes shall abhorre me Cap. 30.31 Though I should acquit my selfe never so well in duty yet thou wouldest finde much evil in me If then thy best services are mingled with sin rely only upon a Christ for salvation and here to set home this inference I shall lay down three cogent considerations 1. Thou hast more acts of sin that come from the flesh then acts of grace that come from the Siprit in thy duties and wilt thou rest upon such a duty that hath more sinne then grace acted in it more wandring thoughts then holy thoughts thou forgettest more of a Sermon then thou remembrest of a Sermon and the sin of thy nature doth cast in more wandring thoughts then the Spirit of God doth cast in holy thoughts thy graces are as the filings of gold but thy sinnes as heapes of dust and therefore how darest thou rest on thy duties expecting life and salvation by them 2. Consider that one circumstance in a duty is enough to make it evil but many concurring circumstances is not enough to make a duty good Suppose thou prayest one circumstance in thy prayer may make it sinful though thou prayest wel for the manner yet if thou art defective in the end or if the end be right yet if thou failest in thy principle it is not right It is a rule in moral Philosophy In moralibus plus circumstanti a quà m substantia actioâ—is that circumstances are more to be weighed then acts and so it is in Divinity One circumstance may make a duty defective but many circumstances concurring together cannot make a duty good 3. Consider that thou art guilty of many past sins and present duties cannot make a recompence for past sinnes Suppose a tenant who payes his rent duly for time present yet being in arrear it may be ten or twenty yeares his payment of his rent at present will not recompense his past arrear Thus it is with thee thou art much in debt and in arreare to God for past time and if there were merit in thy duties as there is not yet present duty could not expiate past sinnes therefore rely not upon duty 8. Doth the flesh thus interrupt us in duty then from hence we may see the evill nature of sin the mischievous quality of original corruption It is a doctrine which cau never be too much insisted upon and therefore from this doctrine I beseech you turn a little to see the evil nature of originall sin I may illustrate it by this example if you have a vessel full of liquor a little gall shall more imbitter it then a great deal of honey shall sweeten it behold the mischievous nature of sinee how doth it taint both thy person and performances You read of a Law in Numb Numb 19.22 19 22. that whatsoever an unclean person toucheth shall be uuclean this is spoken of ceremonial uncleannesse but it holds true also in spirituals thou art an unclean man all thou touchest becomes unclean thou defilest all thy duties There is an useful passage in Haggai 2.12,13 Hag. 2.12,13 there was an case of conscience which the people were to demand of the Priests concerning the Law The question was this If one beat holy flesh in the skirt of his garment and with his skirts do touch bread or pottage or wine or oile or any meat shall it be holy and the Priests said No. And then said Haggai If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these shall it be unclean and the Priest answered and said It shall be unclean Here you may observe that holy things could not make common things clean and holy but if a man that was unclean did but touch holy things they became unclean Now if you would know the meaning of this it is explained by the Prophet in the 14. verse Then answered Haggai and said So is this people and so is this Nation before me saith the Lord and so is every worke of their hands and that which they offer there is unclean that is every sacrifice and every duty is unclean In Gospel-language the meaning is this if a man be in the state of nature all his offerings and all his sacrifices Tit. 1.15 that is all his duties they are unclean unto him For unto the unclean all things are unclean Vse 2 The second Use I shall make of this point shall be
that if any man had been free and liberal in giving towards pious uses he should be free from those duties which he owed to his father and mother therefore say they Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother It is 〈◊〉 gift by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me and honour not his father or his mother he shall be free Mat. 15.5,6 This the Scripture condemnes for hypocrisie when men out of a pretence of duty to God shall neglect their duty to men therefore it comes from the Divel The Spirit of God when it moves men to duty it moves them with an equal motion as wel duties to man Mich. 6.7 as duties to God duties of the second as wel as of the first table unto duties of charity equity as wel as of pity towards God if a man be never so pious towards God and yet is neglective of his duty to man this man is not led by the Spirit of God for that leads a man to one duty as well as the other A boat that 's made onely by one oare on one side will not go right no more will a man go right to Heaven that is partial in his obedience 7. When the Devil moves you to do good he so moves you to be eager in the doing of it Gal. 5.4 compared with Verse 8. that you may depend on the good you do To this purpose saith the Apostle Paul Whosoever of you are justified by workes ye are faln from grace whosoever shal depend upon the works he doth for justification is not led thereunto by the Spirit of God and therfore it followeth saith he This perswasion cometh not of him that calleth you it cometh not from God for the Spirit of God it quells and keeps down the thought of merit In former times though I could not contemne works of mercy but wish there were more of them in this iron age of the world when most men are guilty of hard-hearted uncharitableness What was the reason that men Popishly affected have left such monuments of their liberality behinde them doing many notable works of mercy but only hope of merit by them a worke of mercy it is good in it self but to be moved to it upon a hope of merit this comes from the Devil not from God 8. When the Devil shall put thee upon the doing of good at that time which is not thy own time As suppose the life of any neer in relation unto tâ—…e is in danger and thou out of love to the Word of God wilt go and hear it and neglect thy sick friend in this case the Lord would have thee rather shew mercy then sacrifice every thing is most beautiful in its season Again for servants when they are about their Masters business when the welfare of thy Master lies upon thy diligence and thou shalt then have a motion to pray or a motion to hear and so fall upon the exercise of Religious duties so as to neglect thy Masters business this is a sin and comes from the Devil And the reason is this because God looks upon servants their persons and their time as none of their own and thou shalt at such time please God more in the doing of thy Masters business then if thou wert on thyknees at thy prayers Now I do not mention this to make men severe towards their servants as to allow them more time for God and their souls nor to quench any good motions which shall be in them to good as many wretched and worldly Masters do to their godly servants but this is that I could advise them that they should not take time for holy duties from their necessary business whereby their Masters may be prejudiced but rather from their sleep and those vacant houres which are allowed them 9. when you shall be moved to do a good thing which is above your growth ann too high and too hard for you this motion comes not from the Spirit of God When women and young men whose educations do not require it shall dive into questions and darke controversies in Religion God requires not this at their hands but rather that they should study and follow plain sundamental points Christ he would not put his young disciples upon duties above their strength and growth Mat. 9.16,17 and young and weak Christians they should not put themselves upon the doing of those things which are too hard for them and which God never commanded them you have an excellent rule for this in Psal 131.1 Lord my heart is not hauâ—hty nor mine eyes lofty neither do I exercise my self in great matters nor in things that are too high for me 10. The Devil will put men upon the doing of that which is good that so he may the sooner tire and weary them out in the wayes of Religion and this is a great policy of the Divel and hereupon the Divel will make a young convert at first conversion pray more in one day then in a moneth of after-time and though there is much of God in these young affections yet there is much sin mingled with them too The divel hath a twofold end to make young converts do good First either to make them the sooner weary of Religion or else secondly to make wicked men think the more hardly of Religion I do not mention this to quench and stifle good motions in any I know where there is one man over-does there are ten thousand which do too little But we must take heed lest like the Church of Corinth we be not too severe for as they by too much austerity had like to have swallowed up the penitent excommunicate person with too much grief so the rigorous and over-much strictness will discourage them from the wayes of Christ 11. Motions to good come from the Divel in case thou art moved to those things which are subservien and introductory to duty rather then to the duties of Religion themselves This is a great subtilty of the Devil if he can keep men in the porch they shall never come into the Temple As consideration it is apreparatory duty to prayer meditation to hearing and examination to the duty of receiving the Lords Supper now if the Divel can keep thee so long in these preparitory duties that thou canst take no time for the maine duties themselves herein the Divel hath his end Christians are oftentimes very inconsiderate in this case Simile 1 it is just as if a man should have an houres time allotted him to play a melodious lesson to a company and he spends all his time in tuning his instrument Thus it is with many Christians the preparation for duty is only in order to the furtherance of us in holy duty he that is so long in preparation as he neglects duty destroyes the very end of preparation I know there are some which never use preparation to duty and others there are who by the subtilty of the Divel in
difference between those common motions of the Spirit in the wicked and the saving motions of the Spirit in the regenerate Answ The reason why I shall discusse this question is Heb. 6.4 because the Scripture saith that wicked men may be partakers of the holy Ghost and therefore to answer the question you must know that there is a twofold difference between the wicked and the godly their partaking of the Spirit 1. About the measure 2. About the manner 1. In the measure though a Reprobate partakes of the motions of the Spirit yet he hath not such a measure of the Spirit as a regenerate man hath Forbes in that practical Tract of his concerning this doubt gives you this exemplification Summis tuntam labris pitissare Wicked men sayes he partake of the Spirit as Coocks do of the meat they dresse they taste of as much as will relish their palates but do not take so much as to make a meal of which may refresh nature and strengthen it But the regenerate are as the invited guests and they not only taste the meat prepared but also make a meale thereof Wicked men they have but a taste and therefore sayes the Apostle of them They have tasted of the heavenly gift Heb. 6.3 They are just like unto men going by an Apothecaries shoppe who may smell the sweet sents of his pots but only the sick patient gets benefit by his cordials Thus it is with the wicked God he may and doth give them tastes of his Spirit but they have not so much as will do their souls good It is only the godly who have saving participations of grace As there were many of the Israelites who had a taste of the fruit of the land of Canaan who yet never came to heaven so some may taste of the heavenly gift who shall never come to heaven 2. They differ as in the measure of their receiving the Spirit so also in the manner 1. Motions of the Spirit in the reprobate they are transient and gliding not lasting motions they passe like a shadow And therefore saith the Lord by the Prophet Hosea speaking of Ephraim Your goodnesse is as a morning cloud and as the early dew it passeth away Hosea 6.4 As the rising Sunne dissipates the clouds and dries up the dew so do the motions of the Spirit in Reprobates soon vanish and passe away But the motions of the Spirit in the godly they are like an old inhabitant they dwell with him and therefore saith our Saviour If my words abide in you ye shall aske what ye will and it shall be done unto you John 15.7 The words of Christ are transient and as sojourners in the wicked but abiding in the godly they stay with a godly man all his life-time he is one that hath alwayes a conscience void of offence Acts 24.16 My soul breaketh for the longing it hath to thy judgements at all times Psal 119.20 Psal 27.4 saith David And that I might dwell in the house of the Lord all my dayes Psal 23.6 The motions of Gods Spirit in the godly they are not by fits and starts but they are abiding and lasting motions 2. They are rare and seldome not ordinary and usual as they stay but a while so they come but seldome now and then upon some extraordinary emergencies It is in this case with the Reprobate in regard of good motions As it is with a man in a lottery to one prize he may draw a hundred blankes so wicked men they have a hundred Satanical motions to evil for one motion of Gods Spirit to good they are as rare and seldome as it is to see a Swallow in Winter While a wicked man is thinking evil thoughts he is in his own element and he as familiarly doth that as breath but good thoughts are but as strangers in his heart 3. The Spirits motions in wicked men they are constrained not voluntary they are not in them as water which proceeds from a fountaine but as water coming from a still forced by reason of the fire underneath it The Spirits motions in wicked men they are constrained upon a double ground First either from natural conscience which tells them they must not be such devils incarnate as never have any good motions Balaam he had a desire to curse the people of Israel yet natural conscience prevaised with him to the contrary Numb 23.12 and sayes he Must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put into my mouth Or secondly this may proceed from the sense of outward judgements this may occasion the entertainment of good thoughts When their fear cometh as desolation and destructions as a whirlewinde then shall they call upon me Prov. 1.27.28 It must be a whirlewinde of feare which drives them to call upon the name of the Lord agreeable to that of the Prophet Hosea In their affliction they will seek me early Hose 5.15 When the Israelites were afraid of the thunder and the lightening They said unto Moses Speak unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee and we will do it Deut. 5.26,27 4. Motions of the Spirit in the Reprobate they are casual and accidental not studied and considered such which fall in by the by without preparation or meditation motions which tumble in they know not how The wicked man he consulteth evil thoughts therefore sayes the wise man He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things Prov. 16.30 Shutting of the eyes it is a posture which argues intentions of minde thus wicked men they contrive how to bring about a mischievous device and are students in sinne and to this purpose saith the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 4.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that God will make manifest the counsels of the heart Deliberate thoughts about sinne they are called the councels or consultations of the heart and these will God lay open The wicked are said to plot against the just but they never study to have good thoughts when they come they fall in accidentally and passe away without consideration 5. Good motions in wicked men they are partial not universal as moving them not to good at all times so neither to all good They may have motions to move them to the doing of outward good things such whereby their names may become to be spoken of with applause but not to the doing of all good their motions to good put them not upon the mortifying of strong lusts and keeping under sin whereas the Spirits motions to good in the godly they are universal to one good thing as well as another Heb. 13.18 We trust saith the Apostle Paul that we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly Acts 24.16 and as the same Apostle in another place Vniversalitas objecti subjecti Herein do I exercise my self to have alwayes a good conscience void of offence toward God and toward men
manner in every part of the body as it is in the whole body it is more eminently in the whole then in part but corrupt nature it is more in man then the soule is in the body for though the soule be in the body yet it is but in the members of the body for particular uses it is in the eye to see not to work and in the hand to work and not to see it is in the ear to hear and not to go and in the foot to walk and not to hear but sinne is in the soul not for particular acts but it is in every man and in every part of man provoking and enticing to all kinde of evil this the universality of that corruption found in mans nature for which we have great cause to be humbled Sermon XIX At Lawrence Jewry London Januar. 19. 1650. GAL. 5. verse 17. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would HAving opened the enmity and contrariety that is between the flesh and the Spirit I come now to answer two cases of conscience relating to this Doctrine and the first is this 1. If the flesh doth carry such a contrariety to grace what are the reasons why God is pleased to leave such contrary principles in the hearts of regenerate men 2. If there be such a contrariety which can never be reconciled then to what end is it for a man to oppose the flesh Quest 1 What are the reasons why even in regenerate men God suffers such a contrariety against grace Answ 1 I shall answer the question by these four particulars 1. God doth it for the clearer illustration of his mercy God would have shewed his goodnesse if man had never fallen but being fallen Rom. 5.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God shewes his mercy to him The end of our redemption is that Gods grace and mercy might reign And herein you may see a manifest signal thereof that God should work grace in thee when thou hadst such a contrariety in thy heart against it this is great mercy though thou hast a contrary principle in thy nature to grace yet converting grace will overcome and though it do not remove yet it will subdue corruption and grace though it be opposed yet it shall never be expelled grace shall be conquerer at last though it be alwayes fighting whilest we are in this life 2. God is pleased to leave such a contrariety against grace even in the hearts of regenerate men that they might put a higher estimation on Jesus Christ If you had not had a contrary principle to grace you would onely have admired God as a Creator but now having a principle of sinne within you you come to see the need you stand in of a Mediator Adam in innocency needed not a Saviour but now thou being fallen by sin and having a principle of enmity in thy nature nothing but the power of a Saviour can take away this enmity by the work of sanctification and nothing but a Saviour can free thee from the guilt of this enmity even Jesus Christ as the Apostle speaks Rom. 7.24,25 I thank God through Jesus Christ that hath delivered me from this body of death it is he by whom thou art delivered from this guilt and enmity 3. The Lord leaves this corruption of nature in the hearts of his people to stirre up in them a greater and deeper measure of humiliation Humiliation it had not been a duty in us if the Lord had not left the remainers of original corruption in the hearts of his chosen indeed thou shouldest have delighted in God to all eternity but thou shouldest not have had this ground of humiliation if sinne had been totally extirpated This was Pauls case 2 Cor. 12.7 an eminent Apostle There was given him a thorn in the flesh a messenger of Satan to buffet him lest he should be exalted above measure There are foure interpretations given of these words some referre this thorn in the flesh to be meant of Hymeneus and Alexander which did vex Paul so but this is groundlesse Others referre it to some exquisite bodily disease but that can harldy be proved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cypr. Others referre it to the particular sinne of lust of uncleannesse but that cannot be admitted because Paul had the gift of continency and wished that all men were as himself as to that particular But here by the thorne in the flesh the most inquisitive and exquisite Interpreters understand it to be the sin of nature and it is called a messenger of Satan because the devil doth joyn with mans nature and doth set on the corruption of mans heart Now why was this thorn in the flesh left in Paul was it not to humble him lest he should be exalted above measure Deut. 8.15,16 Thus the Lord left the fiery scorpions in the wildernesse to humble the Israelites and the Lord leaves corruption in thy nature to humble thee that thou mightest not be puffed up in thy selfe but that when thou perceivest the corrupt workings of thy nature thou mayest be the more vile and base in thine own eyes 4. The Lord leaves this corrupt nature in thee for the exercise of thy grace Grace is never more exercised then when it is opposed hereby God will try the truth of thy grace and the honesty of thy heart whether thou wilt fall in with the Spirit and side with it against the flesh Thus the Lord left the Canaanites in the land to try whether the Israelites would joyn with them there is a contrary principle to grace left in us to try whether we will joyn with the flesh or follow the motions and dictates of the Lords Spirit Quest 2 The next Question is To what purpose is it for a man to contest with the corruption of his heart seeing that we shall carry this corruption to our grave we have heard that contraries can never be reconciled therefore to what end is it to strive against corruption when there will be no end of the combate I shall name three reasons that though it be true you cannot remove the contrariety that is in your hearts against grace yet there is just reason why you should maintain a contest against it 1. If you will not oppose corruption of nature it will break forth with greater rage and violence in your lives thou hast now an unclean nature but if thou dost not oppose it thou wilt have a vicious life let but thy nature alone and it will be like a field unmanured over-runne with briars and thornes Out of the heart proceed evill thoughts murders adulteries fornication thefts false witnesse blasphemies Matth. 15.19 if we stifle not evil thoughts in the heart they will break out you see into evill and inordinate practices of life so that herein though you cannot remove original
would intimate that he often lost his heart in prayer as if David did many times come to pray but could not finde his heart It is the hardest thing in the world when you come to pray to finde your hearts and when you have found your hearts to keep them 10. That the blood of Jesus Christ wipes off that guilt and filth that cleaves to your holy duties God knowes that when you come to worship him you are men and not Angels you are the spirits of good men imperfect and therefore God doth not expect from you that your service should be perfect because your state is imperfect therefore here is your comfort that your defects in duty shall never damne you who are regenerate soules thou mayest be often hindred in duty but that interruption shall never damne thee Jesus Christ wipe off the stain of all thy duties In the ceremonial law you read that the Altar for the burnt-offering Exod. 27.4,5 it had a grate made for it of net-work of brasse that the dust and the ashes might fall out and so be carried away This is a type of the intercession of Jesus Christ that though in your services and sacrifices to God though you have much affection and zeal yet also there is much ashes of corruption and as that grate was made to carry away the ashes so Jesus Christ he is the Mediatour which will carry away all your defects in the service of God And this should incourage the people of God though you are weak in duty yet neglect not duty though you are forgetful in hearing yet leave not to heare and though distracted in praying yet neglect not prayer because it is the office of Jesus Christ to bear the iniquity of your holy things These are those Positions or Conclusions that I desired to premise before I came to handle the Queries The point that I am to handle is this That such is the prevalency of corrupt nature even in regenerate men that it doth oftentimes interrupt them in holy performances Doct. In the handling of this point there are many particulars which I shall go through 1. I shall prove the point that it is so 2. I shall shew you how the flesh doth hinder in duty 3. Wherein the interruption of the flesh doth most appear 1. For the proof of the point Rom. 7.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 2.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you have not only Pauls testimoy but his own experience how to perform the good I would I finde not how to work it out that is to carry on a duty from the beginning to the end it is the same word in the original as that in Philip. 2.12 where we are commanded to work out our salvation with feare and trembling As he complain of himselfe and as he gives you his experience so we may conferre all our experiences with his and say that how to do that which is good we finde not As rust cleaves to the iron so cleaves the flesh to our holy duties In general do not our own hearts tell us that there is much of the world in them and are there not many vain and impertinent thoughts in the duties we perform to God and that not only in general but in particular duties in prayer how doth the flesh interrupt us by vain and impertinent thoughts and wrong ends how doth it dead our affections damp our zeal and straiten our hearts in hearing how doth the flesh cast in prejudices and misconstructions infidelity and forgetfulnesse In meditation how doth it make the minde roving and wandring up and down so that thou canst not bring thy meditations to a perfect issue In discourse how doth the flesh mingle censures and vain glory when thou comest to the Lords Supper how doth the flesh hinder thee that thou canst not exercise godly sorrow that thy love is not inflamed and that thy joy in Christ is not elevated Therefore what cause have to complain as Augustine when he saw a shepherd tie a stone to the legge of a bird and the bird assaying to fly upwards was still pulled down again by the stone Just thus sayes he is it with my soule fain would I so are aloft by holy meditation but there is a stone tied to my legge a corrupt nature whereby I am coutinually pulled down Quest The next Question is how doth the flesh hinder us in holy performances I shall confine my answer to these two particulars there are these two wayes how the flesh doth hinder us in holy duties 1. By soliciting men to abate and lessen their duties 2. By injecting and casting in vain and impertinent thoughts Answ 1. By soliciting men to abate in their duty if so be nature can prevaile with you to omit duty or not to be so much in duty as thou hast been heretofore to pray lesse and hear lesse herein is a great policy of thy corrupt heart to perswade the heart that thou needest not be so zealous because remisse acts do weaken habits to pray remissely and coldly will in time bring thee not to pray at all Now to those who are thus intangled by the flesh that they decay in duty to such I have three things to say 1. You have not lesse need to pray nor perform duty then in former time and therefore why should you lessen your duties you have not less temptations from Satan no lesse corruptions in thy soule nor fewer spiritual wants no lesse troubles on the Church and therefore let not nature prevaile with you to decay in duty 2. As it is a deceit of the heart in sinne to bring you from little sinnes to great sinnes so in grace it is the deceit of nature to bring you from doing little in duty at last to do nothing at all 3. Gradual abatements and decayes in duty may be as dangerous to thy soule as total omissions and thou mayest go to hell as well for the one as for the other not but that total neglects do more provoke God Though a man is in more danger of present death that is sick of a fever then he that is sick of a lingring consumption yet the one will kill as surely as the other Men that cast off Religion they die by a burning fever but thou which decayest in Religion thou mayest die of a lingring consumption thou mayest consume and consume untill thou comest to a meer skeleton in Religion and to have no verdure nor vigour in thy spirit in the exercises of holinesse Answ 2. And chiefly the flesh interrupts in duty by injecting and casting in vain thoughts and impertinent when thou art about duty Now those thoughts which the flesh casts in they are of two sorts either such which for the matter of them are lawful or else which are for their matter unlawful 1. Levit. 28.12 compared with Prov. 26.1 Though it be not cogitatio mali yet it is cogitatio mala The flesh will cast in thoughts
have a seed of grace remaining in them 3. Wicked men they do not so clearly discerne and sensibly bewaile the interruptions of the flesh as those who are godly do 4. The wicked they shall never be rid of the evil workings of the flesh neither in this world nor in that which is to come Sinne in this life shall hinder duty and in the world to come they will cast off duty But the godly though pestered with the flesh yet they shall one day be rid of the flesh And thus I have finished the first part of the double consequent Sermon XXV At Lawrence Jewry London Februar 9. 1650. GAL. 5. verse 17. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would I Am now to proceed to the second reference of these words and that is the Spirits conflicts against the flesh so that men cannot do the evil they would And the observation is this Doct. That the Spirit of God keeps regenerate men oftentimes that they shall not do the evil they would In the handling of which Point there are three particulars in the doctrinal part that I shall insist on 1. I shall shew you how the Spirit doth keep a man from doing the evil he would do 2. Wherein consists this work of the Spirit 3. How you may know the difference between the restraining grace of the Spirit in keeping a wicked man from sinne and the renewing grace of the Spirit in keeping regenerate men from evil 1. How doth the Spirit keep a man from doing the evil that he would do To this question I shall give you five particulars by way of answer 1. The Spirit keeps a man from doing the evil he would by enlightening his judgement and making him to see the evil of sinne in its nature and the danger of sinne in its event Thus you read in Job 36.9 Job 36.9 He sheweth them their worke and their transgressions that they have exceeded here is the inlightening of their judgements and then it followes in the tenth verse He openeth also their eare to discipline and commandeth that they return from iniquity verse 10. vers 12. and in the twelfth verse If they obey not they shall perish by the sword and shall die without knowledge The sinne of nature it is described by a state of ignorance to note that a man without the Spirit is blinde and cannot see those evils which he commits the Spirit therefore enlightens a man and hence you read Acts 26.18 that the Apostle Paul was sent to open mens eyes and to turn them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God See 2 King 6.15 intimating that there must be first the opening of the eyes and the enlightening of the judgement before there can be a rescuing from sinne 2. The Spirit keeps a man from sinne by setting conscience on work to check and rebuke a man when he is tempted thereunto Conscience is Gods Officer and mans Overseer and were it not for a natural conscience a wicked man would commit all imaginable evills every wicked man would commit every sinne that he had opportunity to act Now as sinne wounds the conscience after commission so conscience checks for sinne before commission It is conscience which is as an iron gate and as a brazen wall to keep thee from many evills which otherwise thou wouldst run into And therefore Ioseph consults with his conscience How can I do this great wickednesse and this kept him from committing folly with his Mistresse 3. Another way whereby the Spirit keeps a man from sinne is by infusing into a man a principle of grace and holinesse repugnant to that principle of sinne which is in the nature and thus the Apostle John tells you that Whosoever iâ— born of God doth not commit sinne for the seed of God remaineth in him and he cannot sinne because he is born of God 1 Joh. 3.9 1 Joh. 5.18 He that is born of God hath a renewed nature and a new principle put into him contrary to the sin of his nature 4. The Spirit keeps a man from evil by calling to his remembrance some particular passage out of Sctipture against that sinne unto which he is tempted To this purpose David speakes that he had hid the Word of the Lord in his heart Psal 119.11 that he might not sinne against him This is the way whereby the Spirit fortifies the heart against sin you have it often mentioned in particular cases Solomon gives this counsel to his sonne that he should keep his words Prov. 7.1,5 and lay up his commandments and that to this end that they may keep thee from the strange woman and thus David Psal 17.4 saies he By the Word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer Thus Augustine reports of a young man who was given to wantonnesse and it pleased God by bringing this passage to his remembrance Not in rioting and drunkennesse not in chambring and wantonnesse it pleased God to make this a meanes whereby he left off his dalliance and wantonnesse ever after 5. The Spirit keeps a man from doing the evil he would by possessing the heart with an awe and dread of the presence of God when he is tempted to evil Fear the Lord and depart from evil Prov. 37. the wise man joynes them both together to let you know that when the heart is possessed with the fear of God it keeps a man from evil And thus Solomon in a parallell place speaks to the same purpose Prov. 16.6 Prov. 14.16 that By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil An awefull fear of the great God is a good preservative gainst sin Quest 2 The next question is Wherein this worke of the Spirit in keeping a man from sinne consists And for answer hereto in the general it consists in three things 1. In regard of the kindes of sinne 2. In regard of the time and place where sinne would be committed 3. In regard of the manner of sin 1. In regard of the kindes of sinne so the Spirit keeps a regenerate man that he shall never commit the sinne against the Holy Ghost not but that there is the seed of that sinne in the godly as well as others this you have fully proved by John in 1 Joh. 5.18 1 Joh. 5.18 After he had been telling that there was a sinne unto death and saies he I do not say ye shall pray for it he tells you after in the eighteenth verse We know saith he that whosoever is born of God sinneth not but he that is begotten of God keepeth himselfe and that wicked one toucheth him not That is shall not prevaile over a godly man to sinne this sinne unto death grace in the hearr will keep a man that the wicked one shall not so touch
miseries and afflictions of other men that want those comforts that you enjoy Judges 16.23.25 Sampson you know when he discovered wherein his great strength lay the Philistins cut off his hair and then his strength was gone and he became as another man and the Philistins took him and put out his eyes and bound him in fetters of brasse and made him grind in the prison-house they made him their drudge and their slave and the Lords of the Philistins gathered themselves together to offer sacrifice to Dagon and to rejoyce and when their hearts were merry they called for Sampson to make them sport their immoderate joy did make them insult over this poor blind man in misery Beloved then is your joy excessive when you make the afflictions of other men to be matter of your Joy 6. Your Joy is excessive when it is mingled with luxury and sensuality 2 Sam. 13.28 Luke 15.23,14 Hence it is that you read so often in Scripture of mens being merry with wine in 1 Sam. 25.36 and as an Authour observes the same word in the Hebrew that signifies to be merry signifies to be drunk in the 43. Gen. last when mirth proceeds so far as to drunkenness and sensuality Eâ—h 1.10 then it is excessive 7. When worldly joy breeds security and insensibleness of Gods judgements approaching any place then it is inordinate Thus Ethiopia was called the rejoycing City that dwelt securely Zeph 2.16 and hence it is that in Psal 2.11 fear is adjoyned to rejoycing serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling And hence it is that Absolom when he would by treachery shed the blood of Amnon gave this Counsel to his Servants When you see Amnon merry then fall upon him as knowing that when his heart was merry he would then be secure And so those in Amos 6.3.6 that chant to the sound of the Violl and drink wine in Bowles are said to be men that put far away the evill day and were secure in their pleasures and so these in Esay 22.12.13 In the day that the Lord called for weeping and mourning and baldness and to girding with Sackcloth behold joy and gladness slaying Oxen and killing sheep eating flesh and drinking wine let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die they would not believe the prophet that foretold them the Judgements of God that were coming upon them but in scoffing and jearing manner said one to another let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die And so again in Esay 56.12 Come ye say they I will fetch wine and we will fill our selves with strong drink and to morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant they feared not want nor alteration of their condition which security of theirs declared their joy to be excessive and inordinate 8. When men will run to worldly joyes and pleasures to still and stifle the troubles and terrours of their consciences When a man shall have a conviction upon his conscience which troubles and perplexes him for some grosse evill he hath committed in his life and shall then run to his recreations and pleasures or get amongst jolly Company to cast away and shake off these troubles that are upon him this shews his joy is immoderate And thus Saul did discover a joviall and sensuall spirit 1 Sam. 16.15 when an evill spirit from the Lord troubled him that is when he had some guilt and terrour lying upon his Conscience then he commanded his Servants to seek him out a man skilfull in Musick to play before him but he had been better to have gone to prayer upon his knees then to call for Musick and run to sensuall delights to remove his trouble And thus it was with those Idolaters that sacrificed their Children unto Moloch they had Instruments of Musick but what to do why first it was to drown the cries of their Children and secondly to provoke them to merriment and jollity that their Consciences might not trouble them for so cruel a murther as the sacrificing their Children Why now beloved you that can when a Sermon hath come home to you and toucht you to the quick and the word of God hath come with power and wrought effectually upon you to the discovering and convincing you of your sin If you then run to your recreations and pleasures to company-keeping and Stage-playes or the like to divert your thoughts from your sins and remove the terrour and trouble of your conscience This is a sign your joy is excessive and sinfull indeed this is the way rather to increase then to quiet the checks of conscience The Pellican to put out the fire flaps it with her wings and so instead of putting it out kindles it the more burns her self so do those that seek by worldly pleasure and jollity to stifle the checks of conscience And thus I have very briefly run over these 8. particulars to shew you wherein a mans worldly joy for outward comforts is excessive I have only now a second thing to run over and then give you a short use and so have done Query 2 2. What Rules and directions can you prescribe us to keep our worldly joy for outward comforts within bounds Answ Answ I shall give you 3. or 4. 1. Consider that you have better things to rejoyce in then any thing here below Directions for mode rating our joyes in worldly comforts thou hast better objects to transport thy soul with joy as thy reconciliation with God communion with Christ the comforts of the Holy Ghost assurance of the pardon of sin the justification of thy person by the merits of Christ the sanctification of thy nature by the spirit of Christ Thou hast thy election vocation redemption glorification thou hast all these objects to provoke thy Joy and to fasten thy delight upon Would any man rejoyce and delight himself in Counters if he might have so many peeces of Gold in the room of them or would any man delight or rejoyce so much in Pibbles if he might have as many Pearls for them or in a flint stone that hath a Diamond oh beloved you have things of more worth then any thing in this world to rejoyce in There is a great deal vaster difference between the things of Heaven the mercies of eternity and these outward comforts here below then there is between Brasse and Gold between Pibbles Pearls between the Sun and a Candle Therefore Consider I have a God and Christ Heaven and happiness pardon reconciliation sanctification Justification redemption and glorification I have all these to fix and place my Joy upon and therefore why should I rejoyce so much in the things of this world The Disciples of Christ thought themselves some body and were puffed up because they could cast out Devills and work miracles but saies Christ to them rejoyce not in that the Devills are subject to you but rejoyce that your names are written in Heaven Luke 10.20 the
eager after riches Eccles 5.10 that you never think you have enough When men enlarge their desires like hell and are like the grave that will never be satisfied When you are like those spoken of in Esay 56.11 that were greedy Doggs that could never have enough such men are slaves to their wealth and their riches possesseth them more then they it Beloved when you are thus eagen in your pursuit of riches and so restlesse in your desires after the things of the world this shews that your affections are too much set upon them And thus I have done with the first question and have shewed you when peoples affections towards their Estates and possessions may be said to be excessive Quest We come now to the second Question which is this Why should Christians be so carefull that they do not place an immoderate affection upon their wealth and possessions in the world Answ I answer first because of the uncertainty and instability of all earthly comforts all the glory of the world is called but a fashion they are things only in shew and appearance not in reality the world is not only a bundle of vanities and so not worth any thing but these are also liable to a great deal of uncertainty inconstancy therefore we should not set our affections too much upon them either the world will leave you or else you must leave it Prov. 23.5 It may be your Estate will die and decay before you die for riches as Solomon saies take unto them wings and fly away from you which he useth as an Argument to take off mens affections from the world Beloved could you carry your wealth with you when you go hence and keep it to eternity then indeed your earnest and unwearied endeavours after it were excusable but seeing you must leave all behind you when you die naked came you into the world and naked shall you return you shall carry nothing with you therefore do not set your hearts too much upon them In Psal 49.12 saies the Psalmist Psal 39. Psal 49.10 Man being in honour abideth not men heap up riches but know not who shall enjoy them In Eccles 2.18 He leaves it unto the man that shall be after him Reason 2 2. Another reason is because you know not what they shall be that shall enjoy what you labour for you may take a great deal of pains in gathering and heaping up wealth and yet leave it to them that will neither love you nor thank you for it Now shall I toil and moil in the world and hazard my soul to get riches when I may leave my Estate to I know not whom that it may be will neither love me nor thank me for it nor yet honestly or charitably imploy it Eccles 2.19 I hated all the labour that I had taken under the Sun because I should leave it to the man that shall be after me and who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool Shall I rise up early and go to bed late and eat the bread of carefulness and take so much pains to get an Estate when I do not know whether a wise man or a fool may enjoy it You that are such covetous muck-worms as spend all your strength and time in getting riches and heaping up wealth carkingly and eagerly yet thou dost not know whether he that shall rule over all thy labour shall be a wise man or a fool a good man or a bad a friend or a stranger whether he shall imploy it well or ill 3 Do not place your affections excessively upon the world because you have better things pertaining to another world that you should place your affections upon you have true lasting and durable riches to rejoyce in as reconciliation with God cōmunion with Christ the comforts of the Holy Ghost justification of your persons sanctification of your natures acceptation of your services c. you have all these to rejoyce in and therefore why will you be so much in love with Pebbles when you may have Pearls in the room of them with Counters of Brasse when you may have peeces of Gold 4. Another reason is this because if you do place your affections too immoderately upon the things of the world when you come to part with them and it pleaseth God to take them away from you the losse of them will be the more grievous and vexatious to you When the Lord comes to lay you upon the D◅ghill like Job and strips you of all your comforts riches possessions Children and friends in one day how bitter and grievous will this be to you If your hearts be cemented and glewed to the world and the things thereof sit as close to you as the skin upon your flesh you will not part with them but with a great deal of trouble and difficulty but if you live with weaned affections to the world and the comforts of this life are but as the Gloves to your hands which you may easily pull off without any pain Then when God calls for any of your comforts or strips you of all of them you will be willing to part with them and say with Job the Lord gave and the Lord takes blessed be his name for all Job 1.21 Otherwise it will be a great misery and a sad affliction to thee to be stript of those possessions that have taken full possession of thy heart And thus I have done with the Doctrinall part of this part of the Text and they that buy as if they possessed not Use We come now to the application and the use that I shall make of this shall be directed to three sorts of people Is it so that Christians ought to take heed that they do not place immoderate affections upon the riches and possessions they get in the world then I have something to say First to those that do buy and sell and trade in the world and take a great deal of pains and yet God doth not bless their endeavours with any increase they buy but possess nothing they labour and toil in the world but get nothing 2. To those that buy and sell and possess riches in the world but do it by dishonest gain 3. To those that buy and sell and get great Estates and do it lawfully and by honest and commendable courses I shall spend two Sermons in speaking to these three sorts of people and shall now begin with the first 1. To you that buy and sell and are industrious in your Callings in the world and yet God doth not blesse you with any increase you buy but possess nothing and can hardly bring the year about with all your pains and labour and sweat and toyl in the world you cannot advance your Estate nor get any thing at the years end Advice to such as take pains in the world and yet are scarce able to get a subsistance to such as you are I have two
the world the fitter you are for Gods service The lean Oxe is fitter for service then the fatted Oxe what if God keeps thee low and poor seeing it is to make thee more capable of doing him service why should you be troubled 5. Consider that thou art free from the more cares and incumbrances by how much the lesse the Lord gives thee here in this world for they that will be rich fall into divers snares and temptations 1 Tim. 6.9 Now which is best either to go in a broad way where there is a snare laid for thee or to go in a narrow way where you may go with safety and without danger And therefore beloved if God give you but a small portion here below why then say I have the lesse cares and troubles and snares and incumbrances that rich men are liable and exposed to In Gen. 13.2 t is said Abraham was rich the word in the Hebrew is heavy and so those that are encompassed with riches the Prophet Halbakuk expresseth it by a compassing about with thick Clay they are so loaden with worldly enjoyments that they cannot run the race that is set before them in the way to Heaven 6. Consider that it may be thou hast more peace and comfort and contentedness in the little thou possessest then many times wicked men have in their great abundance you have many times more reall comfort in your scarcity and penury then the wicked have in all their plenty Psal 37.16 A little that the righteous man hath is better then the riches of many a wicked man Prov. 15.6 Beloved those to whom God gives abundance they have every thing neat and necessary about them yet they may have something or other that pinches and troubles them the condition of poverty want and disgrace may be more easie in some respects A Sattin Suit may more gall a rich man then a Russet Coat that a poor man weares does trouble him God doth many times mingle care and trouble with the riches and abundance that wicked men have but now a poor man though he has but a little yet he hath the blessing of God with it Prov. 10.22 The blessing of God maketh rich and he adds no sorrow with it Eccles 4.6 Better is a bandfull with quietness then both the hands full with travel and vexation of spirit A little Estate with peace and contentedness is better then twice as much with sorrow and care Suppose thou art a poor man yet it may be thou hast more comfort in what thou hast then the rich have in their affluence and confluence of all worldly things Now consider with your selves is it not better for thee to wear a Russet Coat and have a sound and healthy body then to be cloathed in Sattin and Purple and have a Leprosie all over thy body Is it not better for thee to enjoy a little with the blessing of God upon it then to have all the riches and abundance of the wicked and to have their care and trouble with it SERM. XI 1 Cor. 7.30 And they that buy as though they possessed not I Come now to direct the use of this Doctrine that Christians ought to take heed that they do not place an inordinate and excessive affection upon the Estates that they have gotten by buying and selling in the world to the second sort of people I promised to speak to and those are such as do buy and sell in the world and have gotten them Estates and possessions and that honestly and justly I have three things to say to you 1. I shall give you some cautelary directions 2. Some astonishing considerations 3. Some usefull admonitions in reference to your Estates justly and honestly gotten 1. I shall begin with the cautelary directions 1. You that have gotten wealth and riches in the world Severall cautelary directions to those that have got great Estates in the world justly I would have you often recollect and call to mind your former poverty in the world before you were rich this the Lord commanded the Israelites to do Deut. 8.2 saies God there to them when you shall live and multiply and go in and possess the Land which I promised to your Fathers then thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness to humble thee and to prove thee and to keep thee from pride and haughtiness of spirit I remember what Plutark relates of Agathocles that when he was advansed from a Potters Son to be a Prince he would alwayes have his meat served up to him in earthen Platters to humble him in the remembrance of his mean extraction and to put him in mind from whence he came that he might not be lifted up with pride And so beloved you should often call to mind and reflect upon your former poverty and low condition it may be some of you when you came to this City had scarce Cloaths to your backs which now are clad in Silk and Sattin you should remember from whence you came Thus David did in Psal 78.71 He chose David also his Servant and took him from the sheep Folds from following the Ews great with young be brought him to feed Jacob his people and Israel his inheritance This is here mentioned by the Psalmist as a holy meditation to keep his heart humble this is the first direction Direct 2 2. Attribute nothing to your own industry and diligence in your Calling but to the blessing of God upon your endeavours if he hath given thee an increase of riches by thy Trade and the reason of it is this because though a man doth rise up early and go to bed late and take never so much pains in the world yet without the blessing of God Psa 127.2 all will do no good Deut. 8.17.18 Thou shalt not say in thy heart my power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth but thou shalt remember the Lord thy God for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth Beloved you must take heed of ascribing your riches to your own industry for without the blessing of God nothing can prosper Hab. 1.16 take heed of sacrificing to your own nets and burning incense to your own draggs because you have gotten wealth in the world 3. Be not proud of those riches that God hath given thee In 1 Tim. 6.17 Charge them saies the Apostle that are rich in the world that they be not high minded Vermis divitia um superbia est August Ardua res haec est opiâ—us non â—adere mores Et cum tot 〈◊〉 oesos viceris esse Nâ—mam Martial the worm of pride does often breed in rich mens hearts it is a hard matter to keep your heart low and humble when your Estate is high and to keep pride down when God hath lifted thee up above thy Brethren Ezek. 28.4.5 By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick thou hast