objected then how is it that those that are effectually called are very doubtful and have many questions and are uncertaine whether they are called or no if it be so how come these doubts and troubles and perplexities that are in the minds of good people that are effectually called of God and we find by experience that they were effectually called I answer first we must know that though the knowledge of a mans calling may be had yet it is had by degrees it is a gradual knowledge a man cannot know it all at first dash God doth not manifest his favour and love all at once to his people and when he gives it he doth not presently tell a man what he gives him though there be wayes for him to know it and find it out yet the Lord doth not open himself to his people all at the first nay he doth not so to his own Son Christ Jesus in respect of his humanity as he grew in stature and wisdom so he grew in favour with God Luk. 2.52 The divine nature manifested it self more and more to his humane so God doth manifest his favour and love and openeth himself to his people more and more according as they grow in goodness they grow in this knowledge as they are more and more pure in heart the more do they see God and Gods goodness to them and what God hath done for them this knowledge though it be to be had yet it is to be had by degrees and the people of God have it not all in one degree some have it in a higher degree and some in a lower but every man hath some of this knowledge that he is called of God it is impossible that a man should be effectually called and be wholly and totally ignorant of it Secondly As this knowledge is gradual so it is experimental a man knows that he is called by experience chiefly and mainly as when a man knows by experience that he comes to God and draws near to God and that he doth abstract himself from the world and worldly wayes and practises and layes aside more and more the carnal wayes of men and doth approach nearer and nearer unto the things of God in Christ if a man hath experience of these things he comes now to say God hath effectually called me and hath been pleased to do me good when he finds this by experience that these things are wrought in him then he can conclude this at the first he was like a man in a vision he could hardly believe that God had effectually called him as it was with Peter when the Angel delivered him out of prison he was as one that had seen a vision he had not thought it had been a real thing he could not tell what to make of it Act. 12.11 but when he came to himself now saith he I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his Angel and delivered me out of prison At first he could not tell what to make of it but afterwards when he saw he was in the streets and that the iron gate opened to him of its own accord now saith he I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his Angel and delivered me So it is with the people of God at first when they hear something from the Father they know not what to make of this call at the first but afterwards when they come to see this lust and that lust fall off and these and these heavenly works in their souls they now know of a surety that God hath sent his Spirit into their souls and delivered them from sins and Satan and hell and damnation c. At first they were like dreamers they were not able to say whether they were called or no as the children of Israel when they were delivered out of captivity they could hardly believe it at first Psal 126.1 When the Lord turned away the captivity of Zion we were as those that dreamed we could hardly perswade our selves that God had delivered us out of captivity with such a mercy so great a favour so unlikely so improbable it could never enter into their hearts almost we were like those that dreamed but when they saw they were in Jerusalem and were helped and assisted and heard the Gentiles talke of it and all the people runne up and down when they saw it was so and had experience of it then they saw God had done it indeed and did believe it so when a man is first effectually called to come out of his sins the Lord knocks off his bolts and plucks him out of the jaile of hell and sets him as it were in Jerusalem he is at first as a man that dreams he can hardly believe it is so as it was with David when God called him to be King he could hardly believe it it could hardly enter into his heart that he should be King over Israel especially being dayly persecuteed by Saul and calamities heaping up themselves against him he could not conclude it but when the Lord had set him in his Kingdome and given him victory over his enemies now saith he I know that the Lord saveth his anointed now he could speak it and found it by experience that the Lord had made him his anointed and saved and delivered him from all his enemies before he was ready to deny it and say Samuel was a lyar he had anointed him to be King but I said in my hast all men are lyars but when he had experience of it now saith he I know that the Lord hath saved his anointed Thirdly As the knowledge of effectual calling is gradual and experimental so likewise it is very spiritual it is a marvellous spiritual work and therefore no marvel though it be something insensible indeed there be things in it which are very sencible and conspicuous as may be a reprobate may be galled at a Sermon he may have his eyes broad open to see his sins and iniquities and may be wonderfully wrought upon and may have the sencible work of vocation by the very Spirit of God but the very specificalness of it whereby this effectual calling doth differ from all other callings this is a marvelous Spiritual thing and therefore no wonder that it is insencible sometimes and many of the people of God feare they have it not these things may be done in the soul of a man and a man not know it and yet it may seem strange that the eyes of the blind should be opened and the feet of the lame should walk and the dead should be raised and the devils should be cast out it is strange I say that these things should be done in a mans soul and yet the man in whose soul they are done should be ignorant of them it is a strange thing but the works of the Spirit are wonderful secret the actions of the Spirit are very invisible when a man humbles himself and prayes
of the Egyptians and they would go up with them but they would not go into the land of Canaan but returned back again the true Israelites that were affected truly they only went into the Land of Canaan but a mixed company went up with them so when a man sets forth towards heaven there is a mixed company in that mans bosome goeth along with him mixed joy and fear and hope and even corrupt nature is raised up at first for you must think the fears of God lying upon the soul and the newness of Religion he was in hell before now he is in heaven that will raise up even corrupt nature for a time a man will seem to be so affected and so lively now after a while these mercenary Souldiers this mixed company go back again and leave nothing but the bare sanctified affections and now the man seems to be deader then he was as if he had lost all and may be he complains he is not the man he was he was thus and thus moved before and enlarged to good duties now he is down the wind I say this doth not follow it is even as if a man that hath bought a bushel of pease at the Market when they are shell'd and the pods are off and none but the bare pease left should complain he hath less then he had at first so it is here there is nothing gone but the meer trash and husks when a man is first converted there is a great deal of trash with it a great deal of corrupt nature that will leave a man in the lurch afterwards yet it follows not but the man hath the same sanctified affections he had formerly Secondly Violent commotions may stir a man and make him seem to be more affected then he is there are many seem to be full of life whereas if they were searched to the bottome there is nothing but violent commotions that will come to nothing a child of God at first setting out may be marvellously quickned stirred and seem to be mighty zealous and fervent when in truth the greatest part of this is nothing but violent commotions a little grace will seem a great deal when there are these violent stirrings this man will make a greater shew then the same godly man afterwards when he hath more grace a great deal as James and John seemed to be very zealous Luke 9.54 as zealous as Elias you will say were they not affected when they saw the Samaritans would not receive Christ oh thought they they deserve to be burnt down to the ground Wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven to consume them as Elias did they could have been content to have fired whole Towns that would not receive Christ you will say this is admirable but these were nothing but violent commotions now when Christ had stilled these violent commotions will you say they were grown cold and dead and not so lively as formerly you know the torrent though it run not so violently as in a great flood yet still it runs so it is here may be a godly Minister at his first entrance puts forth himself more and preaches as if he would fly in the face of the ungodly afterwards he preacheth more gently and evenly shall we say he is grown more dull and dead and not so well affected as before no he may be more affected so for a private Chistian it may be so soon as ever God turned his heart and inclined him towards his heavenly Kingdom and made him look out for the good of his soul we shall have him pray with such violence and such extended passages he will reach forth himself in the confession of sin as if he would trample upon himself and in his petitioning for grace as if he would wrestle with God and in his acknowledging of Gods goodness as if he were affected more then thousand Christians besides but afterwards when he comes to have his eyes better enlightned to see what a deal of froth was in these things and how dead he is in regard of true saving life now he begins to be ashamed of himâ—elf he doth not lay them down but he would have them in more truth Now shall we say this man is more dead and lesse affected then he was before no but this man hath less violent commotions Thirdly Indiscretion will make a man seem to be more affected then indeed he is as a godly man that is rash and indiscreet let this man reprove a sin he will be so zealous and earnest nay he will be so cholerick that if you do not yeild presently he is in a combustion afterwards when God gives him more knowledge of his waies and more discretion to reprove sin he will not be so cholerick and in such a passion hath this man lost his affections now no this doth not follow he may keep his affections still and it may be hates sin a thousand times more then he did before but he goes another way to work and deals more composedly and gravely and zealously for the good of the mans soul as when Paul saw the Philippians so loving in the midst of all his afflictions and sufferings for the Gospels sake sending him so many hundred miles a great present to relieve him in his necessity what doth he do doth he bid them abate their love no encrease in it more and more saith he but let it be with knowledge and judgment Phil. 1.9 a man that is of a loving nature when he hath pared off all foolish charity and all vain and proud charity whereby he doth things out of pride ostentation and vanity as he will do when he comes to have more understanding if he do not discern and compare himself with the word of God he may seem to abate in his love but he is not less loving but more judicious So Samuel at first he was so zealous against Saul when he had sinned against Gods commandment that he would not stay with him by any means no saith he you have rejected the word of the Lord when Saul confessed his sins and entreated him to stay and was very earnest no by no means what stay with a wretch that hath rejected the word of the Lord 1 Sam. 15.26 yet afterwards he did stay will you say now Samuel was grown cold and less affected against sin no but he was more judicious he begun to consider certainly if I do not stay it will be a disparagement to the Lords anointed I may disparage the Lords ordinance and disparage the Kings Authority and cause the people to scorn him he began to see that Saul spake with sense honour me before the people and he did stay then now he was not less affected but more judicious Fourthly Presumption may make a man seem to be more affected and quickned a great deal then indeed he is as Peter he seemed to be so mightily transported and enlarged towards Christ
speaks 2 Cor. 8.12 If there be first a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that a man hath not The law will have perfection whether a man hath power or no or else it will damn a man but in the Gospel a man may say as Peter to the lame man Silver and gold have I none but such as I have that give I thee Lord such a memory and such parts and gifts have I not but such as I have that give I thee according to that measure of knowledge I have according to that grace I have I will give it thee If a man can say thus he is accepted not according to that he hath not but according to that he hath as it was in the law of Moses Levit. 5.6 7. A trespasse-offering should be a lamb or a kid but if a man were not able to give that then two turtle doves or two young pigeons if he be not able to give that let him give two or three handfuls of fine flowre Levit. 5.11 So Levit. 14.20 Let him give according as he can get he shall be accepted according to that This is the perfection of the Gospel according to the help and assistance God gives a man and according to the means God affordâ— a man it shall be accepted Fourthly The perfection of the law admits of no failings if a man fails no matter though it be out of infirmity the law condemns him the law requires perfection without failings but the perfection of the Gospel by way of sincerity admits of failings as the best gold hath his allowances so it is with a true Christian he may be sincere and upright though he hath a thousand failings as it is said of David 1 Kings 15.5 He did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord in all things but onely in the matter of Uriah That indeed would not stand with sincerity his sincerity was quite in a swoun then that could not stand with sincerity if he had gone on to sin in that fashion he could not have been sincere but in all other things he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. You will say he had a thousand failings yet saith the Text they all stood with sincerity he numbred the people and God was mightily angry with him and you know how unjust he was in the matter of Zibah and Mephibosheth you know how he told a lye to Abimelech and was the occasion of the death of the Priests of the Lord you know how he counterfeited himself mad and he had horrible disorders in his family and had lost the power of controul over his children were not these horrible failings and what a company of Wives and Concubines had he yet all these stood with sincerity because they were either done out of ignorance or want of due consideration sometimes or through humane frailty and infirmity or through violence of temptation contrary to his constant course and intendment and purpose they might all stand with sincerity and an upright heart according to the perfection of the Gospel Fifthly The perfection of the Law makes nothing of repentance if you break the commandements of God if you shed tears of blood and repent your heart out what cares the law the law will have perfect obedience or else to hell you shall But now in the perfection of the Gospel repentance is a great matter nay if a man be never so vile and wretched if yet he humble himselfe before God and be unfeignedly sorry for sinning against God this is a great matter this man is an upright man that is unfeignedly humbled and abased before God The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit a broken and contrite heart thou shalt not despise This is the voyce of the Gospel So Ezek. 18.21 If the wicked will turn from all his sins and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die As it is Job 23.27 28. He looked upon men and if any said I have sinned he will deliver his soule from going down into the pit In the Gospel a man is an upright man if he come before the throne of grace with shame and confusion of face for all his sins with unfeigned sorrow that he hath broken Gods Covenant if he hath never so many failings if he set himselfe to please God and when he fails he repents and humbles himself before God this man hath the perfection of the Gospel Thus we see the meaning of the words Perfect before God The point of Doctrine is this That every man is to labour to be perfect that is the thing that God will require and enquire after at the last day whether we be upright You see this 1 Cor. 5 7 8. and so likewise in other places of Scripture The first Reason is from the nature of God with whom we have to doe Reason 1 he is upright therefore it concerns us to labour to be like him he himselfe is an upright God and there is no unrighteousness in him his wayes are perfect and his judgments are truth therefore if a man be not perfect he cannot be like him Mat. 5.48 Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect we know his spirit is the spirit of truth himselfe is the God of truth his Son is the way the truth and the life he is the faithful witness and as God is upright so he looks that his servants should shew what Master they serve that they may make it appear that their Master is an upright Master Psalm 92. ult to shew forth that the Lord is upright This is our duty God is upright and Christ is upright and therefore we should follow his steps 1 Pet. 2.21 22. Secondly God hath commanded us to be sincere though he remit from the first Covenant of absolute and perfect righteousness and holiness without sin ye he will have his people truly fearing him and hating sin universal in obedience that they shall be from the bottome of their hearts followers of him therefore this stung David to the heart when he committed sin O thought he Thou desirest truth in the inward parts Psal 51.6 As who should say thou lookest into the heart thou requirest truth of thy servants O what a false heart have I had in this businesse God hath many worshippers in this world such as they are but God cares for none but such as deale faithfully in his Covenant as Christ speaks John 4.24 Thirdly God knows our hearts therefore though we serve him and do duties to him though we call upon his name hear his Word come to his Table observe his Sabbaths keep his Ordinances yet if we doe not doe these things in truth his eyes are ever upon our bosomes he casts his eyes upon the secrets of men if our hearts be rotten and proud and vaine and loose and filthy if our hearts be not of a right frame all is nothing
if there be any way of wickednesse in us if there be any secret sins or cursed corruptions that we favour our selves in if there be any false way we secreâ—ly haunt the Lord shall search it out for the knowes the secrets of our hearts therefore it becomes us to be upright as he saith of Ephraim Hos 5.3 I know Ephraim he is not hid from us So if we preach never so zealously and doe not according to our preaching the Lord knows us so if we hear never so zealously and doe not practice what we hear he knows it therefore it concerns us to be upright Fourthly Because the Lord will let down the Covenant no lower Now God hath been pleased to moderate the first Covenant which it was impossible for us to keep and hath brought it down to the Covenant of faith to believe and to be sincere in all our wayes this God requires and will let it down no lower Isa 63.8 the Lord saith there Surely they are my people children that will not lye and so he was their Saviour So he requires his people should be children that should not lye and be base-hearted and deal deceitfully and crookedly in his Covenant he was their Saviour so they would be children that would not lye So Eph. 6.24 Grace be with all them that love Christ in sincerity There is no man is under the Covenant of grace unlesse he be sincere in all the will of God in Jesus Christ There are two things the Covenant of grace gives the one is the forgivenesse of sins the other is a sincere heart if a man hath not these two he is yet in his sins as we may see Psal 32.2 Blessed is the man c. Fifthly The Examples of all the Saints in all Ages all the people of God that ever were upright to begin with Noah Gen. 6.9 The text saith he was a just and perfect man in his generation You know it was in a corrupt time all the Earth had corrupted their wayes no question a man that was religious in those dayes he could not chuse but be scorned and derided but what cared he he would be a just man and was perfect in his generation though it were a devillish generation yet he was an upright man and would not doe as the world did but he would draw near to God and walk with him from day to day So it is said of Job Job 1.2 That he was an upright and perfect man though Job lived in a blind corner out of the Church and setting aside 304 generally the whole Countrey were Heathens and Pagans and he was as an Owl in the Desart yet he would not doe as the world did but keep himself to God So Luke 1.6 Zachary and Elizabeth were both righteous before God c. You know the times were then very bad and all the devotion that went for currant was nothing but to be zealous of humane inventions and traditions and worshipping God after the imaginations of men this was the holiness of the world yet the Text saith this man and his wife would be righteous before God and walked in all the Ordinances of God blameless not in the Ordinances of the Scribes and Pharisees but they were righteous before God and walked in all the Ordinances of God blameless Then this may serve to reprove these dayes and times and places of ours where we live where are hardly any upright people we may say of them as the Prophet Micah said of his time Micah 7.2 The good man is perished off the earth As who should say we had a great company of godly and holy people religious Ministers painful in their places and abundance of private Christians faithful before the Lord but now there is hardly an upright man there are so many drunkards and adulterers so many unclean persons so many covetous there are so many mockers and enemies to sincerity so many complementers with God so many ignorant nay willingly ignorant though they live under the means of knowledge so many that have a form of godlinesse but deny the power thereof so many that are come to the birth but have no strength to bring forth they will never come to be godly indeed there are so many that are dead-hearted and never were quickned by Jesus Christ nor endued with the life of the spirit of grace that we may say as Solomon saith A faithful man who shall finde Prov. 20.6 Many fathers we have among us but a faithful father who shall finde that doth discharge his duty towards his children many Masters we may finde but who carries himself towards his servants as he ought to doe so we have many in place of Authority that might stand for God and hinder sin and doe some good in their places but a faithful man who shall finde but here one and there one rare birds and they are the offscouring of the world and are hated and mocked and persecuted so we have a great many that have gotten a great deal of light God hath awakened their consciences and made them see their miserable condition but a faithful man that doth discharge a good conscience in that place wherein he is that carries himself uprightly under the means of grace under the Word under the preaching of it under Gods Ordinances such a man where shall we finde as David saith Psalm 12.1 Help Lord c. He had occasion through the persecution of Saul to travel thorough the most of the Towns of Israel and all were so loose and licentious and carnall and worldly and serving the times and pleasing and humouring the Court he saw the Countrey so empty of goodness that he prayeth Help Lord c. and as the Lord saith Isa 1.21 How is the faithful City become an Harlot c. So we may say How is the faithful City become an harlot a faithful Town that hath had the Word sincerely taught that hath had many walking sincerely in obedience according to the Word in some measure and hath set up the power of the Word in their Families but what is become of them there was â—udgement and righteousnesse but now where is it there was truth and truth could have abode but now it can have no admittance But how may we complain that our faithful Countrey is become an harlot I doe not speak of Papists and Turks and Pagans but of the Church of God the faithful are diminished from among the sons of men Secondly This may serve to humble the best of all Gods children it may serve to ashame us before God to think what a deal of corruption is in our hearts if David might complain of himself how much more may we Lord saith he thou dost require truth in the inward parts Psal 51.6 As who should say Lord how far am I from it who would ever have thought that Davids heart should so play fast and loose that ever he should so abase Vriah his faithful servant that ever
and notwithstanding his justice and severity against sinne and iniquity yet he will give his grace and mercy to them that repent and humble themselves under his hand Secondly The Lord doth this because he would sweeten his mercy to the soul as you may see how he dealt with the Prophets widow he let her creditors arrest her first and seize upon her two sons for bondmen and then he wrought a wonder for her 2 King 4.1 now this mercy was sweet and came in due season I was in misery and the Lord helped me saith David as who should say it came in a time when I had need of it The Lord deales as it is reported King James did at the beginning of his reign when some of his Nobles had been offenders he let the law proceed against them till they were brought to the scaffold and their heads laid upon the block and then sent a pardon and now a pardon was acceptable indeed So the Lord deales with his people he lets the law loose upon the soul yea and the devil too many times and he rends them and teares them as a Lyon and lets them look when they shall perish and layes their heads upon the block and then sends hope of a pardon and forgiveness of sinnes what a sweet staying of Abrahams hand was that when the knife was just ready to be stuck in Isaacks throat so when the knife of Justice is ready to be stuck into a mans throat and he is ready to perish for ever now mercy will be sweet mercy now it will be mercy indeed This is the time of love saith God Ezek. 16.8 When God had laid his people a bleeding in their goare blood now he passeth by and saith This is a time of love he laid them in their blood and filthinesse he laid them vile and miserable in themselves and now saith he is the time of love Now the mountaines drop with sweet wine as the Prophet speaks what is the reason that people do not taste any sweetnesse in the Gospel and Sacraments and Ordinances of Christ Alas they were never sensible of their sinnes therefore the Lord doth thus to make his mercy sweet to his people that they may prize it and esteeme it and make good account of it from day to day Thirdly the Lord doth this that he may fetch his people home to the Lord Jesus Christ for before they will not come to God they will not come at him as the Prophet speaks but when they are in the Margent of Hell ready to perish and have no hope to hold to nothing to trust to they are quite and cleane at a loss and know not whither to go now this makes them come home as it is said of Absolom he sent once to Joab but he would not come to him yea twice and he would not come but when he set his Barley field on fire then he came So the Lord sets his peoples hearts on fire he fires their consciences and their very bowols and makes their soules ake within them for want of mercy and grace and favour for want of power against their sinnes for want of Gods helping and assisting of them from day to day and this makes them glad to come home to him You know how long it was before the woman in the Gospel would come to Christ she was sick twelve years and had spent all her living upon the Physicians and could have no help now she came to Christ when she was quite spent and her patience was come to the utmost she was a dead woman if she came not to Christ all the Physicians could not help her now she comes home to Christ As it was with Agur when he saw his brutishnesse this drave him to Ithiel and Vcal Prov. 30.1 2. that is to the Lord Jesus Christ as it is with a Coney when she is persued by a Dogge then she runnes to her burrough When Naomi was bereft of Husband Children Meanes and Maintenance and heares there is plenty in Israel she returns presently she might have gone long before but she wanted a scourge and whip to send her home but when she had lost all and was ready to sink and heard good tidings from Bethlehem now she makes speed thither presently as the Lord speaks Hos 2.6 I will hedge her wayes with thornes how doth the Lord make the poore Church here come home to him that was her husband and beloved from whom she was gone a whoring God takes this course he hedgeth her wayes with thornes she would have rests and friends and comforts and something to hang upon but God knocks her off from all and now she will returne to her husband again so the Lord to make his people stoop to his yoake he shews them their misery and worries them and wearies them that they can hold out no longer and then down go their bucklers and now speak Lord thy servants hear now they are willing to hear him Fourthly God doth it that he may weane his people from sinne and take off their hearts from their own wayes for a man is marvellous eager of sinne by nature and will not let it go and will not part with it by no meanes his heart is set upon his lusts and he will have them though he hath hell and damnation with them when the Lord calls upon them to walk in his wayes they say they will not walk therein Jer. 6.16 People will not be diligent in prayer and hold close to God they will not be strict in their wayes as the precisenesse of the Gospel teacheth them now the Lord breaks in upon them in this fashion and makes them willing As a man deales with a young horse or colt when a man would tame a colt that is lusty and head-strong and violent he carries him out may be and makes him apprehend in his fancy that he will ride him against stone-walls and carries him may be into Quagmires and Muds and rotten Fennes and there he makes him go and spurs him and beats him and raines him and snafles him and thus he breakes his stomack and at last he will beare the saddle and carry a man quietly so the Lord Jesus doth with a poor creature he casts off the bonds of Christ and though the truth begins to work upon his conscience he throwes out the arrow againe and heales himself with vaine healings now the Lord breakes a mans heart and opens a peep-hole into hell as though he would throw him in quick thither and shews him his misery to the life and to the quick and so makes them come off as the Lord dealt with Moses when he would make him circumcise his sonne he was loath to displease his wife she was against it being a Midianitish woman and he was loath to have her ill-will and therefore deferred it now what course took God with him the Lord met him and would have slaine him the Lord made as though he
he helps them only ordinarily leaving them to fight with their own corruptions why because it is an extraordinary case when a child is young his parents will extraordinarily help him to go and will not let the weight of his body liâ— upon any one step but help him in every step afterwards they help the child but more ordinarily they look the child should go alone and may be now he gets more knocks then he did before and falls oftner will you say the child is now grown weaker no he is stronger then he was but there is a differeâ—â—e he had extraordinary assistance before now he is left to himself and to his own legs so it is with God towards his children at first when they are new beginners when they are newly born again he takes compassion upon them extraordinarily helps them in prayer and against their corrupt lusts and if the Lord should not do thus it is impossible they should stand as the Lord saith of Ephraim when he was a child I loved him and taught him to go Hos 11.1 3. he carried him in his arms as a child when he was young afterwards he looks he should go alone not as if any of Gods children could go alone they have need of his help every day but they must go alone in respect of extraordinary help for God hath given them access to the throne of grace and hath given them understanding and some strength and he looks they should use these things not as though they could use them without his assistance but without extraordinary assistance now when God leaves his child to walk by himself he will fall oftner then before you shall have many grown Christians fall oftner then young beginners why because they are weaker and less quickned no but because they have no such extraordinary assistance they can go alone I speak not as though it were without the assistance of God but without extraordinary assistance and though for want of care and watchfulness they get a fall yet they are not weaker few new beginners ever fell as David and Peter fell afterwards no the Lord bears them in his arms but afterwards he lets them go alone now when the Saints of God feel duties to come on so heavily extraordinary assistance being gone they think they are grown dead and lumpish why the load lies heavier upon their own backs then ever it did before yet it doth not follow they are more dead a child whom his father bears in his arms may be carried along from one end of the house to the other sooner then another child that goes alone can go it in thrice as much time will you say this child is weaker then the other no this child goes alone and the other is extraordinarily helped so the people of God when they are first converted they must know they are extraordinarily assisted and they must take heed lest they be proud and conceited oh they may think they have gotten such a deal of grace and life already no no alas you shall see what you have when you go alone Seventhly Freedom from temptations may make a man seem to be more quickned then he is as a heavy dull tempered man may go faster a great deal having no clog then the nimblest man in the Country with a clog at his heels a man at his first conversion God will not let him be tempted he is but in his nonage in his entrance into the Kingdom of God and if God should let temptations presently fly upon him before he hath more grace and judgement and more experience of the vileness of his own heart and the goodness of God he would break his neck now God will never suffer a man to be tempted above what he is able therefore when his people are first converted he frees them from temptations a while and then they go roundly on afterwards when they have been ten or twenty or thirty years in grace may be they are fouly overtaken and go heavily on shall they therefore complain they are deader then they were as an horse when he carries single may go roundly afterwards the same horse being put to carry double he goes more heavily will a man say the mettal of the horse is grown worse no but he carries double so it is with the Saints of God may be formerly they carried single now they carry double the Lord lets more temptations fall upon them then he did before will you say that Joseph was grown cold because he had gotten that vile custome of swearing in Pharaohs Court he never sware at home alas he had no temptations at home if he had had those temptations at home and had had no more grace then he had then it would have been the bane oâ—â—is soul no wonder he goeth on more heavily because he hath more temptations you may see how heavily David drew on 1 Sam. 27.1 I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul formerly he could believe admirably and trust in Gods promises wonderfully he fought against the Lyon and the Bear and was mightily affected with God but now he goeth heavily on what hath he lost his faith no but he is more tempted then he was before may be the man had more grace of life in him then before but he was more tempted and carried double We come now to the next thing to shew you how far forth a child of God may be dead and lose his quickning not only seem deader but be deader indeed then he was and this point we will shew you in these particulars 1. That every man by nature is dead to all goodness 2ly That the liveliest of Gods servants have some of this deadness still remaining in them 3ly The meanest of Gods servants that have least grace have some life and cannot be quite dead 4ly We will shew you this is a very ticklish point and very dangerous a world of mischief may come of it by reason of the corruption of mens hearts Yet 5ly It is a very necessary point 6ly Those particulars wherein he may be dead 7ly The uses of the point First We are all by nature dead we have no heart to seek reconciliation with God no heart to get his image in our hearts and to have communion with him and approve our selves unto him we see naturally how the world slights these things they seek how they may live and do as others do but to look after righteousness and holiness and pleasing of God they have no heart to these things and though God afford them good motions and checks of conscience and all helps yet people have no life at all to these things Eph. 4.18 they are as Paul speaks there alienated from the life of God and as the father speaks of his prodigal son this my son was dead quite dead by nature we have not the son of God and therefore have no life as Christ saith the dead shall hear the voice of
the son of God and live he speaks of the elect people that naturally are dead to all good for though a man be alive to many of the acts which the Saints of God do naturally yet to those works that a Saint doth as he is a Sâ—â—nt he is altogether dead as a beast though it hath a life of its own yet it is dead to the life of a man indeed it can do many things a man doth a beast can see and hear and goe up and down as well as a man doth but for those acts a man doth as he is a man he is altogether dead to those acts a beast cannot discourse how many things are in a man which a beast looks not after it is altogether dead to them so a natural man is alive to do what the Saints of God doe as they are men because he is a man himself but as they are Saints of God and have the life of God in them he is altogether dead to that he cannot carry himself as the Saints do he cannot curb himself of all his lusts as the Saints of God do you cannot if you would never so fain bring a natural man to these things you may as well bring a dead man to walk up and down among men as to make a natural man to be so strict and precise as a Saint Secondly the liveliest of all Gods Saints have some of this deadness remaining in them the child of God though in one part se the spirit he be alive yet in the flesh he is dead Paul himself tells us I am not perfect neither have I yet attained Phil. 3.13 David was as lively a man as any in the Old Testament yet he cries out Psal 143.11 quicken me O Lord for thy names sake the Saints are like to a man sick of the numbe palsey he is dead on one side so the Saints are dead on one side like the Moon that side the Sun shines upon is light but the other side is dark so when God shines upon his Saints by his Spirit there is light but they are dark on one side for though justification be perfect in this life yet sanctification is still but imperfect the guilt of sin may be fully forgiven here but the power of sin is never here fully destroyed none of the Saints of God but find some clog they go not so quick as they should or would do Paul himself groans under this burden Rom. 7.24 and Christ doth not quicken his servants all at once Job 10.10 Christ doth put life into his people yet so as that it goeth gradually on he gives them more and more he makes them more and more agill and quick in good duties the best of Gods Saints are like to a goodly tree that may be hath a hundred dead boughs upon it though the root and body be alive may be a young tree hath fewer dead boughs yet it is weak and there is less strength a great deal in it then in the other and less fruit so I say for a Saint of God though he be consolidated and setled and grown substantial yet there may be abundance of dead boughs Thirdly The meanest of Gods Saints the deadest of them all have some life they cannot lose all their life they have an eternal life Joh. 1.36 he that believes on the son hath everlasting life a child of God though he may lose all his liveliness yet he cannot lose his life there is a difference between liveliness and being alive as Exod. 1.19 the Hebrew women there are said to be lively any woman is alive but not lively so all the children of God are alive they may lose their liveliness but not their life as the wise Virgins all slumbred and slept but yet their oyl was not gone out though old Eli was grown marvelous dull and heavy and lumpish and had no zeal for God and liveliness in him yet he was not altogether dead as appears by his answer to Samuel and his care of the Ark of the Covenant for the life of a Saint of God is like a vessel of Canary that cannot be quite frozen up a child of God though he be never so cold and frozen yet he shall not be altogether frozen up he shall have some life still the seed of God remaineth in him 1 Joh. 3.9 Fourthly This is a ticklish point and marvellous dangerous unless great heed be taken those that hear it that hear how far a child of God may grow dead may recieve much mischief by it and I was once of the mind not to haâ—e spoken of it in regard of the evil consequents that may grow upon it For first This may greatly embolden the adversaries of the Church of God In some sense it were well that the adversaries of the Church did think the Church were more lively then they are it might be a great means to curb them of doing that they do as it is noted of the Scribes and Pharisees that conceiving that the people were more lively then they were it did withhold them from what they otherwise would have done as when Christ spake of Johns baptism they would have vilified it but that they thought the people were so affected to his ministry that they would stone them I do not think they were so affected and wrought upon I do not think there would have been such a stir in the Country but this was wel they thought so for it saved a great deal of mischief Mat. 13.25 when the good mans servants were asleep then the enemies sowed tares so when the enemies of the Church shall see thee grown dull and careless and sleepy the Sabbaths are little sanctified and the holy ordinances of God and powerful preaching little looked after nay even such as were strict people are grown cold this doth embolden them to bring in errors and broach what they list when they durst not do it if the Church were lively so that it is something dangerous to tell this in Gath and publish it in the streets of Ashkalon Secondly This may hearten abundance that are standers by that are dead in sins and trespasses to be hardned under their deadness and to be secure for when a Minister shall shew how that the children of God may be marvellously dead and may be quite off the hooks and their zeal be quite gone the life and liveliness that hath been formerly is not seen when they hear this this may help them to hope 't is true I am dead and my heart is like a stone in prayer and like a block at the hearing of the word of God I have no spirit nor heat nor affections in the ordinance of God yet Gods blessing on the Ministers heart I heard him say a child of God might be dead like a dead tree and I hope I may be a child of God for all this no question when a carnal heart shall read how Christ upbraided his own Disciples with
be little enough to assure the soul of Gods favour and that he can and will pardon such transgressors therefore I say look upon this doctrine it is for those that are dejected with their dead hearts that they may yet receive some comfort to their souls The last day I shewed you how far forth a child of God might be dead but some may say I cannot believe a child of God may come to this and thou art confident thou shall not come to this therefore I will speak a little further of it And first Let me tell you there is not the fowlest haynousest abominablest the most notorious scandalous sin in the world but the most devout godly mortified man upon the face of the earth may fall into it if he take not heed except the sin against the holy Ghost I will instance in some particulars First For Idolatry gross Idolatry will you think that ever a child of God that believes in his name and is acquainted with his word and his goodness and mercy and his jealousie against this sin and iniquity should fall into it should fall down and worship a stock a stone a creature you will never believe it yet you shall see the wisest man that ever was and one that was beloved of God did fall into this sin in a great degree 1 Kings 11.4 Solomons wives drew his heart away from God they drew away his heart from God in an high degree and they did not nakedly draw away his heart from God but they drew his heart after other gods If a man should say I hope I shall never fall into this sin I say let us hope so still and go on in using the means if we be so confident let us take heed that none of us come to bowe to the creature let our own hating and abominating of it be a watch-word to us to take heed Secondly What say you to apostacy nay almost totall apostacy that a child of God should grow to be an apostate which of you would think it that he should come to curse and bann himself if ever he knew Jesus Christ or loved him or ever did countenance him yet you may see a child of God and a notable one too fell in this fashion Peter he did curse and ban himse lf that he never knew the man Mark 14.71 this is very far Thirdly What say you to persecution to persecute a man that is godly dost think that a man that hath the image of God in him that hath the knowledge of the Scripture that hath the fear of God before his eyes and a sympathy with all the Saints of God in the world that this man should ever persecute one that is godly and for his godliness too would you think this yet directly thus it is Asa a godly man for a fit as long as the time lasted when the Prophet reproved him for his sins and dealt roundly with him what was this but gracious dealing yet the man did not only not submit to the Prophets reproof but his very heart rose up against him and he cast him into prison he was a persecutor of him 2 Chro. 16.10 in one word what enormous flagitious sin in the world is there but a child of God if he look not to himself may actually fall into but the sin unto death Noah a Preacher of righteousness the holiest man upon the earth the world had not his fellow yet he fell to be once drunk David a man after Gods own heart a man of admirable experience a man that traded as far in mortification in holiness and righteousness and walking with God and acquaintance with him and his Laws and promises as ever any Saint in the Old Testament yet he fell into the sin of murther and adultery yea to make a man drunk and that otherwise a good man too one of the worthiest of all the Kingdom you see this is clear there is no sin so desperate the sin against the holy Ghost excepted but a child of God may fall into it therefore he had not need to be carnally confident Secondly When a child of God hath fallen thus into some fowl sin he may be much hardened wofully deaded and benummed and grow blockish and untoward to call upon God and go on in any of his waies become marvelously unfitted and indisposed to the use of Gods ordinances nay he may be grown to that pass that he should never rise up more but that for the infinite goodness of God that doth bring him again home and lift him up again by renewing his faith and his repentance you may see when Jehoshaphat had struck with Ahab and helped the ungodly and loved him that hated the Lord though he were smitten in the field and were like to have lost his life and saw what danger he was in for joyning with Ahab yet all this did not humble him the Lord sent after him by hue and cry rousing up his conscience by his Prophets if he had not done thus God knows how long he might have lain thus so David he found a deadness in all goodness when he had committed those foul sins he found no working of Gods blessed spirit his own spirit grew dull his own heart grew dead he was as if he had never known what grace meant create in me O Lord a new heart Psal 51.10 his sin was like to a sweeping rain that leaves nothing like to a consumption that wastes all it was even like a Thief that breaks into a mans ware-house in the night and a man knows not what he hath lost till he casts up his accounts and then he seeth he hath lost almost all his estate so it is with the best of Gods servants if they give way to sin contrary to evangelical obedience God knows what a Thief they let into their soul they know not what they have lost till God give them an heart to cast up their accounts and then they may see that they have lost almost all that they have who knows what God may do it is a fearful thing you see a child of God may not only fall into foul and fearful sins but he may lie in them Then Thirdly To go further when a child of God is come hither then you will say certainly this man must rise up again quickly grace will not let him lie dead 't is true God will not for ever let him lie dead but for how long he shall lie dead no man nor Angel can tell as the Church speaks concerning her misery there is never a Prophet never an ordinance of God all is gone to wrack and there is none among us can tell us how long Psal 74.9 so when a man hath fallen into sin and hath pulled distempers into his soul there is none among us can tell us how long 't is true Peter got up again within a few hours but David got not up again till after ten months and may
be another not till after ten years may be twenty forty nay who can tell how long grace is free therefore no man can prescribe any time the wind blows where it listeth and how long it listeth and how long it will be ere it blow again who knoweth Reas 1 The Reasons of this first in regard of Satan he fights most of all against the children of God his fingers itch to be at them and at them most his greatest spight is against them the very bowels of the enmity is between him and them the children of God come to take his place that he once had in heaven the children of God are set up against Satan as David was put in the room of Saul therefore I say all the strength of hell is still a working against the Church of God and the Saints of God and every one of them from that very moment that the woman was delivered of a man child he sought to destroy it Simon Simon saith Christ Satan desires to winnow thee c. Luke 22.31 he is the god of this world and his temptations are welcome enough with any body but the children of God none resist his dominion but they he is the Gaoler and hath all the world in close prison but only them they are the only ones that have broken loose that have gotten away out of the power of Satan therefore all his malice and all the gates of hell they are up to send hue and cry after them to hook them in again if they can he is just like a Pyrate a Pyrate will rather set upon one rich ship then upon a thousand beggarly barks because there he may have a rich prize so the Divel knows he can advantage his Kingdom if but one fall that is a Saint more then by the falls and the notoriousest falls of millions of others therefore no wonder that a child of God should grow remiss and careless at any time that he may have a mischief for it is all the Divels business he hath nothing else to do but do mischief to be busie to get a child of God down and if he have him down to hold him down if he can Secondly Another reason is in regard of the children of God themselves Reas 2 they carry flesh about them as well as other men they have a Traitor in their own bosomes that lies in scout every moment to work them woe as Paul saith I find another law in my members c. Rom. 7.23 though a child of God hath wounded all his lusts nay though he hath given them their deaths wound yet there is never a one but may revive and make head again if he take not heed and that in a woful degree as the Lord saith of the Caldeans Jer. 37. I quote it only for a similitude ver 10. though you had smitten all the whole army of the Caldeans yet they shall come and fire the City when Judah had provoked God though they had wounded all the Caldeans yet those wounded men should come and fire the City so let a man take heed he doth not give way to sin for though his lusts be mortified and he hath given them their deaths wound yet these wounded Caldeans may come and fire all his soul if he take not heed Thirdly In regard of God himself God is pleased to try his people to Reas 3 withdraw himself now and then from them to leave them to themselves and the grace they have received to let them alone with that and when he doth thus no wonder though they fall for every man hath some vileness and rottenness in his heart the wholest simplest heart in the world hath a deal of rottenness in it I say the Lord doth sometimes leave his children to themselves as he did Hezekiah in the business of the Ambassadors 2 Chro. 32.31 as the Church saith Cant. 5.6 my beloved had withdrawn himself the lovingest mothers may sometimes let their little child go alone though they know he will fall they provide may be a rouler about his head that whither they fall backward or forward or any way they may not break their skull and do themselves a mischief to undo themselves but when they have done thus they will sometimes leave them to themselves to go though they know they will fall so the Lord doth put a rouler upon his people that when they fall they may not fall totally and finally as the wicked men do they shall never strike into a wicked course as the ungodly of the earth do that he takes order for but he doth many times leave them not out of any ill will to them but he leaves them to themselves though he knows they will fall and that for divers reasons First That they might be patterns to others of Gods people that if they should fall as they may do when they are down they may have wherewithal to get up again I say the Lord leaves the eminentest of his people to themselves to fall into lamentable miscarriages that they may help inferiour people and they may have something to encourage them that God will recover them and relieve them again and that God will not cast them off for ever as Paul shews 1 Tim. 1.16 saith he for this cause I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long suffering for a pattern to them who shall hereafter believe as who should say there may be a persecutor a blasphemer smitten a vile wretch a fighter against God and Jesus Christ such a one may be smitten and come to see his damned estate a thousand to one but this man will be overwhelmed and drowned in despair but saith he The Lord though I was one of his elect yet he let me fall to this pass that I might be a pattern to them which shall afterwards believe so we may say of Gods children after conversion David may say For this cause among the rest the Lord left me to my self the Lord let me fall so fouly and lifted me up again that I might be a pattern to many poor people to the end of the world that they may see the loving kindness of the Lord and the infinite compassions and bowels of mercy that is in the father of mercy towards them that trust in his name we should never believe the mercy of God the freeness of his grace the goodness of his nature towards his beloved towards those whom he hath effectually called were it not for such examples Secondly The Lord doth this for to punish the carelesseness of his people and their security many times what sin is there that is more apt to grow upon them then security it is a stealing sin it is a secret and cunning sin that comes closely and slightly upon a man before he is aware if he look not to himself now when a man grows to be secure the Lord takes this course many times to eat it out to
that deads mens hearts when they give way to it Now for particulars What are those sins that cause this deadnesse up and down First the niggardliness of people in Gods service they will do no more for him then they must needs doe whereas a quickened heart that loves quickning will rather overdoe then underdoe and will rather super-abound then be wanting there are many duties in Religion that we have no express text of Scripture for for such a quantity or such a measure or such a time or how often as how often we should pray in secret every day how often we should meditate and how long at a time how much we should give out of almes how much we should doe thus and thus the duty is commanded but the quantity for time or frequency is not expressed in Scripture there be a thousand things of this nature Now a man that loves his own quickning will rather overdoe in this case then underdoe as it was vvith Philemon Phil. 21. Paul you knovv was to entreat him to doe an act of kindness to receive Onesimus now saith he I know thou wilt doe more then I ask of thee c. He would rather overdoe then underdoe So it was with the Israelites when God would have them offer to the building of the Tabernacle he did not tell them how much but they would rather overdoe then underdoe Exod. 36.5 They brought so much that the Lord was fain to say there was enough and too much So it was with the Macedonians 2 Cor. 8.3 Paul asked a little they gave more So it is with a man that loves quickning if God bid him pray twice a day rather then fail he will pray thrice a day if God hath required some time in his service he will rather give him more time then afford him smaller time as Christ saith If a man will have thy coat let him have thy cloak also as who should say rather overdo then underdoe if thou beest called to doe any thing for the glory of God and the good of thine own soul or the good of others we should imitate God in this God gives his people above that which they ask so we should doe more then is asked I doe not mean as if we could do more then God bids us for God requires all the heart and all the minde and all the strength but I speak of a frank and free heart when he doth not know what measure God sets down in his Word he will rather doe more then lesse he will rather be with the forwardest then with the backwardest if he love his own quickning but when a man growes niggardly in Gods service and will doe no more then needs must and takes advantage that he may doe as little as may be this deads the heart because there is no expresse place in Scripture for prayer in this kinde he will take any advantage in the world for his own security and worldliness and littleness in Gods service he lieth at catch in this case this man sets open his heart to all deadness therefore no marvel he hath no life where is a man in town or country that is like to Philemon that a Minister may say I know thou wilt doe more then I say It were well if we could say thou wilt do as much as I say nay it is come to this pass we may say I know you will doe nothing at all I may bid thee doe this and that but thou wilt do nothing at all people will hardly regard the Communion of Saints at all they will hardly regard secret prayer at all they will heartily regard any of those duties upon which life and quickning so much depends and this is one cause of the horrible deadness that is everywhere Secondly Another cause is unwatchfulness people doe not watch over their soules and over their wayes they doe not ponder their paths they have not an eye to their wayes this is a great cause of deadness of heart therefore here when Christ chargeth the Church of Sardis with deadness I know thou hast a name to live but art dead In the next words he gives a remedy Be watchful therfore as who should say here is the cause of thy deadness thou hast not been watchful if thou hadst been watchful thou hadst escaped all this deadness if thou hadst stoop upon thy guard and looked well to thy wayes this had never been if a man be quickened at any time the Devil lieth at catch and if he doe not vvatch he vvill be deaded again as the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 5.8 A man had need be vvatchful else he can never preserve himselfe from the temptations of Satan when a City is beleaguered with the enemy there are ever some Watchers and Scouts that lie in wait that so if any danger be towards they may give warning lest it be surprized on the sudden so when God doth good to our hearts how should we keep watch over our soules for we are beleaguered on every side sometimes with presumption and sometimes with despair we are every way in danger therefore we had need to watch no sooner had Eve gone apart from her husband and looked here and there but the Devil took her presently no sooner had Noah begun to taste the liquor of the grape he had planted and delighted in it but presently the Devil hooked him in which he might have prevented if he had been watchful the Devil is that Nimrod that greedy hunter that goeth up and down and makes pits and layes snares to catch souls and if we doe not watch we fall into them 1 Cor. 2.13 Paul saith I was among you with much feare he knew what danger he was in therefore he was in much fear if we did love our own quickning and the cherishing of whatsoever grace we have received we would watch over our selves but where is this generally all the world is fast asleep even good men and all the Devil may sow what tares he will there is no watching in prayer and in hearing of the Word and doing good duties no watching in observing the Sabbath no watching in company no watching alone what may not the Devil doe when we are all as sleepy dogs and love to snoar and dulnesse and deadnesse and blockishnesse and worldlinesse and unsetlednesse grows upon us to the utmost there is no body watching against temptations they may come flowing in like violent waters there is no withstanding of them people are like to Saul that was marvellous finely quickned at one time he would not goe on in his envy against David he should not die by any meanes no his heart was so enlarged that he bound his soul by a covenant that he would be as good as his word As the Lord lives he shall not die Jonathan had used many arguments and they so wrought upon him that he could give the right hand to David and all his malice was out and David was
accounting this your principal and total and main good and accordingly affecting this these are the works of faith and if you have these works you may be quickned believe in the Lord Jesus Christ set your hearts upon him and seek after him and you shall have all manner of good even life it self The second meanes is a careful learning of the Word of God preached When the Corinthians were marvellously blocked up in their minds and hearts and were straightned in good things 2 Cor. 6 12. mark what the Apostle saith v. 11. Our mouth is open to you c. as who should say In our Ministery there is abundance of grace abundance of life and largenesse of heart abundance of gracious things all manner of good things we bring with us in our Ministery peace and comfort and hope and all the promises of God and all the rich treasures of Jesus Christ we come with our armes full you are not straightned here but you are straightned in your own bowels as who should say you may be enlarged sweetly by our Ministery we deliver unto you abundance of grace and mercy and abundance of supply all those deadnesses and lockings up of heart in you would be healed by the Ministery of the Word so may I say if your hearts are locked up certainly it is for not taking what the Word offers if you would come hungerly and greedily to the Word of God with an heart desirous to be edified and instructed and to apply what the Word speaks to your soules certainly you shall here meet with abundance of grace and life for the Word is the Word of life and the Ministery of the Word is the Ministery of the Spirit of God and life so that the deadness of all people is meerly from their own bowels you are not straightned in us saith the Apostle no in the Ministery of the Word is abundance of life The third meanes is A careful shunning of all those causes of deadness which we named formerly we must take heed of sin for if we give way to sinne it will dead the heart it will make a make a man shy of God and put a man to woful tasks and breed lothness to goe about duties it will make a man to have a guilty conscience and dead a man that way it will grieve the spirit of God and quench all the operations and sweet influences and gracious motions of the Spirit that the sweet livelinesse of his workings will be gone away if a man give way to sinne if he give way to the world or slackning in a godly course if a man give way to pride or vanity or any sin this will dead the heart a mans heart will presently be deaded if he give way to the Devil and to his temptations In particular you must take heed of niggardlinesse in Religion they that love quickning must labour for a frank and free spirit that will rather overdoe in Gods service then underdoe as long as a man hath a free heart he shall have a quickened heart therefore labour to preserve it doe as Philemon I know thou wilt doe more then I say Paul knew he had a free spirit that if he commanded him a little he would doe more he would rather overdoe then underdoe our Saviour Christ calls for this free spirit If a man take thy coat give him thy cloak also rather overdoe then underdoe in any good thing have a free heart if God bid thee pray pray three times five times a day rather then not often enough there be many duties that God doth not set down how often and how frequent and how long now labour for a free spirit rather do twice as much then underdo Again Take heed of lownesse of Religion of taking up a low and base and mean kinde of Religion that will not reach the Kingdome of God there is a low kinde of Christianity that wil not be able to attain to salvation a low faith that doth not make a man to have his conversation in heaven a low repentance that reacheth not to mortification a low profession of Religion that comes not to the power of Godliness Prov. 15.24 The way of life is above it is an high thing therefore take heed of low Religion for people think that any kinde of righteousness will serve turn if they have but a little Reformation and Religion they presently think this is godliness but let us take heed of this low Religion that will never do the deed Again We must take heed of want of Watchfulnesse we must set up a gracious and Christian watch in our hearts from day to day when the Lord had found fault with the Church of Sardis for being dead in the next words he bids them be watchful as who should say the want of this watchfulness and looking to your selves and having a care over your thoughts and affections lest you should be drawn aside the neglect of this is the cause of all deadness Again We must take heed of vanity as David saith Psal 119.37 Turn away â—â—ne eyes from beholding vanity and quicken me O Lord. Again We must take heed of covetousness for we shall never have any gracious work upon us if we give way of it Again We should take heed of slacking and abating private duties we should carefully call upon God every day in secret when there is no body by but God and our own souls if we finde backwardness to this duty know it comes from the Devil that would drown us in perdition if he could therefore we must resist him and goe about it for certainly otherwise we cannot be quickned Again We should take heed of slighting inward duties the holy ordinances of God in our bosoms holy meditations gracious strivings against corruptions when they arise setting the Lord before us seeking Gods presence in all places we must have a care we have gracious purposes and endeavours and strivings inwardly in our bosomes Lastly Let us take heed of contenting our selves with any pitch we have attained but still labour to grow in grace lest we fall short and never enter into Gods rest The next meanes is to be earnest with God to quicken our hearts to pray to God for his grace that God would be pleased to put life into us we should make Elijahs prayer that prayed to heaven for fire to come downe upon the sacrifice so pray earnestly to God to send down his celestial fire into thy heart to warm thee and heat thee and stir thee up to that which is good as the Church doth Psal 80.18 Quicken us and we will call c. Of all Petitions under heaven we should pray most of all for life next unto the glory of God and the salvation of our souls nay indeed as the very means for both we should pray that God would quicken us into all our prayers let us put in this Petition that God would quicken us evermore to have it as
be blunt if a man doth not sharpen the edge he had need put the more strength to it Eccles 10.10 So when a mans hâ—art is dull and dead there is the more difficulty in the overcoming of any lust in the doing of any good duty every thing comes hardly off Now when a mans heart is quickned it is like oyle to the wheele it makes it goe easie when a mans heart is quickned up towards God what is it but that man can do Fifthly Consider If we be quickned we shall have a great deale of peace and joy and comfort I may say as the Church in another case Revive us again O Lord and we shall rejoyce in thee Psal 85.6 So I say if we were revived if God did quicken our hearts if we were earnest with him to do it and we could once attain unto it we should rejoyce in God those that follow God with an earnest heart they have those joyes which no other can intermeddle with God gives them unknown comfort unknown peace and unknown support the more a man followes after God the more he shall partake of God a man shall have joy unspeakable and glorious Sixthly We should make all heaven to rejoyce when the Father had his prodigal Son come to him that was before dead and was now alive saith he It is meet we should be glad Luke 15.32 So when any poor creature that was dead before to all goodness is now made alive and is quickned up in all the wayes of God it is even meet that there should be mirth in Heaven that the Angels in Heaven should rejoyce whereas if a man go on in Gods service dully and blockishly it is as vinegar to the teeth and smoak to the eys and the heavens are sad over us Seventhly If we were quickned we should not only do our selves good but we should do others good too we should be earnest to do it there is an excellent place for this in the story of David David being marvellously quickned just as he came from Gath there met him 400 poor destitute and afflicted men and presently he made the 34 Psalm wherein he saith O come and taste and see how good the Lord is blessed are they that trust in the Lord presently he calls upon them to be quickned also So Paul when he was quickned up himself though he were before the Judge and went upon life and death yet he regarded not that but he laboured to quicken Agrippa too insomuch that he made him to cry out Thou perswadest me almost to become a Christian and he would not leave him there but saith he I would not that thou only but that all that do hear me this day were not only almost but altogether such as I am excepting these bonds O thought he that all this company were but acquainted with that I feel and finde a quickned heart will labour and strive to do good unto others REV. 3.2 Watch therefore and strengthen the things that remain that are ready to die c. WE told you this Epistle contained three things First a Reproof of the most of them in that Church for their grievous sins Secondly a Remedy to cure them of those sins Thirdly A Commendation of certain vertues in those persons that were not carried away with the iniquities of those times The Reproof we have spoken of already and now we are come to the second part and that is the Remedy for when Christ doth reprove them he doth it not for ill will but for their good and therefore he gives them good directions The Remedies he gives this Church are five The first is Be watchfull as who should say This is the reason you goe down the wind and want life and are dead and dull in Religion because you are not watchful The second Direction is Strengthen the things that remain as who should say if you would be careful to fortifie those good things that are in you you may stand out against these temptations a little grace will go a great way if it be well managed Now he doth urge this direction three ways First because these things they have are but remainders they had a great deal more once Strengthen the things that do remain as who should say all is even almost quite gone you had a great deal more zeal and forwardnesse but what you have now is but the remainders and the leavings therefore it is high time to look about you Secondly Because even those remainders were almost gone too Srengthen the things that remain that are ready to die as who should say they will be gone too if you bestir not your selves and look well to your estates and conditions Thirdly Because thy works are not perfect they are nothing else almost but hypocriticall and unsound I have not found thy works perfect before God The third Remedy is Remember how thou hast received and heard c. as who should say consider how thou hast been formerly consider how the Word hath been delivered and how thou hast received it The fourth Remedy is Hold fast as who should say labour to get up again and hold fast that the Devil and the world and the temptations to sin may not get away the good things that are in thee that they may not spoil thee of the good things of God and of the hope of eternal life The fifth Remedy is Repent that is bewail thy selfe and lament thy unfruitfulnesse and unwatchfulnesse and carelesnesse this way and humble thy selfe before Almighty God thou mayst yet have mercy when a man doth confess his sins God is just to forgive them and is ready to vouchsafe mercy and quickning and comfort therefore repent saith he Well then the first remedy is to be watchful to watch is to be attentive to be considerative to look what may doe a man good and what may doe a man hurt that he may thereafter carry himselfe it is for a man to have his eyes in his head to have his wits about him for spiritual things This is the subject of it it is properly in the minde and in the heart it is a Metaphor taken from the body for the body when it is asleep the senses are lockt up the eye cannot see the eare cannot hear they are all wrapt up they are not lively and operative but when the body is awake the senses are all open the eye can see and the eare hear and the senses are ready for every Object from hence it is derived to the soules of men they may be said to sleep or watch for when the soul is careless and negligent towards a thing may be dangers are towards a man and he doth not fear them nor study to prevent them may be there is a great deal of good coming towards the soule and he goes drowsily about it the soule now is said to be asleep but when the soule looks seriously and consideratively about things then it is
God and all his holy laws and commandments which way a mans affections run so they run mightily that way a mans strength runs as the Prophet saith Isa 63.15 look down from heaven where is thy zeal and thy strength that is when God is zealous for his peoples good he puts forth his strength for their defence therefore the Prophet cries Lord where is thy zeal and thy strength so we may say where is our zeal to God and against sin where is our zeal for good duties for heavenly-mindedness and the spreading of the Gospel and doing good in our places if we were buâ— zealous and earnest in our affections we should not go so dully and faintly in the wayes of God as we do it would make us strong we see how strongly men follow after the world when they are zealous for the world so if we were earnest after God we should be strongly carried after him Secondly If we would get strength let us labour to believe for when a man hath once gotten faith now though he be never so weak he may say God is my strength Psal 73.26 A man that hath gotten this faith may say as David Psal 71.16 I will go in the strength of the Lord I will go to prayer to the word to the Sacrament I will go about my calling when I am put upon my business I will go in the strength of the Lord to do it if this man wants strength he goes and even borrows strength from heaven Heb. 11.34 by faith of weak they became strong as the rivers that watered Paradise their heads and springs were out of Paradise so though there be streams of mercy and grace and power and love communicated to us yet the heads of these are out of us Christ is the head from which we must fetch all I can do all things saith Paul through Christ that strengthneth me Phil. 4.13 I can do all things you will say this is to brag and boast alas no I can do nothing it is Christ that strengthneth me like the Ivy that creeps up by the wall so a Christian creeps up by Christ there lies all our strength therefore all our care should be to believe to get off from our own bottoms a true Christian is never so weak as when he will be himself when he goes about actions himself if he would let Christ do all and he only take that course Christ bids him and never go his own way to work he were a strong man Isa 30.7 It is your strength to sit still the children of Israel were so buâ—ie to help themselves they would to Egypt and they should help them saith God you shall never have help this way your strength is to sit still and wait upon God and trust in him so I say then is a true Christian weak when he departs from Christ and doth not keep close to him suppose a man should be in misery there be but two wayes to help him the one is by himself the other is by Christ now suppose a man were in such a straight that he must be delivered in a quarter of an hour or else he is undone shall a man go to prayer now or to his own strength to prayer if it were for a mans life now when a man goes to his own strength and parts this weakens him we should do every thing better if we would go to Christ and set our hearts upon him if we would use the means buâ— hang upon God this were our strength Thirdly We should fly all occasions of evil may be a child can contain it self from the dug when it is newly weaned so long as it comes not near it but when the child seeth the dug now the fancy runs upon the dug again and now it cries for the dug again it is because it is not perfectly weaned if it were perfectly weaned though it saw the dug it would not look after it so we are not perfectly weaned from sin therefore though when we resist occasions and temptations of sin we are able to abstain and contain our selves yet because we are not perfectly weaned if we give way to occasions we lose all when we will rashly venture upon the occasions of evil we lose our strength therefore saith David Psal 101.3 I will set no evil thing before mine eyes as he would not do it so he would not have it in his sight every man is privy to himself and may know what thoughts what desires what appearances what customs what speeches are occasions of evil to him he might know what doth occasion him to sin may be he had not committed sin but for this or that now when a man shall give way to these occasions and not stand upon his guard this loseth all a mans strength as Saul he was privy to himself how testy and furious he was and if he had any instrument of fury in his hand he had no power over himself yet he would ever be with his javelin in his hand when he was in the field or in the house still he had his javelin in his hand now you may see what mischief he exposed himself unto he flung it twice at David and a third time at his own son Jonathan if he had been careful not to have given way to the occasions of sin knowing how weak he was and that he had not command over himself he might have escaped this a man that is furious had not need alwayes to have a sword about him a man had need shun all the occasions of evil Joseph was a strong man how can I do this wickedness c. all the temptations of his Mistriss could not allure him what was the cause of this he would not hearken to his Mistris nor be with her Gen. 39. What made Achan to be so weak he must needs take the Babylonish garment and the wedge of gold he gave way to the occasion I looked upon it saith he he being privy to his own covetous heart should have been shy of giving any occasion to the flesh but he giving way to the occasion was weak and not able to stand Fourthly We should never go up and down without a constant continual purpose to please God when we first rise in the morning we should think with our selves well I purpose to take heed of sin this day so when I am at dinner I will take heed that I let not the remembrance of God go out of my mind I will have fresh thoughts of him while I am at board as it is said of Daniel be purposed not to defile himself with the Kings meat So when we go into the fields we should think with our selves I purpose God willing to beware that I may not come home with a guilty conscience do things that may be to my shame and wounding another day when we are to come among wicked people we should resolve before we come I will let fall nothing to
dishonour God thus if we would go armed up and down we should go strongly if we would make serious resolutions to cleave to God and not to do evil this would strengthen us now when temptations meet us unresolved we are not able to put them off Fifthly We should frequent the Ordinances of God First We should be careful of hearing the word of God in a godly manner Strength and beauty are in his Sanctuary Psal 96.6 there is strength to be had in Gods house in Gods courts his Word and Ordinances are the food of the soul that as bread strengthens a mans body so this spiritual bread of life strengthens a mans soul So again For prayer to go to God in prayer that would strengthen us Prov. 18.10 So the Sacraments they are a means to strengthen us to go to the Lords Table with hunger and thirst and serious consideration of our own unworthiness and of our need and with true faith unto it the Lords Supper is a means to strengthen as it is noted in the primitive Church Acts 2.42 so again for meditations if we would meditate of the things we hear of Gods word and his blessings and judgement and warning we have from day to day if we would digest these things and chew them from day to day they would yield a great deal of nourishment unto us as David saith Blessed is the man whose meditations are in Gods Law he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers side and his leafe shall not wither Psal 1.2 3. that man shall flourish like a green bay tree So for holy conference that is a great means to strengthen all good things as those good people when the times were bad mark how they strengthned themselves that they might not be infected with evil they that feared the Lord spake often one to another Mal. 3.16 Sixthly We should put forth our selves to the utmost in good duties it is our lazinesse and idleness that we are not more able to do good and that we are so frail and infirm to do any thing that is of God if we would take pains and put forth our selves we should be strong and indeed what is strength but taking of pains when a man puts forth himself as Eccles 10.10 that is a man must take the more pains the more pains a man takes the more strength he puts forth there is no creature that God hath made besides man but doth act to its utmost strength the fire burns as much as ever it can and the light shines as much as ever it can and the stone goes down as low as ever it can every creature works as far as it can but now man he can limit his strength because he hath reason and will and according as he sees a thing more or less necessary according as he sees it easier or harder to be attained accordingly he lessens or puts forth his strength and it is great reason that God should give man power to limit his strength for he is to deal with the creature as well as with the Creator and if he should love and seek the creature as much as ever he can this were Idolatry therefore the Lord hath given a man power to limit his strength not to let out all his love or fear upon any thing here below but yet God doth not give a man that power to limit his strength and the exercise of it towards his Maker but he should let out all towards God as David saith let all that is within me praise the Lord he opens his floodgates wide and le ts out all towards God Seventhly Consider that all received strength is worth nothing unlesse God give us new supply wherefore are true Christians weak at any time but because they think thus I had true grace in the morning and an hour ago I had the fear of God and the hatred of sin and the consideration of this makes him that he is not so careful to keep close to Christ and to take heed of falling he thinks I had power the other day and I was able to resist temptations then this makes a man weak he thinks he had grace a while a go and so trusts to that for if a man do not still look up to Christ and cleave unto him as if he had no strength the man is presently a weak man as weak as another man and cannot stand a man cannot be strong in the grace that is in himself but in the grace that is in God Eph. 6.10 Brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might And as Paul speaks to Timothy though Timothy were a man that was as strong as any man upon the face of the earth almost yet he bids him not count himself strong in the grace that was in him but in the grace that is in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 2.1 As it is with the air which is not strong with the light that is in it self but with the light that is in the Sun therefore we are careful not to shut the windows for if we shut the light of the Sun out the air though it be light now will be dark again in a moment therefore though the room be light yet we keep the windows open for the light of the air is strong in the light of the Sun so a Christian should keep his windows ever open towards Christ if a man ever turn his back again upon Christ and neglect Christ if he do not cleave to Christ and take heed he do not provoke Christ against him he is gone he is as weak as can be as Ezra speaks Ezr. 7.28 I was strengthned as the hand of the Lord was upon me no otherwise if the Lord should take away his hand he were gone though he had never so much strength wisedom and parts he were no body without God Eighthly Lastly Take heed of striving against knowledge or willingly that weakens us horribly and in particular take heed of pride no man so weak as a proud man nor so strong as an humble man as a Divine speaks a man that is sensible of his own weakness of his own being no body of his own folly and that he is able to do nothing of himself he that is sensible of this is strong as Paul saith 2 Cor. 12.10 when we are weak then are we strong that is when we are humble and weak in our own apprehension and consideration when we lay this to heart that we are weak then are we strong for this makes a man lay about him to cleave unto God I have laid down divers directions for the strengthning of those good things that are in us and I will now adde one more because it is seasonable for the time Make conscience of using and improving the Sacraments for they are excellent Ordinances to strengthen a man First The Sacrament of Baptism I do not mean the meer receiving outward baptism that is a weak thing
power of God through faith unto salvation so that grace is in a child of God as light is in an house light is never so in an house but in a moment it will be dark if you shut the windows so it is with a true Christian he had need keep his windows open towards Christ he hath need of continual shinings of grace from heaven as Christ teacheth us concerning our daily bread give us this day our daily bread so it is much more in regard of grace for our souls good Lord give me wisedom and faith and patience this hour and so the next hour and the next day give me the comfort of this day and the assistance of this day give me the concurrence of thy grace this day and so the next and we must never leave praying to God to accompany us with his grace from day to day for a man stands not by the grace that is in him but by the grace that is in God as the Apostle saith Heb. 6.10 be strong in the Lord by the power of his might he doth not say be strong by the grace ye have received but be strong in the Lord be sure you call upon him and keep close to him there is all you stand by So 2 Tim. 2.1 be strong in the grace in Christ Jesus if any man in the Church might be strong by the grace in himself Timothy might he was as vertuous a young man as any in the Church no man that Paul loved so as Timothy I know no man like minded saith he he was so endued with Gods spirit and the graces and vertues thereof that there was none like him yet Paul doth not bid him be strong in the grace that was in him but be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus grace is in a child of God as hâ—at is in the water though it be never so seething hot yet take it from the fire and it will fling out all the heat and be as cold as ever it was so it is here notwithstanding all the graces that are in a child of God if he do not hang over Jesus Christ and keep close to him the daily incursions of sin will consume his graces the temptations of the flesh and the Divel within and the world without will consume them all unless a man be a good husband and receive new supply from Heaven so that we say that no grace received can keep a man from falling but that he may fall totally away in himself Now to come to the true reasons why a child of God cannot fall totally away but something of the Image of God shall remain in him though he may lose much yet he shall not lose all but something shall be remaining in him the reason of this is nothing else but the meer goodness of God to him that God will not let him so fall and God hath covenanted so with him that man that truly believes in his name he shall be kept for ever through faith unto salvation he shall not be quite broken off but he shall have some grace he shall have something of God in him something that shall distinguish him from all wicked men in the world as the Lord saith of David Psal 89.33 though they did sin against him and carry themselves unworthy that God should keep them yet notwithstanding the Lord would whip them and chastize them but his loving kindness he would never take from them why because he had sworn by his holiness that he would never fail David so that here we see it was meerly through the goodness of God to David and his elect people that they were kept from falling away so Psal 37.24 saith he the righteous shall not be utterly cast down a child of God may fall and fall souly and fearfully he may stain his own conscience in a lamentable manner and wâ—und his own soul and disable himself to good duties in a fearful manner but yet though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down there shall be some standing still it shall not be an utter fall so he that doth these things shall never be removed Psal 15.5 he speaks there of a man that shall dwel in Gods holy mount and he names who it is one that hath clean hands and a pure heart c. so that you see it is the promise of God that this man shall stand for ever he shall never be totally unsetled he doth not mean he shall not be moved at all but not absolutely so as to be quite and clean thrown down but yet no thanks to himself but thanks to the promise otherwise he might be moved and unsetled and break his neck and fall and never rise more but the promise is that he shall never be moved Psal 112.6 the righteous shall never be moved he shall be had in everlasting remembrance the Lord will remember a righteous man in the midst of all temptations let all the Divels in hell set upon him the Lord will for ever remember that man and never let him go from him so that you see it is meerly the goodness of God not from any thing in himself not from any grace received but meerly from Gods goodness he may thank the rock he is built upon as Christ saith Mat. 7.25 He that heareth these sayings and doth them I will liken him to a man that built his house upon a rock c. The house fell not but he may thank the rock it was built upon a rock so a childe of God is built upon a rock as we have a Proverb how can he but swim that is held up by the chin so a child of God the Lord holds him up by the chin he shall never sink so as to be drowned he may fall and fall fearfully but not totally but there shall be something of God remaining in him for ever the Lord will ever keep some truth of grace in that mans soule that he hath given the truth of grace to 2 John 2. For the truths sake saith he which dwelleth in us and shall be in us for ever When God hath put in the truth of saving grace into any of his peoples hearts it shall dwell in them for ever the Lord will take an order for the keeping of it therefore though a childe of God may be grievously overcome yet God doth ever let somthing or other remain he doth ever exempt something God deals with his children in regard of their souls as he dealt with Job in regard of his body though he let the Devil have a great deal of power over him yet he did limit him he is in thy hand but save his life though he would not let him have power over his life to kill him he let him have Jobs children in his hands and he let him have his goods in his hands his cattel and his substance in his hands nay he let him have his health in his hands so that he did strike
children for ever is the habits of grace they shall ever have these though the acts of grace may be asleep and cease working yet the habits of grace shall ever remain as a man though through violent sickness he may run mad and frantick and lose the act of reason and be like a mad man yet the habit of reason is in him still because he hath a reasonable soule and let the distemper be gone and he will put forth the acts of reason So a childe of God though for the present he be horribly distempered and all the acts of grace are asleep yet he hath the spirit of God in him and therefore hath the habits of grace although no grace were shining in Davids heart in the act of them when he fell into the sins of murder and adultery yet he had all graces in the habit of them in the root of them as a tree though it seem to be quite dead yet life is in the root so a childe of God will have the habit and life of grace ever remaining in him and this appeares by two things First A childe of God in the midst of all his carelesness and negligence there is a miraculous preserving of that man that though that man hath been very careless and wonderful unwatchful and exposing himself to the temptations of Satan yet he shall be strangely kept that he shall not fall in a wonderful manner though it be no thank to himselfe 1 Sam. 2.9 This is an evident sign of Gods spirit in him that though he let him get abundance of knocks yet he will not let him get that fatal knock but he carrieth him along from day to day Secondly It appeares by this that this man shall never be to be converted again but he shall for ever be a new creature though the spirit of God hide himselfe and withhold his former operations yet he will not goe quite away because a childe of God shall never need to be converted again 'T is true the rising up of a childe of God out of sin into which he is fallen is called conversion sometimes as our Saviour Christ saith to Peter When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren Nay a childe of God may think he hath need of new conversion and that he must begin all anew again as David said Create in me O Lord a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me Psal 51.10 as though he were to begin anew again But a childe of God is never to begin anew no regeneration is an incorruptible thing 1 Pet. 2.23 Psalm 11â— 5 His righteousness remaineth for ever he shall never have quite lost it so as that he shall be to seek again as if he had never had it for if regeneration were to be renewed a man should be reprobated again but there is but one Faith one Baptism one Lord Eph. 4. Therefore if there be but one Baptism there is but one Regeneration The faith is but once delivered to the Saints Jude 3. God delivers his vertues and graces but once to the soul and is never to deliver them again indeed they may be smothered and choaked sometimes and lie under the ashes as coals under the embers but they shall never be quite extinguished there needs nothing but a stirring up and provoking of the gift of God that is in them and this is a signe that they never fell totally away for if they fell totally away they must have new repentance as if they had never had it and they must be converted again and regenerated againe with a second regeneration which was never heard of The first Use may serve for the confutation of those that hold that a childe of God may fall totally away here you see he cannot though he may fall never so grievously into foul sins and grievous distempers yet he shall never fall totally but some good things shall remain in him Psal 37.28 The Lord preserveth his Saints And Jude 1. they are called a people sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ And as the Apostle speaks 1 Pet. 2.10 He that doth these things shall never fall A childe of God shall never fall totally it is everlasting life that he hath that faith which he hath is an eternal grace he that believeth hath everlasting life so the fear of God is an everlasting grace The fear of God endureth for ever Psal 19.9 And therefore those that totally fall away shew plainly that they were never the children of God as the Apostle saith If after they have been enlightned c. they fall away it is impossible they should be renewed by repentance Heb. 6. Because they were never right there was never any true grace in that mans heart but saith he I hope better things of you and things that accompany salvation Heb. 6.19 As who should say they that have things accompanying salvation can never fall totally away The second Use is for comfort to Gods children Hast thou true faith or any good things wrought in thy soule thou shalt never lose it though thou mayst suffer a great deal of sickness and fall into many decayes of grace and goodness yet thou shalt never lose all there shall be some good things remaining in thee the Lord will not suffer thy righteousnesse to fall for ever he will have thee in everlasting remembrance therefore what a comfort ought this to be to every true beleeving soule Again This is a great comfort against all fears Art thou afraid thou hast no grace I beseech thee believe the Word of God rather then thine own sense and feeling thou hast heard the Word of God say a childe of God can never be without grace he can never fall totally away therefore though sense and feeling tell thee thou hast none yet believe the Word that saith thou hast 2 Cor. 5.10 We walk by faith and not by feeling saith the Apostle The best of Gods children sometimes are put to this to live by faith and not by sense at all though God help thee not in prayer nor quicken thee in good duties and though thy sense and feeling tell thee thou hast no grace believe it not but believe the Word of God that tells thee a childe of God shall never be without grace to the worlds end but something shall remain in him for evermore therefore be of good comfort though thou see nothing and thy neighbours see nothing yet believe neither thy selfe nor thy neighbours but rather believe the Word of God then a thousand witnesses for it is certain a childe of God shall never fall totally away Again It may be a comfort against all manner of temptations God knows how thou mayst be tempted assaulted the Devil may be let loose upon thee but still remember and think with thy selfe I was told a child of God can never fall totally away one whose heart God hath once inclined one whose soul God hath once sanctified one whom God hath
must be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Fifthly To proportion our Reward for though we are saved only by grace yet God doth proportion our reward according to the multitude and zeal and fervency of our good works for Gods Covenant is a remunerating Covenant for mercy doth not consist only in the pardoning of a man but also in the sanctifying of a man and the inclining of a mans heart to new obedience that there may be remuneration for though God doth not reward people for their works yet according to their works he doth 2 Cor. 9.6 He that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly c. Though a man be a Believer and a godly man if he be sparing in his godliness he shall fare accordingly and if he be abundant in the work of the Lord he shall reap abundantly for as there are differences and degrees of torments to the wicked so there be degrees in the Kingdom of God and in glory and the Lord doth reward his people according to their works Lastly Good works are necessary by necessity of thankfulness it is necessary that we having received the forgiveness of our sins and God being pleased to be our God and to deliver us from the wrath to come and the power of Satan that we should be thankful for these mercies as David saith Psal 118.19 Let the peace of God rule in your hearts and be thankeful Col. 1.15 When David had considered what the Lord had done for his soul saith he what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits as soon as ever God hath been good to a man to open his eyes to let him see his damned estate and condition and to let him have hope and comfort and encouragement in him concerning deliverance from it and bestowing upon him his heavenly Kingdom and glory it cannot be but the soul must be thankful what shall I do unto the Lord for all his benefits you know there is nothing that we can do back again for these benefits except we will praise and glorifie him by living unto him and not unto our selves therefore when the Psalmist had reckoned up the benefits of God to Israel Psal 105.46 he concludes that they may keep his statutes and observe his Laws First Here we see how horribly the Papists wrong us when they say we Vse 1 do not teach people good works and therefore nickname us and call us Solifidians whereas we maintain a necessity of them and as great a necessity of them as they only we beat down the merit of them that no man may think to be saved by works as a reverend Divine Mr. Carter said we teach people holiness and righteousness and good works as if there were no way to be saved but by good works and again we teach that there must be as much hanging upon the grace of God as if we could shew no more to be saved then the vilest drunkard or adulterer all our righteousness is as a menstruous cloth and it is Gods mercy that any of us have an heart to do good you see how the world runs after their hearts lusts and every man is of this disposition and it is Gods grace and mercy to incline any mans heart to walk in that way that tends to his heavenly Kingdom and if God should not be infinitely gracious to pardon us for our best doings they would rise up in judgement against us God might condemn us for all our prayert and performances Secondly This teacheth Ministers how to preach to people to call upon Vse 2 them that they have an operative faith not only to believe but to have a faith that may be fruitful and make their lives not to barren in obedience and to be abundant in the works of the Lord and to serve him and fear him and glorifie him in the world as the Apostle having shewed how Christ gave himself for us to purchase to himself a people zealous of good works saith he these things speak Tit. 2.14 15. We must speak these things and rebuke our hearers with all authority rebuke evil workers and tell them they turn the grace of Christ into wantonness they trample the blood of the Covenant under their feet and kick at the spirit of grace and misconstrue the meaning of the Covenant of God in Christ and rend themselves off that they cannot enter into life for no man without holiness shall see God Ministers should tell people plainly and affirm constantly that unless they bring forth good fruit they shall be cast into the fire and that without holiness they cannot have license and dispensation to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven for God is an holy God and our faith is an holy faith and the promises are made to none but those that lead an holy and a godly life we must preach these things and reprove with all Authority and let people know that are loose Christians and Hell-hounds that if they do not depart from iniquity they shall see God as a Judge to condemn them for evermore Vse 3 Thirdly This confutes all the graceless conceits of men that think to be saved by Christ and yet walk not after Christ they cast not away from them the works of darkness nor renounce their wicked wayes and yet hope to be saved by Christ this is a cursed and blasphemous hope whereby a man blasphemes God 1 Joh. 3.6 whosoever sinneth hath not seen him neither known him if a man live in his sins still that is the meaning of it and walks not after the spirit but after the flesh that man hath not seen him neither ever known him he doth not know Jesus Christ otherwise then the Divels know him otherwise then Hell-hounds and reprobates may know him for the second Covenant is as holy as the first and rather more holy and before God hath done it shall bring a man to a nearer communion with God and a nearer likeness it will raise the powers and faculties of the soul so as I believe Adam in innocency never attained unto so much participation of God as God by degrees will bring a man unto by the Covenant of grace therefore no man can look to be saved by Christ except he mean to be ruled by Christ and to have him for his Lord and Master and to obey him in all things if a man should lie sick in his bed of a burning feaver and should say he were well would you believe him so if we see a man that is burning in lust wallowing in sinful courses that hath a carnal and a worldly heart unmortified and unsubdued to God if he should say that he were in Christ and hoped to be saved by him believe him not all the world cannot save this man for the Lord Jesus Christ hath this very name Jesus not only because he shall save his people from hell but also from their sins and make them fruitful in all the works of God Vse
he should so abuse Bathsheba that good woman and bring her to sin If David himself may thus complain how much more may we complain and loath our selves for the deal of rottenness that is in our hearts O what windings and fetches are there Austin himself saith I can hardly tell when to believe my own heart so I say what a company of windings and turnings and tricks and starting-holes are there in the hearts of Gods people sometimes we are ready to think we have the good we have not and what evasions have we to put off any good duty if we have not a minde to doe it what put offs what tricks to slip our neck out of the collar if we doe not like it what a company of deceits are in the heart So what a company of slights to doe evil such a company of blindings and besottings and carnal reasons and foolish arguments as if we did well in doing it whereas it is but the falseness of our hearts As Mr. Hearn saith It is better for a man to be delivered up to the Devil then to his own heart We read of a man delivered up to Satan as Paul saith and yet we read that that man was brought home again but we never read of any man brought home that was delivered up to the corruptions of his own heart therefore if God hath made us see the falsenesse of our own hearts and made us humble our selves before him for it and made us to endeavour more and more after sincerity what a mercy of God is this but the people of God have cause to complain of the falseness of their hearts Thirdly Is it so that we must be upright then let this serve to exhort us that we would be upright more and more for this is that which the Lord doth look for and especially look for What though we should do things never so good for the matter yet if we do them not with an upright heart all is nothing though the children of Judah fasted and that for 70 years together four times in a year they sought the Lord extraordinarily yet because they did not seek him thoroughly he did not count it sincerely done Zach. 7.4 5. As who should say You did not fast unto me Doubtless they themselves thought they were very religious what not only to doe the duties of religion but to doe extraordinary duties no question they thought this was very much yet every one were cast off because their hearts were not upright before him Amâ—ziah the Text saith did those things that were good in the eyes of the Lord yet the Text makes this exception against him that it was not with an upright heart 2 Chron. 25.2 Consider first That God delights only in an upright heart Prov. 11.20 They that are of a froward heart are an abomination to the Lord but those that are upright in their wayes are his delight Upright Prayer and upright hearing of the Word and upright Preaching of it upright walking in a mans Family and upright carriage in a mans conversation when a man carries himself uprightly in all his wayes this man is a delight to God as he saith Isa 66.2 I can look over heaven and earth but at him will I look that trembleth at my Word The prayer of the upright is his delight Prov. 15.8 When a man can make faithful pleas to the throne of grace for mercy faithful pleas that God would pardon him faithful pleas that God would enable him and accept him and he doth not make these pleas falsly but his own heart can say there is no sin but he sets himselfe against it and there is no commandement but he sets himself to obey it but the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to him he cannot abide it let them pray a thousand prayers God abhors their prayers if they have not upright hearts So 1 Chron. 29.17 see what David saith as who should say Lord thou hast pleasure in uprightness and then certainly thou hast some pleasure in me for with an upright heart and in the sincerity of my soule have I sought thee Now on the contrary if a man be not upright before God if a man have a loose conversation and he be not sincere the Lord abhors that man Secondly Consider that this is the totall summe of all that God requires in the Covenant of grace that they should be upright and faithful in his Covenant as when he made his Covenant with Abraham Gen. 17.1 he saith Walk before me and be upright This is that God requires and he would be an Almighty God unto him and bless him and do him good to all generations 1 Sam. 12.24 It is the saying of Samuel to the people Only fear the Lord and walk before him with an upright heart As who should say this is the onely thing and God requires no more if God had required more he might lawfully have done it if he had required the fulfilling of the Law to the utmost rigour he might have done it but this is the onely thing that God doth stand upon that we should be upright before him he doth not look that we should be Angels upon earth but that we should be sincere and not goe a whoring from him wittingly and willingly Thirdly Consider The least faith the least grace and goodness if it be with uprightness is better then all the goodly performances of the whole world God liked more of the poor womans two mites then of all the abundance that the Scribes and Pharisees cast into the Treasury And he that gives a cup of cold water to a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall not lose his reward Therefore you shall see many poore beggarly things over those things that other men have done have been accepted whereas the building of Hospitals and Colledges have been rejected though a man have but a little knowledge as many of the Martyrs hardly knew how many Sacraments there were yet having uprightness died at stake so if a man have but a little faith with sincerity it shall pass when a thousand presumptuous fools shall goe to hell Fourthly Consider God will wink at manifold and grievous faults so there be sincerity and uprightness Asa his faults were horrible faults 1 Kings 15.14 yet his heart was perfect What a company of faults had he what an horrible failing was this that he should cast the very Prophet of God into prison that reproved him Now God answers he had his failings and horrible ones yet he was a good man for his heart was upright before me Asa was not himselfe in that businesse Asa was not Asa then his heart was upright with the Lord. So good Jehosaphat a man that was grievously besmeared with corruptions and infirmities and those no small ones how fearfully did he marry his daughters into a most devillish Family as if he had no fear of God before his eyes he married them to the house of Ahab and
man resists temptations when a man doth watch and pray and is careful that he may not enter into temptations when a man is careful of all the objects and beginnings and occasions of sin when a man fights against the temptations of the flesh and warres against the suggestions of Satan and puts on all the armour of God to withstand the fiery darts of the Devil though he be tempted to be proud and wrathful and impatient yet he will not 't is true now and then he may be overcome against his principles and care and labour but that is as a dagger to his heart This is his course and practise to fight against temptatiâ—ns nay take him in the desperatest cases yet a godly man is sincere take him when he is most afraid that he is not sincere when he cries out how dastardly am I for God how dead in good duties how full of unbelief what a vile heart have I how filthy and untoward take him in these desperate lists he is not without sincerity and in this case he doth one of these two things either he walks according to the measure of grace given unto him or else according to the condition wherein he is 't is true the conditions Gods people are in are sometimes better and sometimes worse sometimes horrible distempers are up and sometimes they are down but when they are never so up he doth as a man in that case may doe as a man when he is bound hand and foot what can he doe if he rowle himselfe upon the ground that is all he can doe and this he will doe as you may see what David saith Psalm 119.40 It seems he felt himself marvellously dead and dull and wonderfully inobedient and he could not get hold of Gods commandements to doe them as he ought yet he rowls himselfe and thrusts himselfe forward to doe them he longed for Gods commandements he longed for the spirit of grace to assist him and quicken his heart Now a naughty heart is not good in all cases nay there are but a few cases wherein he is good at all Again Take an upright man in the lowest ebb he doth question his sincerity and he cannot quiet himselfe because he thinks he hath it not but this is certain a man that hath most sincerity doth most suspect the want of it that man is most eager and most questions himselfe as David was not he an upright man yet no man did suspect himselfe more Psalm 119.80 as who should say Lord I am afraid I shall be ashamed in the end I am afraid my heart is not sound towards thee and directly sometimes I am horribly afraid I shall be confounded in the end Now good Lord let me be found in thy statutes that I may not be confounded So it was with Christs Disciples when he said one of them should betray him though eleven of his Disciples were privy to themselves that they had not the least thought to betray him yet eleven of the Disciples did suspect themselves I may be the man that he means though they were privy to themselves for the present they had no such thought nay it was against the love and principles they had in them they did love him and fear him and believe in him to be the Saviour of the world and they durst not doe it yet they suspected themselves Master is it â— As who should say I have a baâ—e corrupt heart and it may be I for all the goodnesse that is in me and the love I bear to thee they were all more unquiet then Judas that was the man indeed when all questioned it he would question it also for company Seventhly an upright man is universal in regard of relations Consider him with good people and the Saints of God O how he loves them he honours them that fear the Lord Psal 15.4 Though they be never so poor and vile yet he honours them that fear the Lord as Elisha saith he would not have spoken but onely for Jehosaphat so an upright man he honours the Saints of God All my delight is in the Saints saith David Psal 16. Psal 119.63 Nay an upright man is faithful with the Saints as it is said of good Judah she was faithful with the Saints Hos 11.12 So an upright man is faithful with the Saints his heart closeth with them they are his bosome friends and the beloved of his soule But one that is not sound though he take himself to be a Christian and one of Gods servants yet he cares not for the people of God may be he cares for those that seem to be religious but if a man be religious indeed he cares not for him he is too nice and precise for him and he is false to the Saints and will shew them some slippery trick in the end Now again Consider an upright man with the wicked he carries himselfe upâ—ightly towards them he will not be acquainted with them nor all one with them lest he should countenance their wicked wayes as the Psalmist speaks He despiseth them that are wicked Psal 15.4 Let a vile man be never so brave and excellent and noble and high in preferment yet if he be a wicked man in the eyes of a godly man he is despised I doe not mean for his person he gives him the honour due to his place as he ought to doe a childe to his Father a servant to his Master c. as Paul Acts 22.1 Though they persecuted him he gave them their due but he abhors their courses and practises as Solomon saith A wicked man is an abomination to the just Now an unsound heart though he joyn himselfe to the people of God yet he cannot close with the Saints of God but abhors them and counts them vile Again Consider an upright man with his friends he is true to them especially to their souls Consider him with his enemies he doth not yield them railing for railing he dares not hate them that hate him but blesseth them that curse him and prayes for them that despitefully use him Consider him in his Family he sets himselfe to walk uprightly in the midst of his house if he be a Master he labours to be a servant to Christ and if he be a servant he labours to be the Lords Freeman and to be a profitable servant to his Master if he hath Superiours he gives them the reverence due unto them and if he deal with inferiours he makes himselfe equall with those of low degree Thus an upright man is good in all relations Lastly An upright man is good in all the manners and circumstances of his actions he is careful to doe not onely for matter what God commands him but for the manner as God commands him though he doth what God commands yet if he doth not find the love of God setting him a work he is not contented he must doe it in a right manner constantly duely faithfully and to a right end
came down to see the Tower and the City that was built not as if he came down so as taking this phrase unto himselfe but to shew what our duty and Magistrates duty is to search before they pass sentence and to see whether reports given out be true or no. Fifthly Mans searching is for himselfe that things may appear to himselfe but when God searcheth it is not that it may appear unto him but to the world that it may be manifest abroad that a mans selfe and other may see it it is spoken onely in regard of the nature of the thing some things are manifest and some secret Now God is said to search when he makes other things that in their own nature are hidden to men when God brings them abroad and unveils them and unmasks them and openly reveals them 1 Cor. 4.5 Judge not before the time till the Lord comes who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness He searcheth them not for himselfe but to make them manifest he saw them before but they were not manifest abroad they were under the hatches no body could tell whether they were so or no Now God is said to search to bring them abroad Now God is said to search five manner of wayes First By his own Spirit 1 Cor. 2.10 So saith David Whither shall I fly from thy Spirit if I goe up into heaven thou art there c. If thou shouldst goe into the Alehouse or any bad place God is there a spectator though the Devil onely and such as are his Imps are there keeping company with thee yet God is there beholding thee though we should dig never so deep God can trace us and finde us out though we should be never so closely and cleverly wicked God can dive into us what we are Come in thou wife of Jeroboam saith the Prophet why dissemblest thou thy selfe to be another The Spirit of God revealed it When Gehesai wiped his lips O thy servant went no whither Did not my spirit goe with thee saith Elisha when the man returned He shewes how the Spirit of God which he calls his spirit because it dwelt in him did reveal his wretchedness Secondly As the Lord searcheth by his own Spirit so also by the spirit of man as for example by the spirit of the Magistrate he doth search out sly offenders when Solomon had said The King doth scatter the wicked Prov. 20.27 in the next words he answers an Objection How shall he finde out whether such a man be wicked or no A man may be brought before a Magistrate and yet have all the hands in the Parish for his good behaviour Now how shall the Magistrate finde it out saith he The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord that is as Tremelius expounds it the Lord helps the Magistrate to finde out these fellows though they be never so subtle and how doth he help him by the Magistrates own wit and wisedome it is the candle of the Lord the Lord gives him light to sift things and bring things to light and though wicked and ungodly men hang together though they swear and combine themselves hand in hand together yet if a Magistrate be an able man and gifted of the Lord the Lord hath set a candle in that mans minde to light him how to discover them As when the two Harlots came before Solomon the spirit of Solomon was the candle of the Lord that lighted him to discover which was the mother of the childe Thirdly God doth search a man by the conscience in a man himselfe sometimes you shall have a childe of God much afraid that he is not sincere and calls all into question anon the Lord discovers he is sincere and reveals he is upright how doth he doe it by his own conscience as the case was Davids one time he concluded all was naught and he had nothing of God in him and God was gone quite away and had shut up his mercy for evermore at last God revealed David to himselfe and that by his own conscience My own spirit searched saith he Psal 77.6 and then he saw that it was but his infirmity his own spirit and conscience the Lord stirred it up to make diligent search and David perceived himselfe to be as he was so on the contrary a wicked man may seem to have good hopes to be godly and to have an honest sincere heart and be a good Christian and he professeth himselfe to be so and if any one should charge him with the contrary he would say they were uncharitable Now this is a secret Now the Lord searcheth him out by his own conscience thus it was with Pharaoh he thought he did well in not letting the children of Israel goe nay he thought Moses was unreasonable to demand such a thing what to let six hundred thousand of his servants to goe out of his Kingdome at once there was no equity he should let them goe Now the Lord discovered this was nothing but the wretchednesse of his own heart and made his conscience cry out The Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked Rightly doth he call for it at my hands and rightly doth he punish me for not doing of it and I am a wicked man and have done it out of the wickedness of my heart Fourthly The Lord searcheth men out by his Word he doth thereby discover men to be what they are Heb. 4.12 The Word of God is quick and powerful sharper then a two-edged sword c. and is a searcher and discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the hearts the Word of God doth search and discover men though they be never so secretly covered yet notwithstanding the Word of the Lord finds them out as you may see it discovered the woman of Samaria it made her give over all her wrangling and disputing the case with Christ it made her cry out at the last O come and see a man that hath told me all that ever I have done John 4.29 So the Apostle when he would exhort the Corinthians to expound the word in a known tongue he gives this reason O saith he if you doe thus it will discover people if a man should come in he will be judged by you and the thoughts of his heart will be made manifest 1 Cor. 14.24 The Word of God is a divine thing and it is a plain sign that it is the word of an all-searching God for it can meet with mens thoughts and mens secrets When King Ahasuerus said What shall be done to the man whom the King delighteth to honour what man living could tell what Haman thought at that time yet the Word of God revealed the thought of his heart Hest 6.6 When David was dancing before the Ark and Michal looked out at the window what man could tell what she thought in her heart yet the Word of God sets it down She despised him in her heart 2 Sam. 6.16 When
Foelix was talking privately with St. Paul friendly and kindly what man or Angel could imagine what Foelix thought at that time yet the Word of the Lord layes it open He thought to have a bribe You will say who could tell that 't is true men know not peoples hearts yet many times the Word meets with them insomuch that they are ready to say sometimes who told the Minister of me certainly he hath some blab how should he come to know this and speak of this in the Pulpit the Word of God meets with them Fifthly the Lord searcheth men by his providence though men carry it out never so handsomely and fairly and can goe in the dark and under the hatches for a long time yet the providence of God will have a time to finde them out as Job speaks Job 12.22 He discovereth the deep things out of darkness c. That is he doth it many times by his providence he reveals things that are otherwise secret and unknown and lie hid yet he brings them out men may blear the world and deceive their own soules but the providence of God in the end will search out all secret things and make them as manifest as things done on the house top it is a strange thing to see how many that have boyled in their hearts against the Saints and Ministers of God and they have carried it out slyly and fairly yet God hath discovered their malice and spight and their venemous speeches and the envy they have borne against the people of God What strange things hath the Lord discovered when men have concluded no eye should see it I hope no body shall know it yet the providence of God comes to finde it out either first or last Now the providence of God discovers mens works that are in secret divers wayes First By letting his people to suspect men 't is true we ought not to give way to an humour of suspition for it is directly against charity for charity thinketh no ill therefore we should take heed of suspition without just cause of suspition for hereby we may wrong persons as the Disciples though Paul was a true Convert yet they suspected he was not and so wronged him It is a dangerous thing to suspect any man without infallible ground yet many times the providence of God doth discover men by this meanes as you may see an example in those false-hearted ones Ezra 4. they would come and build with Zerubbabel and Jehoshua they made as if they did intend the promotion of the Church and Common-wealth Now verse 3. they suspected them Now when they saw that they were shy of them they displayed themselves and laid themselves open and turned to the contrary side and did them all the mischiefe they could Secondly by letting of good people to injure and wrong them this is very true that the children of God should wrong no body especially none that are Christians that we may have any hope they are godly if a child of God should wrong any man in the least degree he is guilty of all the mischief that shall follow after therefore we should be marvellous careful that we wrong no man in thought word or deed but yet it will be so long as we dwell here in the flesh wrongs will be committed by good people sometimes against their wills sometimes by corruptions rising in their hearts contrary to their minds and principles they goe upon Now when these wrongs fall upon those that are not sound this discovers them for their venom and madnesse falls not onely upon them but upon all Professors these are your Professors and precise fellows nay let but the children of God be indiscreet this by the providence of God doth divers times discover men as Saul a great hypocrite indeed he had many admirable things in him he had admirable Government and though he were not a man that truly loved holinesse yet he did abundance of good things and he hoped he was right Now the Lord discovered him by this by letting him have some indiscretion shewed towards him as the women in the Song Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten thousands it was indiscreetly spoken of them though it were true they ought not to have made such a Song of it though no question the women meant well in what they did and were honest and well-minded people yet through their indiscretion Saul stomachs David and grows to be a persecutor From this time forward be eyed David Thirdly By guiding of his Ministers to home-preaching this discovers people what they are if they be godly and upright when the word of God meets with any corruption of theirs then it shews they are of God for then they fall down before God and acknowledge their sin and repent of it and part with it and loath it and cry to Heaven for the pardon of it and labour to have it rooted out of their soules and consciences and so they are discovered to be sound but when this meets with an unsound heart and comes to display his secret lusts and vile courses not being able to stoop to this it shewes what it is as when Christ preached something sharply John 6.55 60. O say they It is hard hard saying who can bear it And from that time many of his Disciples forsook him It fares with Gods Church in this case as with Ishbosheth Abner seemed to be his dear friend and stuck close to him yet when Ishbosheth told him of his faults of his whoredome and lying with his Fathers Concubines then he was mad and was not able to brook him presently he falls off from Ishbosheth because of this away he goes and turns his enemy So it fares with the Saints of God many seem to be their dear friends and keep close to them and joyn with them but when they are dealt withal about things amisse in them they discover what they are they do not like such men they care not how little they come in their company they fall off and so are made manifest what they are Fourthly By their own lusts and corruptions for you shall have men many times hear the Word and being wrought upon in their consciences by the Word or by Gods judgements that startles them they give over their sins upon this and reform and will have good orders in their Families and take up good duties and not having a sound but a false heart a covetous heart in the end this worldlinesse or any other lust that is unmortified the Lord doth use it as an instrument to discover that all these Reformations of theirs were never sound in the end they come to count this a burden and such a burden as they are not able to bear and so grow to be something weary of their strict courses and give over by degrees not to be so careful in their Families to pray morning and evening and sometimes omit it and not to be so forward
what our works are whether good or evil as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether you be in the faith First Conâ—ider we can never repenâ— of what is amisse in our selves or in our works except we search our selves Let us search our selves and turne unto the Lord â—am 1.43 If there be hypocrisie or hollow-heartednesse in us if we doe not search it out we cannot bewaile it and shake it off Secondly Consider it is a character and mark of the childe of God that he doth desire and is one that doth search himselfe nay he doth not onely use all the meanes he can to doe it but he doth cry and groan to God to help him as David saith Psalm 139 23. Search me O Lord c. As who should say Lord help me to search my heart I have looked into it and turned it topsy turvy and I cannot finde but I am upright but I feare my selfe still O help me if there be any way of wickednesse in me shew it me A childe of God is one that doth indeed deâ—ire to know himself and to know the worst of himself Thirdly Consider if we doe not search our selves it will be the worse for us for God will search us and if we doe search our selves we shall scape well when he comes to search us but if we neglect this duty what saith Job Chap. 13.10 So I may say Is it good that God should search us oâ—t is it good for us to leave all this work to him to neglect our owne soules to lay aside our lives and consciences and bosomes and never to â—ansâ—ck them from day to day never to enquire into our owne bosomes that we may reforme our selves but leave all to God to search us doe you think this will doe well saith Job Then when afflictions and death and judgement shall come that then God should search you and lay before you your works therefore as you desire when God shall search you you may be found upright be careful to search your selves FINIS 2 TIM 1.9 Who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began IN this verse the Apostle declares what God hath done for him and for Timothy he hath saved us that is he hath redeemed us with the blood of his Son and freed us from sin and from Satan and from hell and hath given us title to eternal life he hath saved us 2. He hath called us that is he hath given us a pledge of this that we shall be saved that we shall certainly have salvation compleatly and fully for he hath called us Now he illustrates this two wayes first by shewing what kinde of calling it is which he here means and that is an holy calling he hath called us with an holy calling and then 2ly By shewing the reason why God would do these things for him and for Timothy these are great things what to save them and make them heirs of his Kingdome and to call them to the fellowship of Jesus Christ and give them interest in all Gods goodness and mercy what should be the reason that should move God to do so much for Paul and for Timothy he doth here expresse this three wayes First by removing all false causes not according to our works as who should say it is not for any thing in us there was nothing in us that moved God to do this 2ly He layes down the true cause of it in the next words but according to his own purpose and grace that is he hath done it freely out of his own mercy and love and according to his own purpose Lastly He proves this and that by three arguments that this must be the cause and no other the first is this it was a gift that was given us therefore it must needs be free 2ly It was given in Jesus Christ as who should say he did not look at any thing in us there was nothing in us that was in his eyes no it was meerly for the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ Lastly Another argument is taken from the time when and that is from all eternity before the world began The point that I will handle out of these words is this that it is an excellent thing for a man to be able to say that God hath effectually called him the Apostle here speaks it as a great comfort to his soul and the soul of Timothy and as a pledge of Gods everlasting love and salvation to them both that the Lord had called them and had been pleased to take them out of the world and to make them partakers of his Kingdome and glory Now for the opening of the point I will here first shew you what kinde of calling it is that is here spoken of and it is not that calling whereby God doth call people to an office as of a Magistrate or a Minister but he speaks of a general calling of a calling out of the Kingdome of sinne and Satan into the Kingdome of his dear Son to be made partakers of eternal communion with himself 2ly It is not an outward call whereby wicked men that go on in their sins are called for so a reprobate may be called he may be called out of his own sinful courses and wretched estate and condition to the participation of Jesus Christ thus every man is called all men are called by Gods Ministers as Mat. 22.9 the King sent out his servants to bid all that they found to the marriage Secondly A reprobate may be called inwardly by Gods Spirit I mean the Spirit of God may go along with Gods Ministers to strive and wrestle with the soul and conscience of a man that remains in his sins Prov. 1.24 because I called and ye refused therefore will I laugh at your destruction and mocke when your fear cometh Thirdly A wicked man may be called not only with an outward call of the Minister and with an inward call of the Spirit but with some efficacy it may go a great way so far forth as to make a man come in some kinde as it was with the man Mat. 22.12 He was called together with the rest to come to the wedding and he came but he came without a wedding garment now none of these callings are meant here for in this sence many are called but few are chosen Mat. 22.14 But the calling here meant is a different calling from them and that in three things First It is a call according to Gods own purpose when God calls a man and hath a purpose to make a man come in deed and to come home this is the calling here spoken of Rom. 8.28 We know that all things worke together for the best to Gods children that are called according to his purpose as God calls them so he
doth purpose to make them come to himself and make them partakers of everlasting mercy God hath no such purpose when he calls the reprobate he hath a purpose indeed to do them good if it be not through their own default but yet notwithstanding he hath no such purpose and absolute intention to do them good he hath no such purpose to bring them to his Kingdome and carry them quite through in the business Secondly This is a secret in Gods own bosome and that is another difference wherein this calling differs from the other it is such a calling wherein God puts forth his power and the greatness of his power too God called the light and it came God called the Heavens and they came when as they were noâ— God calling of them they were made to come so when God doth call a man by his Spirit he calls a man powerfully he doth powre in divine instincts of grace and faith and all other holy vertues whereby the soul is made able to come to God the Lord gives the heart a kinde of touch that being touched by his Spirit it must and shall and will know God in Jesus Christ it puts in divine things into the soul whereby the soul must needs know him and come to him and be reconciled to him 1 Joh. 3.9 he puts his own seed into him he that is borne of God sinneth not for the seed of God remaineth in him the Lord puts an holy kinde of ointment upon his eyes and makes him see and that abides in him 1 Joh. 2.27 The holy anoynting which ye have received abideth in you Thirdly It is a continual call it is not a call and so away a call for a year and so an end but it is a continual call he never leaves calling of him till he comes home to him as 1 Thesâ— 5.24 Faithful is he that hath called you who will also do it as who should say he hath called you and doth call you and he is faithful and will do it he hath called you heretofore and made you come to him in truth and sincerity and he will still continue his call he will still do it more and more the Lord draws his people nearer and nearer to himself Now I will prove the Doctrine by divers particulars First Because a man then may be able to look back upon all his life even from his cradle to this day even before his call and see Gods love to him as Paul though he could not see it before yet when God had effectually called him he is able to look back upon all his former time and space he had lived even from his mothers womb Gal. 1.15 Who hath seperated me saith he from my mothers wombe and called me by his grace and so it was with David I have been cast upon thee saith he even from my mothers belly Psal 22.9 10. it is not likely that David was converted then but when God had effectually called him then he was able to go back all along even to his very infancy and trace Gods goodness towards him in this and that even to his very bringing him into the world Secondly This interests a man in all the promises of God 2 Pâ—t 1.3 Who hath given unto us all things pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and vertue if we know that God hath called us to glory and vertue then we know that God hath given us all things that pertaine to life and godliness to this life and the life to come we know it when God hath effectually called us we know that all the promises belong unto us as the Apostle speaks Acts 2.39 For the promise is to you and to your children and to yours that are afar of even as many as the Lord our God shall call look how many God calls so many do the promises belong unto all the promises of mercy and grace and comfort of strength and direction and eternal redemption the compleat working of it all these promises from the first to the last they all belong to a man when God hath called him when the Lord effectually calls a man he takes him out of the world to have fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and in whatsoever he hath done or suffered or purchased for his people Thirdly It doth sweeten all Gods promises to a man what is the reason we can hear such admirable things out of the Word and yet they affect people generally for the most part no more then a dry chip though they hear of the promises of God what promises he hath made to his people to their Prayers to their hearing of the Word to their receiving of the Sacrament what promises he hath made in adversity and prosperity in sickness and in health in life and death when they sin through frailty what promises they have to help them up againe when they are to do any thing what promises to assist them and go along with them when they are called to any employment what promises to sustaine them and bear them out I say though all these things be delivered to people things that were sweeter to David then the hony and the hony combe Psal 119.103 Yet generally people are not affected with these things the reason is because they are not able to say that God hath effectually called them therefore when they heare such things the heart cannot lay hold upon them they think with Francis Spera I have no part in these things they think 't is true they are so to Gods people but they think there is little comfort little sweetness in them because they cannot say that they are effectually called of God Fourthly If a man be effectually called this helps a man to pray Psa l. 119.94 I am thine save me when David was able to say thou hast called me to be one of thine then he was able to pray to God Lord save me Lord help me I am thine thou art my God when he was able to say that he had interest and propriety in God this did exceedingly help him and encourage him with boldness in prayer but when a man questions his effectual calling every petition a man puts up it is choaked a man cannot pray to God but he is beaten off there is no strength in such a prayer as soon as ever Paul was converted saith God to Ananias behold now he prayes Act. 9.11 Paul had prayed a thousand times before no man in Judea prayed more then he but God took no notice of his prayers but when God had effectually called him by his grace now the Lord took notice of his prayers and observed them and heard them and regarded them and inclined his ear to them behold now he prayes Fifthly This is a great encouragement to all goodness in outward things it is a great encouragement to a man to take them in hand when he seeth
he hath a calling thereunto Gideon was very earnest with the Angel that he might see he had a calling to that he was to go about Judg. 6.11 So it is in this divine calling it is a great encouragement when a man can see that he is called true it is that every man is called but I speak not of the general calling but of the effectual call when a man can see that he is effectually called of God this helps a man in all good actions then a man may go to God as to a Father he may go to the Sacrament as the seale of his righteousness and faith then a man may take Gods name into his mouth God challengeth the wicked for doing of it without his call Psal 50.16 What hast thou to do to take my name into thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed now a man may take up the profession of religion and hold forth the name of the Lord Jesus Christ as Paul saith to Timothy fight the good fight of faith lay hold on eternal life now marke the encouragement whereunto thou art also called 1 Tim. 6.12 Sixthly It is an excellent ground of a godly life when a man can say he is effectually called of God that man hath laid a good foundation to be a godly man he hath laid it low he hath built it upon such a ground that can never be shaken nor removed he that builds upon this foundation shall never be removed What is the reason why so many thousands undertake to be godly and are never able to carry it through others go about it and through the mercy of God are carried through stitch with it the reason is because those that are effectually called of God they have a good foundation they go upon the right ground as the Apostle Peter exhorting Christians to holiness and sanctity and righteousness of conversation be ye holy in all manner of conversation he doth presently lay down the ground whereupon he exhorts them whereunto you are called saith he 1 Pet. 1.15 so 1 Pet. 2.9 saith he ye are a chosen generation a royal Priesthood an holy nation c. that you should shew forth the prayses of him that hath called you out of the darkness into his marvellous light In the last place this is the best means to help a man up againe suppose a man have fallen as the best of all Gods Saints and Children may fall and fall fowlly but when a man is effectually called of God this doth help a man up againe as it was with David Psal 51.14 Deliver me from blood-guiltiness O God of my salvation c. he being able to say that the Lord was the God of his Salvation this made him to get up againe as who should say Lord I have committed murther I am guilty of innocent blood yet Lord thou hast called me by thy grace to be a God unto me thou art the God of my salvation I beseech thee purge me from my filthiness and cleanse me from my sins whereas there be thousands when they have committed murther it breaks their necks they never get up againe they are never able to finde repentance and a broken heart and to obtaine favour of the Lord that the sin be not laid to their charge but David though he had such a heavy fall and though it burst his bones and put him to much grief yet he got up againe because God had effectually called him The first reason of the point is this because effectual calling is an evident argument of a mans election unto life it is that which flows from election to life as Rom. 8.30 Whom he hath predestinated those hath he called c. as who should say them and none but them this is the lowest linke of that golden chaine if a man can but once finde that he is effectually called of God he hath a part of that chaine whereof one end is eternal predestination to life and the other is eternal glory now he knows that all the whole chaine of mercy from first to last from eternity to eternity all belongs to him when he finds himself to be effectually called Secondly This effectual calling is a sure and certaine pledge that a man shall have all Gods acts of mercy when God effectually calls a man he doth this for him not only as that particular mercy but as a pledge of all after mercies as it was with the delivering of the people of Israel out of Egypt he did not this onely as a parcicular mercy but as a pledge of future mercies for time to come therefore whensoever the Lord would assure the people that he would shew them mercy and do them good many times this is set down I have brought thee out of the Land of Egypt open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Psal 81.10 Nay when they pleaded for mercy they pleaded this as a pledge that God would shew them mercy Neh. 1.10 11. Now these are thy servants which thou hast redeemed by thy great power we beseech thee let thine ear be attentive to our supplication So it is with effectual calling it is an evident pledge and sure token that God will shew a man all his other mercies when a man is once effectually called though he hath all yet to do all the whole business yet to wade through it may be he hath abundance of estates and conditions to fall into before he dye why now he hath the whole compasse of Gods mercy to carry him along in it God hath given him a pledge of it and he may say to God Lord thou hast effectually called me by thy grace I beseech thee to justifie me I beseech thee to sanctifie me and help me by thy grace to pray and to go on through the several passages of this life to bear afflictions to humble me in prosperity and to stand upon my guard in sickness Lord sustaine me and in troubles and afflictions Lord give me patience thou hast called me and I have the pledge therefore I beseech thee do this for me as Paul saith 1 Cor. 1.9 God is faithful who hath called you to the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ as who should say when God called you to the fellowship of Jesus Christ he did not this as a particular mercy to you onely but as a sure pledge that he would shew you all other mercies and assure your selves he will be faithful and make good all these mercies to you go on with faith and affiance and courage for God will be faithful as the Apostle Peter saith 1 Pet. 5.10 marke how he pleads that God would be pleased to give them grace the God of all grace that hath called you he make you perfect establish and settle you he that hath called you settle you he that hath given you a pledge he that hath vouchsafed you a pawne he will make it good he will strengthen you and enable you and
to some purpose Sixthly Thou canst not sweetly go on in the waies of God all the duties of Religion will be a burthen to thy soul and thou wilt be weary of them which would be light and pleasant if thou didst know thy effectual calling of God but now they will be burthensome and thou wilt think the Sabbath comes too often and good duties come too often about they come so fast that thou hast no heart or minde to them for want of that which should sweeten the wayes of God to a man the knowing of God and what he goeth about and the knowing of him he hath to deale withal without this a man can never go on nay it is a wonder that thou hast not broken thy neck before this day that thou hast not turned back to folly and revolted cleane to the wayes of sinne that thou hast not turned back to be a drunkard and profane person againe it is a wonder that thou prayest in thy family that thou hast not given over all holy duties and reassumed the works of the flesh and cast off all the courses of a godly life it is a wonderful mercy of God that thou hast not apostatized Take a man that knows he is effectually called it is a wonder to see that man fall I marvel saith Paul that ye are soone removed Gal. 1.6 A man may wonder what ayleth that man that knows he hath an effectual call of God and falls that man is besides himself he is not his own man certainly if he turne back to folly when he knows God to turne from his Commandements to yeild to the lusts of the flesh and grow carelesse and negligent it is a wonder that such a man should be removed back but he that never knew of any such things he hath no knowledge of Gods goodness towards him it is a wounder that he doth not quite fall off for the knowledge of a mans effectual calling is that which doth preserve a man Jude 1. the Apostle saith Jude a servant of Jesus Christ to them that are preserved in Christ and called when a man hath an effectual call he hath that which should preserve him therefore when a man comes to know it what a sweet thing is this to be preserved of God to be kept and carried through when Gods people know not this they are subject to falls and returning back without the Lords wounderful mercy Seventhly What difference is there between thee and a very wretch as long as thou knowest not that thou art effectually called of God what difference between thee and one that is in darkness and under the power of darkness in thy own sence and feeling when David was but afraid of falling into this passe Psal 28.1 O Lord saith he be not silent least I be like them that go down into the pit he was afraid of falling into that estate of doubting of Gods love and the assurance of his love and favour least he should be like unto those that go down into the pit so may I say of those that are unsetled in their minds and do not know whether they have any good at all wrought in their hearts what difference do you see between your selves and those that are wicked and abominable you can hardly pitch upon any thing wherein you differ from a wicked man as Throgmorton said brother what will you say if I dye a reprobate so such speeches may come out of thy mouth what will you say if I dye a reprobate as David when he had committed those two foule sins and had blurred his evidences and could not see Gods goodness and mercy towards him he was faine to begin the world again create in me O Lord a cleane heart c. as though he were to begin from the very ground againe as if he had lost all and had nothing in him what a miserable thing is this Eightly Thou art of all men most miserable if thou knowest not thy effectual calling for other men though they have no comfort in heaven yet they have comfort in the world but as for thee thou hast neither comfort above nor here below the wicked of the earth they care not for thee because thou professest religion and thy conscience that mistrusts that God cares as little for thee because thou art not right and so thou art as a meteor hanging in the ayre cast out from men and God conscience will not let thee close with God nor close with the wicked not with God because thou doubtest whether thou art his or no not with the wicked because thou art strongly convicted that their courses are damnable now what comfort canst thou have when a man cannot tell whether to go this is the case of a man that knows not whether he be effectually called of God or no. Nay lastly Let me tell thee this if thou be totally uncertaine thou wert never effectually called of God to this very day but still remainest under the guilt of thy sins and the wrath of God and the curse of the law and the damnation of ungodly men for if a man be called he presently comes to be faithful chosen and faithful Rev. 19. it is faith that makes up the effectual call for this call differs from the other in that this call makes a man come to God by faith so that a man is a believer if he be effectually called now if a man be a believer there is some knowledge in faith Isa 45.24 Surely shall one say in the Lord have I righteousness and strength saith the text look up and down in all the Scripture there is some surety in every believer that he hath righteousness in God that he hath salvation in his name as the Church saith Isa 53.15 doubtlesse thou art our Father it is the speech of people that are marvelously troubled with unbelief and doubting yet at last they conclude it doubtlesse thou art our Father they cannot deny it so saith David Psal 23.6 Surely goodnesse and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life 1 Joh. 5.19 We know that we are of God he doth not only say it is thus but we knows it is thus nay take the doubtfullest man that ever was which was Heman Psal 88.1 O Lord God of my salvation saith he he was able in some measure to speak it that God was the God of his salvation he was not totally uncertaine of it wheresoever there is faith there is some knowledge But then you will say what is the difference between the uncertainty that is in believers and other people it is true that all believers are effectually called of God but yet a man may be uncertaine now the question is how differs the uncertainty of a true believer that is called of God and others the difference is in these several particulars First A man that is effectually called of God as it may be he cannot say it so he cannot deny it
opening of the hellish sink of sin that is in your hearts be you willing to hear it and let us do it 't is true we must be ready to poure in Oyle into every bruised spirit but first we must come with the hammer of the Law to breake and then bind up let me tell you as many as go on in your sins and are yet without Christ let me tell you what your condition is be it known from the Lord whatsoever you may think you are in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity hell is moved for your coming and the pit is digged for such as you are you are under the wrath of heaven and though God be gracious and full of mercy yet he will never save those that disobey him and stand out against his Holy and Heavenly Word though Christ died for sinners yet he is a stumbling block and a rock of offence to those that are disobedient and stumble at the Word 1 Pet. 2.8 Whatsoever you may think of your selves and do not think of these things but suffer the world and your pleasures to take up your mindes think of it what a woefull case you are in know that the great God of Heaven and Earth hath bitter things against you and you shall heare it with both eares when it is too late there is no mercy but for them that repent and forsake their sins there is no Kingdome of Heaven for you you have no hope the Devils and you have one hope What turned so many Angels of Heaven into Hell was it not sin you have that very sin upon you you do not see your misery but if your eyes were open and would but heare what God saith you would loath your selves in dust and ashes and your knees would knock together for anguish of heart What no conversion yet no new creatures yet then no Christ no Heaven no Happiness what a woful thing is this I beseech you think of it and apply it and tell your soules either sin must down or else no Heaven to be looked for either I must be an holy man either God will give me grace and holinesse here or else I shall never see his face with comfort hereafter either I must have my life changed and my conversation made spiritual and godly by Jesus Christ or else I do but deceive my own soul to think of any happinesse this is certaine therefore do not think lightly of any sin there is no sin so small but is able to damn thy soul unlesse thou embrace the Gospel and the Kingdome of God If it were possible that thou never hadst sinned but one sin that one sin will damn thee unlesse thou be a new creature and by Faith embrace the Son of God thou canst not be saved there is no sin so small but the wrath of God from Heaven is revealed against it if people did but see their sins like so many Devils if they did but once see these Cockatrices stings if people were but affected with their estates and conditions something might be said but unless mens sins be laid before their eyes and charged upon their souls what hope have we to do them any good Thirdly this is for comfort to those that are humbled such as have had the Law come unto them and hath knocked them off that they have nothing to trust to and they see what miserable creatures they are look up and hear what the Gospel saith the Gospel of God sheweth mercy freely to be had and delivers promises freely to be apprehended and doth proffer eternal life without money or moneys worth though a man be never so vile and wretched if you see your misery you have Davids own argument go and use it Psal 25.16 Have mercy upon me O Lord for I am desolate and afflicted all the Saints of God have no other argument but this in begging of mercy as who should say I am a miserable creature no grounds whereupon to expect any mercy I am a desolate afflicted undone man in my self all my hope is in thee go to God and lie at his gate and plead this argument submitting to the Gospel Have mercy on me O Lord for I am desolate and afflicted and here now comes in effectual calling when the Law hath shewed a man his wretched estate and his blindness and nakedness and captivity if the Lord do mean any mercy to a man here comes in his effectual calling 2 THES 2.14 Whereunto he called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ I Have spoken already of the prepatory work that goes before Effectual Calling the next thing I am to speake of is the parts of Effectual Calling and they are two First the offering of Christ and his merits the objective propounding of Christ and his benefits when Christ comes and offers himself to a man in the Gospel he came to his own John 1.11 but his own received him not he came and offered himself to them I am the way the truth and the light I am the Messias and the Saviour of the world and I have eternal life and here I am take me and all with me this is the first thing in Effectual Calling the objective propounding of Christ to a man The second thing is the receiving of Christ not only the offering of Christ to a man for so he offers himself to those that are not of God even to all but in Effectual Calling as there is an offer on Gods side so there is a reflection on Gods side as many as received him c. John 1.12 they received him these two now make up Effectual Calling the offering of Christ and the receiving of him when Christ calls a man to him and he answers to his call thus you see the parts of Effectual Calling First to speak of the first the objective propounding of Christ and all the things of Christ to a man and this hath two degrees like the morning light that hath two parts the dawning of the day and the Sunnes arising so there are two parts in this objective propounding of Christ to the soul the first is that general propounding of him to every creature now the soul thinks what to every creature then it is propounded to me as well as to any body else but the effectualness of this call is that it breeds the seeds of grace in a man it breeds saving desires and saving longings and saving and kindly mournings for the want of this sweet good when it sees such an excellent good and a possibility of it and that it is propounded to every creature then the soule thinks I may be one as well as any body else and so the soul longs after it The second thing is the personal propounding of this to those that have these seeds of Grace the first was general to one as well as to another but now this is to this mans
for their faith the soul cannot first beleeve and then come to the promise but the Lord brings the promise first and then makes the soul to beleeve he lets in the promise first and then causeth the soul to lay hold upon it the soul doth not first come and then look to the promise but the soul first looks upon the promise and then beleeves as you may see Psal 119.49 it is the speech of the Prophet David Remember thy Word O Lord wherein thou hast caused thy servant to trust the Lord lets in a word of promise into Davids heart then caused him to hope in it and made him look upon it as a thing tendred and propounded to him and so made him relie upon it if it were not for this call of God who were able to beleeve for without this call the soul when it seeth its dulnesse and deadnesse and untowardnesse and unworthinesse it would go away it would say I cannot look to the promise I cannot do this and that and I have no faith and what have I to do with the promise therefore the Lord when he effectually calls a man he lets in the sight of his promises he holds forth his free and gracious promises so that now the soul can say the Lord calls me by his grace and though I be never so wretched and my heart be stark naught though I be as reprobate to every good word and work as the vilest in the world yet here is a free offer and I will relie upon it it is tendred unto me otherwise why should God propound it so freely why should he hold it forth so indifferently why should he confirm it with the blood of his own Son why should there be the Sacraments and so many Seals to establish the truth of it and why doth he propound it so freely to me when he looks upon the promise the promise makes him believe the freenesse of it the universality of it the indifferency of it to as many as will have it the Lord puts power into the promise to affect the heart fire the heart there is so much truth and goodness in the promise as is able to make the soul beleeve when God speaks it to the heart it is such a good promise and such a free promise and so Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus to all that do but rest upon it the Lord holds the promise before a mans eyes and saith here is a promise for thee beleeve here is mercy here is favour here is pardon here is peace here is Christ here is strength here is wisdome thou art a fool here is wisdome for thee to direct thee thou art weak here is strength for thee to enable thee do but rely upon me and thou shalt have it the soul doth not first believe the promise and then take it but the Lord first propounds the promise to the soul and makes the soul look up to God in his promise I am a vile sinner but with the Lord there is mercy and I have a cursed spirit within me but with the Lord there is power to subdue it the truth of the promise and the power of God going with it makes the soul beleeve it and this is the reason when God would renew the faith of his people he gives them as it were a new call and holds the promise afresh before them as Gen. 17.1 I am God alsufficient walk before me and be upright as who should say Abraham go not away from me go not any where else thou mayest have any thing in me I am God Almighty beleeve in me keep by me go not from me but walk before me all the dayes of thy life and I will be a God unto thee and in blessing I will blesse thee therefore Rom. 9.8 the people of God are called the children of promise because the promise breeds them and converts them and is the ground of all unto them they are the very children of the promise now here be three things I would shew unto you First why this act is attributed to the Father the Father speaks to the soul the soul hears it and so comes Secondly what speech this is which the soul hears and so comes to God by faith Thirdly how a man may know whither he hath heard this voice or no. First why this act is attributed to the Father Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father c. the Father speaks and the soul hears from the Father I answer First not as though Christ did not speak but he came to send them to to the Father go to him and hear him that is not the meaning of it no Christ cuts off all such thoughts in the next verse Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father c. not that any man hath seen the Father c. as who should say I do not mean that you should runne to the Father as though I were not able to teach you no man can go to the Father he dwells in light that is unaproachable no man can come to the Father but by me Mat. 11.27 All things are delivered to me of my Father c. you see here that is not the meaning of it Christ is a sufficient Doctor he is the great Prophet of his Church and is able to instruct his people therefore that is not the meaning of it Secondly not as though we should set up a conceited distinction of works in the Trinity as though a man should say now a man is under the work of the Father and then under the work of the Sonne and then under the work of the holy Ghost as some imagine sometimes the soul is under the work of the Father as when the soul doth not beleeve the Father draws it and pulls it and when it beleeves then it is under the work of the Sonne and he works upon the conscience and justifies and sanctifies it and afterwards it is under the work of the holy Ghost when it is sealed with the Spirit of promise these things are true yet this is not the meaning neither doth our Saviour Christ intend any such construction neither have we any warrant for any such distinction of works for as this act of drawing is here given to the Father so John 11. it is given to the Sonne When I am lifted up I will draw all men unto me and as we say the soul hears the Father so it heares the Son also John 5.25 so that these are but conceits and as the seal is given to the Spirit so it is given to the Father and the Son sometimes therefore to say that the soul is now under the work of the Father and now under the work of the Sonne and now under the work of the holy Ghost these things are not warrantable in Scripture but the meaning is this our Saviour meeting with the stubbornnesse of the Jews that would not believe but murmured and
that it dares not but obey God as it doth discerne his grace and mercy to make him perfectly to trust in God so it seeth another thing in God that God is of that nature that he must be served and worshipped and obeyed Therefore you shall see Noah though the building of the Ark were an endlesse work and a costly and chargeable work in the eyes of men it would cost him many yeares to build and he could not look after his calling and after the world but it would take him up for an hundred and twenty yeares and set all the world a talking of him and mocking at him for it yet when God commanded him to do it faith made him do it and how did faith make him do it Heb. 11.7 By faith Noah being forewarned of God of things not seen as yet moved by feare prepared an Ark fear moved him faith made him do it but how did faith make him do it It moved him with feare and so made him do it it made him see God was an holy and righteous God that would not be dallied withal and this moved him with feare and he durst not but do it whatsoever it put him to he durst not omit it faith makes a man that he dares not be bold with God it takes away the impudency of the heart and the venterousnesse of the soul as long as a man doth not believe he dares make bold with such Commandements of God as he likes not he will omit them for all him but when faith comes it reveales God to the soul and shewes who he is and what nature he is of and that he is such a one as will not be dallied with but his Commandements must be done and his will must be obeyed or else woe to that man it shewes to a man the infinite Majestie of God and sets it before a mans face that he dares not go on in any thing contrary to Gods will but obey God in whatsoever he commands him and abstaine from whatsoever God forbids as Paul saith We dare not make our selves of the number or compare our selves with some that commend themselves 2 Cor. 10.12 He knew God had forbidden it and he durst not but obey So 1 Cor. 6.1 Dare any of you having a matter go to Law before unbeleevers As who should say you are not beleevers if you do it faith would shew you what God is and what an inglorious and what a bitter thing it is for you to do it how dare you do it Secondly Faith doth not onely look upon Christ as a Saviour and a Redeemer but also as a Lord and King when Christ comes to a man when faith comes into the soul Christ is called our Lord Jesus Christ as he is a Jesus so he is a Lord and faith doth not only receive him as a Jesus but submits to him as to a Sovereigne Faith takes them both together faith will not let a man live Lordlesse it knowes he must take Christ as a Lord as well as a Redeemer as faith takes off the guilt of sinne so it puts the yoake of Christ on Is Christ divided saith the Apostle 1 Corinthians 1.13 So I may say is Christ divided Can he be disjoynted himselfe from himselfe Can people mangle Christ in pieces and divide him asunder May be thou wilt have him as a Jesus but thou wilt not have him as a Lord then thou canst not have him at all as Peter saith Acts 2.36 Be it known to all that God hath made the same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ As he hath made him a Christ by anointing him to be a Saviour to bring men from sinne and to bring them to Gods Kingdome and save them from wrath so he hath made him a Lord he hath set him up as a King upon his Holy Hill of Zion look as it was with Jephtah when the Gileadites would have him to save them from the Ammonites shall I be your head then saith he and he made them to sweare before the Lord that they would make him their Head or else he would not deliver them so if thou wilt have Christ to deliver thee out of the hands of thine enemies sinne is an enemy and the Law is an enemy and the Devill is an enemy and the world and thine own flesh is an enemy if thou wilt have Christ to deliver thee from these enemies shall he be thy Head He hath sworne an Oath That we being delivered from the hands of our enemies should serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our lives Luke 1.73 He hath sworne with an Oath that that man whom he delivers from his enemies shall serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse and shall not live as he lift he shall not live Lawlesse he shall take Christs Lawes as well as his Merits as well Christs Government as the imputation of his truth and righteousnesse he shall take the one as well as the other Now it is an easie thing for a man to believe by a presumptuous faith that Christ is a Jesus but here is the difficulty to take him as a Lord No man can call Christ a Lord but by the Holy Ghost saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 12.3 He doth not say no man can say Christ is a Jesus the Devill and presumption can make a man say so and every man hopes and beares himself upon this that Christ is a Jesus but no man can truly confesse him to be a Lord but by the Holy Ghost unlesse the Holy Ghost enable him as our Saviour saith David by the Spirit called him Lord he speakes of himselfe Matth. 22.43 It is a great matter to submit to Christ as a Sovereigne as well as to take Christ for a Saviour now faith seeth both must be done it must take Christ under both relations as he must take him under the relation of a Redeemer so under the relation of a Lord as to be saved by him so to be guided and swayed by him in all his wayes and to be at his disposing in all his courses thus faith seeth Christ is propounded in the Gospell and thus Christ embraceth him it cannot have him in one respect but it must also have him in the other and so faith brings in obedience Thirdly Faith seeth another couple that cannot be disjoynted and severed one from another and that is this as faith tyeth the heart to the promises so it glueth the heart to the Commandements these go together and when faith reacheth forth the hand to the one it reacheth forth the hand to the other they are tyed with bonds of adamant that cannot be severed Psalme 119.56 When faith will go to God in vertue of a promise to do this or that for him he reacheth forth the hand to the Commandements too I am the Lord thy God thou shalt have no other Gods but me As who should say if you will look upon me as your God by
purifies a mans heart pares off a mans flesh weanes a man from the world and knocks off a mans cursed corruptions more and more and pulls downe a man before God makes a man stoop to Gods Covenant and to be holy and righteous as he is it knows unlesse he be made fit for Gods Kingdome he can never come there we should look to this and it should make us feare and tremble and look to our selves for unlesse we be fit for the Kingdome of Heaven we shall never have abode there John 3.3 Except a man be borne againe c. That is except a man be made meet for the Kingdome of God he cannot come into it Except he have Heavens frame and disposition and Heavens conversation except his conversation be in Heaven here he can never come there and this is the reason we are so often called upon to be godly in Christ Jesus to walk in purenesse and holinesse of living because no uncleane thing shall enter into the heavenly Jerusalem without are Dogges the Lord counts them Doggs that shall never enjoy his presence this is another reason why Faith workes obedience because if he will have Title to the Kingdome of Heaven he must look to be fitted for the same Fifthly because Faith is eminently all that a man is to do it is the whole work of a Christian John 6.29 This is the work of God c. That is this is eminently all the workes of God But is there no work but this Yes there are many other works but this is the work of God that ye believe because this is eminently all that God looks for as the Apostle speaks 1 John 3.22 This is his Commandement that ye believe c. Is there no other Commandement but this is this all we must do and no more No but this is eminently the Commandement there are other Commandements but all are included in this of beleeving so faith is eminently all graces all other graces are but the daughters and brood of faith they grow out of faith as out of the spring and root so that do this and do all do but beleeve in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and what wilt thou not do it will make thee give over thy sinnes and be humbled and mortified it will make thee give over vaine company and delight in all goodnesse make thee zealous and fervent and teach thee how to pray and be thankfull to God it will fill thy mouth with laughter and thy tongue with joy it will make thee do any thing if thou believe Acts 16.31 As who should say believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and this will make thee do all there will be nothing left as Christ saith If thou believe all things are possible So I may say if thou believe all things will be done and thou wilt stick at nothing be backward in nothing but wilt be brought to obey God in every thing it is like the turning of the Cock if the Cock be turned the water will flow forth so if a mans heart be opened by faith all the heart runnes to God a Wind-mill if the Sailes go the stones and all go so if faith be once working and operating all the soul is turning it self towards God though never so Heavy and Carnal and Vaine and Earthly before yet now all is going in the wayes of God As the Mother of Christ said to the servants of the marriage Whatsoever he bids you do do it So faith saith thus to all the soul look whatsoever Christ commands look you do it minde those things he bids you minde affect that he affects retaine that he bids you remember it is like Abner that brought all Israel to be the servants of David so faith when it comes into the soul it brings all the faculties of the soul of the whole man to be subject to the Lord Jesus Christ thus you see that faith works obedience in a man The first Use is this to answer a demand that will arise out of the hearts of people when they heare that Faith makes a man to obey Quest. How doth it make a man obey Answ I answer by setting before a man the corruptions of his owne heart and what woeful stubbornenesse is in the same it makes a man see those innumerable corruptions in the soul and how deeply they have eaten into the soul it makes a man see what a loathsome creature he is and what a deal of rebellion there is in his will and minde and thoughts and affections and what oppositions there are against the doing of Gods Holy Will he seeth that if he will obey God what little help he shall have from himself from his own will his own reason his own parts his own nature though he had never so good a nature Nay how he shall be hindered and hampered and opposed by himself faith lets him see this and so pulls him down before God to abhor himself in dust and ashes it was thus in Paul Rom. 7.24 O miserable man c. It made him finde this that he could not do the good he would thus faith empties a man of himself and makes him to renounce himself and makes him not to stand upon his own feeet never to stand alone never to go about any thing but with the help of Christ it makes a man see what a damned will he hath what a damned reason he hath what a damned heart and disposition he hath O! saith he here is Wisdome indeed here is a disposition indeed I will never be ruled by this disposition and he looks upon himself as an undone creature if he followes his own desires here be desires indeed and thoughts indeed and here is an horrible frame and this makes him renounce himself and thus faith works obedience in a man by driving of him out of himself and dividing a mans self from himself that he will not be led by his own thoughts nor carried by his owne imaginations it seeth Hell in all these and that he can do nothing without Christ live in his heart by faith without faith you can do nothing saith Christ and faith tells a man this it makes him know what a wretched creature he is and what a damned nature he carries about with him and that he must not follow and please and give satisfaction to that at any time Now a natural man may see his insufficiency of himself and the vilenesse of his nature but conscience only shewes him this but because he hath not faith it doth not humble him and put him down but he will follow his own thoughts and go after his own reason for all this he hath not true and saving faith to reveal these things in power to him but when faith comes into the soul it doth it to the purpose it makes a man not to be a little affected with his sinnes but soundly affected and makes him see that he is undone for ever if he go on
in that course he was wont to do and thus faith working in this fashion delivers a man over to Christ by taking a man off from that which was his Pilate and guide before and making him to be guided by Christ Secondly Faith works obedience by carrying a man to God it makes a man seek to God how to obey Teach me O Lord to do thy will Psal 143.10 Faith carried him to God so faith doth wheresoever it is it brings a man to God that God would be pleased to strengthen our apprehension that so we may look upon his will and to fortifie our understandings that we may conceive of all his wayes with a Divine and heavenly understanding and to fortifie our wills that the feeblenesse of them towards God may be removed it crieth to God from day to day that he may not do as he hath done nor live as he hath done faith wheresoever it is drives the soul to God and to lie at him from day to day to guide him and teach him and instruct him and shew him his wayes and reveal unto him his Statutes as David Psalme 119.35 36 Incline my heart to thy Testimonies and not to Covetousnesse As who should say Lord here is my heart will and whole man I beseech thee make me walk in thy wayes I am very loath and untoward I beseech thee put some strength into this will of mine when I go to thy Word let me heare it with trembling when I go to prayer let me go to it with an heavenly minde encline my heart this way and make it stand bent this way 't is true when naturall men are convinced that all strength is from God they pray too but this is not faith in prayer but faith makes the soul that it cannot be quiet but it must obey and stoop to him in all his wayes Thirdly Faith works obedience by making a man improve all the abilities that God hath given him already and this is the best way to encrease them Matth. 13.12 When a man hath grace hath a Talent and makes use of it and hath it to some purpose and layeth it forth that man shall encrease his Talent and abound God will give him more now as faith works obedience by shewing a man his own wretchednesse that he must not yield to his own desires and be carried by his own vaine imaginations that for his part would conclude such a course is lawful and why not Though God saith the contrary faith makes him consider that and so drives him to God and so also it makes him go and improve those gifts and parts and strength that God hath given him already that he may lay it forth and use it to the uttermost as if a man be haunted and baited by any lust deadnesse security coldnesse in duty or some other lust Now Faith when it would make a man obedient to God to crucifie these lusts it makes a man look out to see what power Gud hath given him what abilities God hath lent what helps and furtherances God hath reached out unto him and he takes all to fight against that lust hath he understanding that he employes to think of the evill of the sinne to consider of the danger of the sinne how he may avoyde it and what course he may take to overcome it if God hath given him a memory he layeth it forth to remember and recollect such things as he hath heard and hath been told of he layeth all his Talents forth that ever he can to master that lust and so works obedience as faith drives a man to God for help so look what help God lends and what Talent God puts into his hand he layeth all forth for the working of obedience he will not let any one lye idle but will employ all to help him forward in obedience Fourthly Faith doth work obedience by making a man to relie upon Christ it doth look unto an union with Christ it doth make a man to cast himselfe upon Christ for power against his sinnes it doth extract vigour from Christ against corruption it doth distill and draw down graces from him faith is the pipe whereby grace is conveyed from Christ to the soul and faith opens the passages of this pipe that it may descend down to the heart from the Lord Jesus Christ faith is a marvelous excellent thing it doth extract efficacy and validity and power from the life and death of the Lord Jesus Christ for the crucifying of the flesh for the mortifying of the deeds of the body and thus it changeth the heart and brings willingnesse to every duty by doing thus I say faith goeth to Christ and casts it self upon him for all things it wants for the performance of all good courses and wayes Thus David got power against his carnal feare when he was afraid of Saul on one side and the Philistins on the other side how doth he fence himself against this Psalme 56.4 I put my trust in God and therefore need not feare what man can do unto me and so faith was able to root out his feares So it was with the remnant of Israel Zeph. 3.13 They shall do no iniquity you will say how can that be Can flesh and blood do that As long as a man is flesh and blood he will be doing some iniquity or other how shall a man be able to do no iniquity and let no iniquity have dominion over him it goeth before in the twelfe verse They trust in God They trust in God and so shall do no iniquity When a man doth trust in God and hath faith to relie upon him and distill down power and strength from Christ this will help him to do no iniquity and help him to oppose himself against all his corruptions and fight against the strength of all his lusts as the Apostle saith Rom. 3.13 let us therefore cast off the workes of darknesse You will say this is very strange are we able to do this can we tame our own hearts or change our own minds are we able to purge out these corruptions is this possible how shall a man do this Why put on the Lord Jesus Christ in the next words go to him by a true and lively faith and then you may be strong in Christ and able to do every good Duty and subdue every sinne receiving strength from Christ when a man is to go through thornes and briars a man is not able to go through but if he put on his Bootes and his Gloves c. he may so when a man goes on in his owne wayes he cannot avoide sinne pride and covetousnesse and vanity how shall he avoide these things 't is true he cannot avoide them if he go naked but if he put on Christ he may it is a similitude taken from a garment and that in two respects First it must be fitted and then it must be put on so Christ first takes measure of all the
were a beast and a bruit for all his understanding if it did discover unto him his blockishnesse and blindnesse and ignorance that he knows nothing of the Mysteries of Grace and Salvation this would pull down his pearknesse take another man that hath more knowledge and can speak better a thousand times if the law hath shewed him his estate and truly humbled him all his brisknesse is taken away the law hath taught him such a lesson that he cannot be peark Oh! saith he I know nothing there is no man more foolish then I I have not the knowledge of the most High in me though he have never so much knowledge and gifts and parts yet the law hath discovered his estate unto him and pulled down the pearknesse of his spirit Again another man is ready to carp at every word every little occasion will make him on the top of the house his heart is so brisk that it is up upon every little occasion but when the law comes home unto him this will pull down all his pearkness alas he angry at a word speaking The law hath told him how he hath offended God and provoked his Spirit from time to time he is now cooled from being so peark to be angry at every word So take a man that is full of pleasure and voluptuousnesse and is ready to be vain and foolish every pleasure puts life into him but now let the law come and be charged upon his conscience and then all his pearknesse is presently down he is not able to look up he seeth so many sins discovered by the law that he is not able to look up Jam. 5.1 Go to now ye rich men saith the Apostle weep and howl for the misery that shall come upon you If the law were charged upon rich men it would make them weep and howle rich men are fullest of pleasure and delight and farthest from weeping and howling but if the Law were charged upon their consciences it would make them weep and howle and have little heart to be so pleasant I come now to the Uses and the First Vse is for Instruction to shew us Vse 1 the reason why there are so many men and women among us that think themselves alive that are so secure and fearlesse and carelesse that have their hearts so sound and their spirits so unbroken the reason is because the Law hath not yet come home and killed their hearts 2 Cor. 3.6 The very letter of the Law is able to kill as many of us as are in this estate and condition therefore the cause of this livelinesse and security is because we are strangers from the Law of God our eyes were never open to behold it the Law of God never came home unto our hearts The Second Vse is this When we find our hearts to be brisk and peark Vse 2 let us pray unto God that he would be pleased to charge his Law upon our Consciences Let us buy precious eye-salve that we may be able to look into the Law of God this will make our hearts that they will not be so wanton and our spirits that they will not be so brisk though they would never so fain mind earthly things they cannot If the Lord would be pleased but to charge his Law upon the heart it would make the stoutest spirit to yield Thirdly This takes away the imputation that is laid upon the Word of Vse 3 God many think hardly of the Word of God it takes away the spirits of men the Preaching of the Law it pulls down the spirits of men and breaks mens hearts it makes men have no spirits as they said of Jeremy thou makest the knees feeble so the Law infeebles the knees and takes away the spirits of a man why here we see that the Law of God will do so it is the Property of the Law to do so wheresoever it comes it kills the heart and pulls down all the pearknesse of it The Law it will ever break a mans bones as David speaks Let me hear of joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Psal 51. The Lord had broken his very back-bone by the Law and now he could not rejoyce Isai 57.15 I the Lord dwell with him that is of an humble and contrite spirit to revive the spirit of the humble When the Law of God hath broken a mans heart and made him contrite he is a dead man till the Lord comes to revive him and raise up his spirit I come now to the Second part of the Text When the Commandment came sin revived and I died Here also as in the former part are Two things to be expounded First What doth the Apostle here mean by reviving When the Commandment came sin revived Secondly What doth he mean by dying I died When the Law and Commandment came and discovered me to my self and shewed me what a damnable thing sin was and what a wretched dead creature I was for committing the same and how I lay under the guilt thereof sin revived and I died Therefore What doth the Apostle mean by sin revived I Answer The Apostle doth not mean here as if sin were indeed dead in him before the Commandment came for sin is alive in every carnal mans heart before the Commandment comes and therefore he cannot mean thus when the Commandment came sin revived as if it were truly and really dead before for his sins were not dead in him when he was a Pharisee his sins were not mortified when he was in his unregenerated estate and condition sin was not dead in him that cannot be the meaning eas if sin vvere dead before and now revived But he speaks of the Appearance of the death of sin though it vvere not dead before yet it did appear to be dead as a Snake in cold weather though it be alive yet it appears to be dead the life of it is in a swound though it hath life yet the cold benums it and keeps it from appearing so before the commandment came sin was in Paul but it seemed to have no life but when the commandment came and discovered plainly what a dead creature he was then the life of sin came indeed to be manifested Now the Law of God doth manifest the life of sin Three wayes it manifests Three lifes of Sin There are three lifes of sin that appear to the soul when the Law comes 1. First There is the life of Aggravation the Law of God doth aggravate and point out sin to the full life of it it makes sin appear in the true nature of it the true nature of every thing is the life of the thing the nature of a man is the life of a man Now the Law did shew the nature of his sins it painted them out to the very life in their lively colours this made him see how his sins were aggravated what a cursed and damned thing sin was and what a person it was
a Doctrine to make way for this Namely That when the Lord takes a man in hand to pull him down to pull down his will he doth shew him what a dead Creature he is The Lord by pronouncing a man in his own Bosom a dead man a damned man one that can no way help himself he is dead absolutely dead in his own estate and in Gods account all his hopes are rotten he is meerly a dead damned man hereby the Lord pulls down his Will We may see this in Paul before his Conversion his Will was full of Obstinacy and Rebellion against God he would go and make havock of the Church he would not submit to the Will of God but when the Lord came to work upon him Saul Saul Why persecutest thou me It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks What wilt thou that I shall do Lord saith he Act. 9.6 Now his Will is come down but mark how the Lord puts him off Go to such a place saith he and there it shall be told thee what thou shalt do The Lord puts him off and would not give him an Answer presently what he should do as who should say Thou hast as yet an obstinate Will thou wilt not do as I command thee I will not tell thee as yet what I will have thee to do but go to such a place and I will Arrest thee there and charge my Law upon thy Conscience and shew thee thy dead and damned estate And now his Will is come down he bids him be Baptized and he was so he bids him go and Preach the Gospel and he did so now his Will is come down So the Prodigal his Heart was marvellous Obstinate against his Fathers commandment he would be gone from his Father he could not abide to stay in a house where there were such strict courses he would have his Goods and Patrimony in his own hand as it is the Property of every carnal man he would have his Inheritance in his own hand he would have Power and Strength and Ability and these Gifts and Parts in his own hand but when he is humbled by the Law he is content to have all in Gods hand he is content to have all his VVisdom there that he may come thither for it he is content to have all his Righteousnesse there and all his Ability Strength and Sufficiency there that he may come thither for it all is there and he sees himself a beggar if he comes not to God and keeps close to God and keeps fast to his Covenant he is a very beggar But this man would have all in his own hands and go and squander away all upon his Lusts and Pleasures and he would not stay at home with his Father Now when the Law of God came home to him to shew this man to himself when he came to himself as the Text saith his Father did esteem him a dead man before but when he came to himself and saw he was a dead man for going away from his Father the Father of Life Novv his VVill is come dovvn I will go to my Father and say Father I have sinned against Heaven and against thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son make me as one of thy hired servants Luke 15.17 Here his VVill is come dovvn he vvould be gone from his Father before he could not abide to be held in so strictly he vvould fain be gone and be at liberty he had no mind to stay in his Fathers house But vvhen he came to himself vvhen the Lavv shevved him he vvas but a dead man for going from his Father and going after his Lusts and Pleasures novv his VVill is brought dovvn and it submits and yields and novv he vvill go to his Father and humble himself before his Father and say Father I have sinned against heaven and against thee c. Novv I desire here to shevv you Three things as I did in the former Point First VVherein this deadnesse consists Secondly VVhat be the effects of this deadnesse and how it pulls down the heart And. Thirdly The Uses we are to make of it 1. For the First Wherein this deadnesse consists and it consists in Three things First In deadnesse in being Secondly In deadnesse in Gods account Thirdly In deadnesse to all doing 1. First It consists in deadnesse in being When the law comes it shews a man indeed to be a dead man 2 Cor. 3.6 the Letter killeth saith the Apostle the very letter of the law without the Spirit of life which Christ doth inform it with when he comes to work upon his children The letter alone without the Spirit of God kills a man now when a man is killed he is a dead man he is then fully dead he hath the very being of a dead man he is a dead man that is his Estate and Condition So when the law of God comes home to a man it shews him indeed that he is a dead man The property of the law when it is let in to work upon the heart is to slay a man I have slain them by the words of my mouth Hos 6.5 The law which proceeds from Gods mouth is able to slay a poor sinner and kill him at the heart and lay him for dead before Almighty God that he can strive no more the reason is because the law doth charge the truth of God upon a man Now the truth is that every sinner is a dead man this is the very truth of it Rom. 8.6 To be carnally-minded is death That man is a dead man there is the very death of sinne and hell and condemnation in that man that is a carnal-minded man Now the law of God when it comes doth charge this Truth upon the Soul it discovers a man to be in this estate and condition wherein in truth he is 2. Secondly It consists in deadnesse in Gods account For all a mans presumptions for all a mans vain hopes that he is justified for this is the nature of man before he is convinced by the law of God to justifie himself you are they that justifie your selves not that he is indeed justified but he falsely applies justification to himself and he hopes he is justified before God he is apt to pronounce this hope unto himself Let a Minister tell him of his sins here is his Salve God is merciful and Christ came to save sinners Let Sermons beat upon him from day to day to humble him he cannot imagine that he is in a damnable estate Preachers are too harsh and censorious and the like But when the Law comes it shuts up a man that he cannot get out as the Apostle speaks Gal. 3.22 The Law hath concluded all under sin that is the nature of the word of God to shut up a man that a man is not able to get out before the law is charged the heart hath a thousand starting-holes Denounce hell and damnation against
the love of the Creature if thou lovest thy ease too well or any thing in the world too well thou art drunk with it thy heart is giddy thou art no more able to Pray or do any thing that 's good then a drunken man is Fifthly If thou wilt Watch then set the Lord alwayes before thy eyes Set the watchman of Israel before thy face God is called a watcher Dan. 4.23 Now if thou wilt watch over thy self set God before thy face as David did Psal 16.8 I have set God before mine eyes so alwayes set the Lord before thine eyes Now I come to the last thing which is an Vse of Exhortation To exhort us to be careful of this Duty and there is great need of it First We all desire to do well Now how can we do well at last unless we watch well all our life time VVhat is the reason that many are without comfort not like the Servants of God full of horrour and fear and quaking It is because they do not watch as it was with the Five wise Virgins they were something wise not like the foolish but they slumbred too Now when the bridegroom came there was a cry they made an out-cry and a skrieking and an howling they were undone the bridegroom was come one would have thought they should have rejoyced that the bridegroom was come What godly Christians and Religious People when the bridegroom comes to fall a howling and a crying This was because they slumbred whereas if a man be watchful over his life and careful to keep an humble heart and to honour God and study how to die comfortably at last he may rejoyce at the coming of the bridegroom but because they were in a slumber there was a cry therefore as the Apostle Peter saith 1 Pet. 4.7 The end of all things is at hand therefore be sober and watch unto prayer the Apostle brings this as an Argument so I may say the end of all things is at hand therefore be sober and watch as a Traveller when the day is almost spent and he hath a great way to go he puts spurs to his Horse and rides the faster so the end of all things is at hand therefore we had need to be the more diligent and watchful that we may have all things ready the end comes upon us We have had the Gospel a long time and God knows how soon we shall have an end thereof therefore how ought we to be careful as a man that is to write a Letter may be at first he is something carelesse and writes his lines something broad but when he comes near to the end and hath a great deal to write he writes his lines close and crowds them together So now when we are coming towards an end we cannot look that God should alvvayes strive with us we should now therefore labour to write close and to make our Duties thick and to be enquiring after Grace wheresoever we come we think the time is long but we may justly fear it is shorter then we imagine as when an hour-glass is almost out a man that sits below will think there is a great deal to run but the sand is hollow and is run out before a man is aware so the Lord so carries himself towards people that they may think there is a great deal of Patience more and a great deal of Mercy more to be extended towards them but when all comes to all they shall find it lyes hollow and will be out before they are aware Secondly Consider how sickly and diseased our Souls are how apt they are to fall into sin Sickly men are most careful Now our Souls are sick of sin sick of Pride sick of Covetousnesse and Earthly-mindednesse easily carried away with the sins of the times they are sick of pronenesse to do evil and indisposednesse to that which is good therefore we had need to watch over our souls we had need be our own Porters Matth. 13.34 our Saviour Christ doth compare every Christian to a Porter The Lord of the house takes a great journey and commands the Porter to watch We should all be Porters and keep the gates of our Souls for we are alwayes in danger Thirdly Consider that God hath awakened many of us already and therefore it is a miserable thing for us to sleep again wicked and ungodly men that were never converted and healed and awakened and wrought upon they go to Hell and damnation in a sleepy security but when a man hath been once awakened and hath shaken off sleep and God hath made him look about him to see how he might be saved if this man fall asleep again it is a most miserable thing the latter end of that man will be worse then his beginning Fourthly Consider the badnesse of the Times and Places and Families we live in they are all secure and therefore we had need be so much the more vvatchful and you knovv it is a very hard thing for a man not to do as others do therefore the Apostle 1 Thess 5.6 vvould not have them sleep as others do as vvho should say Others do so and therefore you have so much the more need to look to your selves that you may not do as others do THE NEVV BIRTH Jon. 3.6 That vvhich is born of the Flesh is Flesh but that vvhich is born of the Spirit is Spirit MY Purpose is to speak of the several VVorks of Gods holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of his chosen they are Gods peculiar people and therefore he vvill vvork greater Mercies for them then for any else Novv the First grand distinguishing vvork of the Holy Ghost in the Elect is Regeneration he is the Author of Spiritual life in them they are born of him though by nature they are born of the flesh and so are flesh and in that estate can never enter into the kingdom of God yet vvhen the Spirit of God comes to regenerate them they come to be Spirit they come to have a nevv life and the Spirit of God gives it them it is true that Christ is the Author of this life he procured it by his death he quickens whom he will as he told his Disciples Joh. 14.19 Because I live ye shall live also Life is derived by Christ to all the Members of Christ for as all in Adam died Adam is the general root of all in his loins and by him they come to be dead in sin so Christ is the Second Adam and all that are in his loins all that are in him he is a quickning Spirit to them 1 Cor. 15.45 The first man Adam was made a living Soul the second Adam was made a quickning Spirit Christ is the second Adam and is a quickning Spirit to all that are in him God the Father hath appointed him to be the Prince of Life as Peter tells his Hearers Act. 3.15 The Lord Jesus Christ he is the
Prince of life to all the people of God and therefore Saint John saith He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life 1 Joh. 5.12 He is the Father of this new Birth and he is the daily and continual Father of it He is not a Father for one or two or divers years but Isa 9.6 he is called An everlasting Father to regenerate a people to God and he doth it by his Resurrection 1 Pet. 1.3 This must needs be granted That Christ must be the Author of this new Life Now you will say Then why is it attributed to the Spirit The Text gives it to the Spirit of God the Holy Ghost now if Christ be the Author of this new Birth and the giver of this new Life and God the Father hath appointed him to be so Why is it then here said That the Spirit doth it I Answer It is given to the Spirit for Three Reasons First Because Christ doth it by the Spirit Whatsoever Christ doth without he doth it by the Spirit when he cast out Divels here upon Earth he did it by his Spirit all the outward VVorks that he wrought he wrought them by his Spirit and therefore the Spirit is called the Finger of God Luk. 11.20 Now if Christ do this VVork by his Spirit if he do Regenerate all his people by his own Spirit there is Reason why they should be said to be born of the Spirit Secondly Another Reason is Because though this life be all from Christ it is he that begets it it is he that is the soul of every Believer as I may so speak yet it is the Spirit that is the Bond of Vnion it is the Spirit that joyns Christ and them together it is the Spirit that tyeth the knot it is the Spirit that unites and puts them together into one though Christ be life and eternal life yet notwithstanding they are all Aliens from Christ they are all out of Christ that the Spirit doth not joyn together with Christ they that have not the Spirit of Christâ—â—â— they are none of his they are all out of Christ they are like dead branches out of the Vine it is the Spirit that is the bond of Vnion between Christ and those that are Christs Thirdly Another Reason is Because the Spirit quickens the Word whereby this is done The people of God the thing that they are born of again it is the immortal seed of the VVord 1 Pet. 1.23 You are born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible Now this seed is sowen in all mens hearts scattered among all the Congregation but yet it doth not Regenerate all the Congregation The Reason is where the Spirit comes that makes it fruitful and that makes it to quicken the heart and thus you see the meaning of the words That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit Now here are Two Points First That the Spirit of God or the Holy Ghost Regenerates all the people of God whosoever is born again is born of the Spirit The Second Point is this That all that are Regenerate all that are born of the Spirit they are Spirit that is they are spiritual they are like the Spirit The First is That it is the Spirit of God the Holy Ghost that doth Regenerate all the people of God this is that which makes them to be new Creatures to be new men to be altogether different from that they were before this is that which doth distinguish them from themselves even as much as white from black this is that which doth alienate them from the courses of the world this is that which doth make them to be singular and odde fellows as if they were of another world this makes them lead a different kind of life and follow a different kind of way from all their neighbors because the Spirit of God works in them as Ishmael and Isaac though Ishmael was born after the flesh yet Isaac was born after the Spirit as the Apostle alludes Gal. 4.23 that is one took one kind of course the other another one was born one way the other another way the Spirit begat one the Flesh the other and this made Ishmael to persecute Isaac because Isaac could not abide his courses they were of different Natures and Dispositions one was born after the Spirit the other after the Flesh Now here be Six Things I would shew unto you First What Regeneration is Secondly Why it is so called Thirdly Wherein it consists Fourthly The Reasons why the Spirit of God only works this work Fifthly How he works it And Lastly The Vses First What Regeneration is And it is thus much namely The renewing of the whole man and by degrees completed after the Image of God in Jesus Christ This is Regeneration and there be Five Things to be opened in it First That it is the renewing of a man It is not every change there may be abundance of changes and alterations and yet a man for the main may be the same man he is a man may be changed from a Drunkard to be sober from an Adulterer to be chaste yet still he was the same man he was before though there be changes wrought in him but Regeneration is the renewing of a man the making of a man another man as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 5.17 Old things are passed away and all things are become new The Lord doth take away the old frame and the old affections and the old inclinations the old acquaintance the old course and conversation all these things passe away and the Lord puts in new things in the room thereof till all things become new thus it is in this work as the Apostle speaks Tit. 3.5 According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost the Lord removeth the old rubbish and puts a new fabrick in the room as a Goldsmith he takes a vessel of dishonour and melts it and makes it a vessel of honour God doth undo the old workmanship and makes a new as David saith Create in me O Lord a clean heart c. Psal 51.10 David thought he had lost all therefore he prayeth to God that he may be new cast that he may be taken all to pieces as a VVatch-maker takes a VVatch that is out of order he takes it all to pieces and sets it together anew again so he prayes God to deal with him he had lost all in sense and feeling and would have God make him a new workmanship it is called the renewing of a man Ezek. 11.19 there is an excellent place I will give them a new heart c. The Lord puts out and he puts in even just as a Suister doth when she works cut-works she puts out the cloths own threds and puts in needle-work so the Lord puts out the old heart and puts in a new heart he takes out
light of the Sun and all is gone in the same moment so it is with this new Creature and the Spirit of God he doth dwell in the soul as the Sun in the Air his presence warms the soul and quickens the soul and inables a man to good and gives a principle of life and enables to all actions that are good therefore how should all Gods people carry themselves towards this Spirit They should have a care that they quench him not nor go against him in any particular The Third Vse is for all Gods people in whom God hath wrought this blessed work the Spirit of God hath regenerated and begotten them again I say to all such persons Let them endear this Spirit of God let them not grieve or offend or displease him seeing he is such a gracious worker in them Ephes 1.13 The Apostle makes this very Inference in whom after ye believed ye were sealed by the holy Spirit of Promise that is whereby you were Regenerated Regeneration is the first seal of the Spirit whereby he seals Gods good will to a man Now hath the Spirit of God sealed you Then do not grieve him nor cause him to take any indignation against you for though he will never depart from them whom he hath made new Creatures yet notwithstanding he may hide his face for a time if we displease him Yea Consider Will any natural Child willingly displease his loving Father The Spirit of God is our Father therefore we should have respect to him Again This should be a Motive to Gods people to be willing to do any thing for God because he hath made them as David saith Psal 100.3 This very Consideration That God hath made us and re-made us he hath done that for us that all our own wits could never have done that the whole world hath not the like the Lord gener-ally lets the whole World sink in ruine and damnation should be a Motive to you to be willing to serve him gladly and to call upon his Name to be ready prest to execute any of his Commands to enter into his presence upon all occasions seeing it is he that hath made us and not we our selves To them that are Vnregenerated Here we see where to have Regeneration it is only in God and in the Spirit of God to renew a man and make a man up again As David prayed when he had the Spirit Lord take not thy holy Spirit from me Psal 51.11 So when a man hath not the Spirit of God he should pray to God Lord Give thy holy Spirit to me and send down thy holy Spirit into my heart that may work this work in me But it may be many of you will think that you expect this and desire it and wish it and use some means I Answer Then shew it by thy coming unto God for it from day to day will any man say That Noah did expect that God should deliver him from the Deluge if he had not took that course which God appointed If he had not built an Ark certainly we may justly say That he did not look that God would deliver him Therefore it is said of Noah That as he did expect that God should keep him so being warned of God he built an Ark c. Heb. 11.7 So when a man shall say That he looks that God should deliver him from his natural estate and condition that God should renew him by his Grace and goodness yet if a man will not prepare an Ark if when a man is Commanded and directed by God what to do yet he will not come to God to do that which should be done for him these men do but deceive their own souls and treasure up indignation against themselves I remember the story of Moses Exod. 14. when the Children of Israel were in Pi-hahiroth and the Egyptians were behind them and the Mountains were on the side that they could not pass and the Sea was before them and there was notable crying out Oh! that God would deliver them now they were dead men the Egyptians were come out to destroy them the Mountains were on the side and the Sea before them Now mark what an Answer God gives to their cry cause the people to go forward you keep a crying to me I pray go forward you are not yet at the red sea but go to the red sea and when you are there then cry to me you are idleing and lazing and mistrusting me though the red Sea be before them yet cause them to come thither and when they are there then cry for help to me So thou sayest thou desirest that God would Regenerate thee and quicken thee and turn thy heart and vouchsafe thee his holy Spirit do you so I say it is very well the thing is very good but if the desire be sincere you will take that course God bids you art thou come to the utmost difficulty Are not many things to be done which thou refusest to do Must thou not seek God more and more carefully Go forward go forward if thou meanest to have help and aid from God otherwise it is in vain if thou wouldst go on in the wayes of God and do what God Commands thee thou shouldst be quickened and renewed Fourthly Another Vse is for Examination To examine our selves whether the Word of God hath wrought this for us yea or no. And the first sign is this If thou beest born again if thou hast this new Nature then it is natural to thee to do good duties to follow good courses and to yield obedience to the commandements of God it is not enough for a man to do good duties a natural man an unregenerate man may do them but whether is it natural to thee A proud man may do the actions of humility a proud man may pull off his Hat and give the time of the day and speak meanly of himself a proud man may suffer another to do him wrong and put up base language he may do these things but the man is a proud man still he hath no humble nature but the question is whether it be thy nature to do this May be thou dost these things for fear or some by-respects A worldly man may speak of heavenly things but is thy nature heavenly A man may think of God but is thy nature godly Here is the thing If a man be regenerate there is Grace got into a mans Nature Jer. 31.33 When God Regenerates his people he saith He will write his laws in their inward parts he doth not only say they shall do these duties but their very hearts shall carry them their very hearts shall go to a Sermon their very souls shall go about the duties of God as it is with the fire water may heat but not by nature but it is the nature of fire to heat So if a man be Regenerate it is natural to him to do good duties Rom. 2.14 A man
who should say it were a sign that God were not amongst us if we did not this he takes it as a principle written in the conscience though he were a natural man yet he doth reason thus that where there is not every day some time for Gods Worship God is not amongst them Another Reason is Because every morning God reneweth his Mercies Reas 2 and every evening they are continued to us as the Church saith in the Lamentations ch 3.23 Every morning his mercies are renewed to us and in the evening his compassions fail not therefore every morning we are to set our selves before God to ask of him the forgivenesse of our sins every morning and evening we are to do this Psal 92.1 2. David saith It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord to sing praises to thy Name O thou most High To shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night And then again God is the Alpha and Omega he is the beginning and Reas 3 the ending of all things and of all actions we do God should therefore have the beginning and ending of every day that the Worship of God may have the start of all other actions it is necessary it should be so when a man first awakes in the morning God should be the first thought that should come into his mind As David saith Psal 5.3 My voice will I lift up unto thee in the morning as soon as ever he awakes in the morning his heart is lifted up to God so it is good for a man to make the first part of the day holy that the rest of the day may be thereafter and so as we are to begin the day with the solemn Worship of God so we are to end it in the evening that we may reckon up all our accounts and make even with God as the Apostle saith Ephes 4.26 Let not the Sun go down upon your wrath so let not the Sun go down upon a dead heart upon a carnal heart upon a worldly heart but as the Sun goeth down upon our bodies so let the Sun of Righteousness set upon our hearts that we may lye down in peace having all our reckoning made even and all scores cancelled The Third Proposition is this As there must be some time for Gods immediate Service and there must be every day some set time at least morning and evening so likewise every whole day all the dayes of our lives should be in some manner a Sabbath day to the Lord we should be holy every day The Apostle finds fault Gal. 4.10 That they observed times and seasons and dayes and months and years we must not be earthly-minded one day and heavenly-minded another but we must be every day holy to the Lord. The First Reason is The Covenant which God hath made with us doth Reas 1 require it that is the end why God saves a man from his sins and brings him into the kingdom of Christ he takes a solemn Oath from him That being delivered from the hands of his enemies he shall serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness all the dayes of his life Every day must be a Sabbath day whensoever a man gives himself up to God there is an Oath hangs upon him and he breaks this Oath if he set not upon it with all his might that every day may be a Sabbath day he is to be careful to live godly and religiously in all places and at all times and in every action he puts his hand unto a man is not only to make conscience on the seventh day but every day of his life Reas 2 The Second Reason is Because not to make every day an holy day is the brand of an Hypocrite it is hypocrisie Job 27.10 Will be alwayes call upon God To be holy sometimes and not at another time is the trick of an hypocrite will he alwayes call upon God will that man alwayes obey God and worship him will he alwayes set himself to keep close with God No an hypocrite will not do so You may know an hypocrite he hath his fits and his pangs and his moods but a godly man a sincere hearted man is one that doth compose himself to keep a constant course in Gods worship as Act. 24.16 There saith Paul Herein do I exercise my self to keep a good conscience alwayes both towards God and towards man And as it was the practise of Paul so of all the Elect people of God of all sincere Christians in the world Act. 26.27 all the Elect of God all the beloved of God they did instantly serve God day and night Thirdly Because blessednesse doth consist in this In keeping every day Reas 3 in some kind as a Sabbath day as the Holy Ghost doth pronounce him blessed that feareth the Lord alwayes Prov. 28.14 and that doth righteousness at all times Psa 106.3 It is true the Servants of God are sometimes out of the way they have their swervings and failings but their resolution is to keep a constant course in Gods Worship and they do strive to humble themselves under the hand of God for their failings and to be the more wary because of them Reas 4 Lastly This is the Sum and Scope of all the Law of Righteousness it is the very drift and end of all the Ten Commandements the Lord hath set down in the Decalogue his whole Will and Pleasure what we are to do all the dayes of our lives this day and that day as long as we live and there is no set time but that we should alwayes obey it and this is the practise of the godly alwayes to keep his Commandments as David Psal 16.8 He set the Lord alwayes before him that is every day he did make it an holy day that he might walk as in Gods presence and live as in Gods Courts that he might do all his worldly businesse as in the presence of God The Fourth Proposition is this As there must be a set time every day and we are to keep every day as a Sabbath day in some sense so there must be a particular special day set apart for Gods immediate Worship and Service This is the next Proposition I will prove unto you for though every day is to be a Sabbath day yet we have particular callings and we have businesse in the world to employ our selves about so that we cannot be every day hearing of the Word and employing our selves in Prayer and spiritual exercises though every day we are to keep it holy yet we cannot be vacant wholly and totally every day Now therefore I say That there is a set day that the Lord hath called for to be devoted unto him The very School-men themselves do acknowledge this and the very Heathen have found it out They have set a day apart for the Service of their Gods which they call their holy day wherein they lay aside all other businesse and
Now to come to the dead times of Popery If ever the Sabbath was out of memory and out of date then was the time for then there was a great falling away a great forsaking a great declining and people hearkned to Doctrines of Divels and Damnable Heresies and the whole world groaned under Popery Yet in the dead times of Popery there were abundance of Prophets the Lord did keep their Judgements entire in this thing as Gregory and Silvester and others though they were Superstitious Papists yet they say That the change of the Sabbath from the last day of the week to the first is by Divine Institution Now to come to the times of Reformation here we have abundance of Reverend men beyond the sea both in Germany and France that maintain it is by Divine Institution Another Argument is taken from the Judgements of God If men will not Reas 8 hearken to reason and the examples of the Saints and Judgement of Divines in all ages yet the Lord will make it appear from heaven that this is the Lords Day and the Lord hath sealed it First by his Judgements for the wrath of God hath been revealed from heaven upon those that have prophaned this day the Stories in all ages shew it In the Councel of Paris where Divines out of all Countries in Christendome were met together to consult about matters of Religion Ministers stepped up and made complaint concernining the Sabbath Let us make a Canon for the sanctifying of the Sabbath day for to our knowledg the Lords wrath hath broken out upon the Countrey for the breach of this day and one related one story and another another as one told a Story of a Miller that grinding upon the Sabbath day a fire brake out and burnt Mill and Man and all Another of an Husbandman that going into the field to fetch home his Corn upon the Sabbath day thunder and lightning brake forth and burnt him and his corn Many such stories were related in that Councel and the Magdenbergs have a story of a Noble-man that using to Hunt upon the Sabbath day the Lord brought it so to passe that his Wife brought forth a child with a head just like a dog I could relate abundance of Stories beyond sea but we have enough here at home the Town of Stratford in Warwick shire at it is related in the Practice of Piety was Burnt three times upon this day And the Story of the Parris Garden 1583. they were gathered together this day to see the sport of the Beasts fighting together and the Scaffold fell down and eight were slain and abundance hurt So there are many more such Examples I remember my self above a dozen within this half year the Lord hath revealed his displeasure from heaven for the breach of this day Secondly Again the Lord hath sealed this in the conscience of his people For who are they that break this day but loose and vain and prophane men And who make conscience of it but those that most fear God those that God hath most crowned with Righteousnesse and sanctification they delight in this and Sanctifie it and count it Holy to the Lord and the more a man fears God the more careful he is of the keeping of this day and the more he is grieved to see it prophaned either by himself or others because he hath experience of the blessings of God upon the keeping of this day no man doth Sanctifie this day conscionably but he shall find a blessing therefore it is surely from the Lord. Vse 1 The First Vse is this Is the first day of the week the Sabbath by Divine institution then here we see that we are to keep a whole day The Divel if he cannot make men keep no day then it is his policy to make them keep it by halves Oh say they Do we not keep the Sabbath Do we not come to Church and hear the word and Divine Service Morning and Evening Is not this to keep the Sabbath But if the Lord hath Instituted this day then certainly he hath Instituted a whole day It is madnesse and want of reason for a man to think the contrary Suppose I hire a man to labour with mee for a day do I not make account he should work one whole day Suppose I hire a Servant for a year do I not mean an whole year though I put not in the word Whole yet I suppose he must dwell a whole year with me And if I hire a man for a day it is for an whole day so that in Grammatical sense when the Scripture saith Thou shalt Sanctifie the Sabbath day it is meant a whole day It is not in this as in other words any piece of a stone is stone but in things that signifie the whole it is not the same as a day a part of a day is not a day the least part of water is water or of fire is fire but a part of a day is not a day Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day and I was in the Spirit on the Lords day and they met together on the first day of the week it is a day therefore the meaning of the scripture is that it should be a whole day and it is so in reason and therefore we are to keep an whole day therefore we should not curtail the Lords day as the servants of Hanun did the garments of Davids servants You know what became of Ananias and Saphira that brought but part when they should have brought the whole they should have brought the whole price of their inheritance but they brought but part therefore the Lord smote them with death so when the Lord requires a whole day and we give him but a part we shall bring vengeance upon our own heads There are divers arguments for it First the weeke consists of seven dayes and he hath given six to us and reserves one day to himself now we wil grant that we have not part of six dayes but six whole dayes If you aske a man what do you work all day Why yea the Lord hath given us six dayes therefore six whole dayes Now by the same reason God must have an whole day if we take any part of the seventh day then we have more then six dayes which is contrary to the scripture Another reason is this God rested the seventh day now looke what time God rested that time we must sanctifie now God rested the seventh day all of it he left none of the creation to do upon the seventh day he had finished the creation in six dayes and rested all the seventh day therefore we must keep the whole day Thirdly because this is the nature of a Sabbath to bee 24 houres not to be an artificiall day but to be a naturall day 24 houres together as you may see Lev. 23.32 you shall keep the Sabbath from evening to evening then the dayes were reckoned from evening to evening from the creation