Soule shall never bee accepted and my sinnes will never bee pardoned and the heart begins to reason thus with himselfe and saith I have had as good meanes as ever any poore creature had and many gracious friends have counselled mee and yet the guilt of my sinnes is ever before mine eies and my Conscience is not yet quieted Nay these sinnes this blind mind and this hard heart will not bee subdued but the Lord Iesus Christ can doe more then thou and the world too The Lord will make thee see that thou and the world can doe nothing that Christ may take away the guilt of sinne and quiet thy Conscience and subdue thy corruptions for thee thus much hee seeth from his owne experience The second passage is this as his owne experience makes the Soule confesse that there is no hope of good in himselfe so the example of others doth confirme a broken hearted sinner in this that all the creatures in the world and all the duties under Heaven without Christ cannot purchase salvation to the Soule because the Soule now seeth and considers in the Scriptures that many thousands have had all these priviledges and done many duties and yet come short of perfection Many reprobates have had these priviledges as well as Gods people and the Soule thinkes thus with it selfe If beautie or honours or riches might have purchased eternall life then Pharaoh Absolon and Nebuchadnezzar should have beene accepted of God therefore What have I that many thousands have not had and What doe I that reprobates have not done and yet for ought I know it never did them good Isaac was circumcised and so was Ishmael too Abell offered Sacrifice so did Cain too and the stony ground received the Word with joy and many there were that waited upon God in the use of his Ordinances as you may see in the Prophet Esay Ahab fasted and Iudas repented Esay 58.2 3. and yet he is a divell now in hell this day Psal 130.3 And the Prophet David saith If the Lord should marke what is done amisse who could abide it there was enough in Davids praiers to condemne him and if all these did thus and much more then I can doe Then why should I thinke to find more helpe in my praiers then they did thus the Soule seeth that Gods people never had Iustification from any priviledges that they enjoyed nor from any duties that they did without relying on Christ Thirdly the greatnesse of the evill which now the Soule seeth and the desperate misery wherein it is is so great that now it finds an utter in-abilitie that all the creatures under heaven should ever remoove the evill of it For the soare that is made and the wound that is given by sinne is broader then all the salve that the creatures can apply is able to cover The Word Sacraments Prayer and duties cannot reach the evill that lyes upon the heart in this particular and this is considerable the meanes that must comfort and quiet the heart in distresse must be able to beare the wrath of God and to take away the venome and poyson of the wrath of the Almightie Now the Soule seeth that no creature can doe this no creature can beate backe Gods wrath but it will fall and hence it is that the Lord saith hee hath laid salvation upon one that is mightie there are mightie corruptions and mightie indignation and mightie guilt and therefore the Lord hath laid salvation upon the mightie It must be more then a creature that must beare or remoove the wrath of the Creator As the text saith There is no other name under heaven whereby you can bee saved but only by Christ Prayer saith there is no salvation in mee and the Sacraments and Fasting say there is no salvation in us there is salvation in no other but in Christ The other are subservient helps not absolute causes of salvation As the holy Prophet Ieremy Ier. 3.23 shewing the peoples desperate condition and there misery therein saith In vaine is salvation hoped for from the mountaines hee had said before in the 22. verse Returne againe oh disobedient children and I will heale your rebellions and they answered behold wee come Lord for thou art the Lord our God and in vaine is salvation hoped for from the mountaines By salvation in the mountaines is meant the Idols set up in the hilles which the poore people worshipped and thought they were able to succour them but in the day of trouble they said wee come Lord for in vaine is salvation hoped for from the mountaines So if thou trust in thy praying and hearing and good works though thou hadst a mountaine of them they can doe thee no good unlesse with the eye of faith thou lookest upon Christ for acceptance but in the Lord our God is salvation for evermore Then gather up all if the Soule seeth by experience that no good will come by these and if examples shew so much and if the greatnesse of the evill shew that it is impossible for any comfort or pardon to be brought home to the Soule barely by these meanes then the heart concludes thus and saith these will not doe the deed I may have all these priviledges and performe all these duties and yet salvation is not in these if I trust in them there is no pardon in them and no hope of redemption from them saith the Soule The Soule doth not despaire of all good in Christ but the Lord is compeld as I may say with reverence to weary us from this confidence in our selves and from seeking any succour from our selves that he may make us goe to Christ Vse 1 This is a word of Exhortation You see that apoore Soule finds nothing and he hopes for no saving succour from any meanes enjoyed or duties performed therefore we ought to have our desires quickened that since we see the way and the duty required we must not rest upon any thing here below Since our hearts must be brought to this and we must not rest upon the bare performance of holy duties though I doe not dishonour these duties but onely speake against resting upon them Oh therefore strive to come unto this it will make you ready for the riches of Gods mercy and goodnesse in Christ Iesus Let us have our hearts raised up from our owne bottomes and let us plucke downe the foundations that we have had in priviledges or any service done by us at any time This is that which above all things we must doe all the Saints of God have found this from day to day after search made then why should we seeke for succour from these I say we must not neglect these duties but we must not rest upon them Bee perswaded to pluck off the handle of hope from of any thing that we doe or any priviledge that God gives us Let us doe what we may but yet goe beyond all that we can doe in this case
and that suddenly Oh let us pitie them will you not yield now but you will stand it out to the last man The Lord comes out in battell aray against a proud person and singles him out from all the rest and when the vyalls of his wrath are poured out upon all wicked ones mee thinks the Lord saith Let that drunkard and that swearer alone a while but let mee destroy that proud heart for ever You shall submit in spite of your teeth when the great God of heaven and earth shall come to execute vengeance and doe not think to scarre God with your mocks you that wil sweare a man out of your company Consider that place in Iob and see how the Lord comes with all his full might against a proud man Iob 15.25.26 27. It is good to read this place often that God may pull downe our proud hearts For he stretcheth out his hands against the Almighty saith the text and strengtheneth himselfe against God and he saith I will do it though my life lie at the stake for it he strengthens himselfe and will doe it Surely God is afraid of him he comes so well mann'd the Lord must deale some way with him to overthrow him Mark what the text saith The Lord runnes upon him even on his neck upon the thick bosses of his bucklers because hee covereth his face with his fatnesse and maketh collops of fat upon his flankes the Lord comes upon him not at the advantage but in the height of his pride and in the rage of his malice the Lord will come upon him and ruinate him for ever Those that now stand it out and cast off all carelesly throwing away the commandements of God I would have them at the day of their death to out-stand the curse of God The Lord God commands to sanctifie his Sabbaths and to love his truth and his children yet you will not but you will strive against all I would haue you to out-stand the curse of God in the day of judgement and when the Lord Iesus shall say Depart from me yee cursed into everlasting fire stand it out now and say I will not goe to hell Lord I will not be damned No no you broke the cords here but the Lord will binde you in chaines of darknesse for ever remove those chaines if you can No Esay 2.17 the haughtinesse of men shall be brought low and the loftinesse of men shall be abased and the Lord shall onely be exalted in that day Vse 2 The second Use is for instruction to shew unto us that an humble Soule is mervailous teachable and tractable and is willing to yeeld unto and to be guided by any truth it submits and there is no quarrelling against the commandements of God one word of Gods mouth is enough If the Lord reproves it takes the same home to it selfe if the Lord promiseth it beleeves and if the Lord threatens it trembles It is easie to be convinced of whatsoever it is informed if it have no good reason to gaine-say it It is not of that wayward and pettish disposition that it will not be satisfied though all his reasons be answered and all objections taken away It is not led by his owne humours as many a man is though his conceits be against reason and opposite against God and his grace Nay it is content to yeeld to the authority of the truth and to take the impression of every truth it heares and yields Iob 34.32 and obeyes and frames it selfe answerably As Iob saith That which I know not teach thou mee and if I have done any iniquity I will doe so no more The humble Soule is content to confesse his ignorance and to submit to any truth that may enforme him and it is content to receive that mercy and grace that is offered by what meanes soever God seeth best to Communicate it Nay the heart that is truly submissive is as willing to take comfort when it is offered upon good grounds as it is to performe dutie enjoyned By a foolish pettishnesse the divell withdrawes the hearts of Gods owne people from much comfort that God hath dished out of purpose for their benefit For howsoever the Soule of a poore sinner be truly touched yet for want of this lowlinesse and this teachablenesse and submission it refuseth that sap and sweet that it should take and receive from the Lord. Take a poore sinner that hath many sinnes burthening of him and hee is crushed with them and that in truth he desires comfort but receives none Let the Minister of God come and answer all his arguments and satisfie all his quarrels that he can make and set him on a cleare boord and tell him that the work of grace is cleare and mercy is appointed for him Now marke how he flyes of through that sullennesse and untoward peevishnesse and pride of Spirit hee casts away the mercy and yields not to the comfort offered though he is content to yield to the duties enjoyned and so he deprives himselfe of that mercy and comfort that is offered and thus when all is done time after time the Soule saith I see it not and I perceive it not and all the world shall not perswade me of it Why what are you wiser then all the world what a pride of heart is this Oh saith he another man may be cozened and deceived but I know my owne heart better then any Minister doth But you tell the Minister what your condition is and so what you know hee knowes and hee hath more judgement to enforme you then you have of your selfe Then saith the Minister all your cavils and objections are answered and remooved and all that worke of grace that God hath wrought you have made it knowne and revealed and all this is made good by the Word of God now if all these quarrels be answered and if all the reasons and evidences of the worke of grace be made cleare that you cannot deny them then why may not you take comfort Downe with that proud heart of yours that will not beleeve whatsoever the Minister saith Oh the height of pride and haughtinesse of heart in this case I speake to you to whom comfort and mercy is impropriated downe with those proud spirits I say It is not because you cannot but because you will not It is said in Esay God prepares the garment of gladnesse for the spirit of heavinesse When the Lord seeth the soule prepared and humbled Esa 61.3 he takes measure of it and disheth out a comfort answerable he prepares a consolation as fit as may be and yet the Soule will not put it on nor be warned and refreshed with it as it is with some way-ward untoward childe who when his father hath prepared a suit of cloathes fitting for him because he hath not such and such a lace hee will not put it on but throwes all away Oh it is marvellous pride of spirit a rod
as shall make his heart dance in his breast thou poore humbled Soule the Lord will give thee a glimpse of his favour when thou art tired in thy trouble and when thou lookest up to heaven the Lord will looke downe upon thee and will refresh thee with mercy It is that which God hath prepared as a sweet morsell for his childe he will revive the humble Though the proud man shall sit and swelter himselfe in his trouble Esay 57.15 yet the Lord will not onely be in the house and heart of an humble man but looke to him and revive him It is the condition to which the Lord hath promised consolation and this Humiliation of heart is the maine termes of agreement upon which God hath ever shewed mercy Rev. 3.26 Behold I stand at the doore and knocke if any man heare my voyce and open I will come in to him and sup with him and hee with mee As when men sup together and eate in the same dish it argues a sweet rejoycing in the familiarity one of another I know you would faine have much comfort the Lord now knocks if you will but open the doore hee will come into your hearts and he will bring his owne provision with him even the sweet cordialls of his grace and comfort and hee will refresh you with those consolations which the eye of man hath not seene and the eare of man hath not heard c. only the Saints of God shall feele them Every valley shall be fill'd Luk. 3.5.6 saith the text and every hill shall be brought low and the crooked things shall be made straight and then all flesh shall see the salvation of the Lord. When shall they see it when those things are done that are there promised Iohn Baptist was to make way for Christ and the Text saith Every valley shall be fill'd that is every desperate discouraged heart and every mountaine shall be levelled that is every proud heart shall be humbled and then all flesh shall see the salvation of God here is the cause why wee finde not the assurance of Gods love that wee might and ought to have there are mighty mountaines of carnall reasonings and strange mists of discontentment betweene Christ and the Soule and these keepe of the light of Gods love in Christ which else would shine in our faces for our everlasting comfort Now be humbled and throw away all those distempers and then the Lord Iesus who comes with healing under his wings will comfort you and you shall see the salvation of God There is a Christ and comfort in him if your Soules be humbled you shall see it and finde the evidence of it When the Sunne is neere setting because there is a mountaine betweene us and it therefore wee thinke it is set when it is not whereas if a man were on the top of it he should see the Sunne cleare So it is with all those mountaines of carnall reasonings they stand betweene the Lord Iesus and thy Soule and that 's the reason why thou seest not the light of Gods countenance shining upon thee The third benefit of an humble heart Matth. 23.12 Thirdly wee also may have glory in this comfort that wee have in Christ as our Saviour saith Whosoever exalts himselfe shall be abased but whosoever humbleth himselfe shall be exalted He doth not say If such a man and such a woman humble themselves but the words are universally to be understood whatsoever thou art be thou humble and the Lord shall lift thee up It is impossible that the exaltation glory of an humble Soule should be hindered by men or devils Let the devill and all his instruments labour to cast shame and disgrace upon thee nay be thy condition never so base and meane in the worlds account be thou humbled and it cannot be hindered but that the Lord will exalt thee the Lord hath promised it and thou being as thou shouldst be the Lord will doe what he hath engaged himselfe to The Lord many times for want of this leaves men of great parts and gifts in the lirch they fret and are grieved exceedingly because such a poore man findes acceptance and is approved of and yet no man lookes after them If you know any such tell them it is by reason of their pride they seeke their owne honour and not Gods they are not humbled but seek to exalt themselves and God will abase them Let them fawne and flatter let them flatter and dissemble never so much as most men doe to get honors yet God will abase them And for this cause God blasts one mans endeavours and withers another mans gifts and brings him to shame because he is proud whereas the humble Soul that is content to honor God in his abasement the Lord will set up that man in mercy and goodnesse Psal 25.9 the Lord will teach the humble in his way Doth the Lord care for any mans parts or gifts or for his honor respect No 1 Cor. 1.28 the Lord hath chosen things that are not that is things that in the eyes of the world are accounted as nothing those hath God chosen to confound the haughtinesse of the hearts of proud men in this kinde See how David answered Michall when she mocked him and said 2 Sam. 6.20 21. Oh how glorious was the King of Israel this day c. Is not this a goodly matter for the King to doe See how he answers her it was before the Lord who chose me rather then thy father and all his house and commanded me to be ruler over his people and therefore I will play before the Lord and if this be to be vile I will yet be more vile Thy father was naught and thou art so too and hee is gone to his place The meanest in all the place wil honour the humble heart but though happily the people may feare a proud man yet they will never honour him in their hearts The fourth benefit Math. 18.4 Fourthly and lastly we have blessednesse in all that appurtaines to an humble heart Whosoever humbles himselfe as a little childe shall be greatest in the Kingdome of heaven He doth not say he that is greatest and most loftie may haply be great but he that is humble and trembles at every truth of God and every truth prevailes with him and every terror awes him hee shall be greatest in the Kingdome of heaven You take it as a disgrace to be reprooved by a servant or an inferiour but the humble Soule takes it whatsoever it is and is willing to be reprooved by any and he that doth thus shall be in the highest degree of grace here and shall be greatest in the glory of heaven and be lifted up to the highest pinacle of glory the wider and deeper a vessell is the more liquor it holds So Humiliation makes the heart wide and deepe and as thy Humiliation is so shall be thy Faith and thy
THE SOVLES HVMILIATION Iob 22. vers 29. And he shall save the humble Person LONDON Printed by I. L. for Andrew Crooke at the signe of the Beare in Pauls Church-yard 1637. THE SOVLES HVMILIATION Luke 15. vers 14 15 16 17 18 c. 14. And when he had spent all there arose a mightie famine in that land and he began to be in want 15. And he went and joyned himself to a citizen of that countrey and he sent him into his fields to feed swine 16. And he would faine have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eate and no man gave unto him 17. And when he came to himselfe he said How many hired servants in my fathers have bread enough and to spare and I perish with hunger 18. I will arise and goe to my father and will say unto him Father I have sinned c. THAT a poore sinner might come and be partaker of the precious merits and death of our Saviour and receive comfort thereby There are two things considerable First a fitting and enabling of the soule for Christ Secondly an inplantation of the Soule into Christ For howsoever it is true there is aboundance of mercy and infinite merit in Christ yet unlesse the Soule be fitted and enabled by the hand of faith to lay hold upon Christ he shall never receive comfort from him be his necessities never so many and his misery never so grievous Therefore Iohn Baptist was sent to prepare the way that all those mountaines of pride might be laid low and all the ditches filled up and all the crooked things might be made strieght and all rough things might be made smooth that there might be a way for Christ The meaning is this The heart of a man is the high way wherein Christ comes Now there are mountaines of pride and untoward stoutnesse of heart and many windings and turnings and devices which the heart hath by reason of many lusts that are in it This fitting and preparing is nothing else but the taking away of that knotty knarlinesse of the heart and that pride and all such cursed corruptions that the doore may be set open and the heart made ready that the King of glory may come in The heart being thus fitted and enabled then followes humiliation for the breaking of the heart is not all that God hath to doe with a poore sinner though the Lord wound the heart of a sinner and run him through yet the heart will be starting aside and will not goe out to Christ Therefore I shall now speake of humiliation of the spirit yet before I come to it give me leave to lay open two passages 1. The necessity of this worke it must needs be 2. The nature of this worke First it is necessary that the soule should be thus humbled for humiliation pares away all selfe-sufficiency from the soule by compunction the Lord breakes the heart and wearies it with sinne and then the soule will be no more drunke nor loose nor vaine no more foolish nor dissembling nor hating of Gods servants nor use no more false weights by humiliation the Lord plucks away the confidence in a mans priviledges and all his good performances and all his duties by which he is ready to shelter himselfe and by which he thinks to get some succour and comfort to his owne soule Now as sinne shall not rule in the heart so the Lord will make the sinner see that whatsoever he hath and doth can never helpe him except the Lord Iesus come downe from heaven by his mightie power For the further opening of these you must know that there are these two maine lets which hinder the comming of faith into the soule and which keepe a man from beleeving in Christ that Christ may have possession of him First 1. Let of Faith when the soule is taken up with a secure course and rests it selfe well apaide in his owne practises and therefore it never seeth any need of a change nor never goes out for a change now while he lives thus and blesseth himselfe in his sinne it is impossible that ever the soule should receive faith or ever by the power of faith repaire to Christ upon these termes for ever where faith comes it works a change all the old things are done away and become new he is new in heart and life now the secure sinner that seeth no need of a change will never see need of faith nor labour for it and if the Ministers of God bid such a man to leave his sinne and to pray in his family and forsake his sinfull practises and to sanctifie the Lords day and take up new courses he thinkes they bid him to his losse now by that time the Lord hath taken away this let and burthened the soule marvellous extreamely and saith is it well that you live in drunkennesse and in covetousnesse in cheating in lying and the like then take your sinnes and get you downe to hell with them thus the Lord is forced to breake the heart then a poore sinner begins to see where he is and now he saith and is this true then I am the most miserable creature under heaven and except I be otherwise it had beene good for mee if I had never beene borne by this time the soule sees need of a change Therefore as they said Men and brethren what shall we doe Acts 2.37 we have beene thus and thus but if we rest here it will be our ruine for ever oh what shall we doe Thus the soule comes to a restlesse dislike of it selfe and saith I must either be otherwise or else I am but a damned man for ever When the soule is thus resolved that it must of necessitie change and there is no dallying with the Lord nor with himselfe and this heart must be altered and this course must be amended When it sees that it must change it begins to improve all meanes to see if he can possibly doe it by his owne strength and by his meanes using as if the soule did say good Lord cannot my wit compasse it and cannot my prayers worke it and though I am a sinfull wretched man yet I will be no more drunke nor uncleane nor the like but by prayer and hearing and fasting I will labour to mend all in this kinde will not these duties doe the deed this very resting in a mans selfe-sufficiency doth marveilously crosse and hinder the worke of Faith for this is the nature of Faith It goes out of it selfe and fetcheth a principle of life grace and power from another The soule apprehends it selfe miserable and it falls upon the arme of Gods mercy and meerely goes out to God for succour Now for a man to fetch all from without and yet to seeke for sufficiency from himselfe these two cannot stand together they are professely crosse one to another and therefore after the Lord hath made the soule see an absolute necessitie of a
to live of another but we would faine be as able to doe duties as Adam was And it is with every naturall man as it was with Sampson he had once Sacramentall haire and therefore when any temptation came hee did shake himselfe and was able to breake strong cords and to overcome his enemies and when his haire was gone hee went out as at other times and thought to doe as he had done but the Spirit of God was gone from him So because Adam had power of himselfe to yield exact obedience and to please God a naturall man makes an offer of this still and would be doing and he goes out and shakes himselfe and saith cannot my wit and my prayers and my good meanings and my priviledges save mee and satisfie divine Iustice must the guilt of sinne still lye upon mee Thus the soule would give content to God by his owne strength as it is with a man that hath beene a rich Chapman and hath had a faire stocke but is now decayed it is hard to bring downe the pride of this mans heart he is loath to be a Iourney-man againe he will be trading though it be but for pinnes So the Lord put a stocke into Adams hand and hee turned bankrupt and yet wee will be trading here for a company of poore beggerly duties dead prayers and cold hearings and we thinke this will be sufficient This is the disposition of the soule naturally So the issue of the point is thus much if the soule through the guilt of sinne dare not appeare before God and it knowes not yet how to come to God in and through a Mediator and in regard of Adams innocency it needed not to goe out to another for any power and strength hence it is that the soule will invent any way and take up any course rather then come to Christ but all the former truthes are true and therefore still this turnes the heart to deale with God in this manner Vse 1 Here you see the reason why that opinion of some men prevailes so much and why they rest upon their owne good works because their hearts give such entertainment to it it is old Adams nature and every man seekes it but if ever God draw you home to the second Adam Christ Iesus hee will draw you from the first Adam You wonder to see a company of poore wretches build all their comfort upon what they can doe and they will patter over a few prayers it may be in their beds too it is easie to consider it Nature makes a man thus give way to himselfe in it and no wonder though his heart is prepared for this way when it comes But for instruction for our selves An use of instruction Doth the soule seeke out every where before it come to the Lord God and to the Lord Iesus Christ and will the Lord Iesus spare and succour a poore sinner when he comes then heare and see and admire at the goodnesse of the Lord that ever the Lord should vouchsafe to give entertainment to a poore sinner when hee hath made so many outs If hee come home never so late the Lord receives him when he comes Is not this mercy that when we have beene roving and ranging here and there and wee have coasted this way and that way and never thought of Christ nor mercy nor of his blood I say is not this admirable mercy that the Lord Christ should receive us when we come yea though we come to him last of all He may deale with us justly as he did with the people in Ieremy Where are thy Gods saith the Lord that thou hast made thee Ier. 2.22 let them arise if they can helpe thee in the time of thy trouble for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods oh Iudah The people made Idols and served them and when the time of trouble came and all their gods failed them then they come for succour to the Lord and would faine shelter themselves under his wings Nay saith the Lord goe to your gods that you have loved and let them helpe you as if hee had said unto them doe you come to mee in the day of your distresse have you honoured and worshipped your Idols must they have all the honour and I have all the burthen get you home to your Idols and let them succour you Oh thinke of it and wonder So the Lord may justly deale with us we that rested here upon our good prayers and our hearings and fastings and yet when all these prevaile not but the guilt of sinne remaines and wounds the conscience still and at last we are forced to looke up to the Lord Iesus Christ and to say except the Lord Iesus Christs blood purge these filthy hearts of ours we shall never have helpe and good Lord be mercifull to us Did you rest in these because there was no God in Israel and no mercy in the Almightie that you have rested upon your priviledges Goe then may the Lord say doe you come to mee to be saved and succoured goe to your meritorious works now let them cheere your hearts and pardon your sinnes and comfort you for I will not succour you at all It were just with the Lord to deale thus with us because we give him the leavings and come last to him But here is the wonder of mercies that whensoever we come hee casts us not of yet if we would but come to him and leave these broken reeds Ier. 3.1 he would receive us Yet returne to mee saith the Lord as if the Lord had said you say that all that you can doe will not succour you you have plaid the adulterers with many lovers yet at last come home to mee and beleeve in mee and settle your hearts upon my mercy and whatsoever your weakenesse and rebellions have beene I will save and succour you Vse 2 The second use is for Exhortation seeing it is so that wee are ready to seeke for succour and reliefe from our selves then let this make us watchfull against this deceit of our hearts Yet I doe not dishonour these ordinances but I curse all carnall confidence in these You cleave to these poore beggerly duties and alas you will perish for hunger the divell knowes this full well and therefore he will sinke your hearts for ever Iudas did so and hell is full of hearers and dissemblers and carnall wretches that never had hearts to seeke unto Christ in these duties and to see the value of a Saviour in them The divell slides into the heart this way unsuspected and unseene because he comes under a colour of duties exactly performed but now in that the divell labours to cheat us of heaven and salvation we should be so much more watchfull This is the stone that thousands have stumbled at yea many that have gone a great way in the way of life and salvation For howsoever the soule that is truly broken cannot be satisfied
confesse it Secondly from the examples of others Thirdly The greatnesse of the evill that lyes upon him makes him see an utter inabilitie to receive any good from that which he doth First From his owne experience Though hee thought to take up a new course and to performe holy duties and thought that without all question these would save him yet hee finds now that these will not doe the deed hee hath no saving good in these and that appeares by these three particulars First He seeth that the guilt of sinne still remaines and the justice of God being unsatisfied still pursues him though he pray and heare and performe many duties as the Lord told the people when they were sharking for their owne comfort and they thought to give God content by their new courses Yet the Lord tells them Though thou wash thee with Nitre Ier. 2.22 and take thee much sope and though thou use all meanes of reformation yet thy sinnes are sealed up and thy iniquitie is marked before mee It is with a poore sinner as the Psalmist saith of himselfe Whither shall I goe from thy Spirit Psal 139.7 8 9. or whither shall I flie from thy presence if I ascend up into heaven thou art there if I lye downe in hell thou art there if I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the Sea even thither shall thy right hand leade mee c. So let a poore sinner goe where he will and do what he can the guilt of sinne will ever be with him it will lye downe and rise up and walke with him in the way His sinnes remaine unpardoned and the wrath of God is not appeased and hence it is that all his prayers are but as so many inditements against him and he dare not reade the word for feare hee should reade his owne damnation Nay at every Sermon that he heares he seeth more vilenesse in himselfe and every Sacrament that hee receives increaseth not his comfort but his horror and he thinks thus with himself good Lord I have taken my bane this day for I come unpreparedly and the Lord knowes what an unfaithfull and unbelieving heart I have Secondly as the guilt of sinne cannot be remooved by all his duties so his conscience cannot be quieted by all that he doth if his heart be throughly pierced by the Sword of the Law still conscience calles upon him and quarrels with him and takes exceptions against him in the best of his duties so farre they are from yielding any satisfaction to God or from bringing any peace to his conscience if hee rest upon the bare performance of them I speake of a broken hearted sinner for the conscience is now Eagle eyed it was full of filme and scales before but now it is open and Eagle eyed and can spie all his weakenesses and picke matter of disquiet even in the best of all his duties that are done The Soule thought them very good payment yet now the heart is touched and conscience is awakened and tells him of his barrennesse and deadnesse and roaving thoughts when hee doth pray and how insufficient he is to pray and therefore he dare not pray with his Family and conscience saith to him you have formerly contemned prayer and now you cannot pray And when the Soule comes into the congregation there Conscience notes him and when he goes home Conscience saith thus unto him how dead were you and how unreverently did you attend to the Word and how unwilling was your heart to be in subjection to the Word thus Conscience becomes Gods Serjeant and saith doest thou thinke that these prayers will save thee Nay they are rather a meanes to condemne thee so heartlesse so cold and so dead hearted thou art in them and is this hearing sufficient to save thee Nay will not the Lord curse thee for thy weake performance of these duties Now the distressed Soule comes to a stand with it selfe and he seeth so much weakenes in his duties that he almost leaves off all saying I had as good not goe to the Word at all for I profit not by it and I had as good not pray at all as pray thus deadly and untowardly thus the Lord drives the Soule out of himselfe and when Conscience thus picks quarrels with him and saith Will prayer and hearing and these duties so meanely performed save you Nay may not God justly confound you for them It is admirable mercy that God did not confound you in hearing and strike you dead in praying and then Conscience calls him in question for his old sinnes and saith If God may condemne thee for these duties and for these praiers Then what may God doe for thy old drunkennesse and railing at good men 1 John 3.20 and good meanes as the Apostle saith If our conscience condemne us God is greater then our Consciences and knoweth all things so the Soule saith I know thus much by my selfe but God knowes more Thirdly as the guilt of sinne cannot be removed nor Conscience quieted meerely in the performance of duties if the Conscience be truely inlightened so in the last place the sinne that hath taken possession in the heart cannot bee subdued by the power of any performance that hee doth I speake still of one that is not yet ingrafted into Christ rebell against his sinne he will but kil it and subdue it that hee cannot and hence it is that the Lord lets in upon the Soule a great many infirmities and a swarme of weakenesses that are present with the Soule and so hee seeth an utter inabilitie in himselfe to help himselfe against them the one of these two things befalls him If hee be a man of meane parts and small gifts hee seeth himselfe so weake and so unprofitable under all meanes that his Soule almost sinkes downe in desperate discouragement and when he gets nothing by all the duties that he doth he falls out with himselfe and pineth almost to desperation And if hee be a man of great parts and gifts and learning and hath wisedome to conceive of things the Lord suffers many corruptions to fall upon him and when hee comes to humble himselfe before God he saith I am able to discourse of this and that and I can heare and pray but oh this heart of mine a man had as good move a mountaine as move my heart this hard heart will not stirre nor be broken under all and helped against these as it should bee Now the Soule upon these termes is even content to leave off all and it befalls the heart in this case as it did Hagar Gen. 21.15 16. When her bottle of water was spent she cast the child under a tree and sate a farre off because shee would not see the child die so it is with the Soule When the bottles of these Saints and scantie duties are done the soule sits down in discouragement and saith Good Lord it will never bee my
all thy contempt and pride and all thy Stubbournes of Spirit at last God opens thine eyes and breakes thy heart and gives thee a fight of and sorrow for these sinnes wilt thou come before the Lord and say Lord I haue repented of my sinnes past and soe I hope thy Iustice is satisfied and all accounts made euen betweene thee and mee the Lord would answere it is true thou dost repent and reforme thy selfe the gospell requires it but who payes the od thousands and who satisfies for thy old drunkennes and for thy thousands of pride and Stubbornesse and all thy carelesnes and all thy contempt of God and his grace and who satisfies for all thy blasphemies and omissions of holy duties and the like the Lord may justly take the forfeit of thy Soule and proceede in Iudgement against thee to thy destruction for ever our repentance and amendment is a new dutie which the Lord requires of us from the gospell but it is not the paying of the old debt for if we do not repent we stand guiltie of the breach of the gospell and soe must satisfie for that sinne The breach of the Law is sinne and the wages of sin is death the wages of sinne is not repentance nor amendment but it is death then repentance will not satisfie for sinne noe noe the wages that must bee laid downe for a mans sinne is death As the Lord said In the day that thou eatest of the forbidden fruite Gen. 2.17 thou shalt dye the death And therefore the Apostle saith Gal. 3.10 cursed is every one that continues not in all things written in the Law to doe them Repentance is onely a worke of the gospell to bring our hearts in frame againe but the breach of the Law must be satisfied for soe that having sinned against the Lord and wronged his Iustice we must either dye our selves or have one to dye for us then there is noe laying downe of any satisfaction to God by any thing that we can doe in this case but we must have recourse to our Saviour who onely can satisfie gods wrath for our sinnes Fifthly As a sinner is utterly unable to bring himselfe into a good estate by all the meanes that he can use so he is unable to maintaine his lot and to keepe himselfe aforehand in a Christian course when he is brought unto it Therefore as it necessary to have a Saviour to pardon us So it is necessary to have a Saviour to continue that estate of grace to us for our good When the Lord in mercy had given to Adam in his innocency perfect holinesse and righteousnesse insomuch that hee was able to keepe the Law and to purchase favour for himselfe Adam then fell and spent all that stock of grace and if we had our stocke in our owne hands we should spend all and be ruinated for ever if God did leave us to our selves If Adam having no sinne could not keepe himselfe in that happy estate much lesse are we able that have much corruption in us therefore it is not onely required to goe to Christ for grace to pardon us but we must goe to Christ to maintaine our grace and to keepe our hearts in frame here and to bring us to a Kingdome for ever hereafter When Adam had spent all the stocke of grace and proved a bankrupt the Lord would raise him up againe but he would not put the stocke into his owne hands againe but he puts it into the hands of Christ As a man that gives his childe a portion and he spends it all now his father will raise him againe but will not put it into his owne hands but into the hands of some friend and will have his Sonne goe to that man for his allowance every day and for every meale So it is with the Lord our heavenly Father because we have mispent all that wisedome and holinesse and righteousnesse which God gave Adam and in him to all of us therefore the Lord would not put the stock of grace into our owne hands againe but he hath put it into the hands of Christ and will have us depend upon Christ for every crum of grace yea even for the will to doe any good and we must goe to him that he may preserve and maintaine the worke of grace in us and wonderfull happy are we that it is so For should the Lord set the divell and us together all were gone The Lord Iesus gives grace and continues it and helps us to persevere in grace and so makes us come to the end of our hopes even the salvation of our Soules Oh therefore looke up to the Lord Iesus Christ and say Oh it is a blessed mercy that when my heart is proud vaine loose and foolish that then I may goe to the Fountaine of grace 1 Peter 1 5. for humilitie and for grace We are kept saith Saint Peter By the power of God through faith unto salvation As if he had said all the powers of hell and darknesse are come about us and a world of wickednesse besets us and all the powers of the world and the corruptions of our owne hearts allure us Now we cannot stand by our own strength therefore we have need of a Christ that we may be kept by his power and be able to suffer and to doe any thing for his names sake and that hee may preserve us in that great day of accounts 1 John 4.4 And the Apostle Iohn saith Little children you are of God and have overcome the world for greater is hee that is in you then hee that is in the world Hee doth not say greater are you then he that is in the world but greater is he that is in you c. Hee doth not say greater is your humilitie then your pride greater is your patience then your impatience and greater is your love then your hatred but he saith The Lord Iesus is greater in us to succour and to helpe us then all the temptations of the divell and the corruptions of our hearts that can presse in upon us to doe us any hurt or to hinder us in a Christian course Doest thou thinke thy owne hearing and praying and duties will serve the turne and save thy Soule No no thou art an undone man if thou rest upon thy owne crazie bottomes Amend thou mayest and pray thou oughtest but these will not save thee these will not cause the acceptation of thy person with God nor justifie thy Soule before his Tribunall All these are poore weake and crazie meanes For if thou canst not doe what God requires and if thou doest not what thou art able and if in the best of thy services there is pride and stubbornnesse enough to condemne thee and when thou risest up from prayer thou hadst need pray againe for pardon of thy prayer Nay couldst thou doe all that thou shouldest after conversion in the most strictest and exactest manner yet that doth not
despaire I would not have you go away and say the minister saith we must despaire It s true you must despaire of all saving succour in your selves but you must not despaire of all mercy in Christ Answer For the answer to this question you must know that there are three particular trialls of our owne hearts whereby wee shall know when the Lord is pleased to deale so kindly and sweetly with us as to drive us from our selves to Christ The first triall First the Soule of a poore sinner that seeth all meanes helplesse and hopelesse in themselves will freely confesse and acknowledge and that openly that the worke of salvation is of an unconceiveable difficulty and he seeth an utter insufficiencie and impossibility in himselfe and in any meanes in the world to be saved of himselfe He seeth that it is beyond his power and the staffe is out of his owne hand and the Soule almost sinks under it and conceives it almost impossible to come out of it in regard of that which it apprehends Hee seeth now that all those broken reedes and rotten props and all that boldnesse whereby the heart did beare up it selfe they are all broken in peeces and all those Castles which he hath built in the ayre wherein hee comforted himselfe with dreames of consolation they are all throwne downe to the ground and battered about his eares and now the Soule wonders how he was so deluded to trust to such lying vanities and to such deceitfull shadowes This is the difference that the Soule will finde in it selfe before this worke of conversion and after it is wrought Before a man thinks it an easie matter to come to heaven and judgeth it a foolishnesse in people to be cast downe and discouraged in the hardnesse and difficultie of the worke of salvation and hee conceives it to be a foolish conceit in the frantick braine of some precise Ministers Oh saith he God blesse us if none be saved but such as these whatsoever he saith a man may goe to heaven and repent and get the pardon of his sinnes it is nothing but confessing his sinnes before God and craving mercy in the pardon of them and is this such a hard matter this man in the dayes of his vanitie thinks he hath heaven in a string and mercy at command and he can come to heaven and breake his heart at halfe an houres warning but take this man when the Lord hath awakened his conscience and put him to the triall when he seeth that after all his prayers and teares yet his conscience is not quieted and his sinnes are not pardoned and the guilt still remaines now he is of another minde now he wonders at himselfe that he was so deluded and now he saith where is the deluded heart that did thinke it and the mouth that did speake it Nay he thinks it a great mercy of God that he is not in hell long agoe and he stands and wonders that ever any man comes to heaven and he saith certainly their hearts are not like mine and their sinnes are not so great as mine good Lord who can ever be saved such a divell to tempt and such a world to allure and such corruptions boyling within He wonders how Abraham got to heaven beyond the Starres and Moses but above all Manasses yet he saith blessed be God that ever he did this for them but for my selfe all things considered I thinke it a matter impossible how I nay how can I ever be wrought upon shall ever any mercy comfort mee and shall ever any meanes doe mee good Why have not all those meanes that I have had done mee good I shall never have power to pray better then I have done and I shall never be able to wrestle with God more earnestly then I have done and yet I see all meanes profit not therefore I am but a gone man I am but lost and I know not which way my soule should be saved When our Saviour Christ was discovering the difficultie of the way to Salvation His Disciples said Good Lord who then shall be saved So the poore Soule saith Oh the meanes that I have had and the prayers that I have made So that I have thought the heavens did even shake againe and yet Good Lord my heart did never stirre at all and therefore how can I be saved And as the Prophet Ieremy saith Shame hath eaten up the labours of our fathers and we lye downe in our shame c. They had the meanes of grace and the ordinances of God and shame hath eaten up all and where are their Temples and Priviledges now Shame hath consumed them to nothing So it is with a poore feeble fainting Soule he saith shame hath eaten up all my labours I have laboured in prayer in hearing and in fasting yet I have no pardon sealed nor no mercy granted I am as much troubled as ever I see as much evill as ever I did hell is gaping for mee and so soone as life is gone from my body the divell will have my Soule This is the nature of despaire to put an impossibilitie in the thing that it despaires of and to say can it be and will it be and will it ever be Nay it is impossible for ought I know Where is the man now that thought it an easie matter to goe to heaven he is in an other minde and his heart is of an other frame now he hath found by woefull experience that there is no hope nor helpe in himselfe nor in the creature Secondly The second Triall this followes from the former disposition of spirit the Soule is restlesse and remaines unsatisfied in what he hath and what he doth The heart cannot be supported and therefore it growes to be marveilously troubled and it is not able to stay it selfe There is nothing that can satisfie the Soule of a man but it must be some good No man is satisfied with evill but rather more troubled with it It must be some good either in hand and in present possession or else in expectation of some good that he may have and he saith it may be and it will be But when he seeth the emptinesse of all his priviledges and the weakenesse of all his duties when these failes his heart and all must needs sinke because he seeth no other good but them for the while As it is with the building of a house if the bottome and foundation be brittle and rotten and begin to shake all the whole building must needs shake So the Soule that sought for comfort mercy and salvation from his outward priviledges and duties when all these begin to shake under him and to breake in sunder and he seeth no helpe thereby and that it can receive no ease therein hence it is that Soule thus troubled and despairing is in such an estate that if all the Ministers under heaven should come to flatter him and to daube him up with untempered mortar
but loose all these in the Lord Christ And see that mercy and compassion and that boundlesse goodnesse that is in the Lord Iesus and that mercy that will pardon all sinnes and forgive all sorts of sinners if they be humbled before him There is no pardon in grace nor in means in Word nor in Sacraments there is none but in Christ see none but that and when thou art there hold thy heart to it drench and drowne thy Soule there and fling thy Soule into the Sea of that plenteous Redemption in Christ and though thy prayers and all faile yet that mercy in Christ will never faile Away with these rivers these are all fresh water comforts that will faile but that Sea of mercy in Christ will hold for ever See a Sea of misery and confusion in thy soule and a Sea of mercy in Christ and say none but that Lord Here sit and here fall and for ever establish thy soule that it may goe well with thee for ever Thus you ought to goe beyond all meanes and he that doth thus doth truly despaire of all saving succour in them Therefore goe home and say thus the Lord hath given mee some comfort and some grace and a heart enlarged to walke with God and to performe dutie to him but I trust not in this comfort nor in my enlargement all my comfort is in Christ that Sea of mercy is still full and I rest there go from all these to that and rest there and let that content thee for ever Thus you see how farre the Prodigall hath gone Text. What doth he now he comes to himselfe and saith I will arise and goe to my Father and say to him Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne make mee as one of thy hired servants Now his stout stomacke is come downe and he comes home by weeping crosse and he that had formerly slighted the kindnesse of a father and said Hee would not alwayes be holden within his fathers house he would have his portion and he hath it and is gone and at last when his heart and all failes him he comes to himselfe said here I may starve and die too the hogges fare better then I do therefore home I will go to my father c. This is the third passage that I told you of in the description of this worke of humiliation In these words there are these two things cleare First he submits himselfe to his father Secondly he is content to be at his fathers disposing he doth not seeke to be his owne carver and say if I may be my fathers steward and have some eminent place in the house then I will go home no but he saith father I am not worthy to be a Sonne make mee as a hired servant if I can but get into my fathers house againe I will die rather then go away any more he is content to be any thing so his father will but receive him into his family though it were but to be a drudge in the kitchen here 's a heart worth gold oh saith he let all the weight lye upon me I care not what I be only let mee be a servant So then from the former of these two the Doctrine is this The third Doctrine The distressed sinner that despaires of all supply and succour in himselfe is driven to submit himselfe to the Lord God for succour and reliefe It is no thankes to the Prodigall that hee comes home now neither is it any thanks to a poore sinner that hee returnes after all his wandring away from God yet better late then never For the opening of this point I will shew two things First What is the behaviour of the heart in this worke of submission and the manner of it Secondly The reasons why the Lord drives the heart to this stand and makes it fall downe at the footestoole of mercy What is subjection The first how the Soule behaves it selfe in this subjection The sinner having a sight of his owne sin and being troubled and overwhelmed with the unsupportable sorrow that attends there unto and yet he is not able to get power over his sinne nor assurance of pardon from the Lord for you must conceive the sinner to bee in the worke of preparation and hee yet conceives God to bee an enemy against him though he is in a good way to mercy yet God comes as an angry God against him and hee takes what course he can and seekes far and wide and improves all meanes and takes up all dutyes that if it were possible he might heale his wounded Soule and get ground against his corruptions but the truth is hee finds no succour and receives no comfort in what he hath nor in what he doth and therefore being in this despairing condition he seeth he cannot avoyd Gods anger neither can he beare it therefore he is forced though loath to make triall of the kindnesse of a father and of the Lord though for the present he apprehends God to be just to be incensed against him and though hee hath no experience of Gods favour for the while and no certainty how he shall speed if hee come to God yet because he sees that he cannot be worse then hee is but hee may be better if God please and this he knowes that none but God can helpe him therefore he fals at the footestoole of mercy and lyes grovelling at the gate of grace and submits himselfe to God that he may do what he will with him When Ionah had denounced that heavy judgement and as it were throwne wild-fire about the streets saying Ionah 3.9 within fortie dayes Nineveh shall be destroyed See what they resolve upon they fasted and prayed and put on sack cloath and ashes the Lord in mercy grant that we may take the like courses who can tell said they but God may turne and repent him of his feirce wrath that we perish not As if they had said we know not what God will do but this wee know that we cannot oppose Gods judgements nor prevent them nor succour our selves yet who can tell but the Lord may bee gratious and bountifull and yet continue peace and goodnesse to us in this kind thus it is with a sinner despairing of all succour in himselfe when he seeth hell fire flashing in his face and that he cannot succour himselfe then he saith this I know that all the meanes in the world cannot save mee yet who can tell but the Lord may have mercy upon mee and cure this distressed conscience and heale all these wounds that sinne hath made in my Soule when Paule went breathing out threatnings against the Church of God and he came furnished with letters from the high Priests with all his tricks and implements to persecute the Saints the Lord met him and there was a single combat fought between them the glory of the Lord amazed
when all other meanes cannot doe the deede that the Lord should then I say looke upon a poore sinner and refresh him with one drop of mercy Oh this is unspeakable mercy As the Prophet David saith All my bones can say Lord who is like unto thee as if hee had said This eye that hath wept for my sinnes this tongue that hath confest my sinnes and this heart that hath grieved for sinne all these have beene refreshed by thee This prayer is not like to thee this fasting and these priviledges are not like to thee for these could not succour mee but thou art the Lord that didst deliver and succour thy poore servant And secondly herein is also admirable freenesse of mercy that when the Lords mercy was but lightly looked after that then the Lord should give mercy and that to an enemie For the Soule can say if any thing in the world would have saved mee I should not have gone to the Lord for mercy and yet when all would not doe and when I did not thinke of any such matter then the Lord saved mee This is free mercy The hope of Israel is not like others and the God of Iacob is not like other Gods You distressed Soules did not you know the time when God terrified you and then offered mercy and you would none but you would scramble for mercy and shift for your owne comfort and yet the Lord brought downe those proud hearts of yours and when you were at a dead lift and could find comfort no where else then did the Lord shew mercy to your Soules Was not this free mercy wonder at it and give God glory for it even for ever Vse 1 This being so that the Soule that is throughly humbled yields to submit it self to the Lord Then this is like a Bill of inditement against all the stout ones of the world This shewes how unworthy they are of any mercy Nay how unfit they are for mercy They are so farre from partaking of Gods mercy that they will not be humbled and therefore they cannot be exalted Nay they have a base esteeme of it and so they hate their everlasting salvation For looke how farre they are from submission so farre they are from the comfort and happinesse of the Lord. He that will enter in at this strait gate of subjection is so farre from ever going in the way to life that he never set one foot yet in this way Let me speake as once the Prophet did Heare and tremble all you stout ones of the earth you that account it a matter of credit to cast off the Commandements of God and that you can lift up your selves against the Almightie Good Lord is it possible you know what I say there is many one here and if they be not here as commonly they are not let them heare of it How is it that men slight all corrections and snap all Gods Commandements in sunder as Samson did the Cords and they say their tongues are their owne and their lusts are the commands that carry them Nay is it not come to this passe now adayes for the Lords sake thinke of it that men account it a matter of basenesse of spirit to be such childish babes and to be so womannish as to stoope at every command Oh you must not be drunke saith one it is a hot argument and are you such a childe as to yield to it No let us follow our owne wayes is it not thus I appeale to your owne Soules there are too many guiltie in this place Doe you thinke to out-brave the Almightie in this manner doe you provoke the Lord to wrath and doe you not provoke your Soules to your owne confusion Doest thou thinke to goe to heaven thus bolt upright the Lord cannot endure thee here and will Hee suffer thee to dwell with himselfe for ever in heaven What thou to heaven upon these termes Nay thou must not thinke to out-brave the Lord in this manner and to goe to heaven too How did the Lord deale with Lucifer and all those glorious spirits He sent them all downe to hell for their pride Let all such spirits heare and know their misery I doe not trouble my selfe with any matter of indignation it is no trouble to me but onely because of your sinnes for you are the greatest objects of pitty under heaven You that know such and have such husbands oh mourne for them exceedingly The Lord doth detest their persons As the Wise man saith Prov. 11.20 The froward in heart are an abhomination to the Lord. The Lord doth abhorre that heart of thine And shall God abhominate that proud heart of thine and yet blesse it and save it and will He dwell with such a heart in heaven No he hath some body else to give heaven to Secondly thy estate is desperate here and marvellous unrecoverable As the same Wise man saith He that being often reprooved hardneth his necke and will not stoope to any counsels nor reproofes but saith Who meddles with you and I know what I have to doe and let every Tub stand uppon his owne bottome How many of you here have beene reprooved for your swearing but you leave it not How many of you have beene reprooved for your prophaning of the Lords Day doe you withdraw your selves from it Oh no such matter Goe your wayes then and mourne over those hard hearts of yours and in private say thus This is my sentence right The Lord be mercifull to my father saith the child and the Lord be mercifull to my proud husband saith the wife and to my wife saith the husband are not we they that have beene often reprooved have not we had such exhortations as have made the Church to shake the divels would have gotten more good if they had had them and yet we have cast of all and we would not come in we doe not yet pray in our Families but we throw away all the Lord hath said it hee that being often reprooved hardeneth his necke and will not come in shall perish hee is gone then and therefore thou may say Oh my husband is but a dead man and my childe is a dead childe he shall perish but is there no remedy may some say No the text saith so he shall suddainly be destroyed and that without remedy The truth is I need say no more but you that know your owne hearts bewaile those hard hearts of yours that as the water by continuall dropping at last melts the flint so if it be possible those proud hearts of yours may be brought downe If a drunkard or an adulterer will submit to the Word there is remedy for them but there is no remedy for him that will not yield to the Spirit of God The Lord bee mercifull to the Soules of them Will you see your sturdy hearted husbands and children perish the Lord in mercy set this home to your hearts at last and prevaile with them Will you perish
a point of subjection and the want of this horrible pride This is marveilous divellish pride that a man should set up the lusts of his owne righteousnesse and duties and thinke to finde acceptance and reconciliation with and pardon from the Lord because of these So that now the Soule is nothing and the Lord saith unto him thou shalt goe in ragges all thy dayes that Christ may be thy righteousnesse Thou shalt be a foole that Christ may be thy wisedome and thou shalt be weake that Christ may be all thy strength and I will make the submit to that righteousnesse of Christ Nay the Lord saith further if you thinke to finde acceptance and to purchase mercy by what you can doe then come your way and bring all those prayers and duties and see if they can all answer my exact Law of righteousnesse and satisfie my Iustice Thus the Lord is faine to emptie a man of himselfe this is an admirable worke of the Spirit when the heart is thus content to be at Gods carving and to have nothing of its owne to be ignorant weake and meane and to have all from a Christ This is considerable every man would faine bring something with him even where God hath wrought grace and then we are all dead in the nest and all amort when we find it not and we are ready to say if I had these and these enlargements then God would accept mee but because I have not the Lord will reject mee What is this but to set up the merits of a mans parts and duties therefore it is that the Lord will bring the Soule to this to be content to be justified not for what he hath but for something in another besides what hee can doe to entitle himselfe to heaven and happinesse Therefore the Apostle saith Rom. 4.5 To him that worketh not but beleeveth on him that justifieth the ungodly is faith accounted for righteousnesse This is our nature We would faine be Ioynt-purchasers with Christ and have something of our owne of merit to make us finde acceptance with God as well as Iesus Christ in the point of Iustification But the Lord will bring the heart to this it shall come as an ungodly wretched traitor that the Lord may Iustifie him in Christ Why dare not a poore sinner sometimes come to Christ and looke to him for mercy Oh he is not worthy But art thou not content to see thy unworthinesse Yes saith he but I see such pride such lithernesse in holy duties and such corruption that I dare not goe to Christ for mercy If this be a burthen to thee and if thou art content to be rid of this then Christ hath prepared mercy for thee and thou maist take it the Lord will make thee know that thou art not accepted because thou art worthy but through Christ The Lord justifies the ungodly The second thing that the Soule must be content with The second part of the Lords dispose that hee brings the Soule unto it is this As the Soule must looke for what it hath from another so in the second place it must be content to take what mercy and what that other will give Not what the Soule thinkes fitting but what mercy accounts the best for him Now see this blessed frame of heart in these three particulars First The Soule is content that mercy shall deny what it will to the Soule and the Soule is content and calmed with whatsoever mercy denyes If the Lord will not heare his prayers and if the Lord will cast him away because hee hath cast away the Lords kindnesse and if the Lord will leave him in that miserable and damnable condition which hee hath brought himselfe into by the stubbornesse of his heart the Soule is quiet Though I confesse it is harsh and tedious and long it is ere the Soule be thus framed yet the heart truly abased is content to beare the estate of damnation because hee hath brought this misery and damnation upon himselfe In a word the Soule seeth that it deserves nothing at Gods hands and therefore he is content if God deny him any thing 2 Sam. 15.25.26 and it befals the Soule in this case as it did David See how willingly hee takes whatsoever the Lord shall allow him Where hee saith Carry backe the Arke of God into the Citie if I shall finde favour in the eyes of the Lord hee will bring mee againe and shew mee both it and his habitation but if he shall say I have no delight in David Behold here I am let him doe whatsoever is good in his eyes As it was with David for a Temporall Kingdome So it is with the Soule for a Spiritual Mercy The Soule saith if there be any mercy for a poore rebellious creature the Lord may looke graciously upon mee but if the Lord shall say thou hast brought damnation to thy selfe therefore I will leave thee in it Behold here I am let the Lord doe with mee what hee will Object But some may here object and say Must the Soule can the Soule or ought it to be thus content to be left in this damnable condition Answ For the answer hereof Know that this contentednesse implies two things and it may be taken in a double sense First Contentednesse sometimes implies nothing else but a carnall securitie and a regardlesnesse of a mans estate he regards not his owne Soule what he is nor what he hath nor what shall become of him This is a most cursed sinne and this contentednesse is nothing else but a marveilous negligence either of Gods glory or his owne good and it is a sinne to give way to it and it is a fore-runner of damnation to that man which entertaines it The Soule that is truly humbled and abased cannot nay it dare not say so in cold blood setting aside passions and temptations Nay this contentednesse argues damnation for ever This is not meant in this place neither is it lawfull to give way to it and it is certaine upon these termes the Soule shall never be saved God will make him prize mercy and care for it too before he have it But then Secondly it implyes a calmenesse of Soule not murmuring against the Lords dispensation towards him and this contentednesse is ever accompanied with the sight of a mans sinne and the following of God for mercy The Soule that is thus contented to bee at Gods disposing it is ever improving all meanes and helpes that may bring him nearer to God but if mercy shal deny it the Soule is satisfied and rests well apaid this every Soule that is truly humbled may have and hath in some measure Yet you must not throw all at sixe and seavens no it is a cursed distemper of Spirit that you must hate as hell it self But this contentednesse is opposed against quarrelling with the Almighty and this every humbled Soule doth attaine unto though it bee not soe plainly seene As it is with
some theife that is taken for a robbery and the sentence of death hath past against him he should not neglect the using of meanes for to save his life and to get a pardon and yet if he cannot get a pardon he must not murmure against the Iudge for condemning of him because he hath done nothing but Law This theefe should use means for a pardon but if he cannot get one he should be contented though the sentence passe against him So wee should not be carelesse in using all meanes for our good but still seeke to God for mercy yet thus we must be and thus we ought to be contented with whatsoever mercy shall deny because wee are not worthy of any favour and the humble Soule reasons thus with it selfe and saith my owne sinne and my abhominations have brought mee into this damnable condition wherein I am and I have neglected that mercy which might have brought mee from it therfore why should I murmure against mercy though it deny me mercy and if mercy leave me in that miserable estate which I have brought my selfe into A Sillogisme I have but the reward of my owne workes Marke this well He that is not willing to acknowledge the freenesse of the course of mercy is not worthy nay it is not fit to receive any mercy but that Soule which is not content that mercy deny him what it will hee doth not give way to the freenesse of the Lords grace and mercy therfore that Soule is not fit for mercy I conclude all thus Iudge with your selves whether this bee not a marvellous hideous pride of heart or no that the sinner doth murmure because the Lord will not dispence of mercy as hee will himselfe either the sinner thinkes that he hath deserved mercy and therefore he is angry with God because he gives it not or els he thinkes himselfe wiser to dispose of mercy then God both which are most devilish pride of heart and arguments of a haughty heart that is not yet fit for mercy nay if this be in the heart and if the heart allow of this and continue in this distemper the Soule cannot receive mercy Object 2 But some may object Can a man feele this frame of heart to be content that mercy should have him in hell doe the Saints of God finde this and can any man know this in his heart Answ To this I answer Many of Gods servants have beene driven to this and have attained to it and have laid open the simplicitie of their Soules in being content with this But the secret passage of the Soule is most subtle here and hard it is to finde this and clearely to discerne this frame of spirit this way but the best way to guesse it and to be able to discern it is this For this end you must know these three things First that the Soule out of the nature of it and in nature cannot but desire the preservation of it selfe and it is a rule that God hath stamped in the creature and therefore we must not thinke that nature must or should or can goe further then nature and it is not the fault of nature that it is carried in this kinde But secondly the Soule being humbled cannot but yield it selfe to be disposed of by the Lord as he will yea if the Lord will bring destruction upon it Thirdly though the Soule sometimes finde a secret rebelling against God and a grudging against the Lords dealings and the sinner begins to say these are my corruptions and still my sinnes prevaile against mee and I shall one day perish and the Lord seemes not to looke at mee and with that the Soule sometimes grudgeth and repines at the providence of God yet the heart that is truly humbled grudgeth at himselfe because he hath such a quarrelling heart against the Lords dealing with him in this kinde Nay I have knowne many in the anguish of heart when they have thus quarrelled with the Almightie they have falne into a desperate extremity and thought they had committed that sinne against the holy Ghost Insomuch that it hath made them to walke more humbly before God all their dayes but I say when the Soule finds these distempers it labours to undermine them and it dares not quarrell against God it dare not but yield and this is an argument that the Soule is content Secondly The Soule that is contented comes to be well apaid with this that mercy shall take away from him what it will friends and meanes and ease and liberty and credit and whatsoever it is that the heart hath loved most It is content that God should strip him naked of all And hence it is that we shall observe it in experience and in practice A broken battered Soule that hath beene long overwhelmed with the weight of his corruptions the Lord brings him to a marveilous desperate low ebbe You may see a man sometimes in the torment of Conscience that nature and naturall parts begin to decay his understanding growes weake and his memory failes him and he growes to be marveilously distracted and besides himselfe so that the partie which was before a man of great reach and of able parts and was admired and wondred at for his wisedome and government he is now accounted a silly sot and a mad man in regard of the horror of heart that hath possessed him in so much that the husband saith Oh my wife is undone and the father saith my childe is undone he was a fine witty childe before but now hee is a very sot Yea the mercy of God will not leave a man before he be content to be a despised man that hee may finde mercy and be saved and mercy will plucke away all those parts and gifts from him and make him glad to have salvation and all in another And in conclusion when God cheeres up his heart againe hee is more wise than ever and more able than ever both for temporall and spirituall affaires Ioh. 5.44 How can you beleeve saith our Saviour that seeke honour one of another Without this dealing of God no man would ever come to heaven though the Lord sometimes abates some measure of it It may be before this worke the Soule saith if I may have honours and ease and libertie and credit so it is I care not whether ever I have drop of mercy or no But the text saith How can you beleeve which seeke honour one of another and not that honour that comes from God onely Mercy will bring you downe upon your knees and you shall not be content with the honours of the world No no mercy will make you content to be fooles and to take that honour onely which is from God though you be abased and hated and persecuted in the world It is against reason that the Soule can beleeve except this be in the heart An humble Soule is content that mercy shall rule him As the humbled soule is content
arrows of the venome of the displeasure of the Almighty stick deepest in him and he finds the fiercenesse of Gods wrath burning in his heart Iob 14.17 and that all his sins which have been sealed up in a bag as Iob saith they are all set in order before him and the wrath of the Lord more heavie then any mountaine falls upon his back I say when the poore sinner finds himselfe thus pursued after in the fiercest and most terrible manner the abased heart dare not flye away from God nor repine against the Lord but he lyes downe meekely 1. He will not flye away from God for that is his pride Nay he dare not doe it He will not go with Saul to the Witch of Endor nor with Iudas to a halter When the Lord let Iudas see that hee had betrayed innocent blood and fill'd his heart with horror hee did not goe to God and lye down under the harshest horror but he went to a rope and hanged himselfe and all through his pride because hee was not content with the harsh dealing of God though hee leaped from the fire-pan into the fire As the proverbe is And likewise Cain went into the land of Nod. So when the Lord hath awakened a poore creature and after a good while that a man would have thought he had gone on a good way in a Christian course at last when he finds that he is not able to beare the wrath of God but more iniquity comes in against him then hee flyes of from God and fals from a Christian course and goes to the Ale-house or some other base course and so hardens his conscience but I say the humble Soule dare not doe so but lyes at Gods foot-stoole and if it were the very bottome of the dregs of Gods wrath and the very fire of hell he is content to undergoe Gods dealing He doth not question God 's dealing and say others are not thus and thus terrified and why should I be so No the Soule returnes all against it selfe and saith why doe I talke of others they have not such untoward uncleane peevish hearts as I have The humble soule resolves with the Church in Micah Micah 7.9 I have sinned and therefore I will beare the indignation of the Lord So the Soule saith I have sinned most hainouslly I know not their sinne but I know my owne sinne and therefore I will beare the Lords wrath though it be never so unsupportable and unsufferable Lord give mee a heart that I may be able to beare it When a Malefactor comes to the Assises he lookes for nothing but condemnation and execution if he can scape with burning in the hand or branding in the forehead or shoulder he is glad and goes well apaid and cryes God save the King because hee thought he should have beene hanged So it is with an humble and a selfe-denying sinner When the poore creature finds the heaviest of Gods indignation upon him and such strange distempers as if a thousand divels were within him the Soule quiets it selfe thus and saith Why do I thus fret and wherefore am I thus perplexed it is wel that I scape thus I might have beene in hell this day and blessed be God that it is no worse that I am not in hell I might have beene roaring in hell as thousands of poore reprobates are that have no more hope of mercy therefore I will beare whatsoever the Lord layes upon mee Secondly as he is content with the hardest measure so he is content with the longest time Hee is content to stay for mercy be it never so long After the poore soul hath his eyes growing dim with waiting for mercy his hands grow feeble and his tongue cleaves to the roofe of his mouth and his heart begins to sinke and his Soule shakes within him with waiting for the mercy and goodnesse of the Lord and yet he finds no mercy and hath no Inkling of any favour yet God lookes a farre of Yet his Soule is content with this If a beggar should stay halfe a day for an almes it would grieve him though that be his pride See what Esay saith I will waite upon the Lord that hath hid his face from Iacob and I will looke for him Esa 8.17 As if the poore sinner did say The Lord hath hid his face away and turned his loving Conntenance from mee yet I will looke towards heaven so long as I have an eye to see and a hand to lift up I will yet looke to heaven to the Lord that hath not as yet heard nor answered my prayers the Lord may take his owne time it is manners for mee to waite and stay Gods time Away therefore with that peevishnesse and that discontentednesse of Soule that when a poore sinner hath called and cryed and finds no answer and heares no newes from heaven he secretly intends to lay all aside As if a man lift a weight againe and againe and seeth that it is to heavy for him he lets it alone So many poore creatures are content to let all alone and say why should I waite upon God any more I have prayed and cryed thus long and finde no answer why should I waite any longer How now who shall have the worst of it cannot God have his glory without your prayers why should you waite this is horrible pride of heart Why should you waite It s no marvell that you should take such State to your selves who must waite then Must the King waite or the Subject The Master or the Servant The Iudge or the Traitor Downe with that proud and sturdy heart of yours An humble Soule dare not doe so hee is content to waite for Gods mercy and you will be brought to it too before ever the Lord will give you any mercy The humble soule saith thus I have waited thus long the Lord seemes to be angry with my person and prayers and all is blasted yet I will waite still Nay I am glad that I may waite What waite upon the Lord Iesus Christ and mercy Yes and glad you may Kings and Princes have done it and blessed are they that waite upon mercy Nay the poore broken heart resolves thus and saith if I lye and licke the dust all my dayes and cry for mercy all my life long if my last words might be mercy mercy it were well I might get mercy at my last gaspe Oh I blesse God that yet I live here and and that I am not in hell as thousands are that waite for judgement and vengeance blessed be God that yet I may waite till God looke upon mee in goodnesse and mercy Lastly when the Soule hath stayed a long time it is content with the least pittance of mercy he is not like many proud beggars that thinke much when they have stayed long if they have but a farthing Nay if hee have but from hand to mouth It is all that hee craves and all that hee lookes for
our works will not therefore we must goe to Christ and if we goe to Christ for all and expect all from him then we must be content to be guided by him in all Now let me propound this question Either thou must be content to be at the dispose of God and mercy or at whose dispose wilt thou be If thou wilt have any thing else besides mercy to dispose of thee thou makest that to be a Mediator to thee But haply thou wouldst dispose of thy selfe and dispose of mercy after thy owne minde Yes so I thought It may be thou sayest I will have grace if I may dispose of it Thus a proud heart would faine have it in his owne hands but upon these termes thou never hadst nay thou never shalt have grace Here is the winding of the Soule Therefore many dare not venture their salvation upon Gods free favour But they would have it in their owne power that they may receive it when they will that they may be drunke and take grace and be proud and prophane and take grace when they will It is a sottish delusion of men that are deluded and blinded by the divell But that the Soule which would have it thus cannot have it upon these termes I thus reason He that will have grace from his owne dispose shall never have grace Sillogisme because he hath none in his owne power to dispose of But he that is not content to be at the dispose of grace and to be at the dispensation of Gods good pleasure for mercy and grace he would have it to be at his owne disposing And therefore hee shall nay he never can have grace In a word Who must dispose of you Your selves then you must have that grace which you can dispose of and that 's just none at all Grace is meerely in Gods hands to dispose of Thus wee have brought the Soule to bee fitly prepared for Christ and mercy and grace Now let us doe as travellers doe The summe of all this worke of preparation they sometimes sit downe to reckon how many miles they have gone So let us enquire what we have spoken You know I mentioned two things necessary in this worke of preparation for Christ First Contrition And secondly Humiliation First God brings the sinner to a sight of himselfe and his sin makes him to be insupportably burthened with the vilenesse of it so that now the heart of a poore sinner seeth an absolute necessitie of a change and therefore thinks thus with himselfe if I rest thus I shall never see God with comfort That 's for Contrition Now he seeth that hee must change and hee is content to change and therefore though he will no more be drunke nor follow his old base practices yet he begins to sherke for his owne comfort and he useth all the ordinances of God to see what they can doe for him and he goes to himselfe and his selfe-sufficiencies and finding no succour there he falles downe before the Lord and begs mercy and yet he seeth himselfe unworthy of mercy without which hee must perish He hath nothing and hee can doe nothing to merit it yet he is content that God should dispose of him as hee thinks good onely if it bee possible he prayes that the Lord would shew mercy to a poore forlorne creature Now the sinner is pared and fitted for Christ as a graft for the stocke He is come to the very quicke and is as little as may be All his swelling sufficiency is pared away For he is not onely brought to renounce his sinne but even his sufficiency and all his parts and abilities which Adam needed not have done if he had stood in his innocency In a word hee is wholly pluckt from the first Adam for here is the maine lift So that now the second Adam Christ Iesus may take possession of him and be all in all in him as the Apostle saith Now the Soule is a fit matter for Christ to worke upon namely to make him a vessell fit to receive mercy and grace and when hee hath fitted him for mercy hee will give it to him and when he hath given him grace he will maintaine it and increase it and then quicken it and crowne it and perfect it in the Day of the Lord Iesus Christ And lastly he will glorifie himselfe in all these Here is a right Christian indeed that expresseth Christ in all Christ preparing Christ giving Christ maintaining and increasing and Christ quickening and Christ crowning Thus you see that it is not left as a matter of libertie but it is of necessitie required that the heart bee thus contented every humble heart hath this in some measure though not all so sensibly The uses are double First to the people Vses to shew them what to doe Secondly to the Ministers The uses for the people are First for Instruction Secondly for Examination Thirdly for Terror Fourthly for Exhortation The first use is for instruction and that is double The first use to the people First Is it so that the humble Soule is content to be thus at the Lords disposing then from hence we collect this use that they which have greatest parts and gifts and meanes and places abilities and honors for the most part they are most hardly brought home to the Lord Iesus Christ They that are most harly humbled they are most hardly converted how hard a thing is it for such men as have gifts and learning and wisedome or any bignesse that makes them swell naturally how hard is it I say for such men to be saved I wish their courses did not testifie the same they that are most high and greatest in gifts and place they must come in at the strait gate and what a hard and difficult worke that is judge you and therefore it is hard for them to come home to the Lord Iesus Christ Humiliation is the emptying of the Soule from whatsoever it hath that makes it swell The heart must not joy in any thing nor rest upon any thing but onely yeild to the Lord Iesus Christ to be at his disposing and carving now these parts and gifts and abilities and meanes both for Iudgement and place they are great props and pillars for the heart of a carnall man to rest upon and to quiet it selfe withall and to looke for some good there from and when the heart is setled upon such pillars as these are it is hard for the word of God to prevaile with that heart The Prophet Ieremy knew it well enough and therefore he said I will go to the rich and honorable â—eremy 5.5 and they burst all bonds asunder and brake the yoke The poore were naught but the rich were exceedingly vile and our Saviour proves it for when the rich young man came to Christ said Master what shall I do to have everlasting life Math. 19.24 Christ answered thus go sell all that thou hast
but he would not and hereupon our Saviour comes to shew the difficulty of the worke of salvation saying it is easier for a Camell to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of heaven It is true a rich man may be brought home but it is easier for a Camel c. There is great difficulty for a man that hath many gifts and parts to deny all and to bee at the Lords disposing If a man were fit to cut a Camell so small till he were fit to go through a needles eye what a worke would it be so it is with a great man The blind Pharisees saw this when they said do any of the rulers beleeve in him as if they had said Iohn 7.48 a company of Coblers and Tailors and the basest sort of people beleeve in him it is they onely that will not sweare and that will sanctifie the Lords Day But doe any of the great men and rulers beleeve The Apostle also tooke it for confest and therefore he said Brethren you see your calling how not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty men 1 Cor. 1.26 not many noble men are called Indeed blessed be God there are some great some wise and some noble men converted But not many For they have so much of themselves that they are hardly brought to renounce themselves Therfore commonly greatnesse and wickednesse goe both together And it is a pretty speech of the Prophet David There is that great Leviathan that great Whale little rivers have their little fishes but there is that Leviathan So there is that hideous pride of spirit and that strange resistance of God and his grace those fearefull crying sinnes in great men Yea many mightie men except God give them a great deale of grace they are pestered with a great deale of corruption Insomuch that they are hardly brought home For a rich man to become poore and a noble man to be abased and for a wise man to be nothing in himselfe this will cost hot water and yet it will be in all that belong to the Lord. See what the Prophet Esay saith Esay 2.12.13 The day of the Lord of Hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and loftie and upon every one that is lifted up and he shall be brought low and upon all the Cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up and upon all the Okes of Bashan and the glory of the Lord shall be exalted in that day As if he had said The Lord shall undermine the mountaines and make these tall Cedars fit to come in at this strait gate The poore receive the Gospel and he that will have the pearle must part with all that he hath not that God will take away all these outward things and parts but that he must loosen his affections from these if he will have Christ A poore creature that hath nothing may more easily come to the price of the Lord Iesus Christ then he that hath his hundreths and thousands a yeare What saith one must a man part with all these Yes the Lord will have the love that was set upon these wholy to himselfe Right worshipfull and beloved and you of the Ministery suffer the words of Exhortation The greater your parts and abilities are the greater is your danger and the greater your places are the more hard will it be for you to come home to the Lord Iesus Christ Therefore as ever you desire comfort to your selves goe aside into your closets and thinke thus with your selves The Spirit saith Not many noble men not many mightie men not many wise men after the flesh are called Hath the Lord advanced mee then the more care I had need have and the more I had need to tugge and toyle for Christ for it is marvellous hard to have this proud heart humbled and for an honorable man to lye and licke the dust and to take the crummes under the table You that have these honors and friends and means and parts for the Lords sake let none of these beare up your hearts against the truth of Christ and let none of all these make you swell and say because I am great or rich or honourable or wise therefore I must not be checked and shall such a man as I bee at the command of a poore Minister alas we desire not to have you at our commands onely we would have you be content to be at the dispose of the Lord Iesus Christ and that you must be if you belong to him and glad you may It is observable that when the Turke comes into the congregation or the Temple of his Idoll he layes by all his state and hath no man to attend him for the while so let every man that hath riches honors and parts let them be as if they had none You that are rich be as if you had no riches and you that are honorable as if you had no honors and you that are wise as if you had no wisedome when you come to heare the word of God humble your selves and say my wisedome my riches and my depth of judgment shall not hinder mee but whatsoever it is that is my part and my portion let the Lord speake to me as if I were the meanest and weakest in all the congregation The Lord give you hearts to do it the worke is hard and therefore put hard to your hearts to do it Secondly The second use for instruction is an humble Soule content to be at the Lords dispose then hence I collect that an humble heart makes all a mans life quiet and marvellously sweetneth whatsoever estate hee is in That which makes a man content in every condition must needs make him quiet whatsoever estate he is in howsoever the heart that is truly humbled may sometimes be tossed and troubled yet he is not distracted because he is contented as it is with a ship upon the sea when the billowes begin to roare and the waves are violent if the Anchor be fastened deep it stayes the ship let the tempest be what it will so this worke of humiliation is the Anchor of the soule the world is the sea and the ship is a soule that is truly humbled the deeper this humiliation is the more quiet is the heart and the more it is calmed When Iob in the time of his extremity gave way a litle to his proud and sturdy heart he quarrelled with the Almighty his friends and all but when the Lord had humbled his proud heart Iob 40.4 he said behold I am vile and base once have I spoken yea twice but now no more And it is observed of Ionah that when hee was in peace and in quietnesse he had a fullen heart and when the Lord said dost thou well to be angry yea saith he I do well to be angry See how distracted a distempered proud heart is but take Ionah in
the whalls belly and wee shal heare no more newes of quarrelling but of praying and there he abased himselfe as it is with a Phisitian when the Patient hath some vehement fit of a fever or the like that he cannot sleepe they use to give him a litle Opium and that makes him rest a little This humiliation of heart is like Opium there are peevish fits of a proud heart that no word nor commandes will rule a man but he must have what he will or els he will set his mouth against heaven but a little receit of this Opium will quiet all if hee could but come to see his owne emptinesse and wretchednesse and get his heart to be at Gods disposing then his heart would bee wonderfully calmed and meekened whatsoever he endures Humiliation gives quiet to a mans course in three causes First in the fiercest temptations Secondly Three benefits of Humiliation in the heaviest oppositions of men Thirdly in the greatest poverty that can befall a man in this life In the strongest temptations When Sathan begins to besiege the heart of a poore sinner and layes battery against him the Soule is so settled that he cannot be remooved See how the humbled heart tires the divell and runnes him out of breath and out-shoots him in his owne Bow in the very highest of all his malice and indignation Take a poore Soule at the under when hee hath beene throughly burthened with a corruption and laid gasping for a little grace and favour and could not finde any evidence of mercy the Soule cryes continually and begs for mercy earnestly the divell seeth him and having some permission from God so to doe he lets flye at the poore Soule and labours to knocke him off from his course and saith to him in this manner Sathan objects Doest thou thinke to get mercy from the Lord and doest thou dreame of any mercy at the hands of God when thy own conscience dogs thee Nay goe to the place where thou livest and to the chamber where thou lyest and consider thy fearefull abhominations and how thou art foyled by them to this day set thy heart at rest God heares not and respects not the prayers of such vile sinners The Soule answers Now the Soule seeth this easily and confesseth it plainly and the humbled Soule saith it is true I have often denied the Lord when hee hath called upon mee and therefore he may justly deny mee yet seeke to him for mercy I must and if the Lord will cast mee away and reject my prayers I am contented if hee doe cast mee away what then Sathan Sathan what then saith the divell I had thought this would have been enough to make thee despaire Yet this is not all for God will give thee over and leave thee to thy selfe and to thy lusts and corruptions and thy latter end shall be worse than thy beginning and thou shalt call and cry and when thou hast done be overthrowne that loose uncleane and proud heart of thine will overthrow thee for ever God will leave thee to thy selfe and suffer thy corruptions to prevaile against thee and thou shalt fall fearefully to the wounding of thy conscience to the grieving of the hearts of Gods people to the scandall of the Gospel and the reproach of thy owne person The Soule answers Yet the humble Soule replies in this manner and saith if the Lord give mee up to my base lusts which I have given my selfe so much libertie in and if the Lord will leave me to my sinnes because I have left his gracious commands and if I shall fall one day and be disgraced and dishonoured yet let the Lord be honoured and let not God loose the praise of his power and justice and I am contented if God doe leave mee what then Sathan The Devill objects What then saith the divell I had thought this had beene enough to drive thee out of thy wits yet this is not all For when God hath left thee to thy sinnes then the Lord will breake out in vengeance against thee and get praise from that proud heart of thine and make thee an example of his heavy vengeance to all ages to come and therefore it is best for thee to prevent an untimely Iudgement by an untimely death The humble heart is quieted all this while and replyes The Soule answers whatsoever God can or will doe I know not yet so great are my sinnes that he cannot or at least will not doe so much against mee as I have deserved if the Lord doe come in Iudgement against mee I am contented say what thou wilt what then Sathan Thus you may runne the divell out of breath then the divell leaves the humbled Soule The want of this Humiliation of heart it is where by men are brought to desperate stands so that sometimes one man goes to a haltar another runs out of his wits and another drownes himselfe all this is horrible pride of heart Why will you not beare the wrath of the Lord It is true indeed your sinnes are great and Gods wrath is heavie yet God will doe you good by it and therefore be quiet In the time of warre when the great Cannons flye of the onely way to avoyd them is to lye down in a furrow and so the Bullets flye over them whereas they meete with the mountaines and tall Cedars So it is with all the temptations of Sathan which besiege us Lye low and be contented to be at Gods disposing and all the temptations of the divell shall not be able to disquiet or distract thee The second benefit Secondly when Sathan is gone then comes the troubles and oppositions of the world And this Humiliation of heart gives a secret setling to the Soule against all the railings and oppositions of the wicked world For this takes of the unrulinesse of the heart So that when the Soule will not contend with oppositions but is content to beare them it is not troubled with them The humble Soule seeth God dispensing with all oppositions and therefore it is not troubled with them A man is sometimes Sea-sicke not because of the Tempest but because of his full stomacke and therefore when he hath emptied his stomacke hee is well againe So it is with this Humiliation of heart If the heart were emptied truly though a man were in a Sea of oppositions if he have no more trouble in his stomacke and in his proud heart then in the oppositions of the world hee might bee quieted Consider David when he was in the wildernesse 1 Sam. 25.12 13. and sent to Nabal for some reliefe see how he raged extreamely against him because he was denied it The reason was not in the offence but in the pride of his heart Take the same man in the persecution of Absalon and when Shimei cursed him 2 Sam. 15.25 saying Art not thou he that kild such and such and that committed adultery with the wife of Vriah 2
the Lord hath said unto thee An humble Soule comes to this passe and saith If there be any sinne or any wickednesse in my heart good Lord discover it and if there be any duty to be done Lord let me know it And as Cornelius said Acts 10.33 Wee are all here present before the Lord to heare whatsoever thou art commanded us of God So the humble Soule saith Whatsoever trouble it brings I yield to the truth and desire to heare it Thirdly As the carnall reason shuts his eye and will not looke upon the truth so in the second place if it be so that it must heare that which it would not what is the next shift that it hath hee will not suffer himselfe to be convinced by the truth but when the truth comes in with plainenesse and power he labours what hee can to gather up objections and cavills against the truth that he may oppose the power of Gods word that sith it is so that he must heare it he labours to make it false This is considerable Rom. 2.8 Vnto them that are contentious and doe not obey the truth but obey unrighteousnesse shall be indignation and wrath Who are they that are contentious not onely they that contend with their neighbours but they that contend against the truth for so the words following doe import so much Which obey not the truth One man heares a close point and then hee goes away and saith I will not beleeve it I know reason and I will be bound to confute it and all this is nothing but a smoake and he deales by the truth as men doe with an enemie in this case First they labour to keepe him out from their confines and if they cannot doe that then they leavie forces to drive him out from their land So it is with a company of carnall men they would not looke upon the truth to be enformed by it Well Heare they must and heare they shall if they live under the power of the Gospell but if they must heare it they are contentious and advise with this carnall friend and that carnall Minister and if they can get any man to plead for their lusts that they may arme themselves against the blessed truth of God they think themselves happy men If a Minister come home to the heart of a carnall wretch that will buy and sell upon the Lords Day and say to him Remember that thou keepe holy the Sabbath then hee goes to some carnall man that buyes and sels as well as himselfe and then he will have an army of forces against the truth of God As the Apostle saith 2 Tim. 3.8 As Iannes and Iambres withstood Moses so doe these men resist the truth men of corrupt minds and reprobates concerning the faith how is that When Moses came to Pharaoh to deliver the people of Israel and when Moses shewed some signes and wonders Pharaoh would not yeild to the Miracles and therefore he called for Iannes and Iambres and they made some appearances of Serpents as Moses had done and so Pharaohs heart was hardened even so When the Word of God is plaine and the evidences of it are uncontrolable then a carnall minde sends for carnall quarrels and pleas and objections and this hee doth to oppose the truth of Christ and to make an army against the blessed ordinances of God They count it a matter of favour if any man will deliver and rescue them from the truth As when this truth comes You must not buy and sell upon the Sabbath but you must be holy as God is holy c. If this truth bee troublesome oh they cannot beare it and they would faine be rescued they account this truth an enemy to them and if any man will deliver them from the truth they thinke him a God and they admire at his judgement and say such a man is wise and a deepe Scholler and hee saith thus and thus hee will defend this as well as I thus a man is fortified against the truth But an humble Soule will not doe thus After the Word and Truth of God is revealed in this kinde and all reasons answered The understanding of this humble Soule gives way and opposeth not the truth Give an humble Soule Scripture for that you say and hee hath done and lets all carnall counsels passe and all matters objected and he saith I am fully perswaded of it the truth is plaine God forbid that I should quarrell with it This is for the understanding Thirdly If the truth be so cleare and plaine that he cannot gaine-say it then he turnes aside from the authoritie of the truth and will not suffer it to take place in his minde This is the last shift which a carnall heart hath As when a debtor is arrested at first hee grapples with the Serjeant but when hee seeth the Bailiffe or Serjeant is too good for him he labours to make an escape and trusts to his feet rather then to his hands So it is with a carnall wretched heart When hee cannot but confesse and yeild that the truth is plaine and that hee cannot grapple with the truth then hee falles flat against it when his Serpent is eaten up by Moses Serpent and all carnall pleas are eaten up by the truth then he is faine to withdraw himselfe from the authoritie of it From hence comes all those shifts we tell people they are miserable and in a naturall and damnable condition Oh say they God is mercifull oh but say we the mercy of God is such that as he pardons men so hee purgeth them and if mercy will save you mercy will purge you too and make you forsake your sinnes doe you thinke that mercy will carry you and your peevish proud lustfull hearts to heaven No he will not then say they we will repent hereafter and then we tell them againe harden not your hearts to day if you will heare his voyce take mercy now while it is cal'd to day God requires repentance now and now you must humble your selves and repent Yet the Soule goes on and saith we blesse God we doe repent and when wee sweare we cry God mercy and though wee have beene and are sometimes drunke yet we are sorry for it then we make them answer and say you say you are sorrowfull but sound sorrow is ever accompanied with sound reformation As the Apostle saith This same thing that you have beene sorrowfull what carefulnesse hath it wrought in you 2 Cor. 7.11 what clearing of your selves what indignation and the like And as the wise man saith He that confesseth and forsaketh his sinne shall finde mercy Pro. 28.13 Then the sinner replyes no man can doe thus What would you have us without sinne we must be content to doe as we may Thus you see they yeild to the truth and cannot but confesse that it is plaine but they take away the power of the truth and the command of it You may
but what their pride and idlenesse will Prov. 28.18 The wise man saith He that is perverse in his wayes shall fall at once And the Apostle saith When you were the servants of sinne Rom. 6.20 you were free from righteousnesse What 's that Holinesse and Gods command had nothing to doe with them that never tooke place in their hearts Doe you thinke these mens hearts are at Gods disposing See what the Apostle saith Fashion not your selves like unto this world Rom. 12.2 I onely appeale to mens consciences what strange apparell and haire laid out and what Spanish locks be there now adayes who disposeth of these things Oh forsooth they are newly come up and they must come up to thy head and armes and all These strange fashions doe argue strange distempers of spirit and doe you thinke that God rules in those hearts and minds and God over-power those affections when as they will not give him leave to meddle with a haire or a locke or an excrement this is my judgement in this case If it be so that the Word of God may not take away a lap and an excrement our shame and those things that are scandalous then surely the Word of God must not plucke away our lusts No no you are as farre from subjection as heaven is from hell and as the divell is from the God of Hosts The Lord speakes plainly by the Prophet Zephany Zeph. 1.8 Hee will visit all those that are cloathed with strange apparell When the fire shall flame about your eares and the enemies come to plucke your feathers from your Caps then you will remember this You would not have God to dispose of your cloathes and haire and the like and therefore God will now dispose of your lives and liberties and when you lye upon your straw and see that you must not goe gay to heaven you would then be content that the Lord should dispose of you and looke graciously towards you and then you will recommend your souls to God But then the Lord will make you answer and say who had the disposing of you before a drunken adulterous and fashionable Soule therefore let them succour you now get you to your fashions and let them make you fry and roare in the fashion he that will not have these base trifles to be at Gods command surely he will never have his heart at Gods disposing and therefore neither minde nor heart nor life Secondly If God will over-rule wicked men a little and pull downe their trim fashions and will gripe the Vsurer and send the thiefe to remember his Chests and if the Lord say you shall not be rich nor honourable as you would though you seeke them never so fast Yet secondly they use all carnall shifts and sinfull devises to come from that woefull condition into which God hath cast them A man cannot endure to be poore and therefore he will steale coosen or oppresse and take any course to lift up himselfe Thirdly Sometimes a man is content to be at Gods disposing in an outward conformitie and he will doe the duties that God reveales and leave the sinne that God forbids and gives a charge against but why will he doe this He doth not these to honour God but for some by and base ends As when the hypocrite prayeth God doth not make him pray as the first mooving cause of the worke but his hypocrisie and so the dissembling professor that will professe for advantage to draw people to his house or to sell off his Wares more readily And that people may say Oh he is a marvellous honest man yes and a covetous wretch too and he makes Religion as a stalking Horse for his lusts You are not at Gods disposing unlesse you be at his command in all these Thus you see the pride of a mans reason in his will his heart and life wherein you see the desperate villany of a mans nature and all is opposite against the God of heaven If every bird had her feathers and the worme her silke and every creature their owne what would become of the man that is proud This is base enough yet this is nothing to that Masse of haughtinesse and Luciferian wretchednesse that is in the heart That a poore creature should set his will against Gods will and his way against the way of the Almightie before whom the Angels stand amazed and the divels doe tremble God saith I will have this and the Soule saith I will not have it God saith thou shalt not walke in this way but the Soule saith I will walke in it God saith thy reason thy will thy life and all shall be subject to race but the Soule saith they shall not Is not this infinite intollerable haughtinesse What to make God no God and that he must have no will no providence and no rule over a mans life Oh you that are guiltie in this case take notice of it And let me exhort you all that have heard the Word of God this day and are poore ignorant men and prophane and carnall hypocrites Ignorance rules one man and his corrupt lusts rules an other man but there is no good rule at all You have the Word of God and his counsels and you have seene the way set out now what remaines but that you be intreated to goe home and humble your selves in secret and say this is my proud reason my proud heart and this is my proud carriage it is I that would not submit to the command of Gods Word And let every servant come in and say this is my proud heart my Master and my Mistris may not speake but I give word for word this is my fault And you wives reason thus Now the Lord hath revealed the pride of my heart and this is my proud reason and will that would not yeild to the command of my husband though never so warrantable Let the child also humble himselfe and say when my father counsels mee I turne my deafe eare and my mother is but a woman and therefore I would have my owne will and walke in my owne way this is my vaine minde How many be there present here this day that are not willing to know some truths You know you have made many conspiracies against the Word of God in the middle of the night because your honours ease and liberties lay at the stake therefore the Word must not rule If it be thus then to this day you are carnally minded and stout-hearted and vaine Goe home therefore I charge you and as you tender your owne good goe into your private chambers or else into some fields and there get downe your knee though your hearts will not bow and say good Lord I know and confesse it to this day my carnall minde hath not beene brought under and this vaine and idle conversation hath not beene ordered by thy word I have known much and gone on in rebellion against thee and it is
a wearinesse to mee to sanctifie the Sabaoth and hearing praying and other holy duties are a burthen to mee to this day my heart is not prepared for mercy good Lord to this day I am a wretched carnall man This is something Now there is some hope And the Soule goes on further and saith Good Lord what will become of my Soule am I Gods to dispose of no no pride and peevishnesse hath rul'd mee and I must cloath my selfe as Pride would have mee This is somewhat indeed And the adulterer saith If the adulteresse come I must goe though I dye for it When the drunkard comes to pull you out tell him of this and say Who hath disposed of you this day and all your life a drunken wretch and a base queane You have heard the word of God checking of you and yet nothing would doe Oh now at last yield and say The Lord hath not disposed of me Now therefore labour that God may dispose of you and let the mighty God pull downe that mightie heart Challenge the Lord with his promise and give him no rest till hee have mercy upon you And you servants humble your selves and say Wee have beene proud and idle together now let us mourne and pray together The time shall come when you will be content that God should dispose of you and you shall desire the Lord to looke graciously towards you and that God would take away your corruptions and that pride which accuseth you and all those abhominations that have beene a shame and disgrace to you therefore now resolve with your selves and say Lord take away this sinne and subdue that corruption and doe thou rule and reigne over my heart and life for ever let the power of thy truth carry mee and turne me from my wickednesse and over-power this proud will of mine and whatsoever vanity is in my life good Lord take it away and frame me after thy minde When this time comes say That a poore Minister did wish you good and that you had a faire offer If you will be at Gods disposing in minde in heart and life the Lord will prepare a place for you in heaven and rancke you there amongst his blessed Saints and Angels for evermore If another mans servant come to demand of you meat drinke and wages you will say You have not beene at my command therefore goe to the Master that you have served let him pay your wages So it will be with you if you goe to God for mercy and comfort in that day the Lord will send you to your lusts and new fashions c. but if any man be Gods servant then every thing shall be fitted for him and though that day be troublesome to the proud and haughty spirit yet it will be a comfort to the godly that they have submitted themselves to Gods word For then Christ shall fill their mindes with wisedome and their wills with holinesse and their lives shall be made honourable and acceptable before him Think of this and labour to bring your hearts to it that Gods will may be your wills and if you be humbled you shall and must be for ever comforted Thus much of the triall of the truth of our humiliation The second part of the use Now I come to the second part of the use that is to examine the measure of our humiliation for as I conceive all the difficulty of a mans course lyes here and the cause why a man receives not the assurance of mercy from God that hee desires or that comfort that he might it is all from hence I say because he is not empty For if the heart be prepared Christ comes immediatly into his temple and the lesse wee have of our selves the more we shall have of Christ This is mervailous usefull and therefore you must know that though the heart be truly humbled and laid low in it selfe in truth and the thing is done yet there remaines a great deale of pride in the heart Take a mighty Castle though it be battered downe yet there remaines many heapes of rubbish and happily some of the pillars stand many Winters after So it is with this frame of Spirit in a high imagination 2 Cor. 10.5 in these Towers of loftinesse Though this Dagon of a mans selfe be fallen downe yet still the stumps remaine and will doe many yeares And it will cost much horror of heart and much trouble before this haughtinesse of heart will be every way pull'd downe and made agreeable to the good will of God Though this distemper is mervailous secret yet a man may take a measure and scantling of it How to try the measure of humiliation The first particular Triall and hee may know how much of this cursed rubbish remaines in his heart by these foure particular rules First looke what measure there is of carnall reasoning against the truth of God when it is made knowne what measure there is of it either subtilly comming in upon the heart or else that doth violently transport the spirit against the spirit so much need thou hast of Humiliation and so much thou wantest of it This is a cleare case Every Saint of God is willing to know the truths that he shall doubt of and is content to yeild himselfe to the truth that shall be revealed and of which he shall be convinced yet there remaines much carnall reasoning against the truth As the Apostle saith Let no man deceive you intruding into those things which he hath not seene Coloss 2.18 vainely puft up in his fleshly minde The ground and roote of this carnall reasoning or the measure of it may appeare in two causes First There is a kinde of perverse darknesse in the heart still sticking in the minde and understanding even of a gracious Godly man And from hence namely out of this mistaking of the minde followes all that carnall reasoning that howsoever the Soule is satisfied yet it will not sit downe but still it sticks in this carnall reasoning and the sinner cannot conceive the truth nor fathom the compasse of it by reason of his owne weakenesse therefore it is long before hee will be perswaded that it is truth and that he is bound to yeild to it When the wisedome of the truth is so plaine and evident that he cannot resist the clearenesse of it yet because he cannot conceive of it he thinkes that hee is not bound to yeild thereunto Object But some will say should a man yeild to that which he cannot conceive Answ To this I answer When the minde is so farre enlightened that he cannot gain-say any thing in reason though he cannot compasse the depth and bottome of the truth yet he should yeild to it and rather goe with reason then follow his owne imagination when there is no reason for it Iust so it was with Nicodemus When Christ spake of the worke of regeneration Ioh. 3.9 he said Can a man be borne
conceive that they doe well to be discontented and they cast all the fault upon their sinne Answer This is a desperate hinderance to all good duties and therefore I answer it thus It is true the Lord allowes it and warrants it that thou shouldest be displeased with thy sinne not to bee under the power and rule of it and the humbled heart is at the dispose of God nor at the dispose of sinne but yet bee wise in this case It is one thing for a man to bee discontented with his corruption and its an other thing to be discontented with that condition wherein he is Thou mayst and oughtest to bee discontented with thy pride and corruption and with thy unbeliefe but take heede that thou be not discontented with the weakenesse of thy gifts and parts This is damnable pride and it is an argument that thou art not content to bee at Gods finding and this is thy disease twenty to one Now that thou mayest know whether thy discontentment is for thy corruption or for thy estate and the weakenesse of thy parts I shew it thus he that is discontented with his sinne will never sinne in his discontentednesse As wee use to say of immoderate sorrow If any man loose a freind and begin to grieve and sorrow excessively wee use to say take heed that you mourne not out of measure Marke what he replyes may not a man sorrow for his his sinne To this I answer Art thou sorrowfull for sinne and wilt thou sinne deepely in thy sorrow and resist the good will of the Lord no thou hast lost a freind and meanes and therefore thou mournest This is carnall sorrow and in this thou never sorrowest for sinne he that is sorrowfull for his sinne will not sinne in his sorrow it is for thy condition that thou art so sorrowfull and discontented Is it not so with thy Soule that thy heart is tossed up and downe in a restlesse disquiet and art thou not out of the command of thy selfe and art thou not hurried up and downe in a confused lumber in thy mind because thou art not fit for duties if it be so with thee then thou dost sinne desperately in thy discontentment It is a rule in warre If an Army be once scattered and dispierced it will hardly come on againe because it is put out of ranke and order So that Soule is discontented with his estate that is made unfit for duties and unweldy in them that discontentment which unfits a man to be at Gods disposing it is not the worke of humiliation but a worke of pride But it is so with thee thy discontentment makes thee unable to beare Gods hand and the want of any thing and makes thee more unfit for duties and it is not for sinne but for thy weaknesse in gifts and for thy condition and therefore thou art possessed with this pride of heart The fourth and last note of the measure of our humiliation The fourth and last note and triall of the measure of our humiliation is this If thou wilt know how much pride is in thy heart then consider how thy Soule stands in regard of the word and truth of God that crosseth thy beloved lusts and those corruptions to which thy Soule hath cleaved in the time of thy wretchednesse and in this there are two passages First see how thy heart behaves it selfe in regard of the strict commands of God Secondly in regard of the keenest reproofes and the sharpest admonitions that are suggested into thy heart See how thy heart is able to beare the reproofe of an enemy or the admonition of a faithfull Minister of God when he meets with thy darling lust When thy heart comes under these commands and these reproofes if thou finde thy heart swelling and bubbling against the truth and thy heart begins to bee angry with the Word and Minister and all then know this that certainly so much of this as there is in thy heart so much thy Soule wants of Humiliation Is not this pride that the Soule should lift up it selfe against the Lord of heaven and take the way of Gods Word and when the frothy franticke heart of a man wil beare down the command of God let the command of God fall to the ground rather then let a corruption fall is not this infinite pride You may take notice of this distemper in severall passages When the Prophet came to that wicked King Amaziah and said to him Why hast thou sought after the Gods of the Heathen 2 Chron. 25.15 16. which could not deliver their owne people out of thine hand then the King said to him Art thou made of the Kings counsell forbeare why shouldest thou bee smitten Then the Prophet said I know that God hath determined to destroy thee because thou hast done this and hast not hearkened to my counsell Amaziah was naught and God did deale with him accordingly So when Gods Word doth meete with mens hearts and lusts they are mad and if it were not for shame and feare they would pull a man from the Pulpit Object But some may say can the Saints of God be thus transported with this vile distemper Answ Yes this cholericke distemper of heart sometimes creepes in upon a good Soule but the difference will appeare afterward Aza was a strange man though Divines hold him a good man When Hanani the Prophet dealt plainly with him and said 2 Chron. 16.7 10 11.12 Thou hast done foolishly in resting upon the King of Aram c. See how the King entertaines this He was wroth with the Seer and put him in prison But see what befell the King He never saw good day afterward he fell into many sinnes so the Lord leaves a man to his corruptions and after that hee fell into a strange disease in his feete A strange thing that God should leave a good man in this misery thus hee dyed and all this was for opposing the Word of God This is the nature of a peevish colericke spirit The humble spirit doth not quarrell with the Word of God Iam. 1.21 but receives it with meekenesse and with a quiet still spirit If any sinne be revealed and if any dutie be commanded he beares the Word without contending unlesse it be now and then for flesh will have his bouts Looke home therefore into your owne hearts and families how can you beare the checks and reproofes of a Master or Mistris when they say you are idle And so you wives when your husbands reproove you is not all on a light flame Oh this is infinite and intollerable pride You may bee good servants and good women but its strange if you be so Object But you will say how shall a man see a difference in all these Answ I say the Saints of God and the sinners the faithfull and the faithlesse all have this in their manner and measure but this corruption is poyson in the heart of a good man It s
mee all you stout hearted ones of the world which are farre from righteousnesse Esay 26.12 Let mee speake to all you stout hearted men and women that are heere this day you that swell against the truth of Christ and will not come under the power of Gods ordinances you are farre from righteousnesse The further you are gone in this sinne the further you are from the righteousnesse of God A stout hearted man is a thousand miles from righteousnesse Drunkards and adulterers are far enough from it but a proud man is as it were 20. hundreth thousand miles from it hee is far from the covenant of faith Faith goes out for all that it hath to an other it reacheth up to heaven for all it wants meate and nourishment and therefore it goes to Christ for all and pride onely rests upon it selfe for all faith gives the glory of all that it hath to another but pride takes all the glory to its selfe Faith goes to another for strength in what he doth but pride rests upon it selfe for strength So that though all sinnes hinder the worke of faith yet pride hinders it more then any thing You that thinke it a brave matter to be proud and you must not buckle to the Minister and you must doe what you list you are stout-hearted men but you are farre from beleeving men The more faith the lesse pride and the more pride the lesse faith 3. A proud soule is farre from mercy Thirdly As pride opposeth God himselfe and as it opposeth the covenant of grace so it followes from the two former that the proud Soule upon these conditions that it is in shall never receive any grace from the Lord. Set your hearts at rest for that You may swell and lift up your selves but if ever you receive the worke of grace and mercy upon these termes I will bee your bond-man for ever For he that is professely contrary to the grace of God that gives all and he that is contrary to the covenant of grace by which all is conveyed let him set his heart at rest for ever receiving any mercy The Lord himselfe is not able to endure the sight of a haughty spirit he cannot looke upon him much lesse will he live with him He beholds the proud man a farre off hee drives a proud man farre from heaven Psal 138.6 The Lord deales by a proud man as a man doth that is carried with indignation against his enemy he will not looke upon him So it is with the Lord hee will not be within the ken of a proud man and if the Lord doe come neere a proud man woe to him that he doth so The Lord resists the proud Hee whets all the sharpest arrowes of his vengeance and shuts them all against a proud man You broken hearts consider this The Lord gives grace to the humble but the proud man must be content with his portion he shall be resisted not received he shall be resisted not converted nor saued nor sanctified Hee may bid farewell to all grace hee shall never have it upon those termes and as God intends no good to him so a proud man comes not within the scope of mercy nor of that redemption which Iesus Christ hath wrought and purchased Christ came not to call the righteous that is them that looke loftily in regard of what they do You stout hearted people thinke of it The Lord Christ came not to call you The devill calls and you may goe to him but Christ came to call and save the poore broken hearted sinners It is said of Christ That hee was annointed of the Lord Esa 61.1 2 3. to preach the glad tidings of the Gospell to whom to the meeke c. You meekened Soules shall heare good newes from heaven But there is not any one sillable of one promise in all the Gospel that any proud spirit can conceive to belong unto him If I could seperate all the good from the bad I would have the good to stand by and heare these good newes that I have for them and if you proud hearts will come in and yeild they may be yours too You that tremble at Gods Word and are willing to doe what God shall command if there be any such here this day as I doubt not but there are many then know that the Sonne of man came to seeke and save you it is good tidings Nay in the Lord Iesus Christ are all the Treasures of wisedome and knowledge and out of this fulnesse of holinesse and happinesse he fills all your meeke hearts and hee will give all grace according to your necessities here is newes of salvation life and comfort from heaven But to whom is it Christ came to seeke and save them that are lost that is them that are lost in their owne apprehension but the proud man was never lost in himselfe A lost man in the Wildernesse is content to be guided into his right way but the proud man saith hee will be filthy and fashionable still therefore hee was never lost and Christ never came to seeke nor save him All meanes doe a proud man no good All the meanes of Grace that God gives will never benefit a proud man So that now it is as possible nay more possible for heaven and earth to meete together then for a proud man to come to heaven except God give him a heart to stoope No man can receive benefit by the word except he be under the power of it if the wax be not under the Seale how can it receive any impression As the Apostle saith Rom 6.17 They were delivered into the forme of that doctrine propounded The forme of the Gospell tooke place in their hearts There is no Soule can get any benefit by the Gospell but hee must receive what it reveales and what it commands hee must doe and what it forbids he must labour to avoyd but a proud heart is above all meanes and therefore the word will not nay it cannot worke savingly on him As those wicked ones said Our tongues are our owne we ought to speake Psal 11.4 who is Lord over us What reproofe shall awe me saith a proud heart I will be led by my owne lusts Your owne reason leades you and your owne wills rules you your owne mindes and your lusts and what your hearts will have they must have You stout hearted ones that are resolved not to yield nor to come under the grace of God you will not have your affections framed nor made more teachable then seeing you will not bee taught be for ever deluded goe your way and be for ever hardned and for ever cast off from the presence of God and goe downe to the bottomlesse pit you will have your owne wills therefore goe to your owne places for that 's all you can have You that are the faithfull of God and know any such mourne for them Fourthly Againe 4. A proud
mans end is exceeding fearfull The destruction of a proud man is both certaine exceeding heavie and it is like to be mervailous fearfull There is nothing to be expected and hoped for but totall ruine and that suddainly and unconceiveably to every proud spirit that beares up himselfe against the blessed God of heaven Let mee open it thus A proud man is marked out for Gods Iudgements and is made as it were the white against whom all the arrowes of his vengeance are fully bent When Amaziah would needs out bid the Prophet in his advice 2 Chron. 25.15 16. and said forbeare Why shouldst thou bee smitten I will forbeare saith the Prophet but know what shall befall thee I know the Lord hath purposed to destroy thee because thou wilt not hearken to my counsell You that are acquainted with your stout-hearted husbands and wives and friends and know how your children bandy themselves against the blessed truth of Christ goe in secret and bemoane their estates and pray for them that if it be possible destruction may be prevented goe in secret and say it is my husband or my wife or my childe that yeilds not to the direction of the Word and therefore howsoever we may live a while together yet I know God hath decreed to destroy him and her Thinke of this with your selves you that are proud and say If I will not be exhorted then I shall be destroyed I cannot avoyd it Oh me thinks if every proud spirit would write this upon the palmes of his hands and upon the tester of his bed that he might see it wheresoever he goes how would his heart sinke within him When thou goest abroad say for ought I know I shal never returne home God hath decreed to destroy me And when thou lyest down think thus for ought I know I shal never rise more It is not the word of man but of the Almightie When the Lord would as it were frame a path for destruction hee sends a proud heart If once the Lord intend to destroy a People or Nation he gives them over to pride of heart The sonnes of Ely did not hearken to the voyce of their father because the Lord meant to destroy them 1 Sam. 2.25 hee gave them over to proud hearts Nay the proud Soule is not onely the ayme of Gods wrath but as the Lord determines destruction for him so he brings destruction first upon him When the Citizens said We will not have this man to rule over us then the King was wroth and said Luk. 19.4.27 bring hither those mine enemies and slay them before mee c. There was no delay nor no mitigation of the punishment to be granted Oh thinke of this all you proud spirits Indeed the Lord will confound all the wicked in the Day of Iudgement but he will execute even the fiercest of the Vials of his vengeance against a proud man and when the Lord shall say where are those wretches mine enemies then the Ministers of God shall come in and say this man was a drunkard and this man an adulterer Yes saith the Lord I will plague them anone but where are those mine enemies those stout-hearted men and women that hated to be reformed let mee see those damned and destroyed for ever And for ought I know God hath a strange indignation in store for them Nay it shall bee so executed upon a proud man that there shall be no reclaiming of it and God will not be perswaded to pitty him Prov. 1.26 27 28. They shall call upon mee saith the Text but I will not answer they shall seeke mee early but they shall not finde mee So that it is no wonder though a company of rebellious wretches have no comfort upon their death beds and though a thousand divels seaze upon them and hurry them downe to hell it s no wonder I say cry and call they may but God will not heare them Nay the Lord will laugh at their destruction and mocke when their feare commeth It is a griefe for a man to be in misery but to be laughed at that 's a plague of all plagues But to have mercy rejoyce in the destruction of a man this makes the plague out of measure miserable If any man say this is false doctrine and this is too sharpe and too keene Brethren we dare doe no other and wee can doe no lesse and you had better heare of it now while you may prevent it then to heare of it and feele it hereafter when there is no remedy But here is the maine wound of our Ministery you will not stoope nor yield to our Ministery Wee speake not in wrath and anger as you imagine but in mercy wee now preach against a proud heart that you may be humbled and finde mercy and so be comforted and saved for ever Therefore take your owne shame and the Lord prevaile with those hearts which word and counsell cannot worke upon And the Lord now fit you for mercy that you may receive mercie from the Lord. That 's all the hurt wee wish you Oh that you would so heare of these plagues that you might never feele them The Lord hath an old grudge against a proud heart Goe away you proud hearts feare and tremble When you are gone from the congregation do not say What if he say so we fare well enough yet and wee see none of all these judgements and all this winde shakes no corne no no once stoope and come in and take the yoake of Christ and the Lord make it easie Goe in secret and reason thus good Lord have not I onely lifted up my selfe against man like my selfe but against God and against his ordinances and hath God yet shewed mee mercy in sparing of me and it is yet mercy that I may bow my body though I cannot bow my proud heart oh what mercy is this You wives thanke God that yet hee hath spared your husbands and that yet they have breath and being here pray to God that they may lay about them for humble hearts that so they may finde mercy against the evill day Our God is very mercifull but it is no contending with him Did ever any man provoke the Lord and prosper Come in therefore shame your selves that the Lord may humble you now and shew mercy to you hereafter Vse 4 The last Vse is for exhortation You see the woe and misery of a proud spirit What remaines then onely this Be exhorted as you desire to finde favour with God and to receive mercy from him now be content to be at his disposing Walke in this way and ayme at this marke strive hard for it and put forth the best of your abilities that you may get humble hearts You must not thinke that every lazy wish and every desire will serve the turne and that it will be enough to say is it so that a proud heart is so farre from heaven I would I had an humble heart and
so forth You must not thinke that God will bring you to heaven before you be aware of it and that a humble heart will drop into your mouthes The Saints of God have alwayes had it before they received Christ and thou must have it too if ever thou wilt have him therefore make it a chiefe part of thy daily taske to get it And suffer not thine eyes to sleepe nor thine eye lids to slumber nor the temples of thy head to take any rest before thou hast this gracious disposition of spirit You see the price the worth and excellency of this blessed grace doe not now let this grace lye lay cast it not into a bye corner but in all your desires covet this and in all your hunting up and downe after commodities prize this more then all and labour to get it above all I know one man hath his eye upon the world and another on his pleasures and every man saith what shall we eate and drinke and wherewith shall we be cloathed but doe not thou say how shall I be rich or honourable but how shall I get this humble heart What 's that to thy Soule that thou art rich and a reprobate and that thou art honourable and damned If thou bee once humbled then thou art past the worst It is the choisest good and the chiefe of thy desires should be for an humble heart Now to draw our hearts to this there are three considerations that may be seasonable and serviceable to this end And they are these First Consider that it is possible to have an humble heart Secondly Consider the danger if you have it not I will not give a rush for all that you can doe without it though you live Methuselahs dayes Thirdly Consider the exceeding benefit that will come by this grace For the first 1. Motive It is possible for any Soule present for ought I know or that he knowes to get an humble heart This may be a provocation to us to set upon this dutie If a man had no hope to get this desire he would have no heart to use any meanes for it A man had as good sit still as rise up and fall as the Proverbe is But seeing it is possible why may not thou and I or any man here get an humble heart and therefore seeke to the Lord for it and say there hath beene many as proud hearts and as stout as mine though I have beene like a divell for my pride yet they have had this grace and therefore Lord why may not I have it as well as they who knowes but God may give mee an humble heart too though my heart be now stout and stubborne and rebellious yet Lord I see no command that forbids mee not to expect this mercy and I see no truth that excludes mee no the Lord saith in his command humble your selves under the mightie hand of God Yea the Lord hath appointed meanes for the working of this grace and hath ever blessed those meanes for the good of others and why not mee Lord Lord hast thou blessed these meanes to others and made them stoope and yeild why wilt thou not blesse them to mee too Lord who knowes but God will doe it for mee as well as hee hath done it for others Therefore goe thou to God and say The truth is Lord I confesse this haughty and this rebellious heart of mine will not come downe it is not in mans power to pull downe my proud heart No it is not in the power of Angels to humble a proud heart Lord now take this stout heart and humble it and doe what thou wilt with it didst not thou tame the heart of Manasses that Witch and bloud-sucker that made the streetes of Ierusalem to swim with blood didst not thou humble him and didst not thou bring downe the proud heart of that sturdy Iaylor and didst not thou tame the heart of proud persecuting Saul Didst not thou make him come creeping in upon his knees Lord thus thou hast done Lord humble me too Thus importune the God of heaven Nay presse God with his promise and with that engagement whereby hee hath tyed himselfe The day of the Lord of Hoasts shall be upon every one that is lifted up Esa 2.12 and that is proud and lofty saith the text and he shall be brought low and upon all the Cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up and upon all the Oaks of Bashan That is upon all mighty vile sturdy and unreasonable men and what then they shall be brought full low and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day The day of the Lord shall be upon all flesh presse God with this promise and entreate the Lord to remember it and say Lord make all those sturdy hearts yield Oh that this may be the day and that I may be the man and that my heart may be the heart that thy mercy and grace may onely be admired and wondered at Thus you see that God may doe as much for you as he hath done for others and it is possible to get an humble heart therefore labour for it Secondly as it is possible to get an humble heart 2. Motive So consider that if you mistake your selves and faile here the danger is wonderfull desperate and fearefull and therfore use so much more care and diligence not to be deceived therein If you misse here never looke to be saved nor recovered hereafter Misse now and you are undone for ever it s as much as your soules be worth as your Humiliation is so your Faith so your Sanctification and your obedience will be If that be naught all will be naught It is observed by Philosophers and Physicians that if there be any fault in the first disgesture it cannot be amended in the next if the stomacke disgest the meate ill the Liver can never make good blood So a wound here can never be amended If the bottome and foundation of a building be not sound and substantiall though the frame be never so neate and handsome yet there is no mending of it it must be all puld down and the ground-worke made more sure and therefore when men set up some maine pillars to uphold a house they digge deepe and low and set them strong So if this worke of Humiliation be not deepe and low enough all the frames of a mans profession will fall downe there is no mending of it If the foundation of the house be sound though the thatch and sparres flye of there is some helpe but if that be naught the house will downe whatsoever the other be So many weakenesses may be succoured and the heart may be sustained under them all if this worke of Humiliation be good but if a man once prove false here thy faith and obedience will be naught and the Spirit of God will never dwell in thee nor quicken thee See what our blessed Saviour saith Math. 7.13 Strive to enter
in at the straite gate c. This gate or this entrance into life is Humiliation of heart When the Soule is loosened from and bids farewell to sinne and himselfe then the gate is opened And as it is in other wayes If there be but one way or gate into an house and the traveller misseth that gate he looseth all his labour and must goe backe againe but if he once get in at this gate he is safe enough then So it is here There is a most narrow way of Gods Commandements and there is but one way or gate into this happinesse it is narrow and a little gate and a man must be nothing in his owne eyes and if you misse this gate you loose all your labour and shall never come to Salvation If a man could heare and pray all his dayes yet if his heart be not humbled he and his profession shall goe to hell together In Saint Matthew the conclusion is very peremptory when the Disciples were contending who should be highest Christ set a childe in the middest of them and said Except you become as little children Math. 18.3 you cannot enter into the Kingdome of heaven You may doe any thing with Infants and all that they have to doe is to cry Vnlesse you have humble hearts you cannot enter into heaven Hee doth not say You cannot be great men or you cannot goe farre into heaven but he saith You cannot enter So then the danger being so great and the mistaking so full of hazard and seeing it is possible to have it therefore let us use all diligence to make this worke sure Thirdly 3. Motive consider the mervailous good that God hath promised and which hee will bestow upon all that are truly humbled And let all these be as so many cords to draw us to looke for this blessed frame of heart Wee have need of all the motives in the world I know it is a hard matter for a man to lay downe himselfe and his parts and all his priviledges in the dust I say it is mervailous irksome and tedious to the nature of a carnall man but it will quit all his cost in the end When wee shall tast of those sweet benefits that come by a humble heart and have gotten Iesus Christ and mercy from him then it will never repent us that wee have spent so many teares and made so many prayers and used so many meanes to pull downe the pride of our hearts Oh brethren thinke of it See and consider the admirable benefits and the exceeding great good that will come to you thereby The good things that come by a heart that is truly humbled they are specially foure and with those the truth and substance of whatsoever the heart can crave and desire The first benefit of an humble heart is this by this meanes wee come to be made capable of all those riches of the treasure of wisedome and grace and mercy that are in Christ and not onely of the blessings for a better life but of all things in this life so farre as they are good for us First wee are made capable of all those treasures of wisedome grace and mercy that are in Christ and for this cause was Christ sent to preach glad tidings to the meeke as you heard before all the Gospell and all the glad tidings of it doe belong to an humble soule And the Prophet Malachy saith Malac. 3.1 Behold I will send my messenger to prepare the way before mee and the Lord whom you seeke shall suddainly come into his Temple Iohn Baptist was Christs harbenger and hee made way for Christ and when the way was prepared Christ came immediatly Wee are the Temple of the holy Ghost saith the Apostle Now if the heart bee once prepared and humbled looke then immediatly for Christ Are you not content to have Christ dwell in your hearts If you will be humbled and so prepared there is neither want of love nor speed on his part This should mervailously lift up the heart of every man to seeke for this blessed grace If thou art truly humbled care not for the love of men the love of Christ will satisfie thee And though thy father and mother cast thee out of doores and thy husband tumble thee out of his bed yet if thou be truly humbled Christ will be in stead of father and husband and all comforts to thee God hath but two thrones the humble heart is one So the Text saith Esa 57.15 I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit c. If the Lord Iesus come to dwell in thy heart and that hee will doe if thou be truly humbled then certainly hee will provide for thee all needfull comforts for this life See what Zephany saith Zeph. 2.3 Seeke yee the Lord all yee meeke of the earth which have wrought his judgement seeke righteousnesse seeke meekenesse it may be you shall be hid in the day of the Lords anger When all things threatned desolation and destruction see who they were that had safety promised onely the meeke Object But some will say Is it not better for a man to be proud with the proud and to play the Beare amongst Beares and the Lyon amongst Lyons and to shift for one Answ No saith the text seeke meekenesse The humble Soule may take this to himselfe as his part and portion If there should be desolation amongst us as there is in Bohemia in the Palatinate and in other Countries the humble Soule shall be hid When the mightie tall trees are blowne downe by strong winds the little shrubs may be shaken a little but they stand still they are safe and sure when the mighty Oakes are either horribly shaken or puld up by the roots So if ever you will seeke safetie and deliverance seeke meekenesse and then you shall be hidden When the proud heart shall be weltering in his blood the Lord will provide a shadow to succour and to comfort you If Christ dwell in your hearts he is bound to all reparations 2. Benefit Secondly as Humiliation of heart doth estate a man into Christ and his merits and all provision in this kinde so it gives him the comfort of all that good which hee hath in Christ There are many that have a right to Christ and are deare to God and yet they want much sweet refreshing that they might have and as the Proverbe is They never see their owne because they want this Humiliation of heart in some measure To be truly humbled is the next way to be truly comforted The Lord will looke to him that hath an humble contrite heart Esay 62.8 and trembles at his word that is an humble Soule a poore Soule a very beggar at the gate of mercy the Lord will not onely know him for he knowes the wicked too in a generall manner but hee will give him such a gracious looke
Sanctification and Obedience is answerable and thy Glory shall be suteable Now to conclude all The conclusion Doe you consider that it is possible to have an humble heart doe you consider the danger if you have it not and doe you consider the good that comes by an humble heart and doe you sit still as he said in another case Me thinkes your hearts begin to stirre and say hath the Lord engaged himselfe to this Oh then Lord make me humble Mee thinks your countenances say so The Lord make mee and thee and all of us humble that we may have this mercy Let mee make but this one question to your Consciences and give mee an answer secretly in your soules when the Lord shall close up your eyes here and put an end to your pilgrimage would you not be content to dwell with Christ in heaven which the Apostle did account his greatest happinesse to be ever with the Lord we shall be ever with Christ to comfort us when we shall be no more with sinne to vexe and trouble us would not you be content to be with Christ mee thinkes your hearts say that 's the end and upshot of all that 's the end why we live and pray and heare that we may be ever with him And doe not you meet with many troubles while you are members of the Church Militant I know you have sometimes distempers without and troubles without would you not have comfort against them all and what would you give that Christ would looke in and aske how your Soules doe and say thou art my redeemed and I am thy Redeemer No you know all flesh desires it Would you not be content to have some honour in the Church and to leave a good name behind you that the disgraces which wicked men cast upon you may not be as a blot upon your names and when you shall bee no more and you shall bid adue to friends and honours and meanes would you not be blessed and though you would be content to be the meanest in the Kingdome of heaven what would you give to be the greatest in heaven let mee put a condition to you get but humble hearts and you have all Men brethren and fathers If there be any Soule here that is content in truth and sinceritie to be humbled and to be at Gods disposing in all duties to be done do not you make too much hast to goe to heaven the Lord Iesus Christ will come downe from heaven and dwell in your hearts hee will sit and lye and walke with you his grace shall refresh you and his Wisedome shall direct you and his Glory shall advance you and as for happinesse take no thought for that Everlasting happinesse and blessednesse lookes and waites for every humble Soule Come saith happinesse thou that hast beene vile and base and meane in thine own eyes and in the contempt of the world come and be greatest in the Kingdome of heaven Brethren though I cannot prevaile with your hearts yet let happinesse that kneeles downe and prayes you to take mercy let that I say prevaile with you And answer mee now who would not be humbled If any man be so regardlesse of his owne good I have something to say to him that may make his heart shake within him But who would not have the Lord Iesus to dwell with him who would not have the Lord Christ by the glory of his grace to honour and refresh them and that he should set a crowne of happinesse upon their heads Mee thinkes your hearts should earne for it and say oh Lord breake my heart and humble mee that mercy may be my portion for ever Nay mee thinkes every man should say as Saint Paul did I would to God that not onely I but all my children and servants were not onely thus as I am but also if it were Gods will much more humbled that they might be much more comforted and refreshed The Lord in his mercy grant it Let all parents labour to have their children humbled and every master his servant This will give them cheering of heart in that great Day of accounts when palenesse comes upon your faces and leannesse to your cheekes then I know you would leave your children a good portion then get their Soules truly humbled Me thinks it cheeres my heart to consider of it if a man could get his own heart and the hearts of all truely humbled when he leaves the world if he could but say my wife is humbled and such a child and such a child is humbled how comfortably might he goe away and say though I go away and leave wife and children behind me poore and meane in the world yet I leave Christ with them Brethren though you care not for your selves yet care for your little ones never leave exhorting of them never leave praying for them and for your selves too that you and they may get these humble hearts When you are gone this will bee better for them then all the beaten gold or all the honours in the world There are many that have heretofore stood out against the Lord and they would not come in nor yeild to the conditions of mercy all those proud haughtie and rebellious spirits that have stood out against Gods Truth his Word and Ministers and have stood out long some twenty some thirtie and some fortie yeares let all such feare and tremble and now resolve not to stand it out any more but since the Lord offers so kindly to comfort you and to honour you upon your Humiliation Now kisse the Sonne be humble yeild to all Gods commands take home all truthes and be at Gods disposing There must be subjection or else confusion will you out-brave the Almightie to his face and will you dare damnation as you love your Soules take heed of it As proud as you have beene crushed and humbled Where are all those Nymrods and Pharaohs and all those mightie Monarchs of the World The Lord hath thrown them flat upon their backs and they are in hell this day Therefore be wise and be humbled under the mightie hand of the Lord. It is a mightie hand and the Lord will be honoured either in your Humiliation and conversion or else in your damnation for ever Let all the evill that is threatned and all the good that is offered prevaile with your hearts and though meanes cannot yet the Lord prevaile with you the Lord emptie you that Christ may fill you the Lord humble you that you may enjoy happinesse and peace for ever FINIS