that needs be to have a soul sharp set even to a ravenous hunger after sin but chain'd up where it can come at nothing it would have to satisfie its lost for a proud wretch that could wish he might dominere over all the world yea over God himself if he would let him to be kept down in such a dungeon as hell is O how it will cut for the malicious sinner whose heart swells with rancour against God and his Saints that he could pluck them out of Gods bosome yea God out of his throne if he had power to finde his hands so manacled that he can do nothing against them he so hates O how this will torment Speak O you Saints whose partial victory over sin at present is so sweet to you that you would choose a thousand deaths sooner then return to your old bondage under your lusts how glorious then is that day in your eye when this shall be compleated in a full and eternal Conquest never to have any thing to do more with sin or Satan Secondly to stand is here to stand justified and acquitted at the great day of judgement The phrase is frequent in Scripture which sets out the solemn discharge they shall have then by standing in judgement Psal 1.5 The wicked shall not stand in the judgement that is they shall not be justified Psal 130.3 If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquity O Lord who shall stand that is who shall be discharged The great God upon whose errand we come into the world hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world by Jesus Christ a solemn day it will be when all that ever lived on earth high and low good and bad shall meet in one Assembly to make their personal appearance before Christ and from his mouth to receive their eternal doom who shall in his Majestick robes of glory ascend the awful seat of Judicature attended with his illustrious traine and guard of Angels about him as so many officers ready to execute and perform his pleasure according to the definitive sentence that he shall pronounce either to conduct those blessed ones whom he shall justifie into his glorious Kingdome or binde them hand and foot to be cast into hells unquenchable flames whom he shall condemn I do not wonder that Pauls Sermon on this subject did make an earth-quake in Felix his conscience but rather that any should be so far gone in a lethargy and dedolent numbnesse of conscience as the thought of this day cannot recover them to their sense and feeling O Sirs do you not vote them happy men and women that shall speed well on this day are not your thoughts enquiring who those blessed soules are which shall be acquitted by the lively voice of Christ the Judge You need not ascend to search the rolls of election in heaven here you may know they are such as fight the Lords battels on earth against Satan in the Lords Armour and that to the end of their lives These having done all shall stand in judgement And were it but at a mans bar some Court-Martial where a souldier stood upon trial for his life either to be condemned as a Traitour to his Prince or clear'd as faithful in his trust O how such a one would listen to heare how it would go with him and be overjoyed when the Judge pronounces him innocent Well may such be bid to fall down on their knees thank God and the Judge that have saved their lives how much more ravishing will the sweet voice of Christ be in the Saints eares when he shall in the face of men and Angels make publike declaration of their righteousnesse O how confounded will Satan then be who was their accuser to God and their own consciences also ever threatening them with the terrour of that day How blank will the wicked world be to see the dirt that they had throwen by their calumnies and lying reports on the Saints faces wiped off with Christs own hand they from Christs mouth to be justified as sincere whom they had call'd hypocrites will not this O ye Saints be enough for all the scorne you were laden with from the world and conflict you endured with the Prince of the world But this is not all Therefore Thirdly to stand doth here also as the complement of their reward denote the Saints standing in heavens glory Princes when they would reward any of their subjects that in their wars have done eminent service to the crown as the utmost they can do for them do prefer them to Court there to enjoy their Princely favour and stand in some place of honourable service before them continually Solomon sets it out as the greatest reward of faithful subjects to stand before Kings Heaven is the royal city where the great God keeps his Court. The happiness of glorious Angels is to stand there before God I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God Luke 1.19 That is I am one of those heavenly spirits who wait on the great God and stand before his face as Courtiers do about their Prince Now such honour shall every faithful soul have Thus saith the Lord of hostes If thou wilt walk in my wayes and if thou wilt keep my charge I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by Zech. 3.7 He alludes to the Temple which had rooms joyning to it for the Priests that waited on the Lord in his holy service there Or to Courtiers that have stately galleries and lodgings becoming their place at Court allowed them in the Kings Palace they wait upon Thus all the Saints whose representative Joshua was shall after they have kept the Lords charge in a short lifes service on earth be called up to stand before God in heaven where with Angels they shall have their galleries and mansions of glory also O happy they who shall stand before the Lord in glory The greatest Peeres of a Realme such as Earles Marquesses and Dukes are count it greater honour to stand before their King though bare-headed and oft upon the knee then to live in the countrey where all bow and stand bare to them yea let but their Prince forbid them coming to Court and 't is not their great estates or respect they have where they live will content them 'T is better to wait in heaven then to reign on earth 'T is sweet standing before the Lord here in an Ordinance one day in the worship of God is better then many elsewhere O what then is it to stand before God in glory If the Saints spikenard sendeth forth so sweet a smell while the King sits at his table here in a Sermon or Sacrament O then what joy must needs flow from their near attendance on him as he sits at his table in heaven which when God first made it was intended by him to be that Chamber of presence in which he would present himself to be seen of and enjoyed by his Saints in
booty at the sacking of some town are spoil'd for fighting ever after CHAP. II. Of the Saints strength where it lies and wherefore laid up in God THe second Branch of the words followeth which contains a cautionary direction Having exhorted the Saints at Ephesus and in them all believers to a holy resolution and courage in their warfare lest this should be mistaken and beget in them an opinion of their own strength for the battel the Apostle leads them out of themselves for this strength even to the Lord Be strong in the Lord. From whence observe That the Christians strength lies in the Lord not in himself The strength of the General in other hostes lies in his troops he flâ—es as a great Commander once said to his souldiers upon their wings if their feathers be clipt their power broken he is lost but in the Army of Saints the strength of every Saint yea of the whole hoste of Saints lies in the Lord of hostes God can overcome his enemies without their hands but they cannot so much as defend themselves without his arme It is one of Gods names The strength of Israel 1 Sam. 15.19 He was the strength of Davids heart without him this valiant Worthy that could when held up in his armes defie him that defied an whole Army behaves himself strangely for feare at a word or two that drop't from the Philistines mouth He was the strength of his hands He taught his fingers to fight and so he is the strength of all his Saints in their war against sin and Satan Some propound a question whether there be a sin committed in the world in which Satan hath not a part but if the question were whether there be any holy action performed without the special assistance of God concurring that is resolved John 15.5 Without me you can do nothing Thinking strength of God 2 Cor. 3.5 Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God We Apostles we Saints that have habitual grace yet this lies like water at the bottome of a Well which will not ascend with all our pumping till God poure in his exciting grace and then it comes To will is more then to think to exert our will into action more then both these are of God Phil. 2.13 It is God that worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure He makes the heart new and having made it fit for heavenly motion setting every wheele as it were in its right place then he windes it up by his actuating grace and sets it on going the thoughts to stir the will to move and make towards the holy object presented yet here the chariot is set and cannot ascend the hill of action till God puts his shoulder to the wheele Rom. 7. To will is present with me but how to performe that which is good I finde not God is at the bottome of the ladder and at the top also the Author and Finisher yea helping and lifting the soule at every round in his ascent to any holy action Well now the Christian is set on work how long will he keep close to it Alas poor soul no longer then he is held up by the same hand that impowered him at first He hath soon wrought out the strength received and therefore to maintain the tenure of a holy course there must be renewing strength from heaven every moment which David knew and therefore when his heart was in as holy a frame as ever he felt it and his people by their free-will-offering declared the same yet even then he prayes that God would keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of his people and establish their hearts to him 1 Chron. 29.18 He adored the mercy that made them willing and then he implores his further grace to strengthen them and tie a knot that these precious pearles newly strung on their hearts might not slip off The Christian when fullest of divine communications is buâ— a glasse without a foot he cannot stand or hold what he hath received any longer then God holds him in his strong hand Therefore Christ when bound for heaven and ready to take his leave of his children bespeaks his Fathers care of them in his absence Father keep them as if he had said they must not be left alone they are poor shiftlesse children that can neither stand nor go without help they will lose the grace I have given them and fall into those temptations which I kept them from while I was with them if they be out of thy eye or armes but one moment and therefore Father keep them Again Consider the Christian as addressing himself to any duty of Gods worship still his strength is in the Lord Would he pray where will he finde materials for his prayer alas he knows not what to pray for as he ought Let him alone and he will soon pray himself into some temptation or other and cry for that which were cruelty in God to give and therefore God puts words in our mouthes Take words with you and say Hos 14.2 Well now he hath words put into his mouth alas they will freeze in his very lips if he hath not some heart-heating affections to thaw the tap and where shall this fire be had not a spark to be found on his own hearth except it be some strange fire of natural desires which will not serve whence then must the fire come to thaw the icenesse of the heart but from heaven The Spirit he must stretch himself upon the soul as the Prophet on the childe and then the soule will come to some kindly warmth and heavenly heat in his affections the Spirit must groane and then the soul will groane he helps us to these sighs and groans which turne the sailes of prayer He dissolves the heart and then it bursts out of the heart by groans of the lips by heavenly Rhethorick out of the eyes as from a flood-gate with teares yet further now the creature is enabled to wrestle with God in prayer what will he get by all this suppose he be weak in grace is he able to pray himself strong or corruption weak no this is not to be found in prayer as an act of the creature this drops from heaven also In the day that I cried thou answeredst me and gavest me strength in my soul David received it in duty but had it not from his duty but from his God He did not pray himself strong but God strengthened him in his prayer Well cast your eye once more upon the Christian as engaging in another Ordinance of hearing the Word preach't The soules strength to heare the Word is from God he opens the heart to attend yea he opens the understanding of the Saint to receive the Word so as to conceive what it meant It is like Samsons riddle which we cannot unfold without
God with a notwithstanding Moses himself a starre of the first magnitude for grace yet see how his faith blinks and twinkles till he wades out of the temptation Numb 11.21 The people among whom I am are six hundred thousand and thou hast said I will give them flesh that they may eat a whole moneth shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them to suffice them This holy man had lost the sight for a time of the Almighty Power of God and now he is projecting how this should be done as if he had said in plain termes How can this be accomplished for so God interprets his reasoning v. 23 And the Lord said unto Moses Is the Lords hand waxed short So Mary John 11.32 Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not died And her Sister Martha v. 39. Lord by this time he stinketh Both gracious women yet both betrayed the weaknesse of their faith on the Almighty Power of Christ one limiting him to place If thou hadst been here he had not died as if Christ could not have saved his life absent as well as present sent his health to him as well as brought it with him The other to time Now he stinketh As if Christ had brought his Physick too late and the grave would not deliver up its prisoner at Christs command and hast thou such an high opinion of thy self Christian that thy faith needs not thy utmost care and endeavour for further establishment on the Almighty Power of God when thou seest such as these dash their foot against this kinde of temptation The second Reason may be taken from the absolute necessity of this act of faith above others to support the Christian in the houre of temptation All the Christians strength and comfort is fetched without doors and he hath none to send of his errand but faith This goes to heaven and knocks God up as he in the parable his neighbour at midnight for bread Therefore when faith failes and the soul hath none to go to market for supplies there must needs be a poor house kept in the meane time Now faith is never quite laid up till the soul denies or at least questions the Power of God Indeed when the Christian disputes the Will of God whispering within its own bosome will he pardon will he save this may make faith go haltingly to the throne of grace but not knock the soule off from seeking the face of God even then faith on the Power of God will bear it company thither If thou wilt thou canst make me clean if thou wilt thou canst pardon thou canst purge But when the soul concludes he cannot pardon cannot save this shoots faith to the heart so that the soule falls at the foot of Satan not able more to resist Now it growes listlesse to duty indifferent whether it pray or not as one that sees the Well dry breaks or throwes away his Pitcher Reas 3 Thirdly because God is very tender of this flower of his Crown this part of his Name Indeed we cannot spell it right and leave out this letter for that is Gods Name whereby he is known from all his creatures Now man may be called wise merciful mighty God only all-wise all-merciful Almighty so that when we leave out this syllable All we nick-name God and call him by his creatures name which he will not answer to Now the tendernesse that God shews to this Prerogative of his appears in three particulars First in the strict command he layes on his people to give him the glory of his power Isa 8. 12 13. Feare ye not their feare but sanctifie the Lord of hostes himself that is in this sad posture of your affaires when your enemies associate and you seem a lost people to the eye of Reason not able to contest with such united Powers which beset you on every side Now I charge you sanctifie me in giving me the glory of my Almighty Power believe that your God is able of himself without any other to defend you and destroy them Secondly in his severity to his dearest children when they stagger in their faith and come not off roundly without reasoning and disputing the case to relie on his Almighty Power Zacharias did but ask the Angel How shall I know this because I am an old man and my wife stricken in yeares yet for bewraying therein his unbelief had a signe indeed given him but such a one as did not only strengthen his faith but severely punish his unbelief for he was struck dumb upon the place God loves his children should believe his Word not dispute his power so true is that of Luther Deus amat curristas nonquaeristas That which gave accent to Abrahams faith Rom. 4.21 was that he was fully perswaded that what God had promised he was able to performe Thirdly in the way God takes of giving his choicest mercies and greatest salvations to his people wherein he layes the scene of his Providence so that when he hath done it may be said Almighty Power was here And therefore God commonly puts down those means and second causes which if they stood about his work would blinde and hinder the full prospect thereof in effecting the same 2 Cor. 1.9 We received the sentence of death in our selves that we might not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead Christ stayed while Lazarus was dead that he might draw the eyes of their faith more singly to look on his power by raising his dead friend rather then curing him being sick which would not have carried so full a conviction of Almightinesse with it Yea he suffers a contrary power many times to arise in that very juncture of time when he intends the mercy to his people that he may reare up the more magnificent pillar of remembrance to his own power in the ruine of that which contests with him Had God brought Israel out of Egypt in the time of those Kings which knew Joseph most likely they might have had a friendly departure and an easie deliverance but God reserves this for the reigne of that proud Pharaoh who shall cruelly oppresse them and venture his Kingdom but he will satisfie his lust upon them And why must this be the time but that God would bring them forth with a stretched-out arme The magnifying of his power was Gods great designe Exod. 9.16 In very deed for this cause have I raised thee up to shew in thee my power and that my Name may be declared throughout the earth Fourthly in the prevalency which an argument that is pressed from his Almighty Power hath with God It was the last string Moses had to his bowe when he begg'd the life of Israel Numb 14.16 The Nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak saying Because the Lord was not able c. And v. 17. Let the Power of my Lord be great And with this he hath their pardon thrown him The Application of
weak prone to be worsted O how careful will this should this make such a one of every company of every occasion Such a one had not need give his enemie any advantage Secondly God may deny the Christian such assisting strength in duty or mortifying strength of corruption as he desires purely on a gracious design that he may thereby have an advantage of expressing his love in such a way as shall most kindly work upon the ingenuity of the soule to love God again Perhaps Christian thou prayest for a mercy thou wantest or for deliverance out of some great affliction and in the duty thou findest not more assistance then ordinary yea many distractions of spirit in it and mis-giving thoughts with unbelieving feares after it Well notwithstanding those defects in thy duty yet God heares thy prayer and sends in the mercy on purpose that he may greaten his love in thine eye and make it more luscious and sweet to thy taste from his accepting thy weak services and passing by the distempers of thy spirit Here is lesse strength for the duty that thou mayest have more love in the mercy nothing will affect a gracious heart more then such a consideration See it in David Psal 116.11 12. I said in my haste All men are liars What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me As if David had said notwithstanding all the comfortable messages I had from God by his Prophets concerning this matter my own prayers and those remarkable providences which carried in them a partial answer to them and performance of what was promised yet I betray'd much unbelief questioning the truth of the one and the return of the other and hath God notwithstanding all my infirmities fulfill'd my desire and performed his promise O what shall I render unto the Lord Thus David reades Gods mercy through the spectacles of his own weaknesse and infirmity and it appears great whereas if a mercy should come in as an answer to a duty managed with such strength of faith and height of other graces as might free him and his duty from usual infirmities this might prove a snare and occasion some self-applauding rather then mercy-admiring thoughts in the creature Thirdly God may communicate the lesse of his assisting strength that he may shew the more of his supporting strength in upholding weak grace We do not wonder to see a man of strong constitution that eats his bread heartily and sleeps soundly live But for a crazie body full of ailes and infirmities to be so patcht and shored up by the Physicians Art that he stands to old age this begets some wonder in the beholders It may be thou art a poor trembling soule thy faith is weak and thy assaults from Satan strong thy corruptions stirring and active and thy mortifying strength little so that in thy opinion they rather gain ground on thy grace then give ground to it ever and anon thou art ready to think thou shalt be cast as a wrack upon the devils shoare and yet to this day thy grace lives though full of leaks now is it not worth the stepping aside to see this strange sight A broken ship with masts and hull rent and torne thus towed along by Almighty power through an angry sea and Armadoes of sins and devils safely into its harbour To see a poore dilling or rush candle in the face of the boisterous winde and not blown out In a word to see a weak stripling in grace held up in Gods armes till he beats the devil craven This God is doing in upholding thee thou art one of those babes out of whose mouth God is perfecting his praise by ordaining such strength for thee that thou a babe in grace shalt yet foile a giant in wrath and power Thirdly if after long waiting for strength from God it be as thou complainest enquire whether the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which hinders be not found in thy self The head is the seat of animal spirits yet there may be such obstructions in the body as the other members may for a time be deprived of them till the passage be free between Christ thy head and thee thy strength will not come and therefore be willing to enquire First hast thou come indeed to God for strength to performe duty to mortifie corruption and the like perhaps thou wilt say Yes I have waited on those Ordinances which are the way in which he hath promised to give out strength But is this all thou mayest come to them and not wait on God in them Hast thou not carnally expected strength from them and so put the Ordinance as she her husband in Gods stead Hath not the frame of thy spirit some affinity with theirs in James 4.13 We will go into such a city and buy and sell and get gaine Hath not thy heart said I will go and hear such a man and get comfort get strength and doest thou wonder thou art weak barren and unfruitful Are Ordinances God that they should make you strong or comfortable Thou mayest heare them answer thee poor soul as the King to the woman in the siege of Samaria Help O prayer sayest thou or O Minister How can they help except the Lord help These are but Christs servants Christ keeps the Key of his wine-cellar they cannot so much as make you drink when you come to their Masters house and therefore poor soul stay not short of Christ but presse through all the croud of Ordinances and ask to speak with Jesus to see Jesus and touch him and vertue will come forth Secondly ask thy soule whether thou hast been thankful for that little strength thou hast though thou art not of that strength in grace to run with the foremost and hold pace with the tallest of thy brethren yet art thou thankful that thou hast any strength at all though it be but to cry after them whom thou seest out-strip thee in grace this is worth thy thanks All in Davids army attained not to be equal with his few Worthies in prowesse and honour and yet did not cashiere themselves thou hast reason to be thankful for the meanest place in the army of Saints the least communications of Gospel mercy and grace must not be over-look't Assoon as ever Moses with his army was through the sea they strike up before they stir from the bank-side and acknowledge the wonderful appearance of Gods power and mercy for them though this was but one step in their way a howling wildernesse presented it self to them and they not able to subsist a few dayes with all their provision for all their great victory yet Moses he will praise God for this handsel of mercy This holy man knew the only way to keep credit with God so as to have more was to keep touch and pay down his praise for what was received If thou wouldest have fuller communications of divine strength owne God in what he hath done Art thou weak
command which bids us do good to all May not we Ministers be charged with the want of this when the straine of our preaching is solely directed to the Saints and no paines taken in rescuing poor captived soules yet uncall'd out of the devils clutches who may hale them to hell without any disturbance while we are comforting the Saints and preaching their priviledges but in the mean time let the ignorant be ignorant still and the profane profane still for want of a compassionate charity to their soules which would excite us to the reproving and exhorting of them that they might also be brought in to the way of life as well as the Saints encouraged who are walking therein We are stewards to provide bread for the Lords house the greatest part of our hearers cannot must not have the childrens bread and shall we therefore give them no portion at all Christs charity pitied the multitude to whom in his publike preaching he made special application as in that famous Sermon most part of which is spent in rowsing up the sleepy consciences of the hypocritical Pharisees by those thunderclaps of woes and curses so often denounced against them Mat. 23. Again how great advantage hath Satan from the want of this charity in our families Is it not observ'd how little care is taken by professing Governours of such Societies for the instructing their youth Nay 't is a principle which some have drunk in that 't is not their duty O where is their charity in the mean time when they can see Satan come within their own walls and let him drive a childe a servant in their ignorance and profanenesse to hell and not so much as sally out upon this enemy by a word of reproof or instruction to rescue these silly souls out of the murtherers hand We must leave them to their liberty forsooth and that is as faire play as we can give the devil give but corrupt nature enough of this rope and it will soon strangle the very principles of God and Religion in their tender yeares SECT III. Thirdly the entirenesse of the Saints armour may be taken not only for every part and piece of the Saints furniture but for the compleatnesse and perfection of every piece As the Christian is to endeavour after every grace so is he to presse after the advance and increase of every grace even to perfection itself as he is to adde to his faith vertue so he is to adde faith to faith he is ever to be compleating of his grace It is that which is frequently prest upon believers Mat. 5.48 Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect And purifie your selves as God is pure Where we have an exact copy set not as if we could equallize that purity and perfection which is in God but to make us strive the more when we shall see how infinitely short we fall of our copy when we write the fairest hand So James 1.3 Let patience have its perfect work that you may be entire wanting nothing or wanting in nothing Thou who makest a hard shift to carry a little burden with thy little patience wouldest sink under a greater therefore there is need that patience should be ever perfecting lest at last we meet a burden too heavy for our weak shoulders Take a few reasons why the Christian should thus be compleating of his grace First because grace is subject to decayes and therefore ever needs compleating as in an army especially which often engageth in battel their armes are batter'd and broken one man hath his helmet bent another his sword gap't a third his pistol unfix't and therefore recruits are ever necessary In one temptation the Christian hath his helmet of hope beaten off his head in another his patience hard put to it The Christian had need have an Armourers shop at hand to make up his losse and that speedily for Satan is most like to fall on when the Christian is least prepared to receive his charge Simon Simon Satan hath desired to sift you he knew they were at that time weakly provided Christ their Captain now to be taken from the head of their troop discontents among themselves striving who should be greatest and their recruits of stronger grace which the Spirit was to bring not yet come Now he hath a design to surprise them and therefore Christ carefully to prevent him promiseth speedily to dispatch his Spirit for their supply and in the mean time sends them to Jerusalem to stand as it were in a body in their joynt supplications upon their guard while he comes to their relief shewing us in the weaknesse of our graces what to do and whither to go for supply Secondly because Satan is compleating his skill and wrath 'T is not for nought that he is call'd the old Serpent subtil by nature but more by experience wrathful by nature yet every day more and more enraged like a bull the longer he is baited the more fury he shewes And therefore we who are to grapple with him now his time is so short had need come well appointed into the field Thirdly it is the end of all Gods dispensations to compleat his Saints in their graces and comforts Wherefore doth he lop and prune by afflictions but to purge that they may bring forth more fruit that is fuller and fairer Tribulation works patience 'T is Gods appointment for that end It works that is it encreaseth the Saints patience it enrageth indeed the wicked but meekens the Saints 'T is his design in the Gospel preached to carry on his Saints from faith to faith Rom. 1.17 And accordingly he hath furnished his Church with instruments and those with gifts for the perfecting of the Saints and for the edifying of the body of Christ Eph. 4.14 Wherefore doth the Scaffold stand and the Workman on it if the building go not up For us not to advance under such means is to make void the counsel of God Therefore the Apostle blames the Christian Jewes Heb. 5.12 for their non-proficiency in the School of Christ When for the time ye ought to be teachers ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the Oracles of God O how few are there who endeavour thus to promove in their spiritual state and labour to perfect what is yet lacking in their knowledge patience and the rest First tell some of adding faith to faith one degree of grace to another and you shall finde they have more minde to joyne house to house and lay field to field their souls are athirst ever gaping for more but of what not of Christ or Heaven It is earth earth they never think they have enough of till death comes and stops their mouth with a shovel-full digg'd out of their own grave What a tormenting life must they needs have who are alwayes crying for more weight and yet cannot presse their covetous desires to death O Sirs the only way if
will he say thou playedst the hypocrite zealous but serving thy self here wandring there nodding a little further puft up with pride and what wages canst thou hope for at Gods hands now thou hast spoil'd his work and cut it all out into chips Thus he makes many poor soules lead a weary life nothing they do but he hath a fling at that they know not whether best pray or not heare or not and when they have prayed and heard whether it be to any purpose or not Thus their souls hang in doubt and their dayes passe in sorrow while their enemy stands in a corner and laughs at the cheat he hath put upon them as one who by putting a counterfeit spider into the dish makes those that sit at table either out of conceit with the meat that they dare not eat or afraid of themselves if they have eaten lest they should be poisoned with their meat Quest But you will say What will you have us do in this case to withstand the cavils of Satan in reference to our duties First let this make thee more accurate in all thou doest 't is the very end God aimes at in suffering Satan thus to watch you that you his children might be the more circumspect because you have one over-looks you that will be sure to tell tales of you to God and accuse thee to thy own self Doth it not behove thee to write thy Copy faire when such a Critick reades and scans it over Doth it not concern thee to know thy heart well to turn over the Scriptures diligently that thou mayest know the state of thy soule-controversie in all the cases of conscience thereof when thou hast such a subtile Opponent to reply upon thee Secondly let it make thee more humble If Satan can charge thee with so much in thy best duties O what then can thy God do God suffers sometimes the infirmities of his people to be known by the wicked who are ready to check and frump them for them for this end to humble his people how much more low should these accusations of Satan which are in a great part too true lay us before God Thirdly observe the fallacy of Satans argument which discovered will help thee to answer his cavil the fallacy is double First he will perswade thee that thy duty and thy self are hypocritical proud formal c because something of these sins are to be found in thy duty Now Christian learn to distinguish between pride in a duty and a proud duty hypocrisie in a person and an hypocrite wine in a man and a man in wine The best of Saints have the stirrings of such corruptions in them and in their services these birds will light on an Abrahams sacrifice but comfort thy self with this that if thou findest a party within thy bosome pleading for God and entering its protest against these thou and thy services are Evangelically perfect God beholds these as the weaknesses of thy sickly state here below and pities thee as thou wouldest do thy lame childe how odious is he to us that mocks one for natural defects a blear eye or a stammering tongue such are these in thy new nature Observable is that in Christs prayer against Satan Zech. 3.3 The Lord said unto Satan The Lord rebuke thee is not this a brand pluck't out of the fire As if Christ had said Lord wilt thou suffer this envious spirit to twit thy poor childe with and charge him for those infirmities that cleave to his imperfect state he is but new pluck't out of the fire No wonder there are some sparks unquencht some corruption unmortified some disorders unreformed in his place and calling and what Christ did for Joshuah he doth uncessantly for all his Saints apologizing for their infirmities with his Father Secondly his other fallacy is in arguing from the sin that is in our duties to the non-acceptance of them Will God saith he think'st thou take such broken groates at thy hand Is he not a holy God Now here Christian learn to distinguish and answer Satan There is a double acceptance There is an acceptance of a thing by way of payment of a debt and there is an acceptance of a thing offered as a token of love and testimony of gratitude He that will not accept of broken money or half the summe for payment of a debt the same man if his friend sends him though but a bent six pence in token of his love will take it kindly 'T is true Christian the debt thou owest to God must be paid in good and lawful money but for thy comfort here Christ is thy Pay-master send Satan to him bid him bring his charge against Christ who is ready at Gods right hand to clear his accounts and shew his discharge for the whole debt but now thy performances and obedience come under another notion as tokens of thy love and thankfulnesse to God and such is the gracious disposition of thy heavenly Father that he accepts thy mite Love refuseth nothing that love sends 'T is not the weight or worth of the gift but the desire of a man is his kindnesse SECT IV. A fourth wile of Satan as a troubler is to draw the Saint into the depths of despair under a specious pretence of not being humbled enough for sin This we finde singled out by the Apostle for one of the devils fetches We are not ignorant saith he of his devices 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Sophistical reasonings Satan sets much by this slight no weapon oftener in his hand where is the Christian that hath not met him at this door here Satan findes the Christian easie to be wrought on the humours being stirr'd to his hand while the Christian of his own accord complains of the hardnesse of his heart and is very prone to believe any who comply with his musing thoughts yea thinks every one flatters him that would perswade him otherwise 'T is easier to die that soul into black which is of a sad colour already then to make such a one take the lightsome tincture of joy and comfort Quest But how shall I answer this subtile enemy when he thus perplexeth my spirit with not being humbled enough for sin c Answ I answer as to the former labour to spie the fallacy of his argument and his mouth is soon stop't First Satan argues thus There ought to be a proportion between sin and sorrow But there is no proportion between thy sins and thy sorrow Therefore thou art not humbled enough What a plausible argument is here at first blush For the major that there ought to be a proportion between sin and sorrow this Satan will shew you Scripture for Manasseh was a great sinner and an ordinary sorrow will not serve his turne He humbled himself greatly before the Lord. Now saith Satan weigh thy sin in the balance with thy sorrow art thou as great a Mourner as thou hast been a sinner so many
other works of God empty themselves as rivers into this sea losing their names or rather swelling into one of Redemption Had not Satan taken Gods Elect prisoners they would not have gone to heaven with such acclamations of triumph There are three expressions of a great joy in Scripture the joy of a woman after her travel the joy of harvest and the joy of him that divideth the spoil the exultaton of all these is wrought upon a sad ground many a paine and teare it costs the travelling woman many a feare the husbandman perils and wounds the souldier before they come at their joy but at last are paid for all the remembrance of their past sorrows feeding their present joyes Had Christ come and entered into affinity with our nature and return'd peaceably to heaven with his Spouse finding no resistance though this would have been admirable love and that would have afforded the joy of marriage yet this way of carrying his Saints to heaven will greaten the joy as it addes to the nuptial Song the triumph of a Conquerour who hath rescued his Bride out of the hands of Satan as he was leading her to the chambers of hell SECT III. Vse 1 Is Satan such a great Prince try whose subject thou art His Empire is large only a few priviledg'd who are translated into the Kingdome of Gods dear Son even in Christs own territories visible Church I mean where his Name is profest and the Scepter of his Gospel held forth there Satan hath his subjects As Christ had his Saints in Nero's Court so the devil his servants in the outward Court of his visible Church Thou must therefore have something more to exempt thee from his Government then living within the pale and giving an outward conformity to the Ordinances of Christ Satan will yield to this and be no loser As a King lets his Merchants trade to yea live in a forreign Kingdome and while they are there learn the language and observe the customes of the place this breaks not their allegiance nor all that thy loyalty to Satan When a Statute was made in Queen Elizabeths reign that all should come to Church the Papists sent to Rome to know the Popes pleasure he return'd them this answer as 't is said Bid the Catholicks in England give me their heart and let the Queen take the rest His subject thou art whom thou crownest in thy heart and not whom thou flatterest with thy lips But to bring the trial to an issue know thou belongest to one of these and but to one Christ and Satan divide the whole world Christ will bear no equal and Satan no Superiour and therefore hold in with both thou canst not Now if thou sayest Christ be thy Prince answer to these Interrogatories First how came he into the throne Satan had once the quiet possession of thy heart thou wast by birth as the rest of thy neighbours Satans vassal yea hast oft vouch't him in the course of thy life to be thy Liege Lord how then comes this great change Satan surely would not of his own accord resigne his Crown and Scepter to Christ and for thy self thou wert neither willing to renounce nor able to resist his power this then must only be the fruit of Christs victorious armes whom God hath exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour Asts 5.31 Speak therefore hath Christ come to thee as once Abraham to Lot when prisoner to Kederlaomer rescuing thee out of Satans hands as he was leading thee in chains of lust to hell Didst thou ever hear a voice from heaven in the Ministery of the Word calling out to thee as once to Saul so as to lay thee at Gods foot and make thee face about for heaven to strike thee blinde in thine own apprehension who before hadst a good opinion of thy state to tame and meeken thee so as how thou art willing to be led by the hand of a childe after Christ Did ever Christ come to thee as the Angel to Peter in prison rowsing thee up and not only causing the chaines of darknesse and stupidity to fall off thy minde and conscience but make thee obedient also that the iron gate of thy Will hath opened to Christ before he left thee then thou hast something to say for thy freedome But if in all this I be a Barbarian and the language I speak be strange thou knowest no such work to have passed upon thy spirit then thou art yet in thy old prison can there be a change of Government in a Nation by a Conquerour that invades it and the subjects not heare of this one King unthroned and another crowned in thy soule and thou hear no scuffle all this while The regenerating Spirit is compared to the winde John 3.8 His first attempts on the soule may be so secret that the creature knows not whence they come or whither they tend but before he hath done the sound will be heard throughout the soule so as it cannot but see a great change in it self and say I that was blinde now I see I that was as hard as ice now relenting for sin now my heart gives I can melt and mourne for it I that was well enough without a Christ yea did wonder what others saw in him to make such a do for him now have changed my note with the Daughters of Jerusalem and for what is your Beloved as I scornfully have ask't I have learn't to ask where he is that I might seek him with you O soul canst thou say 't is thus with thee thou mayest know who has been here no lesse then Christ who by his victorious Spirit hath translated thee from Satans power into his own sweet Kingdom Secondly whose law doest thou freely subject thy self unto the lawes of these Princes are as contrary as their natures the one a law of sin Rom. 8.2 the other a law of holinesse Rom. 7.12 and therefore if sin hath not so far bereav'd thee of thy wits as not to know sin from holinesse thou mayest except resolve to cheat thy own soul soon be resolved confesse therefore and give glory to God to which of these laws doth thy soule set its seal When Satan sendes out his Proclamation and bids sinner goe set thy foot upon such a command of God observe what is thy behaviour doest thou yield thy self as Paul phraseth it Rom. 6.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a metaphor from Princes servants or others who are said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to present themselves before their Lord as ready and at hand to do their pleasure by which the Apostle elegantly describes the forwardnesse of the sinners heart to come to Satans foot when knock or call Now doth thy soule go out thus to meet thy lust as Aaron his brother glad to see its face in an occasion thou art not brought over to sin with much ado but thou likest the command Transgresse at Gilgal saith God this liketh you well Hos 4.5 As
God proclaims so much and would have the proud man know where-ever he meets him he will oppose him he resists the proud Great gifts are beautiful as Rachel but pride makes them also barren like her Either we must lay self aside or God will lay us aside Secondly pride of gifts hinders the receiving of good from others Pride fills the soule and a full soul will take nothing from God much lesse from man to do it good Such a one is very dainty It is not every Sermon though wholesom food nor every prayer though savoury will go down he must have a choice dish he thinks he hath better then this of his own and is such a one like to get good And truly we may see it that as the plain Plowman that can eate of any homely food if wholesome hath more health and is able to do more work in a day then many enjoy or can do in their whole life that are nice squeamish and courtly in their fare so the humble Christian that can feed on plain truths and Ordinances which have not so much of the Art of man to commend them to their palate enjoy more of God and can do more for God then the nicer sort of Professours who are all to be served in a lordly dish of rare gifts The Church of Corinth was famous for gifts above other Churches 1 Cor. 1. but not in grace none so charged for weaknesse in that 1 Cor. 3.2 he calls them carnal babes in Christ so weak as not able to digest mans meat I havé fed you saith Paul with milk and not with meat for hitherto ye were not able to beare it neither yet now are ye able Why what is the matter the reason lies verse 3. Ye are carnal there is among you envie and strife v. 4 One saith I am of Paul another I am of Apollos Pride makes them take parts and make sides one for this Preacher another for that as they fancied one to excel another And this is not the way to thrive Pride destroyes love and love wanting edification is lost The devil hath made foul work in the Church by this engine Zanchy tells of one in Geneva who being desired to go hear Viretus that preach't at the same time with Calvin answered his friend If Paul were to preach relicto Paulo Calvinum audirem I would leave Paul himself to heaâ— Calvin And will pride in the gifts of another so far transport even to the borders of blasphemy what work then will pride make when the gifts are a mans own SECT II. Vse 1 Doth Satan thus stir up Saints to this spiritual pride of gifts first here is a word to you that have mean gifts yet truth of grace be content with thy condition Perhaps when thou hearest others how enlargedly they pray how able to discourse of the truths of God and the like thou art ready to go into a corner and mourn to think how weak thy memory how dull thy apprehension how straitened thy spirit hardly able though in secret to utter and expresse thy minde to God in prayer O thou art ready to think those the happy men and women and almost murmur at thy condition well canst thou not say though I have not words I hope I have faith I cannot dispute for the truth but I am willing to suffer for it I cannot remember a Sermon but I never hear the Word but I hate sin and love Christ more then ever Lord thou knowest I love thee Truly Christian thou hast the better part thou little think'st what a mercy may be wrapt up even in the meannes of thy gifts or what temptations their gifts expose them to which God for ought I know may in mercy deny thee Josephs coat made him finer then his brethren but this caused all his trouble this set the Archers a shooting their arrows into his side thus great gifts lift a Saint up a little higher in the eyes of men but it occasions many temptations which thou meetest not with that art kept low what with envie from their brethren malice from Satan and pride in their own hearts I dare say none finde so hard a work to go to heaven as such much ado to bear up against those waves and windes while thou creepest along the shore under the winde to heaven It is with such as with some great Lord of little estate a meaner man oft hath money in his purse when he hath none and can lâ—nd his Lordship some at a need great gifts and parts are titles of honour among men but many such may come and borrow grace and comfort of a mean gifted brother possibly the Preacher of his poor neighbour O poor Christian do not murmur or envy them but rather pity and pray for them they need it more then others his gifts are thine thy grace is for thy self thou art like a Merchant that hath his Factour goes to sea but he hath his Adventure without hazard brought home Thou joynest with him in prayer hast the help of his gifts but not the temptation of his pride Vse 2 Secondly doth Satan labour thus to draw to pride of gifts this speaks a word to you to whom God hath given more gifts then ordinary beware of pride that is now your snare Satan is at work if possible he will turne your Artillery against your selfe thy safety lies in thy humility if this lock be cut the legions of hell are on thee Remember whom thou wrestlest with spiritual wickednesse and their play is to lift up that they may give the sorer fall Now the more to stir up thy heart against it I shall adde some soul-humbling considerations First consider these spiritual gifts are not thy own and wilt thou be proud of anothers bounty Is not God the Founder and can he not soon be the Confounder of thy gifts thou that art proud of thy gourd what wilt thou be when it is gone surely then thou wilt be peevish and angry and truly thou takest the course to be strip't of them Gifts come on other termes then grace God gives grace as a free-hold it hath the promise of this and another world but gifts come on liking though a father will not cast off his childe yet he may take away his fine coat and ornaments if proud of them Secondly gifts are not meerly for thy self As the light of the Sun is ministeriall it shines not for it self so all thy gifts are for others Gifts for the edifying of the body Suppose a man should leave a chest of money in your hands to be distributed to others what folly is it in this man to put this into his own Inventory and applaud himself that he hath so much money Poor soul thou art but Gods Executour and by that time thou hast paid all the Legacies thou wilt see little left for thee to brag and boast of Thirdly know Christian thou shalt be accountable for these talents now with what face
thy own works thou doest worse by Christ and shalt thou excel in grace Perhaps some of you have been long Professours and yet come to little growth in love to God humility heavenly-mindednesse mortification and 't is worth the digging to see what lies at the root of your Profession whether there be not a legal principle that hath too much acted you Have you not thought to carry all with God from your duties and services and too much laid up your hopes in your own actings Alas this is as so much dead earth which must be thrown out and Gospel-principles laid in the room thereof try but this course and see whether the spring of thy grace will not come on apace David gives an account how he came to stand and flourish when some that were rich and mighty on a sudden withered and came to nothing Lo saith he this is the man that made not God his strength but trusted in the abundance of his riches But I am like a green olive-tree in the House of God I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever Psal 52.7 8. While others trust in the riches of their own righteousnesse and services and make not Christ their strength do thou renounce all and trust in the mercy of God in Christ and thou shalt be like a green olive when they fade and wither Secondly Christian you will not thrive in true comfort so long as you rest in any inherent work of grace and do not stand clear of your own actings and righteousnesse Gospel-comfort springs from a Gospel-root which is Christ Phil. 3.3 We are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh Now a soule that rests on any holinesse in himself he graffs his comfort upon himself not Christ he sucks his own breast not Christs and so makes Christ a dry nurse and what comfort can grow on that dry tree The Spirit is our Comforter as well as our Teacher and Counsellour Now as the Spirit when he teacheth comes not with any new or strange truth but takes of Christs owne what he findes in the Word so where he comforts he takes of Christs own his righteousnesse not our own Christ is the matter and ground of his comfort all cordials are but Christ distill'd and made up in several promises his acting not ours his suffering not ours his holinesse not ours he doth not say Soul rejoyce thou art holy but Soule triumph Christ is righteous and is the Lord thy righteousnesse Not Soul thou prayest sweetly feare not but thou hast an Advocate with the Father Christ the righteous so that the first step to the receiving of comfort from the Spirit is to send away all Comforters of our own As in learning of the Spirit he that will be taught by him must first become a fool that is no way lean to his own understanding so he that would be comforted must first be emptied of all self-supports must not lean to his owne comforts As a Physician first bids his Patient cast off all others he hath tampered with he asks what Physick he hath had from them takes off their plaisters throws away their Physick and goes about the work de novo So the Spirit when he comes to comfort a poor soul First perswades the soule to send away all its old Physicians O saith the soule I have been in the hand of such a duty such a course of obedience and have thought sure now I shall be well and have comfort now I do this duty set upon such a holy course Well saith the Spirit if you will have me do any thing these must all be dismist in point of confidence Now and not till how is the soule a subject fit to receive the Spirits comforts And therefore friends as you love your inward peace beware what vessel you draw your comfort from Grace is finite and so cannot afford much 'T is leaking and so cannot hold long thou drinkest in a riven dish that hast thy comfort from thy grace 'T is mixt and so weak and weak grace cannot give strong consolation and such thou needest especially in strong conflicts Nay lastly thy comfort which thou drawest from it is stollen thou doest not come honestly by it and stollen comforts will not thrive with thee Oh what folly is it for the childe to play the thief for that which he may have freely and more fully from his Father who gives and reproacheth not that comfort which thou wouldest filch out of thy own righteousnesse and duties behold it is laid up for thee in Christ from whose fulnesse thou mayest carry as much as thy faith can hold and none to check thee yea the more thou improvest Christ for thy comfort the more heartily welcome we are bid to open our mouth wide and he will fill it CHAP. XI The third kinde of spiritual Pride viz. Pride of Priviledges THe third kinde of pride spiritual pride I mean is pride of Priviledges with which these wicked spirits labour to blow up the Christian to name three First when God calls a person to some eminent place or useth him to do some special piece of service Secondly when God honours a Saint to suffer for his truth or cause Thirdly when God flowes in with more then ordinary manifestations of his love and fills the soule with joy and comfort These are Priviledges not equally dispensed to all and therefore where they are Satan takes the advantage of assaulting such with pride SECT I. First when God calls a person to some eminent place or useth him to do some special piece of service Indeed it requires a great measure of grace to keep the heart low when the man stands high The Apostle speaking how a Minister of the Gospel should be qualified 1 Tim. 3.6 saith he must not be a Novice or a young Convert lest he should be lift up with pride and fall into the condemnation of the devil as if he had said this calling is honourable if he be not well ballast with humility a little gust from Satan will tople him into this sin The Seventy that Christ first sent out to preach the Gospel and prevailed so miraculously over Satan even these while they trod on the Serpents head he turn'd again and had like to have stung them with pride which our Saviour perceived when they return'd in triumph and told what great miracles they had wrought and therfore he takes them off that glorying left it should degenerate into vain glory and bids them not rejoyce that devils were subjest to them but rather that their names were writ in Heaven As if he had said It is not the honour of your calling and successe of your Ministery will save you there shall be some cast to the devils who shall then say Lord Lord in thy name we have cast out devils and therefore value not your selves by that but rather evidence to your soules that ye are of mine elect ones which will stand you more in stead at the great day