strong in the works of God to the pleasing of God and hatred of evill and opposing of all the wayes of the flesh as David saith Psalm 119. 10. I have sought thee with my whole heart We should doe thus you may see this in wicked men when their hearts are absolutely set to do evil how doe they goe through difficulties nothing shall hinder them how wonderfully did Saul persecute David over hills and dales and caves of the earth over rocks and craggy places if he had not been furious and mad he could not have followed him in such places nay he spurned against conscience God met with him oftentimes and infatuated his counsels which could not but be as hedges in his way but he broke over all Whence was this his Will was absolutely set 1 Sam. 23. 23. he was resolved if David were to be found under the copes of heaven he would have him so if our hearts our wills were absolutely set to finde God and his grace if we would say if Christ be to be found we will have him if he be in Heaven or Earth we will have him we will run over all ordinances and duties what sin will we not leave what course will we not take if he be to be found we will have him A man might go through any difficulty if his Will were absolute the Will is a strong faculty it hath the command over the whole man the mind thinks and the heart intends and the affections stir and the tongue speaks and the foot walks and the hand works but the Will sways all nay if a mans appetite be to a thing yet if he will not doe it he may refrain it the Will is the strongest faculty in a man as soon as we heare the Prodigal had a Will to goe to his Father the next newes we hear he did goe I will arise and goe to my Father and now nothing could stay him if our Wills were set earnestly towards God that we would serve him and obey him and would not be carried away with our lusts what a deal of strength would this help us with we should be strong to trample Satan under our feet and mortifie our lusts and this is the reason God accepts the Will above all if there be a willing mind God accepts it nay not only accepts it but rewards it also 1 Cor. 9. 19. If I doe it willingly I have my reward The Will is the strongest faculty God knows if he hath a mans will he hath all that ever a man can do he hath all his power nay he hath more then his power the will is able to go beyond a mans power as it is said of the Macedonians 2 Cor. 8. 3. they did to their power and beyond their power the will is a mighty strong thing therefore if we will be strong in the Lord let us labour for strong wills Thirdly Let us labour for sound affections that our affections may be conversant about God and all his holy laws and commandments which way a mans affections run so they run mightily that way a mans strength runs as the Prophet saith Isa 63. 15. look down from heaven where is thy zeal and thy â—â—rength that is when God is zealous for his peoples good he puts forth his strength for their defence therefore the Prophet cries Lord where is thy zeal and thy strength so we may say where is our zeal to God and against sin where is our zeal for good duties for heavenly-mindedness and the spreading of the Gospel and doing good in our places if we were but zealous and earnest in our affections we should not go so dully and faintly in the wayes of God as we do it would make us strong we see how strongly men follow after the world when they are zealous for the world so if we were earnest after God we should be strongly carried after him Secondly If we would get strength let us labour to believe for when a man hath once gotten faith now though he be never so weak he may say God is my strength Psal 73. 26. A man that hath gotten this faith may say as David Psal 71. 16 I will go in the strength of the Lord I will go to prayer to the word to the Sacrament I will go about my calling when I am put upon my business I will go in the strength of the Lord to do it if this man wants strength he goes and even borrows strength from heaven Heb. 11. 34. by faith of weak they became strong as the rivers that watered Paradise their heads and springs were out of Paradise so though there be streams of mercy and grace and power and love communicated to us yet the heads of these are out of us Christ is the head from which we must fetch all I can do all things saith Paul through Christ that strengthneth me Phil. 4. 13. I can do all things you will say this is to brag and boast alas no I can do nothing it is Christ that strengthneth me like the Ivy that creeps up by the wall so a Christian creeps up by Christ there lies all our strength therefore all our care should be to believe to get off from our own bottoms a true Christian is never so weak as when he will be himself when he goes about actions himself if he would let Christ do all and he only take that course Christ bids him and never go his own way to work he were a strong man Isa 30. 7. It is your strength to sit sâ—ill the children of Israel were so busie to help themselves they would to Egypt and they should help them saith God you shall never have help this way your strength is to sit still and wait upon God and trust in him so I say then is a true Christian weak when he departs from Christ and doth not keep close to him suppose a man should be in misery there be but two wayes to help him the one is by himself the other is by Christ now suppose a man were in such a straight that he must be delivered in a quarter of an hour or else he is undone shall a man go to prayer now or to his own strength to prayer if it were for a mans life now when a man goes to his own strength and parts this weakens him we should do every thing better if we would go to Christ and set our hearts upon him if we would use the means but hang upon God this were our strength Thirdly We should fly all occasions of evil may be a child can contain it self from the dug when it is newly weaned so long as it comes not near it but when the child seeth the dug now the fancy runs upon the dug again and now it cries for the dug again it is because it is not perfectly weaned if it were perfectly weaned though it saw the dug it would not look after it so we are not perfectly weaned from
were nothing to be damned and as if they would try whether they can bear hell nay such is the impudency of mens faces that notwithstanding they have heard they are unconverted and their hearts are not subject to God yet they hope they have true faith in God and their sins are infirmities whereas you see it cannot be true faith unlesse it make a man to be obedient to God in all his wayes and binde a man in a perpetual bond to God for ever never to depart from him Thirdly it may be an Use of examination to see whether we obey God Use 3 For examination or no for if our saith be the faith we hope it is it will make us obedient Evidences of true obedience First then true obedience is a willing affectionate hearty obedience 1. Willing and hearty Prov. 3. 1. My son let thy heart keep my Commandments the Lrod will have such obedience as proceeds from the bottome of the heart not when a 〈◊〉 heart is dull and dead and hangs off but when the heart pourâ—s forth it self in his wayes and performing his gracious pleasures from day to day this the Lord requires that it be done with the affection of the heart as well as the thing be done in the thing done the wicked may go as far nay further then the sincere they may multiply duties as well as the other for the things done but here is the thing a wicked man doth duties hearâ—lesly unaffectionately but a child of God doth them sincerely and willingly and le ts out his heart and affections upon them all God loâ—â—s a chearful giver 2 Cor 9. 10. He loves a giver that gives with all his affections so he loves a chearful comer to Church that is glad to hear a Sermon and his heart leapes to hear the Word of God and he is affected with it he loves a chearful praying one that in prayer poures out his soul before him he loves a chearful comer to the Sacrament that delights to shew forth the Lords death till he comes God doth not love a man unlesse â—e doth this with all his affections as it is said it is good to be zealous in a good matter the worship and Commandments of God are good matters now it is good to be zealous in these matters nay to have the creame and flower and chief of our affections set upon these things we are acquainted with the wayes and histories of grace and we can speak thereof but it doth not sink down into our hearts it doth not warme us nor put any heat into our souls we are not quickened and moved by these things we know Gods attribute his power and wisdome and mercy and justice c. But none sink down into our hearts they affect us not as they ought to do where are our affections in prayer We pray and come to Church and to the Lords Table but where are our affections in all these things The Lord cares not for these services that have not affections to spice them and sweeten them and beautifie them the Lord loves when a man serves him with all his heart when the will hangs off it is base service and the Lord regards it not as the Lord loves that we that are Ministers should preach with a ready mindâ— 1 Pet. 5. 2. That we should preach with gracious affections and be affected in the Pulpit and desire from the bottome of our souls to do good to the people and yearne over the people the Lord loves these things when we do them willingly and heartily so he delights in people when they heare and call upon his Name with affection when we go about Gods Commandments as a Bear to the stake God abhors it may be God commands a man to do such a thing he doth it but it is hard saith he when money is to be fetched out of his purse for good duties it is hard saith he and when he must go against the wicked and pull the ill will of the Countrey upon him may be he doth it but it is hard the Lord distasts this the Lord loves a chearful giver and a chearful worker a chearful Minister and chearfull people now if faith comes into the soul it will not only work obedience but chearful obedience and from the bottome of the heart Secondly true obedience makes a man resigne himself to God it makes a man to be altogether at Gods dispose I am thine saith David he looked 2. Works resignation to God upon himself as if he were altogether at Gods dispose as if he were his and not his own You are not your own saith the Apostle you are bought with a priâ—â— 1 Cor. 2 6. So that is true obedience when a man gives up himself to God many will do things that God commands but they know not how to do them with resignation to be altogether at Gods dispose they love to be called Gods servants but they will be only retainers as many will get to be servants to some Gentleman but it is only for their own advantage to save their purses to have the Gentlemans countenance these will not dwell with the Gentleman but in their own houses and when he hath some great strangers at a Feast or when he rides abroad in state then they will attend upon him but yet they will live at home and be their own men so most people are but the Lords retainers this is no obedience at all it is none of faiths obedience Thirdly true obedience puts forth all a mans strength to God Thou shalt 3. It puts forth all a mans strength to God love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy soul and all thy strengh Praise the Lord O my soul and all that is within me praise his Holy Name Psal 103. True obedience lets forth all that is in a man to Christ Mat. 4. 20 When Christ called Simon and Andrew they flung away their nets and followed him it was all the living they had and yet they flung away all to follow him so when he spake to Matthew a Publican faith came no sooner into his soul but he followed him presently Mat. 9. 9 Though it was a rich office he was a Knight by his place as Cicero speaks it was worth five hundred pounds a yeare of our money yet as soone as ever Christ called him he leâ—t his place and went after Christ so when a man will part with purse and friends and all he hath and fling all at Gods foot and give up all to him this is true obedience now if we have not this we have not faithful obedience THE KILLING POVVER OF THE LAVV. Rom. 7. 9. For I was once alive without the Law but when the Commandment came Sin revived and I died IN these words the Apostle shewes Two things First The Division of the Text. What a jolly man he thought himself to be whilst he was a Pharisee
life to appear in Gods cause until it pleased God to make a little child take up a weapon and sight against him so our Saviour Christ shews us in the last times which is strange for in the last times knowledge shall abound the love of many shall wax cold Mat. 24. 12. you know what zeal is it is when a man doth not only walk in Gods commandements and do them but useth Gods arguments and useth them with all his heart and stirreth up himself to take hold on God he presseth hard after the mark he is a man that stands upon his guard a man that will be precise and strict in every thing he will eschue every evil if he find any lust rising he is never at quiet till he get it down again if this man be in company he will not stand upon curtesie to see who will begin to speak but if others will not he will and he will not stand upon terms and difficulties but come what can come he will stand for God now 't is strange how this zeal may be taken off in a man that is otherwise a good man Secondly He may lose all his affections which is a strange thing you know what the affections are they are the wings of the soul if the wings be off the bird cannot flie now a child of God may lose all his affections as it was with Sardis they had not only lost all their zeal but their affections Rev. 3. 2. strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die they had lost all and but a little remained and that little was ready to die what a poor heartless lifeless creature was Asa he was grown to 2 Chro. 16. that pass that though God sent his Prophets to him yet his affections were not stirred nay they were stirred the clean contrary way he was angry with him and when God laid afflictions upon him he was so little affected with his sins that he sought not to the Lord but to the Physitians a child of God may lose his sorrow and grief for sin though he be privy to a world of corruption and distempers and dulness and blockishness yet he is not able to relent and grieve for them there is no sorrow in his heart as David when he had committed those horrible sins there were no affections in him when Joab sent him word that Vriah was dead which he had a hand in one would have thought it should have made him cry and roar and made his heart to burst but he was so far from being affected with remorse as that he made nothing of it oh saith he tell Joab the sword kills one as well as another 2 Sam. 11. 25. so a child of God may lose all the affection of shame It is one of the duties we owe to God that all the corruptions and untowardness that is in us we should be ashamed of them now a child of God may lose this shame David when he had committed adultery he was not ashamed of it he did not blush nay he was impudent he durst let his servants know it and be privy to his villany he could say to them go and fetch me the woman 2 Sam. 11. Again he may lose all his delights in good duties and the ordinances of God he may go to them but with poor delight what poor delight do you think David had in good duties for the space of ten months till Nathan came unto him we may well think what a blockish and seared heart he had again he may lose all his desires and yearnings he may pray and have no heart to lift up his soul to God and be earnest for the having of those graces he stands in need of but pray so coldly as if indeed he would teach God to deny him again he may lose all his fear he may grow to be so marvellous venterous and bold he may grow to be familiar with sins he may grow to come neer the occasions of sin and thrust himself upon temptation again he may lose his affections of love and have hardly any love at all to God as Christ complains of Simon who otherwise was a good man he forgave his sins and yet he complains he loved him but a little Luke 7. 44. sc in one word a child of God may lose all his affections Thirdly He may grow to be even senseless of sin and of the grace of God I may shew this in divers examples to instance in the Patriarchs they conspired the death of Joseph afterwards flung him into a ditch which was a most horrible and unnatural thing one would think this should have been as an arrow unto their hearts and they should have been ashamed of themselves but were they sensible of this or moved at it no but they sate down to eat and drink when they had done Gen. 37. so for the children of Israel in the wilderness when they had committed that horrible sin of making a golden calf and the Text shews that many of the children of God were guilty of it when they had done did their hearts smite them were they affected with their sin did it work any impression upon their hearts no they sate down to eat and drink and rose up to play Exod. 32. 6. so David when he had committed those horrible hainous sins of murther and adultery sins which deserved death by the Law his fault was aggravated by many circumstancâ—s he had wives of his own he was not a young man but well grown in years he was no novice he was not ignorant of God but an old disciple and one that had had a great deal of experience of Gods goodness â—â—e that was the most noted man in all Israel for forwardness for God one that as himself confesseth had more understanding then any one in the world more then his teachers these do aggravate his sin but when he had done was he sensible of this no he was so far from it that he laboured to father his bastard upon Vriah Vriah had been a great whiie from his Wife and must have known it to have been a bastard if he had not sent him down to his house now thought he if I can but get him to go down to his house and lye with his Wife the child may be thought to be his child and not mine nay whâ—n Vriah spake words that might have burst his bowels when he bade him go to his house you may see what a gracious answer he gave him 2 Sam. 11. 11. The Ark and Israel c. as who should say I had more need to be at prayer and keep a fast all Israel is in the field against their enemies therefore I had more need to seek God then look after my pleasures and pampering my body now one would think this should have been as a dagger to David heart and made him ashamed yet he was so senseless that he laboured to do it more and more and was
that way but upon concurrence of special grace though they be in the soul yet they do not actually incline but upon concurrence of grace now these habits can never be taken from a child of God as David saith Psal 37. 24. though the righteous fall yet he shall not utterly be cast down he may fall upon his hands and knees but he shall not quite fall he shall have something or other to moderate and break the fall Thirdly A child of God ever hath an anointing 1 John 2. 27. that is a gift and grace of God whereby he doth enlighten his eyes by the spirit of revelation whereby he looks upon God and all sin and iniquity and the ordinances of God with an heavenly eye now I say this eye can never be taken away let a child of God be at the lowest ebbe he looks upon sin and Gods wayes after another fashion then other men he looks upon corruption after another manner then any other man so he looks upon Gods holiness and righteousness and graciousness he looks upon these so as no natural man doth if a man do but talk with him he will see that he hath anointing at the lowest ebbe he will not talk of the wayes of God as a natural man he will discover that he hath something of God something of this oyntment left in him still Fourthly There is a little strength in his heart as the Lord saith Rev. 3. 8. A child of God take him at the lowest ebbe yet he hath a little strength I speak not here of actual grace for a child of God may have no actual grace stirring it may be quite in a swound as David I hardly think there was any grace stirring in his heart when he lay with Bathsheba but I speak of the frame of a child of God when he is grown dead in his general bent frame and inclination he hath yet a little strength he doth a little fear God though it be much born down he hath some good desires though but weak and in a great measure ineffectual he hath a little endeavour to please God though the pleasing of his flesh and corruptions be so much that his grace doth scarcely appear The first use is this Is it so that a child of God may thus far grow dead Use let us know this is not to encourage any man in sin that any man should conclude well then it is no great matter though I sin now and then and lie and swear now and then in many things we offend all and we are all sinners the Minister told us to day how dead a man may be and yet be a child of God for all this this is a damned use of this doctrine there is no doctrine no example recorded in all the whole Bible to encourage men to sin therefore when we look into the lives of Noah of Abraham of Lot c. and read of their great falls this is not to encourage any man to sin but rather to stir up a man so much the more to labour against sin for if the children of God that have his favour and have got into his covenant and have got power in grace and have traded in Religion and have waded far in mortification and newness of life and have gone many degrees towards Gods Kingdom if these men give way never so little may be dead if sin may get dominion over these how should others quake and tremble and reason thus Did David and Peter fall how then shall I stand how careful should I be David had a thousand times more grace then I and was more mortified then I and had a better heart then I if he were so weak to overcome sin when he had given way to it if he could not preserve his affections from being deaded and if he could not preserve his soul from being a block in Gods service if he had so many advantages beyond me and yet giving way to idleness and drowsiness were born down in that fashion oh how should I take heed then Secondly If a child of God may be thus dead then let the best of Gods Use 2 Saints and children that are now most zealous and lively take heed let them follow hard after the mark let them stand upon their guard let them fight against idleness and drowsiness of spirit let them not be carnally confident to trust in their own hearts take heed thou knowest not how thy heavenly father may deal with thee for this is certain no child of God can get up again though he had the most grace that ever man had besides the Lord Jesus Christ if he give way to sin except the Lord help him we are like to a little babe if it falls there it lies till the parent help it up so when a child of God falls there he lieth in woful distress all this while and cannot get up for his life and if he had a thousand souls and they were all to be damned he could not save one of them unless God assist him Lam. 5. 21. turn us O Lord and we shall be turned therefore art thou never so full of life take heed despise not prophesying despise not preaching despise not prayer despise not any ordinance of God despise none of these things never grow secure if thou dost woe unto thee may be God will help thee up again but who can tell the covenant of grace is certain for nothing but for eternal life if a man take heed and stand upon his watch he may the better build upon God that he shall not fall Pro. 28. 4. therefore take heed that you pass the time of your so journing here in fear 1 Pet. 1. 17. and having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit c. 2 Cor. 7. 1. as who should say let us labour to have this holy fear in our heart ever to consider how weak and impotent we are if we grow drowsie and careless at any time we give advantage to the Divel we let him in and God knows when we shall get him out again therefore let this work fear and trembling Thirdly This may be for comfort to those people of God that have Use 3 been foolish and have deceived their own souls and have given way to Satan and let in this cruel and damned enemy that hath done a world of mischief that they are now come to despair almost they are afraid they shall never get up again never were any of Gods servants so dead and dull as I am Gods children can never be thus I say is there such a one among you let this doctrine be a thred let down from heaven to help him up again as the Apostle saith all things are written for our learning Rom. 15. 4. so these Scriptures that speak of the falls of Gods Saints are written for such peoples learning that they may take comfort in the Scriptures that they may not be altogether
they let into their soul they know not what they have lost till God give them an heart to cast up their accounts and then they may see that they have lost almost all that they have who knows what God may do it is a fearful thing you see a child of God may not only fall into foul and fearful sins but he may lie in them Then Thirdly To go further when a child of God is come hither then you 3. A child of God may be long in sin will say certainly this man must rise up again quickly grace will not let him lie dead 't is true God will not for ever let him lie dead but for how long he shall lie dead no man nor Angel can tâ—ll as the Church speaks concerning her misery there is never a Prophet never an ordinance of God all is gone to wrack and there is none among us can tell us how long Psal 74. 9. so when a man hath fallen into sin and hath pulled distempers into his soul there is none among us can tell us how long 't is true Peter got up again within a few hours but David got not up again till after ten months and may be another not till after ten years may be twenty forty nay who can tell how long grace is free therefore no man can prescribe any time the wind blows where it listeth and how long it listeth and how long it will John 3. Reasons of the point 1. Reas be ere it blow again who knoweth The Reasons of thâ— first in regard of Satan he fights most of all against the children of God his â—ingers itch to be at them and at them most his greatest spight is against them the very bowels of the enmity is between him and them the children of God come to take his place that he once had in heaven the children of God are set up against Satan as David was put in the room of Saul therefore I say all the strength of hell is still a working against the Church of God and the Saints of God and every one of them from that very moment that the woman was delivered of a Rev. 12. 13. man child he sought to destroy it Simon Simon saith Christ Satan desires to winnow thee c. Lukâ— 22 31. he is the god of this world and his temptations are welcome enough with any body but the children of God none resist his dominion but they he is the Gaoler and hath all the world in close prison but only them they are the only ones that have broken loose that have gotten away out of the power of Satan therefore all his malice and all the gates of heâ—l they are up to send hue and cry after them to hook them in again if they can he is â—ust like a Pyrate a Pyrate will rather set upon one rich ship then upon a thousand beggarly barks because there he may have a rich prize so the Divel knows he can advantage his Kingdom if but onâ— fall that is a Saint more then by the falls and the notoriouseâ—t falls of millions of others therefore no wonder that a child of God should grow remiss and careleâ—s at any time that he may have a mischief for it is all the Divels business he hath nothing else to do but do mischief to be busie to get a child of God down and if he have him down to hold him down if he can Secondly Another reason is in regard of the children of God themselves 2. Reas they carry flesh about them as well as other men they have a Traitor in their own bosomes that liâ—s in scout every moment to work them woe as Paul saith I find another law in my members c. Rom. 7. 23. though a child of God hath wounded all his lusts nay though he hath given them their deaths wound yet there is never a one but may revive and make head again if he take not heed and that in a woful degree as the Lord saith of the Caldeans Jer. 37. I quote it only for a similitude ver 10. though you had smitten all the whole army of the Caldeans yet they shall come and fire the City when Judah had provoked God though they had wounded all the Caldeans yet those wounded men should come and fire the City so let a man take heed he doth not give way to sin for though his lusts be mortified and he hath given them their deaths wound yet these wounded Caldeans may come and fire all his soul if he take not heed Thirdly In regard of God himself God is pleased to try his people to 3. Reas withdraw himself now and then from them to leave them to themselves and the grace they have received to let them alone with that and when he doth thus no wonder though they fall for every man hath some vileness and rottenness in his heart the wholest simplest heart in the world hath a deal of rottenness in it I say the Lord doth sometimâ—s leave his children to themselves as he did Hezekiah in the business of the Ambassadors 2 Chro. 32. 31. as the Church saith Cant. 5 6. my beloved had withdrawn himself the lovingest mothers may sometimes let their little child go alone though they know he will fall they provide may be a rouler about his head that whither they fall backward or forward or any way they may not break their skull and do themselves a mischief to undo themselves but when they have done thus they will sometimes leave them to themselves to go though they know they will fall so the Lord doth put a rouler upon his people that when they fall they may not fall totally and finally as the wicked men do they shall never strike into a wicked course as the ungodly of the earth do that he takes order for but he doth many times leave them not out of any ill will to them but he leaves them to themselves though he knows they will fall and that for divers reasons First That they might be patterns to others of Gods people that if they should fall as they may do when they are down they may have wherewithal to get up again I say the Lord leaves the eminentest of his people to themselves to fall into lamentable miscarriages that they may help inferiour people and they may have something to encourage them that God will recover them and relieve them again and that God will not cast them off for ever as Paul shews 1 Tim. 1. 16. saith he for this cause I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long suffering for a pattern to them who shall hereafter believe as who should say there may be a persecutor a blasphemer smitten a vile wretch a fighter against God and Jesus Christ such a one may be smitten and come to see his damned estate a thousand to one but this man will be overwhelmed and drowned in despair
that grace will not suffer any man that is of God to fall totally away as not finally for ever so not totally he shall not be altogether without grace from that moment he began to have it for ever and ever he that drinketh of this water shall never thirst c. Joh. 4. 14. that is he shall never thirst with total indigency again he shall never thirst with total want he shall ever have some grace and some of the image of God and some of the fear of God and some of the love of his truth and some desire to his name and some hatred of sin though in a poor degree yet he shall have something of God in him there shall be the seed of God remaining in him at all times 1 Joh. 3. 9. my feet were almost gone saith David Psal 73. 2. they were but almost gone they were not quite gone as it is said of the Church of Philadelphia she had a little strength so let a child of God be at the lowest ebbe yet there shall be a little water of life it shall Rev. 3. 8. not be quite exhaust though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord will uphold him Psal 37. 24. so that all this you may boldly say for in these things it is not conditionally Gods covenant but absolutely for God will give thee strength and power and faith and direction and assistance he will not only give thee the thing but the condition also here that a man shall be a believer and a new creature and if a man be once a new creature he shall never be an old creature again altogether the covenant of grace is so which is an everlasting covenant God will forgive their sins and remember them no more but now for particular passages for a man to say that a man cannot be proud and distempred but grace will heal him a man cannot have an hard heart but grace will soften it these are ill speeches men know not what they say when they say thus for in particular passages the children of God have no promise but only upon condition that they stand upon their guard but to be defended from particular evils and to be saved from particular distempers and horrible distempers without standing upon their guard and taking heed and cleaving unto God without carefulness and watchfulness and having a diligent eye to their wayes they have no promise for this as the Prophet told Asa you know Asa was a good man it seems he was of this mind grace will teach a man and so forth but see what the Prophet told him 2 Chron. 15. 2. the Lord is with you while you are with him c. lie doth not mean that the Lord would forsake Asa and all his people in regard of eternal life that they should not have eternal life that forsake him that they should be altogether without grace but he speaks here of particular passages of this or that sin or this or that danger this or that mischief either in soul or body saith he the Lord is with you as long as you are with him and if you seek him he will be found of you but if you forsake him he will forsake you this is most certain 't is true God doth not do thus alwayes but when he doth not do thus it is more then we can expect for if we be careless and negligent we can look for nothing at Gods hand we may look up to him that he would not undo us and cast us off for ever but we cannot look that he should free us from this sin or this distemper from this dulness and untowardness in going on we cannot look that God should free us from these sins unless we draw neer to him and cleave to him and keep by him if we forsake him he will forsake us as for instance suppose the Sacrament of the Lords Supper were to be administred now a true believer may comfortably look to have peace and comfort to have the promise sealed to his soul and to have his faith strengthned and his spirit revived and his graces enlarged by the Sacrament for there be promises made to him for this purpose but how are they made not simply and absolutely that howsoever he comes it shall be so but let him prepare himself for the Sacrament let him examine himself let him whet his heart and be sensible of his wants and necessities let him be earnest with God to be with him in his ordinance but if a man do neglect this when he hath been at the Sacrament he shall noâ— have peace and comfort nor the promise of God sealed to him but he shall be more doubting then he was before and more with the wrath of God in his soul and shall have more distempers and overwhelmings then he had formerly saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11. 31. speaking of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper we must judge our selves and then we shall not be judged of the Lord the Lord will bless us we shall eat and drink salvation to our selves we shall eat and drink to our own peace and comfort and glory and to our increase in grace but if we do not judge our selves we shall be judged of the Lord here is a condition so for the preaching of the word we have the ministry of the word among us up and down we hear it day after day line upon line precept upon precept this is very good there is a promise for the children of God to grow up in knowledge and that they shall thrive under these blessed ordinances and be strengthned by them for temptations miseries and woful times they shall be well stored with a great deal of knowledge and experience 't is true if you be careful while you have the word and receive it with thankfulness and good affections and stir up your selves to prize the word of God and stir up in your selves an eager and earnest hunger and thirsting after it and will not suffer in your souls awkness and untowardness and formality to creep upon you but if you hear Gods word and do not apply it aright God knows what woful miseries you may fall into if you look not to these Why Gods people are to stand upon their guard 1 Reas things in all these things the Lord looks his people should stand upon their guard The first reason is because grace looks for this 't is true Gods covenant is everlasting but for particulars grace must be stirred up if thou hast any faith thou must provoke thy faith if thou hast any promise belonging to thee thou must make use of that promise if thou hast any fear of God thou muâ—â—â—ook to cheriâ—h it and nourish it and look that it doth not die and decay for grace is of that nature it must be stirred up 2 Tim. 1. 6. as it is â—ith a bowleâ— though the bowle be made never so right and fit to run
very thought of it dulls him it is like a stone upon his heart now let a man sin against grace and the goodness of God and Gods gracious dealing let a man sin against these it doth put a man to a most hard task to go through to go and humble himself before Almighty God and the soul shall find a world of conflicts that he is loth to come to it loth to deal about this bitter business to go about to renew his repentance with bitter remorse for his sins it is like a desperate debtor that hath run himself over head and ears in debt the very thought of coming to a reckoning is death to him he cannot abide to think of it it is like a boy that hath made false Latine if his Master should call him to construe and pearse it and give a rule for every word he knows it is not according to rule he hath not looked after rule and every thing is false now he cannot abide to come to construe and pearse it so when a man hath provoked God by his sins and hath broken his covenant and slighted his ordinances when God calls him to construe and pearse what do you make of such an action and such a word and such a thought the heart is even afraid of these things as a dog is of a whip it is an hard task to be brought to this as David when he had yielded to his security and idleness and unwatchfulness and so had given way to Satan you may see what an hard task he brought upon his soul and how his soul was ever afraid to go about humiliation how many frowning looks doth a man cast upon the pykes he must go through if he mean to obtain mercy it even deads him as a dagger at his heart David was loth to come to this to come to a reckoning to come to be humbled when Bathsheba sent him word that she was with child then God called him to a reckoning to be humbled God told him to his face it is high time to be humbled and ashamed God hath been laying rods in brine for thee and to bring thee upon the stage and to make thee odious and vile in the sight of the world yet he was loth to come to a reckoning he shun'd it and shut his eyes from seeing it he devised tricks to send Vriah home to his Wife and when this would not be but Vriah carried himself constantly with feeling of the case of the Church that then lay in the field against their enemies this could not but call for humbling yet he shunned it still and instead of humbling himself he went further into the briars and made Vriah drunk thinking then he would go home it is impossible but he should see the hand of God in all this that he gave him a warning to down on his knees but he shunned it again and instead of humbling himself he devised the death of Vriah and when nâ—â—s câ—me Vriah is dead which one would think should have been as an ha 〈…〉 r to have knockt him down he puts this off the sword kills one as well as another and till the Lord was pleased to set it on he could not be brought to humble himself thus it is sin puts an hard task upon a man a man may easily slip into sin it is a merry way unto it but when a man is once in he cannot get out again without tearing and rending and abasing and casting himself down before God this is an hard task and the soul shall find abundance of reluctancies and the very thought of it deads the soul unless the Lord be the more merciful A fourth reason why sin deads a man is because sin defiles the conscience for sin is a dead work and it goes into the conscience and defiles it until it be purged by the blood of Christ Heb. 9. 14. sin is a dead work and the winding sheet of it is the conscience presently as soon as a man doth iniquity this dead work runs into the conscience and catcheth hold and this defiles the conscience and puts guilt into it and nothing in the world more deads a man then a guilty conscience why because it knocks a mans fingers off from that which should enliven and quicken him it makes him see that he doth defile Gods promises if he medle with them Isa 38. 16. the promises of God are the things by which men live now when the conscience is guilty it doth even knock a mans fingers off from the promises it tells him this guilt must out first before he can apply the promises nay the very hearing of the promises deads his heart and this is the reason why good people as long as they have not clear consciences rather call for Sermons of judgement then of mercy and their consciences say the promises doe not belong to me I know God is an holy God and his promises holy and it is no meddling with them without holinesse therefore when a man gives way to sin he must needs dead his heart because he defiles his own conscience and therefore no wonder that there is so much deadnesse up and downe when there is hardly a clear conscience in the Country nay good people how slightly doe they deal in this case and hinder their own life and quickning because they have not a care to come before God with a cleare conscience The fifth Reason is Because sin doth either utterly destroy or mightily weaken all assurance of welcome with God and therefore no marvel if it dead the heart for if a man cannot look for comfort and entertainment with God when he goeth to him it takes man off from that willingness to come into Gods presence it makes a man shie of God and of Jesus Christ and his Ordinances it makes a man that he hath no desire to pray almost nay sometimes he hath no heart at all nay sometimes he totally omits the duty he is so afraid he cannot goe to God without carnal feares and mis-givings and horrours and this takes the heart quite off for a time that he cannot pray at all it is like a childe when he hath committed some villany that he knows his father knowes he is shy of coming into his fathers presence he is afraid to come where his father is he knowes be shall be chid and hear of his doings so it is in this case it is not thus with wicked and ungodly men for they can look God in the face but Gods own people when they sin against God it must needs take off that cheerful willingness to goe before God that delight to be in his presence that comfort in prayer sinne makes it an irksome thing sinne makes a man to have little heart to deal with God for the heart doth not love to be caught by God in Satans company or of any lust as a servant cannot abide that his Master should take him in any villany or unfaithfulnesse
it is not only to make him go but to quicken him up to go we are all dull and careless and blockish now Motives serve to stir us up Eccles 12. the words of the wise are as goâ—ds to provoke and stir up people Well then The first motive shall be this to consider the woful ingredients 1. Motive of this sin of deadness the horrible sins that are contained in it what a compound of spiritual diseases are in this sin First There is a dulnesse and blockishnesse of mind dull and heavy to learn any thing that is good as it is said of the Jews Acts 28. 27. when a man hath an unteachable mind though he be never so long under the word of God it cannot strike into his heart and enter into his understanding his mind cannot â—eel the weight of divine truths take outward truths of profit and pleasure a man may lead him up and down with these truths he feels weight in these but for the word of God he hath no understanding in that may be he can tell what the Ministers say and talk of it but for the weight of divine reason the mind is blockish to this men are like to a blockish scholler that hath gone seven years to school and yet is not beyond the primmer so when a man shall sit so long under the Ministry of the word and yet be a stranger to it as if he had never heard of it he hears discourses of faith and can speak of it and talk of it of the letter of it as well as the best believer and yet is as blockish to go about it as can be what an horrible thing is this that the truth should come to a mans mind and a man should be dull to conceive it Secondly Another evil is awkness and averseness of heart listleseness to the wayes of Jesus Christ as Christ saith of the Jews Mat. 15. 8. their hearts cannot be pulled to that which is good their hearts are untoward and have no list or disposition that way even as if a man should go about a thing that he hath no heart to so people go about prayer and the hearing of the word as if they had no heart to it they have no heart to prayer they have no heart to think soundly of God and of their latter end they come to duties but their hearts are a thousand miles off Thirdly There is senselesness of conscience it is not tender of little sins it feels them not at all and as for great sins it feels them but a little may be peoples consciences find fault with them from day to day for doing what they do and tells them they ought not to do it but yet they will not leave their sins it tells them thus and thus they ought to do but it hath no power to make them do it may be it accuseth them but they are never the better peoples consciences are dull and blunt and have no force at all Fourthly For coldness and lukewarmness of affections the affections of a man are not set upon God they pray without affections and hear without affections the doctrine of eternal life doth not affect their hearts hatred of evil is cold and love of God and goodness is cold as Christ saith the love of many shall waxe cold and so their desires are cold and Matth. 24. languish and come to nothing we can find tears for other matters but not for our sins we can have our affections soon stirred when our selves and our own wills are crossed but God may be dishonoured a thousand wayes and we never grieved or moved at it so when we hear a fine story and carnal news this delights but when we hear the word of God the truth of God that concerns our eternal well doing we are not moved or affected at all with that Fifthly Another ingredient of this sin is the weakness and faintness of endeavours if people have any endeavours any kinde of putting themselves forth to that which is good it is with faintness as if they cared not whither they went about it yea or no as Solomon saith Prov. 13. 4. people desire mercy and pardon and would have hope and salvation and the Kingdom of God but will not be at the cost and charges they ought to be at for these things this is nothing but the deadnesse of our hearts Lastly That same dulness and drowsiness of the whole man though men be careful enough of outward things yet how careless are they of their souls were our hearts broken and contrite under these things we should be soon quickned as the Lord saith Isa 57. 15. I revâ—ve the spirit of the contrite one so God would revive us if we were sensible of these distempers of ours if we would humble our selves before God and plead to him for help he would help us but when we do not lay these distempers to heart and seek out to God for redress no marvel though we are dead and dull still well then is it so that there are so many horrible ingredients in this sin of deadness then how should we labour to fling it away and use all means to be quickned the Apostle being to disswade from following the will of the Gentiles he useth this very argument the abundance of the vile ingredients that is in the will of the Gentiles 1 Pet. 43. so you may see how the wise man disswades Prov. 26. 25. when he speaketh fair believe him not for there are seven abominations in his heart so let us think there is seven abominations yea seventy times seven abominations in this sin of deadness therefore let us look out that God may help us and quicken us and revive us in all our wayes The second motive is to consider that as long as we are dead we cannot 2. Motive pray Psal 80. 18. Lord quicken us and we will call upon thy name as who should say Lord we are not fit to pray and call upon thy name except thou quicken us therefore quicken us that we may call upon thee So Ministers cannot preach unless they be quickned as Dr. Ames tells a story of a godly man of France there was such cold preaching that he was fain to go out of the Town to sâ—t under a powerful Ministry therefore we cannot preach if we be dead the Scribes and Pharisees preached without Authority and life they were dead and therefore had no authority in their preaching but Christ preached with Authority if we were quickned we should be the better able to preach So again you are not able to hear unless you be quickned a dead heart may hear a thousand Sermons but what doth it work upon them even as good as nothing if Paul or Apollos or an Angel from heaven should preach to us unless God quicken us all is nothing nay Christ tells us that his own Ministry and Johns Ministry there were not two such in all the world again yet
the strength of the arm will take away that though the bias be never so strong as long as the strength of the arm lasts the bias goeth according to the strength of the arm when the strength of the arm is gone then the bias begins to sway it So if a man have strength it will swallow up the bias of temptations but when a man hath no strength then the bias of temptations carries him away then the world bows him then pleasure and his natural inclination sways him this way and that way whereas if a man had strength he might resist temptations 1 Cor. 15. 58. be stedfast and unmoveable abounding in the work of the Lord that is if you were strong you would be unmoveable and abound in the work of the Lord all the world could not withdraw you from the work of the Lord for all temptations you would abound in good things what inâ—inite need have we to resist temptations none of us can arrive at heaven unless we be able to go through thick and thin and a world of temptations blessed is the man that endures temptations he shall have enough of them and happy is the man that can endure them and overcome them if we be not strong if we have not this spiritual might what shall become of us if we have not strong love to the truth we shall be hooked away from it if we have not strong love to obedience we shall be disobedient if we have not strong love to the wayes of God we shall be pulled away from them by force of temptations Fourthly Without strength if we should chance to fall we cannot get 4. Reas James 3. 2. up again what man is there that falls not in many things we offend all how often doth the godly man fall into sin through weakness and infirmity and ignorance and sometimes in a worse manner now if he have spiritual strength in him then he may rise up again if he hath a strong relation to God in Jesus Christ that cannot be broken then he may get up again as the body if it hath abundance of sores and blains and divers diseases and distempers upon it yet as long as the strength of nature lasts it may work them out again if you give this man Physick as long as the strength of nature lasts Physick may do him good but if the strength of nature be gone the disease will overcome him it will be his death so it is with a Christian as long as there is any spiritual strength in him it will work out corruption if a man have strong relation to God strong interest in Christ strong apprehension of the evil of sin and of the goodness of Gods wayes strong fear of God and a strong judgement these will work out any sin and corruption but if he hath not these he can never get up again as the Apostle saith Heb. 12. 12 13. lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees and make strait paths for your feet c. as who should say if you will strengthen your feeble knees then though they be lame they will rather be healed then turned out of the way but if you let your feeble knees be weak still then if you have any lameness or any distemper you will be turned out of the way but if you strengthen your feeble knees when you have been lame and have any distemper you will rather be healed then turned out of the way You shall see when Israel were without the true God and were distempered they were Idolators and all manner of wickedness was grown upon them now when God would have Asa purge out these abuses see how he calls upon him 2 Chron. 15. 7. be strong c. now in the words following we may see Asa did strengthen himself and reformed all the abuses and set up the worship of God and went on admirably in that work now he had gotten strength Lastly If we have not strength we can never do any thing God bids us 5. Reas with ease but if we have strength we may not only do what God bids us but do it with ease as when a man hath a strong memory he can get two or three leafes by heart with ease he hath it presently another that hath a weak memory will be conning and conning it I know not how long and as fast as he remembers one thing he forgets another he hath much ado to get it so if a man have a strong judgement and understanding though he meet with an hard word or passage he will understand it and pick out the meaning whereas one of a weak understanding may be studying all the dayes of his life and yet never apprehend it so when a man hath got spiritual strength he can do what God bids him do and leave what God bids him leave with ease he may pray and humble and deny himself with ease and lay those lusts aside which before he had as live have parted with his blood as parted with them when a man is strong in his love to God and strong in the consideration of Gods goodness and mercy he can do these things with ease my yoak is easie saith Christ and my burthen is Matth. 11. 30. light whereas to a natural man it is the heaviest yoak and burthen in the world for a man to be tied to abstain from all vanity from all vile passions and inordinate affections from all sinful pleasures and covetous desires it is a burthen intollerable for a natural man it is because of his weakness but now a gracious heart that hath gotten spiritual strength can do it and do it with ease The first Use is to condemn those that have no strength at all that are Vse 1 not capable of this Exhortation we cannot say strengthen the good things that are in you because they have no good things in them at all they have nothing of saving grace and of the covenant of life wrought in themâ— they have nothing but the common graces that may be in a reprobate as Paul saith Rom. 8. 7. of the carnal mind it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be it cannot be subject there is no strength of grace there is strength enough but it is let out upon the world may be they have strong parts and gifts but there is no strength to this duty to be subject to the Law of God he is not able to do it as Christ saith of the corrupt Matth. 7. 18. tree it cannot bring forth good fruit it hath as much strength to suck from the earth and to bud and blossome and bring forth fruit and as much fruit as a good tree but it cannot bring forth good fruit so a natural man thinks as much and speaks as much and eats and drinks and sleeps as much as a godly man doth and goes about the business of his calling and hearts the word of God may
be and prayes as often as a godly man doth but he is not able to bring them to a good end to do them well he hath no strength at all as Christ saith to the Scribes and Pharisees how can ye escape the wrath to come they had great parts and strength in other matters but to escape hell and shun the wrath to come they had no strength to do that they were as weak as water there what a woful thing is this when a man hath no strength to overcome his sins and deny himself when men have eyes full of Adultery and cannot cease from sin 2 Pet. 2. 14. this is a miserable condition for a man to be in Secondly This may condemn those that though they have some good things in them yet they do not strengthen them that are of the strain of the Church of Sardis that let their graces dye and decay and go down the wind and perish and consume they suffer a consumption in their graces rather then watch and strengthen the things that are in them what a lamentable thing is this though our faith be never so weak we are hardly able to lay hold upon one promise and when we study to find sign of conversion in us we can hardly find any and yet notwithstanding people will not strengthen their faith and other graces Let us not deceive our selves if we be Christians let us shew it by the strength that is in us for if we be true Christians we must be able Christians to do all the works of God able to fight against our corruptions able to do good duties able to obey the Gospel he hath the least strength of true saving grace is able to be upright in all his wayes he is able to observe all the commandements of God in some measure he is able to carry himself uprightly against every evil way in one word he is able to keep all the word of God in some measure he that hath but the least strength of grace is able to do this as the Lord saith Rev. 3. 8. of the Church of Philadelphia though she had but a little strength yet she kept the very word of God a little strength of saving grace will make a man do more then the whole world can do it is able to make a man reach above all the reach of nature and all naâ—â—ral parts and morality and civility and all the fair carriages that ever were it is able to go beyond all there is more wisedom in the least degree of saving grace then in all the Politicians in the world and more knowledge in the least fool in Christs school then in all the wise men under heaven I mean true saving knowledge therefore let us not deceive our selves but as we desire to be able to say that we are true Christians let us labour to strengthen all the good things that are in us that our faith we think we have to shew for heaven may be a strong faith and that our hope may be a strong hope that we may purifie our selves by it and that the fear of God may be a strong fear to make us depart from hell beneath so that our desires may be strong to the throne of grace and our endeavours strong against our corruptions and our care conscience strong from day to day to do the works of God Vse 2 The second Use is an Use of direction what we are to do to strengthen the good things that are in us Aâ—â— fiâ—sâ— Let â—s labour to have all the powers of our â—ouls strengthened by the strengthening the powers of the soul I mean this you know that divine operations are above nature above the reach of the powers of our souls naturally Now if we would be strong to doe the works of God and divine things we must get our hearts to be raised and lifâ—ed up to an higher strain to a subliâ—er pitch as it is said of Jehosapâ—at 2 Chrâ—n 17â— His heart was lifâ—ed up in the ways of God That is his heart was strengthened to walk in the wayes of God and now his heart was lifted up the Text shewes â—e did great matters he could restore the worship of God and make the Priests and Levites doe their duties he could doe admirable things for the glory of God Now his heart was lifted up above the reach of nature so we should labour to have all the powers of our souls lifted up to God we are not converted to God unless God hath raised up our minds and wills and affections as it is said God raised up Judges to deliver Israel from their enemies The Judg. 2. 16. meaning is they were no more able to deliver them then other people but God raised up their spirits and liâ—ted them up that they were able to goe about the function God had set them in So Jer. 51. 11. before God had raised up the spirits of the Medes they were a weak people they durst not meddle with Babylonâ— but when God had raised up their spirits and lifted them up to an higher pitch of courage and strength they were not only able to goe against them but to overcome them so before God raise up our minds to an higher pitch we are not able to know God aright we are not able to doe good and mortifie sin and be crucified to the world we are not not able to goe about these things but when God hath raised up our hearts and the powers of our souls we can then goe about them as the water is not able to boil the meat of it self but let the fire come and raise the water to an higher pitch to a seething quality now it is able to â—oil the meat so it is with a mans heart therefore we should labour earnestly with God in the use of all good means that we may get the powers of our souls raised and lifted up on high that they may be able to reach the works of God and attain unto them And first labour to have strong minds and understandings I do not mean strong literal knowledge for with a little of that a man may have strong love to God and zeal to his glory as we may see in the book of Martyrs Elizabeth Sackwell and Katharine Hâ—rst and others they were marvellous ignorant when they were asked what a Sacrament was and how many there were they could not tell and yet were admirable Martyrs and sealed to Gods truth according to that knowledge they had and laid down their lives for the Gospel though they had not this knowledge therefore I mean not that though that be very good and without some literal knowledge the mind cannot be good a man may have literal knowledge without spiritual but not spiritual without literal therefore it is good but that is not it therefore we must labour to have strâ—ng spiritual understandings that we may understand spiritually the things of God as David saith Psal 119. 34. Give
good works and therefore nickname us and call us Solifidiaâ—s whereas we maintain a necessity of them and as great a necessity of them as they only we beat down the merit of them that no man may think to be saved by works as a reverend Divine Mr. Carter said we teach people holiness and righteousness and good works as if there were no way to be saved but by good works and again we teach that there must be as much hanging upon the grace of God as if we could shew no more to be saved then the vilest drunkard or adulterer all our righteousness is as a menstruous cloth and it is Gods mercy that any of us have an heart to do good you see how the world runs after their hearts lusts and every man is of this disposition and it is Gods grace and mercy to incline any mans heart to walk in that way that tends to his heavenly Kingdom and if God should not be infinitely gracious to pardon us for our best doings they would rise up in judgement against us God might condemn us for all our prayert and performances Secondly This teacheth Ministers how to preach to people to call upon Vse 2 them that they have an operative faith not only to believe but to have a faith that may be fruitful and make their lives nâ—t to barren in obedience and to be abundant in the works of the Lord and to serve him and fear him and glorifie him in the world as the Apostle having shewed how Christ gave himself for us to purchase to himself a people zealous of good works saith he these things speak Tit. 2. 14 15. We must speak these things and rebuke our hearers with all authority rebuke evil workers and tell them they turn the grace of Christ into wantonness they trample the blood of the Covenant under their feet and kick at the spirit of grace and misconstrue the meaning of the Covenant of God in Christ and rend themselves off that they cannot enter into life for no man without holiness shall see God Ministers should tell people plainly and affirm constantly that unless they bring forth good fruit they shall be cast into the fire and that without holiness they cannot have license and dispensation to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven for God is an holy God and our faith is an holy faith and the promises are made to none but those that lead an holy and a godly life we must preach these things and reprove with all Authority and let people know that are loose Christians and Hell-hounds that if they do not depart from iniquity they shall see God as a Judge to condemn them for evermore Thirdly This confutes all the graceless conceits of men that think to be Vse 3 saved by Christ and yet walk not after Christ they cast not away from them the works of darkness nor renounce their wicked â—ayes and yet hope to be saved by Christ this is a cursed and blasphemous hope whereby a man blasphemes God 1 Joh. 3. 6. whosoever sinneâ—h but 〈…〉 en him neither knâ—wn him if a man live in his sins still that is the meaning of it and walks not after the spirit but after the flesh that man hath not seen him neither ever known him he doth not know Jesus Christ otherwise then the Divels know him otherwise then Hell-hounds and reprobates may know him for the second Covenant is as holy as the first and rather more holy and before God hath done it shall bring a man to a nearer communion with God and a nearer likeness it will raise the powers and faculties of the soul so as I believe Aâ—am in innocency never attained unto so much participation of God as God by degrees will bring a man unto by the Covenant of grace therefore no man can look to â—e saved by Christ except he mean to be ruled by Christ and to have him for his Lord and Master and to obey him in all things if a man should lie sick in his bed of a burning feaver and should say he were well would you believe him so if we see a man that is burning in lust wallowing in sinful courses that hath a carnal and a worldly heart unmortified and unsubdued to God if he should say that he were in Christ and hoped to be saved by him believe him not all the world cannot save this man for the Lord Jesus Christ hath this very name Jesus not only because he shall save his people from hell but also from their sins and make them fruitful in all the works of God Fourthly To exhort that we would consider of this the Gospel doth Vse 4 call for works as well and as strongly yea and more strongly then the Law and there be necessary uses of holiness and obedience and all manner of pious works under the Gospel as the Apostle saith Tit. 3. 4. let us maintain good works for necessary uses c. We are barren trees whatsoever we are we are barren and dead Christians and have no life of God in us if we bring not forth good works for good works are necessary for many uses First They are for signs to shew us what estate and condition we are Motive 1. in we may know what estate and condition we are in by our carriage and conversation whither it be earthly or heavenly holy or prophane so is our condition either happy or damned First They are signs of a mans election 2 Tim. 1. 20. this is a sign and a badge and a token whereby we may know that we are vessels of honour if we be sanctified and made meet for our masters use and furnished and prepared for every good work if we do not deny all ungodly lusts and live righteously and soberly in this present world we have rather badges and tokens of reprobation then election we cannot say that God hath appointed us to attain salvation by Jesus Christ but have rather marks of hell and destruction upon us and what is the reason that men that profess Christ do so much question their election no wonder when we are so scanty in our holiness and obedience to God and so backward to do good there is no nickling of Gods everlasting favour breaking out whereas if we were plentiful in good works it would break forth as the Sun out of a cloud Secondly They are signs of effectual calling Jude 1. if a man be called of God he is sanctified also and kept in an holy course preserved in Christ 2 Pet. 1. 3. you are an holy Nation a peculiar people to shew forth the vertues of him that hath called you 1 Pet. 2. 9. so that we may be sure that we yet abide in darkness and are under the power of sin and Satan if we have not given over our sinful courses and conformed our selves to the Gospel of God we were never called according to Gods purpose but lie under the wrath of Heaven to this day it
perfect works as any man yet he confesseth he was not perfect Phil. 3. 12. so likewise here we know but in part 1 Cor. 13. 10. perfection is not yet come in the world to come it may come Heb 12. there we read of the spirits of just and perfect men then men are made perfect but they are not perfect in this life I answer 't is true therefore there is a double perfection First A perfection Answer of degrees to be perfectly perfect and so no man can be perfect by any perfection inherent indeed the Covenant of works requires this perfection but the Covenant of grace doth not indeed when we come to glory there shall be this perfection but not in this life in this life the Lord only subdues our sins but casts them not into the bottom of the Sea til the life to come therefore this perfection cannot be looked for upon earth Therefore secondly There is another perfection and that is a perfection by way of sincerity and uprightnesse Job 1. 1. Job was a perfect and upright man Now this perfection differs from the other five wayes the perfection God requires in the Gospel from that in the Law First The Law stands upon performances as well as the will and desire The difference between Legal and Evangelical Perfection and a man is not perfect unlesse he perform all as well as desire to doe it But now the perfection of the Gospel is without these performances indeed that man labours for as many performances as he can but it may be onely by desires Rom. 7. 18. Paul was perfect by Evangelical Perfection he was upright before God yet he could not reach performances no he had a will to be good he did unfeignedly desire to be godly and serve God in every thing unfeignedly endeavouring after godly courses yet could not attain to that which he did desire So it was with Nehemiah and all the good people of God Nehem. 1. 11. O Lord I beseech thee lot thine ear be attenâ—ive tâ— the prayers of thy servants who desire to fear thy name He could hardly say that he did perform it but he did desire it he could hardly say he did love and obey God and doe his will but this he would say he did desire to doe it and unfeignedly desire it as Solomon saith Prov. 21. 21. He that followeth after righteousnesse and mercy findeth life He doth not say he that reacheth in he cannot reach it may be but he that followeth after it shall have life it is a sign that he hath the life of justification and that he shall have the life of glory Secondly The perfection of the Law it stands upon quantities as well as upon qualities truth it is not satisfied though a man be never so truly holy and religious unless man hath quantities and is so much holy But now the perfection of the Gospel indeed it will have as much quantity as a man can but yet it will stand with truth though a man hath not that quantity of humiliation and self-denial and power against sin yet if he have it in truth he is Evangelically perfect in some measure he is sincere and upright before God as Solomon saith of his Father 1 Kings 13. 6. M. Father had great mercy according as he walked before thee in truth He doth not say he walked before thee in legal perfection he was perfectly righteous but he was truly righteous he was humble in truth and godly in truth and zealous in truth he had none of all these things to the utmost yet he walked before thee in truth So Josh 24. 14. Fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth He doth not say serve him as if you should doe every thing he commands but doe it in truth and sincerity Now sincerity is when there is no commandement but a man sets himselfe to doe it there is no sin but he labours to avoid it and there is no right manner but he sets himself to doe it in the right manner to his power this is the perfection of the Gospel Thirdly The perfection of the Law stands upon full measure whether a man have power or no that is nothing to the purpose the law will have all holiness and righteousness whether a man hath power or no But now the perfection of the Gospel by way of sincerity it looks at what measure God hath given and bestowed and no more but what God hath given and enabled a man to doe as you may see the Lord doth not require the gain of ten talents when he gave but five nor the gain of five when he gave but two the widows two mites were accepted and taken for a good and sincere gift because she gave all that she had Luke 21. 4. as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be first a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that a man hath not The law will have perfection whether a man hath power or no or else it will damn a man but in the Gospel a man may say as Peter to the lame man Silver and gold have I none but such as I have that give I thee Lord such a memory and such parts and gifts have I not but such as I have that give I thee according to that measure of knowledge I have according to that grace I have I will give it thee If a man can say thus he is accepted not according to that he hath not but according to that he hath as it was in the law of Moses Levit. 5. 6 7. Atrespasse-â—ffering should be a lamb or a kid but if a man were not able to give that then two turtle doves or two young pigeons if he be not able to give that let him give two or three handfuls of fine flowre Levit. 5. 11. So Levit. 14. 20. Let him give according at he can get he shall be accepted according to that This is the perfection of the Gospel according to the help and assistance God gives a man and according to the means God affordâ— a man it shall be accepted Fourthly The perfection of the law admits of no failings if a man fails no matter though it be out of infirmity the law condemns him the law requires perfection without failings but the perfection of the Gospel by way of sincerity admits of failings as the best gold hath his allowances so it is with a true Christian he may be sincere and upright though he hath a thousand failings as it is said of David 1 Kings 15. 5. He did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord in all things but onely in the moâ—ter of Uriah That indeed would not stand with sincerity his sincerity was quite in a swoâ—m then that could not stand with sincerity if he had gone on to sin in that fashion he could not have been sincere but in all other things he did that which
was right in the eyes of the Lord. You will say he had a thousand failings yet saith the Text they all stood with sincerity he numbred the people and God was mightily angry with him and you know how unjust he was in the matter of Zibah and Mephibosheth you know how he told a lye to Abimelech and was the occasion of the death of the Priests of the Lord you know how he counterfelted himself mad and he had horrible disorders in his family and had lost the power of controul over his children were not these horrible failings and what a company of Wives and Concubines had he yet all these stood with sincerity because they were either done out of ignorance or want of due consideration sometimes or through humane frailty and infirmity or through violence of temptation contrary to his constant course and intendment and purpose they might all stand with sincerity and an upright heart according to the perfection of the Gospel Fifthly The perfection of the Law makes nothing of repentance if you break the commandements of God if you shed tears of blood and repent your heart out what cares the law the law will have perfect obedience or else to hell you shall But now in the perfection of the Gospel repentance is a great matter nay if a man be never so vile and wretched if yet he humble himselfe before God and be unfeignedly sorry for sinning against God this is a great matter this man is an upright man that is unfeignedly humbled and abased before God The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit a broken and contrite heart thou shalt not despise This is the voyce of the Gospel So Ezâ—k 18. 21. If the wicked will turn from all his sins and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die As it is Joh 23. 27 28. He looked upon men and if any said I have sinned he will deliver his soule from going down into the pit In the Gospel a man is an upright man if he come before the throne of grace with shame and confusion of face for all his sins with unfeigned sorrow that he hath broken Gods Covenant if he hath never so many failings if he set himselfe to please God and when he fails he repents and humbles himself before God this man Doctrine Every man ought to labour for perfection hath the perfection of the Gospel Thus we see the meaning of the words Perfect before God The point of Doctrine is this That every man is to labour to be perfect that is the thing that God will require and enquire after at the last day whether we be upright You see this 1 Cor. 5. 7 8. and so likewise in other places of Scripture The first Reason is from the nature of God with whom we have to doe Reason 1 he is upright therefore it concerns us to labour to be like him he himselfe is an upright God and there is no unrighteousness in him his wayes are perfect and his judgments are truth therefore if a man be not perfect he cannot be like him Mat. 5. 48. Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect we know his spirit is the spirit of truth himselfe is the God of truth his Son is the way the truth and the life he is the faithful witness and as God is upright so he looks that his servants should shew what Master they serve that they may make it appear that their Master is an upright Master Psalm 92. ult to shew forth that the Lord is upright This is our duty God is upright and Christ is upright and therefore we should follow his steps 1 Pet. 2. 21 22. Secondly God hath commanded us to be sincere though he remit from the first Covenant of absolute and perfect righteousness and holiness without sin ye he will have his people truly fearing him and hating sin universal in obedience that they shall be from the bottome of their hearts followers of him therefore this slung David to the heart when he committed sin O thought he Thou desirest truth in the inward parts Psal 51. 6. As who should say thou lookest into the heart thou requirest truth of thy servants O what a false heart have I had in this businesse God hath many worshippers in this world such as they are but God cares for none but such as deale faithfully in his Covenant as Christ speaks John 424. Thirdly God knows our hearts therefore though we serve him and do duties to him though we call upon his name hear his Word come to his Table observe his Sabbaths keep his Ordinances yet if we doe not doe these things in truth his eyes are ever upon our bosomes he casts his eyes upon the secrets of men if our hearts be rotten and proud and vaine and loose and filthy if our hearts be not of a right frame all is nothing if there be any way of wickednesse in us if there be any secret sins or cursed corruptions that we favour our selves in if there be any false way we secreâ—ly haunt the Lord shall search it out for the knowes the secrets of our hearts therefore it becomes us to be upright as he saith of Ephraim Hos 5. 3. I know Ephraim he is not hid from us So if we preach never so zealously and doe not according to our preaching the Lord knows â—s so if we hear never so zealously and doe not practice what we hear he knows it therefore it concerns us to be upright Fourthly Because the Lord will let down the Covenant no lower Now God hath been pleased to moderate the first Covenant which it was impossible for us to keep and hath brought it down to the Covenant of faith to believe and to be sincere in all our wayes this God requires and will let it down no lower Isa 63. 8. the Lord saith there Surely they are my people children that will not lye and so he was their Saviour So he requires his people should be children that should not lye and be base-hearted and deal deceitfully and crookedly in his Covenant he was their Saviour so they would be children that would not lye So Eph. 6. 24. Grace be with all them that love Christ in sincerity There is no man is under the Covenant of grace unlesse he be sincere in all the will of God in Jesus Christ There are two things the Covenant of grace gives the one is the forgivenesse of sins the other is a sincere heart if a man hath not these two he is yet in his sins as we may see Psal 32. 2. Blessed is the man c. Fifthly The Examples of all the Saints in all Ages all the people of God that ever were upright to begin with Noah Gen. 6. 9. The text saith he was a just and perfect man in his generation You know it was in a corrupt time all the Earth had corrupted their wayes no question a man that was religious in those
thou mayst be sincere therefore believe not conscience when thou hast the Word of God on thy side nay may be God himselfe will seem to accuse thee and to be thine enemy and discountenance thee and will not own thee for one of his children when thou commest before him he will seem to dash thee under his feet and give thee no countenance but look upon thee as an enemy yet be not dismayed if thou hast these things in thee in any measure the Lord doth this that he may doe thee good in thy latter end he doth it that he may humble thee and try thee whether thou wilt live by faith or by sense and whether thou darest trust him but if thou hast not these signs of uprightness thou art in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity and thou canst have no true comfort to thine own soul The next point is That as we must be perfect so we must be perfect before Doctrine We must labour to be perfect before God God I have not found thy works perfect before God As who should say I lookt thou shouldst be perfect before him and I have not found it so Well then for the meaning of the word perfect before God that is so as God may approve and allow of them Now a mans works may be perfect so as God may approve of them two wayes First So as God may approve of them in his strict Justice and so no mans works can be perfect Psal 143. 2. Enter not into judgement c. No man living can be justified before God So Rom. 3. 20. By the deeds of the Law shall no man be justified before him This therefore is not the meaning Secondly To be perfect before God so as God shall approve of â—s in his mercy in Jesus Christ for his owne faithful people as it is said of Zachary and Elizabeth Luke 1. 5. This is the meaning of the place Now if you would know what it is to be perfect before God it is this in one word when a man is for matter and for manner right in the eyes of God not only right in the eyes of men to be a 〈…〉 ed of men but right in the eyes of God to be approved of God for matt 〈…〉 n a man doth those things that God commands him and for manner 〈◊〉 he doth them as God commands him out of faith in God and love to God and fear of God when a man doth it with all his heart soule and strength when a man doth it constantly and frequently and livelily in some measure this is to be upright before God you may see both these set down in one verse Deut. 6. 25. Here is the matter If ye observe to doe his commandements and then here is the manner right in the eyes of the Lord as he hath commanded If we doe thus then we are upright before God Now if either of these be wanting we are not upright before God if we doe not for matter what God hath commanded if we lye or swear or be covetous or proud or worldly these things are of the Devil and not of God we doe the thingâ— of the Devil and not the things of God Again If a man should bow the knee to Baal and doe the inventions of men this is not to be unright before God but if we doe the things that God doth not bid us God will say as he did Matth. 15. 9. If we doe for the matter the things that God hath commanded yet if the manner be wanting if we doe them not as God hath commanded if we doe them not with faith and love to God with conscience and fervency and quickning all is nothing as it is said of Amaziah he did those things that were right in the eyes of the Lord but the Lord cared not for it 2 Chron. 25. 2. it was not with an upright heart Therefore when both these concur this is to be upright before God First Because God hath so commanded thou shalt have no other gods Reason 2 before me that is I will have thee sincere before me As who should say thou mayst vow and swear and protest thou dost love God and fear God but if it be not so indeed thou hast a false heart if thou hast carnal ends if thou lovest the world more then God and thou lovest thy lusts more then him if it be so woe unto thee God will have thee upright before him As God saith to Abraham Gen. 17. 1. Walke before me and be upright As who should say Abraham if there be any way of wickedness in thee thou art not for me look thou be perfect before me if thou dost acknowledge that I am God Almighty and I am able to help thee and succour thee in all estates then be upright before me when a man sins it is for something he sins now what is there that is good but we may have it in God God is Almighty and therefore he would have us upright before him and if we be not upright he is Almighty and can crush us and destroy us for ever so that we should not only be upright before men but before God Secondly As the Law is so so is the Gospel if a man hath not faith in Christ Jesus that man is no true Christian howsoever he may hope to be saved by Christ yet if he be not upright before God in all his wayes and commandements in some measure in studying and endeavouring to keep himself unspotted of the world in all things he hath not faith he doth not believe in Jesus Christ Psal 116. 9 10. as David saith I will walke before the Lord in â—â—e land of the living how comes David to speak that O I believed therefore I have spoken if a man believe in God it will make him walke well not only before men but before God who is privy to all his thoughts and affections privy to what he doth both at home and abroad privy to what he doth alone and in company in his shop and in the market unless he be upright before him that knows all things he is not a believer though Simon Magus were baptized and did partake of Christian Religion and had some kinde of faith and joyned himselfe to Philip and the Church as a member of the Church and gave over his witchcraft and wicked courses yet when Peter saw his heart was not right before God marke what he saith Acts 8. 21. God hath sworne an oath that whomsoever he delivers from sin from Satan from Hell from the wrath to come they shall be holy and righteous before him Luke 1. 73. God will not be forsworne if thou dost hope to be saved by Jesus Christ and prayest and howlest and criest in thy afflictions from the bottom of thy heart with all thy eagerness to be saved by Jesus Christ God hath sworne an oath thou shalt not be saved by him unless thou wilt walk in holiness and
knowledge of a mans calling Ans may be had yet it is had by degrees it is a gradual knowledge a man cannot know it all at first dash God doth not manifest his favour and love all at once to his people and when he gives it he doth not presently tell a man what he gives him though there be wayes for him to know it and find it out yet the Lord doth not open himself to his people all at the first nay he doth not so to his own Son Christ Jesus in respect of his humanity as he grew in stature and wisdom so he grew in favour with God Luk. 2. 52. The divine nature manifested it self more and more to his humane so God doth manifest his favour and love and openeth himself to his people more and more according as they grow in goodness they grow in this knowledge as they are more and more pure in heart the more do they see God and Gods goodness to them and what God hath done for them this knowledge though it be to be had yet it is to be had by degrees and the people of God have it not all in one degree some have it in a higher degree and some in a lower but every man hath some of this knowledge that he is called of God it is impossible that a man should be effectually called and be wholly and totally ignorant of it Secondly As this knowledge is gradual so it is experimental a man knows The knowledge of effectual calling experimental that he is called by experience chiefly and mainly as when a man knows by experience that he comes to God and draws near to God and that he doth abstract himself from the world and worldly wayes and practises and layes aside more and more the carnal wayes of men and doth approach nearer and nearer unto the things of God in Christ if a man hath experience of these things he comes now to say God hath effectually called me and hath been pleased to do me good when he finds this by experience that these things â—re wrought in him then he can conclude this at the first he was like a man in a vision he could hardly believe that God had effectually called him as it was with Peter when the Angel delivered him out of prison he was as one that had seen a vision he had not thought it had been a real thing he could not tell what to make of it Act. 12. 11. but when he came to himself now saith he I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his Angel and delivered me out of prison At first he could not tell what to make of it but afterwards when he saw he was in the streets and that the iron gate opened to him of its own accord now saith he I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his Angel and delivered me So it is with the people of God at first when they hear something from the Father they know not what to make of this call at the first but afterwards when they come to see this lust and that lust fall off and these and these heavenly works in their souls they now know of a surety that God hath sent his Spirit into their souls and delivered them from sins and Satan and hell and damnation c. At first they were like dreamers they were not able to say whether they were called or no as the children of Israel when they were delivered out of captivity they could hardly believe it at first Psal 126. 1. When the Lord turned away the captivity of Zion we were as those that dreamed we could hardly perswade our selves that God had delivered us out of captivity with such a mercy so great a favour so unlikely so improbable it could never enter into their hearts almost we were like those that dreamed but when they saw they were in Jerusalem and were helped and assisted and heard the Gentiles talke of it and all the people runne up and down when they saw it was so and had experience of it then they saw God had done it indeed and did believe it so when a man is first effectually called to come out of his sins the Lord knocks off his bolts and plucks him out of the jaile of hell and sets him as it were in Jerusalem he is at first as a man that dreams he can hardly believe it is so as it was with David when God called him to be King he could hardly believe it it could hardly enter into his heart that he should be King over Israel especially being dayly persecuteed by Saul and calamities heaping up themselves against him he could not conclude it but when the Lord had set him in his Kingdome and given him victory over his enemies now saith he I know that the Lord saveth his anointed now he could speak it and found it by experience that the Lord had made him his anointed and saved and delivered him from all his enemies before he was ready to deny it and say Samuel was a lyar he had anointed him to be King but I said in my hast all men are lyars but when he had experience of it now saith he I know that the Lord hath saved his anointed Thirdly As the knowledge of effectual calling is gradual and experimental so likewise it is very spiritual it is a marvellous spiritual work and therefore The knowledge of effectual calling spiritual no marvel though it be something insensible indeed there be things in it which are very sencible and conspicuous as may be a reprobate may be galled at a Sermon he may have his eyes broad open to see his sins and iniquities and may be wonderfully wrought upon and may have the sencible work of vocation by the very Spirit of God but the very specificalness of it whereby this effectual calling doth differ from all other callings this is a marvelous Spiritual thing and therefore no wonder that it is insencible sometimes and many of the people of God feare they have it not these things may be done in the soul of a man and a man not know it and yet it may seem strange that the eyes of the blind should be opened and the feet of the lame should walk and the dead should be raised and the devils should be cast out it is strange I say that these things should be done in a mans soul and yet the man in whose soul they are done should be ignorant of them it is a strange thing but the works of the Spirit are wonderful secret the actions of the Spirit are very invisible when a man humbles himself and prayes and mournes these are sencible he knows what they are many talke of hunger and thirst and reformation c. But to see the saving sanctifying gracious work of God in these things that is a marvelous hard thing to find this and it is very spiritual as Solomon saith Eccl. 11. 5. As thou knowest
the very in-let of all the comforts of the holy Ghost and all the hope that the soul can have here is all the satisfaction and content of the soul of man they are bestowed upon a man when he is effectually called there is a way set open unto him that he may have the same Thirdly Because this is the first of all obedience a man cannot obey God Effectual calling is the first point of obedience till he be effectually called nay it is not obedience till he be called if a man should heare Sermons come to the Sacraments give to the poore it is no obedience till a man be effectually called when once a man is bound apprentice and his indentures are drawn his running of errands and all he doth is service to his Master when thou art bound apprentice to Christ and thy indentures are sealed and thou art called to be a servant unto him now all thy works are obedience to him Come saith Christ learne of me c. Mat. 11. 28. first he would have them come to him and beare his yoak and then learn of me then be meek as I am meek and humble as I am humble and then bear my burthen then it is obedience and you are able to go through Faithful is he that hath called you who will also do it effectual calling is the fill-horse of the cart that bears up the cart this is the first draught a Painter cannot lay any colour till the first draught be made this is the very ground of a mans workings this is the ground of all obedience of all prayer and hearing here is the ground of doing all aright otherwise God will say what hast thou to do to take my name into thy mouth unlesse thou wilt submit to my Covenant and be bound apprentice with me a man that is yet in his sins he hath nothing to do as yet but to lye at the throne of grace crying that God would give him a call for he can do nothing till he is effectually called of God Fourthly This is the only way to go forward a man cannot go forward Effectual calling is the only means to go forward there is no proceeding unlesse the beginning be well done as the Apostle saith Heb. 6. 1. leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ let us go on unto perfection as who should say taking it for granted that you are effectually called of God that the principals of Religion are laid in your souls let us go on unto perfection let us wax better and better and pray to God that we may encrease in grace let us walk in holy and sincere obedience to all Gods Commandements let us labour and strive to out-strip our selves and amend our selves from day to day if we have laid the foundation well if that be first well laid a man may go on to perfection a man cannot otherwise go on well nay the further a man goeth on the more mischief he pulls upon his soul Lastly This is the maine stud in the house the very ground a man is to Effectual calling the very ground to stand fast upon stand fast upon this is the ground to keep a man from falling away that God hath effectually called him as the Apostle saith 2 Thes 2. 13 14. We are bound to give God thanks for you brethren because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through the sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth whereunto he called you by our Gospel therefore brethren stand fast when a man is effectually called a man may say stand fast otherwise he cannot persevere unto the end MATTH 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest WE have been large in the opening of effectual calling and the last thing we handled concerning it was this that it was the first gathering of a man unto Christ the first making of a man to come unto Christ it is a mans first admission into the estate of grace it is the first dawning of the light that shineth from above the first coming forth of Gods good will and pleasure to a man Now before I can proceed to the particular parts of effectual calling I must needs take a thing by the way namely Gods preparatory work that he doth work as a way hereunto though it be not the work of saving grace a man may perish for all that work unless the Lord carry a man further on yet there is a preparatory work that God doth work in the soul before he calls a man effectually the Lord doth prepare a man by detecting of sinne and shewing him his misery by sinne and letting him see and perceive what a miserable creature he is in himself and God doth stop and silence a man before him and leave him without excuse and cut him and hew him down by the law that he may see that he is a dead creature and a damned wretch before this a man will not come though God call him never so often he will not here his lusts carry him away and stop his ears and harden his heart though he seem to come and sets divers steps to come home yet he never comes home indeed till God takes a man down in this fashion Now this is the thing we are to speak of and we have it in the text in the which we may observe three things first the preparatory work which now we are to speak of you that are weary and heavy laden secondly the call it self come unto me thirdly the benefit of this yielding to this call I will give you rest To speak then first of this preparatory work the Lord brings the law to a There is a preparatory work to effectual calling man and laies load upon the soul and makes the soul labour and toile and sweat and makes his heart burst within him and he is heavily laden as if mountaines were upon his back God layeth load upon the soul and then comes effectual calling see what the Apostle speaks Gal. 3. 24. the Apostle here speaks by his own experience once we were strangers from Christ and absent from Christ now how did God fetch us home he sent the law the ferula of the law he sent the law to arrest us and schoole us to Christ it was a Schoole-Master I can speak it for my part it was mine as you may see Rom. 7. from the beginning to the 12. ver So the law fetched Paul home and struck him dead and made him see what a miserable and wretched creature he was it made him see he had no hope nor no hold nothing in the world to trust to in himself he was a dead man the law like a sword stabs him at the heart and so it pleased the Lord to bring him home to Christ that he might be justified by faith first the Israelites were stung with the fiery Serpents before they were healed by looking
up to the brazen Serpent first our first parents saw they were naked and then came forth the promise of the seed of the woman so first God convinceth a man of sinne and then of righteousness Joh 10. 8. first he convinceth a man of his sins and then shews him where righteousness is to be had how he may have righteousness and peace of conscience and be justified before God Now for the opening of the point I will shew you three things first that it is thus God doth first prepare a man before he calls him effectually Secondly the reasons why the Lord doth thus and Thirdly the uses First That it is true the Lord doth prepare a man before he doth effectually Proofe 1. from texts full of terror call him either more or lesse there must be a work of the law one way or other and to prove this first wherefore else are those many texts of Scripture full of terrours of sharp arrows and fierce pellets against sinners wherefore are these but to terrifie a man and pull a man down and that we that are Ministers of God should fling them against sinners and the Lord looks that men should tremble Amos 3. 6 8. The Lord saith there shall a trumpet be blown in a City and people not be afraid c. and ver 8. When the Lyon roars who will not feare all those terrible texts of Scripture they are the roaring of the Lyon of the tribe of Judah against all that go on in sinne now who would not tremble saith the Prophet 't is true many wicked and ungodly men do not tremble a jot almost but some shall tremble God looks upon some and they shall tremble at his Word Isa 66. 1 2. Secondly Because this is the office of the Spirit of God to be a Spirit of 2 From the Spirâ—ts office bondage before he be the Spirit of adoption he was so to the Romans he was the Spirit of bondage in their hearts before he was the Spirit of adoption to make them cry Abba Father Râ—m 8. 15. You have not received againe the Spirit of bondage to feare you did receive it once but you have not received it againe but now you have received the Spirit of adoption whereby you cry Aâ—ba Father Now to deny this doctrine is to deny the maine office of the Spirit which is dangerous for every man naturally is a bedlam now how are bedlams tamed they are beaten and whipt and kept under till they come to themselves so the Lord deals with a man as with a bedlam he comes with the Spirit of bondage flinging in slavish terrours and fears and what a miserable creature he is this sin and the other sinne and the wrath of God is come out against him the Spirit takes a man down from day to day and undermines him and breaks his stomack and then afterwards when he hath â—â—ought that work he comes to be the Spirit of adoption to teach him to cry Abba Father Thirdly Because the Gospels turne is not come till the Law hath done his 3 Because the Gospel follows the law part thâ—s was the method that Christ was anointed to observe in his Ministery he would first have a man bruised and broken and captivated and blind and poore and in misery and then he preacheth the Gospel to him as you may see Lâ—k 4. 19. The Spirit of the Lord hath anointed me to this order saith he it is an excellent place for this purpose to stop the mouthes of those that hope there is an easier way he will preach the Gospel and liberty and comfort and enlargement but he will have a broken heart first and a tender Spirit first Fourthly You may see an expresse place of our Saviour Christ that he 4 From Christs design in coming came to save that which was lost first a man shall be in a lost estate and he shall be in a wilderness and he shall have his sinnes discovered and his misery and then the Lord comes to those that he hath a minde to do good unto Mat. 9. 12. 13. saith he They that are whole need not the Physitian but they that are sâ—â—k he means to deale with a man as a Physitian a man must be sick before he comes to him the Physitian gives Physick to none till they be sick now till a man is sick of his sinnes till they are the diseases of his soul till he is in torments and misery the Lord Jesus saith he will not be his Physician Fifthly Because God doth see it sitting to deale thus with his converted ones when they fall into some foule sinne and grosse iniquity the Lord is 5 From Gods working with believers after grosse sins pleased to go this way to work even towards his own converted ones when they sinne not onely through invincible infirmities and through temptation but when they grow stubborn when they fall into some horrible iniquity the Lord doth use to go even legally to work with them though they lie under grace therefore much more towards those that never yet were under grace that never had any free Spirit that never had any part of an ingenious nature that were never yet wrought to be led by the faire means of grace if God work so with those that he hath given in some measure his grace and given in some measure a portion of his free Spirit unto if when they sinne and sinne foully it is not all the promise of the Gospel all the covenant of Grace that will raise them up againe and make them walk before God with holiness and zeale and fervency then much more will he deale thus with those that never had any grace at all Thus David cryeth out thy fears have got hold upon me and Psal 28. 4. his sinnes were as an heavy burthen unto him too heavy for him to beare he did not onely set his sinnes before him they were not onely the objects before his eyes so they are to a man that walks in the comforts of the Spirit they are before his eyes every man that walks in obedience he hath his sinnes before him at times to humble him and keep him low and make him still hang upon Christ and depend upon him and esteem Christ precious to you that believe Christ is precious 2 Pet. 4. 5. But now he sets them before them not only as objects but layeth them as loads upon their backs that their sins shall not only be seen but felt by them now this is a legal work when any part of a mans sinnes and misery lyes upon his soul and conscience 't is true God never shews sinne to the utmost to his people he never layeth all the load if God should stirre up all the stink of uncleanness that is in his people if God should discover to them all the ugly looks of their sinnes they were not able to beare it As a good man said when I see my self saith he
is no living in his sight no entring into his Kingdom without righteousness I must be a new creature else I shall be consumed he chargeth these things upon the soul and that soundly too because now he will lay down the foundation of a godly life the soul shall have need of this point as long as he lives to remember that God is a righteous God he hath found him to be a juâ—â— God against sinne though he be a gracious and merciful God to them that truly repent and set themselves to obey his Name yet the soul seeth there is no living in sinne no following after a mans own lusts and the soul never loseth this for though the soul many times through temptations may â—e carried away yet he shall never be under that former blindness he was in never so ignorant of God never think so meanly and ignominiously of God â—s he did in his unregeneracy he still knows that God is a severe God and thereâ— no expecting of mercy at his hands without holinesse and righteousnes if God should smother up the work all at first justice would not be seen as we see it is among men suppose a base fellow hath wronged a noble man may be the noble man means to pardon him but yet he will have him smart for it and feele and know what it is to displease and wrong and impeach such a great man as he So if the Lord should smother up the business presently as soon as ever he sends the word to a man presently convert a man aâ—d pardon him and give him true and saving faith justice would not be s 〈…〉 and therefore the Lord first tramples upon a mans neck and shews â—m his silâ—hiness and casts him out of the Camp as the Lord said concerning Mâ—rian she is unclean carry her out of the Camp so the Lord flings a person â—orth like a cursed damned creature as if he would take him by the heeles and flâ—â—g him down to hell and never look upon him and then he takes him in thus the Lord tells his people Isa 45. 21. There is none but me a just God and a Saviour first he makes them see that he is a just God and then he makes them see that he is their Saviour and Redeemer and notwithstanding his justice and severity against sinne and iniquity yet he â—ill give his grace and mercy to them that repent and humble themselves under his hand Secondly The Lord doth this because he would sweeten his mercy to the I. To sweeten mercy soul as you may see how he dealt with the Prophets widow he let her creditors arrest her first and seize upon her two sons for bondmen and then he wrought a wonder for her 2 King 4. 1. now this mercy was sweet and came in due season I was in misery and the Lord helped me saith David as who should say it came in a time when I had need of it The Lord deales as it is reported King James did at the beginning of his reign when some of his Nobles had been offenders he let the law proceed against them till they were brought to the scaffold and their heads laid upon the block and then sent a pardon and now a pardon was acceptable indeed So the Lord deales with his people he lets the law loose upon the soul yea and the devil too many times and he rends them and teares them as a Lyon and lets them look when they shall perish and layes their heads upon the block and then sends hope of a pardon and forgiveness of sinnes what a sweet staying of Abrahams hand was that when the knife was just ready to be stuck in Isaacks throat so when the knife of Justice is ready to be stuck into a mans throat and he is ready to perish for ever now mercy will be sweet mercy now it will be mercy indeed This is the time of love saith God Ezek. 16. 8. When God had laid his people a bleeding in their goare blood now he passeth by and saith This is a time of love he laid them in their blood and silthinesse he laid them vile and miserable in themselves and now saith he is the time of love Now the mountaines drop with sweet wine as the Prophet speaks what is the reason that people do not taste any sweetnesse in the Gospel and Sacraments and Ordinances of Christ Alas they were never sensible of their sinnes therefore the Lord doth thus to make his mercy sweet to his people that they may prize it and esteeme it and make good account of it from day to day Thirdly the Lord doth this that he may fetch his people home to the Lord 3. That he may bring men home to Christ Jesus Christ for before they will not come to God they will not come at him as the Prophet speaks but when they are in the Margent of Hell ready to perish and have no hope to hold to nothing to trust to they are quite and cleane at a loss and know not whither to go now this makes them come home as it is said of Absâ—lom he sent once to Joab but he would not come to him yea twice and he would not come but when he set his Barley field on fire then he came So the Lord sets his peoples hearts on fire he fires their consciences and their very bowels and makes their soules ake within them for want of mercy and grace and favour for want of power against their sinnes for want of Gods helping and assisting of them from day to day and this makes them glad to come home to him You know how long it was before the woman in the Gospel would come to Christ she was sick twelve years and had spent all her living upon the Physicians and could have no help now she came to Christ when she was quite spent and her patience was come to the utmost she was a dead woman if she came not to Christ all the Physicians could not help her now she comes home to Christ As it was with Agur when he saw his brutishnesse this drave him to Ithiel and Vâ—al Prov. 30. 1 2. that is to the Lord Jesus Christ as it is with a Coney when she is persued by a Dogge then she runnes to her burrough When Naomi was bereft of Husband Children Meanes and Maintenance and heares there is plenty in Israel she returns presently she might have gone long before but she wanted a scourge and whip to send her home but when she had lost all and was ready to sink and heard good tidings from Bethlehem now she makes speed thither presently as the Lord speaks Hâ—s 2. 6. I will hedge her wayes with thornes how doth the Lord make the poore Church here come home to him that was her husband and beloved from whom she was gone a whoring God takes this course he hedgeth her wayes with thornes she would have rests and friends and comforts and something to
hang upon but God knocks her off from all and now she will returne to her husband again so the Lord to make his people stoop to his yoake he shews them their misery and worries them and wearies them that they can hold out no longer and then down go their bucklers and now speak Lord thy servants hear now they are willing to hear him Fourthly God doth it that he may weane his people from sinne and take off their hearts from their own wayes for a man is marvellous eager of sinne 4. To wean men from sin by nature and will not let it go and will not part with it by no meanes his heart is set upon his lusts and he will have them though he hath hell and damnation with them when the Lord calls upon them to walk in his wayes they say they will not walk therein Jer. 6. 16. People will not be diligent in prayer and hâ—ld close to God they will not be strict in their wayes as the precisenesse of the Gospel teacheth them now the Lord breaks in upon them in this fashion and makes them willing As a man deales with a young horse or colt when a man would tame a colt that is lustly and head-strong and violent he carries him out may be and makes him apprehend in his fancy that he will ride him against stone-walls and carries him may be into Quagmires and Muds and rotten Fennes and there he makes him go and spurs him and beats him and raines him and snafles him and thus he breakes his stomack and at last he will beare the saddle and carry a man quietly so the Lord Jesus doth with a poor creature he casts off the bonds of Christ and though the truth begins to work upon his conscience he throwes out the arrow againe and heales himself with vaine healings now the Lord breakes a mans heart and opens a peep hole into hell as though he would throw him in quick thither and shews him his misery to the life and to the quick and so makes them come off as the Lord dealt with Moses when he would make him circumcise his sonne he was loath to displease his wiâ—e she was against it being a Midianitish woman and he was loath to have her ill-will and therefore deserred it now what course took God with him the Lord met him and would have slaine him the Lord made as though he were his enemy and would slay him and now he was willing to do it so the Lord deals with a stubborne soul if it belongs to him he will overcome his heart and make him let fall his sinnes he will make as though he would slay him he will make him a weary of keeping his lusts before he hath done with him The Lord deales in this case as he dealt with the Philistins they would not send home the Arke what course did he take to make them send it home and send it home in pomp and great respect God did fling down Dagon which was their chief Idoll and the Lord smote them with Emerods And now they think with themselves let us send home the Arke of the Lord and how shall we send it home Let us provide golden Miâ—â— and Emerods they sent it home with cost and offerings So the Lord deals with those that belong to him he tires them in their own ways and makes them willing to come out at last Lastly the Lord doth it to knock his people quite and cleane off from all 5. To knock us off from any thing else every man naturally hangs upon something and above all hangs upon his good works and good prayers and performances and this keeps his heart from seeing what a miserable creature he is this keeps him from mourning and zeal and fervency and all this while that he hangs upon these his heart is hardâ—ned he will never stoop and yield to God now when the Lord means to do a man good he knocks him quite off and plucks out of his hands all his works and makes him let all go not that he ceaseth to work but as the Apostle speaks Rom 4. 14. He makes him as a man that worketh not not as though he worketh not for there is no carnal man works more then this poor soul in this estate he keeps a great deal of stir to find out mercy and obtaine grace from God there is none that mournes and laments more and goes to Sermons more but yet he is no worker now he is faine to go to his father to him that justifies the ungodly all his wayes are loathsome and abominable he seeth nothing to trust upon but is driven to him that justifies the ungodly he sees he is a vile wretched creature he sees no worth no reason why God should look upon him he is now pennilesse and worthlesse and miserable in himself the Lord makes him a very bankrout he thought he was a rich Merchant but now he makes him a very bankrout and makes him appeare to be naked First here all Dawbers are to be reproved that preach nothing but mercy Vse 1. To reprove Dawbers and the promises of the Gospel many love alife to be upon such theames O say they the promises are best to humble a man and bring him out of his sins whom shall we believe God or man This not the way Ezek. 13. 22. the text saith Ye have strengthened the hands of the wicked that he should not turne from his wicked wayes by promising him life When a man preacheth the promise of God before wicked and ungodly men this hardens their hearts and strengthens them that they will not returne from their wicked wayes because the promises are propounded to them and the Minister makes no distinction between the precious and the vile this strengthens them in their sinnes and makes them think they are not so vile but they hope they are in a good case for all this therefore Saint Austine calls such men desolatores not consolatores such work desolation in their hearers and no sound consolation such Ministers as make their Sermons to be pillowes under peoples elbowes they make themselves guilty of the peoples blood and their souls shall be required at their hands they are the cause of peoples miscarriage when a Minister thinks to do people good by crying peace peace when the Prophet saith there is no peace to the wicked this rather drives people further off from God may be it may make them seeme outward professors but it will never make them sound in the faith rebuke them sharply saith the Apostle that they may be stand in the faith Tit. 1. 13. sharp rebuking the powerful delivering of the Law and Gospel is the meanes to maâ—e men sound in the faith the more humble a man is made to be the more faith he comes to have our Saviour saith of the Centurion he had not found the like faith in Israel how came this the text shewes plainly that we shall
record of his Son that he is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world that he is eternal life that he is the way the truth and the light that he is the hope of glory that he is the way of coming to God the Father now when a man hath this saith in a lively manner and this pulls a man out of the world draws him to Christ this is the true faith this is the faith of the Gospel faith is not defined by assurance in Scripture but by beleeving in Christ John 3. 18. by trusting upon Christ Ephes 1. 12. by resting upon God 2 Chr. 14. 11. by relying upon God 2 Chr. 19. 8. by adhering and cleaving to God in Christ Acts 11. 23. this is true faith when a man relies upon God when he believes this same blessed record and throws himself and casts himself upon it and will obey God I may say to you all that have this faith as the Prophet Esay saith to such as you are Who is there among you that feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voice of his servants though he sit in darknesse and seeth no light yet let him rest upon the Lord and stay himself upon the God of his salvation Esay 50. 10. as who should say though you be in the dark and have no light no assurance no sense and feeling no inkling of Gods mercy though you be in darkness and know not where you are yet if you have a heart to fear God and obey the voice of his servants and hearken to the tender of the Gospel trust in the Lord your God relie upon him for all want of sense and feeling for all darknesse for all want of light in you for all want of comfort and stay your souls that way yet trust in the name of the Lord relie upon him for all his mercies though you be at this passe Object But the soul will say I am afraid I have nothing I have no interest Object in Christ but what of that Answ If thou be never so much afraid mark what David saith Psalme Answ 56. 3. What time I am afraid I will trust in thee as who should say though I be in the middest of fears and doubts and terrors of conscience what time this fear comes upon me I will cast my self upon thee so that this is that which the soul is to do that beleeves the tender of the Gospel and this draws him and works upon him it is not a dead faith but an operative faith it pulls him and draws him to Christ he must have Christ and he must have righteousnesse is there such a faith then relie upon God though thy fears come upon thee yet urge thy self to trust in God Obj. And againe it may be objected I have hardly any hope that ever I Object shal have the pardon of my sins that ever God will hear my prayers and accept my duties and performances What of that if thou hast this faith Answ Mark how it was with Abrahams faith when God told him he should Answ have a sonne though it were above hope besides hope against hope yet he believes in hope so though thou hast hardly any hope yet above hope believe under hope and though thou art put besides all hope and art even ready to be at the brink of despaire yet through thy self upon God if I perish I perish go on in the ways of God and seek after the ways of Jesus Christ and rest upon him from day to day and strive to draw neerer to him to have communion with him and though thou beest put besides hope yet believe under hope Obj. Again it may be objected again if I have any faith it is such a weak Object faith that I can hardly perceive it is any at al God will never receive me surely Answ I answer it is not the strength of faith that justifies but it is faith Answ that justifies the plaister may heal the wound though the hand be weak that lays it on faith is the hand that lays hold on Christ and Christ is the plaister that is applied to the soul now though the hand be never so weak yet it will do the deed as well as a stronger so it was with the Father of the child that came to Christ he could hardly see he had any faith he could not simply deny he had faith but Lord saith he I believe help my unbelief he cried and spake with tears he saw such a deal of unbelief that the tears trickled down her cheeks Matthew 9. 24. yet notwithing that faith got mercy from Christ Mark what Christ saith Mat. 18. 10. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones if Christ will not have his little ones despised of men then certainly he will not despise them himselfe Object But you will say weak faith will save indeed but I question whether Object I have any faith or no therefore how can I lay hold and embrace this same mercy then Answ I answer though thou beest put to this at any time do as the Answ servants of God have done for it may be the case of the very servants of God yea of the best of Gods servants now you may see what they do in such a case how they run to God and pray to him Psalme 61. 2. When my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher then I. The Prophet Davids heart sometimes was overwhelmed but he now went to the rock Christ when I am in this case saith he lead me to the rock shew me Christ guide me to him set me upon him Object But then it may be objected I cannot pray if I could pray Object it were something but I can hardly pray I go to pray and when I am down upon my knees I can say nothing this may be the case of Gods choisest servants Romans 8. 26. Paul puts himself into the number We know not what to pray as we ought we know not what to speak as we should but yet God hath appointed his Spirit to help us in such a case though Hezekiah Esay 38. 14. could not speak a word but chatter like a Crane or Swallow and mourne as a dove yet he had experience that God heard him at that time So Psalme 77. 4. The Prophet there confesseth he was in this case that he could not pray I am so distressed saith he that I cannot speak he meanes to God and it seemes he found by experience that he could not pray nor tell how to poure out a request to God he was was even stopped and stifled in his prayer yet in the first verse he could speak it that God heard him for all this Well then here you see is the ground of the faith of any poore soul though he have not any assurance yet if he hath this faith to relie and rest upon God if the Gospel calls him and he comes at this gracious tender if he
in heaven and in earth and in hell to all the world to all eternity Though Israel be not gathered if you be obstinate and will have your sinnes take them and perish with them I shall never â—e your absence in heaven therefore Christ is at a point if you will have him here he is if you will not assure your selves you shall die in your sinnes except you beleeve in him you shall die in your sins COL 1. 23. If ye continue in the faith grounded and setled and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which ye have heard and which was preached to every creature under heaven whereof I Paul am made a Minister WE have spoken of a Christians call by the general indifferent propounding of the Gospel to every creature without exception now the effectualnesse of this call lieth here that the Lord doth put in a little hope into the soul though the man be one of Gods chosen he doth not presently give him faith but doth open a little door of hope to the soul First the Lord brings his Law to a man and layeth him dead in Law utterly undone past all hope of recovery in himself he is a lost creature a miserable wretched creature having no hold to stay upon but a fearful looking for of vengeance he seeth nothing but wrath now when God hath a minde to call a man home at the hearing of the Gospel of peace the Lord lets in a little hope into the soul whereby he doth draw the soul to seek out unto him and makes it look out with hope of salvation the soul seeth now that there is mercy in Christ and grace in Christ and eternal life in Christ and he seeth this is generally and freely tendred to all that will have it and out of these two branches of general faith spirings this hope now thinks the soul I may have it as well as another the dole is free the mercy is free and why may not I be saved why may not I finde mercy and forgiveness and be ingraffed into the Lord Jesus Christ before this the soul was groaping for hope if it could have told where to have had it as Acts 2. 37. they were there groaping where to have it Men and brethren say they what shall we do they do not say there is nothing to be done there is no hope but what shall we do as who should say there is something to be done some course to be taken you that are Ministers of God is there no way whereby we may be pardoned whereby we may be saved whereby we may have a new heart and the favour of God and be delivered from the wrath to come but when the Gospel comes they see now a possibility and this breeds this hope so that this is the next point That when God doth effectually call a soul by his Gospel at the hearing Doct. The general tender of mercy workes some hope in the soul of this gracious tender of eternal life and grace in Jesus Christ the Lord doth let in a possibility of mercy and every grace into the soule and this doth help the soul with hope and this doth make the soul to trace God in all his wayes and he hath some encouragement that God will be found of him and that he may attaine salvation this the first thing the Lord pâ—ts in hope attaining of it the Lord deales with his people in this kinde as he dealt with his people in delivering them out of Babylon Zech. 9. 12. they were prisoners in Babylon now when God would deliver them out of Babylon he did first put in hope into their souls he made them prisoners of hope there was first a pouring of hope into their souls and then he opened the prison doors So the Lord makes his people prisoners of hope that though they be in the captivity of sinne and Satan yet they are prisoners of hope and the Lord gives some hope that the prison doores shall be opened and this we have here in the text for though the Apostle means here by hope the things hoped for yet we call it hope because as soone as ever they dawn in the soul they breed hope if they be the servants of God so that this Gospel breeds hope in a mans bosom Now here be five things I would shew unto you First what this hope is Secondly how iâ— agreeth with that hope that follows justifying faith Thirdly how it disagrees with it Fourthly the Reasons of the point And fifthly the Uses For the first what this hope is and it is an hope that ariseth out of the 1. What is this hope faith of possibility when the Lord lets in a possibility of faith and makes the soul believe that his sinnes may be forgiven and he may attaine everlasting life and he may come to be a Saint and one of Gods dear and faithful children he lets in such a possibility into the heart and this hope slows out of this faith of possibility and this faith of possibility is another-gesse thing then people take it for every drunkard will say he beleeves that it is possible to be saved and to finde mercy with God but you will finde it is a greater matter then so it is spoken as a great commendation of Abraham that he did beleeve that God was able to raise up his sonne Isaac Heb. 11. 19. so our Saviour Christ speaking to the blinde man asks him this question do you believe that I am able to do this for you Mat. 9. 23. it was a great matter for him to believe that he was able to do this for him Sarah though an excellent woman for faith otherwise yet she stuck mightily here and thought it was impossible for her to have a childe nay Moses as faithful a man as he was he could not believe that all the people could be fed in the wildernesse it is a greater matter then you think for for every sinful wretch thinks it is an easie matter to believe that Christ died for sinners and that they may be saved it is an easie matter for the faith of presumption but if a mans eyes be opened and his conscience awakened and he comes to have a sight of his sins now Cain will say his sinnes are greater then can be forgiven and Jâ—das is not able to flie unto Christ to believe a possibility of pardon but goes and hangs himself and despairs totally of the businesse this faith of possibility it comes within the compasse of a definition of faith it is the evidence of thiâ—gs not seen it is far above our nature and flesh blood cannot reveal it that there is salvation in Christ and that there is such a thing as a pardon to be had at Gods hands let a man have his understanding enlightned to see what a wretch he is and how fearfully he hath provoked Gods wrath against him and â—t is not in his power to beleeve that
there is a possibility for him to finde mercy or any hope of pardon it cannot be attained to without the work of God a weak shelfe is able to hold when a man lays but a book upon it but if a man lay a great weight upon a weak shelf it will break under it so it is with the faith of men when there is no weight laid upon it the burthen of the Lord is not laid upon them then they may think it is an easie matter to have salvation and their sinnes pardoned but if this weight should be laid upon them their faith would burst unlesse the Lord should be pleased to put in a better faith then this it is not in a mans power to look beyond the power of justice for a man to beleeve that there is mercy in God contrary to the sentence of his own Law and contrary to the sense and feeling of a mans own soul and therefore when the Lord is pleased effectually to call a man though he lay a bleeding bleeding before in the sight and sense of his misery he opens a door of hope to the soul he lets in a light of possibility that he may yet come to be quickened and be a new creature and obtaine mercy at the hands of the Lord as the Lord dealt with his people Hos 2. 14. there saith the text I will give them the valley of Achor for the door of hope so when the Lord doth cast a man into the valley of Achor of stoning and astonishment then he opens a door of hope that he may look in and see at a crevis some hope for him to speed though yet I have an hard heart yet such a thing may be if I come to Christ I see God may afford mercy to whom he will and hath propounded it to every man that will have it therefore I may have mercy the Lord begins to stir and move the heart and now the soul begins to have a door of hope you see then what this hope is it is such a thing as flowes from the faith of possibility I do not say that it is a justifying faith but it is the forerunner of it to make way for it The second thing is how this hope agrees with that which proceeds 2. How it agrees with that which followes justifying faith 1. Both are of God from a justifying faith I answer it agrees in five things First both are of God all the hope a creature hath if it be a true hope it is of God therefore the Apostle saith the God of all hope c. Rom. 15. 13. God is the God of all hope I do not say that all hope absolutely is of God for the vaine hope of wicked men is of the Devil and is not of God but I speak of a true hope and courage that the soul gets to seek God in his wayes and fear him Secondly they are both wrought by the Gospel Rom. 15. 4. All things 2. Both are wrought by the Gospel were written for our learning saith the Apostle that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Thus it is with a believer though he hath nothing in present possession though he be persecuted and afflicted and forsaken in the world though he hath never so many miseries here below yet when he looks into the Scriptures and sees what promises God hath made he comes to have some hope it is thus with a man that is not yet a believer but is in the way to be a believer the Lord works with him this way though he see himself a miserable and wretched sinner and undone man cast off and there is no hope in himself yet when he looks into the Scriptures and sees what a gracious tender of mercy there is to any man that will have mercy it is not the wretchednesse of a mans heart that casts him off but the not coming to Christ and receiving of him that damnes him for the fountaine of mercy is open for every one that will receive Christ thus the Scripture gives hope Thirdly both set a man on work as suppose a man hath an hope that proceeds 3. Both set a man on work from justifying faith as he believes in Christ so this sets him a work 1 John 3. 3. He that hath this hope purifies himself as Christ is pure it makes him labour to be humble and meek and to be made partaker of the Spirit of Grace it makes him labour after the things that are above and to be sitted and disposed to every good work and to purge himself and cleanse his conscience more and more and so a man that hath not this justifying faith but hath only this branch of effectual calling begun in him he that hath this hope I now speak of it sets him a work to seek after Christ and to labour hard for the enjoying of him and to seek him in all his Ordinances in his manner though he cannot pray and performe duties as others do yet he will do it in that manner he is able Fourthly both are the anchor of the soul as it is with a believer though he 4. Both are the anchor of the soul Heb. 6. 19. be a godly believer and hath interest in Christ yet what with temptations from hell and his own heart he will be tossed to and fro were it not for this hope which is as an anchor to the soul so it is with a man that is not come thus far but is only under the same first branch though his tossings be fierce and his temptations be violent and his case be doubtful and full of hazard yet notwithstanding when this hope comes into the soul it doth marvelously stay the heart though it see nothing but hell and damnation and misery and his conscience is not purged and his life renewed and his soul sanctified and wrought upon in Jesus Christ though he sees there is no way but hell and damnation yet when this hope comes into the soul though he can see neither star-light nor Moon-light nor nothing it doth stay him much and prop him up much and doth encourage him to go on without dismay Neither of these two hopes shall make a man ashamed if a man hath 5. Neither of them shall make a man ashamed this true hope he shall never be ashamed Rom. 5. 4. Hope maketh not ashamed so it is with a man that is truly wrought upon the Lord never deceives him there is a working of grace for grace before grace it self comes into the soul which carries a man beyond a reprobate and this hope the soul hath will never let him be in this case that he shall need to be ashamed The third thing is this how this hope differs from that hope which proceeds 3. How this hope differs from that which followes justification 1 This ariseth out of the seeds of grace the other out of grace it self from justifying faith and
so leave it when they have no hope to go on they grow remiss and loose and carelesse in this kinde it makes a man desperate when this hope is gone therefore when the Lord hath a minde to do good to a man and encourage him to go on in the wayes of holinesse he puts some hope into the soul and when a man sees some hope then he will pray and fast and humble himself the Lord lets in this hope and so prepares a man for himself Thirdly because he will not do all at once but work upon a man by degrees 3. Because God will not do all at once the Lord could put faith into the soul at first but the Lord will first make a man a probationer of faith the Lord will first have the seed sowen and then quicken in the ground and then have a blade and then an eare and then harvest Again the Lord will so do it that he may be sought to for every mercy 4. That he may be sought to for every mercy and therefore first the Lord gives a man natural parts that he may come to Church and hear the Word and then the Lord knocks him down that he may be abased and then he shatters him all to pieces that he may look out for hope and then when he hath gotten hope the Lord makes him seek out for faith and when he hath gotten faith to seek out for other graces and when he hath them to seek for the accomplishment of them the Lord will be sought to for every thing and it is fit we should seek to him though the parent doth not engender the reasonable soul in the babe but God doth create it immediately yet none of us do count marriage superstuous so though God doth give this grace of faith only yet we are not to account the using of means in vain the Lord doth not power in humane wit into stocks and stones but into a body sitted and ordered for a reasonable soul so it is in respect of faith and grace the creature shall be first ordered and sitted for grace there must be preparation and a foregoing work it is his manner of working he will so work as he will still be sought unto of all his people though they have not faith if they have hope they shall seek to him for faith as it is with a Scholar if he will be a Scholar or Fellow of a Colledge he must sit for it so the Lord will have a man sit for it he will have a man sit at the pool of grace and seek to him for it before he shall have it This shews us the graciousness of our good God that when he takes us to Use 1. To shew the graciousnes of God do for our sins He remembers us when we are in our low estate for his mercy endures for ever Psal 136. 53. when we are at the brink of hell at the very bottome of destruction and in the belly of damnation when we know not which way to turne our selves then he remembers us for his mercy endures for ever thus the Lord deals with his people for their good as he opens the casement that his justice may look out upon us so he sets his mercy in the window that we may see it through the glasse that we may not be overwhelmed this is the goodness of God and were it not for this no man should be able to abide his look nor bear his displeasure when he breakes out upon a man this is the infinite goodness of our gracious God to deal thus favourably with his people therefore you that have gotten this hope know that the Lord night have held you down to this day and he had justly served you if he had done so therefore whosoever of you are in the briars do not repine and grumble because you are not refreshed as others are if you have but the least cranny of hope to hang upon make much of it it is more then God owes you how easily might the Lord teare the soul all in pieces when he comes to deal with a man when he shews a man his sins and abominations he might make them as heavy as rocks and mountaines unto him and break him all to powder it were just if he did so now when the Lord puts in this hope what a wonderful mercy is this When God told Hezekiah Behold thou shalt die he presently bade him take a lump of Figgs and healed the disease so what a mercy is this that God saith Thâ—â— shalt die thou art a damned creature and bids him presently take a plaisteâ— and so recovers him For comfort to all those that are the Lords though it be a poor faith a poor Use 2. Comfort for believers hope that flowes from possibility only yet I tell you that even believers may have need sometimes to have resort unto it for how often hath the Devil been let loose upon poor souls even those that are of God as sometimes he doth tempt them to presumption that so they may neglect their watch over themselves so it is his practice to drive us from one extreame to another and hurry us to despair and urge upon us that we have no faith we have no grace and are as sure to be damned as if we were in hell already David Psal 31. 22. seems to be out of all hope to be saved as if he were utterly undone the servants of light many of them have found this too too true how fearfully they have been perplexed and galled in minde seeking release but could finde none and pronouncing against themselves bitter things as if they had nothing of God in them the devil dazling their eyes that they cannot see and putting out of their minds all the sweet passages of the Gospel and preaching nothing but the terrible passages of the Law he that doubts is damned and he that wavers is like a wave of the sea and he urgeth them with every vain thought with every omission with every failing and every sin they have committed it is strange to see how some of Gods own people have reasoned against themselves as if all the devils logick were in them and all mercy were gone thus the devil sometimes deals with Gods people that they cannot tell where to hold they can see nothing to give any comfort or stay they are ready to let go all and give over all hope now what an excellent thing is this if a man have this hope that he may be never driven from God that there is eternal life and forgivenesse in him and all these things are attainable I tell you it is a great help to a man when he can say with the Church Joel 2. 13. Who can tell whether thâ— Lord will turn and leave a blessing behind him a man that hath but this hope in him it will never let him go off from God and be quite overcome by Satan so that though it
mans senses in opening a mans understanding a mans understanding is quite blinded and cannot see the things of God and though a man literally know all the cripture yet notwithstanding there is a veile upon his eyes and he doth not see the excellency and glory of it now when the Spirit of God comes and anoints a mans eyes and takes away the scales that they fall off from his eyes the man now begins with open face to see the glory of God and the glorious Gospel of God the natural man saw the Gospel to be a glorious thing yet the God of this world blinded his eyes that he could not see it in this glorious manner now when the Spirit of the Father comes to call a man effectually he doth anoint a mans eyes Esay 35. 5. The eyes of the blinde shall see he makes a man to see the wonders of Gods Law to see his gracious promises in Jesus Christ the freenesse of them the indifferency of them that they are propounded to every man that hath an heart to them and hungers and thirsts after them so that the Lord doth as it were say to the soul here are the promises here you see them beleeve in me this is the speech of the Father these are the promises this is the happinesse if you will embrace it you may be happy for ever now the world and profits and pieasures are not such a thing you may be damned for all them therefore come unto me and you shall have eternal happinesse thus the Spirit of the Father sheweth the soul the glory of the wayes of Jesus Christ and the glory of the promises here they are beleeve that is the first Secondly he opens the sense of hearing for as the minde of a man is stark blinde and cannot see the things of God so the heart of a man is stark dead and cannot hearken to God a man hath no ears by nature to hear God speak to him till the Lord comes and opens his ears as the Prophet speaks Esay 35. 5. The ears of the deaf shall hear when the Lord comes to open the ears of the deaf now the soul begins to hear before it was like the deafe adder that could not hear the voice of the charmer charme he never so wisely though he heard never so many Sermons he yet heard none his hearing was to no purpose in hearing he heard but perceived not but when the Lord comes and takes away the uncircumcision of the eare the soul now begins to heare and hearken to him now the stone begins to vanish out of the heart and flesh and feeling comes in the place thereof the soul is ready to say as Samuel Speak Lord thy servant heareth now the soul begins to hear a Sermon to hear a counsel to hear a threatning when the Lord begins to open the ear this is another thing whereby the soul is able to hear what the Lord saith Again this voice consists in taking away a mans lamnesse for as a man was 2. In taking away a mans lameness perverted and this was taken away by opening the ear yet now a man is lame and cannot come to Christ therefore the Lord takes away his lamenesse Esay 35. 5. The feet of the lame shall walk First he makes the soul walk and afterwards run and at last to flie as an Eagle First it walks you shall walk in my statutes and afterwards runnes and flies as an Eagle thus you see what this voice is Now there be two reasons why it is called a voice First because it is a Called a voice 1. Because it is joyned to the word thing joyned with the Word because it is all one together with the Word as Rom. 10. 17. Faith comes by hearing he doth not mean their onely outward hearing for faith will not come by outward hearing but he means the hearing of the outward ear and this hearing of the Father speaking to the heart and so faith comes Secondly because it hath a similitude of a voice the soul doth as it were 2 Because it hath a similitude of a voice hear a voice speaking to it not as though the acts you heard of even now can distinctly be known he doth them not vocally he doth not open the eyes and open the ear vocally but as the blind man said One thing I know that whereas I was blind now I see but how he came to see that he could not tell so when the Spirit comes and speaks to his heart a man can tell no more the way of the Spirit then he can tell how the wind blows or the fashioning of the bones in the womb what man can expresse the manner of Gods secret working could the Apostles see the breath of Christ breathed upon them when he said receive ye the holy Ghost no they could not the acts of the Spirit upon the soul cannot be discerned but as the blind man said once I was blinde but now I see so a man may say whereas I was deaf now I can hear the voice of God and happy is the man that can say this but the things cannot be discerned but at the same time when the Lord works these acts the soul doth as it were hear a speech mentally and spiritualy in the soul Esay 30 22. Thou shalt hear a voice behind thee saying this is the way walk in it so the Lord speaks to the soul this is the way and this is the promise and this is the Gospel of peace and this is the mercy that I offer unto thee beleeve it the Lord makes the soule as it were heare a voice the Lord speakes and the soul hears it is done after such a manner so effectually as if the Lord did speak to the heart I will allure her into the Wildernesse the Lord doth as it were entice a man thus and thus it shall be with thee if thou wilt follow me it is done after such a manner therefore it is called a voice The third thing is how we may know whether the soul hath heard this Quest How may we know whether that 〈◊〉 hath heard this voice Answ 1. There is a power goes along with this Word voice or no I answer first there is a power goeth along with the Word when this voice of the Father goeth with it there is a power put into the promises not only the Minister speaks them or the bare letter of the word utters them but when the Spirit speaks with them there is a power goeth along with them as John 6. 44. there is a power to draw the heart when the Lord calls a man when he speaks to a man he puts a power into the promise that it draws the heart of a man the truth the goodness the excellency freenesse attainableness of it the Lord puts a power into these things to draw the heart so that that man is drawn to look after heaven and come to God from day to day
Christ hath eternal life he that believes in Christ hath a present possession of that he believes in Christ for eternal Confidence in Christ for life and salvation is true justifying faith Arg. 1. From the several expressions of faith in Scripture â— Trusting life is his for the present he hath present justification and acceptance with God and hath a title to all good and all the mercies of the Covenant of grace Now we come to prove this that this confidence is a true justifying faith and the Arguments to prove it are these and the first is taken from the several expressions of faith in Scripture Psal 78. 22. it is called a trusting they believed not in God Why They trusted not in his salvation so that faith is a trusting in God when a man hath confidence in God and can fiducially leane upon God for all good things As Alexander trusted his Physician when his Physician gave him a Potion before he took it a friend of his wrote unto him do not take the Potion the man is set to poyson you if you take it you are a dead man he read the letter and then took the Potion and then gave the letter to the Physician and said I have trusted to your faithfulness and cast my self upon you if you have given me poyson you have killed me you see by the letter I have witness of it but I trust you and suppose you have not done it So faith is a trusting upon God when the soul resolves to follow God in all wayes and when the world and the flesh come in and object if you be so strict and follow these courses you will undo your self and be laughed at and loose your friends your very living depends upon such a course and you will be a begger and will never have any delight you are given to pleasure and laughter but all these must be gone farewell all carnal pleasure Well but the soul now believes in God God bids him come to him for comfort for friends for delight for pleasure for the satisfaction of all his desires and he shall want no manner of good he trusts upon this and he will never leave God never leave his wayes this is rooted in him and now he can go to God and say the Devil told me I should loose my friends and I should never have comfort never be able to live my flesh and my own heart said so but I have trusted thee and if friends go so farewell friends if means go so farewell them I am told so flesh and blood say so but I believe in thee is eternal life and in thee is all peace and happinesse and comfort and this is that which drawes me to thee and keeps me to thee and I rest upon thee for all good thus you see that faith must be an affiance in God because it is a trusting in God Secondly it is called a relying upon God as Asa when the Aethiopians and 2. Relying on God Lubims came against him the Scriptures shewes that he believed in God now mark how the Scripture expresseth his faith 2 Chro. 16. 8. Because thou didst relie upon the Lord therefore he delivered them into their hands May be the world might tell him what do you think to overcome these enemies with strictness and fasting and praying You had more need make a league with the King of Syria and take some other course but he relied upon God and if he failed him he failed him he would relie upon him and therefore faith must needs be an affiance in God Thirdly faith is called a staying upon God when a man stayes himself upon God Isa 50. 10. there faith is expressed by staying a mans self upon 3. Staying upon God God He that sitteth in darkness and seeth no light let him trust in the Lord and stay himself upon his God It is a similitude taken from a staffe and old man that dares not trust to his own legs but thinks I shall fall and get some mischiefe he takes a staffe and stayes himself upon it now is this all that he looks upon that he conceives the staffe is able to bear him so a man that hath no staffe knows that such a staffe is able to beare him that is not the thing but this man doth not only believe the staffe is able to beare him but he commits himself unto it and leanes upon it and if he falls he is content he laies the bulk of his body upon the staffe and dares leane upon it so it is with faith it is not only an assent to this that God is wise and omnipotent and gracious and an hearer of prayers and that he comforts them that mourne for sinne and satisfies them that hunger for righteousnesse he not only believes there is a Christ and salvation in him he not only assents to these things but he staies upon them and commits himself to them Fourthly it is expressed by a mans rolling himself upon God Psal 37. 5. 4. Rolling ones â—elâ— on God We translate the words Commit thy way unto the Lord but in the Originall it signifieth to roll a mans way upon God so Psal 22. 8. He trusted God would deliver him it is the same word is used here he rolled himself upon God this is a similitude taken from a Cart-wheele that rolls it self about the Axeltree and staies it self upon it and helps it self in its motion it could not move but for that and by vertue of that it moves to and fro So this is true faith not only when a man assents to the promises of God but rolls himself upon God moves his soul upon Christ and commits himself unto Christ in all his wayes Fifthly faith is expressed by adherence and sticking unto God Psal 119. 31. I have stuck unto thy Commandements Lord put me not unto confusion as who 5. Adhering unto God should say Lord here I hang here I hold here I will stick fast I will ever fear thee I will ever obey thee here I hang and hold and will keep my hold Lord put me not to confusion that is Lord I hope thou wilt do as thou hast spoken Lord let me not be confounded let me not be scoffed at in the world if I be put to shame I am confounded doth this man now only believe the promises in general No but he relieth upon these promises he dares go and take this Bear by the tooth and dares venter upon those harsh duties that are crosse to a mans will and seeme to have no good in them What because he assents to the promises that they are true No but because he is confident that the promises shall be performed So Deut. 4. 4. there saith Moses to the Israelites You that did cleave to the Lord your God you are all alive at this day as who should say though your brethren went away from God some to satisfie their lusts as in the matter of quailes
upon my friend that he will get me a pardon now if my friend send me a letter and send me a pardon under the Kings Seal now I know I have a pardon but my trusting my friend was nothing but my casting my self upon him and setling my self upon him I was confident in him Now when he sends down a token and a Seal under the Kings Majesties hand now I know the event that I have gotten a pardon So it is with a poore creature that is under condemnation and the wrath of God is gone out against him and the justice of God is threatned against him which way soever he looks he can see nothing but hell and damnation and the Gospel hath told him of a friend the Lord Jesus Christ he can help him to a pardon and he trusts to him the Law may be proceeds against him and fears and terrours and may be he is upon the ladder ready to be turned off yet he hangs upon Christ a pardon will come he trusts upon Christ he will not go to the world and to carnal company to pacifie his conscience a pardon will come he casts himself upon this and yet he is not certaine it will come he hath affiance in Christ that it will come now if it be so that whereas he believes in Christ for forgivenesse so Christ sends him a token there is peace of conscience for thee and joy in the Holy Ghost for thee and as he depends upon him for meanes and maintenance so Christ saith there is something for thee to live upon or patience to bear poverty as he believes he shall be accepted of God so here is a token thy prayers are heard Now he hath a token now he may know it Psal 22. 4. They trusted in God and they were delivered that is they trusted in thee and thou diddest send them a token now they knew they were delivered 't is true a man might know this though God should send him no token he might know that he is justified and pardoned and hath title to all the mercy in Christ he might know it without this but that for his own weaknesse and that by two things First by looking into the Word there he might find that he which trusts in Christ and commits himself to God shall be saved Another thing is to reflect upon himself there he shall find that he truly goeth out of himself and casts himself upon God then here he may know it he that believes in Christ shall be saved but I find that I believe in Christ therefore I shall be saved but this is not the act of faith but the knowing of it Fifthly it is not the truth of faith but the strength of faith that apprehends the event let a man believe in Christ and cast himself upon him in all his ways Arg. 5 Not the truth but strength of saith aprehends the event and follow him in all his Commandments this is faith be it never so weak and this doth intitle to justification and sanctification and salvation though it be never so weak yet while it is weak it cannot apprehend the event it will be much afraid in regard of that as suppose a man were learning to swimme he beleeves that if he could but spread his armes and legges the water would beare him up now when he begins to learne he commits himself to the water and spreads his armes and leggs but this is with much feare and misgiving and he sometimes sets one leg on the ground and he hath but little sense and feeling of the waters bearing him because he commits not himself to the water but the more and more he commits himself to the water the more he finds the water bears him and now he can fling away his bladders and swimme over the river he did believe before that the water would beare him but when he did commit himself to the water he had a great deal of feare and could not swim to any purpose but when he had learned the art then he committed himselfe to the water and then he could spread his armes and leggs and swimme So when a man comes first to believe in Christ he thinks I should be the happiest man in the world I should be in a better estate then Kings and Princes â—f I could believe and withal it makes him to believe in Christ and to deny himself and cast himself upon Christ plucks up both his feet and commits himself to the water and fling out himself upon Christ sink or swim yet at the first this is very weak and sometimes he doth it and sometimes he doth it not and sometimes he is feelling for this sometimes for that and somtimes he doth not pray well enough and is not humble enough this is nothing but trusting to himself may be a pleasure comes he cannot deny it he cannot commit himself to Christ the weakness of this is the reason why he cannot apprehend the event for a strong confidence in Christ carries all along with it it will reflect upon it self and gather all these things and be assured he will not only have confidence in Christ but also be confident for the having of those good things he believes in him for HEB. 11. 8 By faith Abraham being called to go out into a place which he should afterwards receive for an inheritance obeyed and he went out not knowing whither he went WE have spoken of Effectual Calling what a great mercy it is that God should vouchsafe this unto us and the abundance of benefits it brings to a man we have shewed how it is differenced from in-effectual Calling How a man may know whether he be effectually called yea or no and so we came to shew you how a man answers this call and he answers it only by faith and so we made a digresse to speak of faith what it is that it is an affiance in Christ not every affiance but a rooted affiance in Christ and now we come to take up the point again that it is only faith whereby a mans calling is made effectual when a man is first called out of darknesse into marvelous light out of the Kingdome of sinne into the Kingdome of God it is only faith that answers that call and so it is ever after whatsoever God cals a Christian to do or to leave undone it is faith that makes a man obey this call The Apostle in this Chapter doth set out many commendations of faith to exhort the Hebrewes and all Beleevers and all persons to the getting of it and to labour to have it grow in them and to make much of it as being a most excellent Grace of God and he commends faith two wayes First by the description of it in the first verse Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen a Believer hopes for great matters though he seeth not any of them may be he is yet a poore miserable contemptible
another and that is this as faith tyeth the heart to 3. Because faith gleweth the heart to the Commandements as well as to the promiâ—es the promises so it glueth the heart to the Commandements these go together and when faith reacheth forth the hand to the one it reacheth forth the hand to the other they are tyed with bonds of adamant that cannot be severed Psalme 119. 56. When faith will go to God in vertue of a promise to do this or that for him he reacheth forth the hand to the Commandements too I am the Lord thy God thou shalt have no other Gods but me As who should say if you will look upon me as your God by faith then look that you have no other gods but me look that you honour me in all my wayes and stoop to me and obey my Word as the Lord propounded the one so he set before them the other a man forgets that God is his God by faith if he keeps not his Commandements beware saith Moses least thou forget the Lord thy God in not keeping his Commandements How can a man believe in God when he forgets that which he should believe When a man forgets to be subject to God and to give up himself in all his wayes The Promises and Commandements are tyed together with bonds of adamant and no man can pull them asunder as it is with sinne and the threatnings if a man go on in sinne he shall be sure to have the threatnings light upon him they are bound together by bonds of adamant and everlasting coards let a man do what he can if he howle and roare to God to take away his plagues to take away Hell fire and damnation if he go on in sinne it will never be they hang together in an everlasting truth The way of the wicked shall perish and if a man soweth iniquity he shall reap misery saith the Wiseman As a man soweth so he shall reap do not deceive your selves We are marvelous apt to reason as Eve did to put in perhaps perhaps you shall dye Nay assuredly we shall dye if we go on in sinne and will not live that life which God hath set before us the life of faith the life of God the life of Heaven the life of true Holinesse and righteousnesse if we will not submit to this and give up our selves to be brought under it we shall assuredly perish never did any man live and goe on in sinne but he dyed in perdition Never any man lived a wicked and ungodly life but had a wicked wretched and damned death if a man do go on in sinne he shall be sure to have the threatnings of God light upon him he cannot avoyde them so it is on the other side the Promises and the Commandements go together and if a man do observe the Commandements ' of God by a true and lively faith he shall assuredly have the promises and if he reject the Commandements or be unâ—ound in the doing of them he cannot have the Promises if he have the one he must have the other he can never make a faithful Plea for Peace for Pardon for Heaven or any thing that God hath promised that bindes not himselfe over to God to do his will in every thing Nay the strength of Faith puts forth it selfe in as strong an act towards the Commandements as towards the Promises and if there be any difference it is on the Promises side for the Promises are more supernatural then the Commandements for they were once written in the heart therefore the Commandements are not so supernatural a man was once acquainted with them but the Promises of Mercy and Pardon and Redemption are more supernatural and we see this in poore weak beleevers that go on and are enabled to make good conscience of their wayes and to be very carefull of sinning against God and walk in very good strictnesse diligence and circumspection and yet have much ado to apply the Promises and appropriate them to themselves I say broken-hearted people that are weak in faith in regard of personall confidence may yet notwithstanding be very strong in the doing of the Commandements of God The reason is because obedience flows from a direct act of faith and this bearing a man upon the Promises from a reflect act of faith it flowes from a consciousnesse of obedience when a man is conscious that he is sincere then and never before can a man have confidence that the Promises are sealed to him this is a reflect act of faith but it is a direct act that makes a man obey Gods Commandements so that faith must needs work obedience for if there be this blessed couple propounded to the soule in the Gospel together with the Commandements Faith looking on both takes one as well as the other Fourthly there is another close couple that faith looks upon and that is as upon a Title to the Kingdome of Heaven so also to a fitnesse 4. Because faith looks to a fitnesse for heaven as well as a title to heaven for the Kingdome of Heaven and one is as needfull as the other as things without which a man cannot enter into the Kingdome of God Now Faith as it helps a man to a title to Glory so it helps a man more and more with fitnesse because it seeth it cannot be otherwise When David had committed his two fowle sinnes of murther and adultery though he had not lost his title to the Kingdome of Heaven yet he could not enter into it he could not have actual possession of it Why Because he was unfit Heb. 12. 14. Without holinesse a man cannot see God though a man hath all the titles in the world though he be elected to it before all worlds yet till he is made fit for it he cannot enter into it flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God as the Apostle Peter speakes it is an inheritance holy and undefiled and a man must be holy before he can be made partaker of it Joseph must shave himself before he come before Pharaoh Ahasuerus women must be prepared and purified with spices and odours and mirrhe Hest 2. 11. And then they came before the King when they were prepared and adorned and made sweet and persumed So a man must first be prepared and fitted for the Kingdom of heaven or else there is no admission into it heaven is too fine a place for adulterers and drunkards c. As soone as ever the Angels of heaven though glorious creatures began to sinne against God God thrust them out of heaven they left their habitation it was too fine for them and do you think the Lord will admit the Devill into heaven againe in his members what a thing is it when every drunkard and profane person shall think himself meet company for the blessed trinity it cannot be God will never take such foule loathsome creatures into fellowship and Communion with him they are too neare
him already in the world and therefore he will fling them out of his presence into Hell in Heaven is nothing but beatifical vision viewing of God and delighting in God and not thinking a thought but of God and therefore no roome for those that are empty of grace and not fitted and prepared for it now faith knowes this and believes this and therefore as it layeth hold on Christ for title so it never leaves till it hath gotten fitnesse from Christ as the Apostle speakes Col. 1. 12. Giving thanks unto the Father who hath made us meet c. God makes all meet for Heaven that he brings thither and till they are so they cannot be admitted thither if a man will go to heaven he must be a vessel of honour 2 Tim. 2. 21. Therefore Faith purifies a mans heart pares off a mans flesh weanes a man from the world and knocks off a mans cursed corruptions more and more and pulls downe a man before God makes a man stoop to Gods Covenant and to be holâ— and righteous as he is it knows unlesse he be made fit for Gods Kingdome he can never come there we should look to this and it should make us feare and tremble and look to our selves for unlesse we be fit for the Kingdome of Heaven we shall never have abode there John 3. 3. Except a man be borne againe c. That is except a man be made meet for the Kingdome of God he cannot come into it Except he have Heavens frame and disposition and Heavens conversation except his conversation be in Heaven here he can never come there and this is the reason we are so often called upon to be godly in Christ Jesus to walk in purenesse and holinesse of living because no uncleane thing shall enter into the heavenly Jerusalem without are Dogges the Lord counts them Doggs that shall never enjoy his presence this is another reason why Faith workes obedience because if he will have Title to the Kingdome of Heaven he must look to be fitted for the same Fifthly because Faith is eminently all that a man is to do it is the whole work of a Christian John 6. 29. This is the work of 5. Because faith is eminently all that a man is to do God c. That is this is eminently all the workes of God But is there no work but this Yes there are many other works but this is the work of God that ye believe because this is eminently all that God looks for as the Apostle speaks 1 John 3 22. This is his Commandement that ye believe c. Is there no other Commandement but this is this all we must do and no more No but this is eminently the Commandement there are other Commandements but all are included in this of beleeving so faith is eminently all graces all other graces are but the daughters and brood of faith they grow out of faith as out of the spring and root so that do this and do all do but beleeve in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and what wilt thou not do it will make thee give over thy sinnes and be humbled and mortified it will make thee give over vaine company and delight in all goodnesse make thee zealous and servent and teach thee how to pray and be thankfull to God it will fill thy mouth with laughter and thy tongue with joy it will make thee do any thing if thou believe Acts 16. 31. As who should say believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and this will make thee do all there will be nothing left as Christ saith If thou believe all things are possible So I may say if thou believe all things will be done and thou wilt stick at nothing be backward in nothing but wilt be brought to obey God in every thing it is like the turning of the Cock if the Cock be turned the water will flow forth so if a mans heart be opened by faith all the heart runnes to God a Wind-mill if the Sailes go the stones and all go so if â—aith be once working and operating all the soul is turning it self towards God though never so Heavy and Carnal and Vaine and Earthly before yet now all is going in the wayes of God As the Mother of Christ said to the servants of the marriage Whatsoever he â—ids you do do it So faith saith thus to all the soul look whatsoever Christ John 2. commands look you do it minde those things he bids you minde affect that he affects retaine that he bids you remember it is like Abner that brought all Israel to be the servants of David so faith when it comes into the foul it brings all the faculties of the soul of the whole man to be subject to the Lord Jesus Christ thus you see that faith works obedience in a man The first Use is this to answer a demand that will arise out of the hearts of people when they heare that Faith makes a man to obey Quest. How doth it make a man obey Answ I answer by setting before a man the corruptions of his owne heart and what woeful stubbornenesse is in the same it makes a man see those innumerable corruptions in the soul and how deeply they have eaten into the soul it makes a man see what a loathsome creature he is and what a deal of rebellion there is in his will and minde and thoughts and affections and what oppositions there are against the doing of Gods Holy Will he seeth that if he will obey God what little help he shall have from himself from his own will his own reason his own parts his own nature though he had never so good a nature Nay how he shall be hindered and hampered and opposed by himself faith lets him see this and so pulls him down before God to abhor himself in dust and ashes it was thus in Paul Rom. 7. 24. O miserable man c. It made him finde this that he could not do the good he would thus faith empties a man of himself and makes him to renounce himself and makes him not to stand upon his own feeet never to stand alone never to go about any thing but with the help of Christ it makes a man see what a damned will he hath what a damned reason he hath what a damned heart and disposition he hath O! saith he here is Wisdome indeed here is a disposition indeed I will never be ruled by this disposition and he looks upon himself as an undone creature if he followes his own desires here be desires indeed and thoughts indeed and here is an horrible frame and this makes him renounce himself and thus faith works obedience in a man by driving of him out of himself and dividing a mans self from himself that he will not be led by his own thoughts nor carried by his owne imaginations it seeth ' Hell in all these and that he can do nothing without Christ live in
his heart by faith without faith you can do nothing saith Christ and faith tells a man this it makes him know what a wretched creature he is and what a damned nature he carries about with him and that he must not follow and please and give satisfaction to that at any time Now a natural man may see his insufficiency of himself and the vilenesse of his nature but conscience only shewes him this but because he hath not faith it doth not humble him and put him down but he will follow his own thoughts and go after his own reason for all this he hath not true and saving faith to reveal these things in power to him but when faith comes into the soul it doth it to the purpose it makes a man not to be a little affected with his sinnes but â—oundly affected and makes him see that he is undone for ever if he go on in that course he was wont to do and thus faith working in this fashion delivers a man over to Christ by taking a man off from that which was his Pilate and guide before and making him to be guided by Christ Secondly Faith works obedience by carrying a man to God it 2. By carrying a man to God makes a man seek to God how to obey Teach me O Lord to do thy will Psal 143. 10. Faith carried him to God so faith doth wheresoever it is it brings a man to God that God would be pleased to strengthen our apprehension that so we may look upon his will and to fortifie our understandings that we may conceive of all his wayes with a Divine and heavenly understanding and to fortifie our wills that the feeblenesse of them towards God may be removed it crieth to God from day to day that he may not do as he hath done nor live as he hath done faith wheresoever it is drives the soul to God and to lie at him from day to day to guide him and teach him and instruct him and shew him his wayes and reveal unto him his Statutes as David Psalme 119. 35 36. Incline my heart to thy Testimonies and not to Covetousnesse As who should say Lord here is my heart will and whole man I beseech thee make me walk in thy wayes I am very loath and untoward I beseech thee put some strength into this will of mine when I go to thy Word let me heare it with trembling when I go to prayer let me go to it with an heavenly minde encline my heart this way and make it stand bent this way 't is true when naturall men are convinced that all strength is from God they pray too but this is not faith in prayer but faith makes the soul that it cannot be quiet but it must obey and stoop to him in all his wayes Thirdly Faith works obedience by making a man improve all the abilities that God hath given him already and this is the best way to 3. By making a man improve all his abilities encrease them Matth. 13. 12. When a man hath grace hath a Talent and makes use of it and hath it to some purpose and layeth it forth that man shall encrease his Talent and abound God will give him more now as faith works obedience by shewing a man his own wretchednesse that he must not yield to his own desires and be carried by his own vaine imaginations that for his part would conclude such a course is lawful and why not Though God saith the contrary faith makes him consider that and so drives him to God and so also it makes him go and improve those gifts and parts and strength that God hath given him already that he may lay it forth and use it to the uttermost as if a man be haunted and baited by any lust deadnesse security coldnesse in duty or some other lust Now Faith when it would make a man obedient to God to crucifie these lusts it makes a man look out to see what power God hath given him what abilities God hath lent what helps and furtherances God hath reached out unto him and he takes all to fight against that lust hath he understanding that he employes to think of the evill of the sinne to consider of the danger of the sinne how he may avoyde it and what course he may take to overcome it if God hath given him a memory he layeth it forth to remember and recollect such things as he hath heard and hath been told of he layeth all his Talents forth that ever he can to master that lust and so works obedience as faith drives a man to God for help so look what help God lends and what Talent God puts into his hand he layeth all forth for the working of obedience he will not let any one lye idle but will employ all to help him forward in obedience Fourthly Faith doth work obedience by making a man to relie upon Christ it doth look unto an union with Christ it doth make 4. By making a man relie on Christ a man to cast himselfe upon Christ for power against his sinnes it doth extract vigour from Christ against corruption it doth distill and draw down graces from him faith is the pipe whereby grace is conveyed from Christ to the soul and faith opens the passages of this pipe that it may descend down to the heart from the Lord Jesus Christ faith is a marvelous excellent thing it doth extract efficacy and validity and power from the life and death of the Lord Jesus Christ for the crucifying of the flesh for the mortifying of the deeds of the body and thus it changeth the heart and brings willingnesse to every duty by doing thus I say faith goeth to Christ and casts it self upon him for all things it wants for the performance of all good courses and wayes Thus David got power against his carnal â—eare when he was afraid of Saul on one side and the Philistins on the other side how doth he fence himself against this Psalme 56. 4. I put my trust in God and therefore need not feare what man can do unto me and so faith was able to root out his feares So it was with the remnant of Israel Zeph. 3. 13. They shall do no iniquity you will say how can that be Can flesh and blood do that As long as a man is flesh and blood he will be doing some iniquity or other how shall a man be able to do no iniquity and let no iniquity have dominion over him it goeth before in the twelfe verse They trust in God They trust in God and so shall 〈◊〉 iniquity When a man doth trust in God and hath faith to relie upon him aâ—d distill down power and strength from Christ this will help him to do no iniquity and help him to oppose himself against all his corruptions and fight against the strength of all his lusts as the Apostle saith Rom. 3. 13. let us therefore cast off the workes
Now for the meaning of the Second word I dyed that is I saw I was a dead man I saw plainly and clearly that I was but a dead man I thought I was alive before because I did good duties and walked in the Ordinances of God and I thought that I might go for a Christian and Servant of God as well as another I did not think I was a dead man I thought I had some goodnesse in me some hope of eternal life in me I did not conclude that I was a dead man But when the Law of God humbled me and discovered my estate plainly unto me then I saw I was a dead man indeed my heart failed me and the livelyness that was in me before departed from me I saw I was a dead man and had not the Spirit of Christ come and quickned me I had been a dead man to all eternity I now saw that sin began to revive in me and I began to be a dead man Thus we see the meaning of the words Now the Theame I propounded to you was this namely how the Lord converts the will and the first work that prepares a man hereunto is the work of pulling down the vvill and the pulling down of a mans heart for the will of a man is full of obstinacy full of livelinesse against the truth and commandment of God full of livelinesse in sin and conceives it self to be in a better estate and condition and so the will is obstinate still Now when it pleaseth God to convert a man first he pulls down the will of a man and pulls down his spirit now here is a Doctrine to make way for this Namely That when the Lord takes a man in hand to pull him down to pull down his will he doth shew him what a dead Creature he is The Obser Lord by pronouncing a man in his own Bosom a dead man a damned man one that can no way help himself he is dead absolutely dead in his own estate and in Gods account all his hopes are rotten he is meerly a dead damned man hereby the Lord pulls down his Will We may see this in Paul before his Conversion his Will was full of Obstinacy and Rebellion against God he would go and make havock of the Church he would not submit to the Will of God but when the Lord came to work upon him Saul Saul Why persecutest thou me It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks What wilt thou that I shall do Lord saith he Act. 9. 6 Now his Will is come down but mark how the Lord puts him off Go to such a place saith he and there it shall be told thee what thou shalt do The Lord puts him off and would not give him an Answer presently what he should do as who should say Thou hast as yet an obstinate Will thou wilt not do as I command thee I will not tell thee as yet what I will have thee to do but go to such a place and I will Arrest thee there and charge my Law upon thy Conscience and shew thee thy dead and damned estate And now his Will is come down he bids him be Baptized and he was so he bids him go and Preach the Gospel and he did so now his Will is come down So the Prodigal his Heart was marvellous Obstinate against his Fathers commandment he would be gone from his Father he could not abide to stay in a house where there were such strict courses he would have his Goods and Patrimony in his own hand as it is the Property of every carnal man he would have his Inheritance in his own hand he would have Power and Strength and Ability and these Gifts and Parts in his own hand but when he is humbled by the Law he is content to have all in Gods hand he is content to have all his VVisdom there that he may come thither for it he is content to have all his Righteousnesse there and all his Ability Strength and Sufficiency there that he may come thither for it all is there and he sees himself a beggar if he comes not to God and keeps close to God and keeps fast to his Covenant he is a very beggar But this man would have all in his own hands and go and squander away all upon his Lusts and Pleasures and he would not stay at home with his Father Now when the Law of God came home to him to shew this man to himself when he came to himself as the Text saith his Father did esteem him a dead man before but when he came to himself and saw he was a dead man for going away from his Father the Father of Life Novv his VVill is come dovvn I will go to my Father and say Father I have sinned against Heaven and against thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son make me as one of thy hired servants Luke 15. 17. Here his VViâ—l is come dovvn he vvould be gone from his Father before he could not abide to be held in so strictly he vvould fain be gone and be at liberty he had no mind to stay in his Fathers house But vvhen he came to himself vvhen the Lavv shevved him he vvas but a dead man for going from his Father and going after his Lusts and Pleasures novv his VVill is brought dovvn and it submits and yields and novv he vvill go to his Father and humble himself before his Father and say Father I have sinned against heaven and against thee c. Novv I desire here to shevv you Three things as I did in the former Point First VVherein this deadnesse consists Secondly VVhat be the effects of this deadnesse and how it pulls down the heart And. Thirdly The Uses we are to make of it 1. For the First Wherein this deadnesse consists and it consists in Three things First In deadnesse in being Secondly In deadnesse in Gods account Thirdly In deadnesse to all doing 1. First It consists in deadnesse in being When the law comes it shews a man indeed to be a dead man 2 Cor. 3. 6. the Letter killeth saith the Apostle the very letter of the law without the Spirit of life which Christ doth inform it with when he comes to work upon his children The letter alone without the Spirit of God kills a man now when a man is killed he is a dead man he is then fully dead he hath the very being of a dead man he is a dead man that is his Estate and Condition So when the law of God comes â—ome to a man it shews him indeed that he is a dead man The property of the law when it is let in to work upon the heart is to slay a man I have slain them by the words of my mouth Hos 6. 5. The law which proceeds from Gods mouth is able to slay a poor sinner and kill him at the heart and lay him for dead before Almighty God that he can
That is the First thing 2. Secondly He that is legally dead made dead only by the law he is deaf to the Gospel but when a man is evangelically dead it boars his ears and makes him hear the voice of the Word and not only so but the voice of Christ in the Word Isa 55. 3. Incline your ears and come unto me hear and your soul shall live He calls those that were evangelically dead Hear and your soul shall live they are made able to hear Let their profits and old courses and old companions come and tempt them to walk as they have done they are deaf of that ear they cannot go that way to work no now their ears are open heaven-wards seek the Lord and you shall live Amos 5. 6. They are made to seek the Lord thus much life they have though they are more dead in regard of their own misery then one that is dead by the law yet thus much life they have put into them that they will go and seek unto God in the use of the means and follow him up and down and nothing will satisfy the heart but Christ they leave no stone unroled they seek up and down every where 3. Thirdly He that is legally dead it is a kind of death to love but he that is evangelically dead it is a death of love when the Church in the Canticles was but sensible of the countenance of Christ she was presently sick of love I charge you O ye daughters of Jerusalem if ye find my welbeloved tell him that I am sick of love Cant. 5. There is a great deal of difference between sicknesse and death death is a total privation of life sicknesse is but a partial privation now when the Gospel hath wrought upon a man that he hath some of Christ and is not deprived of all that privation makes him sick of love but when the Gospel makes a man see he is dead and altogether deprived of Christ now he is dead of love when a man is legally dead this is his death that he is damned and must go to hell this is his death that he hath no mercy not that he hath not grace and holiness and Christ but if a man be evangelically dead this is his death that he hath not Christ The Use is this If there be any that the law hath made dead rest not Vse there but labour that the Gospel may make you dead also when thou art humbled by the law thou mayest think that mercy is prepared for thee but thy lusts may recover again and that damned life that is in thee may recover again therefore labour to be more deaded by the Gospel that thou mayest have a total death begun in thee that thou mayest have thy deaths wound given thee deep not only to be in a swound but to be dead indeed Joh. 11. Christ staid four dayes after Lazarus was dead before he would raise him because he would have him irrecoverably dead before he would raise him Lord saith Martha he stinketh fâ—r he hath been dead four dayes vers 39. If he had raised him sooner his glory had not been so great so thou must labour to be dead in deed and to be buried and to be loathsome and abominable and then Christ will quicken thee It is certain that Gods Children have some of this death wrought in them before they are quickned at all for death is before quickning in order of nature there must be a corruption of one thing before there can be a generation of another there must be a privation of one form before there can be an introduction of another A child of God must be dead before he can be quickned Now then if he will have more life he must labour to be dead more and more now thou must labour to have this death truly begun to be wrought in thee thou must labour to have the love of this world and self-conceitednesse altogether dead in thee Hos 6. 2. After two dayes will he revive us and the third day will he raise us up and we shall live in his sight A man may be alive though he have been seemingly dead twenty four hours therefore it is a good custom among us to keep men near two dayes before we bury them that we may be sure they are throughly dead for there are many have been buried alive so after two dayes he will revive us and the third day he will raise us up when a man is dead indeed and hath his liveliness throughly killed in him then God will revive him if he should revive him before his glory would not be so great if he should revive him before he were quite dead when Ahab humbled himself and put on sackcloth and went softly a man would have thought he had been dead but in the next Chapter 1 King 2â— we may see he is alive again So Ananias and Sapphira one would have thought their covetousnesse had been dead whether they were any Acts 5. of the three thousand that were pricked at Peters Sermon I dispute not but they were pricked and made sensible of their damned estate and pretended to lay down all at the Apostles feet one would have thought their covetousness had been dead but yet it was alive therefore labour that the Gospel may make thee throughly dead THE SPIRITUAL WATCH 2 Tim. 4. 5. Watch thou in all things IN the verses going before we have 1. The charge that the Apostle gives to Timothy ver 1. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ that shall judge the quick and the dead There are many duties we are loath to come unto and are tempted from so that we have need of all strong cords to draw us to them 2. We have the thing he gives him this charge for and that is ver 2. Preach the Word in season and out of season c. which duty strongly lyeth upon the Ministers of the Gospel to hold forth the Word of God to edifie and convert mens souls 3. Here is the reason why he gives him this charge and that is in the third and fourth verses For the time will come when they will not endure sound Doctrine c. The more danger there is among people the more instant should Ministers be to preach the Word unto the conscience Now in the verse I have read unto you the Apostle perswades Timâ—thy to watchfulnesse as who should say Though others be careless and negligent yet I would have thee to be watchful consider thou art a Watchman Every Christian is to watch over his own wayes and those that are committed to his charge but Ministers are watchmen over their people therefore here is a double reason to move him to watchfulness both in regard of his own soul and the people he was set over Mark 13. 37. our Saviour saith What I say to you I say to all Watch. And what Paul saith here to Timothy I may say to
is all that are born of God they are brought forth in the day of Gods power in the day wherein God is pleased to put forth his power in them therefore they are called the seed of Christ Isa 53. 10. They are his seed but unless he begets them by his Spirit they can never be so Therefore if we consider the greatness of the work it sheweth plainly it must needs be the effect of the Will of God and his good Pleasure towards man and therefore must be wrought by the Spirit Secondly Another Reason is Because it is not a work of this world It No other agent can do it is a work of another world it is none of the creatures of this life it is beyond the sphere of the activity of any natural agent they cannot reach it Joh. 1. 13. Which were born not of the will of the flesh nor of bloud c. It is not of mans Will he cannot so much as Will it or Desire it effectually he cannot wish it truly nay his heart had rather have the world nay saith he It is not of the Will of the Flesh that is a man may go and beget another Child in the world because it is of the Will of the Flesh it is in the power of the Will of the Flesh Gods power going along with him but this is not so whatsoever a man be though he hath never so many excellent parts it is not in the Will of the Flesh to do it Then again it is not of Bloud it is no terrene or earthly thing this new creature is otherwise made than any new creature in the world besides therefore he concludes it is only born of God it is God only that is the great Author of this great work it descends down meerly from above Thirdly Because it is so far from being wrought by any power Man is totally against it of himself in man or any counsel in man or any endeavours in man it is so far from that as that a man is totally against it A man is an enemy unto it a man hath reluctancy and repugnancy against it he would not be regenerate when a man doth think he desires heaven and to be regenerated of God he doth apprehend Regeneration in a wrong way and heaven in a wrong way so as he apprehends it he doth Will it he thinks of heaven as of a fine place and a place full of pleasure and therefore desires it but that he should alwayes be with God that he should alwayes be praysing and thinking of God and minding of God and have his heart weaned from all other things and set it on God this is heaven but he hates these things and so hates heaven so he Wills that which he apprehends to be Regeneration but Regeneration is when a man hath a new heart and when he is a new-man he was wordly before but he is now brought to be spiritual he was proud before but he is now come to be humble but the heart cannot abide this therefore let the Lord fling in abundance of throws into a natural mans heart to begin some preparatory work this way to make a man begin to look out towards heaven he flings all away he is weary of them quickly as a man at a Sermon perhaps may have throws concerning the new Birth but the corruption of his heart will throw all way he cannot endure them they are contrary to the corruption of a mans nature nay when God comes to work upon his own people what a deal of pleading is there with the world the flesh and the Divel that they may not be cast out Therefore when Peter saw that through the grace and power of God this work was wrought in those he wrote unto 1 Pet. 1. 3. Mark how he speaks Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead He lifts up his hands to heaven and blesseth God that ever this work was wrought he saw so much adoe and such a stir and such a deal of opposition this is a plain sign that it is not of man it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God which sheweth mercy Rom. 9. 16. Neither can man Will neither can he run neither go nor stir towards it nay though God make him go how apt is â—e to laggar in the way and draw back again So you see the Fourth Thing Why it must needs be the Spirits Work The Fifth Thing is How the Spirit of God works this Work It is after How the Spirit worketh Regeneration an unspeakable manner Who can declare the noble acts of the Lord The works of God in Nature are marvellous David himself when he looked upon his natural Birth the Conception of him in the Womb of his Mother he wondered at it Psal 139. 14. That was a wonderful work how much more is this unspeakable and unutterable As it is said of our Saviour Christ Who can declare his generations So may I say in a lower sense of this Work Who can declare this Regeneration of his people But yet thus far the Scripture doth authorize and warrant us to go First That he doth it by the word of Life By the Gospel of Salvation by the Preaching of it or otherwise according as he pleaseth that is the By the Word of Life immortal seed 1 Pet. 1. 23. Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God c. And as Paul saith to the Coriâ—thians Though you have ten thousand and instructers yet you have not many Fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel 1 Cor. 4. 15. As who should say You are begotten and born again and you are born again by the Word and I was an instrument under God of your new Birth by the Word which I have Preached among you and therefore 1 Tim. 1. 2. he calls Timothy His own Son So Tit. 1. 4. he calls him His Son in the Faith that is he was an instrumental Father under God by the Doctrine of Faith to bring him to be a Child of God So that I say it is done by the Word Of his own Will hath he begotten 〈◊〉 by the Word of truth Jam. 1. 18. The Spirit of the Lord sanctifies the Word when he is pleased to convert a man the Word shall shew him what a miserable creature he is by nature it sheweth him that flesh and bloud cannot enter into the kingdom of God it sheweth him that he is utterly forlorn in himself and past all recovery and shews him where life is to be had namely in Jesus Christ discovering his worth and excellency and necessity and that all Grace and good is in him and shews him the freedom of this gracious offer Thus the Spirit of God when he
coming of the Son of man there is not a jot of Ceremony in the fourth Commandment The First Reason is Because God did institute the Sabbath before there Reas 1 was any room for Ceremonies it was commanded to Adam in his Innocency Now all Ceremonies did prefigure Christ and before Adam fell there was no Promise of the Seed of the Woman nor no need of it and so no need of a Figure to represent it but before Adam fell the Sabbath was prescribed Gen. 2. 2 3. On the seventh day God rested from all that he had made so that God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it So that you see God having rested upon this day he sanctified it and put holiness upon it therefore we are not to name that Common which he hath named Holy now though we do not read of Adams keeping this day nor Abels nor Enochs nor Noahs nor Abrahams nor Isaacs nor Jacobs yet it doth not follow it was not kept for Moses doth not take in hand to set down the actions of the Fathers but only generally for you see what a short story we have of Methashelah a good man though he lived a thousand years almost yet we have scarce Three Syllables concerning him Now sith Moses did not undertake to set down all that they did therefore they might keep the Sabbath though he did not set it down neither afterwards doth he set it down for 319. years and 111. years which 430. years to the time of the Judges we have nothing spoken of concerning the Sabbath therefore seeing God did Institute it to Adam in his Innocency that is enough but what though the Fathers had not kept it holy doth it therefore follow that we must not keep it holy They had many wives doth it therefore follow that we must have many wives So suppose they did not sanctifie the seventh day though wee can see no proof that they did not yet this is enough That God did sanctifie it before any Ceremony was Again Though we do not read that they practised this yet the Scripture doth intimate to us that they did it The Second Argument to prove this is out of Exod. 16. 23. before the Reas 2 Law was delivered upon Mount Sinai before the Commandment was spoken from Horeb yet you may see that the Sabbath is spoken of and the Lord doth finde fault with Israel for not keeping of it which intimateth it was a day they well knew and the Lord saith afterwards to Moses How long will ye refuse to keep my Laws and Statutes As in vers 28. the Lord there speaks of a Sabbath as a day well known unto them that it was commanded to be sanctified by them and this was before the delivering of the Ceremonial Law therefore it is not a ceremonial Law but a positive Law equipollent with the moral Law A Third Reason is Because it was written by the singer of God in Tabels Reas 3 of stone and put into the Ark Exod. 31. 18. and Deut. 10. â— the Commandments were written upon Two tables of stone and by the finger of God Now all Divines in all ages agree upon this that the writing of this Commandment in the Two tables of stone is an evident Argument of the morality of it For as a Reverend Divine saith Not to think the Fourth Commandment to be moral is the way to all Atheisme for if one should say the Fourth Commandment is not moral but ceremonial another might step up the next year and say the Second and the Fifth is not So that whereas the Law is written by the finger of God in tables of stone if we root it out of the tables of stone we shall root it out of the heart of man therefore the writing of it in the tables of stone is an evident Argument of the morality of it to all ages A Fourth Argument is this The Lord doth urge this Commandment Reas 4 more then any other Commandment in the Decalogue so that a man may question the First or Second or any of the Ten as well as this for first we know that God hath made this Commandment larger then any of the rest Secondly hee hath made it stronger and urged it with more arguments then any of the rest 3. He hath fixed a memento remember before it As who should say Be carefull of this and take heed of forgetting it take heed of those that shall teach you the contrary that this Commandment is not morall 4. It is negatively delivered and affirmatively the other delivered only one way either affirmatively only as the Fifth Honour thy Father and Mother or else negatively only as all the rest There is never a Commandment delivered both negatively and affirmatively but only the Fourth as Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy there it is delivered affirmatively And afterwards it is delivered negatively In it thou shalt do no manner of work thou nor thy son nor thy daughter c. The Lord hath delivered it both wayes noting that this Commandment is equall and equipollent with the other and the Lord did this in infinite wisdome because he had not written this Commandment in the heart of man by the light of nature therefore the Lord did urge it more with Arguments that what was wanting in the light of nature might be supplyed by the pressing of Arguments 5. Another Argument is Because if this be not morall then we have Reas 5 not Ten morall Commandments there are but Nine now this is false for the Scripture tels us that the Commandments are Ten as Deut. 10. 4. it is not an Ecclesiasticall thing but the Lord hath said it as you may see there And he wrote upon the Tables according to the first writing the Ten Commandments which the Lord spake unto you in the Mount out of the midst of the fire The Lord spake Ten Commandments now if the Fourth Commandment be not morall there be not ten Commandments And you may as well deny the Articles of the Faith and the Petitions of the Lords Prayer as the ten Commandments The Sixth Argument is this Christ tels us plainely that it is a Reas 6 morall Commandment Matth. 24. 20. Pray saith he that your flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabbath day Our Saviour Christ here prophesied of the destruction of Jerusalem which was forty yeares after Christs Ascension when all Ceremonies were ceased as Paul had proclaimed before the destruction of Jerusalem That if any man would be Gal. 5. 2 circumcised Christ should profit him nothing Galat. 5. 2. That is if he would keep the Ceremonial Law Now Christ bids those that should live forty years after the Ceremonies were ceased I would have you have a care of the Sabbath and delight in hearing of the word of God and meditating upon it and so forth and if any occasion come that you fall into the hands of your enemies pray that your flight be not in the Winter nor